Crooked Oak boys soccer wins first state title in school history, beats Heritage Hall in PKs

The Oklahoma high school soccer state championships kicked off Friday at Taft Stadium. Here's a recap of what happened in each match:

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Class 3A boys: Crooked Oak 1, Heritage Hall 0, PKs

At the beginning of the season, the Crooked Oak boys soccer team told first-year coach Mat Levenson they couldn’t face adversity.

For a program coming off a state runner-up finish the year before, it was nothing Levenson wanted to hear, but he knew his team could overcome any obstacle it faced.

That’s why he stacked the early-season schedule against some of the best teams in the state.

And it paid off.

Senior keeper Eriberto Meza deflected a penalty kick shot attempt from Heritage Hall to the left, and his teammates rushed from midfield to celebrate. Meza’s stop clinched the Class 3A boys soccer state championship for Crooked Oak, which topped the Chargers 1-0 in penalty kicks.

The victory is the first state championship in school history for the Ruf-Nex in any sport.

“We taught them how to handle adversity in the beginning of the season so they would never give up,” Levenson said.

“And they never did.”

Crooked Oak and Heritage Hall couldn’t find the net in regulation or either overtime period, and both teams missed their first two penalty kick attempts.

Junior Uriel Mendez then fired a shot past the Heritage Hall keeper to give Crooked Oak the advantage. The next Charger shot went high. Sophomore Juan Solis then fired a shot bottom right to give Crooked Oak a two-goal advantage.

All Meza needed to do was stop another attempt. And he did.

“We practice penalty kicks in sessions,” Levenson said. “Hats off to the boys for sticking to the plan.”

Crooked Oak finished the season on a 10-game win streak.

Last week in the quarterfinals, the Ruf-Nex avenged last season’s state championship loss against Mount St. Mary. On Tuesday, it was a 3-2 win in Owasso against Rejoice Christian to make it back into the championship match.

Friday, the Crooked Oak boys soccer team was on top of the soccer world. And they’ll go down in Ruf-Nex lore as the first team in school history to ever bring home a championship trophy.

“We couldn’t do it without the community,” Levenson said. “It means the world to these kids. Any success that these kids can have, especially where they come from, is amazing, and I want to celebrate it.”

It’s safe to say Crooked Oak’s celebration will go on.

Class 3A girls: Heritage Hall 3, Victory Christian 1

Katerina Chrysant picked her spot on the far post and fired the shot.

The ball sailed through the air, firing quickly off her right foot. The sophomore forward at Heritage Hall picked her spot well, with the Tulsa Victory Christian goalkeeper not able to snag it for a stop.

Chrysant’s shot went untouched in the top right corner of the net, sending the Heritage Hall crowd into its first frenzy of many Friday afternoon at Taft Stadium. The Chargers would score twice more and beat Victory Christian in the Class 3A girls soccer championship match.

It’s the Chargers’ first girls soccer state title in school history.

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“It’s vital to score on those opportunities,” Heritage Hall coach Robyn Brewster said. “They were defending really well. To get those opportunities and capitalize on top of them, clearly it’s a game changer.”

Chrysant’s first goal came with 10 minutes left in the first half, and three minutes later, she netted another shot.

A foul just outside the box allowed Chrysant to fire another free kick. This one went low and left, sneaking past the keeper.

Four minutes later, it was junior Posey Thomas scoring on a free kick of her own. She also went back post, scoring in the top left corner, giving the Chargers a 3-0 advantage at halftime.

“We’re just taking care of business,” Brewster said.

Then the Chargers, who finished undefeated on the season, were able to rely on their defense to capture the title.

Coming into the game, Heritage Hall didn’t allow a goal in the regular season and gave up only one in the playoffs.

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In the first half, Victory Christian didn’t get a shot on net. With 20 minutes remaining, freshman Ellie Murray was able to pounce on a loose ball in front of the net and score. The goal came off a corner kick, and the Chargers were unable to clear.

Then Heritage Hall began pressuring again, forcing Victory Christian to defend more while the Chargers’ defense and sophomore goalkeeper Avery McKirahan locked down.

“Our back four are solid,” Brewster said. “They’re calm, cool and collected at all times. They just have a confidence about themselves that has just carried this team.”

The final frenzy came when the final buzzer sounded, and the Heritage Hall girls began celebrating near midfield.

The Chargers’ accomplishments resulted in history.

“These girls have put forth the effort all year long,” Brewster said. “It means the world to me, our fans, everybody.”

Class 5A boys: Santa Fe South 5, Southeast 1

Jared Orta sprinted to the ball to prevent it from going past the end line.

With his right foot, he swiftly kicked it high in the air toward the goal. Ivan Castaneda was waiting.

He slammed the ball with his head, and the junior from Santa Fe South didn’t miss. It flew past Southeast’s keeper.

Not even three minutes into the Class 5A boys soccer state championship game, Santa Fe South showed why it has been so dominant this season.

The Saints beat Southeast 4-1 on Friday night to capture their fourth state title in school history. Castaneda’s opening goal was a tone setter, one of three Santa Fe South goals in the first eight minutes to take control in the state championship match.

“We knew that if we scored early, it would be a struggle for Southeast,” Santa Fe South coach Wes Furley said. “We knew they would sit back and not pressure us, so if they score early, they weren’t going to be able to sit back. And that’s what we did.”

Only five minutes after the opening goal, Jimmy Cabrera scored on a penalty shot after Southeast had a handball in the box. Only a minute later, Cabrera fired a 30-yard shot from just outside the box that flew past the keeper for a 3-0 advantage.

Southeast responded halfway through the first period, as Jose Bautista fired a 40-yard shot after a foul that went back post and in.

For the remainder of the first half, the teams traded possession, but neither side could get a good look.

With 15 minutes to go, Orta fired another great feed to freshman Francisco Salazar, who chipped a shot past the goalie and in.

In the final minutes, freshman Enrique Guzman added his own goal in a penalty kick, sealing the win.

Back in March, Furley said he did a podcast where he said he wasn’t sure whether this Santa Fe South team was the best in school history.

Following his team’s win, he said they left no doubt and he would have to do another podcast soon.

“They’re unselfish,” Furley said. “They’re clinical. They only care about winning.”

Cameron Jourdan covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for Cameron? He can be reached at cjourdan@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @Cam_Jourdan. Support Cameron’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school soccer: Friday's 2022 state championship results