Published: November 02, 2009 12:36 am      

Eagles headed for seventh state tourney

Oak Hill, PikeView making debuts

Every high school soccer team has high hopes of reaching the state tournament.

Most fall by the wayside.

But three area squads — Woodrow Wilson and Oak Hill’s boys, and PikeView’s girls — punched their tickets last week with thrilling victories in the regional finals.

Woodrow (14-3-3) will play Fairmont Senior in Friday morning’s second game at the YMCA’s Paul Cline Stadium.

“I knew these guys could be in the final four if they just found a way to win instead of tying and losing them,” Woodrow coach Rocky Powell said.

Last year the Flying Eagles compiled a 7-5-7 record. They had three ties in their first five games this season, and had a midseason lull of back-to-back 1-0 losses to Class AAA powers Wheeling Park and Hurricane.

They followed that with a 2-1 victory at longtime rival and then-No. 1 Parkersburg.

“They guys turned the season around,” Powell said. “We beat a good team, which helped us out a lot.”

Woodrow had balance in outscoring opponents 50-17.

“We’ve had a lot of guys to score, and that’s important,” Powell said. “We’ve got four, five, six guys with multi-goals.”

The Flying Eagles defeated George Washington 1-0 Thursday night on a rainy night in Fairlea.

Travis Cole headed in Jonah Moore’s corner kick in the 57th minute. It was Woodrow’s only shot on goal in the contest.

The Patriots had otherwise dominated the stats and the game.

“No doubt about it, GW beat us everywhere but the scoreboard,” Powell said. “We didn’t have a lot of opportunities to score, but a good team will take advantage of what they’re given.”

n While Woodrow Wilson is making its seventh appearance in the state tournament, including AAA championships in 2002 and 2004, Oak Hill and PikeView will be making their first trips to the Big Dance.

Oak Hill (12-5-2) defeated James Monroe 4-3 last Thursday in Bluefield for the Class AA-A Region 3 crown.

Victor Garcia and Daniel Garcia each scored in the first two minutes of the contest and Thomas Booth added a pair of goals just after halftime to help hold off the Mavericks.

The Red Devils also forged a 2-1 victory over Pocahontas County in the sectional final on goals from Booth and Alex White.

“Those were pretty tough games,” coach Laura Sedlock said. “We had to show everybody what we are made of and we made it through.”

The Red Devils will face Weir in the state semifinals at approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday at the YMCA’s Carter Family Stadium.

Sedlock said the community’s reaction to Oak Hill making the state tournament has been “unreal.”

“People we don’t even know are stopping (assistant coach Stephanie Woodson) and I and congratulating us on going to states,” she said. “It’s a big deal in Oak Hill.”

While it’s not common for two women to coach a high school boys varsity soccer team, the Red Devils respond well to Sedlock and Woodson.

“They listen to what we tell them. They take constructive criticism,” she said. “They’re very disciplined and they’re hard workers.”

Victor Garcia’s goal gave him 100 for his career. Although he’s a two-time all-stater, the team is not built around him.

“Victor is an asset, but he’s a team player. He passes and has several assists,” Sedlock said. “But we have 11 guys out there who are making it happen.”

n PikeView’s girls team (16-5) has reached the state tournament in just its third year of existence.

The Panthers were 9-6-3 in their debut season and 14-4-4 last year. They won their section but lost to Pocahontas County in the AA-A Region 3 final.

“We’ve been in existence three years and have won 39 games,” coach Sam Hill said. “That’s quite an achievement on the girls’ part.”

PikeView will play Weir in the state semifinals at approximately 11:30 a.m. Friday at Carter Stadium.

The Panthers earned a measure of revenge last Thursday night by defeating Pocahontas County 2-1 at Bluefield.

Mariah Farley scored one goal and assisted Sarah Stafford with the other.

Hill thought his team had a chance to win the region last year and let the game get away from them in the second half.

“They were disappointed,” he said. “Pocahontas County had a strong team, but that game left a bitter taste in their mouths.”

The Panthers have emerged from a tough region. Pocahontas County, Shady Spring, Bluefield and Midland Trail had excellent campaigns, while Oak Hill and James Monroe were very competitive.

Hill upgraded the schedule, picking up Charleston Catholic, Sissonville, Ravenswood and Greenbrier East.

Having leadership and good chemistry also helped.

“My lone senior (left back Tara Hazelwood) and two juniors (center-midfielders Farley and Kiersten White) are just fantastic leaders,” Hill said. “And this team has an uncommon chemistry that I’ve never experienced before.

“They are all pulling in the same direction.”

— E-mail:

dstillwell@

register-herald.com