St. Agnes, St. Thomas Episcopal capture TAPPS state soccer crowns

St. Agnes did not meet many teams that could match up this season, private or public. The Tigers finished 22-1 overall, with their only defeat 2-1 against UIL 6A member Flower Mound Marcus. They defeated defending UIL state champion Southlake Carroll 3-2 two days later and took down Cy-Fair, Klein and Cinco Ranch to win their bracket at the I-10 Shootout in Katy.

St. Agnes finished undefeated in Division I District 4 action before a perfect playoff run, beginning with a 9-0 win against St. Pius X. Lillian Swarts scored twice, with a 6-0 regional victory against Duchesne Academy including goals from Leah Klenke, Sara Price and Lauren Geczik.

The Tigers played scoreless against San Antonio Antonian in the state semifinal for more than 60 minutes before Geczik broke the tie in a 1-0 victory. Kenna Sanders scored midway through the first half of the final, sparking a run that included two goals by Jaide-Simone Prejean and another by Klenke for a 4-0 halftime lead.

Geczik put the match out of reach early in the second half, while Klenke scored again and keeper Alex Nabors completed the Tigers’ 13th shutout of the season.

St. Thomas Episcopal dominated much of its postseason run as well, eliminating The Atonement Academy of San Antonio 9-0, Schertz John Paul II 4-0, Beaumont Legacy Christian 5-1 and The Woodlands Christian 4-0 to reach the Division III state final.

The Saints prevailed 1-0 against Dallas Covenant, Feb. 22 at Waco ISD Stadium, making the most of an early goal by Sam Jones. They joined the 1994, 1998, 2016 and 2019 teams as state champions.

STE finished 25-4-1, including an 8-0 mark in Division III District 6. The Saints only defeats were to TAPPS Division I state semifinalist St. Thomas, SPC member Awty International and UIL 6A schools Harker Heights and Temple. They defeated several larger schools, including St. John’s of the SPC, Division II District 7 champion The British School and runner-up Lutheran South.

Several schools from the west side of Houston advanced in the TAPPS soccer playoffs, including St. Thomas, which returned to the state tournament.

The Eagles won Division I District 4 and defeated St. Mary’s Hall 2-0 and The Village School 3-1 for the regional title. San Antonio Central Catholic prevailed 3-2 in the semifinal.

The Village School boys defeated Antonian 4-1 to reach their regional matchup with St. Thomas. Duchesne earned a victory in the Division I girls bracket, stopping St. Mary’s Hall 2-0.

Emery/Weiner made school history with its Division II District 7 girls championship, carrying it all the way to the state tournament. The Jaguars defeated Fort Bend Christian 2-0 and Victoria St. Joseph 3-2 to reach the final four, falling 2-0 to San Antonio Christian.

St. Thomas Episcopal’s girls reached the Division III state tournament looking to defend their first championship. The District 5 No. 1 seed defeated New Braunfels Christian 7-0 and Geneva School of Boerne 3-2 before a 3-1 loss to Schertz John Paul II in the state semifinals.

Lutheran North dominated its Division III opener, defeating Baytown Christian 13-0 before exiting the playoffs.

2019-20 ST. AGNES TIGERS

Isabella Conlu

Lauren Cooke

Meyer Davis

Francesca Finger

Kristin Geczik

Lauren Geczik

Finley Hoover

Leah Klenke

Mary Laudadio

Alexandria Nabors

Madison Nguyen

Grace Noe

Jaide-Simone Prejean

Sara Price

Camila Rocha

Kenna Sanders

Anna Smaistrla

Carolina Snyder-Perez

Elizabeth Swarts

Lillian Swarts

Janea Thibodeaux

Erin York

Coaches: Josh Dolan, Lizzy Fernandez, Lindsey Jorlando

2019-20 ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL SAINTS

Hernan Araujo

Max Boubel

Zachary Bowers

Greyson Brewer

Jack Riley Campbell

John Carrera

Remy Chritah

Tristan Farmer

Blake Faucett

William Fenner

Harrison Garrett

John Henderson

Jackson Herrscher

Joel Hrncir

Adam Jones

Sam Jones

Caleb King

Jacob King

Christian Lewis

Sam Saindon

Thomas Welham

Coaches: Chris White, Alan Mendoza