Boys Soccer claims second in 3A State Championships

The Green River Wolves Soccer team headed into the 3A State Championship Tournament playing the Buffalo Bison. The Wolves won the game with a final score of 2-1.

Leading the team were Braxton Doak and Jaxon Morris with one goal each, along with Goalkeeper Eddie Zarate with seven saves and Stone Rubeck with several shots.

"The game against Buffalo went pretty good," explained Head Coach Josh Webb. "We knew it was going to be a grind-out game. I wasn't expecting their number nine to be that quick and he created a lot of havoc for us. Keeping the boys calm and getting over that hump was our main goal. And keeping the boys relaxed and controlling the game was our main concern."

On Friday, the Wolves played their next game against the Torrington Trailblazers. It was a very intense game with both teams fighting for the chance to play in the Championship game. The game went into overtime, with the Wolves winning the game with a final score of 2-1.

Stone Rubeck and Morris led the team with one goal each, while Goalkeeper Zarate had an outstanding 14 saves. There were several shots taken by Doak, along with shots from Maddux Hintz, Aiden Morris, Dominick Littlefield, Irie Kuball, Izyk Arellano and Morris.

"That game got pretty heated in the last three minutes," said Coach Webb. "Torrington is a very, very tough opponent. They have a couple really good players and they are well coached. We were able to play very organized defensively and pushed them out."

Doak took some pretty hard hits in the game, and that's when the coaches were concerned about getting out of the game healthy and with no major injuries. Doak was checked for a concussion and cleared to play in the championship game. Dominick Littlefield was also injured during the game.

On Saturday, the Wolves played the Cody Broncs for the State title. Because of the previous injuries, the coaches had to go deep into the roster to play the game and Doak was played sparingly. The Wolves lost the game with a final score of 0-3.

While Green River was unable to get the ball in the net, there were several shots taken by Rubeck, Arellano, Doak and Morris, along with single shots from Hintz, Morris and Kuball. Goalkeeper Zarate had another impressive 10 saves during the game.

"I think the boys played very, very well in the championship game," said Head Coach Josh Webb. "They have faced a lot of adversity this season and they respond very well to adversity. I'm so proud of the development that I've seen from both teams, JV and Varsity, and the growth has been phenomenal."

Green River will be moving from 3A to 4A next year. Coach Webb isn't concerned about the transition and said he is optimistic about the future of the team, especially since there are so many talented young players.

Green River had a very impressive season, ending their season with a second-place finish at State and an overall record of 14 wins and four losses.

Dusten Berg, Axel Mackinnon, Stone Rubeck, Braxton Doak and Eddie Zarate received All-Conference Honors. Stone Rubeck, Axel Mickinnon and Braxton Doak also received All-State Honors.

Coach Webb would also like to recognize Maddux Hintz, Jaxon Morris, Izyk Arellano, Irie Kuball and Aidan Morris for All-Conference Honorable Mentions this season.

"I'm very lucky to get to coach this team," added Coach Webb. "They bring a lot of grit to the game. These boys stepped up to everything we put in front of them and they pulled it off. It's amazing to watch. Their mental aspect has gotten a lot better and learning to deal with the pressure of the game."

Coach Webb is also very thankful for his great coaching staff and would like to thank Greg Doak, Toby Trumble, Perri Rubeck and Tina Rodriguez for all of their help this season.