The  varsity boys soccer team, fresh off their last year state championship win, is back and working hard to hold their title this year. 

Last season the Lightridge boys varsity soccer team made school history by winning the state championships against Kellam at Deep River High School. The team is led by Coach David Cesnick who has been coaching the team for the past five seasons and is on his 11th season of coaching. 

Their road to success was a long one and was the result of hard work and dedication brought to the field by all the players on the team. Senior Brayden Moyssiadis who was 1st team-all state captain was a key player on the team and helped bring this team to victory. 

“Winning felt amazing and meant a lot to all of us,” said Moyssiadis.

A huge part of this team’s breakthrough and something that Cesnick prioritizes in the training is team camaraderie and building the culture between the boys. There is a huge emphasis on team-building, leadership, and trust. Being able to have that strong connection on and off the field has helped foster a comfortable yet competitive training environment that pushes everyone to be their best and put in 100%. It is clearly an effective focus and remains a priority in the players mindsets as well. 

“My favorite part of the team is the guys, they’re all so positive,” said senior and two-year varsity player Nathaniel Tsegay. 

“My favorite part is the dynamic and team chemistry and that’s why we do so well,” said four-year varsity player and all region athlete, senior Christian Tshiteya.

The winning game was a culmination of everything they had been working towards all season. This four month journey that wrapped a day after the last day of school, was a win for everyone involved. The team managers from last year who are continuing their position into the 2026 season. Daniella Aziz and Rianna Bashaweeh have been  helpful in keeping everything organized and managing a lot of the behind the scenes work that goes into making this team successful. 

“I help manage the scoreboard at games, run the social media page to keep everyone updated, and also do a lot of the laundry and cleaning,” said Aziz. 

But the work didn’t stop in June of 2025; the team has been pushing towards another season full of success and has been prioritizing hard work rather than resting on their accolades. While incorporating some of the new players in, the team is focusing on maintaining that strong bond and sustaining the positive energy that led to their long road of wins in the past year. Upperclassman have been stepping up to help maintain that team dynamic with their new players and ensuring everyone maintains humility while staying determined to achieve their goal. Pacing is also a key focus for this coming year and setting several small goals to reach on the road to their ultimate target of back-to-back state championships. 

“We plan on just bringing a lot of energy. Every practice, every warmup, every game; we’re all just gonna bring the energy and that should help bring us the same results,” said Moyssiadis.