Red Demons advance to state title in a penalty shootout over Blue Valley Northwest

The Dodge City High School boys’ soccer team didn’t need to score in open play in their state semifinal win over Blue Valley Northwest. After 100 minutes of goalless action, Dodge City went 5-for-5 from the penalty spot and got a save from sophomore goalkeeper Keanu Rosales to win the shootout 5-3.

“We had opportunities, but (Blue Valley Northwest) was very defensive and very good at blocking every single thing,” Head Coach Raul De La Torre said. “They were all dropping and dropping and us as a team did the same thing, so it was basically who’s defense was going to fall apart and we tried so many times and they did as well. It was just a fun back-and-forth.

After 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of sudden-death overtime, De La Torre had to select five penalty kick takers. Seniors Alejandro Marquez and Austin Pinon stepped up, along with juniors Daniel Villegas and Angel Plata and sophomore Lorenzo Ramirez delivered the final penalty.

“We take a lot of penalties in practice so we know who the guys are,” De La Torre said. “We had a lot of guys that were familiar and the same when it came to penalties but at the end of the day you’ve got to ask them.”

Ramirez made the crucial penalty in the state quarterfinal to move the Demons up 2-0 in the 10th minute against Lawrence Free State after they had a player sent off for a red card and had experience for the moment he stepped up to take the winning penalty.

“For me, I felt really nervous at the beginning, but once I saw the goalkeeper go the other way I knew it was going in,” Ramirez said. “I think this is one of the best moments I’ve had in my soccer career… the best.”

For Pinon, it was a familiar moment, as he had been the team’s primary penalty kick taker throughout the season. The senior got to play with his older brother in a state championship in 2024, and while he knows his penalty was his last kick at Memorial Stadium as a Red Demon, he was glad it happened the way it did.

“Most people would say it’s sad, but having all the fans out here and the community supporting us, it made me happy to shoot one,” Pinon said. “I’m a senior you know, I had to step up and win or lose, I’m there for my team.”

The Red Demons turned to their leading goalscorer on the year, Alejandro Marquez to set the tone and shoot first in the shootout. While he’s scored 22 goals on the season, the penalty spot had not been kind to him to start the year.

“I think I was like 0-for-3 on penalties, pretty rough,” Marquez said. But I switched it up this weekend and I know how to set the tone for my boys. Even if I missed I still had to set the tone.”

It was a frustrating night for attacking players on both teams, but Plata at forward remained eager for an opportunity and stepped up for the shootout.

“We knew going into the game that it was going to be tough,” Plata said. “Every team that makes it in the semis is there for a reason. During the game I was thinking ‘what could I do?’ It stayed nil-nil and we went to PKs and they asked who wanted to step up and I said I’d step up and I shot into the left corner.”

The shootout required a strong mentality after a physically demanding game. Villegas started the game at right back but played on the left side of the back line as well and even spent some time at center back. He had to be confident to play in a variety of spots, and kept the confidence while approaching the penalty spot.

“I was very confident in my approach,” Villegas said. “I wasn’t really focused on the fans I was just focused on making sure it went in.”

The biggest moment of the shootout came on Blue Valley Northwest’s second penalty, when Keanu Rosales saved the only miss of the shootout.

“My coaches were talking to me about where they usually go so I took their advice and ended up blocking one” Rosales said. “Having my teammates encouraging me the entire time, it really means a lot to me.”

Now the Red Demons get ready for a quick turnaround as they will take on Blue Valley North at 3 p.m. on Saturday, which can be heard on Z98. The good news for them is that the Mustangs also needed penalties to best Wichita East in their semifinal game, meaning that both teams will be making the quick turnaround.

“I know both teams are going to be tired, but it’s going to be fun to watch them,” De La Torre said.