Just as the weather in Oklahoma started to warm up, as did the play on the soccer pitch between the three Lawton Public Schools (LPS) schools as they battled it out for the coveted City Championship this spring. The series kicked off in early March and wrapped up midway through April and in the end the MacArthur High School (MHS) girls and Eisenhower High School (EHS) boys claimed the titles. Here is how it happened.
The first matchup saw the Eisenhower Eagles and Lawton High School (LHS) Wolverines hit the pitch. In the girls match, the two teams battled not only each other but a blustery night at Wolverine field. EHS struck first with a shot from way outside the box that just got by the LHS keeper. A few minutes later, the Eagles soared in for their second goal off a deflection. The Wolverines made it interesting in the second half, converting on a corner kick that got just past the EHS keeper and put in the back of the net to make it 2-1. EHS answered with a breakaway score to make it 3-1 and held on in the final minutes to secure the win. The Eagle boys handled their business against the Wolverines as well, winning 5-1. Senior Daniel “Jr.” Dollins scored three of those goals while Sophomore Bryan Frias and junior Cameron Raymond added the other two.
Next up was a meeting between the Eagles and the Highlanders at EHS’s field. The girls game was all Highlanders as they cruised to the 6-0 win. The scoring opened up with a goal by freshman Allena Cotanny off the shot deflection of EHS keeper, senior Jaci Mason. The Eagle defense locked in until just about two minutes left in the first, when MHS scored their second goal off a corner kick finished off by junior Natalie Buchko. Cotanny got her second goal of the game early in the second off another Mason deflection that she just poked into the back of the net. Senior Jacee Seaton made it 4-0, scoring off a great cross by junior Ellana Burk. Seaton scored off a great cross again, this time by senior Masen Cortez. The final nail was when Burk took a shot from about 25 yards out that found the back of the net to give the Lady Highlanders their 6-0 lead. The competitive energy in the boys’ match could be felt from the opening kick. MAC got on the board first as senior Boomer Nix headed in a corner off the foot of sophomore Grant Holland that found the back post. Moments later, Eisenhower answered as Dollins crossed in a ball that was finished by junior Rydge Claborn to bring the score square. Both keepers, junior Elliot Shows from IKE and junior Kenyon Gabriel from MHS did a good job of holding the offenses scoreless the rest of the half to keep the score tied, 1-1, at the break. Midway through the second, the Eagles broke the scoring drought as Dollins set up another teammate, this time freshman Emilio Ortiz, making it 2-1. Just moments later EHS sophomore Kouame “Chrysler” Kouakou raced past his defender and beat Gabriel to the ball to score from about 15 yards out, making it 3-1. Ortiz got in on the action again to make it 4-1, striking a ball from almost 30 yards out that got just past the outstretched arm of Gabriel. The Eagles were able to hold that score for the final minutes to secure the 2025 City Championship.
The final matchup pitted the Highlanders against the Wolverines on MacArthur’s home turf with the girls looking to lock up their City Championship title with a win. That seemed to be no problem for MAC as they scored early and often against LHS on a cold windy evening on the eastside of Lawton. The first goal came off a corner by Burk that bounced off of sophomore Naleah Cordes to Seaton and into the back of the net. That was followed by another Seaton and Burk connection, this time with Burk scoring to make it 2-0 with just under 33 minutes on the clock. Bruk assisted on the third goal of the game, passing it off to junior Barlee Hastie, who scored from just outside of the box. Seaton added the fourth goal and then freshman Brinlee Clark drove in a shot from way out to make it 5-0 for MHS. Burk capped off the first half scoring with her second goal of the match to give MHS the six-goal lead. The Lady Highlanders scored four more goals in the second half: two from Seaton, another from Hastie, and one from Cordes. The 10-0 victory secured their fourth straight City Championship. It was a clean sheet in the series by MHS senior keeper Ella Isaksen. The boys game was closer to start the contest, but the Highlanders got going midway through the first with a long score from sophomore Tyriq Tate. MAC’s second goal of the night came off a great cross by senior Braydon Frederick that was finished off by fellow senior Micah Bleau at the far post to make it 2-0, which was the score at the half. Early in the second, Frederick finished off the third MHS goal himself, firing a shot from outside the box. Junior Romeo Gardener gave MHS a 4-0 lead, after controlling a great cross by junior Ben Jones. Gardner raced past the LHS defense for his second goal of the match, making it 5-0. Nix capped off the scoring on a penalty kick as the Highlanders cruised to the 6-0 win to go 1-1 in the city series.
The series set up a great rest of the season that will culminate with the OSSAA playoffs in May. The Lady Highlanders finished the regular season with an 11-2 record and a 7-0 district mark to win district 5A-1, while the boys went 9-4 with a 6-1 record against district opponents, but losing the tie breaking game to Southeast for the championship. The Lady Wolverines went 2-9 on the year with a 1-5 district record and the LHS boys went 1-11, including a 1-6 district record. The 4-3 win over Duncan in extra time was the program’s first district win since 2018. Eisenhower boys soccer finished 2025 with a 6-7 record and a 2-6 mark in district 6A-1, while the Lady Eagles finished the regular season with a 1-11 overall record and 0-6 in district.