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Cactus Canyon Junior High School's soccer team beats rival JO Combs for league championship

Posted 12/17/19

The story unfolded like a Disney movie when the Cactus Canyon Junior High School’s boys soccer team defeated arch rival J.O. Combs Middle School in a nail-biting 2-1 victory for the league …

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Cactus Canyon Junior High School's soccer team beats rival JO Combs for league championship

Posted

The story unfolded like a Disney movie when the Cactus Canyon Junior High School’s boys soccer team defeated arch rival J.O. Combs Middle School in a nail-biting 2-1 victory for the league championship.

The finale was dramatic and tense. With only seconds left in the game J.O. Combs made a dash for the goal and sent a strong kick into the air.

There was a moment when the only thing both teams could do was watch and wait as the ball sailed downfield. Seconds felt like minutes.

The ball soared toward the goal, but it was too high. No goal, no tie. The smaller and stunned seventh- and eighth-grade boys from CCJH went the distance and beat their undefeated rival for the league championship.

The match remained a close contest, but CCJH held onto the lead the entire time. Both CCJH goals were scored in the first half by Manny Cuevas Rosas. The first was scored at about five minutes into the match and the second came with about seven minutes left in the first half.

J.O. Combs scored its lone goal early in the second half and made numerous attempts to tie the score, but the Cougars forged a strong defense and kept their rivals to one goal. CCJH Goalie Daniel Urias defended his territory and is credited with at least 10 saves during the match.

When the season started

As monumental as the win was, the real story was not when the final whistle blew, it unfolded before the season started.

Going into the competition the CCJH team had little hope for victory. J.O. Combs had the strength, the size and an undefeated season. CCJH’s players started the school year without a coach, lacking uniforms for everyone on the team, and the stigma of going the past two seasons without a single win.

As the beginning of the 2018-19 school year began, CCJH’s volunteer soccer coach was discouraged, admitted defeat and resigned. The situation seemed hopeless. Assistant Principal and CCJH Athletic Director Kenneth deLoera considered disbanding the team. But in spite of its winless seasons, the boys soccer squad still wanted to play.

New coach found

Mr. DeLoera scrambled to find a coach who knew soccer. He couldn’t find one. So he did the next best thing. He recruited Kyle Hobbs, a para professional --- teaching assistant --- at the school who had been successful coaching the boys basketball team at the junior high, high school and even college level.

“When the season began I knew the boys hadn't won a game in three years,” said Coach Hobbs. “My goal was to just get the boys believing in what they could do. This group was very unique in the fact that all the players embraced their role in the team and had a team-first mentality throughout the season.”

Coach Hobbs had his own limitations. He knew little about soccer. However, he did know how to work with kids and agreed to give the soccer coach role a shot. He admits he didn’t do it alone. At the beginning of the season Coach Hobbs credits Coach Norman Hoeffer and Coach Ben Alexander from the high school with lending their support.

With that problem solved there was the uniform shortage to deal with. That is where Apache Junction Parks and Recreation director and community activist Liz Langenbach came to the rescue. She worked her magic and found a grant from the JJ Watt Foundation to purchase enough uniforms for everyone on the team to be outfitted with a jersey.

Things were looking up. Even though the boys may have suspected Coach Hobbs was not a soccer guru, they didn’t let on. Coach Hobbs studied the game and worked with his team. The boys, now wearing their red jerseys that sported the name of the JJ Watts sponsor, added pride to go with their determination and drive. Parents, staff and the community rallied behind the team and at the end of the regular season the CCJH Cougars earned a respectable season record of five wins, two losses and one tie.

Now it was time to move to the next level --- the league championship. Unfortunately, when the time came to find out who they would play there must have been a collective groan. CCJH would battle J.O. Combs, not only an undefeated soccer team, but the only team who they didn’t beat that season.

Undaunted, when the day of the championship arrived the CCJH Soccer Team took the field determined to do their best. In the end, it was leadership that made the difference.

“We had great leaders from Manny Cuevas Rosas to Colton Anderson,” said Coach Hobbs. “The two of them along with all the other players bought into each other and were able to accomplish something special.”

The league championship trophy now sits in a CCJH trophy case alongside other awards the school has earned throughout its history.

But for Coach Hobbs and team of Luis Mendez Vega, Luis Ramirez, Anthony Gonzalez, Adrian "Steven" Avila, Waylon Chalker, Eduardo Cervantes, Manny Cuevas Rosas, Colton Anderson, Sean and Jake Cooper, Daniel Urias, Fernando Mendez Rodriguez, Declan Frie, Denzel Alsenay and Miguel Romero it is more than a championship. The victory is a testament of what can be accomplished when you face your challenges head-on, stretch beyond perceived limitations and unite together as a team.

Editor's note: Sally Marks is the Apache Junction Unified School District's public information officer.