Vierling gathered alumni, families, and supporters for an event celebrating 25 years of Bearcat Soccer and honoring the players on those teams with inductions into the Aledo High School Soccer Hall of Honor on Saturday, Dec. 20 at the Don Daniel Campus cafeteria.
The event had the air of a family reunion as alumni of the soccer program relived their favorite memories and renewed acquaintances. As the program began with Vierling at the helm, there were laughs and hugs — and an occasional choked-up moment — as he introduced the inductees and recalled their soccer exploits.
Following a hamburger dinner, Vierling pointed out that in 24 years, the Bearcats have played 572 games — they won 356, lost 146, and tied 70 times. There have been 10 district championships, and the Bearcats qualified for the playoffs 23 times out of 23 opportunities — there were no playoffs in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In post-season play, the Bearcats have a record of 33-22.
“We made the regional finals three times, state tournament twice, and went to the state championship game twice,” Vierling said, adding that “36 graduates have gone on to play college soccer. In 24 Seasons, we’ve scored 1,637 goals and only conceded 725 with 225 shutouts.
Vierling told the audience that the Aledo ISD athletic department came up with the idea of a Sports Hall of Fame in 2018-19, but he thought COVID served to scuttle those plans.
“And so I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to do it. We’re going to have a soccer Hall of Fame.,’” Vierling said. “And so it’s very difficult. We’ve had 248 alumni play over the course of the 24 years, and to come up with the guys that would go in the Hall of Honor was very, very difficult.”
As he began to introduce the inductees to the Hall of Honor, Vierling recalled when he was hired in 2002. While the current Aledo High School was there, there was no development around it. The school was 3-A and had 800 students.
“And I’m driving out here with my wife, and literally the school is in the middle of a field of cows.”
The UIL didn’t recognize soccer at the 3-A level, which meant the Aledo team, in its inaugural season, would have to play bigger schools. Vierling feared they would “get their teeth kicked in,” but it was just a one-year contract. Vierling was so certain after a year that he would be hired by Mansfield that he and his wife bought a house in Mansfield.
But after he and his father saw some of Aledo’s players in their club soccer games, he changed his mind a bit.
“I get my dad, and then two of us go to Arlington, we start watching some club games. And I’m like, ‘man, we might have a little something.’ You know, I see Jarod Tracy’s playing. And then some of these other guys. I tell my dad, ‘so we might lose a lot, but we’re not gonna get our teeth kicked in, like I thought.’”
Vierling had no trouble scheduling opponents, because with a new program, “everybody wanted to play Aledo.”
But a funny thing happened.
Aledo started winning. By district, they were cruising, and finished the season 17-4-1. They even won a bi-district game before they faced the district champ, North Crowley.
Still, that inaugural year, Aledo finished 19-5-1.
Two of the seniors on that 2002 team were inducted into the Hall of Honor on Saturday night: Ryan Crabtree and John Walker Loeffelholz. In all, 32 of the 35 inductees were present to be inducted (see list in sidebar).
Vierling said 230 people were at the banquet, including 62 alumni.
Class of 2002
Ryan Crabtree
John Walker Loeffelholz
Class of 2003
Scooter Shaffer
Brandon Pope
Class of 2004
Jarod Tracy
Class of 2005
Jay Shaffer
David Crabtree
Trey Rutherford
Drew Hubbard
Kyle Tacker
Jensen Tyre
Class of 2007
Lee Bricker
Class of 2008
Josh Goldstein
Ethan Stone
Class of 2009
Cody Hale
Taylor Rogers
Class of 2010
Thomas Davis*
Brian Maloney
Matt Nickel
Yusef Marwan
Class of 2012
Kyle Underwood
Class of 2013
Willie Maloney
Hunter Owens
Shane Cardwell
Class of 2014
Christian Hill
Class of 2016
Lane Vidaurri
Dejan Savic
Class of 2017
Caleb Hill
Noah Hill
Reed Vierling
Daniel De La Cerda
Class of 2018
Max Owens
Konrad Garbowski*
Mickey Maloney
Class of 2020
Micco Little
*Not present at induction
District Champions (10x) - 2005,’07,’08,’09,’10,’11,’13,’17,’18, 2025
State Play-offs (23x) 2002,’03,’04,’05,’06,’07,’08,’09,’10,’11,’12,’13,’14,
’16,’17,’18,’19,’20,’21,’22,’23,’24, 2025
Bi-District Champions (15x)- 2002,’03,’04,’05,’06,’07,’08,’09,’10,’11,’13,
’16,’17,’18, 2024
Area Champions (9x) - 2002,’03,’04,’05,’09,’10,’11,’17, 2018
Sectional Champions (4x) – 2004,’05,’09, 2010
Regional Quarter Finals Champions (3x) – 2004, 2005, 2018
Regional Semi-Final Champions (3x) – 2004, 2005, 2018
Regional Champions (2x) – 2005, 2018
State Semi-Final Champions (2x) – 2005, 2018
State Finalist (2x) – 2005, 2018
Bearcat Record 2001-2025: 356 wins 146 losses 70 ties (winning percentage 72%)
District Record 2001-2025: 202 wins 51 losses 31 ties (winning percentage 80%)
Play-off Record 2001-2025: 33-22 (winning percentage 61%)
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