Rockdale’s hard fought journey into the post-season came to a stop late Saturday afternoon in Giddings with a 5-0 loss to Brookshire-Royal after the Falcons had a 14-minute surge where they scored four unanswered goals midway through the first half.
Although the Tigers were out-matched by Royal, the 13th-ranked team in Class 4A, head coach Gilberto Rodriguez looked at the loss and the end of the season with a lot of positivity.
“I’m okay with it,” Rodriguez said. “We got a beat by a team that was way, way better than I thought they would be. (Royal) was flying out there.”
“I told myself that my kids did the best that they could. They were hustling, they were working hard. I was really proud of us in the second half,” he said. “Tyler (Thomas) had some really good saves, our defense had some really good plays. We were cornered on our side (of the field), but I was really happy that my kids came out and played and never got too down.”
This season was the second time RHS has made the playoffs since the program began playing other teams during the 2017-18 school year. The first time they made the postseason was in 2019 when they fell to District 25-4A champion Bellville 2-0 in a match that came down to the final minutes.
With the success of two post-season trips for a program still in it’s infancy, Rodriguez is already thinking about the road ahead and is nowhere near ready to rest on his laurels.
“I’ve put some thought into it and I’m thinking about starting a summer program so I can coach younger kids,” he said. “That way, when they get to (high school), we have a better chance because if we’re always going to be like this, I don’t think we’ll make it past the first round.”
The Tigers lose threeyear starters Hagen Land and Fernando Gonzales and newcomers Nathan Jeter, Enrique Rivera, Javier Berain and Uriel Flores, who were all top performers. They will also lose Bruce Mayfield, who started playing last year and developed an impactful presence.
Notable players anticipated to return for the Tigers next season are freshman goalie Tyler Thomas, Jorge Salazar, freshmen Jesus Bocanegra and Jose Tenorio, sophomore Cristo Hernandez, junior Chris Huff and sophomore Nikiem Crawford, who saw a lot playing time during Saturday’s action.
The Tigers finished their season 8-11-2 with a district record of 6-6.
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