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The Mount Pleasant Tiger soccer team will kick off their year Jan. 3 at McKinney Boyd. TRIBUNE PHOTO / QUINTEN BOYD
Last year, the goal was to “set the record straight.”
The Mount Pleasant Tiger soccer team met that goal emphatically, advancing to the regional tournament before falling to eventual state champion and personal hurdle Frisco Wakeland.
The Tigers, who have won the regional tournament twice in school history, will be looking to add a third to their ledger this season.
The work began last Friday when the Tigers scrimmaged Pittsburg. The Pirates were game and looking to compete, but Mount Pleasant broke through their pressure with an impressive offensive onslaught in the final minutes of the first half and the entirety of the second half as the Tigers claimed the scrimmage, 5-0.
Oli Martinez and Ernesto Hernandez scored late in the first half, followed by goals from team captain Erick Soto, Zayden Martinez and freshman Gerardo Chavez. The Tigers maintained pressure on Pittsburg’s keepers all evening long.
It was a strong start for a Tiger team looking to add to its already impressive trophy case, starting in a district that has always been strong, but made stronger by redistricting.
The Tigers will be a part of District 15-5A with Hallsville, Longview, Marshall, Pine Tree, Texas High and newcomers Tyler High and Whitehouse. The Tigers split their season series with rival Longview last year and eliminated Whitehouse from the playoffs last season in the regional quarterfinals.
The Lobos, Bobcats, Tigers, Lions and Wildcats all made the playoffs last season.
The teams of 15-5A will meet the teams of 16-5A in the bi-district round – Dayton, Humble Kingwood Park, Huntsville, Lufkin, Nacogdoches and New Caney Porter.
Porter finished last season as the highest ranked team of the new district in the MaxPreps rankings at 31st in 5A.
Kingwood Park, Nacogdoches, and Porter went to the playoffs last season in their respective districts. All three were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs – Kingwood Park by Katy Paetow, Nacogdoches by Whitehouse and Porter by College Station. Porter’s loss was a shocker as the Spartans went into the playoffs with a record of 19-1-2 and lost to College Station, 2-1.
Mount Pleasant scrimmaged Kilgore this past Friday and will officially open their season Jan. 3 at McKinney Boyd. The Lady Tigers open their season the same day at Royse City.