As De La Salle boys soccer coach Francisco Martinez was introduced on the stage before he spoke at his school’s pep rally on Nov. 14, he was given a thunderous ovation.
Winning the first state championship in your school’s 136 years of existence will enable that to happen — especially when you’re a 1998 De La Salle graduate.
Martinez and his Meteors were celebrated after earning the Class 2A state championship on Nov. 8 in Hoffman Estates. De La Salle (25-3-1) defeated downstate Washington 2-1 (3-2 in penalty kicks) to bring home the first-place trophy.
“I’ve always looked up to Coach,” senior goalkeeper Jahir Anaya said. “He’s such a great coach and he’s more than just a coach to me. Sometimes, he’s like a friend and sometimes, he’s a mentor.
“He talks to me when I need to be talked to and he yells at me when I do something wrong. I really appreciate him for that. He’s one of the reasons why I am the way I am today and it’s great to play under him. You can hear him from the sidelines cheering for us and telling us what to do. He’s one of the most favorite coaches I’ve ever had.
“Before the state final when I was walking out, he grabbed me and pulled me to the side,” Anaya added. “He said, ‘Do you know how many people are proud of you?’ I said, ‘Yeah. All of these people who are out here.’ But he told me the most important people are my parents. And he said, ‘I’m so proud of you as well.’ He told me he loved me and that meant the world to me. I went out there and played my heart out.”
Along with Anaya, another one of De La Salle’s defensive stalwarts was junior Christian Edwards. He, too, said that Martinez’s continuous words of encouragement have played an integral role in his development.
“The big thing is, Coach has always complimented me and supported me,” Edwards said. “He always tells me how I’m maturing as a player as well. That means a lot to know you’re being recognized even for the little things and the big things that you do.”
Joining Edwards in the Meteor defensive backline was senior Christopher Dingle. Like Anaya and Edwards, he served this season as one of De La Salle’s captains.
“What I’ll remember is the prayers Coach had for us when we were preparing for the game,” Dingle said. “Each game, he had a new prayer for us. It was going to be a new battle and a new adversity that we were going to enter into.
“It was how we were going to prepare for this game and the prayer he has set for us. He knows what we have to do and this is our objective for that day.”
In the span of two seasons, Martinez has guided the Meteors to a second-place finish in the state in Class 2A in 2024 and now a state championship this year. De La Salle is also the first Catholic League school to win a state championship in boys soccer since the IHSA made it an official sport in 1972.
“What I love best about coaching is seeing who they’ve become when they come back in 10 years,” Martinez said. “The trophy, that’s an extra. But seeing their growth and how they’ve matured and where they started and where they’re at (is important).
“One doesn’t take credit for that but it’s more of a blessing and a privilege because they think you’re bettering them. But it’s the other way around. They’re bettering you as an individual and as a coach and as a man. That’s what I love about coaching.”