BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Bakersfield High School's soccer team has punched its ticket to the CIF State Championship playoffs, claiming the program's first Valley title in over a decade.
The Drillers finished the season with 11 wins, 2 ties and 0 losses before beating Matilda Torres High in a thrilling Valley championship showdown in Madera, California. The win secured their spot in the state championship playoffs against Chatsworth High School.
The Valley title game came down to the final shot, with sophomore goalie Spencer Cervantes stepping up in the penalty shootout to seal the victory.
"It was a crazy game, but to me it was just another game with my brothers. We almost lost last minute but we pulled through. We held it off to the penalty shootout. I had to lock in, I saved one shot, and that decided everything," Cervantes said.
The milestone marks the first time the soccer program has accomplished something like this in over two decades. Victor Vasquez, who stepped into the head coach role this season after serving as an assistant coach, said the team's hard work and resilience made it possible.
"It feels great, the boys earned it. They've been working hard since their first day of conditioning. Since then we set the expectations pretty high, it wasn't easy but the boys didn't give up. They kept working hard, through the adversity early on in the season. With the new coaching staff implementing a new style, I'm proud they were able to stick with it," Vasquez said.
Now charting new territory in the CIF State Championships, Vasquez said he reminds the team every day to stay calm and play the game they know. Senior center mid Bryce Kemp said that message has resonated in the locker room.
"He told us to play feet, and play simple. It's a team sport, we need to play with our team. Like help others keep their head in the game. If they start to put their head down, I'm there to tell them to pick it up and keep playing. We have so much more time in the competition. There is no I in team, if we play as a team we will win and succeed," Kemp said.
The Drillers will compete in their CIF State Championship playoff game Tuesday, March 3, at home against Chatsworth High School at 5 p.m.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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