The soccer teams at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School are bringing the Cristo Rey Cup back home to Takoma Park, Maryland, for the fourth year in a row. This impressive four-peat means a lot to the seniors on both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams.
“It was something really special for me,” said high school senior Martin Ferrufino. He told WTOP that he felt sad walking off the field for the last time. “I got a little emotional,” Ferrufino shared. When asked if he had tears, the senior said, “just one.”
Like Ferrufino, fellow senior Sophia Lopez has won the Cristo Rey Cup—the largest athletic tournament among the Cristo Rey network of schools—every single year of her high school career. “It felt amazing,” Lopez said. When asked why her team was so successful, she replied tongue-in-cheek, “because of our talent.”
This year, the girls’ team had a new assistant soccer coach, McKayla Joaquim, who believes she knows the secret behind their quadruple championship. “They just bring really positive, awesome energy that shows on the field, and they all believe in each other,” said Joaquim.
Just how dominant are the Lady Wolfpack? No team was able to score a single goal against them during the tournament. “In the finals, we won four to zero,” Joaquim confirmed.
The school’s president, Mark Shriver, is thrilled that both teams won again this year. While he proudly points to their achievements on the field, he also highlights their dedication in the classroom and at work. The students work one day a week, helping to subsidize their tuition alongside grants and donations.
Don Bosco Cristo Rey’s student population is 90% Hispanic and 10% African American, and Shriver says the kids are truly inspiring. “People ought to come out and see us, because the young people will inspire you,” he said. “We all need hope, and they’re giving us hope every day.”
Shriver recounted a touching example of the school’s spirit: the boys’ team’s freshman manager who fell and broke his shin before the first game of the tournament. After the team’s victory, the very first place they went was to the hospital to visit him so he could hold the cup.
“I don’t know about you, but when I went to high school, the seniors didn’t even know I existed freshman year,” Shriver said. “That speaks to the type of kid we have here.”
Shriver smiled as he looked at a picture of the soccer team still in their kits, standing around their injured freshman manager as he held the cup. “I’m more proud of that than I am of winning the cup again,” he added.
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https://wtop.com/montgomery-county/2025/10/soccer-teams-at-don-bosco-cristo-rey-high-school-are-the-champions/