Experience means something.
The Walsh Jesuit boys soccer team showed those words were true Sunday when the Warriors defeated Wadsworth 4-0 in a Division II, Region 6 final.
It was the second consecutive regional final for the warriors (16-3-2) and the third time in a row they played in a regional semifinal or better. It also marks the first time in 14 years that Walsh has played in a state semifinal.
“The boys have been super focused and come to practice every day focused,” Walsh coach Tony Catanzarite said. “It was a lot of fun. I give those guys all the credit.”
The Warriors advanced to play Dublin Scioto (13-5-2) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a state semifinal at Marengo Highland. Scioto defeated Westerville Central 2-1 to advance.
Walsh got on the board with 17 minutes left in the first half when Freddie Marcell took over a pass from Bora Dastan to the Grizzlies (14-6) on their heels.
Cullen O’Connor, Evan Litras and Jonathan Christen scored goals within eight minutes of each other in the second half, adding further exclamation points. Assists went to Brady Catanzarie, Andrew Conti and Josh Novak on those three goals and Quinn Anderson recorded his 34th career shutout.
“We played seven state ranked opponents this year and I believe that played a big factor in getting us ready to play at this level,” Coach Catanzarite said. “The boys didn’t have any nerves going in. They were confident and ready to play.”
When action kicks off Wednesday, Walsh will look for his ninth state final with a chance to win his fourth title. Scioto has never gotten this far before.
“We’ve been knocking on the door and we’ve had bad luck in the past,” Tony Catanzarite said. “But we stuck to our process and we continue to play our game. The boys continue to trust their play and trust each other.”
Wadsworth bowed out after playing in the first regional final in program history and the first regional final since 1993. The good news is that only Caden Whited, Gavin Gambaccini and Brayden Kereszturi are leaving as seniors.
“This was the second year in a row we got off to a slow start,” Grizzlies coach John Johnson said. “What they take away from this is don’t give up. Things could have gotten ugly very quickly after going 1-3. Leadership was important to the success of our program. You have to keep closing out. You have to keep fighting .
“We were somewhere we’ve never been before this year. We’re not doing well by any means. We’ve got some really important players back who have the ability to do nice things. It’s just a matter of taking a break and looking what happens and refocuses.”
Division III, Region 9
Twinsburg 3, Revere 0
Just call 2024 the year of the Tigers.
Only five months away the baseball team plays in the first state semifinal and finaljoined the boys soccer team on its first trip to the state final four.
“It’s just the chemistry we have together,” said Jack McPherson, who also plays on the baseball team. “We have fun, but when it gets serious, it gets serious. Both teams are led by such great team captains and coaches. There are so many similarities, but it’s the leadership that has helped us get this far. It’s definitely the belief. With every lap, that belief grows. We can really finish the job this time.”
The Tigers (20-2) will face Columbus DeSales, which defeated Chillicothe on penalty kicks. It was tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation and overtime before the Stallions (12-7-2) defeated the Cavaliers (18-4) 4-2 in the shootout.
That semifinal will take place Wednesday at Clear Fork High School at 7 p.m.
The win over Revere (16-4-1) didn’t provide much drama as Twinsburg outscored the Minutemen with three goals in the first half. Ryan Humberson scored off a rebound on a Gavin Varnum shot and Evan Schneeman scored off an assist from Mario Sanders and it was 2-0 Twinsburg with 26:22 left in the first half.
Alec Utrup deflected a Devin Couch shot to make it a three-goal lead, and the Tigers kept that pace until the end.
“Those three goals in the first half were great,” Schneeman said. “It really set the tone for the rest of the game. It forced them to push people up and defend them, and that’s what we do best.”
The next step is a big one, with DeSales playing in the 14th state semifinal and looking for its first title since 2017 and sixth overall.
“An important aspect for us is that we are a family,” Couch said. “No matter how good we are as a team, everyone has each other’s back.”
Although Revere’s season came to an end, the Minutemen leave with four straight regional finals and a second-place finish in the state. The team loses 16 seniors and eight starters.
That senior class went 72-8-6 and won four Suburban League American Conference titles.
“We don’t always have the best players, but they always have the mentality to be here,” Revere coach Nick DePompei said. “They leave that to the next couple, and that next couple will have the same high expectations.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival.
This article originally appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal: Walsh, Twinsburg boys soccer wins regional titles and advances to state
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