Patrick Henry routs Texas team, wins SoCal High School Classic

OCEANSIDE — Talk about ending the year with a bang.

Junior Emma Cunningham and her Patrick Henry teammates did so in the finals of the 30th annual SoCal High School Classic soccer tournament hosted by Oceanside on Wednesday.

The Patriots powered past El Paso Eastlake 5-0 to claim the Girls Showcase Division championship.

Cunningham recorded the first hat trick of her three-year varsity career. All three goals came in the first half before she rested the majority of the second.

There was the opening goal in the third minute off a rebound of a shot by Zoe Wehrman.

Later came scores on a free kick and curving corner kick to help account for a 4-0 halftime lead.

“It’s preseason, and we’ve been still trying to figure things out,” said Cunningham, a returning CIF San Diego Section first-team selection.

“Here, a lot of that stuff really came together. And that really shows that I was able to get my goals because my teammates put me in that position.”

Senior Breanna Ivie scored the other first-half goal against the Falcons (2-1), who used the tourney to open their season. Classmate Kamryn McElvain completed the scoring in the first minute of the second half during the onset of sprinkles that persisted the rest of the way.

The Patriots (5-2) matched their season-high score in a 5-1 semifinal triumph over Santa Cruz Aptos. Over the three tourney games, they enjoyed a 13-1 scoring edge.

Such dominance brings comparison to the Patriots’ 12-0 output in winning the Southern California Division 3 title last season.

The Patriots return eight starters and the experience of 14 seniors.

Still, as Cunningham sees it, the calendar has turned.

“What’s really huge for us is we’re separating ourselves from last year because we’re a very different team,” she said. “We lost some very good seniors, but we have a lot of really good players this year. Just putting together all that talent on the field is really important.”

The three graduating seniors each went to Division I colleges, including standout Naima Castro, who led Nevada in scoring as a freshman before transferring to San Diego State.

“We really click as friends and as soccer players,” Ivie said. “That plays into chemistry, and I think we have a really good season ahead of us.”

Henry figures to have more balance on this season’s offense, which has received a boost with the addition of senior transfer Annabel Grentz, an all-section second-team selection from San Diego High School.

In her debut after a transfer sit-out period, she scored three goals in Tuesday’s semifinal contest.

The Patriots opened the season with two wins but then sustained two losses, all against strongholds from outside the county.

“Win or not, it was about (adjusting to) the physicality and gaining composure,” Henry coach Jason Renfro said. “Also, it was a good opportunity for the team to bond.”

Henry completes non-league play Tuesday at Bonita Vista before opening the City Western League schedule at Point Loma on Jan. 13.