High school notebook: La Vega soccer keeping it in the family for bi-district matchup

Talk about a battle of emotions. But also supremely special.

When La Vega’s boys soccer team goes up against Taylor in the Class 4A bi-district playoffs on Thursday in Taylor, it will pit Pirates head coach Manuel “Manny” Gibson against Zach Gibson, his son and the first-year head coach of the Ducks.

Manny and Zach figured meeting up in the playoffs could be a possibility when Zach took the job at Taylor, which advanced to the fifth round of the 4A playoffs last year. But they didn’t expect it quite so soon in the tournament.

“When he took the job, honest to goodness, we thought we’d meet up in the third round,” Manny said. “We figured we’d be first (in our district) this year and that they’d be first in theirs, and so we thought third round was a possibility. But here we are, lining it up in the first round. Pretty crazy.”

Zach played soccer at Waco High under former Lions and current Midway coach Kris Kahler, then played collegiately at Southwestern University in Georgetown. He also had a stint assisting Manny at La Vega, and La Vega’s current batch of seniors remain special to him.

“All those seniors were the last group I coached there, and then I was the long-term sub for the freshmen when they were seventh graders,” Zach said. “It kind of comes full circle. It’s surreal, and reminds me that I’m kind of old.”

As Manny noted, the season for La Vega (13-10) hasn’t worked out exactly as the Pirates hoped. Rarely, if ever, has the roster shaken out like the coach thought it would. That’s why La Vega ended up as the No. 4 seed out of District 23-4A rather than the district championship it was shooting for.

“It’s a tall task (playing Taylor),” Manny said. “Realistically, we’re the underdogs. We’re down about eight players, six starters, from the start of the year. It’s just been of those tough years injury-wise. Those guys (at Taylor) are firing on all cylinders, so we’re going to have to play some staunch defense, because they attack and play so quickly.”

No matter the opponent, La Vega will play hard. The Pirates can expect the same from Taylor (20-3). That’s the standard that Zach has tried to set in his first season as the head Duck in charge.

“We have some pretty competitive guys,” Zach said. “When we saw that it was La Vega, they were like, ‘Now, Coach, we’re not going to take it easy on them just because it’s your Dad.’ I’m sure it will be plenty competitive and feisty during the game.”

For his part, Manny swells with pride when he sees the job Zach has done in his first season at Taylor. He called Zach “one of the finest young soccer minds” in the state of Texas and “a far better coach than me.”

“I just played recreationally when I was younger, so what Zach has is that understanding of having played the game at a lot of different levels,” Manny added.

From the age of three when he started playing in the youth leagues all the way up until he finished up at Southwestern at age 21, Zach had a lot of coaches along the way. Some good, some less so. From the good ones, he tried to extract different qualities and lessons to infuse into his own coaching style.

That includes his very first coach, Coach Pops.

“It’s funny, actually my Dad was the first coach I ever had when I was a toddler,” Zach said. “One of the things I took from him, is that there’s no excuse to not work hard. His teams are always tenacious and feisty, and that’s something we’ve tried to bring to Taylor.”

This week leading up to Thursday’s game has led to some fun exchanges on the old family group text thread. Asked who Sandra Gibson, Manny’s wife and Zach’s mom, would end up rooting for in the game, Manny laughed and said, “She’ll probably root for both of us. Of course, she’s an assistant superintendent at La Vega, and she knows all these kids. These boys on the team are always like family to us.”

When Manny and Zach were discussing the details of their bi-district matchup and trying to figure out playoff sites, they ended up opting to flip for home sites. Guess who flipped the coin as the impartial observer in that scenario? Sandra.

“It’s really been a lot of fun or our family,” Zach said. “My Mom said she was going to make a T-shirt — I don’t know if she’s done it, guess I’ll find out tomorrow — that says, ‘MoDuck’ on it, for both the Modoc Pirates and the Taylor Ducks. … It’s really been kind of a cool experience.”

No matter how Thursday’s match turns out, Manny will always be Zach’s No.1 fan, and vice versa. Besides sharing that DNA connection, they share the same philosophy on coaching.

“No matter what happens, either if Zach wins or if we win, we’ll take it in stride,” Manny said. “Because, ultimately, it’s not about us, it’s about those kids. It’s always about the kids.”

Midway’s Kahler notches win No. 250

Midway boys soccer coach Kris Kahler recently achieved a career milestone with his 250th win as a head coach.

Kahler coached at Waco High for 12 years before joining Midway before the 2019 season, accumulating a 206-44-17 record. The three-time Super Centex Coach of the Year winner has added another 49 wins in his five seasons leading the Panthers.

Kahler and Midway (10-8) will open up the Class 6A bi-district playoffs on Thursday at home against Dallas Skyline, with a 6:30 p.m. start. The Panthers have outscored their opponents, 50-28, on the year.

Panthers’ Arnett spins perfect game vs. Heights

Midway’s pitchers are stingy, man.

Jeremiah Arnett gave the Panther baseball team its latest pitching gem in a season’s worth of them. The senior right-hander delivered a perfect game in a 4-0 district win over Harker Heights on a rainy Tuesday night.

“A perfect game is always special, but especially considering the conditions,” Midway coach Eddie Cornblum said.

Arnett, a Wichita State signee, tossed 75 pitches in his seven-inning perfecto, striking out five. He gave up no balls hit to the outfield and only two three-ball counts on the night.

It’s not even the first no-hitter of the year for the Panthers. In a 5-0 win over Forney at the Waxahachie Tournament back on March 4, junior Cameron Johnson spun a no-no of his own, striking out eight in a 96-pitch effort while allowing one walk and one batter to reach on an error.

Midway (15-3 overall, 2-1 District 12-6A) will be back in action Friday at home against Temple.

Midway hosting Challenger League Saturday

It’ll be a special day at the old ballpark on Saturday, as Midway ISD hosts players from the Challenger League at its baseball and softball diamonds.

Midway’s varsity baseball and softball players will team up as buddies for Challenger League players for a couple of unique games. Challenger is a special Little League division that offers playing opportunities for young people with intellectual and/or physical challenges.

The action will start at 9 a.m. with the Challenge Senior players taking the field, followed by additional games with the younger players at 10:15 and 11:30.

The games are open to the public and admission is free.

Centex players honored on TABC all-state teams

Seven players from Central Texas, including a pair from the La Vega state-winning girls team, have been honored on the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches All-State Teams.

For the girls, La Vega junior Kiyleyah Parr (11.7 ppg, 4.7 spg) and senior Andrea Johnson (8.3 ppg, 2.1 spg) both made the squad for Class 4A. Fairfield’s cousin duo of McKinna Brackens (14 ppg, 9 rpg) and Shadasia Brackens (17 ppg, 4 spg) were honored on the 3A squad. The Brackenses led Fairfield to its fourth straight state tournament in the 2023 season.

On the boys’ side, Lorena junior Camden Brock (18.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Mexia senior Landon Anderson (21.9 ppg, 3.9 apg) were recognized on the 3A all-state team after their fine seasons. Additionally, Abbott’s Preston Pustejovsky (17.9 ppg, 8 rpg) made the 1A all-state team for the regional finalist Panthers.