Undefeated but still ‘nerve-wracking.’ Caldwell repeats as 4A boys soccer district champs
Rhys Yeakley has guided the Caldwell High boys soccer program to six district titles in the past eight years. But the veteran coach called the latest one Thursday his most nerve-wracking championship yet.
The Cougars struck twice early and never let Bishop Kelly seriously threaten, rolling to a 2-0 victory in the 4A District Three Tournament championship game at Vallivue High. Yet Yeakley said the nerves never fully relaxed until the final whistle.
He pointed to two reasons. First, Caldwell (17-0-1) had to win Thursday to clinch its eighth straight trip to state. Making the district finals no longer guarantees a state tournament berth. And second, the Cougars’ undefeated record placed a target on their backs all season.
“There’s a lot of pressure in going undefeated,” Yeakley said. “The boys feel it. I feel it.
“If you’re middle of the pack, you just want an opportunity to go to state. If you’re undefeated and everyone’s giving you their best every week, you feel the pressure of trying to maintain that.”
Caldwell wasted little time maintaining that undefeated record Thursday, pouncing on a pair of weak Bishop Kelly (9-5-4) clearances in the first half. Senior captain Axel Gonzalez corralled the first one in the 19th minute, making a diagonal run through the heart of the Knights’ box before sending an unstoppable shot to the far right post.
Fellow senior captain Yahir Esquivel struck three minutes later in what Yeakley described as a hustle goal. He challenged a clearance after a Gonzalez cross, and the ball ricocheted off Esquivel and into the net, giving the Cougars a commanding lead with their lockdown defense.
The undefeated record only begins to explain Caldwell’s dominance this fall. The Cougars have not trailed for a single minute. They lead all 5A and 4A teams with 5.1 goals per game. And they’ve only allowed four goals with their entire backline in the game.
But Esquivel pointed to a 2-2 draw with Skyview two weeks ago as a turning point. Unhappy with anything except their best, he said the team doubled down to make a late-season run.
“We were upset, very upset,” Esquivel said. “But we told each other that we wouldn’t let that keep us down. We just kept our heads up, working hard, working hard, and we just came out with this victory.”
Esquivel admitted the team felt the pressure of the undefeated record. He even called it scary. But Yeakley admitted after the game his nerves may have been misplaced.
A young squad a year ago has turned into a veteran one loaded with seniors. He named four captains, a first in his time at Caldwell and a sign of widespread maturity. And that group has yet to find a challenge it can’t meet.
“Everyone is saying that you’re winning, and all the news reports are saying, ‘Oh, let’s see if Caldwell wins this,’ ” Gonzalez said. “We just have to build each other up.”
UP NEXT
Caldwell: Advances to the 4A state tournament at Real Life Field in Post Falls. The Cougars await their seed and opponent.
Bishop Kelly: Drops into a winner-to-state, loser-out game against Vallivue (12-6-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Vallivue.
This story was originally published October 13, 2022 at 9:23 PM.
