The last time the Aledo Bearcats hoisted a district soccer championship trophy, Austin Randriamahefa and his younger brother Evan had just moved to Aledo from Fort Worth. It was 2018 and that Bearcats squad advanced to the state final.
Now, as Austin prepares to say farewell to his Bearcats career, he and his teammates have recaptured the trophy that eluded the program ever since that historic season.
And sharing it with one teammate in particular makes it even more memorable. Evan is a sophomore.
“It feels great playing together with my brother. It makes winning district more special in our household,” Austin said.
Austin and Evan began playing soccer at a very young age. They inherited their love for the sport from their dad, who grew up playing in Africa before his family moved to Minnesota when he was 12.
“I was always dribbling around the house,” Austin said with a chuckle.
He and Evan played some peewee soccer on the same team, but not much. They are also both in the same club system with Solar out of Allen. They practice in Plano, with Austin on the U-19 team and Evan on the U-17 squad.
But their greatest joy is playing together as Bearcats.
“I think it’s an honor and privilege playing with someone as good as him,” Evan said. “If anyone deserves a good ending, it’s him.”
Austin, who plays attacking midfielder, will leave Aledo as one of the best scorers the program has ever had. He ended the regular season with 45 career goals in four varsity seasons, placing him seventh all-time, and his 52 assists are second all-time.
It’s not only his ability to score, but his very presence that also makes Austin an offensive asset, Bearcats head coach Derek Vierling said of Austin.
“Everybody’s keying on him and it helps the other players,” he said.
Vierling noted one game in which Austin was moved to the forward position, which allowed a teammate to move to center midfielder and score.
Evan, who plays outside and center back and is in his second varsity season, said he learned more than being a good player from his older brother.
“On the field, I learned to be more technical with the ball. Off the field, I learned to be more uplifting. He’s a great captain and lifts up everyone around him,” Evan said.
“They push each other,” Vierling said. “A lot of what Austin brings is leading by example. Evan looks up to his brother and tries to emulate him.”
Austin said he’d like to keep playing at the college level and has had some offers from some smaller colleges, such as Hardin-Simmons in Abilene and East Texas Baptist in Marshall.
“My grandma used to be a professor at Wiley (University) in Marshall,” Austin said.
Austin said he is planning to go into pre-med studies with an emphasis on biology because “I’ve always been interested in how medicine works, the science behind it.”
And though they both know Austin is approached his final days as a Bearcat, they decided it was something they would face when it became a reality, they said.
“I’m just trying to make the most of what we have. I know it’s coming, but it’s been so great playing with him,” Evan said.
“It’ll be a little weird saying I was a Bearcat instead of I am a Bearcat,” Austin said.
“It’ll be a sad day when Austin is gone,” Vierling said. “But we’re going to have Evan another couple of years, and that’s a good thing.”
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