Boy's Soccer Takes Aim at State Title

Excelsior Springs Boys Varsity Soccer received a police escort as they headed out to compete in the State Championships this weekend. Video by Courtney Cole.

The Excelsior Springs varsity boy’s soccer team (14-3) has battled their way to the MSHSAA Boy’s Soccer Championships and will face off against the Perryville Pirates (13-2) in the semifinals match. The Tigers clinched the district championship last week with a dramatic 3-2 overtime win over the Logan-Rogersville Wildcats. Excelsior Springs is returning to the state championships for the first time since 2004. Coincidentally, the Tigers will be playing on the very same field in Fenton, MO where they played in 2004. Varsity head coach, Zac Ganzer, was also a player on that 2004 squad that finished second that year. “I was on that team back in 2004, and now here we are in 2021 and I have the honor of taking a team back,” noted Ganzer.

2021 Boys Soccer State Bound 2 — The Excelsior Springs Boys Varsity Soccer team poses for a picture before boarding the bus to head to the State Championships. Photo courtesy ESHS Principal, Christen Everett.

The Tigers are riding high and looking forward to a weekend full of tough competition. Senior Ethan Edwards said, “The thought of playing at the state championship for the first time in over 15 years gives me chills. We have a great group of players that I know will be ready for the challenge this coming Friday.” The coaches and players have worked hard this week to prepare for the championship and spent countless hours studying their opponents. “The matchup with Perryville is tough to gauge because we don’ have any crossover games … we know that they’re good, we’ve seen their film, we’re just eager to get out on the field,” said Coach Ganzer.

The ESHS Drumline led the Excelsior Springs Boys Varsity Soccer through the halls and out to their bus. Video by Mackenzie Cole.

Ganzer says the keys for success this weekend will be maintaining aggressive play and putting pressure on the other team. “50/50 balls, those opportunities that come from punts into the air, or on-goal kicks that are deflected, we want to control those situations,” said Ganzer. The match should be close with both Excelsior Springs and Perryville playing a similar style of aggressive, high pressure defense, and both teams have good mid-fielders who can score readily. The success the team has enjoyed so far in 2021 is attributed to the great team chemistry said Ganzer. “This group is a really fun group to be around. It’s fun to go to practice every day because I know they’re going to work hard, they care about the game, and they’re going to do anything they can for each other,” he said.

2021 Boys Soccer State Bound 3 — Students, parents, and citizens cheered on the team as they boarded their bus. Photos courtesy ESHS Principal, Christen Everett

2021 Boys Soccer State Bound 4 — Students, parents, and citizens cheered on the team as they boarded their bus. Photos courtesy ESHS Principal, Christen Everett

Regardless of the outcome Friday, the Tigers will play again on Saturday in either the Championship match or the 3rd place matchup. The other two teams in the final four are Harrisonville and Whitfield. Excelsior Springs defeated conference opponent, Harrisonville, earlier in the season 1-0 in a match played under “brutal conditions” according to Ganzer. Whitfield is a private school located in St. Louis and previously won 8 Class 1 State Soccer Championships, the last in 2010, before they were moved up to Class 2.

2021 Boys Soccer State Bound — Photo courtesy ESHS Principal, Christen Everett

Ganzer and his team are reveling in the moment, “It’s great for these kids to be able to experience this. In a world where we expect so much instant gratification, it’s good to see them work hard to achieve this goal and have all this hard work pay off. The memories they’re making, from District to Conference, it’s really special for them to experience this,” Ganzer concluded.

The 53rd MSHSAA Boys Soccer Championships will be played November 19-20 at World Wide Technology Soccer Park, Fenton, Missouri. The match against Perryville is on Friday, November 19, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. If you are unable to attend in person you can tune in to a live broadcast of the match at MSHSAA.tv (Access is pay-per-view of $15.75 per device).

Story by S. Jason Cole with contributions by Lillian Mawby