FRISCO, TX — The beauty of a soccer game isn’t the score, but the sweat, friendships, and personal growth created along the way. The Centennial Varsity team knows this well with the many memories they’ve created through practice, hangouts, and shared celebrations. They’ve created a deep emotional bond and personal growth that lasts past a trophy and into their lives as they grow into adulthood.
This year, the Varsity Soccer team had a great season. According to Frisco Enterprise, Centennial High School (CHS) remained in first place in the 11-5A standings with a 3-1 victory over Frisco. On March 20, 2025, Centennial was able to participate in the playoffs. The Centennial Boys’ Division I advanced to the second round of playoffs on March 25, 2025. The Centennial Varsity Boys team played against Walnut Grove, but lost their six-game winning streak in the playoffs.
Despite not reaching the state championship as hoped for at the beginning of the season, the team experienced enduring memories, hard work, and personal growth on and off the field.
Senior Defender Noah Wanzer, a captain for the Centennial Varsity Boys team, expressed his motivation for putting in the hard work to practice every week to become a better player, explaining how his passion removes the feeling of it being a job that needs to be balanced with school and extracurricular activities.
“[D]uring season, I would say I practice almost three times a day…between 10 to 15 hours a week. Honestly, it’s kinda the love of the sport that keeps me motivated to do it, and how I kinda balance that. It doesn’t seem like it’s a job or anything,” Wanzer said. “It seems like what I want to do so… I enjoy going to…trainings and…the practices and being able to be with my teammates and…with everyone I…love around me. I wouldn’t say it needs to be balanced or anything.”
Wanzer said he is most motivated by what the sport might unlock in the future, including the opportunity to gain a scholarship to the University of Alabama at Birmingham to continue his academic and playing career.
“Knowing that this is what is going to pay for my college and everything, and being able to play and get a scholarship. That’s… what motivates me to try and help my family as much as I can, [and]… being the best player I can [be]. It’s kinda like a pride thing at the same time.”
That dedication shows during matches, where Wanzer sees each play as a chance to show up for his team.
“During games, it’s about doing the best I can for my teammates. Being able to…hold up my end so that nobody has to work harder than they should, and if anybody is…struggling, I’ll work harder…so it’s kinda my teammates having each other’s back.”
Wanzer also emphasized the strength of their team chemistry built over years of shared experience playing in the same teams. “We’ve been really close,” he said. “This year, pretty much all of us have been seniors, and a lot of us were juniors and sophomores; we had one freshman, but a lot of us have played with each other for four years or more…We all hang out outside… school and everything, so…it’s a really tight bond.”
As his high school career reaches the end of the field line, Wanzer reflected on the relationships that have shaped his experience.
“They’ve been kinda mentors throughout the four years. Especially Coach Hill, he’s been…the guy I could lean on whenever I had issues…so it’s…like a mentor-type-of bond,” Wanzer said.
Coach Hill, who played basketball in high school and at Seattle Pacific University, found his way into soccer coaching after years of mentoring his two sons in sports. CHS is his first teaching and coaching role.
“I always coached my two boys,” Hill said. “I really wanted to come here and teach soccer because both of my boys play…basketball, so I always had a passion for coaching, but joining soccer was easier for me schedule-wise, and I just kinda took to liking it after I got into it.”
Hill spent more time with players, with little moments of small talk between practices, creating a deeper connection between the players.
“There [are] a lot of times between practices and after school. We kinda come into my room and talk about everything outside of school: academics, just becoming young men, things like that. And once you get to know them, it makes it easier to coach once you learn things about them.”
Wanzer believed most of the memories he would hold on to after graduating high school would be the little moments of bonding he experienced through the years.
“Definitely [I will remember] all the team dinners and all the memories I’ve made with everyone, all the little things. I won’t… remember the games as much or… the trophy, I would honestly remember all the tiny memories and connections I’ve made with everyone, and that’s what lives on afterwards,” Wanzer stated. “It’s not… what you do here, it’s…who you want to become and… connect with.”
Hill echoed the sentiment of recognizing the value of the little memories that flash by and being able to live in the present.
“Never take a moment for granted. Time flies and don’t take everything so serious[ly] all the time… Take a step back and… soak up the moment, and… just [enjoy] the times that you…have,” Hill concluded.
With a district title, a playoff run, and a bond that goes far deeper than the surface of the soccer field, the Titans’ season was about more than just the scoreboard. For players like Noah Wanzer, it was a journey filled with purpose, pride, and memories that will last long after the final whistle of the 2024-25 season. From long practices to postgame celebrations and late-night talks with coaches, the season was a defining chapter in their high school experience — one that will continue to shape who they are, both on and off the field, now to their future.
