In what probably should have been a rebuilding year, Salpointe Catholic High School’s boys soccer team won its fourth straight state championship — a new big school Arizona record.
The No. 4 Lancers (19-5) defeated No. 2 Mica Mountain 4-1 Friday night at Marana High School in the Class 4A state final.
“They always say it never gets old, and it’s actually true,” Salpointe head coach Wolfgang Weber said of his team’s latest triumph. “Every time, it’s a wonderful experience, and I’m extremely happy for that group of players.
“It was a three-peat last year, but we lost nine seniors — eight of them were starters,” Weber said. “So it was a little bit of a rebuilding project early in the season and we just got on that track of continuous improvement and I think (Friday) we just put the final touch on it.”
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Salpointe’s Nicholas Soto celebrates with fans along the fence after the Lancers dropped Mica Mountain 4-1 on Friday for the school’s 11th state title.
The Lancers ended the season on a nine-game winning streak after losses to 6A No. 1 Sunnyside, 6A No. 6 Tucson High and 5A No. 8 Catalina Foothills in December and January.
Salpointe’s Leo Gutierrez (9) slots home one of his three goals past Mica Mountain’s Landon Hubbard in the second half of Friday’s 4A state championship matchup at Marana High School.
Salpointe junior forward Leo Gutierrez led the way with a hat trick on Friday.
“It feels really good obviously but I can’t give enough credit to my players because they’re the ones that pass me the ball at the end of the day,” Gutierrez said. “But yeah, scoring a hat trick, especially in the state final just feels so good. Getting to see it all: my family in the stands, my teammates really happy, obviously getting the winning score — so it’s a great feeling overall.”
Salpointe senior goalkeeper Brandon McChesney won his fourth ring in his four varsity seasons as a Lancer.
“It’s amazing. It’s amazing,” McChesney said. “I have never felt anything better in my head. In my heart I feel so happy.”
Salpointe’s four straight state titles ties it with Lakeside Blue Ridge, Chino Valley and Yuma Catholic for most consecutive state championships in Arizona history, but the Lancers are the only big school in that four-peat territory. The Lancers passed Phoenix Brophy Prep, Glendale Cactus and Tempe Marcos de Niza, who each had three in a row.
Salpointe’s Diegoctavio Garcia Yanez leaps to take the ball from Mica Mountain’s Wyatt Pakkala (7) in the second half of Friday’s state championship matchup.
“History, you know?” McChesney said. “Your name’s etched in history. It’s great — especially with such a great program like Salpointe, it’s amazing.”
Weber didn’t know they were the first winter-season soccer school in Arizona to win four state championships in a row.
“I told them though that I don’t think that there are many teams that have done this and for them to be the first ... I think that is of course very pleasing to me,” Weber said.
From the Lancers’ 2023-24 team, they lost 4A Kino Region Player of the Year forward/midfielder Nicolas Valenzuela, plus defender Albert Aguirre, defender Benjamin Meadmore, midfielder/defender Eric Nguyen and defender Diego Veliz. All were first-team All-Region last season.
They also lost senior midfielder Adrian Franks, who played in seven games this season before leaving to Argentina to try out for a pro side. This was his fourth season on varsity.
After a scoreless first half Friday, Salpointe struck first when Gutierrez scored in the 49th minute. About a minute later, he scored again to put Salpointe up by a pair.
Salpointe’s Jose Hernandez (20) gets the clearance just past the toe of Mica Mountain’s Riley Carson (13) during the boys Class 4A state championship game Friday at Marana High School.
Mica Mountain cut Salpointe’s lead to 3-1 in the 75th minute when sophomore Landon McKendrick scored, but Gutierrez dashed the Thunderbolts’ comeback hopes with his third of the game about a minute later.
“Huge. Huge. Without him I don’t think we would have made it anywhere,” McChesney said of Gutierrez’s impact.
Salpointe junior midfielder Diegoctavio Garcia Yanez scored the Lancers’ other goal in the 57th minute.
Although Salpointe opened the season with a 6-1 win over Mica Mountain in the Brandon Bean Soccer Tournament, McChesney said Mica had improved.
“They said they are missing some players and those players seemed to be very key in this game,” McChesney said. “They helped move the ball very quick and they seemed a lot better now.”
Mica Mountain (17-6), which opened in 2020, was seeking its first team state championship in any sport.
It’s the Mica Mountain boys basketball program’s third year in varsity and second competitive season.
Mica Mountain’s Caden Petty (3) crashes into Salpointe’s Jose Hernandez (20) in the battle for a ball along the touchline in the first half Friday.
“Here they are, after three years I think they have been in existence and they are in the state final. That’s phenomenal,” Weber said. “It reminds me a little bit of Salpointe, when I took over in ’82. (In) ’85 we won the first state championship, ‘86 the next one; so I think they are on a very similar track because they are a very young team, so I think they are gonna be a power to be reckoned with in the future.”
It’s Salpointe’s 11th state boys soccer championship overall, which ties them with Blue Ridge for the most in Arizona history. The Lancers have titles in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.
Gutierrez got to 45 goals his junior year and 111 total in his career.
It may be his last game for Salpointe, as Weber is going to try to get him into an MLS academy.
“It’s really amazing,” Gutierrez said of maybe ending his Salpointe career on a high note. “I just want to say I love my team, my coaches. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. We wouldn’t be winning another championship, so I’d really like to thank them, and I love them all.
“They’re like family. They’re more than friends.”
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