The Clark Cougars Men’s team took on NEISD’s MacArthur Brahmas tonight and earned another win, putting their season at 19-3-1.
There was another large crowd tonight and the mild evening was the perfect setting for the third round of playoffs. Across town, NISD’s Brandeis battled O’Connor, winning 2-1 on a last minute goal.

Meanwhile, at Blossom, the Cougars and Brahmas went head to head in regular play (two 40 minute halves) and then in overtime (two 10 minute halves) with nary a goal between them. Clark’s keeper, senior Preston Campbell, obviously ate his Wheaties because he knocked every attempt out of the goal in regular play. Go Coogs!
Clark had several attempts on the Brahmas’ goal but to no avail. Around the 75th minute, Clark went down a man when one of the Cougars received a red card. MacArthur failed to capitalize on the advantage and, in the end, Clark’s win came down to Penalty Kicks (PKs).

Keeper Campbell saved the first Brahma attempt and then senior Nick O’Malley was up for the Cougars, easily shooting past the Brahmas’ keeper and putting Clark’s first goal on the board, 1-0.

In the second set of PKs, Campbell dove again and blocked the Brahmas’ shot, a very near miss that sent the Brahma fans into a frenzy. Junior Matt Jacobs then scored, 2-0 Clark.

The Brahmas were down but not out, when their third attempt hit the back of Clark’s net. Clark’s attempt was blocked by MacArthur’s keeper and ratcheted up the tension. Still 2-1 for Clark, though.

In the fourth round of PKs, the Brahmas’ next attempt was all sky, shooting well over the net. If Clark made the next shot, then the win was theirs. Senior Gus Moir stepped up and powered the ball past the keeper, resulting in a frenzied mass of Cougars cheering in the stands and on the pitch. This puts O’Malley & Jacobs at 2 for 2 in PK attempts during the last two games – great play all around but good to know you can count on the Coogs when the pressure is on.

It’s a GREAT day to be a Cougar!

Next, Clark plays Lopez on Friday in the Regional semi-final (field and time to be announced); and Brandeis plays Riviera that same evening. Both Lopez and Riviera are Valley teams; Brandeis & Clark are the only two San Antonio teams left in the playoffs. How proud are we of that?

Hope to see y’all on Friday night!

Submitted by Caryn Moir

Oh. My. Goodness. What a GAME!

In the second round of playoffs, the Clark Cougars took on the Churchill Chargers at Gus Stadium. The Charges were (past tense, were!) ranked #1 and played their hearts out but it wasn’t enough to take down Clark.

In a nail biter of a first half, Clark got the first goal, with freshman Javi Martinez clearing the Chargers keeper and pounding the ball into the net. Not to be outdone, the Chargers came back soon after and tied it up, 1-1. And so it went, with senior Gus Moir giving an assist to junior Tristan Cavazos who then nailed the corner of the net, bringing it up to 2-1. Churchill soon tied it up again, 2-2. Next, Churchill got the upper hand by adding another goal, making it 2-3. Clark came roaring back with a goal from senior Chris Pantaleon, 3-3. And so the half ended with the parents and fans – tons attended, by the way – chanting for Clark.

In the second half, the two teams attacked, attacked, attacked. Senior Gus Moir put one in the net off of a corner, only to have the ref called it offsides. On another corner, Moir again had a good shot, back heading the ball nearly into the net. Senior Chris Pantaleon got close again, getting just enough of the post to miss the goal. After a heavy back and forth, regulation time ended at 3-3.

In overtime, played in two 10-minute halves, the fierce play continued but without any scoring, ending the game at 3-3 and forcing Penalty Kicks (PKs). These were played 5 apiece with each team taking shots in turn. Clark’s sophomore Jake Peterson, junior Diego Sepulveda and junior Tristan Cavazos scored in Clark’s first 3 attempts while the Charger’s missed their first two – one shot wide and one on a great save by Senior Preston Campbell. If Clark scored one more shot, or if Churchill missed their third shot, it would be over and in Clark’s favor. However, Clark missed their final two attempts, and Churchill made their final 3, putting the teams again tied. Did I tell you this was quite a game?

Now in sudden death PKs, Clark and Churchill took the field. Both scored on their first attempts, with junior Matt Jacobs scoring for Clark and amping up the tension. In the next round, Clark scored off of senior Nick O’Malley and Campbell, again with a HUGE save, stopped what would be Churchill’s final attempt. Senior Preston Campbell, the Cougars’ keeper, is to be commended for his fortitude in defending the Cougars’ goal. Clark wins 5-4!!

Churchill played with everything they had but Clark now advances to the next round of playoffs – Clark vs McArthur on Tuesday at 7:30 at Comalander Stadium (Blossom Sports Complex – NEISD).

It’s a GREAT day to be a Clark Cougar!

By Caryn Moir

In their first playoff game, the Clark men took on the Mustangs of King High School in Corpus Christ. The Mustangs challenged the Cougars in the first half but Clark found its footing in the second and finished strong.

King scored first and held Clark throughout the first half. The tide started to turn in the second half when Junior Matt Jacobs put the ball in the net; however, the linesman called it offside, pushing both sets of fans into a frenzy. Despite having the wind against them, Clark kept up the pressure and, in the 54th minute, junior Tristan Cavazos scored for Clark, 1-1. Clearly, the Cougars were gaining momentum because, just a short minute later, senior Gus Moir scored again for Clark, 2-1. It was hard to tell whether Clark found their rhythm or King lost theirs – maybe a bit of both as senior Chris Pantaleon again attacked, narrowly missing the goal after a fabulous shot. The King keeper attempted to block it but it flew by and hit the post. Next, senior John Cintron nearly scored when he booted a free kick from midfield; the Mustang’s keeper did a great job in catching the ball though. Persistence won out, however, when Cintron made another shot and this time put it in the net, 3-1 for Clark in the 66th minute. The Coogs kept up the pressure, interrupting the Mustangs’ passing game and preventing them from scoring again. Everyone did well in passing the ball and staying focused. The win was very much a team effort!

The rest of this playoff round will be played Friday night. Once the winner in the other bracket is determined, we’ll know who the Coogs play next.

By Caryn Moir

Congratulations to the Clark men, who wrapped the 2014 season strong, beating Warren in the final game in normal district play.

In the ninth minute, defender Matt Jacobs put Clark’s first goal in the net, 1-0. The junior’s great run was a give-and-go, a sign of great teamwork to come.
Next, senior Chris Pantaleon made a 60 yard run and placed the ball in the far side of the net, 2-0 for Clark.
Shortly after, senior John Cintron passed the ball to freshman Javi Martinez, who made another long run, 40 yards this time, scoring Clark’s third goal in the 29th minute, 3-0.

After the half, the Cougars took the field with as much energy as they did in the first. With a comfortable lead. Warren’s defense managed to hold Clark until the 71st minute when junior Tristan Cavazos made a nice pass around the keeper, 4-0 Clark.

This game brings Clark’s record to 13-2-1, placing them second in playoff berths. Playoff schedule still to be posted, stay tuned for details.

By Caryn Moir

A great article on how the Clark Cougar Varsity boys soccer team is reaching new heights on a national level on the pitch.

San Antonio Express News

Whoop Whoop! On another beautiful south Texas night, the Clark men dominated the soccer pitch, beating Taft 6-1. Clark junior Tristan Cavazos got the party started at the 21st minute, 1-0. After five minutes of constant pressure on Taft’s keeper, the Taft defense made a tactical error and gave away a penalty kick. Clark’s sophomore Jake Peterson put it in the net, 2-0. Three minutes before the half, senior Chris Pantaleon passed the ball to senior John Cintron, who then scored and put Clark at 3-0 in time for the half.

Taking the field after halftime, Clark continued to rule the field. At the 56th minute, Chris Pantaleon made a beautiful run down the field and ended it with a clean shot, 4-0. Eleven minutes later, junior Diego Sepulveda skinned by Taft to put Clark’s fifth goal into the net. Shortly after, junior Colin Segura passed the ball to freshman Javi Martinez, who scored again for Clark, 6-0. Taft rallied to put the ball in the net, putting the final score at 6-1.

This game ended Clark’s shut out streak (6 games straight) but their record is still strong at 10-1 in district play. Tuesday’s game is a bye, so the Coogs get the night off. They’ll next take the field against Brandeis, Friday 3/7 at 7 pm, Gus Stadium.

By Caryn Moir

Jason Brickman

Jason Brickman, a senior point guard for the Long Island University Blackbirds, has been nominated for the Cousy Award.  Click on this link to vote for this 2010 Clark graduate.

In his senior season he led Clark to a District 28-5A championship behind the strength of a 29–7 record.^[5] He was named the district’s most valuable player, earned first team all-district honors and also earned Class 5A All-State honors from the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

Clark men triumphed over third place O’Connor this evening in a fierce competition at Farris Stadium. Both teams passed well and played aggressively but Clark took the lead in the first half and finished strong. Tonight’s game was the second match between the two schools this season, Clark having beaten O’Connor 2-1 in January. This win puts Clark at six shut outs for the season; congratulations to tonight’s keepers, senior Paolo Nardi and sophomore Colby Lorenz for successfully defending Clark’s net.

Clark’s first goal was a successful penalty kick taken by junior Tristan Cavazos; it was his 7th goal this season and put Clark ahead, 1-0. Despite intense pressure from O’Connor, Clark rebuffed every goal attempt while trying to widen the lead. In the final minute of the game, senior John Cintron scored off of a beautiful shot past the keeper, bringing the score to 2-0. This was Cintron’s 6th goal of the season. O’Connor received two yellow cards, one for an attack on Clark’s keeper and one for poor sportsmanship; Clark received none. Clark men are now 11-2-0 (8-1 in the district).

Way to play, Coogs! Next game is Tuesday, 5 pm, against Stevens, on Northside Field #2.

By Caryn Moir

On Valentine’s Day, Clark’s Chronicle ran a story on the men’s soccer team, titling it “A Shot at Glory” and describing their potential for going to state. Tonight, the Clark men took another step in the right direction, using a strong passing game to win against Warren, 3-0.

Clark scored their first goal when senior Chris Pantaleon handed off the ball to freshman Luis Carlos Garcia in the 13th minute, putting Clark in the lead 1-0. A few minutes before halftime, junior Tristan Cavazos deftly passed the ball to senior Andre Garcia, 2-0.
Clark took the field in the second half looking to widen their lead, which they did at the first corner. Junior Matt Jacobs passed to senior Gus Moir, both defenders at Warren’s net for the corner, and Moir then shot the ball past their keeper, 3-0. As always, Coach prompted the team with heartfelt encouragement, taking the time to call players to the sidelines for customized direction.
Great team effort, Cougars!

Clark men play next on Friday at Farris Stadium against O’Connor, 7 pm.
Go Coogs!

By Caryn Moir

Clark played Marshall Wednesday, shutting them out 1-0 thanks to a very early goal by freshman Luis “Javi” Martinez. With several players battling colds, Clark was down but not out and managed to hold Marshall for the rest of the game.
Friday night against Holmes found the Coogs back in good form and the Cougars shut out Holmes, 2-0. Going into the game, Holmes was in 3rd place in District play while Clark was in 2nd. Friday night’s game could have reversed District rankings but Clark dominated the field and maintained their position.
Clark’s first goal again came in the first few minutes, with senior Gus Moir assisting junior Tristan Cavazos on a corner, 1-0. Before half time senior Fernando Maya neatly put the ball in the net from a free kick at midfield. While Clark didn’t score in the second half, they kept the pressure on Holmes and maintained their lead. Clark received numerous free kicks and Holmes received a yellow card.
Next game is against Warren at Gus Stadium, 5 pm on Tuesday 2/18.

by Caryn Moir