Cortez’ Noah Hobbs won the U12 division of the Colorado Elks Soccer Shoot on Oct. 12, and will advance to the regional championships in El Dorado, Kansas, on Nov. 2. (Daisy Ragland/Courtesy photo)
Winners moving on to regional competition in Kansas
CORTEZ – The pressure of placing a penalty kick can overwhelm even the world’s best players. But not for the Cortez athletes who competed in the Colorado Elks Soccer Shoot state finals.
At the Oct. 12 state finals, both Salvador Moreno and Noah Hobbs finished atop their respective age groups, claiming state titles and advancing to the regional round of the Elks Soccer Shoot in El Dorado, Kansas, on Nov. 2.
The process began several weeks earlier at Parque de Vida in Cortez during the local Elks chapter’s competition. Divided into age groups, competitors took shots from near the penalty spot at a goal divided into nine scoring zones. Each section carried a point value, and players accumulated points over 15 shots, aiming for the highest total.
Not only did Cortez athletes Moreno and Hobbs use their precision to advance from the district shoot, they also excelled against other district winners from across Colorado. Hobbs earned the high-point scorer award in the boys competition, along with the U12 age group crown.
Hobbs, Moreno (U14 champion), and the rest of Team Colorado will travel to Kansas next week to compete in the Grid Goal competition. Their scores will be submitted to determine national champions in each age group.
The Elks Soccer Shoot is a program of the Elks National Foundation, designed to engage youth in positive, community-minded activities. For more information about other programs sponsored by the organization, visit http://www.elks.org/programs.
Cortez’ Salvador Moreno won the U14 division of the Colorado Elks Soccer Shoot on Oct. 12, and will advance to the regional championships in El Dorado, Kansas, on Nov. 2. (Ashleigh Moreno/Courtesy photo)
