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Their first match of the season was a loss, a 2-1 out of conference defeat by Appomattox County. But that day, March 17, was the last time the Randolph-Henry Statesmen boys soccer team lost a game of any kind. The group clinched the regular season title last week after a 6-1 win over Prince Edward High. This marked another first for the as-yet undefeated in conference play Statesmen, who won the school’s first James River District (JRD) regular season title for the first time.
Fueled by a balanced attack, a solid defense, and their traditional pre-game meal of Uncrustables, the Statesmen are heading into the playoffs. 

Randolph-Henry (13-1-1, 11-0 JRD) entered the contest against the second place Eagles (9-5, 7-2 JRD) riding an 11-game winning streak and opened things up early. Jamie Perez-Cruz finished a deflection in the opening minutes to give the Statesmen a 1-0 lead. The score would stay that way until just before halftime when Will Smith tapped-in his first high school goal to widen the margin to 2-0. 

Randolph-Henry quickly put the game out of reach in the second half. Charlie Critzer scored one of his two second-half goals just after halftime and Smith and Calebe Queiroz added one each down the stretch to widen the margin to 6-0 to seal the win.

The potent Prince Edward attack had several opportunities to make things close, but the Statesmen defensive line, anchored by seniors Landon Haskins, Landon Jackson, David Terrones-Lara, and Aiden Bryant, never let the dangerous Eagles’ offense get going. Goalie Cooper Haskins amassed 6 saves and came close to recording his 6th shut-out of the season before the Eagles’ Tino Arbitelle converted in the closing seconds to make the final score 6-1. 

“Our team has worked incredibly hard all season, and to see them make school history is something truly special,” said first-year coach Val Downing. “They’ve really started to play as a team, trusting each other and giving it their all every step of the way. I’m proud of their dedication, and I’m excited to see what they’ll do next.”  

There’s still more work to do this season. First off, the team will look to end the regular season undefeated in district play as they travel to Nottoway for a 5:30 p.m. game on Wednesday, May 21. Then it’s playoff time and the conference trophy calls.