Cade Garcia's Four Goals Propel Yuma Catholic to 3A State Title Game

Cade Garcia scored four goals to power Yuma Catholic to a 5-1 semifinal victory over Benjamin Franklin, advancing the Shamrocks to the 3A state championship after the win on Feb. 18. The four-goal night pushed an already high-scoring campaign that has made Garcia the focal point of Yuma Catholic’s postseason run.

The semifinal featured concrete defensive stops that preserved YC’s margin: Benjamin Franklin earned a free-kick chance that YC goalkeeper Adriel Casis stopped, and defender Donovan Warren cleared a dangerous pass on the back line to force the ball out and restore Shamrocks possession. Garcia opened his scoring early in the first half by finding the right corner of the net to make it 3-1, part of his four-goal performance that sealed the 5-1 outcome.

Coach Ralph Evans singled out Garcia’s overall impact after the match. “God, he’s just so dominating,” Evans said. “His skill and his tactics are just second to none. And he’s got a wicked left shot. Just crazy. I’ve had some really good players over the years, but he’s right up there with the top. Just amazing kid. And he’s just a great kid all the way around.”

The semifinal capped a season of lopsided scores for Yuma Catholic. Game logs show the Shamrocks posted dominant wins earlier in the season, including a 9-0 victory over Parker on Jan. 22 in which Garcia also scored four goals, a 12-0 win at Kingman on Jan. 13, and an 8-0 result at Tonopah Valley on Jan. 8. YC followed the Jan. 22 blowout with a 2-1 win over ALA-Ironwood on Jan. 24. Over stretches of January the team recorded consecutive shutouts, and season aggregates list Yuma Catholic as having outscored opponents by large margins.

Season totals and player details contain discrepancies that require official confirmation. One state site lists Garcia as the 3A scoring leader with 39 goals, 16 more than ALA-Ironwood’s Anthony Aguilar, while a separate game account credits Garcia with 41 regular-season goals. Local coverage also conflicts on Garcia’s class year, with some accounts calling him a freshman and another referring to him as a senior. Yuma Catholic’s athletic department or official box scores should be consulted to reconcile Garcia’s class and the exact season total.

Yuma Catholic entered the title match as one of the state’s most historically successful 3A programs, seeking another championship after seven prior trophies and a last title in 2018. With the Shamrocks now through to the 3A state title game, Garcia’s scoring surge and Casis’s late saves will be key elements as Ralph Evans’ squad chases a return to the top.