Fresh off their first state tournament appearance in school history, the Columbus Wildcat boys’ soccer team is trying to mimic last year’s performance without the service last season’s best player.

During his four year soccer career at Columbus High School, Alex Cruz scored or assisted on 90 goals (56 scored, 34 assisted). During his senior season last spring, Cruz scored a team-high 29 goals and assisted on 15 more to help Columbus win 11 matches and clinch the school’s first trip to the state tournament. Fellow seniors Bryan Santiago and Diego Escobar chipped in an additional 11 goals for the Wildcats.

Despite losing 75 percent of last year’s scoring, Columbus boys soccer coach Luis Cacho believes a group of underclassman can help fill in the void. Sophomore Ruben Paz returns as the team’s leading scorer. Paz scored five goals last season. Sophomore Eric Canterero added 2 goals and six assists last year as a freshman. Senior Angel Rodriguez and sophomore Alejando Hernandez also scored two goals last year for the Wildcats.

The Columbus boys soccer team’s first game of the season is scheduled for Thursday April 9, against the Wapello Indians at Wapello High School.