Ready for more success, championships
The bar has been raised for Warren County High School soccer. The Pioneers want to prove last season was only the beginning.
Fresh off one of the program’s best seasons in nearly two decades, Warren County will hold tryouts for the 2027 season on Friday, May 22 from 5-7 p.m. at the WCHS soccer field as the Pioneers look to build on a historic run that brought home the District 9-AAA championship.
Under District 9-AAA Coach of the Year Alex Cordova, Warren County emerged as one of the biggest surprise teams in the area this spring, finishing 12-5-1 overall and ending Shelbyville’s four-year reign as district champions with a stunning 4-2 victory in the title match.
The season eventually ended against powerhouse Ravenwood in the Region 5-AAA semifinals, but the breakthrough campaign helped establish momentum for a program that appears positioned to remain competitive moving forward.
Several key contributors are expected to return from the district championship squad, including first-team all-district selections Kaito Takahashi and Josue Macias. Takahashi developed into one of the top scoring threats in the district during his standout season, while Macias continued to provide steady production throughout the Pioneer attack.
Yarel Ramirez also returns after earning first-team all-district honors and delivering several key goals during the postseason push. Erik Hernandez, Guillermo Martinez, Joshua Fajardo and Guillermo Martinez were also major pieces of the rotation and helped Warren County develop one of its deepest teams in recent memory.
The Pioneers should also have one of the district’s top young goalkeepers back in Turner Griffith, who earned District 9-AAA Freshman of the Year honors after a breakout season in net.
Replacing senior midfielder Gabriel Cordova will not be easy. Cordova capped a decorated career by earning District Midfielder of the Year honors while helping guide the Pioneers to the district crown. Warren County also must replace a large senior class that included Cristian Lopez, Ronny Orellana, Edwin Zarate, Isaac Rodriguez, Juan Juarez, Matthew King, Aaron Palmer, Bryan Garcia and Michael Villegas.
Still, the future remains bright.
The WCMS soccer program recently advanced all the way to the TMSAA state championship game, giving Warren County another wave of young talent expected to compete for varsity roles in the coming years. With several middle school standouts now preparing to move up, the Pioneers could see the talent level continue rising as they attempt to follow up a breakthrough season with another championship chase in 2027.
