The seniors’ freshman year, the Wildcats fell to Ponte Vedra – a team that ultimately made it to the Final Four – in the Region 1-6A quarterfinals. A year later, Booker T. found itself in the Final Four as the No. 4 seed, falling to the eventual state champions in top-seeded American Heritage. As juniors, […]
The seniors’ freshman year, the Wildcats fell to Ponte Vedra – a team that ultimately made it to the Final Four – in the Region 1-6A quarterfinals. A year later, Booker T. found itself in the Final Four as the No. 4 seed, falling to the eventual state champions in top-seeded American Heritage. As juniors, it was another trip to the region finals, falling to Arnold – then the top team in the nation and the eventual state champions.“We are not that good. We’re not the best ever. We still have to put in the work. … If we do that, we’ll win,” Felipe said. “Knowing that every time we step on the field could be the last, it gives us that drive.”The team still has to earn it with some potentially tough opponents along the way. It’s possible the Wildcats could see the likes of Arnold, Ponte Vedra, Fleming Island, or even Gulf Breeze again, en route to a chance at the state Final Four. Arnold is another top-five team in the state, which just won its district title in District 2.
It’s been resilience year after year for this senior class, head coach Felipe Lawall said. Now the Wildcats enter the region tournament, after claiming the District 1-5A title on Thursday over rival Gulf Breeze, with an undefeated record (15-0-1) and a giant target on their back as top-ranked team in the Florida High School Athletic Association.The Booker T. Washington boys soccer team’s senior class has been through it.It’s that extra drive pushing this senior class.“My seniors … they know this is their last chance,” Lawall said. “I tell them they have to play the game hard because it might be their last game at Washington High. It might be your last game wearing this jersey. It might be your last game playing with your best buddy that you grew up in the same neighborhood with. I think they really bought into that and understood that.”‘You don’t win on talent alone’
“We have a lot of weapons and we’re very fortunate to have that. It’s something we work very hard on in training. There are zero egos on the team,” Coach Lawall said. “We don’t really care who puts the ball in the back of the net. We just want to keep winning games – and it shows.”
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.“We’re an older team, so we’re definitely experienced. … The chemistry is unmatched compared to a lot of other teams. No one has been playing together as long as we have,” Felipe said. “We don’t have one superstar that goes out and wins the game every time. Everybody relies on each other. That’s what really helps us the best. We have good players across the board.”The Wildcats – just like any team in Florida – have the ultimate goal of winning a state title. It would be the team’s first state crown after numerous appearances in the state tournament. It would be the Pensacola area’s first boys soccer since Woodham brought home a title in 1991.
Given how the last three seasons have ended, the Booker T. seniors know that a state title isn’t out of the question. It’s what they’ve been working toward every year – and the chemistry has been building along the way. Kuba noted that he and Felipe have been playing together for 10 years, and it’s like that for a lot of teammates.That statement usually means it’s been a struggle over their high school careers. But that couldn’t be farther from the case. The Wildcats have been among the best in the area – and the state – the last handful of years, and the senior class has been pivotal at least the last three years.
‘We know it’s in our reach’
“You don’t win on talent alone,” senior Sawyer Kuba said.
Not all 11 seniors will go on to play college soccer. Like Coach Lawall mentioned, now they know that any game could be their last in a blue Booker T. Washington soccer jersey, or their last at Booker T.’s stadium.“Any team we play can beat us. We know that. We have keep our heads. … You don’t win the game before you play it,” said Felipe, who is Coach Lawall’s son. “We can’t get too cocky.”Even with Felipe leading the way with 21 goals, Evan McManus isn’t that far behind with 16 goals – after scoring one more in the district title game on Thursday. Exavier Ali and Sawyer Kuba, both seniors, also have found the back of the net seven times this year – and Kuba entered the year with a broken leg that took him out for the beginning of the season but now has been “scoring important goals” for the Wildcats, Coach Lawall noted. Landon Rhymer, a sophomore in the mix, has tallied eight goals.Booker T. is a pretty senior-heavy team, boasting 11 players in the class of 2025. All of them have played crucial roles in the team’s success, some of them since they were freshmen. Seven of them have been playing at the varsity level since the 2021-22 season, and have just added along the way.“Pressure is a privilege. Pressure makes diamonds. We have to keep that pressure up,” Kuba said. “Every team’s main goal is to beat us. We just have to keep moving and put that pressure on ourselves. … You just want to fight one last time with your brothers and end it with a bang.”
