The Judge boys’ soccer team is one of the most consistent teams on campus. With tons of kids coming to try out each year, the team is highly selective and always one of the premier programs in the state. After winning in 2018, 19, and 21 (the 2020 season was cut short due to COVID), the team has been in a slow rebuild but is still pushing it far into the off-season.
I had the chance to interview junior midfielder Kai Flickinger, and he was hopeful for the team’s future. “I think we got a really good shot at going far this year.” Said Flickinger, “There are a couple of teams that are our level, maybe a little bit better than us in some spots, but for the most part, I think we should do well this year.” And this confidence is justified as the majority of the starting roster is upperclassmen, as well as a few standout underclassmen who have risen to the occasion quite seamlessly.
Although a state title would be a challenge this year, the real challenge comes with the move to 4A next year, playing schools that are bigger and better than the 3A competition. According to Flickinger, “I don’t think we’ve played any 4A teams this year, but last year I think we played three and we ended up going two and one in those games.” This bodes well, as an even older team should now be up to the challenge of facing these high-caliber teams.
One worry lies in East, our up the street neighbors with a stellar squad who are currently a 5A school. “East is a pretty good team, for sure. I think we’ve lost to them a couple of years in a row now, but I think they’re probably the best team that’ll be in that region for us to play.” Said Flickinger. A year older Judge team with many returning players should be able to give them a good fight, and as far as the rest of the region, Flickinger seemed fairly confident in their ability to take them down.
Competition is one thing, but Flickinger stated that his favorite part of having new regions is, “just like the travel, honestly, it’s not very fun going to like Summit Academy and Providence Hall all the time,” He expressed his excitement for this when he said, “playing like teams kind of closer in the city people, you know, I think that would be a lot more fun.”
In all, there is no doubt that the move up to 4A will be a challenge, but the Judge Memorial soccer team seems to be one, along with many others in the school that stand out as having a good shot to survive and even thrive in this uncharted territory.
