Salpointe Catholic Lancers
Photo by Army National Guard
The MaxPreps Soccer Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard was honored to heap praise toward Salpointe Catholic High School.
Salpointe Catholic was only one of ten boy's soccer teams award across the country to be presented with the prestigious.
The Salpointe Lancers won the Division II state championship by beating out Apollo 2-0. This year the Lancers finished with a record of 26-2 and because of that, the school finished with a No. 9 national ranking in the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings, out of over 14,000 teams.
When the tour arrived at the school, we were met by a school administration staff member who was very kind and excited to learn more about the award. The students and staff were working hard in the gym hanging signs, setting out chairs and making the presentation setting look very professional. Shortly after arriving we were met by several Army National Guard representatives.
Salpointe High School Principal Sister Helen Timothy and President Ms. Kay Sullivan made there way to the gym floor along with 10 other Board of Directors. With the large Tour of Champions banner set just behind the podium and the two Army National Guard banners, along with the MaxPreps nationally ranked soccer banner, the gym was ready.
As Sister Timothy prepared herself to speak, the Arizona Army National Guard also lined the court. Those representing the Arizona Army National Guard were SFC Semeja, LSG Nelson, MSG Cardiel, and SSG Torres. Also on the floor was the head soccer coach Wolfgang Weber and athletic director Phil Gruensfelder. This marks the Lancers sixth state title, making them one of the best soccer teams in the country year after year.
Two classmates jazzed the students up before the presentation. They sat all of the players in the middle of the gym floor and introduced them. When it came time to introduce the boys soccer team, the students were fired up. Announcing the coveted Tour of Champions presentation, MaxPreps representative Thomas Norris recapped the season's success and victory over Apollo. He then introduced SFC Semeja to the podium. SFC Semeja talked about the honor of receiving such a prestigious award; teamwork, sacrifice, willingness to give everything of themselves are all traits needed to be successful and they are traits that the Army National Guard cherishes. He then introduced head coach Weber to accept the award.
Coach Weber thanked the Army National Guard, MaxPreps and the Board of Directors. He emphasized the team's spirit and drive for success. He took zero credit for the honor, offering praise to his players. He introduced
T.J. Hope, the team's leading goal scorer. Hope explained how their team chemistry and willingness to work hard along with their experience helped them win the state title. The team went on to set a new school record with 26 wins in one season. Also, in their 28 games, this team scored 124 goals.
After the presentation, the coach and team stayed on the court to take team photos and then waited to speak with local television station KGUN channel 9. The entire team was very grateful and thanked each of us for taking the time to be there. We salute Salpointe on a job well done!
