Victorious Quakers stand alone in WPIAL
Tri-State Sports & News Service
A locker room celebration, police escort into town and photos with family and friends.
The Quaker Valley boys soccer team experienced all of that last Saturday.
Those sort of things go along with winning a state championship.
Quaker Valley put a stamp on an outstanding season by beating Lancaster Mennonite, 3-2, in the PIAA Class 2A championship at Hersheypark Stadium. It was Quaker Valley’s seventh title, the most of any WPIAL team. The Quakers (23-2) were the only team from the WPIAL to win a PIAA title this season and the first from the district to do it since 2015.
Senior forward Landon Grant scored two goals in the championship and finished the season with a team-high 38 for Quaker Valley, which claimed gold after falling short in last season’s PIAA final and this season’s WPIAL final.
Quaker Valley coach Andrew Marshall said two factors played a big part in the team’s success.
“There’s talent. There’s the soccer side, a lot of players with high soccer intelligence and natural ability. That’s a big part of it,” Marshall said. “The bigger part that set us apart was character. We try to show them that they have more inside of them than they believe. It’s a daily task to push them and they responded every day. The made it all the way and passed their final test.”
Cardinal Wuerl N. Catholic
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic’s trip to Chocolate Town didn’t go as well. The Trojans (23-2) were edged by Camp Hill, 3-2, in overtime in the Class 1A title game, ending what was the greatest season in program history.
It’s hard to believe that until last season North Catholic had never even qualified for the playoffs. The Trojans reached the WPIAL title game a season ago, and then became champions for the first time this season after defeating Springdale in the final. The Trojans outscored their opponents, 157-9.
“It was a truly special season and a great accomplishment for the team,” said first- year coach Aaron Kelly. “They set their goals early in the season and just continued to strive for them. It was just a blast getting to know the players and seeing them play the way they played.”
Joe Kearney was sensational, leading the WPIAL with 55 goals. What’s scary for North Catholic’s opponents is that Kearney is only a sophomore. He’ll enter his junior season with 84 career goals.
Also back next season will be Ryan Augustine, a sophomore who shined in the PIAA playoffs. Augustine scored the winning goals in the quarterfinals and semifinals and tallied both of North Catholic’s goals in the championship.