April 22, 2026
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Panthers on a hot streak with two straight wins

By RYAN STONEBRAKER
Panther junior Joaquin Flores dribbles past defenders during Thursday’s game against Centerville. Flores scored four goals during the game.

Panther junior Joaquin Flores dribbles past defenders during Thursday’s game against Centerville. Flores scored four goals during the game. (Contributed photo by MICHELLE JONES)

Creston’s boys soccer program is on a hot streak, winning their last two matches to jump to 3-3 on the season.

The Panthers are now halfway to their win total of last year. The Panthers defeated non-conference foe Centerville 10-0 last Tuesday and followed it up with their first Hawkeye 10 win over Atlantic two days later. The wins placed the Panthers in the middle of the pack in the Hawkeye 10 standings after two weeks of matches.

Creston is back on the pitch twice this week, hosting a pair of matches. Conference foe Kuemper Catholic is in town Thursday and Oakland Riverside is in town Friday. The following week, the Panthers have early week games at Treynor on Monday, April 27, before returning home to play Lewis Central on Tuesday, April 28.

Creston soccer coach Adrian Flores said that he is proud of his team for fighting back when they have been down in the two recent wins.

“We beat some tough teams. We got down in the first halves and came back. It is a nice little boost after the second week,” he said. “Hopefully we can keep working hard and see what happens.”

The week began against Centerville, a team looking for its first win. The Big Reds didn’t get it, as the Panthers snapped a three-match losing streak with the 10-0 victory. The 10 goals was nearly double what Creston had scored in their four previous matches.

The Panthers took command of the match in the first half, scoring six goals to lead 6-0 at halftime. Four more goals found the back of the net in the second half to set the score at 10-0.

Panther junior Joaquin Flores had a huge night, punching in four goals and getting an assist. Jace Purdum and Wyatt Burwell each had a pair of goals. Davis Sandoval and Carlos Tellez-Page each had a goal. Purdum, CT Stalker and Ayden Purdum each had assists in the match.

Centerville came into the match having been shutout twice in their only two matches in losses to Pella Christian 10-0 and Central Lee 7-0. The match was the first time the two schools met since the 2015 season.

Two days later, the Panthers hosted Atlantic for their third Hawkeye 10 match this year. The previous two were losses to St. Albert and Denison-Schleswig. This time, the Panthers claimed their first conference win, beating the Trojans 7-1. It was the ninth straight win over the Trojans since the 2018 season.

It was another big night for Joaquin Flores for the Panthers as he scored four goals, pushing his season total to 12 goals, which led the Hawkeye 10 Conference coming into this week and is fourth overall in the state.

Other Creston goals against Atlantic came from Austin Jondle, Justin Myers, and Davin Wallace one goal. Carlos Page had an assist and Baret Lane made five saves.

Coach Flores said that getting the goals from Joaquin is a team effort.

“Joaquin is playing very well right now indivdually; however, our play is not just one person. Everyone plays a part. Some of his goals have been ones he has taken, others he has been getting set up by good assists from his teammates,” the coach said. “We have a good middle and we have been able to move the ball through the zone well right now.”