2020 MHSAA Boys Soccer Finals
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Comstock Park & Novi 2020 MHSAA Boys Soccer Finals November 7 Welcome overdrive elcome to the MHSAA Championships! This Wis a classroom like no 22 other, and now is the time for the final exam. Like the academic classroom, some have had good fortune along the way getting here; others have overcome adversity. Even today, a good bounce or a bad bounce will occur. Your athletic skills are put to the test, but more importantly, your discipline will be chal - lenged as well. To wait for the exact moment, use the right touch, make the right cut. Discipline also means testing your people skills. To embrace our diverse opponents as equals, and to employ common decency – every – single – moment. Win or lose. That’s the beauty of educational athletics. The takeaways today are not the trophies and Troy Athens exploded for three goals in over - medals, but the life lessons learned and applied. time to take the 2019 MHSAA Division 1 Boys Good luck to all! Soccer Championship, one of three title games that were decided after regulation during the day. — Mark Uyl MHSAA Executive Directo r InSIde the mhsaa boys soccer finals 2019 Finals Review . .2 MHSAA Programs and Scope School Sports Editorial . .MHSAA-1 Division 1 Finalists . .4 Scholar-Athlete Award . .MHSAA-2 Division 2 Finalists . .6 Finals Apparel . .MHSAA-4 Division 3 Finalists . .18 Fall Sports Finals on the Air . .MHSAA-5 Division 4 Finalists . .20 Student Advisory Council . .MHSAA-6 2019 Champions . .22 Representative Council . .MHSAA-8 Finals Notes/Records . .24 MHSAA Finals programs are produced by the Michigan High School Athletic Association, Inc., 1661 Ramblewood Drive, East Lansing, Mich.; Executive Director Mark Uyl. The Finals program series is designed by Rob Kaminski, and edited by Kaminski and Geoff Kimmerly. Printing by Spartan Printing, Lansing, Mich. Advertising sales by Royal Publishing, Peoria, Ill. The rest of the MHSAA staff includes: Tony Bihn, Jordan Cobb, Sam Davis, Andy Frushour, Nathaniel S. Hampton, Scott Helmic, Dan Hutcheson, Cody Inglis, John Johnson, Camala Kinder, Cole Malatinsky, Peggy Montpas, Andrea Osters, Thomas M. Rashid, Brent Rice, Laura Roberts, Adam Ryder, Jamie VanDerMoere, Faye Verellen, Tricia Wieferich, Kathy Vruggink Westdorp, Paige Winne, and Karen Yonkers. Cover Photo – Hockey Weekly Action Photos MHSAA Finals 1 2019 Finals Review Troy Athens tripled its regulation goal output in a span of four minutes in overtime to OVERDRIVE claim the 2019 division 1 championship. Hockey Weekly Action Photos Sophomore Ryan Gruca had a pair, including the go-ahead goal, and senior Rishi Kalyan added the other to send the Athens Troy Athens’ Nikhil Somani (5) faithful into a frenzy. and Andri Myftari (10) celebrate “We’ve scored in bunches throughout this tournament, so there during the 2019 Division 1 wasn’t a doubt that we could do it,” Heugh said. “I didn’t think we championship game win. would get three, but I knew if we scored one then we might be able to score two. We’ve done it quite a bit in the tournament.” Troy Athens drew inspiration from a disappointing 2018 finish. The team was unbeaten through the regular season before being upset in the District Final. Thirteen seniors returned from that team in a bid for redemption. “That was always our motivation coming into the season,” Myftari said. “We’ve just always pushed to do better, and we had that grind in us.” Heugh said 2018 was brought up only for a short time. “We talked about last year for a day, and we were going to make a conscious effort not to do it after that,” he said. “Our seniors just won their 44th game in the last two years playing a dif - ficult schedule, so I’m excited they are champions.” t was nearly three decades ago to the day that Todd Heugh Titans' keeper Blade Kalbfleisch was outstanding in the net won an MHSAA Finals championship as a soccer player at and made a pair of incredible saves. Troy Athens High School. — Dean Holzwarth Heugh experienced that same joy as the head coach of his Special for MHSAA Second Half almIa mater last November after the Red Hawks defeated Traverse Dogs Get their Day in D2 title climb City West 4-1 in overtime in the Division 1 Final at Comstock Park High School. “I was on the 1989 state championship team at Athens, and he Huskies of undefeated Grand Rapids Forest Hills now in 2019 I win one as a head coach,” Heugh said. “We’ve Northern ended a brilliant two-year run with the 2019 talked all season about enjoying the journey and this moment of DiviTsion 2 soccer championship at Novi High School. playing on the big stage at a great facility. They seized their Finally. moment, and I’m thrilled for them. I know it’s something that they A penalty kick by Aidan O’Connor during the first half and a late are not going to forget the rest of their lives.” goal by Ludwig Tilly were enough to secure the Huskies’ first title Troy Athens (23-2-1) won the program’s fifth Finals title, but in soccer with a 2-0 victory over Melvindale. first since 1997. Heugh’s 1989 squad won a Class A championship “This group of seniors really kept an even keel,’’ said FHN with a 1-0 victory over Salem. coach Daniel Siminski. “That was a tough matchup today. “I think it’s amazing,” said Red Hawks goalkeeper Jason Kemp, Melvindale played great. They had a great game plan. In the sec - who had four saves. “He talked about it the other day in the locker ond half, we settled down.’’ room, and he pulled out his varsity jacket and his medals and Forest Hills Northern came into the championship on a 45-1-2 everything. He said 30 years ago he won the state championship, run over two seasons, with the lone defeat coming in the 2018 and now you guys have the opportunity in front of you yourselves. Final in a 1-0 shootout at the hands of Detroit Country Day. This “It’s been a while since our school has won a state champi - onship, so to finally give this great institution another state cham - pionship is indescribable.” After a scoreless first half, Troy Athens got on the board with just more than 27 minutes remaining. After a penalty that resulted in a free kick, senior Andri Myftari ripped a shot from just outside of the box into the left corner of the goal. Traverse City West (18-4-2), which had won 13 of its prior 14 games, answered with less than 14 minutes left when sophomore Colin Blackport scored on a penalty kick. “I think for the first time this season, maybe we got a little rat - tled after they scored on the PK,” Heugh said. “We started to foul, but we had time to calm down before overtime and we talked about seizing your moment. They are going to have theirs, we are going to have ours, and what are you going to do in those moments. I was super proud of them.” Both teams failed to score during the first 10-minute overtime Hockey Weekly Action Photos period. But over the next 10 overtime minutes, the Red Hawks strung together a flurry of goals to take command. FHN’s Ludwig Tilly (5) notched the second goal in a 2-0 win for the Huskies in the 2019 Troy Athens scored three goals in a span of four minutes. Division 2 Final. 2 MHSAA Finals 2018 Finals Review time, the Huskies finished the year with a record of 23-0-1. That score held up after 40 minutes of play, but that didn't both - Melvindale (16-4-2), supported by an excited community, was er South Christian coach Jason Boersma. experiencing its greatest season ever and had outscored its oppo - GRSC senior midfielder Reese Bos tied the game at the 20:59 nents by a combined 21-5 in tournament play. mark of the second half when he beat Skehan to the ball and The game turned at the 20:33 mark when Northern was award - headed it into the back of the net. ed a penalty kick. O’Connor beat goalie Julian Castillo, who came — Jeffrey Norris in with 322 saves on the season, for the game’s first score. Special for MHSAA Second Half Melvindale had a chance to tie the game, but Alhusain Yahya‘s would-be goal was nullified by an offside penalty. Muskegon WMC wins Shootout in D4 Castillo, who singlehandedly kept the Cardinals in the game, went down with 18:04 to play in the second half when he collided knees with a Forest Hill Northern player. Castillo was helped off ero was the hero. Muskegon Western Michigan Christian the field, but returned with 12 minutes to play to the cheers of the goalkeeper Jameson Goorman, who wears No. 0, was the Melvindale faithful. Two minutes later Tilly scored the final goal off starZ of the Warriors’ shootout victory in the Division 4 Final against an assist from Nate Metcalf to make it 2-0. It was Tilly’s 12th goal Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett at Novi High School. of the season. Goorman was spectacular — Perry A. Farrell when the scoreless game went Special for MHSAA Second Half to penalty kicks. After allowing a goal to red devils take shootout in D3 Matthew Summers, he stoned Stewart Smith, Sheikh Manneh, y his own words, Adam Skehan is a pretty emotional per - Will Nicholson and Nolan son.