Photos by Scott W. Coleman @ScottWColeman

On April 12, the Vandegrift boys
soccer team won their 6A DII State Final
game vs the Mesquite Skeeters 3-1 at
Georgetown at Birkelbach stadium.
Th e Vipers controlled the whole
fi rst half and goals by James Hehman and
Nahbi Shirmal put the Vipers ahead 2-0
going into the second half. Early in the
second half, Nick Abeling scored the
game’s 3rd goal putting the Vipers up 3-0.
Th e Skeeters were not fi nished though
and they continued to challenge the Viper
defense for the last 20 minutes of the
game, scoring a goal in the last 15 minutes
of regulation.

The Vipers held on through a
solid defensive performance ultimately
winning the game 3-1.
“It’s a really special moment for
the boys and the community,” shared Jonathan Winship, VHS boys soccer head
coach. “Last year we made it to the
state semifi nals but fell short, losing
to Flower Mound Marcus 0-2. Th at
experience gave the team an understanding
of what it takes to get there
and ultimately what it takes to win the
whole thing.”

“This year we didn’t go to state to
experience it, we went there to win it,”
Winship said. “I think that our maturity
as a team, and the experience
gained from last year was the thing
that put us over the top.”

James Hehman was named the All
State 6A DII MVP and Finn Snyder,
Brett Van Erp, Nabhi Shrimal, and
Ethan Young were named to the UIL
All State Team.

“This senior class is very special,” Winship shared. “Th ey were
the fi rst group of freshmen I had when I started at
Vandegrift and I think their success is validation to the systems and
structures we have put in place over the last four years.”
“I’m very proud of the boys. Th eir commitment to our culture
and game model has been excellent,” Winship added. “Th ey have set a
new standard for the boys program regarding what we expect to achieve
and how we are going to go about achieving it.”

Photos by Scott W. Coleman @ScottWColeman

Photos by Scott W. Coleman @ScottWColeman