FAYETTEVILLE -- Make it six state titles for the De Queen Leopards.
Sophomore forward Carlos Hernandez scored three goals and the Leopards overcame an early two-goal deficit to defeat Pulaski Academy 8-3 on Friday in the Class 4A boys soccer state championship at Razorback Field.
Hugo Martinez, Dahlen Garcia, Estiven Garcia, Fidel Martinez and Scott Maya also scored for De Queen, which won its second consecutive state championship and sixth since 2009.
De Queen (23-2) also won state titles in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014, tying Harrison and Searcy for the most state titles in boys soccer.
"It's so unbelievable we've been able to do it this fast," said De Queen Coach Stephen Sloan, who has led the Leopards program since its inception in 2008. "These kids stayed with me. We've persevered through a lot. These kids work hard. They have a passion for it. The parents have a passion for it.
"The community supports it real well. The kids want to be good. They work to be good. We've been blessed."
Hernandez, a sophomore who was named the match's most outstanding player, has been key to the Leopards' success over the past two years.
"He's taken more of a step forward for us," Sloan said. "He's going to be big for us in the future."
Scoring three goals in a state championship match wasn't as important to Hernandez as winning a title, his second in as many years in the program.
"It's a team," Hernandez said. "It's not just me. It's everybody."
Pulaski Academy led 2-0 in the first 17 minutes after goals from Jacob Norris in the 28th minute and Justin Charette in the 24th minute, but it was all De Queen from that point on.
Martinez put the Leopards on the board, getting a shot past Pulaski Academy goalie Ryan Curry in the 23rd minute to cut the lead to 2-1. Three minutes later, Hernandez broke through after missing on five shot attempts over the first 17 minutes, scoring on a header to tie the match at 2-2.
Hernandez scored his second goal of the match in the 34th minute to give the Leopards their first lead, 3-2. De Queen extended its lead to 4-2 in the 35th minute on Garcia's goal that trickled in past Curry.
In the second half, Hernandez scored his third goal, this one in the 69th minute, for a 5-2 lead.
Charette got one back for the Bruins on a penalty kick to cut the lead to 5-3 in the 74th minute, but the Leopards closed the match out with three goals over the next four minutes as Garcia, Fidel Martinez and Maya converted.
Trailing 2-0 in the first 17 minutes didn't deter Sloan or the Leopards.
"We started finding a home for some of those goals," Sloan said. "Once we got one in, we felt like we could start doing it. The kids just kept plugging away, and that's what we asked them to do."
Pulaski Academy Coach Julian Owen, whose team finished 17-3, said De Queen was simply too tough to handle.
"Amazing," Owen said. "We were a little outclassed today, but I give my boys credit. We won our playoff games and won our conference.
"Nobody likes losing. We took it on the chin. We'll try to make it back next year."
Sports on 05/23/2015