The high school fall sports season gets under way next week in the area.
Great Bend kicked it off with an intrasquad scrimmage for the boys’ soccer team on Thursday night at Memorial Stadium.
The White team defeated the Black squad 3-1 in an 80-minute exhibition. The 20 varsity players were separated between the two teams evenly, with junior varsity players entering the game as substitutes.
“It is a good night to bring the parents here and to see the kids playing together,” GBHS head coach Gus Prieto said. “It is kind of an exhibition game. It is time to have a little fun and starting next week, it will be a different story.”
Prieto also said that it was a good way for him to see how the team plays together in a full game.
“This exhibition can show me who’s ready to play and who isn’t,” Prieto said. “The bad thing is we practice all the time on a grass field, and we’re playing on turf. But we’re going to be playing a lot of our games on turf, so it’s good for them to see the difference.”
Sophomore forward Luis Mata turned some heads, scoring two goals for the White.
Mata scored to break a scoreless game with 7:51 remaining in the first half. He also planted the ball in the net with 15.3 seconds remaining in the scrimmage on a loose ball after a corner kick.
Alex Urias gave the White a 2-0 lead heading into halftime on a loose ball that ricocheted off the Black’s defense. Urias, who tied for the most goals scored last season at 18 with Barton Community College freshman Oscar Torres, drilled the ball past goalkeeper Claudio Sanchez.
Black’s only goal came with 21:48 remaining in the second half, as Rafael Arias headed a cross pass into the box and into the back of the net.

More scrimmages tonight
Tonight, the scrimmages continue as the Lady Panthers’ volleyball team and the Panthers’ football team will be unveiled.
The volleyball team starts at 5 p.m. at Panther Fieldhouse. The junior varsity will square off with the freshman team, followed by an all-varsity exhibition at 5:30. The entry fee is a sports drink or bottled water.
At 6:30, the football team starts its scrimmage at Memorial Stadium with the introduction of the freshman team. The varsity/junior varsity scrimmage will follow at 7, with a sports drink or bottled water requested for admission.