When the Richfield boys' soccer team last competed in a state tournament, the Spartans won the 1975 championship four days before the Edmund Fitzgerald became much more than just another Great Lakes freighter.
The Spartans, the No. 5 seed in Class 2A, begin play at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the quarterfinal round against No. 4 Worthington at Farmington High School.
The feat becomes more remarkable considering Richfield wasn't ranked in the final coaches poll. And the roster of 21 seniors included only two returning starters.
"We had a special group last year," Spartans coach Mike Harris said. "We graduated 17 seniors, 10 of whom are college soccer players."
Current seniors spent two years on JV stuck behind the Class of 2022. The group made good use of their opportunity this season. Richfield (10-4-4) competed well in a Tri-Metro Conference that sent three teams to state tournaments. Three other teams finished in the top 10 in the final coaches poll.
Leading the Spartans are junior forward Antwane Ruiz (22 goals, 10 assists) and senior defender Angel Mendez-Lopez — a rare four-year starter. In the playoffs, senior forward Luis Sanchez got hot, burying goals in all three Section 3 games.
Seeing the varsity team make its long-awaited state tournament return energized the Richfield Soccer Association, the community-based program where players got their start.
And the good news is welcomed after two people were shot outside the homecoming football game in September at Richfield High School.
