Boys soccer is still at number one in the San Antonio Express News poll this week.

Go Coogs!

Senior soccer player Tristan Cavazos , a midfielder, was named the Express News player of the week for a second time this month after scoring the game winning goals in the second ranked Coogs victories over fifth ranked Reagan and sixth ranked Southwest.

Wow!

Coach Rule can’t remember a player he has coached who has been named player of the week twice in one season, let alone twice in one month.

Go Cougars!

The Coogs are ranked number two by the Express News this week!

Senior Tristan Cavazos was named player of the week by the paper thanks to his five goals and two assists when the Cougars went 3-0 at The Woodlands tournament.

Go Cougars!

The Express News ranks our Cougars number three in the city in boys soccer.

Go Coogs!

Head Soccer Coach Walter Rule

Boys soccer coach Walter Rule will be inducted into the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches Organization (TASCO) Coaches Hall of Fame on November 21st.

In 1990, Coach Rule graduated from Texas A&I with a Bachelor of Science in Education. He began his coaching and teaching career in the Fall of 1991 as the Head Boys and Girls Coach in Rockport, Texas. Rule will be entering his 25^st year as a Texas High School Coach and is currently at San Antonio Clark High School. Currently he is the Head Boys Soccer Coach and has compiled a career record of 351-140-40. His most notable mark in coaching was leading the San Antonio Reagan Rattlers Boys Soccer Team to their first trip to the Texas 5A State Championship in Boys Soccer in 2002 and winning the State Championship. A second attempt for the Texas 5A Boys Soccer State Title would follow in 2004. The Rattlers proudly finished as runners-up after a six hour game. Rule was named Student Sports Winter National Boys Soccer Coach of the Year in 2002, was selected NSCAA Texas and Southwest Regional Coach of the Year in 2002, and National Federation of High School Coaches Texas Coach of the Year and Southwest Regional Coach of the Year in 2004. He served as President of the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches Organization in 2004, as TASCO Vice President in 2003, TASCO Regional IV Director in 2002, TASCO First Assistant in Region IV 2001, and TASCO Rookie Assistant to Region IV in 2000. Coach Rule currently serves on the NSCAA National and Texas Winter Boys Soccer High School State and National Ranking Committee. Other honors include being named Soccer Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2004 by San Antonio Express News and TASCO Boys Region IV Soccer Coach of the Year in 2002, 2003, and 2004.

Coach Rule also coached football in the State of Texas for 17 years. In 1998, he helped coach the San Antonio MacArthur Brahmas to an appearance in the Texas 5A State Championship game against Midland Lee High School.

Congrats Coach Rule!

Rule has been married to his wife Meredith for 19 years. He has 5 children: Gary 26, Jordan 24, Kevin 22, Sarah 18, and Jon Connor 14.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/high-school/slideshow/High-school-winter-wonders-Boys-soccer-honors-85212.php#High-school-winter-wonders-Boys-soccer-honors-85212/photo-6200048.php?&_suid=139938340218709035401528035601

Senior soccer player Gus Moir was named to the San Antonio Express News Super Team!

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