The Lone Star High School boys soccer team won the UIL 5A state title, beating El Paso Bel Air 4-1 in the championship game to cap a magical season. The Frisco High School girls soccer team finished as the state runner-up.
For a program making its debut at the UIL state tournament, the Lone Star High School boys soccer team never looked fazed by the moment. The Rangers simply looked like a state champion as they dominated back-to-back matches at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown to claim the 5A state crown.
Lone Star defeated El Paso Bel Air by a 4-1 score on Saturday in the championship game, two days after beating Pflugerville Connally 3-0 in the state semifinals. Bartek Zabek scored the first two goals in the championship game and Jamin Samons added another to give Lone Star a three-goal cushion before Bel Air got on the board with 11 minutes left.
Lone Star’s domination was complete when Tucker Eason scored on a penalty kick in the final minutes. When the game was over, Lone Star players hugged and some collapsed from both exhaustion and emotion.
“Words can’t describe the feeling. It’s crazy,” said Zabek, who was named the Championship Game MVP. “We’ve just built such a family bond, and it strengthened us throughout the years. We always know that during the game we will fight to the end.”
The Frisco High School girls soccer team also had reason to celebrate, despite losing 1-0 to Grapevine in the 5A girls title game earlier Saturday. Frisco made its first state appearance since 2004, advanced to the championship game for the first time and finished with a record of 23-3-2. Grapevine scored the championship game’s only goal on a penalty kick early in the second half.
There was also a penalty kick in Lone Star’s victory, but at that point, there was little doubt who would win. And there’s no doubt that the Lone Star players were right when they said they would not be denied a championship this year.
Lone Star (24-1-2) made that pledge after losing in the regional finals last year to Wakeland, which went on to win the state championship. The Rangers had to battle to get to the state tournament, and on Saturday, they knocked off Bel Air (28-1-1), which had been unbeaten this season.
The Wakeland boys and girls teams swept the 5A titles last year for the second time, but showing the depth of Frisco ISD soccer, neither of the Wolverines teams won a district title this year. Wakeland’s teams have won six state titles, including five since 2017.
This year it was the time for Lone Star, which gave Frisco ISD its seventh state soccer championship in the last seven seasons.
“Every single game, everybody’s like ‘congratulations coach, well done, coach,’" Lone Star coach Clinton Hollingworth said. “And every time my response is that it’s not about me, it’s about them. They deserved to get this and they got it. It’s all about them.
“I have never coached a group that is as much the epitome of a family as this group is. They absolutely love each other. There’s 21 seniors. That’s a family right there.”