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Somewhere between a final horn in May and the first whistle the following March, Schuyler soccer coach Ulises Fuentes faced perhaps the biggest challenge of his young career.

And it was one that he’d be happy to take on again and again.

After guiding Schuyler to its first-ever state soccer title a year ago, Fuentes had to balance the joy of reaching the top with the desire to get back there.

“Now we have to work twice as hard,” Fuentes said. “It was a great year, but we have a goal. That goal is a little different. Now, we have to defend that title.”

The top-ranked Warriors have adjusted to life as the hunted, running out to a 15-0 record entering the final week of the regular season.

Fuentes and company have now won 31 in a row dating back to the Class B title run last season. It’s been more than a calendar year since they’ve experienced a loss, and even longer since losing to a Class B opponent.

“With this new group, we’ve basically been playing together since we were little kids,” senior David Arciga said. “We always had one goal, and that one goal was winning state. We just went out there that day and proved what we needed to prove.

“Now we have to prove it again.”

The senior, Schuyler’s leading goal scorer after notching his 21st of the season in a 3-1 win over Grand Island Northwest on Tuesday night, is part of a captain’s group that Fuentes leans on to help keep the target in sight.

There’s one at each level – the forward Arciga up front, midfield maven Kevyn Martinez in the middle, central defender Kevin Mariona in the back, and keeper Marcos Gomez between the pipes.

Having a core like that was especially handy early in the season when last year’s triumphs were clouding a bit of this year’s goals.

After knocking off Bennington in the championship match last May, the Warriors returned home that night to a hero’s welcome that included an escort of police, fire, and rescue.

Players and coaches were celebrities around town for most of the summer.

It’s part of what often makes staying on top harder than getting there.

“Sometimes they think they’re the champs,” Fuentes said. “I think we’ve been overconfident in some games. And you’ve got to stay away from that.”

Thus is life when a significant portion of a roster returns after reaching new heights. But replacing the production from departing senior Obed Benazo – an All-Nebraska striker – and three other starters was a priority.

Enter sophomore Omar Genchi.

Four of Genchi’s 18 goals during a breakout freshman campaign came at the state tournament.  Most were of the highlight-reel variety.

He’s already exceeded that total this season, adding 20 more goals and a team-leading 11 assists.

“Honestly, he’s a phenomenal player,” Arciga said of Genchi.  “He likes having the ball at his feet.  And when he has the ball at his feet, he can do whatever he wants.”

Said Fuentes: “He’s quick on the ball.  If you’re going to give him a little space, he’s going to take the shot.  He’s going to go for it.”

Genchi had braces in three of Schuyler’s final six matches a year ago. He found the back of the net seven times in that stretch, including two each against Crete and Hastings in the Warriors’ first two matches at Morrison Stadium.

That production didn’t come as a surprise to Fuentes.

“I saw that coming,” he said. “With the chances he had at state, he took advantage of it.”

It’s been more of the same this season.

Genchi hit the ground running with a hat trick against Aurora in the season-opener.  He notched both goals in a 2-1 win over a traditionally-tough Elkhorn Mount Michael team less than a week later.  Then came another brace against York and three more goals – to go with a pair of assists – in a 14-0 win over Columbus Lakeview to put a bow on the month or March.

It’s not just goals, too.  Genchi’s 11 helpers are among the state leaders.

“He brings speed, assists, passing,” Fuentes said. “He’s going for it.”

Not to be outdone, Arciga has found the back of the net in 12 of his team’s 15 matches, following up a 25-goal junior campaign with a state-leading 21 already this season. He’s had six matches with two or more goals, equaling last year’s tally for multi-score outings.

“I think it’s our chemistry,” Arciga said about the strength of this version of the Warriors. “Our attacking third has been really good at finishing, and our defense has been really solid, too.”

Both ends of the Schuyler formation did their parts in a pair of matching 2-1 wins over third-ranked Omaha Roncalli and No. 5 Lexington.

Mix in a victory over Class A No. 9 Grand Island – by the same scoreline - and there have certainly been tests this season. Another, a visit to seventh-ranked Columbus Scotus, awaits this weekend, before the regular season wraps up next week in a home game against Ralston.

Then comes another calendar flip to the money month of May.

“Once we hit the end of April, that’s when it really starts to fly,” Arciga said. “We just have to take it game by game, not get ahead of ourselves.

“I think this group goes in and gives 100% no matter what.”

That’s part of what Fuentes said will be the biggest key to a repeat – mentality.

“We make mistakes and we learn from it,” Fuentes said. “Trust is the biggest thing. You’ve got to trust it and take the chances.”

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