As the Rocks go into the first round of Regionals, the Rocks knew there was a chance for this to be their last game of the season. With that being said, Rocky came out and played their best, winning 6-1. Junior defender, Isaiah Kerr, said, “Going into Regionals, our mindset, as a team, was that we wanted to win and keep moving forward.” 

After winning the first round Regional game, 6-1, the Rocks moved onto the Regional Final game in Ottawa vs. Ottawa. The Rocks knew this game wasn’t going to be an easy game, but what they didn’t know was that they would finish on a Monday night, after starting the game on Saturday afternoon. Due to the heavy rain they played in, the officials had called the game with just 19 minutes and 9 seconds left, with a score of 2-2. Isaiah explained, “Playing in the rain does affect our game when we get touches on the ball, but we try not to let it affect us too much.” The Rock Island Rocks finished the game on Monday night 3-2 in double overtime, coming out on top! “Knowing we had to reboot our bodies and momentum, one thing we kept in mind was to finish early and send them home,” exclaimed Kerr. 

The Rock Island Boys Soccer Team made history this 2019 season. This year was the very first year Boys Soccer had won Regionals! Coach Rudy Almanza said, “It feels great! But you have to know, believing in the dream, setting short term and long term goals is important. Family is important. If we don’t do those things and believe in each other, we wouldn’t have success.” Isaiah also added, “It’s crazy to think we made history at the high school, but I’m so happy we did!”

Next, the Rocks went to perform in Galesburg for the Semi-final Sectional game against Dunlap. Unfortunately, the Historic Rocks ended their season in the Semi-final Sectional game. The Rocks have high hopes for next years season and plan to continue their success.