Central Catholic Soccer determinedly fought their way to a three-peat Friday afternoon at Waco ISD Stadium, as they defeated the Friars of Dallas Bishop Lynch 4-0 and claimed their third straight state title in TAPPS Division I boys soccer.

In front of a sizable crowd of Button supporters that included those who came up on the spirit bus, family, and parents, the Buttons seemed to feel their way carefully through the first half, scoring just once on a crafty and textbook Luis Jaen header that put the team up 1-0 in the 23rd minute. The rest of the half remained scoreless, and when play resumed for the 2nd half, the Buttons defense was impressive, giving no rest and no quarter to the Friars offensive efforts. The rest of the three additional goals came in the 2nd half from Franco Querido, Angel Bacho on a penalty kick, and a laser from near the top of the box by Jose Gallegos.

In the 61st minute, the Buttons came alive offensively and stated moving the ball around, playing textbook soccer. During one of several Friars defensive faux-pas, Franco Querido was in the right place at the right time to take advantage of a beautifully played service that gave him the second goal of the game. Later in the half, the Friars goalkeeper got sent off for less than sportsmanlike behavior, and Angel Bacho upped the ante by drilling in a well placed penalty kick, much to the dismay of the backup Friar goalie, and the Bishop Lynch crowd’s hope of any chance of survival. Just a little while later, in the 74th minute, Jose Gallegos put the icing on the proverbial cake with a beautiful, well placed ball that quickly went from boot to net and made the score 4-0, where it would stay until the end of official play. Coach Cartee had this to say about the team’s play throughout the match: “In Friday’s game, defensively we didn’t let them get anything going, we sustained pressure on them with our ball movement and numbers in the attack, and we wore them down and then sealed our victory with 3 goals in 11 minutes midway through the second half.  We had some great passing sequences, quality goals and assists, and strong individual performances.”

During a tough and demanding non-district schedule, the Buttons had to work to push and shove their way through a number of capable and formidable UIL teams that included Dallas Coppell, Arlington Sam Houston, 2018 UIL 6A finalist San Antonio Reagan, and San Antonio NEISD power LEE. During the North Texas Elite Showcase held in Coppell, TX, the Buttons defeated the then #1 ranked team in the nation, Los Angeles Loyola. The Buttons came away with the impressive overall championship victory at the Coppell tournament.

The win over Bishop Lynch gives the Button soccer program their 8th state title in 13 years, (1987, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019). For the last seven years under the leadership of Head Coach Edward Cartee, the program has garnered four state championship titles. Looking back at the season, Coach Cartee shared this: “This was a great season, winning the North Texas Elite Showcase championship in Dallas and winning the state championship.  I’m extremely proud of our players for how consistent they were in every practice and every game all season long.  The players represented our school with distinction and class on every occasion.” Assistant Coaches Gil Gomez, Brandon Rodriguez, and Chandler Sager have also played integral and valuable roles in the development of these players, in the progress of this team, and in yet another winning championship state title season.