CLASS 5A STATE SOCCER PREVIEW
 

 
BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST TAKES TITLE REIGN TO DOORSTEP OF REPEAT  

For the fifth consecutive season, Blue Valley Southwest and Maize South will meet for the Class 5A boys soccer state championship. And while the Timberwolves have had the upper hand in the series — including last year’s 7-0 title win — both sides know Saturday’s matchup at Stryker Complex will be anything but routine. 

Blue Valley Southwest enters the final seeking its sixth state title in nine years after navigating one of the toughest schedules in Kansas and Missouri. Coach Erik Jones’ squad is coming off a 2-1 semifinal win over Newton and has evolved into a balanced, battle-tested group. 

“I’ve said this in the past — there’s no other program I have more respect for than Maize South,” Jones said. “The only times we’ve played have been in championship games, which is a little different. We don’t take for granted the opportunity to play for a state title, and we definitely look forward to the challenge.” 

Last year’s Timberwolves were a juggernaut — unbeaten, led by All-American scorer Crew Alvarez, now at Drake, and considered the best team in school history. This fall, the formula has shifted. 

“Obviously, the biggest difference is not having that All-American goalscorer, and he was a luxury to have last year,” Jones said. “This year, we’ve had to generate more offensive opportunities and not rely on one person. It took a little while to build chemistry, but we’re in a good spot now.” 

Senior striker Eli Mick has provided much of the scoring punch with 19 goals, while freshman Reid Williams (9 goals) and seniors Dane Christensen and Aidan Buckneburg have become key playmakers. The Timberwolves have scored 49 goals this season while allowing just 23, with senior Wyatt Garden recording seven shutouts. 

Southwest’s demanding schedule included clashes with regional powers like Rockhurst, Park Hill South, Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.) and Shawnee Mission East — a slate Jones said was vital to preparing for November. 

“It’s been huge for us this year playing a tough schedule,” Jones said. “Anytime you can play the best teams, whether it’s on the Kansas or Missouri side, we’re going to do that. We’ve dropped a couple games, but we’ve learned from those losses. We want to play teams that test us because it makes us better.” 

As for Saturday’s rematch, Jones knows controlling tempo and limiting Maize South’s explosive attack will be crucial. 

“They’re an offensive juggernaut,” Jones said. “Coach Ramirez will throw out different formations, and we have to adjust on the fly. These games can get ugly, but the team that can control the pace will have more success. We have to negate some of their attack, but we’re going to attack too — we have good goalscorers as well.” 

Blue Valley Southwest’s championship pedigree speaks for itself — five state titles (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024) and three runner-up finishes in the past decade. Still, Jones said, every trip to Stryker feels fresh. 

“We definitely don’t get tired of being here,” he said. “This rivalry with Maize South is something special. I’m not sure any other schools have what we have.” 

 
BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST TIMBERWOLVES (14-4-1)
 
Coach: Erik Jones
 
STATE FINALS HISTORY: 5 state titles – 2024 (5A), 2021 (5A), 2019 (5A), 2018 (5A), 2017 (5A); 3 runner-up finishes – 2023 (5A), 2022 (5A), 2016 (5A)
 
2025 RESULTS
 
W,4-0 Bishop Miege
W,5-0 Shawnee Mission Northwest
L,2-1 Shawnee Mission East
L,5-1 at Rockhurst (Mo.)
W,4-3 at Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North
T,2-2 at Blue Valley North
W,1-0 at St. Thomas Aquinas
W,2-1 at St. James Academy
L,1-0 at Park Hill (Mo.) South
L,3-1 Columbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge
W,3-1 at Blue Valley Northwest
W,6-1 Wichita Life Prep
W,1-0 at Blue Valley West
W,2-1OT Shawnee Heights
W,3-2 Blue Valley
W,3-0 St. James Academy (P)
W,4-0 Sumner Academy (P)
W,4-0 Piper (P)
W,2-1 Newton (P)
 
2025 STATISTICS
 
TEAM
 
Goals scored: 49 (2.5 per game)
 
Goals allowed: 23 (1.2 per game)
 
INDIVIDUALS
 
Goals: Eli Mick (sr.) 19; Reid Williams (fr.) 9; Dane Christensen (sr.) 7; Bryden Liem (jr.) 6; Wesley Abraham (sr.) 3; Gavin Gryp (sr.) 3.
 
Assists: Bryden Liem (jr.) 6; Reid Williams (fr.) 6; Dane Christensen (sr.) 5; Aidan Buckneberg (sr.) 4; Gavin Gryp (sr.) 4; Eli Mick (sr.) 4; Tanner Levy (jr.) 3; Jaxon Ottosen (jr.) 3; Landon Rock (so.) 3; Nico Sanchez (fr.) 2.
 
Shutouts: Wyatt Garden (sr.) 7.
 

 
MAIZE SOUTH RIDES OFFENSIVE WAVE INTO TITLE GAME
 
It’s been quite a week for Maize South soccer. Nothing on an unprecedented scale, as the high-octane Mavericks are used to netting goals at a rapid rate.
 
But doing so in the state quarterfinals and semifinals can stir a little extra excitement.
 
Maize South coach Rey Ramirez acknowledged that with his team in a post-practice huddle Thursday. But he also issued a reminder to the Mavericks as they prepared to face a familiar hurdle Saturday for the Class 5A championship.
 
“The job is not done,” Ramirez said.
 
The Mavericks who experienced last year’s 7-0 loss to Blue Valley Southwest in the state title game know all too well. The Timberwolves, led by Gatorade Kansas Boys Soccer Player of the Year Crew Alvarez, dominated the 2024 duel – and the entire season, posting a 21-0 record.
 
“I did look back at the film,” Mavericks senior forward Skylur Staley said. “They were the No. 2 team in the nation. We couldn’t really do anything about that. But our passion … we wanted it, but we didn’t want it enough, so we’re coming out with a lot of hunger.”
 
Maize South (18-1-1) will face Southwest (14-4-1) in the 5A final for the fifth consecutive year and seventh time in eight seasons. And if the Mavericks can replicate any part of the offensive avalanche they unleashed in a 5-0 victory over Salina South in Monday’s quarterfinals and a 9-1 victory over De Soto in Wednesday’s semifinals, their odds of winning their third championship in four years will improve.
 
The Mavericks scored all their quarterfinal goals in the first 17 minutes against Salina South, taking the wind out of the Cougars’ sails. Staley and junior midfielder Aldo Acosta each scored two goals after senior midfielder Connor Mucciaccio pocketed the first.
 
That moved Maize South into the semifinals against De Soto, which reached the 5A semis for the first time with a shootout victory over St. Thomas Aquinas. But the Wildcats couldn’t stop the Mavericks, surrendering goals to six players, including a hat trick to freshman forward Parker Vieyra.
 
Senior midfielder Ethan Mbawuike punctuated the runaway with a laser shot from the left wing into the right side of the net.
 
“We’ve done really good coming out super strong with a lot of urgency,” said Staley, who added a brace against De Soto to raise his team-leading goal total to 31 this season and help the Mavericks push their state-best, goals-scored total to 101. “Teams don’t really expect that and when we do, we make things happen like scoring five in the first 17 minutes.
 
“Going into the semifinals, we were really confident. We knew what we had to do and we felt like our formation was going to work well against them. We were feeding off the energy of each other. After I scored my first, I could tell on everybody’s faces that they wanted to get a goal, too.”
 
Staley has evolved into the Mavericks’ top offensive threat since the graduation of Vitor Geromel, who led Maize South to state titles in 2022 and 2023 before heading to Clemson. Staley earned All-5A first-team honors and was the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail I co-MVP last season, scoring 26 goals and adding 10 assists.
 
While trying to emulate Geromel’s soccer skills was a natural pursuit, Staley saw more to the state’s career goal-scoring leader.
 
“I kind of feel like I took over his role as a role model for the team,” Staley said. “I’m a captain, so I want to lead the team to do good things. Vitor was a good kid, really good in school and I looked up to him when I was a freshman. I wanted to be like him. Seeing him succeed and win two state championships made me want to be like that.”
 
Staley knows he can’t go at it alone to end his career with another title. The Mavericks will have to find offense against a Southwest team that has won nine consecutive games with four shutouts and just six goals allowed during that stretch.
 
“The thing about us is people look at us like it might just be one guy doing all the scoring,” Staley said. “In reality, you see the film and there’s three, four, five guys scoring a goal. You have to stop the whole team and that’s a really big thing that I like about us.” 

 
MAIZE SOUTH MAVERICKS (18-1-1)
 
Coach: Rey Ramirez
 
STATE FINALS HISTORY: 2 state titles – 2023 (5A), 2022 (5A); 4 runner-up finishes – 2024 (5A), 2021 (5A), 2019 (5A), 2018 (5A).
 
2025 RESULTS
 
W,12-0 Salina Central
W,4-0 Wichita Northwest
W,2-1 Wichita East
L,4-1 Wichita Southeast
W,8-0 Goddard
W,7-2 at Eisenhower
W,5-2 Emporia
W,4-3 OT at Andover
W,7-1 Andover Central
W,3-1 at Salina South
W,5-1 Hutchinson
W,1-0 Maize
W,8-0 at Campus
W,4-1 Newton
T,2-2 at Valley Center
W,3-2 Derby
W,8-0 Arkansas City (P)
W,3-1 Eisenhower (P)
W,5-0 Salina South (P)
W,9-1 De Soto (P)
 
2025 STATISTICS
 
TEAM
 
Goals scored: 101 (5.1 per game)
 
Goals allowed: 22 (1.1 per game)
 
INDIVIDUALS
 
Goals: Skylur Staley (sr.) 32; Bryson Fields (jr.) 22; Aldo Acosta (jr.) 16; Parker Vieyra (fr.) 6; Canyon Glanzer (fr.) 4; Ethan Mbawuike (sr.) 4; Connor Mucciacio (sr.) 4; Gavin Wilson (sr.) 3; Tanner Herrington (sr.) 2; Cody Montano (jr.) 2.
 
Assists: Skylur Staley (sr.) 12; Aldo Acosta (jr.) 11; Caden Papacek (jr.) 11; Connor Mucciacio (sr.) 10; Ethan Mbawuike (sr.) 8; Tanner Herrington (sr.) 5; Bryson Fields (jr.) 4; Gavin Wilson (sr.) 4; Canyon Glanzer (fr.) 3; Bryce Himes (sr.) 3; Parker Vieyra (fr.) 3; Nick Nanny (jr.) 2; Skylur Staley (sr.) 2.
 
Shutouts: Charlie Clinton (jr.) 7.