FAYETTEVILLE -- Under an overcast sky, Rogers High Coach Steve Peck kept his sunglasses on long after the Class 7A boys soccer state championship was decided.
The shades masked the tears that accompanied the Mounties' first state championship. Behind a four-goal second half, Rogers (17-5) downed Springdale Har-Ber 5-3 on a wet pitch at Razorback Field.
"This is our first one ever for the boys, so it's huge," said Peck, previously 0-2 in state finals matches. "It's my first one. It means a lot. I've waited a long time to get here."
The Mounties' Jessie Ramirez recorded a hat trick, scoring once in the first half and twice in a second half controlled from start to finish by Rogers. Ramirez's second-half heroics were a necessity as the Mounties trailed the Wildcats 3-1 at halftime.
Ivan Fuentes scored first for Har-Ber (19-4) on a free-kick goal less than 10 minutes in. Ramirez tacked on his first goal with 25 minutes to play in the first half, but the Wildcats closed the half with a penalty-kick goal from Caed Tyler and Jesus Zizumbo's second goal of the state tournament.
Peck kept his club positive at the break despite the 3-1 hole.
"The game was still theirs to win," he said. "We had 40 minutes left. There was no reason for us to give up at all. We've come back from a big deficit to win before. And when we needed it, they did it."
Ramirez kicked off Rogers' surge with a goal eight minutes in to pull the Mounties within 3-2. Later, he was taken down in the box by a Har-Ber defender, leading to Alex Valdez's match-tying penalty kick.
Ramirez gave Rogers the lead for good with 14:25 to play, patiently waiting for a crease to open before scoring in the top-right corner. Alex Balderas set the final score with a goal on a free kick from just beyond the box.
"They came out fired up, they played hard and played good soccer," Har-Ber Coach Cory Butler said of Rogers' second half. "My boys lost their discipline defensively, started to get out of shape and step forward when they shouldn't have, which caused problems for us and gave an advantage to them."
Ramirez, the match's MVP, did not score in Rogers' semifinal victory against Rogers Heritage, but he ensured his presence was felt in the finals.
"It's a dream come true," the senior said. "We all grew up playing together and dreamt about playing together in the state finals. The fact that I could be a big part of it is even better.
"We motivated each other. Just because we were down 3-1 to a team we've lost to twice this year, it's not going to bring us down and make us feel bad about ourselves."
Har-Ber finishes with 19 victories and a 7A-West Conference title. Fuentes and Zizumbo combined for five goals in the Wildcats' three state tournament matches.
But it was Rogers' constant pressure after halftime that made the difference.
"Knowing that I was a part of the win, and to come alive in this game [feels great]," he said. "For this to come in the state finals means so much more to me."
Sports on 05/21/2017