In a game full of competitiveness and hostility, a goal scored was going to be all that was needed in Tuesday night’s All-City boys soccer game between Bradley-Bourbonnais and Kankakee at Doug Barclay Memorial Stadium in Bradley.

When Boilermakers senior Guadalupe Valadez had a header that went into the back of the net in the 68th minute, Bradley-Bourbonnais knew it was in the driver seat in its 1-0 lead-turned-win over Kankakee. The win made the Boilermakers back-to-back All-City champions.

“Everybody was anticipating that one goal from either side,” Valadez said. “When Parker [Fouts] played that ball, and I had to go up for that ball, I pressured, then we got that goal.

“Everybody rushed to me, everybody was with me. It was amazing.”

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Bradley-Bourbonnais players rush to celebrate a goal by Guadalupe Valadez, center, late in the second half during the Boilermakers' 1-0 victory over the Kays in the All-City match on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (Tiffany Blanchette)

Bradley-Bourbonnais set an aggressive tone early, pressuring Kankakee and keeping the ball on the Kays side of the field. Playing aggressive has helped the Boilermakers so far this season, and it was evident it was doing the same Tuesday.

“We obviously want to leave our mark early, if we could,” Bradley-Bourbonnais head coach Andy Stembridge said. “[We want to] feel the game and control the rhythm, [that] is a goal of ours.”

Even though the Boilermakers were aggressive, it amounted to no goals in the first 40 minutes of action. They had six shots on goal in the half to the Kays’ five. Both teams had their chances, but were unable to finish them.

The same thing can be said about the second half. Both teams had opportunities to put multiple balls in the back of the net, but were unable to. Especially on the Kankakee side, where the Kays came out of the second half aggressive with three shots on goal in the first 10 minutes of the half.

“It’s okay to have your moments, but you have to make sure that you capitalize on those moments,” Kankakee head coach Vincent Mkhwanazi said. “There are several opportunities that we should have that we didn’t, and that’s how the game goes. If you don’t take care of your chances, the other team will.”

The goalkeepers played a pivotal role in the outcome of this game. Boilermakers junior goalie Harrison Adams had seven saves on his way to a shutout. Kays freshman goalie Adolfo Perez came in for an injured junior Nathan Sanchez seven minutes into the game and saved four and let up one goal.

Bradley-Bourbonnais is All-City champions for the second-straight year. After a battle against Kankakee, Stembridge only had glowing things to say about the area-rivalry.

“It’s always a positive thing for our boys to come away as All-City champs,” Stembridge said. “It’s a testament to how well Kankakee plays, a testament to how our rivalry is with the boys getting very excited.

“I think it’s one of the best rivalries, definitely in town. It’s growing into one of the best rivalries in the state, for sure.”

Tuesday’s loss was a tough one for a Kays team riding off a strong start of the season playing in a Chicagoland shootout and the Herscher shootout. A tough one-goal loss against an area rival will prepare the Kays for the future.

“The intensity and the pressure of this game is preparing us for future games,” Mkhwanazi said. “The boys know it’s a crosstown rivalry, there’s a lot of emotions that they go through, and them learning how to navigate through those as early as possible, it’s going to help us in the long run.”