Carroll soccer ‘farther along’ than projected thanks to unlikely step-ins

Carson Lee fielded a through ball, slashed at it with his left foot from a yard above the goal line and pinged it into the far netting to give Carroll a two-goal lead.

Plays like that are why Bishop Carroll is still one of the favorites to come out of the City League, the Wichita area and maybe the state in Class 5A. The Golden Eagles lost eight starters from last year’s state final team, and the depth Carroll has now has been groomed in the dark.

“Half of these kids were on JV last year,” Lee said. “But we have one of the best JV teams in the state. I think we had six juniors on JV last year because we had so many great players last year.”

Carroll still has its standouts. Lee is the talisman who provides a calming outlet in the middle of the attack. Aaron Valenciana is a three-year starter who provides service from the defensive wings. And Brad Huslig is a staunch defender who isn’t afraid to step into a challenge 50 yards from his goal.

Those three were chosen to wear the captain’s armbands for 2018, but there is more talent on the roster. Christian Barragan is a tall, smooth winger. Tyler Griffin is a shifty junior midfielder, and freshman Bergen Loveless is his mirror on the right side.

Coach Mike Skaggs said Carroll is “farther along” than he thought the team would be at this early point in the season. And that’s not good for the rest of the Wichita area.

“All throughout the summer, we were out there working,” Valenciana said. “The JV guys are stepping up, and they know what the expectations are for Bishop Carroll. And we’re trying to make it back to that final four. That’s the expectation every year.”

The Eagles have been to four of the past five state semifinals and have earned two No. 1 seeds, but last year was their best finish yet.

Carroll went 18-2-1, with two All-Metro players and four first-team All-City League guys, and was one goal away from its first soccer state title — boys or girls — in school history. And the Eagles remembered that goal well on Tuesday.

Carroll lost 1-0 to Blue Valley Southwest in the final at Maize. Tuesday night, Carroll made its return to the Maize field and beat the hosts 3-0, dictating the game from whistle to whistle.

Afterward, Carroll’s players still pointed to the spot where Southwest’s Aidan Bates found a loose ball in the box off a missed clearing header and tucked it away. After that game, Skaggs said he knew whichever team made the most mistakes was going to lose, and that was the one mistake they made.

So now, in 2018, Carroll is faced with an uphill climb to get back to that spot again, having to use players with little to no varsity experience at all. That puts a lot of responsibility on the experienced upperclassmen to lead, but Skaggs said they are all accustomed to excellence.

“The JV guys have to go up against one of the best teams in Kansas every single day,” Skaggs said. “They’re only going to get better. We still have a big senior class (10 seniors). They see each other in the hallways every day.

“Guys graduate every year, but that’s what I keep telling people about the beauty of Bishop Carroll is the community and the support people have for these guys.”

Carroll will have to get through North and Kapaun to win its second straight City League title, and after that, the likes of Eisenhower, Maize South and Newton will be waiting in 5A. And even after that, Blue Valley Southwest and St. Thomas Aquinas will probably be there again in the final four.

Lee said to get back to that level, everyone has to buy in. Nothing will happen until everyone is working as one, he said.

But for now, the Eagles are focusing on themselves, trying to find out how much genuine talent the program has manufactured on JV while no one was watching.

“We never would have made it to the state final if we didn’t have JV pushing us every day,” Valenciana said. “Now it’s their time.”