Red Demon soccer set for state quarterfinal against Free State

The Dodge City High School boys’ soccer team is looking to add onto another successful season on Monday night at 6 p.m. when they take on Lawrence Free State in the state quarterfinals at Memorial Stadium on Z98. The Red Demons beat Wichita Northwest 8-0 and Washburn Rural 5-1 in regional play to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals.

Dodge City went 14-1 in the regular season, losing only to Wichita East 2-0 on Sept. 29. They were undefeated in Western Athletic Conference play, and had impressive wins over reigning 4A state champions Rose Hill, and a 6-3 win on the road over Bishop Carroll.

In the regional championship game against Washburn Rural, the 2025 6A state champions, they got out to a 4-0 lead to give themselves a cushion for the rest of the way.

“I always tell the boys it doesn’t matter who you go against,” head coach Raul De La Torre said. “The way you play and the way you prepare against anyone, that’s how you need to play them.”

Leading the way for the Red Demons is senior Alejandro Marquez, who scored two goals in the regional championship to move his total up to 21 on the season. While Marquez is the focal point of most opponents’ game plan, the Red Demons have plenty of players who are capable of scoring. Freshman Erick Ferreira is up to 12 goals on the year, and junior striker Angel Plata has scored 11.

“He’s a phenomenal player,” De La Torre said. “We have so many goals, and I know a lot teams think that a lot of the work is from Alejandro, which some of it is, but all of the goals are spread out everywhere and with so many goals I was looking to see why we don’t have a main goal scorer. It’s because they’re all on the field.”

Ferreira’s season got started with a golden goal to beat Wichita North in the first game of the season, and he has not looked back since.

“I see a lot of potential in him,” sophomore goalkeeper Keanu Rosales said of Ferreira. “He’s a very talented player, he can go a lot of places. Very good on the ball and he’s got great pace and stamina.”

Ferreira and sophomore Lorenzo Ramirez start on the wing, with both being versatile enough to switch sides based on the matchup. Ramirez is up to eight goals on the season, including a goal in the 2-1 victory against Rose Hill. With those two on the wing, Marquez at center attacking midfielder and Plata at striker, the front four has led the Demons toward 83 goals through 17 games.

In the midfield, senior Austin Pinon has battled injury but has remained threatening as he has taken penalties and scored with long shots from outside of the box. Luis Rueda, Karim Rodela and Thomas Mogollon have also contributed heavily to the midfield and to the connectivity of the team.

At goalkeeper, Rosales has started both playoff games, but junior goalkeeper Azael Ponce has also started games and been in rotation with Rosales as the season has progressed. De La Torre said that they can both be starters, and the pair have been able to sacrifice for the better of the team.

“Me and Azael, we’re really good, we have good practices and like to talk a lot,” Rosales said. “Overall, I really like him, I like the way he plays. Hopefully he starts one of these games, I really want him to.”

In front of the goalkeepers is a reliable back line made up of juniors that have only conceded 11 goals so far this year. The combination of Daniel Villegas and Manuel Adame have held down the right back spot, with Andres Pascual and Juan Garcia Castro each starting at center back, while David Herrera has been on a roll at left back.

Herrera scored in three straight games before the regional championship, where he delivered the assist to Jair Ponce to give the Demons the 5-1 lead.

“It feels like I’m in perfect form right now, really conditioned running up and down the line,” Herrera said. “It just feels good to be able to last all match,” Herrera said.

With Herrera on the back line, his impact on the game in the attacking phase had been a luxury that not many teams get to have.

“He’s a very smart player,” De La Torre said. “Whatever I tell him to do, he can accomplish. At the end of the day we’re trying get him to be recruited by a college so we’re trying to get him to play like a college player would. He understands where his position needs to be depending on the ball and he keeps improving every game and that’s what we want him to do and also learn when to defend and when to attack.”

The two starting center backs in Pascual and Garcia have made it difficult for opponents to find an edge on the Demons, and also have made it easier for Herrera to be more involved in the attacking phase of the game.

“Our defensive line is solid, don’t have to worry about me going up, I know someone is back there to cover me,” Herrera said. “They’re really good center backs; we’ve been playing together since… I can’t even remember. Attacking wise, I know I got my strikers and wingers that will finish any cross I give them.”

Pascual and Garcia also add a sense of security for Rosales when he’s in goal.

“I like both of them” Rosales said. “Both of them they can trust me with the ball and I can trust them. Juan knows how to play with the ball at his feet well and Pascual, he is a very calm composed center back.”

The Red Demons are three games away from a third state championship and their first since 2020, but Lawrence Free State will come to Memorial Stadium on Monday on a nine-game winning streak for the quarter finals. The Firebirds started the year 4-4-1 but have been unblemished since.

The winner of Monday night’s quarterfinal will play a team from the East side of the 6A bracket. Dodge City is the No.1 seed in the west, meaning it wins it hosts the lowest advancing team from the east in the semifinals. If Blue Valley Northwest upsets No.1 seed in the East Blue Valley West, then that would be Dodge City’s opponent, but if not, the Red Demons would play the winner of Shawnee Mission South and Blue Valley North.

Wichita East, who gave Dodge City their only loss of the year, will play Wichita Southeast, who defeated the Red Demons in the semifinals last season. The winner of that game would host a semifinal if Lawrence Free State beats Dodge City and go on the road if not.

The state championship game will be held at Hummer Sports Park in Topeka on Saturday, Nov. 7.

The Red Demons have been building up to the final week of the season all year long, and if they can win three games, they’ll reach the goal they’ve been chasing.

“I think the team is very locked in,” Marquez said. “I think that everything that we have going at practice, everything is good. We all set the tone and come out with great energy every game.”