Five KISD Teams Set to Kick Off Soccer Playoffs

Five Killeen ISD soccer teams are gearing up for spring break road trips.

Earning spots in the UIL playoffs, the Harker Heights boys and girls, the Chapparal boys and girls and Shoemaker boys put postseason plans into motion Thursday and Friday, hoping to extend already memorable campaigns.

Chronologically speaking, the Lady Knights have the honor of kicking off KISD’s first playoff match when they take on Cedar Hill in a Class 6A Division II tilt at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, March 20, at Robinson High School.

Also Thursday, the Grey Wolves board the bus for a 6A-II matchup against Mesquite Horn at 7 p.m. at Berry Middle School in Mesquite, and the Lady Bobcats take the field against Midlothian at 8 p.m. at Waco Midway High School.

The Friday, March 21, slate includes three contests: the Knights against Mesquite scheduled for 5 p.m. at Mexia High School and the Bobcats versus Red Oak at 6 p.m. at Robinson High School.

Harker Heights Lady Knights

Lady Knights head coach Aaron Jimenez took over a program coming off an eight-win (two in district) 2023-2024 and turned it into a 12-win squad that finished third in District 12-6A and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2021-2022. The last playoff win was in 2004.

Kaylee Humble leads the offensive attack with a team-high 17 goals, and Kasi Yonkey has nine goals. Defensively, Elizabeth Leffers anchors the back line in front of goalkeeper Yumari Hernandez, who has 11 shutouts.

“The girls have taken it upon themselves to make this season a special one, persevering through all the ups and downs. The leadership and desire to make a change has been some of the best that I have seen in recent years,” Jimenez said. “The team is incredibly excited for the opportunities to come.”

Shoemaker Grey Wolves

The Grey Wolves are back in the playoffs for a second straight season, one year after they made their first appearance since 2017 and won the program’s first playoff game.

This year’s squad was the first KISD club to clinch a spot. Joshua Torres’ 17 goals and eight assists pace the team, and Sebastian Martinez’s 12 goals and seven assists complement that production.

Those individual numbers, though, are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the team’s achievements this season, head coach Dustin Mann said.

“The real success comes from the cohesiveness of the team,” he said. “When we are on, we are undeniable.”

Chaparral Lady Bobcats

The Lady Bobcats finished fourth in District 16-5A behind Belton, Waco University and Lake Belton. Austin Vela-Diehl leads CHS with 16 goals. Mikayla Cromwell has eight goals, Rylee Boone four and Alina Martin, the team captain, one. Those four players have combined for 13 assists.

“The girls have worked really hard to get to this point and now that they have made playoffs, it showed them how much they can accomplish with consistency and dedication,” Chaparral girls head coach Angel Jasso said. “The team is fired up and preparing themselves for the first game.”

Chaparral Bobcats

Despite graduating 12 seniors from the program’s first playoff qualifier in 2024, the Bobcats banded together and booked their return trip to the playoffs after finishing third in 16-5A.

“A lot of our players that have been with us since we opened stepped up into leadership roles to carry us through this season,” CHS boys head coach Tyler Frank said. “I am proud of the commitment from our guys, even starting through the summer and the fall, to work and earn this privilege to play in the postseason.”

Chaparral’s top goal-scorer going into a warm-up game Monday, March 17, is Jayden Bennett with 13 goals. Terrence Robinson tallied nine, and Devin Ochoa, Blaze Hiapo and Yiamxel Marino Vega combined for 13 goals.

Harker Heights Knights

The Knights needed a win in their District 12-6A finale to clinch the fourth and final spot, and went out and defeated Temple, 2-1, to advance to the postseason for the first time since 2018-2019.

“We knew from the start we were a playoff team. With only three seniors, we knew it would take some time to gel together, and we have been playing some of our best ball these last two weeks,” Knights head coach Paul Ruiz said. The goal was to make playoffs, and though it took us all 12 district games to get there, the boys are excited. They know they earned the opportunity to continue playing and represent Harker Heights.”

Mekhi Carwise is the offensive catalyst for Harker Heights, netting 14 goals this season. Kedrick Brown has four goals, and Ian Otto and Michael Newsom have three apiece.

Kalan Roe solidifies the defense in front of keeper Sean Smith, whom Ruiz said is the “backbone” to the team’s season. Roe has 61 saves to his credit.

“Everyone has stepped up at some point to make a difference in a game,” Ruiz added. “Against an exceptional team like Mesquite, we have to count on everyone to do their part.”

(Note: Some of the statistics do not take into account warm-up games played between March 10-March 17.)

Soccer playoffs

Class 6A Division II

Boys

Shoemaker (9-8-3) vs. Mesquite Horn (10-6-4), 7 p.m. Thursday, March 20, Berry Middle School, Mesquite

Harker Heights (6-8-6) vs. Mesquite (13-3-4), 5 p.m., Friday, March 21, Mexia High School

Girls

Harker Heights (12-5-2) vs. Cedar Hill (8-7-5), 5:45 p.m. Thursday, March 20, Robinson High School

Class 5A Division I

Boys

Chaparral (9-10-2) vs. Red Oak (10-4-7), 6 p.m. Friday, March 21, Robinson High School

Girls

Chaparral (9-8) vs. Midlothian (19-1-1), 8 p.m. Thursday, March 20, Waco Midway High School