State Finals Boys Predictions
http://www.thestate.com/197/story/61507.htmlScorecard (3-1)Boys Class 1APrediction: Christ Church 4-2 Lincoln
Actual Result: Christ Church 2-1 Lincoln
Boys Class 2APrediction: Bishop England 2-0 Emerald
Actual Result: Bishop England 2-1 pk Emerald
Boys Class 3APrediction: Greenville 4-1 Socastee
Actual Result: Greenville 3-1 Socastee
Boys Class 4APrediction: Northwestern 3-1 Spring Valley
Actual Result: Spring Valley 3-2 Northwestern
Quote:
Class 4A Boys -- #2 Spring Valley (20-7) vs. #1 Northwestern (25-3)
Ding, ding, ding! … Let’s get ready to rumble! (thanks Michael Buffer) … Round 2 will kickoff Saturday night at 7 o’clock as Spring Valley and Northwestern meet again for the Class 4A State Championship … The Trojans grabbed Round 1 with a 1-0 victory to give NHS its first state title in boys soccer after finishing as Runners-Up in 2003 and 2004 … The Vikings are making their fifth appearance in the State Finals, but have finished second each time (’82, ’87, ’88, ’06) … Just about everything you can say positively about a team has been written on Northwestern’s exploits the past five years - it’s an incredible run led by a trio of All-State selections - senior midfielder Vance Benson, senior forward Ryan Kropp, and highly touted sophomore Enzo Martinez … However, the talent pool doesn’t stop there as Coach Dom Wren’s Trojans also boast senior midfielder Michael Antinoro, senior defender Will Stillman, and freshman forward Alex Martinez - Enzo’s younger brother … Northwestern is a goal scoring machine with 183 scores this spring and has eclipsed the five goal plateau 19 times in 2007 … Spring Valley sports a strong cast of juniors - forward Sean Flynn (All-State), midfielders Parker Arnold and Michael Czulinski, and defenders Thomas Clements, Kris Hartvigsen, and Zack Houghton - in support of a pair of very good seniors - goalkeeper Davis Jenkins and midfielder Eamon Penland … A promising freshman player for the Vikings is Antoine Parris, who could be a wild-card in this match with his physical presence in the middle … Northwestern downed Spring Valley 3-1 on February 26 in Columbia and owns a 9-2 record vs. ranked Class 4A teams - the Trojans have outscored their four postseason opponents, 27-4 … The Vikings, who traditionally play one of the state’s toughest schedules, notched a 7-6 mark vs. ranked 4A foes and have shutout all four playoff opponents.
Why Spring Valley will win? Spring Valley can play with anyone and beat anyone. This team doesn’t appear to get too high or too low and that’s an important facet when playing Northwestern, because the Trojans can strike so quickly. The Vikings have a bunker tight defense and with Jenkins available to play in the net after receiving a red card in the Semifinals that was overturned by the match officials after meeting with the S.C. High School League, you can bet SVHS will give Northwestern all they want at Stone Stadium.
Why Northwestern will win? Two state titles in a row is a program statement to the rest of the Palmetto State. It’s tough to pull off, but this squad has all the ingredients needed to see it through. NHS is a little shaky in goal, but rarely tested, and even when the opposition scores against the Trojans, it just seems to get their hackles up and the onslaught begins in earnest. When this team is “on”, which is usually the case, then it really doesn’t matter who is on the other side of the field.
My prediction: Northwestern 3-1 Spring Valley.
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