Photo Gallery: Pinkston Vikings make history: First Dallas ISD boys team in state semifinals

By Dallas Free Press Student Journalists|Published On: June 2, 2026|Categories: Education, West Dallas|

The Pinkston Vikings, led by coach Daniel Cruz, celebrate their historic season with bronze medals at McKinney ISD Stadium after falling to Bridgeport with a final score of 3-1. “We’ve made some noise, and we’ve got a whole community behind us, a whole district behind us,” Cruz said of their historic season.

By Angel De La Cruz, Journalism Pathway Fellow and junior at Dr. L.G. Pinkston Sr. High School

The Pinkston High School boys soccer team made history this season by becoming the first Dallas ISD boys team ever to reach the state semifinals. In the match against Bridgeport High School, the Vikings lost 3-1.

They celebrated their great season by accepting bronze medals with fans and family watching. Coach Daniel Cruz said it meant a great deal to have the “whole community” and the “whole district” backing them up.

The Pinkston boys’ soccer team plays in the historic match against Bridgeport. Photo by Angel De La Cruz

View the entire gallery of the musical from the state semifinals match here.

In the UIL Class 4A state boys soccer semifinal match, Pinkston High School forward Jose Joel Rangel kicks the ball to make a pass against Bridgeport High School. Pinkston was the first Dallas ISD boys soccer team to reach the state semifinals.

The crowd cheers during the UIL Class 4A boys soccer state semifinal match between Pinkston High School and Bridgeport High School. Photo by Angel De La Cruz

Dallas Free Press Student Journalists

Student journalists are part of the Journalism Pathway Fellowship, a program that supports high school students in reporting on their communities. Fellows are based at Dr. L.G. Pinkston Sr. High School in West Dallas and “The Great” James Madison High School in South Dallas. They learn reporting skills and gain real journalism experience covering stories from their campuses.