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Central Mountain boys soccer advances to D6 AAA final, defeats Bellefonte in penalty kicks

By HENRY HUBER 6 min read

BELLEFONTE - Heading into penalty kicks at the tail end of Monday's semifinal, Central Mountain boys soccer head coach Billy Hook was confident that Cooper Confer could handle the spotlight of the tense moment. The goalkeeper has thrived in those situations and enjoys them, and that poise is one of the reasons he was named captain.

However, three straight saves wasn't exactly what Hook had anticipated.

With the pressure of a third straight semifinal loss on his shoulders, the junior appeared completely unfazed, getting in his Bellefonte counterparts' heads and telegraphing their shots at the point of attack.

Three Red Raider attempts came and went without a make. And on the other side, his teammates matched that success. Ben Brinker, Che McAllister and Alton Counsil hit back-to-back-to-back penalty kicks to keep Central Mountain's postseason alive, as the Wildcats broke the 2-2 stalemate with a shootout score of 3-0.

The win was surreal for Central Mountain (7-6-5), who previously defeated Greater Johnstown last Wednesday to make it to Monday's semifinal. Wednesday will mark the first time the Wildcats have competed in the district championship game since 2023, and there, they'll get a chance to avenge their prior two semifinal losses against Hollidaysburg.

"It feels good making it to finals after three years. We got knocked out by Hollidaysburg, and we're gonna get our get-back this year," said Confer when discussing the emotions of the win. "We're underdogs every year coming into this, and I think knowing that fuels us. It makes us better."

It took mental fortitude in the clutch to get into the position to win it in penalty kicks in the first place.

After taking a 1-0 lead deep in the first half, the Wildcats saw Bellefonte (12-5) respond in a heartbeat with a Jamin Ondrasik goal. 40 minutes of game time later, a Keegan Timblin score would turn that tie into a 2-1 lead for Bellefonte, backing Central Mountain into a corner with just over ten minutes to respond and keep its season alive.

Up to that point, Bellefonte's back line had done a great job limited the Wildcats to tough shots throughout the second half. But with seven minutes to spare, Central Mountain got the opportunity it needed.

A Red Raider foul in Bellefonte's box would set up Alton Counsil for a penalty kick, and the senior wouldn't waste the opportunity. His attempt would go over the right shoulder of Bellefonte goalkeeper Gavin Merrill and into the back of the net, making it 2-2 and extending Central Mountain's season.

"Knotting it up the way we did is a really good sign when it comes to their mental toughness and all that," said Hook when discussing that moment. "That's things we hope for on the mental side of things."

From there, a couple of clutch saves from Confer would keep the score knotted as the second half came to an end. Then, in overtime, the teams traded tense moments. Merrill and Confer notched four saves each through the next 30 minutes of play, as the teams combined for 21 shots. But none found the back of the net, setting up the shootout.

Ben Brinker would open penalty kicks with a low shot to left, with Merrill making contact with the ball but not stopping it from sneaking into the corner of the net. A similar instance would occur on Che McAllister's, as a near save spun back into the left side of the net. Then, Alton Counsil made it three in a row with another shot over Merrill's right shoulder.

On the other side, Confer's first two saves - against Bellefonte's Seth Caton and Ian Orr respectively - came on shots to the left. Confer would bobble the first before securing it, and he'd leave no room for doubt on the next, diving at the perfect time to bat the ball away.

The last saw the Red Raiders mix it up, as Keegan Timblin attempted to catch Confer off-guard with a low shot to the right. Confer again dove to make the play, batting the ball away to clinch the semifinal win for the Wildcats.

"Just trusted my gut and played mind games," said Confer. "I was trying to waste as much time as possible getting in their head and make them second guess themselves."

Though those three saves don't show up on the box score, the junior still finished with double-digit saves at 11, leaving his mark on the win in multiple ways.

Offensively, Che McAllister made up Central Mountain's other goal in the first half, set up by corner kick from Brinker and header from Gabe Killinger. While McAllister plays defender, that goal factored into Hook choosing him as one of the team's five for penalty kicks.

"He scored that goal, and you could tell by his face that he wanted it," said Hook. "So, I gave him that chance."

For Bellefonte, the loss ends a strong season, one which took place despite numerous key departures from its 2026 squad.

The defeat stings, as any postseason loss does, but head coach Scott Martz couldn't have been prouder of his guys for battling for a full 110 minutes and change. More key departures await the program as the Red Raiders move forward. But at this same time, Bellefonte will have considerable returners back for next season.

"I can't be disappointed in this loss, not with the way they played tonight," said Martz. "They gave everything they had. Overall, that was a great soccer game between two really good teams, so it was fun to coach it."

"I told our seniors, 'Our past seniors have built a legacy here, and our senior class this year did the same thing.' To the underclassmen, I said, 'Now, it's your turn,'" he added.

For Central Mountain, the road continues on Wednesday at Philipsburg-Osceola. Per usual, Hollidaysburg (13-3-3) presents a tremendous challenge, but the Wildcats have plenty of motivation to take it down.

"It's the same mindset as the last two nights, just play our best soccer and win the game," said Confer.

"I've been preaching to them to not worry about anybody except whoever's next," said Hook. "I told them tonight, 'Now, we can worry about them.' Some of our best friends are graduates from the last two years, and they left upset. Let's try to get one back."

Central Mountain 2, Bellefonte 2

(Central Mountain won in shootouts 3-0)

CM – Che McAllister (Gabe Killinger), 30:37. B – Jamin Ondrasik (Cole Stabinger), 33:36. B – Keegan Timblin, 69:56. CM – Alton Counsil (penalty kick), 62:46.

Shots: CM 38, B 33. Shots on goal: CM 22, B 13. Corners: CM 11, B 8. Saves: B 18 (Gavin Merrill); CM 11 (Cooper Confer).

Records: Central Mountain 7-6-5; Bellefonte 12-5.

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