And the beat goes on…for Red Demon soccer

Dodge City boys keep rolling in WAC

It was more than two decades ago, the year 2000 in fact, when Saul Hernandez was a junior and playing soccer for his hometown Dodge City Red Demons.

That season, the Demons won the school’s first regional championship to advance to the state quarterfinals where their season would come to an end.

At the time, Hernandez had little expectation that one day he would return to his alma mater and guide the same program to heights of success no one could have anticipated.

The 2022 soccer season ended for the Demons in the state finals in Wichita on Nov. 5 where they saw their chance for an undefeated season dashed in the semifinals, but bounced back to claim third place at the Class 6A state tournament.

This year’s edition of the Demons soccer completed an impressive 20-1-0 record, winning their fourth consecutive Western Athletic Conference title, their third straight unbeaten WAC mark (now 31 wins in a row in the conference) and their seventh WAC crown in Hernandez’ eight seasons leading the program.

The 2022 team was somewhat of an unknown quantity, Hernandez said, noting that the 2021 squad graduated eight starters.

“At the beginning of the year I wasn’t sure how we would respond,” Hernandez said. “We defeated a really good Bishop Carroll team 6-1 in our season opener and even I didn’t expect that. What stands out about this group is their hunger to win. We were able to hit the ground running.”

Unparalleled success would be one description. Dominance might be a more accurate accounting of what the Demons have done.

The numbers are simply staggering considering that WAC rivals Garden City and Liberal also have had successful programs in recent years. It was Liberal that last won a WAC title outside of the Demons, that coming when the Redskins defeated Dodge City twice en route to the 2018 title.

Since losing the WAC in 2018, the Demons have won four straight titles and now own a 31-game WAC winning streak. Hernandez has now won seven WAC titles in his eight seasons. The record itself explains the dominance – 61 WAC wins, only 3 losses and no ties. Overall, his DC teams have won 147 matches while losing only 15 and having one tie. That calculates out to a .902 winning percentage.

The Demons have won two state championships (2016/2020), reached the semifinals four other times, placing third three times and fourth once. In the other two seasons, they have reached the state quarterfinals before being eliminated.

The irony of Hernandez’ success also comes in the fact that he previously coached at WAC opponent Hays High, TMP-Marian in Hays that was on the school’s schedule at one time, and served one year as an assistant in Liberal before being offered the top spot at Dodge City, taking over before the 2015 season.

“One of my main focuses since coming here has been to work on the psychology of winning and what that means,” Hernandez said. “We have to get into the weight room in the summer to work on strength and conditioning. If we want to win, this is what we have to do.”

While admitting that he set the expectations early, he now credits the players and his staff for the program’s success.

“The kids themselves do a good job holding each other accountable,” Hernandez said. “The culture has been set, but the players have continued to stress that this is the way we do things here. We’ve created leaders on and off the field. We develop success on and off the field and in the classroom.”

Hernandez believes his upbringing and background allow him to relate well to his players, and the same goes in reverse.

“I went through what these kids are going through,” Hernandez said. “I was born in Mexico and I was an ESL kid. I came from a low socio-economic family. It used to embarrass me, but now I’m proud of it because it helps me make a connection with the boys.”

On this year’s team, Hernandez saw four of his players earn first team all-WAC honors. Leading the way is senior Irwin Macias, who earned a repeat of WAC Player of the Year.

“We’ve been able to implement a lot of things that have worked over time,” Hernandez said. “We keep things that work and we get rid of the things that don’t.”

Hernandez said he works hard with the school’s athletic administration to put together a schedule that allows them to see some of the best teams in Kansas during the regular season. It has helped immensely once they are in postseason play, he said.

“It’s always one of my priorities,” Hernandez said. “I want to get us exposed to the really best teams. We can play them in the regular season, see what our weaknesses are and fix them for the postseason. I like to challenge the boys and see what they’re made of. We keep working on toughening our schedule.”

Joining Macias on the all-WAC first team were teammates (all juniors) Aron Martinez, David Garcia and Angel Lopez. Liberal, the league runner-up, garnered two spots in Emmanuel Ortuno and Suain Moncayo. Garden City secured two spots in seniors David Hernandez and Emiliano Garcia. Hays picked up two spots with Diego Muller and Brantlee Staab while Great Bend’s Alex Galindo rounded out the first team.

Hernandez, by virtue of his team’s unblemished league record, was named Coach of the Year.

Irwin Macias, Dodge City, Sr. – WAC Player of the Year

Even though he had won the award a year earlier in his junior year, Dodge City senior Irwin Macias was surprised to repeat the honor after the 2022 season had come to a close.

“It doesn’t feel any differently but I can tell you the award doesn’t happen without my teammates and my coaches,” Macias said in an interview. “We put in a lot of work last summer and all I try to do is to help my team any way possible. The biggest thing is getting used to the style of play.”

Macias, who finished with 9 goals and 5 assists, was a first-team all-state selection in 2021 by the Kansas Soccer Coaches Association. Undoubtedly, he is one of the main cogs in the Demons’ high-powered engines.

“I got quicker and stronger from a year ago,” Macias said. “This year’s team I think had a lot more fun playing, and we had hoped to take this all the way to the final.”

Macias credits the coaching staff for teaching the players all the correct ways to play the game and for developing strategies that turns into success.

“We learn a lot of things correctly and we’ve been playing with each other for so long, we just know where each other is gonna be,” Macias said. “My job is to find teammates and make space for them to get the ball.”

Macias said there are specific strategies developed that insure the team’s chances at winning.

“When we’re attacking, the key idea is to go 1-on-1 and we’re good at that,” Macias said. “We move the ball quickly and coach (Hernandez) helps us with plays inside the 18 (yard line) and then we find ways to get a second ball to score.”

Macias said he hopes to play soccer at the collegiate level, but has not begun his search for a college.

“I want to play at the college level,” Macias said. “It is the next step. Academically, I am interested in diesel tanks doing mechanical work.”

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2022 WAC Soccer All-Conference Teams

First Team Selections

	Player	School	Year
1	Irwin Macias	Dodge City	12
2	Aron Martinez	Dodge City	11
3	David Garcia	Dodge City	11
4	Angel Lopez	Dodge City	11
5	Emmanuel Ortuno	Liberal	12
6	Suain Moncayo	Liberal	10
7	David Hernandez	Garden City	12
8	Emiliano Garcia	Garden City	12
9	Diego Muller	Hays	12
10	Brantlee Staab	Hays	11
11	Alex Galindo	Great Bend	11

Second Team Selections

	Player	School	Year
1	Brandon Castillo	Dodge City	12
2	Ernesto Monge	Dodge City	12
3	Giovanny Reyes	Liberal	11
4	Erick Garcia	Liberal	11
5	Seth Michel	Liberal	11
6	Erick Tamayo	Garden City	12
7	Joshua Negron	Garden City	11
8	Jace St. Peter	Hays	12
9	Edwin Muller	Hays	11
10	Gustavo Alvarado	Great Bend	11
11	Ramiro Rocha	Great Bend	11