A second straight state soccer title did not look promising Wednesday, Oct. 21, after Blue Ridge High School suffered its second 3-0 home shutout of the season under rookie coach Kirby Elkins, and on Senior Night, no less.

“It was all part of the journey,” said midfielder Daniel Pansulla, one of 10 Blue Ridge boys soccer upperclassmen, at Coronado High School, where the Yellow Jackets turned both of those losses into postseason victories. “We gritted our teeth and got through it.”

Two of Pansulla’s classmates playing further up, midfielder Canyon Brosemann and striker Gustavo Cuiriz, proved up to the challenge Saturday, Nov. 7, in Scottsdale. They built on the Yellow Jackets’ 2-0 halftime lead over 2A Conference top seed Chino Valley High School with goals at the 36:50 and 15:15 marks.

When it was all over, the Cougars were not only shut out, but had been outscored by the most goals in a single game in six years.

“I’m in awe right now,” said Elkins, former assistant coach to four-time state champion Bryon Crain, who joined his mentor and their predecessor, Dick Breckenridge, among the title-winning head coaches at Blue Ridge. “I’m still collecting my thoughts. I’m kind of in shock. ”

Once he had collected those thoughts, the first-year head coach reflected on following both of those “legends,” as he described them, with a state title of his own in his rookie season with a 4-0 win over Chino Valley.

“They, and these seniors, make my job a helluva lot easier,” said Elkins, whose Yellow Jackets shut out their final four opponents by a combined score of 9-0. “The rest of us have got a lot of work to do this summer. We’re going to take a week, then get back to work. There’s a target on you.”

The Yellow Jackets strung together seven goals of their own in postseason shutouts of Chino Valley, Payson High School and their other loss, East Region rival Show Low High School.

Cougars senior Angel Sanchez prepares to take a penalty kick. (George Werner/AzPreps365)The dominance impressed even losing head coach Todd Carey, emotional after suffering his first loss since Chino Valley’s season opener Sept. 24 against Snowflake High School.

“It’s pretty rough,” said Carey, whose Cougars lost their second straight state title matchup to the Yellow Jackets. “It was not the outcome we wanted.”

The Cougars had rolled to a 2A Central Region title in undefeated fashion, allowing just three goals the remainder of the regular season after their 3-2 opening loss to the Lobos.

“I’m proud of these kids,” Carey said. “They gave 110 percent all season long.”

It just wasn’t enough to slow the roll of a Blue Ridge defense keying on striker Angel Sanchez, who helped the Cougars end the Yellow Jackets’ season three seasons ago as a sophomore.

“Angel is an incredible player,” Elkins said. “You’ve got to know where he is at all times.”

Seniors Kohl Beazley, Devin Fish and Brennan Jones stifled Sanchez and the rest of the Chino Valley attack, holding the Cougars under 10 shots on goal for the game and making the job of senior goalkeeper Andrew Plath easier as well.

“We love to possess the ball,” Elkins said. “We know how to move the balls over in a zone, shift them away from when they’re there.”

Less than four minutes into the contest, junior midfielder Cesar Bonilla got the Yellow Jackets on the board first, scooting in a right-footed shot from 20 yards out to the left of Cougars junior goalie Trever Stazenski. Just prior to going under 10 minutes to play in the half, the left foot of sophomore striker Luis Perez gave Blue Ridge the halftime cushion from 15 yards out.

“They just hit better and passed better,” Carey said. “Blue Ridge was the better team.”

Chino Valley finished second in 2A boys soccer for the second straight season. (Photo courtesy Chris Stanley/Maxpreps.com)