WICHITA – If revenge was a motivating factor for Rose Hill in the Class 4-1A boys soccer championship on Saturday, Wichita Trinity’s scales were tipped by confidence.
 
Well, that, and freshman Wyatt Afman.
 
The Knights’ towering forward was a key addition to the perennial state contender’s lineup this season. His goal-scoring prowess helped Trinity reach 4-1A’s final four for the fifth consecutive year and return to the title game for the first time since 2021.
 
Afman displayed those skills in the biggest game of the season, scoring three goals to help Trinity outduel Rose Hill 4-3 for its third state championship in program history at the Stryker Sports Complex.
 
The Knights capped a 17-4 season with their first title since 2010, officially ending Bishop Miege’s eight-year reign atop 4-1A after Rose Hill knocked off the Stags 2-0 in Wednesday’s state semifinals. After halting Rose Hill’s 2022 season in the regional finals and its 2023 campaign in the state quarterfinals, Trinity denied the Rockets their third state championship in a thrilling back-and-forth battle.
 
“I was just doing this for my seniors,” said Afman, who scored two first-half goals and gave Trinity the lead for good by completing the hat trick in the 53^rd minute. “They had come so close every year. This was my year to help them out and we got it done.”
 

Both teams returned standout players who battled last year in the emotional quarterfinal, which Trinity won in a penalty-kick shootout marathon on Rose Hill’s home field. Those memories quickly resurfaced for the Rockets after they defeated Miege and learned Trinity would be their championship foe.
 
The pregame excitement for another shot at Trinity contrasted with Rose Hill’s postgame disappointment Saturday. The Rockets pulled within one on Johnny Leck’s goal in the 72^nd minute, but couldn’t produce the equalizer.
 
“I feel like it’s just a mental thing for the team,” said Rose Hill senior Luke Anderson, who netted the Rockets’ first goal in the 20^th minute. “Getting knocked out twice in the playoffs and then playing them in a state final, no matter who the team is it can be intimidating.”
 
Trinity co-captain Cooper Mathews acknowledged that Rose Hill’s victory over Miege earlier in the week caused a buzz among his teammates. The Knights dropped three consecutive championship matches to Miege from 2019-21, and saw an opportunity with a new finals opponent.
 
“We were excited,” Mathews said. “We’ve played Rose Hill a lot, so we kind of know how to beat them. We knew what it would take and we thought we could handle it.”
 
That didn’t mean it was easy.
 
Afman opened the scoring in the 12^th minute by swooping in from the top of the 18-yard box as Rose Hill unsuccessfully tried to corral Tyler Easton’s crossing pass. Afman maneuvered the ball into prime position to power his right-footed shot into the net.
 

Anderson countered for Rose Hill eight minutes later, scoring from close range off a deflection from Trinity goalkeeper Owen Holdeman. But the Knights grabbed a 2-1 lead in the 34^th, when senior Brice Willis’ free kick sailed into the box and senior Landon Hale headed it toward Afman, who deadened the ball with his chest and quickly fired into an open right side of the net for a lead the Knights took to halftime.
 
“Wyatt is one of the most talented players I’ve ever seen,” Mathews said. “He has all the skills he needs to go to the next level and even past that. He’s amazing. He balled out on the biggest stage, so that says everything about him right there.”
 
Rose Hill, which finished 18-2, showed its resilience throughout the second half, tying the score again in the 48^th minute when sophomore Brady Liebl darted in from the left wing and chipped a shot over Trinity backup goalkeeper Nolan Wilson. Wilson was in goal for the final minutes of the first half and early part of the second half after freshman starter Owen Holdeman was injured while going to the ground to cover a ball in heavy traffic.
 
Afman, who missed a few minutes of playing time after tweaking his knee, was on the field to help Trinity regain the lead. In the 53^rd minute, Hale took a left-footed corner kick that led to a Knights shot from about 15 yards and another from inside the goalie area. Both deflected off Rocket defenders, and Afman cleaned up the latter carom in front of the net for his 25^th goal of the season to put the Knights up 3-2.
 
“He is a raw talent,” Trinity coach Andy Hackett said. “We have to get on him a little bit at practice about things, but he understands the mistakes he makes and he knows how to correct it.  A lot of kids at this level, they can’t make that leap.
 
“Wyatt is just a special talent and he’s going to be that way for the next three, thank God.”
 
Trinity stretched its lead to 4-2 in the 64^th minute. Mathews received a pass and entered the box on the left side, firing shot that caromed off the crossbar. It bounced in front of the goal to Wilson, who had returned to his midfield spot after Holdeman returned to the game. Wilson headed the ball into the spot Rose Hill goalkeeper Gus Cornejo-Arambula vacated to challenge Mathews’ attempt.
 

 
“He was kind of a late addition for us,” Mathews said of Wilson. “He’s done whatever the team needed. He’s just that kind of guy. He executed today and it was awesome.”
 
Leck struck quickly after a Rose Hill throw-in to cut the Rockets’ deficit to 4-3 with just under nine minutes remaining. Things got more anxious for Trinity at the 4-minute mark, when Mathews received a yellow card for his reaction to being tripped near midfield by Anderson. But he returned at the next stoppage and helped the Knights burn off the remaining time.
 

 Trinity’s championship was the ultimate punctuation to its first season under Hackett, who took over for Casey Casamento this fall. Hackett has coached Trinity’s girls for two seasons, taking them to the 2023 state final.
 
“I knew I had a good group,” Hackett said. “If I could just put a little bit of pressure on those seniors to lead, I thought we would have something special.
 
“This shouldn’t feel like a job out here,” he added. “This should feel fun and exciting. Even though there was the pressure of a state final, we enjoyed it. Ultimately, it was so neat to see a freshman score three goals in a state final. And then Nolan, he wanted to play this year because of his buddies. He’s a true baseball kid, but he’s an athlete. For him to come in and get what ended up being the game-winner, it just speaks volumes about next guy up.”
 
In the third-place game, Baldwin capped its best season in school history with a 2-1 victory over Miege. Kaiden O’Keefe’s penalty kick midway through the second half was the game-winner for the Bulldogs, who also struck first on junior Ethan Smasal’s goal five minutes after the halftime break.
 
Baldwin, the Frontier League champion the last two seasons, completed its third state final four appearance with a 17-2-2 record. Miege finished 14-5-2.