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Nothing short of perfection: Lions ready for playoffs after undefeated regular-season run
By Andrew Snyder, asnyder@acnpapers.com
McKinney High (17-0-1) entered its final district game with nothing to lose.
The Lions already had a playoff spot and the District 17-4A Championship tucked away. They were guaranteed another game, whatever the outcome of their rematch with Sherman, a team they had never swept in district play in head coach Alan Pocock's two decades with the program.
That all changed Tuesday night.
“I wanted the guys to really work hard for a district championship,” Pocock said. “I would not have guessed that it was by the massive spread between first and second place that we had this year.”
So while McKinney had nothing to lose, who wouldn't want to be perfect?
Pocock said this was only the second Lions team he's coached that went undefeated in district play. The other was a 2000 squad that advanced to the regional finals in Class 5A. A decade later, the 2011 Lions have earned the chance to make a few extra marks in program history.
“The proof is in the playoff run,” Pocock said. “The challenge that the guys know they're up for is, now the real season starts. It's a big step up.”
Pocock kicked off Tuesday night's game with a starting lineup full of seniors that saw Whan line up at forward to make the scheme work. Whan is a field player in club soccer, and the 11 minutes he spent out front allowed him to see more of the game than his usual 50-50 split with Villareal in goal.
The Lions controlled the game out of the gates, and it took them just six minutes to get on the board when a lengthy pass from Conrod Goulbourne connected with Taimoor Tahir near the goal, who quickly slipped the ball past the Sherman keeper and a defender about to intercept the ball.
Goulbourne was a continuous menace at midfield, where he helped McKinney keep possession and charging toward its next goal. It took a little longer than expected for the Lions to notch another – the rest of the first half went by without a second score – but it was just a matter of time before they posted a few more.
Sherman never had much of a chance to answer back. The Bearcats couldn't hold on to the ball long enough to set up an offensive opportunity, and they went through the first half without taking a shot. With the way McKinney was controlling the game, its 1-0 halftime score didn't add up.
The Lions almost pushed Sherman further back six minutes before the break when Goulbourne blasted the ball toward the right corner of the net, but a diving save from the Bearcats keeper kept the score stable.
Regardless of the margin, the Lions were never in danger of giving up the game. Never looking short on confidence, they kept after Sherman and didn't let up even after they started to run away with things. A defensive backfield led by Grant Sigler cut short any Bearcats player approaching the Lions goal and then funneled the ball forward as the first leg of an inevitable counterattack.
“Everyone did really well today,” Goulbourne said. “We put away chances when we needed to.”
Persistence paid off, as McKinney posted two goals to kick off the second half when Jordan Hawkins and Oscar Martinez both sent one in. Martinez' score came off an assist from Philip Lefebvre, and both goals came seconds apart in the 44th minute to give the Lions a 3-0 lead, enough to feel certain of victory.
But just to be sure, Hawkins posted another goal in the 52nd-minute when he jumped into the path of an assist from Erik Mendoza and finished in midair, inches from the mouth of the goal.
For his effort, Hawkins took a hit one minute later when a Sherman player slide tackled him and drew a yellow card.
From there, the Lions cruised into perfection.
“We're elated right now,” Goulbourne said. “I'm completely happy right now, I couldn't be more happy. To do what the Class of 2000 did, to repeat history like that, I couldn't be more happy. I'm so proud of all the players here and all that we've accomplished. This is a great moment, and we're definitely going to celebrate.”
McKinney Seniors
#1 Brett Villareal
#2 Michael Gonsalves
#3 Urim Hamiti
#4 Hayden Taylor
#7 Jose Hernandez
#10 Conrod Goulbourne
#15 Grant Sigler
#16 Philip Lefebvre
#17 Erik Mendoza
#21 Taimoor Tahir
#23 Corbin Whan
Davis Weidow
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