Texas High School Soccer: Teams to Watch – 5A Region 1
The UIL 5A Region 1 is one of the most talent dense regions of the entire state. In a region that stretches from the border of New Mexico, to the Texas panhandle and below; Region 1 has a huge area…
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Continue ReadingThe UIL 5A Region 1 is one of the most talent dense regions of the entire state. In a region that stretches from the border of New Mexico, to the Texas panhandle and below; Region 1 has a huge area to cover.
Thankfully, this large land mass has helped the programs of Region 1 pool their athletes from all sorts of communities. This has helped these programs grow into some consistent powerhouses that are beginning to challenge at the state level.
El Paso Bel Air
District Ranking: 1st
State Ranking: 12th
National Ranking: 56th
22/23 Record: 28-1-1 (0.95 Win %)
Predicted 23/24 Record: 29-0-1
The Bel Air squad from the 22/23 season was one for the record books. They were able to net 129 goals as a team, which is utterly stunning. However, even with their uber-attacking style of football, they still only conceded 19 goals against.
Bel Air was able to go undefeated in district play, with a perfect 15-0 record. This left them going 13-1-1 in their remaining games. Going into the 23/24 season, I don’t think there is any reason to doubt that Bel Air is going to put it on their opposition again. I think it’s extremely realistic to believe that the 23/24 Bel Air team could be even better.
Player to Watch: Ruben Esparza
Ruben Esparza
Ruben Esparza
Ruben Esparza is an anomaly of the high school game. Many of the nations best find themselves at the biggest clubs in the nation and many of them unfortunately are moving away from the high school game. Luckily for all of us, Ruben Esparza is lighting up the high school game.
Esparza tallied 34 goals and 29 assists in just 23 games last season. Let me state that one more time… Esparza had 34 GOALS and 29 ASSISTS in 23 GAMES. That is a masterclass of a performance from a player that was still in his junior year. I absolutely cannot wait to see what he’s able to do this year.
Grapevine High School
District Ranking: 2nd
State Ranking: 101st
National Ranking: 406th
22/23 Record: 14-6-5 (0.66 Win %)
Predicted 23/24 Record: 17-4-4
Grapevine is one of those programs that may not look overly exciting on paper. However, I believe that Grapevine is definitely up-and-coming. They have a good staff around them, a solid group of young players and the belief that they can go as far as they want. I think the heart of their program is truly inspirational.
Last season Grapevine was able to net 61 goals and concede 36 goals. This is one of the larger goals against totals on this list but I’m not too worried about that. I believe with a good off-season Grapevine should be able to cut those totals down and take their district.
Players to Watch: Tanner Anstis
Tanner Anstis
Tanner Anstis
Tanner Anstis is an extremely exciting prospect for the 2023/24 season.
The 6’0 senior netted 18 goals and added eight assists during his 20 games as a junior. With a growing squad and a competitive program, I’m sure that Anstis is going to round out some of the weaker points in his game and have a fantastic senior year. He’s surprisingly strong for his height and weight, but I’d love to see him maybe add a little more size this preseason.
Lake Dallas High School
District Ranking: 1st
State Ranking: 82nd
National Ranking: 340th
22/23 Record: 18-5-3 (0.75 Win %)
Predicted 23/24 Record: 17-3-6
Lake Dallas is one of those teams that has a solid foundation but may lack the consistency to win at the more competitive levels. While they won their district last year, I’m a little worried about the 21 goals they allowed. Lake Dallas was able to score a solid 65 goals over the course of the season and I honestly believe they’ll tally more in the 23/24 season, but I’m worried about the back line. I think they’re due for a similar season but I think there is a chance they’ll allow a few more goals later during the year.
One thing to look forward to for Lake Dallas are the young players moving into the varsity squad. Lake Dallas is lucky enough to have depth and talent in their ranks and could very well boost their squad with players from their JV program. If Lake Dallas is able to maintain a lower goals allowed amount then I’m sure they’ll maintain their position as the best program in their district and maybe even increase their number of wins against non-district opponents.
If I was at the helm of a college program I would make an effort to see a Lake Dallas district match to find some of the 2026 class that is flying below the radar.