Creek’s boys’ soccer team won the Class 5A State Championship title on Nov. 6. at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, scoring an overtime goal against Broomfield to seal a 2-1 win.
The team started slowly in the first half, struggling to score, but were able to score a goal 10 minutes into the second half with a penalty converted by senior defender Austin Hall (#6) to take the game into golden goal, a version of overtime in which whichever team scores first wins, scoring 12 minutes into it, with a beautiful shot from senior striker Cole Wearner (#10) to secure the state championship.
“It’s just a moment that’s hard to explain,” head coach Wilmer Barrera, who has been coaching varsity soccer at Creek since 2018, said. “[I’m] just happy for them.”
Many of these players have played soccer throughout their lives, so winning a title with the importance of a state championship is a huge achievement in their careers and overall lives.
“It’s kind of indescribable. It’s just an amazing feeling that it’s just, you worked so hard all season, and you came 18 games just to finally win it, and it’s something Creek hasn’t done for 14 years. So it’s just an amazing goal, it just feels amazing,” junior winger Lenny Lang (#9) said.
Many players agreed that in order to have a season as good as they had, going 18-1-1 overall and having the best record in the entire state, it was important to make sure that everyone had a strong connection with each other.
“The team is more of a family, and you have team dinners and stuff, so it’s not just the soccer, it’s also the people you’re with,” Lang said. “You bond more.”
This team bond wasn’t only important for the team to play better together, but also a key part of how the team developed together throughout the season.
“We’re all accepting constructive criticism when we need to, and we were very supportive, and that was a big difference,” Barrera said.
Confidence was also a key factor for their championship winning season. That motivation was especially important when being on the back foot during a state championship final, because to players, it takes a lot of confidence to come back from a losing margin.
“I knew it’s a championship game, so everything can happen,” Lang said. “So it’s just important to remain focused and just keep playing your game to the point where it’s done.”
After a 14 year drought, this team believes it has created a new storyline in how far Creek can make it every year. Moving forward, the team now hopes to possibly secure another victory in the coming season.
“Why not the next one? And why not?” Barrera said. “I’m happy for the program, I’m happy for them, I’m happy for all the stuff, but at the end of the day it’s all about them.”
