RAPID CITY Early scoring and strong defense throughout keyed a victory for the James Valley Christian Vikings in the Class A state soccer championship Saturday at Sioux Park Stadium in Rapid City.
The Vikings opened the game with a heavy wind at their back. They focused on defensive positioning, often sinking the entire team into defense.
The Vikings did get the first shot on goal, less than a minute into the game.
Early on, Freeman had a free kick, but after an initial deflection, Viking goalkeeper Jonah Niederbaumer covered the ball.
The two teams exchanged unsuccessful attacks, though the Bobcats had the best shot of the early going right at the 24-minute mark, as a corner kick was centered well and Freeman Academy had three attempts to get the ball toward the goal before the JVC defense cleared.
A trip on Gavin Waldner as he was on the move set up James Valley with an attack series. After three deflected shots, Noah Fast got the ball up top and nailed a goal to the corner of the net for a 1-0 lead for the Vikings with 13:56 left in the first half.
A slick move by Walder opened the middle of the field, and he found Carson Dorris, who quickly put his shot in the lower corner of the goal for a 2-0 Viking lead in the 36th minute. That was the score at the break.
The second half switched sides, putting the wind at Freeman Academys back.
They came out notably more aggressive early on, but their shots sailed with the wind behind them, going over the goalpost on multiple free kicks.
The Viking defensive effort was impressive in the second half, with a player to disrupt each centering pass. The best opportunity the Bobcats had was when Lesther Artica Rocha placed a free kick right on goal, but Niederbaumer made a strong save.
With 2:10 remaining in the game, Rocha had a one-on-one breakaway, but Niederbaumer got a hand on it and tipped it wide of the goal.
JVC was then able to control the ball for much of the rest of the time, sealing a state championship with a shutout performance.
Noah Fast was selected as the offensive player of the game, and Isaac Wipf was selected as the defensive player of the game.
The Vikings finish with a 14-1 record on the season. Niederbaumer had four saves in the game as the Vikings outshot the Bobcats 13-12. JVC closed the season with six consecutive shutouts.
On Sunday, All-State soccer teams were announced. The Vikings placed two on the first team, with Noah Fast and Gavin Waldner earning recognition. Isaac Wipf received honorable mention. Waldner and Wipf were both first team selections last season. Waldner was an honorable mention pick in 2023.
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