Sports teams love home games. Why wouldn’t they? They don’t have to drive as much, it’s familiar terrain, all of their fans come to support their school! The only thing more exciting than a good ol’ home match is the final home match of the season. That’s what the Horizon Honors Boys’ Soccer team had on Tuesday, Jan. 27, and, my oh my, was it exciting.

Horizon Honors took on San Tan High School, a team they had played against and won to in previous years. Both teams played with good ball control, and all of the players handled the ball very well. The Eagles were able to maintain possession of the ball throughout the majority of the game and, due to this, stayed strong throughout the majority of the game as well.

The first three goals of the game were all scored by senior Nick Valadez, and the fourth goal was scored by freshman Daniel Haros. With the Horizon Honors Eagles clear in the lead, San Tan picked up their game and scored two points, bringing the score to 4-2. However, allowing their opponents to catch up did not appear to be on the Eagles’ agenda and they scored three more points; one by Valadez for a fourth time, one by sophomore Will Goff, and one by freshman Ryan Holguin.

Not only did the boys celebrate a great win, they also celebrated the high school soccer careers of their seniors. Horizon Honors had five seniors on their team this year: Kyle Hickie, Tony Salatino, Nick Valadez, Shawn Dixon, and Zack Baker. During half time, each senior was escorted by his parents and were awarded with gifts from their fellow teammates. All five of the boys have been playing on the team since their freshman year and, therefore, have grown strong bonds with the team, the coaches, and each other.

Although it was their last home game, the boy’s season is not yet over. Their last game will be Wednesday, Jan. 28 at Canyon State Academy. Good luck to both teams and congratulations to the graduating seniors.