MISSION — The North Mission IDEA Warriors have only been competing in the University Interscholastic League for two years, making the move last season after participating in the Texas Charter School Academic and Athletic League.

While other Warriors’ sports programs made their UIL debut last season, the boys’ soccer team was forced to wait another year, lacking the numbers to field a full roster.

It didn’t take long for the Warriors to make noise at the UIL level, however, going 11-3-0 in district play to claim the District 30-4A title during their debut campaign.

The Warriors are now set for their UIL playoff debut, taking on Corpus Christi London at 8 p.m. Friday in a Class 4A bi-district matchup at the Cabaniss Athletic Complex in Corpus Christi.

“I’m excited because it’s our first UIL playoff game,” said North Mission IDEA’s Gael Velasquez, the team’s leading scorer with 15 goals. “I wasn’t expecting it to be harder, but it was harder because we were playing at the UIL level. But it feels good because it’s our first UIL district championship. Then for my (senior) teammates, to get them a championship, it felt good winning together.”

The team it had potential, North Mission IDEA senior Emilio Ortiz said. The juniors and seniors on the team advanced to the TCSAAL state finals during their middle school years at North Mission IDEA.

Still, North Mission IDEA head coach Nick Saldaña said he wasn’t sure what to expect from the team during their first year playing against UIL competition, hoping to just make the postseason.

After a 3-0 victory over reigning district champions Vanguard Rembrandt, the goal changed, eyeing a district title instead.

“I remember some of the guys were saying we were going to win district before the season,” Saldaña said. “I wasn’t expecting a district championship to be honest. But they worked hard everyday and put in the work.

“Yes, I knew we had a good group. They developed over the last few years. They grew and became more mature. I’m really surprised with their effort and their accomplishments. … After that game against Vanguard Pharr, they got confidence and we just went from there.”

The Warriors’ journey to the top hasn’t been an easy one, with their soccer field resembling that of most UIL school’s practice fields.

North Mission IDEA’s home turf also lacks lights and a scoreboard, limiting the Warriors’ practice time only until the sunlight would allow. On some occasions, the Warriors moved over to the school’s pavilion to do drills on the concrete under the lights.

“It’s crazy but that’s the way we had to do it because we don’t have lights,” Saldaña said. “Before the hours changed, by 6 it was already dark. We’d practice until we had a little bit of daylight. … That’s what I appreciate about them. With the little that we have, we know we don’t have much, they’ve been working with whatever they do have.”

The lack of proper lighting equipment on their home field also forced the Warriors to play every game this season as the visitor, logging nearly 850 miles on the road.

Still, the Warriors managed to walk away with victories in nearly every contest, tallying a 12-3-1 overall mark.

“It’ll definitely help with keeping a level head in the playoffs,” Ortiz said. “Every single game, we were playing against the away crowd. Even when we were supposed to be the home team, we had a disadvantage because you had the other team’s fans. That’s what we’re going to experience on Friday. I think we’ll be able to be manage the high-pressure situations because we’ve experienced it all season.”

The Warriors are prepared for the postseason after being tested on the road, Ortiz said, itching to get on the field for Friday’s contest.

“It’s exciting to get out here and experience tough competition,” Ortiz said. “I know everybody is really hungry to go out and play. I just want to go out there and play already. If we could play today, we would play today.”