HERSHEY, Pa. — Winning a state championship in the lowest classification has been a chore for WPIAL schools in recent years.
Since Sewickley Academy defeated East Juniata in 2015, five different schools all came up short in the finals — the Panthers when they sought a repeat in 2016, North Catholic in 2017, Avonworth in 2018, Winchester Thurston in 2019 and Greensburg Central Catholic last season.
It wasn’t until Winchester Thurston got a second crack at it that the WPIAL brought home a winner. And the Bears even had to wait until there was 8:06 remaining in overtime, when junior defender Oliver Daboo chipped home a rebound, before they could celebrate an unbeaten season.
“Actually, I ran out onto the field and stopped to make sure it was a goal so I didn’t get a card,” Winchester Thurston coach Adam Brownold said. “That ball hit that net and I tried to climb a fence.”
Only a 2-2 tie against Class 4A Pine-Richland in the second match of the season kept the Bears from running the table. Instead they had to settle for wrapping up the season on a 22-game winning streak and both WPIAL and state titles.
There aren’t many who would complain about that.
All is better than half
Quaker Valley became the first school, boys or girls, to win a state soccer title on penalty kicks after a double-overtime tie.
It was the ninth title in program history and made the team 9-5 in state championship matches.
Technically, though, the Quakers are only 8-5-1.
In 2000, Quaker Valley played to a four-overtime 1-1 tie against District 3 Fleetwood and the two were declared co-champions. Because of this, not only will Quaker Valley go down in history as the first to ever win a title in a shootout, it remains one of only 16 co-champions from the eight overtime ties in state history.
It wasn’t until 2011 that the PIAA first instituted penalty kicks as a means to determine the outcome.
Ready to reload
Seneca Valley bucked all odds to win a WPIAL Class 4A title and make it all the way to a state championship.
It’s not that the 2020 champions didn’t belong there. The Raiders did. It’s how they did it that was amazing.
Seneca Valley lost 10 starters from last season’s championship squad and still came within one goal against Conestoga of winning it all for a second consecutive season.
“There’s so much to be proud of with this team,” Seneca Valley coach George Williams said. “The pressure they had from starting over from losing all of those starters and this team surpassed a lot of the records from last year’s team.”
Don’t be surprised if Seneca Valley makes a third consecutive trip to Hershey. The Raiders have several underclassmen starters returning next year.
Seneca Valley is the only WPIAL team to ever play for a PIAA Class 4A title.
Nice showing
With wins by Hampton in Class 3A, Quaker Valley and Winchester Thurston, the WPIAL went 3-1 in the state finals. It is the first time the district has ever crowned three PIAA boys soccer champions. The PIAA first expanded to three classifications in 2000 and four in 2016.
Only once has the WPIAL swept the state finals and that was in 1981 when Mt. Lebanon defeated District 3 Elco, 2-1, at Shippensburg University. Back then, there was only one classification for boys.
Quaker Valley won the first Class 2A title in 1985.
First Published: November 24, 2021, 10:45 a.m.