SAN ANTONIO — It is playoff time on the pitch and LEE High School is ready to go.
"It's not just about the winning, but when you have this special of a group, the expectations have to be higher," fifth-year head coach David Rogers said.
The Volunteers boast a beautiful 20-2-1 record, outscoring its opponents by a ridiculous 81-19 scoring margin. It is why they are drawing a lot of eyeballs these days.
"There are a lot of great schools out there, and to be ranked No. 12 in the nation is honestly a huge, huge accomplishment for us," junior Francisco Segura said.
It is even more impressive when you look at who is on the field. This is a young team returning almost everyone from a regional final appearance in 2018. "We've got about four seniors starting and the rest are juniors and underclassmen, so we put a lot of trust into the youth," Air Force signee Theo Gunter said.
Rogers, who coached Boerne-Champion to a state championship in 2011, said, "I think we surprised everybody last year. We're no longer surprising anybody and everybody is gunning for us, but we've now had a taste of that and we want a bit more."
Making a state appearance for the first time in almost two decades is not enough for this team. They want a shot at school history in Georgetown.
"That's the goal since the beginning of the year--to get that state championship, and if we do anything less than that it, could be seen as a disappointment," senior Gunter said.
Rogers said, "I want the bar to be set high. I want the pressure. I want the pressure to be on them because I think they can handle it."
Segura, nicknamed Paco, said, "We have the hard work. We have the passion to win state and I think we can do it."
LEE begins playoff action against O'Connor on Thursday.