The CIF title has a much deeper meaning for the St. Genevieve boys soccer team than marking history.
Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.St. Genevieve assistant boys soccer coach Jose Mejia Sr. insisted that he give his pregame speech in Spanish before a February playoff game. Mejia, who at 72 has been battling prostate cancer and now bladder cancer, asked his team why the lion was the king of the jungle.
“I think someone heard it on TikTok or something, but it came from a 72 year old guy with broken English,” said head coach Jose Mejia. “When we motivate the guys, we just remember that speech that he made about the lion’s mentality.” Mejia said his father was calm and collected after the 3-1 win over Oxford Academy in late February, while Mejia himself was crying and hugging.The coach said that in previous years, there’s been an emphasis on trying to win a championship whenever a talented team came around. There’s plenty of talent this season, but the attitude is different. It mirrors the quiet, dignified strength that the elder Mejia has approached his cancer with.
“They don’t just lead by talking or barking orders,” Mejia said of the two seniors. “They actually do it and the rest of the team looks up to that.”
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Watch: Belllarmine stuns Moreau Catholic in final seconds of CIF NorCal regionalsTariq Weiser banks in the game-winner, setting off a wild celebration as 13th Bellarmine advances in Division II bracket.
Read more »
Boys and girls basketball: Tuesday’s scores, updated schedule for CIF SoCal Regional playoffsTuesday’s scores from the first round of the CIF Southern California Regional boys and girls basketball playoffs and the updated schedule for Thursday, March 2.
Read more »
CIF NorCal basketball regionals 2023: Quarterfinal schedulesDozens of Bay Area teams will be in the quarterfinals of the CIF regional basketball championships this week
Read more »
CIF NorCal soccer regionals: Quarterfinal results, semifinal matchupsNumerous Bay Area high school soccer teams advanced in regional play on Tuesday
Read more »
February's athletes of the month include CIF hoops and soccer champs, standout grapplersCountry Day's Tajianna Roberts, St. Augustine's Andres Brambila and Jurian Dixon among the San Diego-area stars who shined in February
Read more »
El Camino Real wrestler Alex Waitsman made school history at CIF State meetWhen Waitsman’s mother and grandmother died in recent years, she used wrestling as a way to cope with those losses. She then made history with a second-place finish at the CIF State meet this…
Read more »