WICHITA – Jordy Kaba wrapped himself in a blanket Saturday night as his team’s celebration carried on in the brisk chill at Stryker Sports Complex.
 
Earlier in the evening, the Rose Hill senior provided all the heat he and the Rockets needed, scoring two goals in their 3-1 victory over Baldwin in the Class 4-1A state soccer championship game.
 
“It feels good, but it’s all my teammates,” Kaba said. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”
 
Indeed, Kaba was part of a cohesive unit that used superior speed and ball handling to win Rose Hill’s third state title and first since the Rockets went back-to-back in 2014 and 2015. Kaba’s brace and fellow senior Ethan Helget’s insurance goal in the 68^th minute provided enough offense for Rose Hill to win for the 19^th time in 21 games this season and soothed some of the sting from a 4-3 loss to Wichita Trinity in the 2024 state title match.
 

“We’ve got a lot of speed,” said Kaba, who one-hopped a bullet past Baldwin goalkeeper Cason Dick in the 22^nd minute, then capitalized on sophomore Caden Davis’ perfect feed in the 46^th after the Bulldogs tied it late in the first half on senior Cooper Carr’s penalty shot. “We’ve got a lot of talent, too. We’re strong everywhere. We play together really well and we deserve this.”
 
Like Rose Hill, Baldwin was trying to take the championship trophy after coming up short in a recent title game. The Bulldogs lost to Bishop Miege in the 2022 final and finished third a year ago.
 
While the Bulldogs’ physicality was effective at times, they were unable to generate many quality scoring opportunities. Carr’s penalty kick marked his 26^th goal of the season.
 
“I think it kind of took us by surprise,” Baldwin coach Ryan Cox said of the Rockets’ speed. “They looked fast on film but so do we. It was a little bit of a surprise to us to see how fast they actually were in person, and it took us a little bit of time to adjust.”
 
Rose Hill’s pressure nearly produced a goal seconds after the opening kickoff. The Rockets’ front line got a quick steal and steered the ball into the box to Davis, who fired an uncontested shot from point-blank range into Dick’s arms.
 
“They just were relentless,” Cox said. “They just kept coming and coming. In soccer, it just becomes a matter of time before a team like that breaks through and they broke through and found the goal.”
 

Rose Hill coach Jerry Treat believed Kaba, a midfielder, could be effective on Stryker’s 75-yard wide pitch. He just didn’t know how much.
 
“He saved his best for last,” said Treat, who has coached the Rockets to their three state titles. “I told him before the game, I said, ‘The game depends on you tonight. We’re on a bigger field and you’re in an attacking midfield spot. You have a lot of room you’ve got to cover and you’ve got to come through.’
 
“He came through all right.”
 
So did Helget, who iced the victory with his eighth goal of the season – one produced by Davis’ 15^th assist. From that point, Rose Hill settled into its four-defender back line and choked off Baldwin’s attacks.
 
The two-goal cushion gave Treat, Rose Hill’s coach for more than two decades, a chance to savor what he was witnessing.
 
“It’s kind of like a grandpa moment when you get older,” Treat said. “You know how it is when you just want to sit back and watch kids have fun. That’s kind of where I’m at right now.”
 

Even with its impressive record this season, Rose Hill was a work in progress, Treat said. He credited his small group of seniors for developing team connections that were missing early on despite a 13-0 start.
 
“Honestly, it took us about 16 games to start playing together as a team,” Treat said. “Once we started playing together as a team, they achieved what I thought they would. Individually, they’re great, but as a team they’re even better.”
 
The Rockets graduated a pair of all-state first-team defenders after last season in Cooper Bates and Josh Grelinger – departures that concerned Treat. But after the Rockets gave up 10 goals in a three-game stretch to end the regular season, Rose Hill posted four consecutive postseason shutouts to reach the final.
 
Baldwin’s goal was the first given up by junior goalkeeper Nate Salinas – a Sunrise Christian transfer who played last season in a co-op with Wichita Heights – since a 5-1 loss to Valley Center on Oct. 23.
 
“I feel so safe when they’re all locked in,” Salinas said of the Rose Hill defense. “I can pretty much just stand there and kick back the whole game.”
 

Salinas is one of many talented underclassmen who can look ahead at a possible repeat in 2026. Davis scored the lone goal in a 1-0 state semifinal victory over Bishop Miege. Junior Brady Liebl, a Creighton commit, will return after scoring a team-leading 24 goals.
 
But on Saturday, Liebl was one of the leaders of Kaba’s fan club after watching his teammate come up big.
 
“It was amazing,” Liebl said. “I love Jordy to death. We’re great friends. Honestly, that’s probably the best game I’ve ever seen him play. I don’t know where it came from, but I’ll take it.”
 
Miege took third place, defeating Wichita Classical 2-0 for its 13^th shutout of the season. Senior Wyatt Garr scored to finish as the Stags’ career goal-scoring leader with 66.