HILLSBORO – With less than 19 minutes remaining in the second half of the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 4A boys soccer final, Henley sophomore goalkeeper Carlos Ivan Garcia wasn’t feeling very good about himself.
At that point, following a goal by North Marion sophomore forward Damien Vallejo Lopez, the Hornets found themselves trailing the Huskies 2-0.
Fast forward through the rest of regulation play, through 20 minutes of overtime action, and through a penalty-kick shootout, and Garcia couldn’t be happier – and neither could his Henley teammates.
The Hornets were able to rally to tie the score at 2-2 in regulation play and, following a scoreless overtime, they triumphed 2-1 in the penalty-kick shootout – with Garcia making an amazing four saves – to claim the state title in the match played Saturday at Liberty High School.
“Everything just went through my head, all the emotions. It was amazing. It was the best win,” Garcia said. “This means a lot. Throughout the summer, throughout the whole season, we practiced for this. We knew we had to lock in and get this done. We took it game by game. And we’re family, I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else.”
With the victory, fourth-seeded Henley, under head coach Lupe Gonzales, finished its season at 14-2-2 and won its first-ever outright state championship after sharing the crown in both 1989 and 1990.
“This is everything. We’ve been working hard all season, and through the summer. This was the end goal the whole time, to get here,” said Henley junior Layne Worrell, who scored the tying goal for the Hornets in regulation play. “To come back like we did really shows our character and shows what we’ve worked on. It just means everything.”
No. 2-seeded North Marion finished its season at 15-3.
The Huskies, looking to win their first state title since 2014, struck first in Saturday’s match, taking a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute when sophomore Johnny Ramos-Reyes scored on a shot from 12 yards out, coming off a cross from sophomore Vallejo Lopez from the right side.
Vallejo Lopez’ second-half goal gave North Marion its 2-0 advantage as time was starting to wind down.
“I wasn’t feeling good about myself then,” Garcia said. “But I had confidence in my team. We’ve come back from 1-0, 2-0 before. I had a feeling. Something was telling me we would come back.”
Worrell agreed.
“I knew we could do it,” he said. “We’ve been down before, and we’ve come back. It’s really shows our character. We knew, I knew, that we could come back.”
The Hornets’ rally started less than a minute following Vallejo Lopez’ goal, when Henley senior midfielder Jesus Flores scored on a rebound shot following an attempt by Worrell, cutting the lead to 2-1.
Worrell then tallied the equalizer on a long-range shot that found its way inside the upper right corner of the North Marion goal, coming in the 69th minute.
“It bounced out somehow, and I was like, ‘we’re desperate, I’m shooting it,’” Worrell said. “Outside the box, bouncing a little bit, I just volleyed it. I look up, and it’s flying perfect – perfect top-right.”
With no more scoring in the final minutes of the second half, or in overtime, the match went to a penalty kick shootout.
Henley went first in the shootout, and Worrell wanted to take that initial shot.
“I’m always confident in shootouts. I always go first,” Worrell said. “I like going first and setting the tempo for my teammates. I’ve never missed a PK, and I continued that streak today.”
He did, with a successful attempt into the left side of the goal. Senior Jouse Lomeli Marin, taking the first attempt for North Marion, was also successful, converting his shot to the right side.
But that would be the last goal that Garcia would allow, as he made saves on the next four North Marion attempts.
“I don’t know. I locked in. I was confident. I don’t know how to explain it, but I got it done,” Garcia said. “Everyone tells me I’m pretty good at PKs. I practice them a lot. I just have a routine. I always pray for God to take me through these PKs.”
“He was just fantastic,” Worrell said of Garcia. “He’s fantastic during PKs. I’m so confident in him.”
But there still was some drama, as North Marion freshman goalkeeper Jaiden Ortiz Paredes was also up to the challenge, making a pair of saves in the shootout while the Hornets had another attempt bounce off the crossbar.
Henley, after a successful attempt by sophomore Diego Ramirez in the fourth round of the shootout, held a 2-1 lead in the shootout going into the Huskies’ final attempt. But Garcia, diving to his left, blocked that final attempt, giving Henley a 3-2 (2-1 PKs) victory, and igniting the Hornets’ victory celebration.
“Tears were running, it was pure happiness,” Worrell said. “I was overjoyed.”
