The Stayton boys soccer team celebrates with the trophy after winning the 4A state title. (Photo by Austin White)

After four finals losses since winning the program’s lone title in 2010 and more playoff heartbreak scattered through the past few years, Stayton boys soccer felt cursed.

The Eagles finally broke through to get back to the OSAA/OnPoint Community Credit Union 4A title game this season, drawing league foe North Marion, the team that beat Stayton for the title back in 2014.

However, after a goal in the 50th minute by freshman Cesar Perez off a perfect pass into the box from senior Johnny Garcia, the Eagles could feel that curse being lifted.

For the final 30, the Eagles took the best shots from the Huskies, but held them off the scoreboard to win the program’s second ever state title.

“No ego, man,” Stayton head coach Chris Shields said of the difference between this team and the ones who fell short. “We’ve had very few moments this year where guys have expressed emotion that was negative toward the team.”

Stayton came out firing from the beginning, getting to a 10-0 shot advantage in the first half before North Marion’s first attempt came in the final 10 minutes.

None of those shots went in, but it provided plenty of confidence for the Eagles to keep hammering away.

“We talked about that last night and today, five or six times, about how we had to keep the foot on the pedal,” Shields said. “We just knew we needed to hunt a goal because if (North Marion) could score, their goalkeeping and defensive unit can really make it difficult for us.”

The advantage was 12-1 in favor of Stayton at halftime in terms of shots, and the second half was more of the same as the Eagles continued to go on runs toward the goal.

In the 50th minute, Garcia stole the ball near midfield, turned around and dribbled up 10 more yards. From there, he fired a pass between four North Marion defenders that found Perez streaking behind the last Husky.

North Marion’s goalkeeper Jaden Ortiz Paredes came out to try and cut off the angle for Perez, but the freshman beat him and found the back of the net.

For Perez, it’s nothing new as he’s had two other game-winners this season during his freshman campaign.

“I just cut it back, I picked up my head and saw the right opening, I knew I just had to send it to him,” Garcia said. “(Perez) is definitely going to be one of those great players. He just has to keep training hard and he’s going to be one of the best.”

Stayton finished with a 19-6 advantage in shots with seven going on goal compared to North Marion’s three. 

For Garcia and his fellow seniors in Ty Williams, Yael Villazana Gonzalez, Isaiah Dixon, Nick Pelayo, Zachary Flett and Logan Bratton, the title has been a long time coming.

Their freshman year in 2022 ended with a quarterfinals loss to North Marion at home, followed by a first round exit to Estacada at home in 2023. And last year the Eagles lost to Henley at home in the semifinals.

But that’s all in the past now.

“We definitely used the losses as motivation to train harder,” Garcia said. “The past four years have been pretty rough going out the way we’ve been going. I feel like we just used it as fuel. Look at where we’re at now.”

And specifically for Garcia, a four-year varsity starter for the Eagles, his time with Stayton won’t be forgotten.

“(Garcia is) an incredible young man, he’s a hard worker, he’s a kid that will put the team before everything else,” Shields said. “Winning is more important than everything else in his mind. Whatever he’s got to play, whatever position we need him to, he’ll do it.”

With the curse officially lifted off the program and a long list of returners set to come back, one can dream of turning this state title into many more over the years.

The pass from Garcia to Perez is almost symbolic of this generation of Eagles handing it off to the next. 

But for now, they’ll go home, get some rest, and celebrate for the next year after proving there’s no such thing as curses.

“It’s amazing, as a kid you always dream about this moment,” Garcia said. “Seeing all my older cousins win it, it just inspired me to follow in their footsteps. It’s a really great feeling after these amazing four years. I feel like I’m just blessed.”