Yellowjacket midfielder Brayan Torres took possession of the ball in the defensive zone. 

Midway through the second half, Mineola led Pittsburg 2-1. In the 57th minute, Pittsburg was beginning to press and it left some space in the midfield.

Torres advanced up the left side. As he crossed into the offensive zone, he split two defenders. He then cut across the field twice to avoid oncoming sweepers.  After the second cut, and without so much as a glance at the goal, he let fly a right-footed shot. 

It was a rocket. From about 18 meters out, the goalkeeper didn’t stand a chance. The strike was blistered high into the netting. 

The ensuing celebration was not some soccer tradition. It was emotional. It was joyful. 

The Pittsburg Pirates, the 13-4A district champions, were in dire straits. Although they had controlled the first 20 minutes of play at the outset, Mineola had recaptured the momentum midway through the opening half. 

That momentum shift came from a corner kick. Gorge Zavala took a corner and put a great centering pass in play. The Pirate goalkeeper tried to punch it clear, but it spun off his fist and fell directly to Jonathan Ledesma who was ready at the far post. It evened the score and completely flipped the match.

From that point through the final whistle, the Yellowjackets were the quicker team to the ball, made the passing connections and physically dominated the state of play.

After Mineola took the 3-1 lead, there came, however, a bit of a defensive lapse. 

Pittsburg is a quality side with plenty of speed. They spent the first half using that speed to exploit the edges of the Jacket defense. In the second half they used it to make deep diagonal runs across the middle of their offensive zone. 

Soon after the Torres goal, the Pirates connected on one of those long diagonal passes ahead. Within a minute it was again a one-goal game – Mineola 3-2.  

It remained 3-2 and Mineola took the bidistrict championship. The final 22 minutes was a matter of pride for the 2025 Yellowjackets. They defended, not desperately, but with energy. And when the option presented itself, they attacked. 

Along the way, goalkeeper Adrian Rodriguez made a series of smart saves, with no mistakes. 

During one passage of play, Sebastion Klodnicki sprinted back on the offside to deflect an on-goal shot after Rodriguez had to advance and take on a break. 

It was typical of the teamwork shown by the Jackets in the bidistrict match up at Mt Vernon Stadium. Each player contributed. Eddie Lucas and Gorge Zavala worked give and go magic all night long. 

They combined in the 50th minute with one of the most beautiful goals of the season. The passage started with a throw-in at midfield. Zavala and Lucas then volleyed the ball back and forth three times without it hitting the ground as they advanced toward the box.

On the third volley, Zavala let loose a shot from around 30 meters which was, in a word, perfect.

There were other stand-out performances. Michael Camargo and Noah Turner most notably. And, of course there was The Number 10 for Mineola, Jonathan Ledesma.

The striker was mature enough to know the variety of roles he would play as opposing defenses tried everything they could to prevent him from getting on the ball. He also had the composure to know when he could track back and burn time, or loop through the pitch only to re-attack from a different direction. 

After a playoff drought which reached back to 2019, the Yellowjackets not only reached the second season, but they put together one of their finest performances of the year to claim a bidistrict crown.

In the team photo taken just after the final whistle, they all held up two fingers signifying that they are off to the second round of the playoffs. 

The Jackets would need another stellar, complete match performance, as they faced the Henderson Lions on Tuesday.