Rocky Mountain boys soccer team makes coach late for work. He’s not complaining
After posing for photos with his team and the championship plaque, Rocky Mountain boys soccer coach Bill Taylor had to step aside to make a phone call.
He was late for work.
The neuroradiologist had good reason for the delay.
His second-seeded Grizzlies scored three second-half goals to defeat No. 1 Mountain View 3-0 in the 6A District Three Tournament championship game Wednesday night at Owyhee High School.
It was the third consecutive district title for the Grizzlies (15-2-0), who now set their sights on a state championship after finishing as the runner-up the past two seasons.
“I think we’ve had a total of four losses in three years in league play, so it speaks volumes to the character of the players,” said Taylor, who has 18 seniors on his roster. “... All these guys were younger, and they were doing it back then, too. So, credit to the players.
“They really believe. They’ve come together as a group this year more than any year I’ve ever coached.”
The 6A state tournament runs Oct. 23-25 at Eagle and Rocky Mountain high schools. The Mavericks (15-3-1), Owyhee (13-5-1), Borah (13-4-1) and Caldwell (13-6-2) will join the Grizzlies at state. Boise (11-8-1) also could qualify if it wins a play-in game Saturday against Coeur d’Alene. First-round pairings will be determined by the final Maxpreps rankings.
“I think we’ve been saying all year, obviously, this is important to get a district title,” Rocky Mountain senior Camden Shepherd said. “It’s always fun to win it, but we really have our goal set on state this year to win it, because coming in second (the last two years), I think (for) a lot of us, it’s the biggest one on the schedule.”
On Wednesday, the Grizzlies and Mavericks played a scoreless first 40 minutes, but it didn’t take long for senior-laden Rocky to find its form in the second half.
Shepherd tapped the ball off to junior Kevin Juarez about 30 yards out from the front of the goal, and Juarez cranked it into the back of the net in the 43rd minute.
“I think it lifted a lot of pressure off of us,” said Juarez, whose team lost 2-1 to Mountain View on Oct. 6. “After that, the team morale just went up, and it just made the game even more intense and more fun. We were just eager to score more and to win.”
Sophomore Marshal Nicolas extended Rocky Mountain’s lead to 2-0 on a penalty kick in the 66th, and with the Grizzlies barrelling toward a win, senior David Muyolo added an unassisted goal in the last minute of regulation for the final tally.
“Everyone’s gonna point to the fact that we lost two state championships, but I always pride myself in the fact that we try and win every game that we go and win,” Taylor said. “… Win districts, win state, win whatever you can, right? Every game you go to play, you go to play to win. That’s just the way the game is.”
Wednesday’s shutout was the eighth of the season for the Grizzlies, who have allowed just 13 goals this season while scoring 67. Senior keeper Paul Mercadante earned the clean sheet against the Mavericks, making four saves.
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 11:53 PM.
