It’s been almost eight years since Collinsville boys soccer reached the pinnacle by winning a state championship. This season’s Panther squad is seeking to become the second team to win a blue trophy.
The Panthers (14-4-1) have already begun their playoff path with an impressive 10-1 win over Weaver. They’ll play at Tanner tonight in the second round at 7 p.m., with the winner claiming a spot in the Final Four in Huntsville.
But Collinsville head coach Jeff Stanley isn’t taking Tanner for granted.
“Tanner is going to be tough. They’re a lot like we are,” he said. “I’ve watched film on them, and they’re a fantastic soccer team, but I feel like we’re pretty tough too. I think it will come down to who makes the least mistakes. If we can manage what we do, I think we’ve got a good chance.”
The Panthers have come a long way so far this season, but at the beginning, Stanley didn’t know what kind of team he had, especially after last season was abruptly ended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
All Stanley knew was he had a good mixture of players before this season started – a few veterans, some guys who played sparingly on the varsity, and some really young guys.
“We’ve just really come together,” Stanley said. “This team to me is different than any I’ve coached since I’ve been here, other than the first year. They may not be as talented soccer-wise, but they play well together. They’re very coachable. They listen. They just do the little things right. We’ve been able to overcome.
“We started out a little shaky. We played Boaz our first game of the season and they beat us 5-1. Ever since then, I don’t know if the light has just come on, but we’ve been playing pretty well.”
One of the Panthers’ top players this season has been junior striker Roberto Diaz. Diaz scored a postseason record six goals against the Bearcats. He has 32 goals and 11 assists this season.
“He’s having a phenomenal year,” Stanley said of Diaz.
Another junior, Tristan Gallegos, has 11 goals and 10 assists for the season.
Speaking of assists, Bryant Parker is believed to have set a record for assists for a freshman this season with nine. Stanley said Parker is the type player who would “rather see someone else score.”
“His soccer IQ is amazing. He’s a real heady player who works really hard,” Stanley said. “I’ve been trying to do some research to find out (the freshman record for assists). I’ve talked to a few former players about it, but that’s a good amount of assists for a freshman. I’d like to say it’s a record, but I’m not 100 percent for sure that it is.”
While Parker, Gallegos and Diaz will still be part of the Panthers’ future, this season is the last go around for seniors Christopher Corona, Alex Cornejo, Jonathan Ocelot, Gustavo Bustos and Juan Mendez. Corona, Cornejo and Bustos are defenders. Ocelot is the Panther goalie and Mendez is a midfielder.
Corona and Cornejo are Collinsville’s captains.
Although the Panthers haven’t had many injuries this season, Bustos has been bitten by the injury bug. He had to have knee surgery back in the fall and has slowly been coming around.
“He’s dealt with a lot of adversity,” Stanley said. “He’s still not 100 percent, but he tries to play and he’ll give me what he’s got. He’s a coach on the field. He’s a good leader.”
Every team has its unsung hero and sophomore center midfielder Jesus Francisco fits that role the Panthers. Stanley said you’re not going to see his name in the stat book, but “he’s going to play 80 minutes hard the whole game.”
“He’s disrupting plays the whole game,” Stanley said. “He’s always around the ball. He’s real physical.”
Another of the really young guys the Panthers have come to rely on is freshman Luis Ailon. Stanley admitted he thought Ailon would be a junior varsity player to begin with, but he’s been pleasantly surprised by him.
“He’s scored some goals. He scored a big goal the other night (against Weaver),” Stanley said. “He’s started a few games for us.”
All of those ingredients, coupled with a challenging schedule, have the Panthers contending for another title.
“The 2013 team set the tone by winning the state championship,” Stanley said. “You don’t want to say if you don’t finish it out then your season is a failure. It’s not. Our goal every year is to get there and win it. We’ve had a lot of success. We’ve won five straight region championships. I believe in these kids and I think we’ve got a good chance. We’re going to give it our best shot and see what happens.”