For the first time in CHS history, the boys’ varsity soccer team made a run for the state title. After a tough 2-0 loss to St. Mary’s, the Hounds bounced back to beat Marshall High School 4-2, finishing 3rd place in Class 2 Soccer for the state.

Despite the hard loss to St. Mary’s, Head Coach Tom Redmond was pleased with how the team played.

“I was especially pleased at how we started the game,” Redmond said. “We really came out ready to play. In the second half we had a couple of lapses defensively that led to the two goals that St. Mary’s scored against us. However, we fought and played hard until the very end, and I am very proud of our team.”

There were many outstanding performances during the St. Mary’s game. Defensively, the Hounds held St. Mary’s from scoring until there were 10 minutes left in the second half. The team was also very aggressive on offense, with numerous attacks and drives by senior Will Hayes and junior Gabe Jacus.

Even with the loss, senior Kevin Matheny was proud of how well the team played and believes they proved that CHS had earned its place on the field.

“We played really well,” Matheny said. “St. Mary’s is a really good team and you have to give them credit for that win. But we showed that we were a team that belonged there.”

After their devastating loss to St. Mary’s, the Hounds had to quickly recover and prepare for their match against Marshall the very next day.

“The team took the loss to St. Mary’s very hard, as we all believed that we could win the State Championship,” Redmond said. “But the guys got their focus back for Saturday’s match and they really wanted to finish the season with a win and a 3rd place finish.”

The team was able to overcome the fatigue and disappointment from the game against St. Mary’s, defeating Marshall 4-2. According to Matheny, the team “all decided that third place was a lot better than fourth place.”

In the game against Marshall, it was the juniors who took charge. Charlie Harned scored two goals, while Gabe Jacus and Maamoun Hossayrami scored one goal apiece, leading the Hounds to their third place finish.

No one would have expected the Hounds to take third place after their rocky start this season. It was the team’s amazing victory over Priory, the best seeded team in Class 2, in the second round of Districts that really set off the Hound’s playoff run.

“I knew we were going to be good, but a little bit through the season our record wasn’t as good as it should have been,” Matheny said. “I did feel down a little bit. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but after we beat Priory we really all knew we could go pretty far.”

Redmond also discussed the importance of the Priory game.

“After we beat Priory in the District second round, our team confidence really increased as we knew that we had beaten the best team in Class 2 Soccer at the time,” Redmond said. “So we knew that we could go far in the State Tournament.”

While the Hounds may have played inconsistently during the regular season, they overcame and did the unexpected, beating Marshall 4-2 for a third place finish in Class 2 Missouri Soccer.

According to Redmond “team chemistry” was a main component in their success this season. It was also the players’ belief that “anything is possible,” which allowed them to overcome injuries, losses, and inconsistencies so that they could be the first team in CHS soccer history to finish 3rd in the State Tournament.