OAKWOOD — Fabian Abarca has just about done it all for the Johnson boys soccer program.
The senior will leave the Knights as their all-time leading scorer after helping Johnson to three straight Region 8-AAAA crowns.
There is one gaping hole in both Abarca's and the Knights' trophy case, however. And the star striker is focused squarely on filling that void this postseason, as he looks to lead Johnson to its first state championship.
(NOTE: Watch a video feature with Abarca above. To see all of the first round state playoff match-ups for area teams, click here.)
"It's unfinished business. I want to finish this business by winning a ring and giving them a state title," said Abarca, whose Knights kick off play in the Class AAAA bracket at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against Fayette County at Johnson's Billy Ellis Memorial Stadium. "I want to leave Johnson High School with a big statement by winning everything. It means a lot. I want a ring on my finger, like everyone says. It's a big deal."
Abarca and his teammates so nearly grabbed that ring in 2014 but fell to an all-conquering Dalton team in the state championship game (2-0) and then experienced bigger disappointment last campaign when their postseason was derailed by a quarterfinal loss to eventual finalist Cross Keys (3-2). More than the desire for goals it is the memories of those near misses that have driven Abarca in his final varsity campaign.
"It's driving us a lot. That's all we talk about. That's how our coach motivates us; that's how we motivate each other," Abarca said. "We don't want the same thing to happen this year that happened last year, so it motivates us a lot."
That drive has pushed the Knights (16-0-1) to an undefeated regular season and a No. 1 ranking in Class AAAA, with Abarca lighting the way. The senior has scorched opposing defenses for 37 goals so far -- bringing his career mark to a program record 108. Yet the striker is far more than a pure scorer, also acting as playmaker on a number of occasions, while his wealth of experience -- including that near miss in 2014 -- has proven valuable to younger teammates.
Johnson has relied on several younger players in starting roles this season, and while they have proven more than adept, Abarca has been there every step of the way, imploring them not to rest on their accomplishments.
"(Our younger players have) developed pretty well. These younger guys have been hungry. They want playing time. They want to be part of this team," Abarca said. "They want to be on the field, showing coaches and showing our school what they're made of and that they can play at any level with any upperclassmen out there."
The challenges will only get tougher in the playoffs, however -- something Abarca knows well.
"It changes a lot. You have to step it up more. Like I've been saying, these playoff teams aren't going to be scrubs, so I have to step it up a little bit more, so does my team. Everybody has to step it up if we're going to reach that goal," Abarca said.
And the senior standout fully believes this Johnson squad of capable of making history.
"This team is special. Everybody plays at the same level, so when we step on the field we trust everybody. That's a good key out on the field, having high-level players," Abarca said. "This team is more humble. They're more hungry. They want it bad. All they talk about is they want this ring. Our freshmen too. They say 'I don't want to wait. I know we have three more years but I want it right now.' Everybody keeps working hard, so this team is more hungry than all the other teams. This is exactly the same as my sophomore team that made it to the state finals. We've got the same attitude. We're pretty confident."
It certainly helps when you have a player of Abarca's caliber on your side.
NOTES: The top-ranked Knights are on the same side of the bracket as No. 2-ranked team Whitewater and would meet up with the WIldcats (16-1) in the semifinals. Johnson could face a tough quarterfinal match-up with No. 5 Southeast Whitfield (11-2-3) in the quarterfinals, a game which Johnson would host. Third-ranked Cross Keys (13-2-1), which upset the Knights last postseason, is on the other side of the bracket, meaning Johnson must make the title game if it is to rematch with the Indians.
