SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Boys Varsity Soccer Northwestern 3 - Irmo 1. FINAL

And let the debate begin......

what debate? You can't argue a 3-1 game.....Irmo lost, NW won....good physical game, good exposure for SC, what else can you ask for?

I'm not asking for an arguement I'm merely asking for peoples opinions that's all.

Great game. High energy and fast paced from start to finish. Compare this with the 3A game which was very disappointing. I was really impressed with Alex Martinez. He dominated the center of the field. Congratulations to NW. The only low point was the immature behavior of #7 for Irmo at the end of the game.

Are you referring to Varney's shove on Alex Martinez

I believe that a spectator said that Alex had thrown an elbow at #7's head just prior to this....so I think it was tit for tat. If true, not a good thing to do when your team is up 3-1 with 10 seconds left....that is not real mature behavior...especially if #7 is a senior and could just pound him for being stupid since he wouldn't be back next year anyways.....

Just got back from the game. NW had more skill and earned the win but was extremely dirty. The ref left the game get out of hand. When was the last time you saw a player strip off his shirt after a goal and not get carded (Enzo), or a player intentionally stop a ball with his arm on a free kick in the box and not get carded. What about an Irmo attack down the sideline just outside the box and a NW player pulls a player down to the ground with two hands on his arm. shouldn't that be a card? Virtually tackled Acree after he scorded the PK and tried to run the ball up to midfield. Only a yellow? That should be a straight red. Granted Irmo got a PK for the hand in the box but only after the AR called it. It was so obvious and the Center ref didn't call it. Where was he from? so many dirty fouls that didn't get called and many that did. I guess it's win at all costs and play as dirty as the ref will let you.

Just had to vent (also the irmo fans were far classier than NW's.

alex martinez man of the match!!! he dominated midfield!

GSDad in the game before, the player for Eastside stripped off his shirt and wasnt carded

alex and enzo martinez are pure class as well as garbonzo and #8, that center defensive mid

the pitch was beautiful just like it old everyone it would be

I'm not one to really comment on these boards; more often than not I'll post a question for my own purposes to be answered by men and women much smarter than myself. I will say, however, that the characterization made by GSdad seems a bit, well, one-sided.

I was at the game, and saw the physical play right from the beginning. Yes, Northwestern engaged in what might be referred to mildly as "chippy" play. I also commented to those around me (at least those who were listening, including my six-foot rabbit friend Harvey) that such play was detrimental to the system Northwestern had executed all year.
Irmo (or IRMO or irmo or whatever) controlled the pace and tone of the first half because of their willingness to bang bodies and make themselves a nuisance to the Trojans. One might consider their play "dirty" as you have characterized Northwestern. From where I sat, there was clearly a lot more jawing on the part of the players in black (but then again, I was sitting kind of near the press box, so couldn't see everything).
My main point is, both teams played hard, physical and, at times, beyond the rules. Actions by players on both teams (Martinez, Benson, Acree, Varney) and by fans on both sides were not the most positive. While I hate to just say that it's emotion and "just part of the game," I also won't go so far as to call high school kids "dirty" or "classless" when I, as a grown up, have seen far worse from the men and women who should be role models for the young fans.

There. I'm finished. Harvey and I are going to bed.

a few thoughts.

1. Soccer is becoming kind like basketball, too many fouls, is true the game is faster now but with the ref calling every single little touch is just frustrating, let the game go, this is a fast mens game, you cant stop it for every single little touch... I am going to say it one more, stopping the game every minute is not part of soccer, is just not not real football.


2. Irmo lacked a true # 9, the first half was dominated by # 10 and Acree with Alex Martinez trying to get on their way.

3. Irmos # 3 was a little slow for Enzo.

4. I like the idea of not getting a yellow card for celebrating goals, but i think taking off your shirt is penalized by fifa, enzo had to get a red card on the play.

5. Both of the martinez brothers play at a different level, the black dude and the other little latino are pretty good too.

I think Irmo overall was physically smaller and kind of slow on defense compared to Irmos line up from back in the days.

Congrats to both teams for making it this far, high school level is getting better with not doubt.

Congrats to NW and to the Martinez brothers, good futbol out there.

I like all the international flags on NW fans, way to show that america is culturally the richest country in the world.

IRMO SHMIRMO

Hats off to Northwestern... finished the chances they got.

Was a little disappointed that neither team played the type of soccer they excel in (moving the ball around the pitch). Think players on each team got too emotionally involved in the game, but it is a championship. I still enjoyed the tough play from each side. I’m looking forward to another match up next season.

Great game. The first half was very even, but Northwestern dominated the 2nd half. Just shows Coach Dom is in a class of his own as far as coaching goes in SC. His halftime adjustments are always outstanding.

Very physical game, Benson with some poor sportsmanship trying to stop the Irmo player from bringing the ball back after making the PK. I don't know how you award a PK when the center or AR's don't call it. They have a much better view than someone standing 50 yards away.

hahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahzahahahahahahahahahahahahahabhahahahahqhahhahahahahah....pinger

Great game. Enzo lived up to all the hype, though some of his teammates [#24] couldn't have played dirtier if you paid them too. Irmo gave it their all. I was especially impreessed with Padula [#8] & Varney [#7]. Oliver Nobles appeared to give up the last six minutes, which was a let down. I'll admit the sight of the Irmo team collapsing to the ground after the final whistle was heartbreaking.

Also this game ought to go down in history as the first time Irmo fans had more class than the other side.

I thought Hubbard did an amazing job on Enzo up until he was pushed into the midfield after the second goal. I think Enzo was able to get off two shots for the first 60 minutes and then had a little bit more room to roam around after the second goal

Nobels wasn't on the pitch the last six minutes. And I don't think he gave up at all. I thought he played well and just fatigued at the end. It was a pretty exhausting game from the stands much less on the field

Irmo did NOT have more class than nw. They both played very dirty and the better team won tonite and it clearly showed. Enzo took his shirt off after varney shoved alex to show varney who the better team really was. Irmo is also one of the dirtiest teams in the state. and most of them shouldve had red cards but so did nw. Great job NW. Good season irmo.

dirty play gsdad? must've missed varney kicking alex while he was down once nw got up 3-0. the worst call of the match was the pk, other than that, the center ref pretty much took care of things for better or worse for either squad.

1st half was hard to watch as neither team wanted to play their style of soccer. 2nd half nw showed they were the better "team". irmo is good when they play as a team, but too often their individuals try to take things in their own hands.

bottom line is the best team won tonight. if you missed the game or are using excuses as to why nw won, you definitely missed out

It was a very intense game with both teams going at each other's throats for the entire night. I don't think you can sya that one team was "dirtier" than the other. They both played with a lot of intensity; however, at sometimes did let their emotions get their better of them.
Well done to both teams and good luck in the future!

My thoughts from the best seat in the house:

-The better team won
-Player of the game Ale' Martinez....man he's a player!
-Fouls were pretty much even...if referee wanted to be a jackass a few players would have been shown red!
-Players that caught my eye Zack Acree for Irmo and Dennis Moore for NW...Moore is a player...gotta be a top 5 player to watch next season along with Acree
-Best game I've ever seen in high school or club
-National rankings should not change because these two teams balled out!
-Enzo is Enzo but Kyle Hubbard played him well
-Congrats to both teams for an incredible atmosphere and game!

best game youve seen in high school or club young jeezy? Really? You must be new to soccer and havent seen that many games...this game was not good at all. Ive played soccer and have seen many games, and ived played in better games and seen better games then this. Not trying to disrespect the players but this game wasnt exciting at all. Irmo had one shot on goal and that was the pk...NW had all the oppurtunities and finished them except for the few great saves by the irmo keeper. I was pulling for irmo but this was not a good game and ive seen the talent in south carolina way better then this

being primarily a fan/coach of girls soccer, it is a study in contrasts between the boys & womens game.
the boys seem much more emotionally charged while the girls are more focused on the job at hand.
i guess the showboating done by the boys is a product of soccer on tv & seems out of hand at the high school level imo. i really don't see that type of behavior displayed or allowed in other high school sports but for some reason boys soccer gets a pass in regards to sportsmanship.
its almost approaching WWE circus type hype.
just my observation & opinion.

so when will they be showing this again on ESPN?, i would like to see all the action over again especially some of the strange offsides calls and what happened on the pK?

Irmo, Northwestern battle for national No. 1
By Sheldon Shealer
ESPNRISE.com
(Archive)

Updated: May 22, 2009, 12:09 PM ET
Comment / Email / Print The storylines in this week's South Carolina's Class 4A boys' soccer state final seem endless:

-- The greatest program in South Carolina soccer history faces the greatest goal scorer in South Carolina history

-- Undefeated state No. 1 versus undefeated state No. 2

-- ESPNRISE.com FAB 50 No. 1 vs. FAB 50 No. 2

-- The state's all-time winningest coach against the coach with the best active win-loss percentage in the state

-- Every senior in the starting lineup has received offers and/or signed with NCAA men's soccer programs.

Irmo (Columbia, S.C.) takes on defending state champion Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.) at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Memorial Stadium in Columbia. The match will settle the state title and the spring FAB 50 title, and it's being billed as the greatest match ever in the Palmetto State.

"This is the most anticipated high school championship in South Carolina history, without a doubt," said Irmo coach Phil Savitz, who knows a thing or two about state finals. His teams have appeared in 19 previous state finals during his 29-year head coaching tenure, winning 13 times. "There was talk about [an Irmo-Northwestern final] in the preseason, during the season and through the playoffs. This is the most-talked-about match ever. When we played Dutch Fork [in the 1998 state final] they held the game up 15 minutes because fans were still coming in. This will top that without question."


Northwestern Lineup

Enzo Martinez, who has 38 goals this season, has pushed his career total to 181. Martinez has signed with the University of North Carolina.

GK: Ryan Foster, Junior
D: Jeremy Dobbins, Junior
D: Shawn Ferguson, Senior
D: Robbie Benson, Senior
D: Cody Parks, Junior
MF: Javier Bonilla, Soph.
MF: Alexis Martinez, Junior
MF: Zack Clark, Senior
F: Dennis Moore, Junior
F: Enzo Martinez, Senior
F: Ricardo Garbanzo, Soph.
Irmo and Northwestern enter the match with 23-0-0 records. Both teams had four players each named to the all-state first team.

Northwestern, which has spent the entire season as the FAB 50 No. 1-ranked team and carries a 32-match win streak, is led by University of North Carolina signee Enzo Martinez, who has scored a career state record 181 goals. Martinez is sixth on the national all-time goals scored list, according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Northwestern's other three starting seniors -- Zack Clark (Liberty University), Shawn Ferguson and Robbie Benson (both to College of Charleston) -- have signed with NCAA Division I programs.

Northwestern is making its fourth straight state final appearance, winning titles in 2006 and 2008. Coach Dominic Wren sports a 97-8 career coaching record, a state-best .924 win-loss percentage.

Irmo set the standard for South Carolina soccer, winning a record 15 state titles. However, Irmo is making its first title appearance since 2004, when it defeated Northwestern in the final for the second straight year.

Savitz has a career record of 545-67-5, which is the greatest win total in South Carolina history and currently ranks No. 13 all-time, according to the NSCAA. He has coached 13 of Irmo's 15 state title-winning teams.


Irmo Lineup

Taylor Varney is one of four Irmo players to be named to the South Carolina Class 4A all-state team. Varney has scored a team-best 23 goals this season.

GK: Rob Sullivan, Soph.
D: Kyle Hubbard, Senior
D: Oliver Nobels, Junior
D: Billy Padula, Junior
D: Matt Sieverding, Soph.
MF: Emmett Lunceford, Soph.
MF: Leo Mukofsky, Senior
MF: Mike Day, Junior
F: Kyle McEwan, Senior
F: Taylor Varney, Senior
F: Zach Acree, Junior
Irmo senior Leo Mukofsky signed with Coastal Carolina while fellow seniors Kyle McEwan (USC Sumter), Taylor Varney (USC Sumter) and Mike Day (Erskine) have also committed to play college soccer.

Both programs have underclassmen: Irmo's Zach Acree and Emmett Lunceford and Northwestern's Alexis Martinez and Dennis Moore all are tagged as national recruits for the future.

"South Carolina has had a bad rap in soccer," Wren said. "What this game does, with so many kids going on to great college soccer programs, is it validates what we are doing. These two squads are extremely talented. ... It's rightly billed as the game of the century."

Oddly, this state final matchup is possible only because of subtle shifts in enrollment in South Carolina high schools. Each state final features an "Upper State" team against a "Lower State" school. The previous two years, Irmo and Northwestern were both in the upper state bracket. According to Savitz, the reclassification for this school year placed Irmo, which has historically toggled between upper and lower state status given its mid-state location, in the lower state. Last year, Northwestern defeated Irmo 2-1 in the upper state final before winning the state title.

Since 1995, either Irmo or Northwestern have appeared in the state final every year except one. Irmo had a four-year run of titles starting in 1995 and added titles in 2000, 2003 and 2004 -- the latter two by beating Northwestern in the final. Irmo was runner-up in 1999, 2002 and 2005. Northwestern had two titles (2006 and 2008) and three runner-up finishes (2003, 2004 and 2007) this decade.

Interestingly, Northwestern and Irmo were involved in the Lake Murray Challenge to start the season in late February. Both won convincingly in the opening round, but inclement weather forced an early end to the event, preventing a possible regular-season meeting.

Irmo and Northwestern have faced one common opponent -- Chapin High School. Irmo won 3-0 at home against Chapin two days before Northwestern won 2-1 on the road.

"We had no idea it would come to this," Wren said of an Irmo-Northwestern final. "In soccer, there are so many variables -- kids moving, discipline issues. ... As the season wore on and both teams kept winning it started to clear up that this was possible."

Through the teams' perfect runs, the numbers are almost identical. Northwestern has scored 144 goals while giving up nine. Irmo has scored 152 goals while conceding 11.

Both teams play 4-3-3 formations.

"Both teams have the explosiveness to cause problems, but both are solid defensively," Wren said.

"Will it be a high-scoring game or a defensive struggle? I really don't know," Savitz added. "I think it will be quite a chess match."

Limiting Enzo Martinez's opportunities seems like the logical strategy for Irmo, but Savitz cautions that is not exactly the case. Martinez's 38 goals this season are down from last year's total of 50, but he's spending more time setting up teammates to finish as evidence of his 21 assists. Four other Northwestern players have 10 or more goals this season, including 24 by sophomore Ricardo Garbanzo.

Irmo is equally as balanced. Sixteen players have scored goals for the team this spring, led by Varney's 23 and Acree's 21. Six players have 10 or more goals.

"Both teams have so much talent you can't key on one player," Savitz said. "They are so balanced. It's comical how similar these teams are -- in talent, in stats. It will come down to who executes and it could come down to a little bit of luck."

"Focus on the field will be a factor," Wren added. "Who can focus for 80 minutes -- not 79, but 80. Because that one-minute lapse could literally and figuratively cost someone the match."

Although the match is billed as perhaps the greatest meeting in South Carolina history, this might not be the final chapter in this rivalry. Of the 22 projected starters Saturday night, 13 are underclassmen.

When asked how the team is handling the spotlight of a No. 1 ranking and the impending showdown with Irmo, Wren responded: "We preach that at Northwestern there's no pressure, only opportunity. We look at it as a challenge ... and the best thing about it is the amount of respect this game will gather for South Carolina soccer."

Sheldon Shealer covers youth soccer for ESPNRISE.com. He can be reached at Sheldon.Shealer@espn.com.

I saw what happened on the pk. A player in the wall stuck his hand up in the air and knocked the ball down. It was a handball in the box. Intentional.

I don't think that was it.

After the ball hit the wall(could have been a hand) the ball bounced back to Acree who dribbled by a couple of defenders into the box before losing it, after NW cleared the ball, Acree was shoved to the ground. The AR saw it but the center was looking a different way. After a discussion Irmo was awarded a pk.

I do not understand that pk at all. First Alex was outside the box by two or three yards. Neither the head ref or the linesman called it. The fourth official is supposedly the one who called it after Savitz, there boss who writes their paychecks, schedules them etc... started whispering in their ears, told the head ref it was a hand ball in the box. Should have been 5-0 NW. Irmo was not as good as everyone hyped them up to be. My personal favorite was when pinger got crossed over by Alex and had to arm tackle him to stop him. Maybe now NW will get the respect they deserve.

yeah mike day did get crossed up by Alexis Martin(es) as the announcer would say

on that pk i was so confused cuz padula was getting ready to take the throw and than they just called a pk out of the blue, but thank you for clearing it up, besides varneys free kick did the nw keeper make a save?

Either the goalie or enzo got a hand or head or acree's corner kick in the first half if you want to count that

is there any link to a video of the game. i heard that the first goal by garbonzo was just plain dirty

yeah it was beautiufl alex made a spectacular run through 4 irmo players his shot hit the post and garbonzo was there to not just tap it in but bike it in

The half time adjustment by Northwestern proved to be the difference. Scoring 3 goals in a 8 min span, Irmo did not know what had hit them , Then Irmo started playing dirty from that point on. Sad # 7 had to get ejected. He was by far their best player.

Its been a great season watching and discussing HS soccer, and until next season...
SCHOLES OUT!!

The better team won. My prediction of 3-1 was correct. Physical match, I would not call it dirty but a very emotional game. Both teams wanted it.

The first half was very scrappy. The second half was better but overall it was physical, hard fought match by both sides.

Kevin Ray for Northwestern had a phenomenal game in defense. It was nice to see one of the younger players step up big.

#7, Varney? wow i thought nw defense shut down varney and mcewan they were not able to get going at all im not sure i agree with you on that goodbye

This may be off topic, but does anyone know if Taylor Varney signed with Coastal Carolina? I know he was a Chanticleer commit at one point, but ESPN(RISE) had him as a USC Sumter commit in their article...

YJ44,
Just so you know, 3 of the 4 goals scored were from set pieces.

GSDad

cards aren't always given on fouls in the box. As i previously posted Acree dribbled into the box where he was fouled.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't a hand ball because the ref would have called that right away and he let play continue for a good 7 or so seconds before he blew the whistle. When he blew his whistle was when he saw the AR waving his flag because he had seen the foul.

It doesn't matter though because Irmo got the pk but still lost the game.

Congratulations to NW on a perfect season.

varney is not going to usc sumter .. espn rise just got some wrong facts...varney is undecided

I thought he had already signed to play at Coastal Carolina.

Thanks for clarifying it. Any reason why Enzo wasn't carded after running around half naked after his goal?

Give me a break. Irmo's fans are not 'classier' than Northwestern's. Both teams have a great fan base and very emotional fans, especially the student sections for both squads.

Just my opinion I was on the Northwestern side for the entire match. Not sure about the Irmo side.

Refs take a class on angles, and if that's your excuse for all of this ref's pathetic calls, he slept through that course. How about the one where the Irmo player got jumped on and brought to the ground by the Irmo sideline, and Northwestern got the free kick awarded to them!?! The ref also missed several other yellow or potentially red cards. Most were in favor of Northwestern (yes, obviously I'm an Irmo fan and pretty bias), and a few were in favor of Irmo, but the refs were altogether pretty bad, especially when they had six of them on the field and one in the box working on the scoreboard. In the ref's defense, though, everyone has a bad game every once in a while.

The refs were definitely not the best but the better team won last night in my opinion.

I agree. Although I could ramble on about an argument that if the ref had given all the red cards he "should have" Irmo would have won, Northwestern deserved the win. On the other hand, their coach does need to have a talk with them about their dirty play, and these tactics should not be condoned.

same goes to both sides, Irmo coaching staff have never had a problem with the dirty play of their players

and GsDad I said earlier, the Eastside player did not get booked either, they're is supposed to be a rule about over celebrations and things of that nature but it really has not been implemented at all this season by local referees

I was far from the play but I saw the kid pushing Acree, if that was the call, should have been a yellow card. I didnt see any handball.

Irmo had some good chances in the first half and played better but they did not have somebody on top that could really finish those plays.

Also the little kid for NW in the back was the sc version of Cannavaro.

After the first half my prediction was Irmo 2 NW 0 but NW came back to play in the second half, Enzo had much more space and he made # 3 look slow, while Alex took over the center mid. The black guy was too strong, and Im suprised nobody is talking about Garbanzo, is he only in 10th grade? what is he, tico or catracho?

I dont think the game was the best ever or more exciting but it was def one of the best.

If it was the game of the "century" then Garbanzos scissors was the goal of the "century", you dont just go to a 4a state championship game and do an acrobatic goal like that, that was insane!

If you are worry about the game being too physical, well there is always basketball or baseball, but tennis or golf may be just perfect for you. Of course is going to get physical, this is a mens game, and this is a contact sport. Playing dirty is different from playing physical, but what you really need to do is to get stronger kids on the field. I saw the black kid taking hits and he never complained, why? bc he was prob the stronger player on the field.

I love all the hype but I think this predictable thing should stop, its about time to get high level on divisions and get rid of the crappy games of 10-0 and of the unreal perfect records, this isnt real in world soccer, it isnt real in life.

Get the best programs in the state and make d1,d2, d3 and all that, is it possible? Why would you want NW making another 23-0 run next year? Wouldnt be better to have the real deal teams all together?

I think they do that in a. football dont they? divisions in high schools would be so much better, Im not saying I didnt enjoy the game but HS is still nowhere near the club stage. A high school "premier" league is what we need to get the game to the next level.

Just my 2 cents.

Good job to all the people involved, good show, everything was well organized.

haven't heard from pinger in a while

Why did Irmo change goalkeepers at halftime?

I got to the game right at the Half time interval and what I saw was NW completely dominating the game. Who really cares about the push on Acree? that was the only time "IRMO" got into the box other than the stupid throw-in. "IRMO" was made up to be something they were not this whole year. They werent challenged until they went to WANDO and were lucky to pull off a win down there. NW on the other hand..PERFECT.. That 2nd half was killer. Garbanzo did well to say the least. Better team won! That's my oppinion

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Ricardo is from Costa Rica - (tico) He is in 10th grade.

Irmo changes keepers cuz they have two keepers right around the same level of athletic ability and goalkeeping skill

if i recall correctly they did that last year as well as this year, obviously that strategy did not work some nw pounded them with constant attack in the second half

You have to admit, though, that Billy Padula throw in is pretty amazing. A great weapon against an unsuspecting team that isn't Northwestern.

i didn't see anything special from enzo....he had one chance but any forward should put that away...whats the hype about...hubbard shut 'em down

I am sure Enzo kept players honest..He does not have to score to make an impact..

Enzo is going to be very successful with soccer. He will go very far. Altho i will be more successful because im a doctor and a pharmacist.

OMG, i was pulling for irmo but you cannot say you didnt see anything special on enzo.

the first half was more of a midfield problem, irmo took it over and enzo didnt have much space, he had a few passes but the defenders responded well.

the second half when alex started getting more the ball, the other hispanic kid started working on recovering, and anytime any of the martinez had the ball, 2 or 3 irmo players would get to the ground trying to stop those messi style moves.

if you dont want to give enzo much credit then it will be bc irmos defense was lacking a true all state player, other than that, irmo got lucky that it didnt get ugly.

as a coach i would have changed a few things but like i said, the martinez brothers are just at a different level, irmos d was just not good enough. too slow and too small.

Not with that spelling and punctuation.

i wonder why all the best players are from foreign country?? lol

what does the nationality of NW's players have anything to do with anything?

I think Irmo should have died their hair red because i LOOOOVE gingers

Irmo's defense was very good, the last goal came from miscommunication that fell perfectly to enzo, they finished they're chances and Irmo didn't but Irmo dominated the first half and should have put away the chances they had.

and the ref was absolutely TERRIBLE...btw

you say that enzo is on a different level??? this is highschool bud, these guys ball out in club
i believe they're club team won the premier leage twice in a row?

Had fun watching the game both teams should be proud of what they've achomplished all year. Northwestern is a great squad and have amazing chemistry. Irmo also has a great squad they should be very proud they lost 3-1 without packing in the defense like other teams Northwestern played did. It was worth my 8$ Go South Carolina high school soccer!

haha miscommunication = 2 overrated centerbacks bumping heads.. great threw ball though (to the other team). NATIONAL CHAMPS!! THERES ONLY ONE NORTHWESTERN!!

hey who remembers the thread about smirmo startin a dynasty? HAHAHA what a way to start it!

Squanc are you stating that Irmo isn't already a dynasty? Despite their loss this past weekend, anyone he follows South Carolina High School Soccer knows that they're already a pretty established program with quite a decorated history

Irmo is the old dynasty. Dynasty's defintion is a sequence of rulers of same family. Today is a new day, and there is a new ruler, and a new dynasty. Northwestern is the ruler now. Hope you like it.

the best team won last year?
do you honestly think that NW would have won if Spring valley had their whole team?
im sorry but i think antoine parris would have done the exact same thing to NW's defense again.

thats sports just play beautiful injuries and off the field issues happen who cares about 2008 state championship anyways i think someone is just tryin to change the subject cause they dont wanna hear about how Irmo got beat by the National Champs on saturday

Just the way I thought it would end. WARNING! "Marijuana is dangerous to your health" (coaches: please pay attention, it could have negative results down the road for your team if you don't do the right thing).

Back at Chelsea our coaches enforced drug tests

I think "just play beautiful" is ANTOINE PARRIS.

i thought he already had a college signing of intent, why does he care anymore

The NW vs SV contest wasn't even close last year. Antoine is a good player but I doubt he would have saved them from the inevitable.

pinger90 is threatening to beat me up guys, what do you think i should do?

antione is a baller from watching him play ive seen him do in the northwestern backs consistatnly . def all state material..

Very entertaining game to watch. I think most peoples take has been pretty accurate. Irmo didn't dominate the first half, but they did control the pace and dictated most of it. They didn't put away a couple half chances they had. NW did however dominate the second half. They dominated in every since of the word. Whatever adjustments or motivational speeches Wren gave at half-time definitely did the trick because they looked like a completely different team. Still a little confused why Savitz would sub the keeper with the hot hand at halftime. He plays the entire two playoff games before that and then splits halves in the state championship? Regardless, it would have taken an act of god for any keeper to save those goals. Irmo has nothing to be ashamed about, NW was just the better team. More top end talent at more positions and their "role players" played very well. I will bet anyone twenty-dollars right now on the spot that we will have a rematch next year; both teams return too much talent.

P.S. Rob Cowell, stop being bitter and spiteful because Matt sucked at soccer and didn't deserve to play. You are an embarassment to your already embarassing family. If you care that much about Irmo losing simply because he sucked then you should pick up a new hobby. Maybe repaint your double-wide?