McPHERSON, Kan. – The McPherson Bullpup boys soccer team made a firm decision to continue their season on Sunday, just a day after the tragedy at Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita resulted in the loss of two community members. Monday night, the McPherson community rallied around that decision, coming out in droves to support the team. On a night that was about so much more than soccer, the end result was still a resounding 8-0 win over Augusta at McPherson High School Stadium.
The McPherson players and other community members wore shirts that read “Fly High Cole + Nick” (the “O” in Cole replaced with a soccer ball), honoring and remembering the lives of 35-year-old Nick Schafer and 6-year-old Cole Adrian, son of the long-time head coach of the Bullpups, Chris Adrian. Fans lined the fences on the McPherson side as some children played their own games in the grass, while other fans watched intently as the game unfolded.
“Sunday, we had a team meeting with administrators, our AD, and parents, and the boys unanimously said we want to play, we want to play,” said assistant coach Jerry Bowen. “Coach (Roberto) Mendez and I and Shane Backhus decided if they decide yes, we’ll support it, we’ll coach and we’ll just do what we can.”
On the field, the Bullpups certainly responded. The JV team got the night with an inspired performance in a win over Augusta. Bowen said: “It started with our JV recognizing they’re playing for a bigger purpose, the bigger reason to step on the pitch and the energy and recognizing the support they have from the community.” He added: “The recognized the story was bigger than they were and they played their hearts out on the JV level and then the Varsity stepped up and just responded likewise.”
An inspired varsity squad scored less than ten minutes into the game on a goal by Kevin Garcia to take a 1-0 lead. It stayed that way until the 23rd minute when Jackson Martin scored to put them up 2-0. The first half scoring was capped by a long shot goal from Ben Bocox to go the half with a 3-0 advantage.
The second half was all Bullpups as well. Yahir Valadez scored his first of four goals in the 51st minute to put McPherson up 4-0. Miguel Alonzo scored in the 53rd minute to stretch the lead to 5-0. Valadez scored the final three goals with one in the 55th minute, another in the 67th and the final one with 12:33 remaining on the clock in regulation, ending the game due to mercy rule.
McPherson is now 9-5 on the season after Monday night’s win on Senior Night. It was the final regular season home game for the seniors on the roster, which include by their numerical order: Dmitry Peters, Grayson Broadus, Jackson Martin, Ben Bocox, Aiden Pattison, Achilles Palacios, Hayden Siemens and Mason Eisenbarth. The Bullpups do have two regular season games remaining as they will be at Hesston on Tuesday night and Circle on Thursday.
“Tonight it was all about playing for the Adrian family, playing for the community of McPherson and everyone affected by the tragedy,” said Bowen. “I’m so proud of these boys…so proud of them. I hope the community realizes the courage these boys had to step on the pitch when they’re hurting, and it didn’t show up today, they just left it all out there.”
