HUMBLE, TX – Humble players had a lot of emotions at Pridgeon Stadium in Cypress when the game clock hit triple zeros.
The Wildcats had just lost a 3-1 decision in overtime to Katy Tompkins in a Region III-6A semifinal match.
Humble coach Saul Keene went to each of his players and shared words of wisdom after the 2020-2021 Wildcats finished off a historic season.
Humble made an appearance in the regional semifinal for only the second time in school history. It was their first time in this round since the 1991-1992 season. The Wildcats shared the District 21-6A title with North Shore and has its best season under Keene. Humble finished the season 17-3-3.
“There are no words that you can tell them,” Keene said. “They’re going to hurt from this, but in time things heal and they will reflect on the season and what they have accomplished. I’m proud of these guys and there aren’t enough words to describe what this team means to me.”
Humble went into the locker room with a 1-0 lead at halftime after Christian Almazan connected for the lone goal for Humble at the 23:56 mark.
Both teams battled back and forth in the second half, but Humble was primed to advance to the Region III-6A final until Katy Tompkins’ Luis Lugo scored on a free kick and the Falcons tied the match at the 19:31 mark in the second half.
“We had our tactics set out, we had a game plan, and we did things we set out to do,” Keene said. “We just came up short. We knew it was going to be a really good game and we both had momentum. It just didn’t go our way, and it’s really painful right now.”
The game went into overtime and that’s when Tompkins scored two goals to advance to the region final.
“It was a historic season for us,” Keene said. “I’m going to remember this one for a long time. Every year we talk about coming out and doing better than the last year. We’re building on that, and we’re all disappointed right now. We will take some time to reflect on the season down the road, but like I said, I’m extremely proud of this team.”
Kingwood Boys advance to Region III-5A final
Kingwood Park defeated Richmond Foster 4-1 in a Class 5A regional semifinal match at Freedom Field in Alvin Tuesday night.
This will be the fourth time in school history the Panthers have made it to the regional final.
The Panthers will play Hendrickson at 7 p.m. Friday at Merrill-Green Stadium in Bryan.
Nathan Jimerson and Gage Guerra each scored two goals for the Panthers against Foster.
