SIOUX CITY, IOWA (Iowa Media Wire) – Bishop Heelan boys soccer secured history in Des Moines winning the program’s first State title, and Sunday was a coronation for the Crusaders who returned to O’Gorman Fieldhouse for a celebration assembly.
The new kings of Class 2A were greeted with a wave of applause from the Bishop Heelan faithful. Sitting in those stands one year ago to celebrate the title win for Crusader girls soccer, the Crusader boys made it their mission to bring back a trophy of their own and hang the first boys soccer blue banner in school history.
Earning redemption with an upset over the No. 1 seed Gilbert in the semifinals towards a 3-2 overtime win against Davenport Assumption for the State crown, it’s the celebration of the culmination of a road to glory.
“To be honest it’s still surreal to me,” Bishop Heelan senior Elias Flanery said. “Just to be able to make it that far with all these boys that I call family it’s just an amazing experience. I still can’t believe it. Something my friend Alex Gonzalez always says it hard work beats talent, but we have hardworking talent.”
“We had plenty of kids stepping up to help make this team hit the heights that it did,” Bishop Heelan head coach Pat Herbst said. “Everybody filled a role, everybody did what they were supposed to and it was great.”