Students Rally For Varela Vipers Soccer Team As The Head To State Championship

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The excitement was in the air and in the stands as students at Felix Varela Senior high cheered on their Vipers boys soccer team at a Friday morning pep rally.

Why?

The team is headed to the Class 5A title match for the first time since 2011.

Varela is hoping to win its first state title since going back-to-back in 2007 and 2008 and looks to be the first Miami-Dade team to win the Class 5A title since Columbus did so in 2014.

Coach Juan Monge says the team has fought hard to get here and they're ready. He was there for the painful and close defeat in 2011.

"This tournament is very difficult to get over, there are many people, they coach many years and never have the opportunity to be in the position that we are right now," he said.

Goal keeper Andreas Jaramilo said he knows the stakes are high but he's feeling confident.

"I know my team has it, I have the ability to do it and I know we're going to come through," he said.

Varela is the only Miami-Dade team headed to state. They made it to the title match after last Saturday's semifinal win over Celebration.

The Vipers will play the Lake Mary Rams who won their Class 5A semifinal against Lakewood Ranch.

State runners-up in 1987 and 2003, the Rams will play the Vipers at 4 p.m. Saturday at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in DeLand.

Friday, Coach Monge is preaching mental toughness before all else.

"The only thing that can beat us is us, this is the way we are today, there is no other team that can beat us," he said.