Heritage seniors secure fourth consecutive 3A Greater St. Helens League boys soccer title
When nine seniors on the Heritage boys soccer team were freshmen, the Timberwolves hadn't won a league title since 2004.
Now those seniors don't know anything but life as a league champion.
Heritage clinched its fourth consecutive Class 3A Greater St. Helens League title with a 4-0 road victory over Prairie on Wednesday.
Senior forward Omar Ramirez has been there for every step of Heritage's growth into a 3A GSHL juggernaut.
"Coming in as a freshman, they saw us as an underdog," Ramirez said. "They never thought we would accomplish anything. Now we're four-time league champs."
Perfect through seven league matches and 13-0-2 overall, Heritage wrapped up the title with one match to spare.
"Four years in a row as league champs, that's not an easy feat," Heritage coach Davis Delamarter said. "That's entirely theirs. They've earned it."
With Ramirez earning last year's 3A GSHL offensive MVP and senior Leonel Herrera Malvaez securing defensive MVP, the Timberwolves entered the season as league favorites.
But Wednesday showed Heritage has plenty of talent surrounding its two pillars. Senior forward Seraphim Venger scored his first career hat trick on a night when starting forward Aldo Herrera Malvaez was out due to injury.
Venger said the defense, which hasn't allowed more than one goal in any match this season, gives forwards the freedom to be aggressive.
"The fact that the guys are putting in the work at the back, that encourages us to make our runs in the front," Venger said. "If they're working, we have to be working. It inspires us to work harder constantly."
Ramirez, whose goal early in the second half put Heritage ahead 2-0, said the entire team celebrates an individual achievement like Venger's hat trick.
"If he's succeeding, then I'm succeeding," Ramirez said. "Whenever something like that happens, it's all of us winning."
Heritage will celebrate those seniors May 5, when the Timberwolves host Kelso in the regular season's final match. The focus then turns to the postseason.
Heritage clinched its first state tournament berth last season, which ended with a first-round loss. This year's Timberwolves want to use those lessons to make a deep tournament run.
"Postseason has been on our mind all year long," Delamarter said. "We took it one game at a time, but I think we've built the foundation to do some really good work."
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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 7:07 AM.