Boys soccer: Castleberry advances to state title game, more from Fort Worth-area
The Texas high school boys soccer state semifinals are here.
Two Fort Worth-area teams made it to the final four: Saginaw and River Oaks Castleberry. See coverage of the Rough Riders and Lions’ matchups.
Castleberry blanks Community, roars into 4A D1 state championship
The River Oaks Castleberry boys soccer team continued its magical season as the Lions defeated Nevada Community 2-0 in a Class 4A Division 1 state semifinal on Saturday, April 5 at McKinney ISD Stadium.
Castleberry (22-1-3) will make its first appearance in a state title game when the Lions face Salado (23-3-3) at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 10 at Birkelbach Field on the campus of Georgetown High School. Salado eased its way into the state title game when Progreso (30-0-0) was ruled to have played an ineligible player by the UIL and was forced to forfeit.
“This is amazing,” said Castleberry midfielder Eddie Zapata, who scored the first goal of the game in the 19th minute. “I couldn’t even picture going to state, but all the hard work has got us here.”
Zapata’s goal came off a nice cross from Jose “Pepe” Chairez that gave Zapata a chance to wind up and launch a shot from 25 yards out.
“I got played into the top of the 18 and we had the wind against us,” said Zapata. “I followed up my shot because I saw that the goalie deflected it and it hit the crossbar. Luckily it landed right in front of and I was able to chest it into the net.”
Castleberry scored again in the 40th minute, with just 10 seconds left on the clock. Ernesto Lazarin lofted a ball from midfield to Gerardo Garcia 20 yards from the goal.
Garcia used the back side of his head to cross it to Fernando “Chapo” Hernandez who went low and left to slide it past the Braves keeper for a 2-0 lead.
“He has such a knack for getting his head on the ball,” said Castleberry coach Paul Smith of Garcia. “We were talking about it before halftime and Chapo was letting Gerardo (Garcia) know that he was there. He (Garcia) got it to him and Chapo got just enough of it.”
The Castleberry back line and goalkeeper Caleb Castaneda did the rest. The Lions recorded their 10th consecutive clean sheet and their 18th of the season in 26 matches.
Community (15-4-2) had several chances in the game, but Castaneda was stellar between the pipes and Castleberry was able to defend or force off-target shots.
“I think the key is to keep you head calm throughout the whole game,” said Castaneda, a junior. “I tell myself before the game, ‘one mistake, that’s it’. Ever since I haven’t had one mistake. I fully trust my back line and it’s just through communication and patience.”
Castleberry’s only loss on the season was to Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis by a score of 3-2.
Highland Park ends Saginaw’s run in state semifinals
Saginaw boys soccer (14-9-2) made its first-ever state semifinal appearance just one year after winning its first area round playoff game.
It was a year of exponential growth paying off due to a mix of talent, believing in the system and gradual improvement, according to Saginaw coach Colin Yocom. The Rough Riders won playoff games against four strong opponents: Grapevine, Mansfield Summit, Burges and Bel Air.
On Saturday, April 5, Saginaw’s stellar playoff run came to an end with a 1-0 loss to Highland Park (20-1-2) at Coppell High School.
“This is the biggest stage our program has been on,” Yocom said. “The highest level. I’m really proud of the boys for this season and the hard work that they’ve put in — the teams that we’ve got to play and beat and compete against — today was a tough one.”
In the first half, Highland Park’s offense generated several corner kicks and breakaways, but the Rough Rider defense held strong. Both teams went into the break scoreless, although the Scots were the clear controllers of the tempo.
In the second half, Highland Park had a scoring opportunity in the 58th minute. Saginaw’s goalkeeper rushed the ball and made contact outside the box and was given a red card. The Rough Riders had put in their backup goalkeeper, and the Scots were awarded a penalty kick.
Highland Park junior midfielder Trey Shamburger made the shot, giving the Scots the lead.
With five minutes left in the game, Highland Park senior midfielder Jack O’Grady provided an insurance goal, giving the Scots a 2-0 lead.
Highland Park coach Scott Turner said it was a “fantastic effort” from his team.
“I thought we settled down in the second half,” Turner said. “We produced more quality chances, and I thought our defense played really well by not giving them much in the second half.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2025 at 5:54 PM.
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