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Ten Hays High seniors closed out their final regular season of soccer in record-setting fashion Thursday. The Indians shut out Western Athletic Conference rival Great Bend 4-0 in front of a large crowd on Senior Night at the HHS field.
The Indians' fifth straight victory raised their season record to 11-3-2, the program's most victories since 2012.
HHS' 5-2-1 conference mark helped it finish second in the WAC standings behind perennial power Dodge City, the No. 1 ranked team in the state in Class 6A. That is the best conference mark on record for the Indians since a 4-1-1 effort 24 years ago.
Hays High came close to putting a blemish on Dodge City's perfect 8-0 WAC record this year before falling 1-0 in overtime to the Red Demons two weeks ago. HHS' only other league loss this fall was also to Dodge City.
Sophomore Mason Shadley gave the Indians the only goal they would need on the night Thursday when he knocked in a direct kick from about 25 yards out midway through the first half. Seniors Ivan Maldonado and Dylan Gregg added insurance goals in the first half to give the Indians a 3-0 halftime advantage, and senior Brecken Otte closed out the scoring with a second-half goal.
With his 24th score on the season, Maldonado moved within two goals of tying the single-season school record set in 2018. The shutout was the sixth clean sheet this season for senior goalkeeper Cedric Durr, who has 85 saves on the season.
The Indians hope to keep adding to their numbers when they begin postseason action next week. Hays High is assured of hosting a first-round game in Class 5A regional play. Those pairings will be announced later today by the Kansas State High School Activities Association.
Other seniors honored Thursday were Ethan Branaman, Eric Kuhl, Camden Luck, Cyler Luck and Oscar Perez.