Boys Soccer: 2011 North Season Recap

Sports Town will review the 2011-12 school year during July. Today we are visiting the boys soccer season.

The Hampton boys soccer team followed a season in which it went 25-1 with one in which it had an even longer winning streak. The Talbots defended their WPIAL Class AA title, too.

Hampton carried a 22-game winning streak through winning its second consecutive WPIAL championship and all the way through to the PIAA semifinals. Although the Talbots fell short of defending their PIAA title, they still were undoubtedly the highlight of the North WPIAL boys soccer season.

"It's been an enjoyable run and the players have been positive the entire year," Hampton coach Chuck Kelley said after the title. "We have a brand new group of players (this season). It's a testament to their hard work in the offseason and their commitment to one another to get here.

"They are committed to becoming better soccer players year-round. It isn't just a sport for a few months for a lot of our kids. If you only play two months out of the year, you're not going to be competitive. Our kids not only make a commitment to get better as individual players, there's a commitment as a team to get better."


The team to beat Hampton prior to Tulpehocken in the PIAA semifinals was Section 1-AAA rival Mars. The Planets defeated the Talbots, 2-1, Sept. 8 and pushed them all season. Mars did not lose a section game to any other team and advanced to the WPIAL quarterfinals.

Another North team that advanced to the PIAA semifinals was Sewickley Academy, which was both a WPIAL and PIAA Class A semifinalist.

"We work together and play as a team," coach Uwe Stender said after the postseason run. "Everyone on this roster contributed. They've all received opportunities to play, and they've taken advantage of them."

Seneca Valley won the Section 2-AAA title and advanced to the WPIAL semifinals.

Springdale and Vincentian were neck-in-neck all season for the Section 2-A title, with the Dynamos prevailing by a point and advancing to the quarterfinals. Springdale was paced by the scoring duo of John Allen and Ricky Toney.

Also, Quaker Valley tied for the Section 5-AA title. Seneca Valley's Section 2-AAA rival, Pine-Richland, was a WPIAL quarterfinalist. Another North team to make it that far was Shady Side Academy in Class AA.