On Thursday, Schuyler senior Jose Cruz extended his scoring record with his seventh goal of the season for Elkhorn Mount Michael.
Junior Obed Benazo had a goal and an assist for the Warriors, who defeated the Knights 2-0. They improved to 4-0 on the season.
“We've been really excited since we arrived in the state,” Cruz said. “We only lost about two seniors, so we're pretty excited about the season. We're strong and we're just getting off to a good start.”
Cruz is closing on Nebraska's football history. The senior is 13 goals away from breaking the men's all-division record of 112 goals set by Ralston's Diego Gutierrez from 2014 to 2017.
“It would mean a lot. It's a really small town,” Cruz said. “Not many people know about Skyler. We've been really good lately, so we've been actively participating.”
After playing his second season at Scotus Central Catholic, Cruz returned to Schuyler last season and led the Warriors with 37 goals and 15 assists.
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Cruz said last season surprised even him. The senior talked about how his game has evolved as opposing defenses try to neutralize him in every game.
“Usually I have two defenders so I always drag one of them down so obviously one of my teammates has to be open,” Cruz said.
The team had a 14-2 record last season and qualified for the state tournament for the first time in five years.
The Warriors advanced to the state semifinals, losing to eventual state runner-up Bennington.
“We always go into the game with a positive mindset. We don't want to get too confident,” Cruz said. “It doesn't matter how we were last year or how bad or how good the team was last year. Just don't get too confident.”
Schuyler's Monday game against York and Tuesday's game at Lakeview have been postponed. The next match will take place on April 2nd in Crete.
“My personal goal is to break that record,” Cruz said. “For our team, we’re able to make it to state and win state.”
Sam Ficaro is a sports reporter for the Schuyler Sun. Email SCHsports@lee.net.