District 4 soccer playoff preview
By JON GERARDI
jgerardi@sungazette.com
When a lot of the current Warrior Run boys players were playing on U10 and U12 soccer teams, coach Andy Beiber knew they were capable of doing a lot. He saw the possibilities back then as a youth coach and probably imagined how well they could be as high school players.
No doubt then Beiber had to smile to himself once the offense started clicking this year and he realized what he saw in those kids as 10 year olds has come to fruition.
Tyrese Hazzoum.
Alex Hazzoum.
Jordan Morrison.
Those are just a few of the players who are capable at any time of striking offensively for Warrior Run.
“Our defense was going to have to carry us until our offense figured out to play together and put some goals in the net,” Beiber said. “The offense came around much faster than I anticipated. Our defense is still a huge strength, but the offense coming around is the key.”
That offense has led to Warrior Run scoring an impressive 82 goals year, second-most in the area behind Wellsboro’s 125.
And Warrior Run is taking that potent offense into the playoffs, which begin today, and opposing defenses will have to attempt to contain the Defenders’ explosive attack. Tyrese Hazzoum leads the Defenders with 23 goals scored while Morrison has 13 and Alex Hazzoum has scored nine.
And while the Defenders offense can put up goals, it’s defense is pretty solid as well, as Tucker Hays and Warrior Run have seven shutouts.
“Our defense has been playing well for almost every game, but we haven’t allowed more than one goal since we played Southern Columbia back on September 26,” Beiber said. “A lot of that starts with Tucker. His confidence back there shows and that is a product of the hard work he has put in since last year. Some of the saves he has made this year have been unbelievable.
“The biggest thing I see from Tucker is the communication. He is constantly talking and directing the defense. It has been wonderful to watch him mature and grow into the leader that he is.”
The Defenders will attempt to win the school’s first District 4 championship since 2004 and snapping that long drought starts with a quarterfinal game with Montoursville on Saturday at a time and place to be determined in the Class AA field.
The Class AA field is loaded with talent, as Lewisburg, Danville, Central Columbia, Warrior Run and Midd-West all have targets on their backs.
The Green Dragons beat Midd-West the last three district finals and will look to win their fourth straight.
In Class A, Wellsboro secured the overall No.1 seed this year and will play Southern Columbia in the quarterfinals. The Green Hornets, much like Warrior Run, have an extremely solid offense that is far from afraid to shoot, averaging roughly 26 shots per game and scoring an impressive 125 goals while only yielding eight through 18 games.
Wellsboro will look to finally clear the postseason hurdle they’ve encountered the last two years in losing to perennial district power East Juniata as the Green Hornets have a stingy defensive unit that has proven hard to get shots off against, let alone goals.
The Jersey Shore boys reached the Class AAA playoffs, their fifth consecutive postseason appearance, after only having one in program history previously and will play Athens in the first round on Monday, Oct. 30.
And in the District 2-4 Class AAAA playoffs, Williamsport earned the top seed and hosts Hazleton on Wednesday and the Millionaires have proven they have a tough offense, led by Tom Pombor, Tiarnan Ferry, Sam Hillman and others capable of scoring. Goalie J.R. Confair has eight shutouts.
In the girls Class AA field, the defending district finalists will face off in the quarterfinals on Thursday as Loyalsock and Montoursville head to Danville for a game at 8 p.m.
Montoursville won that game last year over the Lancers, and coach Vic Gorini said after beating Lewisburg 3-0 earlier this month that he’s glad the Warriors’ offense has been able to spread it around and become more diverse. Kyleigh Balint leads the Warriors’ offense with 13 goals, but players such as Kaylie Schans, Caroline King and Anna Schult have the ability to strike as well.
The Class AA field is far from an easy road to the district final, as it features a Kelli Beiller-led Midd-West team, a Arianna Gambrell-led Athens team, and two solid teams in Mifflinburg and Central Columbia, not to mention Wellsboro and Troy.
Wellsboro has only ever won one playoff game in program history, doing so in 2015, but Wellsboro coach Scott Burrous is hoping to get the Green Hornets to the point where they’re consistently competitive in districts.
“I coached Galeton boys for 14 years and made it every year and that was one of things, ‘Oh Galeton’s here’ and that’s what I want (at Wellsboro). I want some consistency,” Burrous said after a loss to South Williamsport on Thursday. “I always say OK, so we want to make districts, so do we quit playing because we made districts? No, now lets go another step. I thought maybe it’s possible that we can upset somebody, but I don’t know if we’re there yet.”
While Class AA is a tough field, Class A is just as tough.
Southern Columbia has shown to be an extremely talented team this year and hard to beat. The field also features South Williamsport, Warrior Run, East Juniata, Bloomsburg, Benton and Sullivan County.
The Griffins have 100-goal scorer Macy McCarthy, the program’s first girls 100-goal scorer, and have weapons offensively with Bethany Beinlich and .Sophia Springman, a duo that combined for 31 goals this year.
South Williamsport has the ability to make some waves in districts, but the Mounties have suffered a handful of injuries late in the year, including starting goalie Alyssa Johnson, although Megan Weber has stepped up tremendously in goal in the last few games.
And Warrior Run? Well, let goalie Megan Zimmerman explain it best.
“We’re excited, we’re ready,” Zimmerman said after a win over South Williamsport last week. “It’s a whole new season and you better watch out because we’re coming.”
The Defenders don’t have as potent as an offense as in years past, but are still a solid defensive team, something that’s a staple of Jen Allen coached teams.
“Lets just say we don’t practice working on defense at practice,” Allen said.
Which will make things difficult for Muncy, who the Defenders have in the first round. The Indians are led by Aleaha Bigelow, who has 24 goals this year and Ashlynn Fowler, who has scored 10, but both will have a tough time against Warrior Run’s back line.
In the District 2-4 Class AAAA semifinals, the Williamsport girls – like their boy counterparts – have the overall top seed and host Hazleton in a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon.
And from an offensive standpoint, Williamsport is as hard to contain as many teams, with a speedy attack led by Katie Penman (12 goals), Sammy Reeder (11), Aaryka Goodwell (6) and Madison Bowman (5).
Playoff predictions
BOYS CLASS A
QUARTERFINALS–Wellsboro over Southern; Benton over Meadowbrook Christian; Millville over East Juniata; Sullivan County over Galeton. SEMIFINALS-Wellsboro over Benton; Millville over Sullivan County. FINAL-Millville over Wellsboro.
BOYS CLASS AA
QUARTERFINALS-Lewisburg over Hughesville; Danville over Central Columbia; Warrior Run over Montoursville; Midd-West over Williamson. SEMIFINALS-Lewisburg over Danville; Warrior Run over Midd-West. FINAL-Lewisburg over Warrior Run.
BOYS CLASS AAA
SEMIFINALS-Athens over Jersey Shore; Mifflinburg over Selinsgrove. FINAL-Mifflinburg over Athens.
BOYS CLASS AAAA
SEMIFINALS-Williamsport over Hazleton; Delaware Valley over Scranton. FINAL-Williamsport over Delaware Valley.
GIRLS CLASS A
FIRST ROUND-South Williamsport over Sayre; Line Mountain over Northeast Bradford; Bloomsburg over Meadowbrook Christian; Warrior Run over Muncy. QUARERFINALS-East Juniata over South Williamsport; Sullivan County over Line Mountain; Southern Columbia over Warrior Run; Bloomsburg over Benton. SEMIFINALS: East Juniata over Sullivan County; Southern Columbia over Bloomsburg. FINAL-Southern Columbia over East Juniata.
GIRLS CLASS AA
QUARTERFINALS-Midd-West over Mifflinburg; Loyalsock over Montoursville; Wellsboro over Troy; Athens over Central Columbia. SEMIFINALS-Loyalsock over Midd-West; Athens over Wellsboro. FINAL-Loyalsock over Athens.
GIRLS CLASS AAA
FINAL-Shikellamy over Selinsgrove.
GIRLS CLASS AAAA
SEMIFINALS-Williamsport over Hazleton; Delaware Valley over Scranton. FINAL-Williamsport over Delaware Valley.
Local games of interest
PULL OUT FOR LOCAL GAMES
–A girls, South Williamsport vs. Sayre, at Balls Mills, today, 6 p.m.
–A girls, Muncy vs. Warrior Run, at Loyalsock, today, 8 p.m.
–AA girls, Loyalsock vs. Montoursville, at Danville, Thursday, 8 p.m.
–AA girls, Troy vs. Wellsboro, at Balls Mills, Thursday, 8 p.m.
–AAAA girls, Hazleton vs. Williamsport, at Balls Mills, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
-A boys, Wellsboro vs. Southern Columbia, Saturday, TBD
–A boys, Sullivan County vs. Galeton, Saturday, TBD
–AA boys, Lewisburg vs. Hughesville, Saturday, TBD
–AA boys, Warrior Run vs. Montoursville, Saturday, TBD
–AA boys, Midd-West vs. Williamson, Saturday, TBD
–AAA boys, Jersey Shore vs. Athens, at Balls Mills, Monday, Oct. 30, 6 p.m.
–AAAA boys, Hazleton vs. Williamsport, at Balls Mills, Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.
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