HHS Roadrunners Win One At Old Pueblo Soccer Tournament

By Greg Perkins
   Even after winning just one game at the Old Pueblo Tournament in Tucson over the weekend, the Roadrunners of Holbrook High School have still posted an overall mark of 10-4-1.
   The Birds headed to the tourney on the heels of a 6-0 conference win over St. Johns Oct. 1, their third region win against just one loss.
   In that contest, Ben Rishel collected a corner kick from Gabi Aguilera and placed it in the corner of the net for Holbrook’s first score of the match. Aguilera scored just one minute later and Rex Self added an-other goal, giving Holbrook a 3-0 lead.
   In the second half Self added his second goal of the match and Javier Quintana scored on a penalty kick after being fouled in the box, his first goal of the season. Juan Quintana scored Holbrook's final goal of the match.
   Facing some of the top small school teams in the state over the years at the Old Pueblo tournament the Roadrunners have fared very well in this event.
   In their first game the Birds faced Benson on Friday afternoon. In a defensive battle the Roadrunners prevailed 1-0, with Gabi Aguilera scoring the game’s only goal off an assist from Juan Quintana. Mark Saxton pitched his fourth shutout of the season in goal for the Birds.
   Later that night Holbrook faced St. Gregory, one of the top teams from the South Conference. In a fast paced match St. Gregory opened the scoring early on with a header for a goal. Fifteen minutes later Hol-brook fell further behind as St. Gregory scored another goal. Not giving up, Juan Quintana scored with just one minute left in the half to cut the lead to 2-1. St. Gregory added two more goals early in the second half to take a commanding 4-1 lead. Quintana added his second goal of the match, this time off an assist from Ben Rishel, but Holbrook failed to get closer and suffered a 4-2 loss.
   “Marcelino Luna and Matt Irwin played their best games of the year, turning in excellent defensive ef-forts for the team. We played a tremendously intense game. We were very pleased with the heart the play-ers demonstrated in this tough match,” said Coach Dave Wright.
   Early Saturday morning the Roadrunners took the field against Desert Christian and once again found themselves locked in a defensive battle. Jesus Aguilera scored for Holbrook in the first half off a direct kick. The Eagles added a goal in the second half and Holbrook ended the game with a 1-1 tie.
   In their final game of the tournament the Roadrunners faced a tough Willcox team. After giving up two early goals to the Cowboys, the Roadrunners battled back and cut into the lead with Gabi Aguilera’s goal late in the half. Ryan Williams gave Aguilera the assist. In the second half neither team was able to break the other’s defense and Willcox ended up with a 2-1 victory.
   “After playing four matches it would have been easy for us to give up, but the guys fought back against Willcox. We had a touch schedule against four good teams in this tournament. We had a great chance to see some of the top teams from other parts of the state. The coaches were pleased with the passion the play-ers exhibited both on the field and on the bench. It gives us a lot of encouragement as we head into the final part of our schedule with four games left. The outcomes of those four games will determine where we will be seeded in the state tournament,” said Coach Wright.
   Holbrook will host Snowflake today (Oct. 8) in a conference clash. On Saturday, Oct. 11, the Birds will play Round Valley at Eagar, then they will take some time off for fall break before resuming action on Monday, Oct. 20, with a road match at St. Michael.