After a season-ending surge that saw the Central High School boys soccer team win eight of its last 10 games and march to the regional quarterfinals, a whopping 15 Bobcats were honored as the District 3-5A all-district team was released this week.

Topping the list of honorees for Central, which won a share of its third consecutive district title this year, were junior Austin Hawk, who was named the district's Offensive Most Valuable Player; sophomore Courtney Costello, who was the Newcomer of the Year; and Tony Vu, who for the second season in a row was the Coach of the Year.

Hawk made a remarkable transition from a defender last year to dangerous goal-scorer for the Bobcats this season.

"Austin has definitely stepped it up," Vu said earlier this year. "...The transition from defense to forward was obviously a good move."

Costello, meanwhile, was the leading scorer on the junior varsity team last season and didn't miss a beat making the transition to the varsity level this year.

"I was just hoping to make it on varsity this year," Costello said last week. "I didn't think I would start. I was just working to get on the team."

After a 1-3 start to district, Vu led his team on a seven-game winning streak to snag a share of the 3-5A title.

"He's quiet. He's laid-back," Central defender Austin Ray said of his coach. "The negatives are really soft-spoken. He's a good, positive coach."

Four Central players were first team all-district honorees - midfielder Jeremy Cooper, goalie Marshall Doig, and forwards Julio Mendoza and Larry Picasso.

All those players are seniors.

Another quartet of Central players were second team all-district honorees, including a trio of defenders - seniors Cai Benavides and Austin Ray and junior Dillan Drost - and senior midfielder John Socha.

Four more Bobcats were honorable mention all-district selections - sophomore Luke Guevara, juniors Chase Harris and Ryan Parker, and senior Zach Jones.

The Bobcats went 16-9 this season, beating Burleson in the bidistrict round of the playoffs and El Paso El Dorado in the area round before falling to El Paso Bel Air in the regional quarterfinals.

ODESSA - The Central High School boys soccer team has been dominating teams with a lightning-fast offense all season.

On Tuesday, El Paso Bel Air beat the Bobcats at their own game.

Bel Air, using an attack even quicker than Central's, dominated the Bobcats 4-0 in a regional quarterfinal contest at Ratliff Stadium.

"Their guys were playing all over the field," said Central head coach Tony Vu, whose team ended its season with a 16-9 record. "They were in great shape. They were constantly going after every ball, all out."

The win vaults Bel Air, with its sparkling 26-1 overall record, into this weekend's regional tournament. For the first time since 1998, the tournament won't include a boys or girls team from Central's district.

The key to Tuesday's win, Bel Air head coach Sergio Delgado said, was keeping the ball away from Central.

"I think they are used to playing against teams where they have possession of the ball most of the time," Delgado said. "We took the ball away from them. They didn't have the ball and couldn't create chances to score."

That was especially true early as Bel Air controlled possession with a gusting wind at its back.

Just two minutes into the game, the Highlanders had already created two scoring opportunities.

"They move really well without the ball," said Central senior midfielder Jeremy Cooper.

"When one person had the ball, there are three or four other guys moving to create for him. They wanted everything. They came out and wanted it bad."

The Highlanders finally did cash in during the game's ninth minute when Mario Alvarez blasted one in to give Bel Air a 1-0 lead.

As the first half wore on, however, Central began to match up better and better with Bel Air, and the Bobcats didn't allow the Highlanders any more first-half goals.

It gave the Bobcats a measure of confidence at the break, especially considering Central would get the wind at its back in the second half.

The confidence would be short-lived as Dario Espinal scored off an Alvarez assist the fourth minute after halftime.

"I've noticed we play better against the wind," Delgado said. "We know we have to control the ball better because we are against the wind."

Bel Air would go up 3-0 two minutes later when Miguel Amaya scored an unassisted goal.

"I was glad with the situation at halftime just being down 1-0, especially because they had the wind," Vu said.

"Some early defensive lapses in the second half really cost us, and they were able to put away some great finishes to seal the game."

Not that the Highlanders needed it, but Jonathan Lopez added an insurance goal off an Amaya assist to make the score 4-0 with 30:17 left in the game.

It was a forgettable finish to a memorable Central season.

"We can't be unhappy about this season," said Cooper, who along with his teammates won a school-record third consecutive district title this year.

"It's been a great year," Vu said. "Early I didn't know what to expect. I don't think anyone expected us to go this far after losing 13 seniors, but the guys stepped up and they defintely proved themselves, even though this wasn't the result they wanted in this round of the playoffs."

This was also one round farther than the Bobcats made it last year in the postseason.

Even though he will be losing 10 quality senior players, Vu has several standout underclassmen who will return, including leading scorer Austin Hawk and postseason hero Courtney Costello.

"We definitely have some talent coming back, and some guys on JV will be able to step up and fill some voids," Vu said. "I'm looking forward to what next season holds."

On paper, the favorite appears clear.

Today, the Central High School boys soccer team heads into its regional quarterfinal game against an El Paso Bel Air team that looks nearly unstoppable.

The Highlanders have won 25 of the 26 games they've played this year (with the only loss coming to an El Paso Soccoro team that is still alive), far outshining Central's 16-8 mark.

Bel Air has a pair of D-I soccer signeees (sweeper Omar Tena and midfielder Mario Alvarez have signed with Cal State Fullerton).

Talk to a few of the Central players, however, and one does not come away with the feeling that the Bobcats consider themselves big underdogs.

"We're not scared or anything," said Central senior defender Cai Benavides. "I think we have the same chance they do. We're pretty confident."

Self-confidence is not a problem for the Bobcats anymore.

There was a time, not so long ago in fact, where just making it to this third round of the playoffs seemed remote to even the most confident of Central players.

Believers were few and far between after Central started district play 1-3.

"There were some serious doubts," said senior defender Austin Ray.

There were no doubts in the mind of Bobcats head coach Tony Vu, a man Central athletic coordinator Steve Heryford calls "The Tony Dungy of Soccer."

When Central was at its lowest, Vu may have saved the season.

"I guess coach believed in us when we almost didn't believe in ourselves," Benavides said earlier this year.

Dungy is the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, a coach known for his quiet demeanor and his intense faith.

That would describe Vu perfectly.

Faith plays an important role in Vu's life, and his faith is his team (even when it was in the district cellar) was unwavering.

"I could tell the guys were pretty down," Vu said. "As a coach it's your job to believe in your players and let them know you think they can do great things."

"He came up with the name 'Comeback Cats'," sophomore midfielder Luke Guevara said.

Then the Central boys started living up to the nickname.

They rattled off seven consecutive victories to clinch a share of the district title.

They've won nine of their last 10.

It's a team that has transformed itself after the loss of 13 seniors from last year's team.

Sophomore Courtney Costello has moved up from the JV to become a major scoring threat.

Guevara was a reserve at the beginning of the season but has worked his way into a starting job.

Austin Hawk moved from defender last year to midfielder at the start of the season to a goal-scoring machine of a forward now.

The defense, with Ray, Benavides, Dillon Drost and goalie Marshall Doig, took shape.

It's all happened very quietly, very positively, just how Vu likes it.

"He's quiet. He's laid-back," Ray said. "The negatives are really soft-spoken. He's a good, positive coach."

"I can be pretty vocal," Vu said. "There are times at the end of the games I'm hardly able to talk, but I try to be positive and encourage my guys. I'm just a different type of coach. Everyone has a different way to motivate their players."

There's little motivation needed heading into today's game - and no confidence-boosting needed either.

"They are pretty confident in themselves now," Vu said. "Our district is pretty competitive and to win seven games in a row, the confidence built with each win.

"Playing in the regional quarterfinals lets them know we're one of the last 32 teams in 5A still playing soccer. That in itself shows a lot about these guys."

Mendoza to be agame-time decision

One of Central's most explosive offensive players, Julio Mendoza, was injured in the second half of Friday's game, and Vu said his status for today's contest may be a game-time decision today.

"He thinks he'll be good to go," Vu said. "He's definitely somebody we want out there, whether he's just 50 or 75 percent. The attention he can draw will help the whole team."

Mendoza, a senior, scored the go-ahead goal in Friday's area round game and assisted on the game-winning goal in Tuesday's bidistrict game.

If you go

• What: 5A regional quarterfinal boys soccer game.
• Who: Central vs. El Paso Bel Air.
• When: Noon today.
• Where: Ratliff Stadium, Odessa.
• Records: Bel Air is 25-1. Central is 16-8.
• Up next: Winner advances to regional semifinals to play Dallas Jesuit/Keller winner.

MIDLAND - The Central boys soccer team sat in the stands here Friday afternoon and watched the Lady Cats' season come to a close in the area round of the playoffs.

Then the Bobcats took the field themselves and made sure they didn't share that fate.

In dominating fashion, the Central boys beat El Paso El Dorado 4-1 to advance to next week's regional quarterfinals against the winner of today's Odessa High/El Paso Bel Air matchup.

"Seeing the girls lose like that in the last 10 minutes of the game got me nervous," said Central goalie Marshall Doig. "And then they (El Dorado) scored on us eight minutes in, and I thought, 'Oh, here we go.'"

Thereafter, the Bobcats (16-8) dominated. They tied the game on a controversial Austin Hawk goal three minutes before halftime, got a penalty kick goal from Julio Mendoza 14 minutes into the second half and then a pair of goals by super-sophomore Courtney Costello to ice the game.

"We came to play in the second half," said Central head coach Tony Vu, whose team has won nine of its past 10 games. "I'm happy with the direction we're headed going into the regional quarterfinal game."

Vu couldn't have said that early on Friday, however, as El Dorado (15-8) came out as the aggressors and took the 1-0 lead on a Miguel Luna goal.

"We were all kinda bummed after the girls lost. We wanted to come out and redeem it," Hawk said. "We came out jittery, but I knew that when we calmed down, our offense has been so dangerous that we'd have a chance to score."

The way Central tied the game was anything but conventional.

Hawk, the ball and the El Dorado goalie got tangled up near the net, and when the dust had cleared, the officials had a conference and ruled the ball had crossed the goal line before the keeper swatted it wide of the goal.

"It all got crowded. It went into the right corner," said Hawk, who had scored two goals in Tuesday's victory. "They didn't think it was in. We'll take whatever we can get."

"We got a gift to tie it up, and it shifted the momentum to our side," Vu said.

El Dorado coach Freddy Estrada agreed that was the turning point in the game, but he didn't agree with the call.

"I think our team felt we had them under control. But after some of the officiating, the morale of the boys dropped because they felt like they weren't just playing against San Angelo, but also the referees," Estrada said.

There was more fuel added to Estrada's fire when El Dorado was called for a hand-ball in the box, and Mendoza fired it in to give Central a 2-1 lead with 25:49 left in the game.

"He's just so calm under pressure," Vu said of Mendoza. "Those can go either way, but with Julio, they are pretty much automatic."

Costello made the Central lead 3-1 two minutes later when he split a pair of defenders to score an unassisted goal.

Mendoza had to be carried off the field moments later when he took a hard hit to a shin. He was still on crutches by game's end, but Vu was hoping a weekend of icing the injury would have him back on the field for the regional quarterfinals.

Costello ensured Mendoza had something fun to watch from the sidelines when he got an assist from Michael Vaughn and scored again, this time with 4:55 left in the game.

For Costello - who wasn't on varsity last year to see the Bobcats lose in this round of the playoffs- it has been a big debut week of playoff action.

He scored Tuesday's first-round game-winner with 52 seconds left in the game and on Friday scored two goals in the area round.

"He's definitely been clutch in the playoffs," Vu said.

"I was the leading scorer last year on JV. I was just hoping to make it on varsity this year," Costello said. "I didn't think I would start. I was just working to get on the team."

Costello has left no doubt he deserves to be a varsity starter, and on Friday, he and the rest of the Bobcats left no doubt about who the area champions are.

"Wow," Central High School girls soccer coach Ben Henry said.

"I can barely talk," said his star forward Megan Freeman.

Those were the types of comments that began postgame interviews Monday in the aftermath of Central's 2-1 shootout victory over Mansfield in the first round of the playoffs. Ashley Hartgrove's game-wining goal clinched the Lady Cats' first playoff win since 2004, meaning it was the first playoff victory for everyone in a Central uniform.

They were all sort of speechless - in a good way.

Shift the scene over about 150 miles to the east the very next night as the Bobcat boys put the finishing touches on a 3-2 soccer playoff victory over Burleson.

The circumstances were much different than for the Central girls. The Bobcats have won district titles in each of the past three seasons and, with Tuesday's triumph, have won their opening-round playoff game each of those years as well.

They were accustomed to such success, but that doesn't mean they were any less jubilant.

"It doesn't ever get old," said Jeremy Cooper

Cooper knows what he's talking about more than most.

He's the only Central player who has been on the varsity for all of the past three seasons, though fellow senior Julio Mendoza was moved up to varsity for the playoffs his sophomore year.

"It's been amazing," Cooper said. "I don't know what's it's like not to be a district champion. What more can you ask for?"

Before the season started, Cooper said he hoped this year's team could prove that, despite the loss of 13 seniors from the 2007 squad, Central soccer was bigger than just a particular group of players.

"I don't think anyone can say it was just one group of kids because we've gone through two big graduating classes now," Cooper said.

The Bobcats have made a believer out of head coach Tony Vu.

"They surprised me, too. I wasn't sure what kind of team we would be but they've definitely exceeded the expectations I would have had for them," Vu said. "Their perseverance to get us to this point shows they are out to prove themselves and show everyone that San Angelo soccer is for real."

With both boys and girls teams still alive in the second round of the playoffs - the Lady Cats (18-6) play El Paso Franklin (24-2) today at Midland's Grande Communications Stadium followed immediately by the Central boys' (15-8) matchup against El Paso El Dorado (15-7) - San Angelo soccer is indeed alive and well.

Playoff doubleheader

• What: Class 5A area-round playoff soccer games.
• When: 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. today.
• Where: Grande Communications Stadium, Midland.
• Of note: The Central girls (18-6) will play El Paso Franklin (24-2) at 4 p.m. followed by the Central boys (15-8) vs. El Paso El Dorado (15-7) at 6 p.m.
• Up next: Winners advance to the 5A regional quarterfinals next week.

The Central High School boys and girls soccer teams played doubleheaders much of their district seasons, but Friday is a twin bill of a much greater caliber.

Both the Bobcats and Lady Cats won their bidistrict playoff games earlier this week and will now compete in an area-round playoff doubleheader Friday at Grande Communications Stadium in Midland.

The Central girls will kick things off with a 4 p.m. contest against El Paso Franklin (24-2), which beat Lubbock Monterey 3-1 in Tuesday's first round.

Franklin, which has advanced to the third round of the playoffs each of the past two years, had a 16-game shutout streak broken when Monterey got its one goal Tuesday.

The Central girls (18-6) won their bidistrict game over Mansfield High 2-1 in a shootout Monday.

The Central boys will play at 6 p.m. against El Paso El Dorado (15-7), which won 1-0 on a Miguel Lujan goal in the last minute of overtime against Lubbock Monterey on Tuesday.

The Bobcats (15-8) advanced to this round by beating Burleson 3-2 Tuesday on a goal with 52 seconds left in the game by Courtney Costello.

BURLESON - With the score tied 2-2 heading into the last minute of regulation, nearly everyone here had accepted the inevitable - that this bidistrict boys soccer playoff game between Burleson and Central was headed to overtime.

Everyone, that is, but Courtney Costello and Julio Mendoza.

With the Bobcats' season hanging in the balance, Mendoza found an open Costello, who calmly fired in the game-winning goal with 52 seconds left in the contest to vault Central High School to a 3-2 victory in front of a stunned crowd full of Elks fans at their home field.

"I'm glad he saw me open. When I got the ball, I was just thinking, 'Please don't choke. Please don't choke,' " said Costello, who labeled the goal the most important one of his life.

"I surely thought we were headed to overtime," Central head coach Tony Vu said. "But my guys stuck with it like I always tell them to - never quit until the final whistle blows."

When that final whistle blew Tuesday, it touched off a celebration for the Bobcats (15-8), who advance to the area round this weekend to face El Paso El Dorado (a 1-0 victor over Lubbock Monterey).

"It's relieving," said Central's Austin Hawk, who scored a pair of first-half goals for Central off a pair of Costello assists before Burleson stormed back in the second half. "We wish we could have come out and dominated more, but a win's a win. You just have to move on."

The early part of the game played out like the stats said it should as the District 3-5A champion Bobcats - playing with the wind at their backs in the first half - jumped out to a 2-0 lead against an Elks team (14-11) that was the fourth-place finisher in District 4-5A.

Central started its scoring in the game's 19th minute, when Costello found an open Hawk, who created a little space for himself and then pounded a goal into the right corner of the net.

Fourteen minutes later, it was the same combination that led to another Bobcat goal.

Costello made an advancing attack, but when a defender deflected the ball away from him, it found its way right to Hawk, who scored again.

"I knew we had the wind early, and that was a big factor in this game," Hawk said. "Whenever I had a shot within 30 yards, I'd just take it, and I got lucky twice."

The second half was a different story, however.

When a Kody Cross goal less than four minutes after halftime trimmed the Central lead to 2-1, the Burleson crowd (several hundred strong, along with a drum line and cheerleaders) got back into the game.

"I think home-field advantage played a factor tonight," Vu said. "Their fans were going crazy. When they got that first goal, that changed the tempo of the game."

Those Burleson fans went wild when Cody Molinar headed in a corner kick by Blake Penton with 8:29 left to tie the game.

"I knew we'd have at least a couple more pushes toward the goal," Hawk said.

Costello made his last chance count when he got the pass from Mendoza, and instead of firing off a shot immediately, took a second to get in better position.

It was the ultimate display of calm under pressure.

"I just kinda touched it to the side and then touched it underneath," Costello said. "When it's 2-2 and there's one minute left, there's a lot of adrenaline. You just have to stay calm."

"It looked beautiful from where I was standing," Hawk said.

"Good move by 23 (Costello), and he got a great shot," said Burleson head coach Pete King, who was a head coach of the Bobcats in the mid-1990s. "... That's exactly what we wanted to do, finish them off in the last minute."

The victory had added significance for Vu (a former Central player himself), because he was coaching against King, his former high school coach.

"A victory is a victory, especially in the playoffs, but it was nice to see him and get to play against him," Vu said of King. "And they gave us all we could handle tonight. They are a great team."

Thanks to some last-minute magic, it is Central that lives to play another day.

They haven't seen each other since the mid-1990s.

It's going to be one heck of a reunion.

Today's first-round high school boys soccer playoff game between Central and Burleson is a matchup of a former player against his old coach.

In the game, second-year Central head coach Tony Vu will face off against his high school coach at Central, Pete King, who is now at Burleson.

King left Central after Vu's sophomore year with the Bobcats (1996), but Vu still has vivid memories of his old coach.

"He was a pretty intense coach and always expected a lot of his players," said Vu, who added that his coaching style draws a little something from every coach he ever had.

Even after more than a decade, King remembers Vu too.

When the playoff matchup was set late last week, the two got in touch by phone.

"He told me he remembered me as a fast defender," Vu said.

Ironically, King's going to be wowed by the offense his old star defender now brings to the field.

Arguably San Angelo's best offensive soccer team ever, this year's version of the Bobcats averaged more than four goals a game during the second half of district.

"They definitely have shown the ability to score points in bunches and find the back of the net," Vu said.

That offense helped lead Central to a third straight district title this season, a school record.

These Bobcats (14-8), even though they've won all those titles in a row now, head into this postseason with a different feeling compared to last year.

In 2007, Central was plagued by injuries and, with half the team watching from the sidelines, lost in the second round.

This year, the Central boys have largely avoided the injury bug, although a season-ending ACL tear to Larry Picasso has had an impact.

"The way we've been playing, we're pretty confident in our abilities," Vu said.

Already, however, the Bobcats lost the opening battle against Burleson (14-10 and the fourth-place finisher in District 4-5A).

The two teams flipped to determine home field advantage for this game, with the Elks winning, meaning today's 6 p.m. game is at Burleson High School.

Central lost an opening flip last year too, and ended up blowing out North Crowley in a bidistrict game at North Crowley High School.

"The guys are excited about the challenge of going up there and showing what they can do," Vu said.

If you go

• What: Class 5A high school boyssoccer bidistrict playoff game.
• When: 6 p.m. today.
• Where: Burleson High School.
• Records: Central is 14-8. Burleson is 14-10.
• Of note: Winner advances to area round this weekend against the El Paso Dorado/Lubbock Monterey winner.

The Central High School boys soccer team will find out Monday when and where their first-round playoff game against Burleson will be held. The game was tentatively scheduled for Monday but has been moved to Tuesday. The site and time will be determined.

The Central High School girls team will still play their bidistrict playoff game at 5 p.m. Monday at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene against Mansfield.

The Lake View girls team will face Fort Worth Southwest in a second-round playoff game at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Gordon Wood Stadium in Midland. The Maidens won their bidistrict playoff game against Fort Worth Arlington Heights 1-0 on Friday.

- Staff report

The Central High School girls will play Mansfield High in a Class 5A bidistrict soccer matchup at 5 p.m. Monday at Abilene's Shotwell Stadium. The Central boys, who won a coinflip against Odessa Permian for first place in 3-5A on Thursday, will play either Granbury, Burleson or Mansfield Summit at 7 p.m. Monday at Shotwell Stadium.

The Central High School boys soccer team lost to Odessa High 1-0 Tuesday in the regular-season finale to fall into a three-way tie for the District 3-5A title with OHS and Odessa Permian.

The game was a scoreless affair until the final minute when Odessa's Uli Guillen made good on a penalty kick.

"We were just unlucky," said Central head coach Tony Vu, whose team saw a seven-game win streak snapped. "We hit the post four or five times but couldn't score."

For playoff seeding purposes, the three-way tie will be broken by a mini-tournament between the three teams. OHS will play Permian on Thursday at noon, with the loser getting the No. 3 seed. The winner of that game will play Central at noon Friday for the No. 1 seed.

If Permian is Central's opponent in that game, the contest will be at San Angelo Stadium. If OHS is the opponent, the game will be in Odessa.

Whether they are the No. 1 or No. 2 seed, the Bobcats (14-8, 8-4) will open the Class 5A playoffs next week.

District 3-5A boys soccer

District Overall

+Central 8-4 14-8

+Permian 8-4 12-7-1

+Odessa 8-4 14-7-2

*Mid. Lee 6-5 12-11-1

Cooper 4-7 7-13-1

Midland 4-7 6-11-6

Abilene 2-9 5-15

+ Cliched share of district title

*Clinched playoff spot

Tuesday's games: Odessa 1, Central 0; Abilene at Midland (n); Lee at Cooper (n).

End of regular season

A District 3-5A boys soccer title is Central High School's for a school record third year in a row.

The Bobcats left no doubt about claiming that championship Saturday, thrashing Midland Lee 6-0 in the regular-season home finale for Central.

There is still a chance Permian and Odessa High can tie for that title, but a Central win Tuesday at OHS will make the Bobcats champs all by themselves.

With the way the Bobcats (14-7, 8-3) are playing, they're in no mood to share anything.

Saturday's win was Central's seventh in a row and it came in remarkably dominating fashion against a Lee team (12-11-1, 6-5) that is headed for the playoffs itself.

The game was a scoreless tie at halftime, but the Bobcats absolutely exploded in the second half for a half-dozen goals.

"Scoring six goals in one half is incredible," said Central head coach Tony Vu. "It's a tribute to my guys and all the hard work they've done this season to get us to this point."

Senior Cai Benavides started the scoring for Central when he knocked one in from close range off an assist from Austin Hawk less than three minutes into the second half.

Then senior John Socha scored on a curling corner kick the goalie couldn't snag.

Hawk made it 3-0 off an assist from senior Julio Mendoza.

Chase Harris made the Bobcats' lead 4-0 off another Hawk assist.

Lee then changed goalies but it didn't do any good.

With 11:49 left in the game, senior Jeremy Cooper kicked one to Mendoza, who headed it in from long range.

Senior Austin Ray closed out the scoring with 33 seconds left off an assist from Conlee Davis.

Whatever Vu said in his halftime speech, he might consider copyrighting and selling it.

"Actually we didn't talk about much," Benavides said. "We just really wanted to start playing our game and do what we had to do to get our district title."

Part of that second-half Bobcats surge may have been because it took until then to get their emotions in check after a pregame ceremony for the 10 Central seniors who were playing their last game at the stadium.

"This group of seniors is a great bunch of guys," Vu said. "They are pretty much the core of our team. Seven of them are starting for us."

They went out at home in style - as champions.

Even more important than this year's district title was that fact that the Bobcats have now won it three times in a row.

"It means a lot. We're about to change into the new district. Everybody's going to look back and see what a great team this was," Socha said. "Kinda like a dynasty."

Exactly like a dynasty.

It was made more remarkable by the way this district season started for Central.

The Bobcats were 1-3 and all but out of the playoff hunt before turning it all around and winning their last seven games.

"To be honest, the team hadn't given up really but kind of thought another district title was a little out of reach," Benavides said. "It was coach that kept saying, 'We can go 8-0 and win it.' We started rolling. I guess coach believed in us when we almost didn't believe in ourselves."

Now everyone believes the sky is the limit for a team that's been averaging more than four goals a game lately and has suddenly found a defense to match.

Central had only allowed one goal total in its past three games.

Goalie Marshall Doig made some sparkling saves Saturday, and the rest of the Bobcats defenders kept Lee from ever getting near the goal most other times.

"Offensively we've been doing a great job, but a couple of shutouts these last few games is definitely something that's been a plus," Vu said. "And something that can hopefully help us go far in the playoffs."

Central ends its regular season Tuesday at Odessa High, then it's on to the playoffs where the Bobcats will play a fourth-place team from District 4-5A (any one of three different teams at this point) likely on March 24 at Abilene's Shotwell Stadium.

District 3-5A boys soccer

District Overall

+Central 8-3 14-7

*Permian 8-4 12-7-1

*Odessa 7-4 13-7-2

*Mid. Lee 6-5 12-11-1

Cooper 4-7 7-13-1

Midland 4-7 6-11-6

Abilene 2-9 5-15

+ Cliched share of district title

*Clinched playoff spot

Saturday's results: Central 6, Lee 0; Permian 2, Cooper 1 (SO); Odessa 2, Abilene 1.

The Central High School Bobcats left no doubt about who the best boys soccer team in District 3-5A is.

Odessa Permian arrived in San Angelo Tuesday in first place.

The Panthers didn't leave town that way.

The Bobcats demolished Permian 4-1 to vault themselves into first place in the district standings and locked up a playoff spot in the process.

"With the playoffs clinched, it's a matter of coming out Saturday and getting that district championship," said Central's Austin Hawk, who scored one goal Tuesday and assisted on two more.

Central hosts Midland Lee on Saturday at noon, and the Bobcats can clinch a share of the district title with a win.

That would be the third consecutive district title for the Bobcats, a team record.

It's been a remarkable turnaround for a Central team that started district with three losses in its first four games.

Since then Central (13-7, 7-3) has won six in a row.

"This feels good after starting so bad," said Central's Courtney Costello, who scored the game's first goal and had an assist in Central's final one. "We weren't playing our game early in the season."

They certainly are now.

That game is centered around an offense that no one seems capable of stopping.

Former first-place occupant Permian (11-8-1, 7-4) seemed like it might have the best chance at doing so of anyone.

The Panthers had only allowed three goals total in the last month (a span of six games).

Central needed just one half of play Tuesday plus five minutes into the second half to score that many against Permian.

Costello got things started in the game's seventh minute when Hawk drew the goalie out and found his teammate wide open near the goal on the backside of the play.

"There was an open net," Costello said. "All I had to worry about was hitting the net."

He did, and Central had a lead they would never lose.

Central goalie Marshall Doig and the Bobcats' defense made several good plays to keep that 1-0 advantage heading into halftime.

"We've been winning games 5-3, 4-3," Doig said. "Sometimes our defense slips up and makes mistakes but our offense has been making up for it.

"Today we came out and took it hard to Permian, and we were firing on all cylinders."

The Bobcats caught fire early in the second as Jeremy Cooper blasted a goal in with authority off a pass from Hawk three minutes into the second half.

Less than two minutes later, Hawk got a goal of his own to put Central up 3-0.

"Austin has definitely stepped it up," Central head coach Tony Vu said. "I'm pretty sure he's the leading scorer in district. The transition from defense to forward (made during the offseason) was obviously a good move."

Permian finally got on the board on a penalty kick by Alan Castillejos with 32:44 left in the game.

Central would get that goal back with 4:43 left in the contest when Julio Mendoza scored off a Costello assist.

Mendoza was yellow-carded for excessive celebration for doing a on-field dance after his goal, but it was that kind of celebratory night for the Bobcats - the suddenly first-place Bobcats

"It's like it was last season," Hawk said. "It's back to normal again. We always knew we could do it. It was just a matter of getting there."

A month ago it was a loss to this same Permian team that sparked Central on this winning streak.

Vu gathered his players for a lengthy conversation in Odessa after that loss.

"I told them that I still believed, even though we were 1-3, that we were one of the best teams in the district," Vu said. "And we needed to step up our game, go out and show the last two district championships weren't a fluke."

They listened.

District 3-5A boys soccer standings

District Overall

*Central 7-3 13-7

*Permian 7-4 11-7-1

*Odessa 6-4 12-7-2

Mid. Lee 5-4 11-10-1

Midland 4-7 6-11-6

Cooper 4-6 7-12-1

Abilene 2-7 5-13

*Clinched playoff spot

Thanks to a hat trick by Austin Hawk, the Central High School soccer team opened up the second half of District 3-5A play with a 3-0 shutout on the road against Abilene Cooper on Tuesday.

Hawk's first goal was assisted by Courtney Costello, the second was assisted by Larry Picasso, and Pedro San Juan assisted on the third one.

"We came out and played real strong,'' Central coach Tony Vu said. "It was our best overall game of the year.''

Central's JV team remained unbeaten in district with a 3-1 win.

The Bobcats will host Midland High at noon Saturday.

The Central High School boys soccer team isn't ready to relinquish its district crown just yet.

After starting off District 3-5A play this season with a pair of losses, the two-time defending champion Bobcats bounced back in a big way Monday with a resounding 5-1 win over Abilene High at San Angelo Stadium.

"We knew we had to get a win. There was no option to lose," said Central sophomore Courtney Costello, who scored two goals and assisted another. "We were pretty pumped up to play a solid game, and work the ball around and score some goals."

Central did plenty of scoring, beginning in the 12th minute when Costello backheeled a pass in the box to John Socha, who split two defenders and tapped the ball past Abilene's charging goalkeeper.

The game's signature goal, however, came in the final second of the first half.

With the Bobcats making one last push up the field, Costello took a pass from Julio Mendoza and blasted a shot past the keeper just as the halftime buzzer sounded.

It didn't look like Costello would have enough time to score, but his buzzer-beater gave Central a 2-0 lead at the break.

"I was watching that from the sideline and I was hoping he'd hurry up and shoot the ball," Central head coach Tony Vu said. "But it was a great run. They didn't give up. There was less than 30 seconds and they were hungry to get another goal."

Incredibly, Costello said he wasn't even aware he had only a second or two to work with.

"I didn't really know the buzzer was about to go. I forgot we were in the last minute and I was just playing regular," he said. "It just happened to be right before the buzzer. It was kind of lucky."

Costello put the finishing touches on an outstanding game when he put the Bobcats ahead 3-0 in the 51st minute.

Central's Austin Ray cleared a ball down the field, and Costello used his speed to fly around a defender. With the defender right on his back, Costello managed to keep control of the ball before stopping and sending it past the diving keeper.

The Eagles pulled to within 3-1 when Chip Moore scored on a corner kick in the 54th, but Central's Austin Hawk iced the game with two late goals.

"It was a good game all around. Everybody contributed to this victory," Vu said. "We finally played a full game, playing from the start until the very end.

"We scored five goals and we could've had more, but I'm just glad we were able to put the ball in the back of the net tonight."

Hawk put Central ahead 4-1 in the 64th minute when he pressured an Abilene defender into a turnover in the box, then drilled the ball home.

He struck again a little more than six minutes later when he collected a great cross from Chase Harris and slammed it in the net.

Central's defense also had some strong play, highlighted by defender Ryan Parker stopping a pair of shots on goal when goalkeeper Marshall Doig was pulled out of the net in the 69th minute.

Dillan Drost also had a diving header that cleared a dangerous Abilene High cross in the 28th.

The Bobcats moved into a tie for fourth place with Odessa High with a 1-2 record in district and 7-6 mark overall. Abilene fell to 0-3 and 3-9. Central will play again Saturday at Permian.

"This was a huge victory for us to get us back in the district race," Vu said. "We're 1-2 and right in the middle of the pack. Hopefully, this will give us some momentum heading into the rest of the first half of district."

Central 5, Abilene 1

Abilene 0 1-1

Central 2 3-5

Scoring - 1. Central, John Socha (Courtney Costello), 11:40; 2. Central, Costello (Julio

Mendoza), 40:00; 3. Central, Costello (Austin Ray), 50:20; 4. Abilene, Chip Moore (Brandon Hill), 53:19; 5. Central, Austin Hawk (unassisted), 63:14; 6. Central, Hawk (Chase Harris), 69:36. Shots on goal - Abilene 4, Central 12. Corner kicks - Abilene 3, Central 9. Records - Abilene is 3-9 overall, 0-3 in District 3-5A; Central is 7-6, 1-2.

 

For three games and almost 78 minutes of a fourth, the Central High School boys soccer team never trailed here at the 10th Annual San Angelo Soccer Classic.

The final two minutes were a different story.

Just when the championship game seemed destined for a scoreless tie at the end of regulation, Amarillo Palo Duro's Jose Chavez scored on a free kick from 35 yards out against a sluggish Central defense with 2:13 left in the game.

The goal gave the Dons a 1-0 win and the tourney title, and it sent Central home thinking about what might have been.

"It was a great shot, but the other thing is that we are taking too long to get our wall set up and our defense organized on set plays like that," Central head coach Tony Vu said.

Last season the Bobcats had beaten Palo Duro 7-0 in the title game of this tournament.

The late breakdown by the Bobcats underscored some troubling trends for the Bobcats (6-4) that Vu had noticed even as Central was beating most of its opponents this weekend.

"We're really inconsistent with our play, night and day" Vu said. "We're going to have to figure something out, because we can't do this once district starts if we want to accomplish the goals we want to accomplish."

District play is right around the corner for the Bobcats. They open 3-5A play by hosting Abilene Cooper on Saturday and will certainly head into that game with something to prove after Saturday's finish.

The loss to Palo Duro soured what had started out as a great day for Central, which knocked off Lake View 3-0 in the semifinals.

Courtney Costello scored a pair of goals in that game, and Larry Picasso added the other.

Costello and Jeremy Cooper were all-tournament selections for the Bobcats.

"We moved the ball around a lot against Lake View, and when we do that we play our best," Costello said. Against Amarillo, "we didn't play good at all. We didn't move the ball around. We didn't create opportunities to score."

Lake View, meanwhile, after allowing three early goals to Central, shut down the Bobcats in the second half but wasn't able to keep that momentum going into the third-place game, which the Chiefs lost to Lubbock Monterey 4-2.

Steven Smith and Ryan Panter scored the two goals for Lake View in that game.

"I'm pretty satisfied," said Lake View's Johnny Harris, summing up the Chiefs' weekend, in which they won one, tied eventual champion Palo Duro 1-1, and lost two. "Central, they are a good team, so I wasn't disappointed in the Central game. The second half we didn't let them score, so I consider that a good half and gets us ready to start district.

"We're not where we need to be to win a district championship, but we're where we need to be to make a run for the playoffs."

Lake View (1-5-2) begins its district season Tuesday at Copperas Cove.

10th Annual San Angelo Classic Tournament

Boys

Saturday's results

Semifinal

Central 3, Lake View 0

Palo Duro def. Lubbock Monterey

Consolation final

Central JV 2, El Paso Burges 1

Third-place game

Lubbock Monterey 4, Lake View 2

Championship

Amarillo Palo Duro 1, Central 0

It's time for a rematch.

The Central and Lake View high school boys soccer teams scrimmaged each other earlier in the season, with the Bobcats routing the Chiefs before the season officially started.

Now, the two play for real as they battle in the semifinals of the 10th Annual San Angelo Soccer Classic.

Central, which won Group A, will play Lake View, the second-place team in Group B, at 8 a.m. today at San Angelo Stadium. The winner advances to the championship game at 3 p.m. while the loser will play for third place at 1 p.m.

"I'm really happy to be headed to the semifinals," Chiefs senior Ryan Panter said. "We've had a rough start to the season, so this brings us up a lot."

Both teams come into the game with something to prove. The 'Cats did not look sharp in a 2-1 win over El Paso Burges on Friday night, while the Chiefs are looking to avenge their scrimmage loss.

Central was the only team in the boys bracket to win both of its games in the preliminary round Friday. The 'Cats opened the tournament with a 5-0 win over Lubbock Monterey before playing Burges in the last boys game of the day.

Lake View got its first win of the season with a 1-0 win over the Central JV team in its first game of the day, then tied a quick Amarillo Palo Duro squad 1-1. The tie allowed Palo Duro to take first place in the group. The Dons will play Monterey in the 10 a.m. semifinal.

"(The result of the scrimmage) is motivation for us because we didn't play our best game that first time we played them," Chiefs coach Joshua Johnson said. "We'll come out at them. I think we're a lot more confident now."

Steven Smith scored the only goal of the game against Central JV and the Chiefs made the lead stand up in the second half.

Lake View again took the lead in the second game, this time on a Panthers breakaway goal but gave up the tying goal with less than a minute left in the first half.

Central, which spread five goals out over the whole game against Monterey, got two goals in the first 15 minutes against Burges but could not find the net the rest of the game. Jeremy Cooper's rebound goal in the 15th minute stood up as the game-winner for the 'Cats.

"I thought we should have scored a few more," Cooper said. "I didn't think we were going to need that one to stand up as the game-winner. I think we got a little too rushed, tried to do a little too much. We didn't play very good soccer in the second half."

Burges cut the lead in half with less than a minute left in the first half after a player slipped through several defenders for an easy goal.

While the 'Cats were able to keep the Mustangs off the scoreboard the rest of the game, coach Tony Vu was not happy with how his team played. He said players took too many touches in the second half and didn't play with the possession style he wanted.

He wants to see increased ball movement and possession against the Chiefs, and he warned his players against not taking the game seriously.

"I've told them from this point on, we have to treat every game like it matters for the rest of our season," Vu said. "Every game that we play now prepares us for district. If we have another performance like tonight, things aren't going to be good for us as far as what we want to accomplish this season."

The Central JV team and El Paso Burges will play at 10 a.m. at Old Bobcat Stadium to determine fifth place.

Lake View 1, Central JV 0

Lake View goal scorers: Steven Smith

Central 5, Lubbock Monterey 0

Central goal scorers: Luke Guevara, Austin Hawk, Courtney Costello, Luke Guevara, Kevin Castro

Lake View 1, Ama. Palo Duro 1

Lake View goal scorers: Ryan Panter

Central 2, El Paso Burges 1

Central goal scorers: Courtney Costello, Jeremy Cooper

10th Annual San Angelo Classic Tournament

Boys bracket

Friday

Lubbock Monterey 2, El Paso Burges 0

Lake View 1, Central JV 0

Central 5, Lubbock Monterey 0

Amarillo Palo Duro 5, Central JV 0

Lake View 1, Amarillo Palo Duro 1

Central 2, El Paso Burges 1

Saturday

Time Teams Location

8 a.m. Semifinal 1 - Central vs. Lake View San Angelo Stadium

10 a.m. Semifinal 2 - Lubbock Monterey vs. Amarillo Palo Duro ASU soccer field

10 a.m. Consolation final - Central JV vs. El Paso Burges Old Bobcat Stadium

1 p.m. Third-place game ASU soccer field

3 p.m. Championship game San Angelo Stadium

The Central High School boys soccer team finished with a 1-2 showing this weekend at the Governors Cup tournament in Georgetown after falling 1-0 against Round Rock McNeil on Saturday.

The game was scoreless until Round Rock sneaked in a goal with about 10 minutes left in the contest.

"They're a good team," Central coach Tony Vu said, after his team dropped to 3-3 for the season. "They're probably one of the best teams we played this weekend. Neither one of us could get a goal until that late one they scored. We were able to get some shots on goal. Their keeper made some good saves."

Despite losing two of three games this weekend, Vu has confidence in his team's abilities heading into Tuesday's home opener. Next weekend, Central will co-host the San Angelo Soccer Classic.

- Staff reports

Julio Mendoza scored at least one goal in all three games this weekend as the Central High School boys soccer team finished tied for second at the season-opening Coppell Kickoff Classic.

The Bobcats were two points away from playing for the championship.

Mendoza had two goals in Saturday's 4-2 victory against Arlington Martin, and Courtney Costello also found the back of the net twice. Marshall Doig was in goal.

Mendoza had the Bobcats' only goal in a 2-1 loss to Rockwall on Friday, and he had the winning goal in a 1-0 season-opening win against Bastrop on Thursday.

Doig was in goal Thursday, and Conlee Davis was Central's goalkeeper on Friday.

Also recording assists for the Bobcats were John Socha, Austin Hawk and Chase Harris.

In Saturday's win, the Bobcats came out firing, connecting on three goals in the first 15 minutes, two of which were by Mendoza.

Central (2-1) plays in the Governors Cup next Thursday through Saturday in Georgetown.

Central boys vs. Bastrop

• What: High school boys soccer season opener.
• When: 4 p.m. today.
• Where: Coppell.
• Of note: This is the opening game for the Bobcats in the Coppell Kickoff Classic. Central is the two-time defending District 3-5A boys soccer champion but graduated 13 seniors from last year's team, which went 16-3-1 and advanced to the area round of the playoffs.

The Central High School boys soccer team has always had a strong history of success, but today the Bobcats begin the quest to accomplish something the program has never done before.

With a pair of district championships already under their belt from the past two seasons, this year's Bobcats can be the first to ever win three district crowns in a row.

That goal will be on the Bobcats' minds all season, a season that begins today in Coppell at the KickOff Classic, where Central opens up against Bastrop at 4 p.m.

The team Central sends to the field this season will be a vastly different one than last year's squad.

A whopping 13 seniors who were on last year's team - which went 16-3-1 and advanced to the area round of the playoffs - have graduated.

That poses an exciting challenge, Central senior midfielder Jeremy Cooper said.

"We lost a lot of seniors, so we're ready to prove that San Angelo is all about soccer. That it wasn't just a group of kids, it's a program here in San Angelo," Cooper said.

Despite all the departures, there's plenty of talent returning.

"We're expecting big things out of Jeremy Cooper," Central head coach Tony Vu said. "We return our leading scorer in Julio Mendoza (11 goals last year).

"Austin Hawk's moving to midfield and might play forward. He's very versatile. Austin Ray, John Socha and Larry Picasso also return. Pretty much everybody who's back from last year is going to move into a starting role this year."

Cooper was a second-team all-district selection last year, and Ray, Picasso and Hawk were honorable mention all-district selections.

The biggest returning award winner for the Bobcats is Vu, who was the 3-5A Coach of the Year in just his first season as head coach.

Vu, despite the strong debut, said he's still a little nervous as he begins his second season as a head coach, but for a different reason.

"I did pretty well the first year, so there are some big shoes to fill," Vu said. "There's the pressure to get my guys ready to play and have another successful season."

Part of doing so was sitting down for a preseason goal-setting meeting.

"We want to do well in the two (road) tournaments and win our home tournament, win district and go deeper in the playoffs than we did last year," said Picasso, a senior midfielder.

That area-round exit from the playoffs last season is one of the few things the Bobcats can look back on with disappointment.

After walloping North Crowley 4-0 in the bidistrict playoffs (led by three goals from Mendoza) Central was upset by El Paso Americas 1-0 in the second round.

A big reason for that loss was injuries that left four Central starters sidelined in that game.

"We don't want to have another early exit this year," Picasso said.

"Last year we had some trouble with goal scoring, and that's why we lost in the playoffs," Cooper said. "I'd like to see us score a lot of goals in these early tournaments. Defense had always been one of our strong points."

If the Bobcats defense builds on last year's success and that offense comes around, the rest of the district better watch out - again.

"I don't think anybody wants San Angelo Central to be three-time defending champions, so I'm sure we do have a target on our backs," Cooper said.