Far too often has the 2025 script been on a repeating loop for the Centralia High School boys soccer team.
Outshoot the opponent: Check
Win possession: Check
Create early chances: Check
Unable to find the back of the net: Check
Time and time again, the Tigers have been on the other side of Lady Luck. And yet, Noel Vazquez kept the same message after every performance.
“Honest to God, I believe in them,” Centralia’s third-year head coach said. “Whether it is a good game, a crappy game, we squeak by or we lose in the last minute, I’m proud of them.
“It has been a year of emotions.”
Centralia turned belief into a signature victory on Friday night.
Consider the script flipped.
Sebastian Hernandez sliced home the go-ahead penalty kick and the final shot by W.F. West clanked off the crossbar to give the Tigers a 1-0 (4-3 PKs) triumph at Tiger Stadium to hoist The Chronicle Cup for the first time since 2022, the inaugural trophy game.
It marks the end of a three-match losing streak this season and for the second straight spring, they upended their arch rival at home.
This one ended with a trophy celebration, featuring players lifting Alejandro Arevalo in front of the home crowd.
“We always have to keep our heads up, always play until the last second no matter what,” Arevalo stated.
As soon as Julian Casimiro’s penalty kick sailed to hit off the top crossbar, the Tigers (6-7, 2-5 EvCo) broke into euphoria. All the emotions from this season – three one-goal setbacks and just one league win – flooded over Centralia’s players and coaches.
There were plenty of smiles afterwards.
“We were talking about it all week, all season,” senior midfielder Sebastian Hernandez said. “All these feelings, it is unimaginable right now.”
Ninety minutes of soccer wasn't enough to determine a winner. Both sides ended up with at least one shot on goal in the two OT periods, including the Tigers had two free kicks that didn't lead to a chance.
The third round of the shootout was the swing.
Damian Corona’s shot was gobbled up by Bearcat netminder Noel Montenegro with it tied 2-2. Arevalo was staring down Rafa Mendez, guessed left and came away with a diving save to keep the shootout all squared.
“It is frustrating,” W.F. West head coach Allen Anderson said. “We need to do a little better job prepping ourselves for games and having the right mindset. We had our chances.”
Christian Luis and Hernandez, the latter was at W.F. West before sitting out last year due to transfer rules, slotted in their PKs. Hernandez never contributed much at the varsity level his first two years for the Bearcats.
He made up for lost time on Friday.
“There's banter between all of us,” Hernandez said. “Today, we proved them wrong.”
Arevalo, the reigning Evergreen Conference Keeper of the Year, recorded two saves in the final 40 minutes and cleared the ball efficiently, rather than booting it out, which has led to counterattacks.
“Every save counts,” Arevalo said. “Over our practices, that’s what I’ve been thinking about the most. Just play more calmly now.”
“He came to me at some point ‘Last year was my prime,’” Vazquez said. “I was like Alejandro, your prime is not last year. Your prime is every year because you're always going to come big when we need you.”
Those early chances that Centralia has made a habit of came close to a 1-0 cushion. In the fifth minute, Gabriel Cruz laced a free kick that Montenegro laid out for the save. Cruz had another free kick find Luis’ noggin and an offsides call waved off the early tally.
That was as close as the Tigers got to a goal. W.F. West (6-6, 4-3) had a cross in the 28th minute go long and a deflected shot seven minutes into the second half go just wide.
Moises Sanchez-Hernandez’s header in the 80th minute on one of the last possessions of regulation sailed just over the crossbar. The Bearcats were called for six offsides.
“We didn’t have the timing right,” Anderson said. “One step too late with our passes. Something we'll work on moving forward.”
For W.F. West, Anderson wants to see his group get healthy. Adrian Jaimes played after suffering a lower leg injury late against Tumwater and Devin Canfield returned. Centerback Collin Bradley still is out, so too are other depth pieces.
It wraps up the regular season with three straight home games, starting on Tuesday versus Shelton.
“We need to find a way to win,” Anderson said.
Vazquez, Hernandez and Arevalo all feel it could be a turning point victory. Centralia travels to Tumwater on Monday, aiming to avenge another first meeting loss.
“More than anything, we wanted to win this back and win a league game,” Vazquez said. “They’be shown nothing but resilience and now, we’re going home with a trophy.”
