Wahluke first, Royal third at state soccer tourney

SUMNER - Wahluke defeated White Salmon, 2-0, and Royal topped Cedar Park Christian, 1-0, at Sunset Chev Stadium Saturday to claim first place and third place in the state 1A high school boys soccer tournament.

Wahluke walked away with its second straight state championship and fifth overall. Royal walked away with the best season in school history.

And so ended a year in which the friendly South County rivals posted the best effort in the history of this area. They probably really were No. 1 and No. 2 in the state.

No team, other than Wahluke, beat Royal this season - each time by one goal. The fourth and final time was in a Friday semifinal, 2-1. It really was the game for the state championship.

The semifinal was in doubt until the end. The Warriors scored the winning goal in the 59th minute and then held off a furious Knight attack in the closing minutes.

"We pushed our numbers forward in a frantic attempt to equalize, but Wahluke stood firm," said an admiring Royal coach Jens Jensen. "The semifinal with Wahluke turned out to be another heartbreaker against our neighbor."

Wahluke coach Arthur de Victoria was complimentary of Royal, saying: "They deserve all the accolades. They had a fine season. If they hadn't played Wahluke, they might be holding the (first place) trophy."

Jensen may lobby for a change in the bracketing process for state. He believes that when there are two entries from the same league, they should be given the opportunity to play in the final.

"I believe Friday night was the true state 1A final," he said.

Next year could be more of the same intense competition for the South County rivals. Royal will return most of its team. There were only five seniors this year, and only three were regulars.

Wahluke will lose 12 seniors, but the Warriors simply reload. There were nine underclassmen who played regularly, and de Victoria has built a feeder program that includes a junior varsity and C squad. There are always soccer players ready to go at Wahluke.

"We've had great kids," de Victoria said. "As coaches, we try not to mess things up."

"We'll see what materializes when we start next year," he added.

Wahluke won the state championship with its trademark defense. White Salmon was held to only six shots, and Warrior keeper Cesar Tlatelpa was needed for only four saves. There was one team save turned in by Antonio Ramos.

On offense, Wahluke was its old steady self, positioning and passing precisely. White Salmon simply couldn't hold against the determined good play.

As is customary, the Warriors went on the attack from the outset. White Salmon cracked in the 9th minute when there were too many Warriors to defend at the mouth of the goal.

Eugenio Cruz started the scoring rally when he slammed a hard kick into the box. It careened off the White Salmon keeper toward Alfredo Manzo, and he drilled the ball into the netting.

For most of the rest of the game, Wahluke went into is patented defensive posture. However, there was an opportunity in the 56th minute, and the Warriors cashed in with a spectacular series of headers.

Ramos booted the ball into the box. It was then headed by Manzo, George Lopez and Cruz, with Cruz's header finding the netting.

"The kids were phenomenal," de Victoria said.

In its victory over CPC, Royal had to battle itself as well as the opponent. The boys knew they'd lost all opportunity for a state title on Friday.

"We had a major hangover from the Wahluke match," Jensen said. "None of us was happy to be playing for third place."

Fortunately, the Royal defense was up to the task. It held CPC while the offense was found. CPC was limited to only four shots on goal, and Lupe Arceo had three saves for the Knights.

Royal had 10 shots on goal, 20 all together, but didn't break through until 7:35 into the second half. Alex Ramirez scored the lone goal on an assist from Adam Martinez.

The goal was mostly Martinez's. He forced his way through three defenders and booted the ball to the far post. It appeared to be headed into the goal, but Ramirez gave it an added boost.

"We had a number of opportunities, but one goal was enough, and we were happy to get the win," Jensen said.

In the semifinal, Royal was never in the lead. It tied the score, 1-1, just after half-time, but Wahluke answered about 15 minutes later.

Wahluke took its first lead at the 21:03 mark when Cruz scored on an assist from Pedro Acevedo. Acevedo fired his pass from the left side to Cruz on the right. Cruz shot across the goal, depositing the ball in the upper left corner.

Wahluke went into defensive mode, and it appeared for some time that one goal would suffice. But Royal wasn't finished.

With new resolve, the Knights came out of the half-time break attacking. Just 2:29 into the period, Christian Guerrero delivered the equalizer. It was a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area.

Unfazed, Wahluke went into defensive mode again and waited for the opportunity to strike once more. It came at the 57:43 mark.

George Lopez centered a pass to Manzo off a corner kick, and Manzo headed it down and between the Royal keeper's legs.

Jensen called it an unlucky turn of events for his club. Keeper Arceo tried to make a play, but the field was slick from an incessant rain, and he slipped.

"He routinely fell on the ball, and it got under him and slipped out and into the net," Jensen said.

And so ended the championship season that might have been for the Knights.

From the other side of the field, the slip looked like a solid shot. It was like so many others the Warriors have made over the years while dominating 1A soccer.

"It was a great finish for the kids," de Victoria said. "All year the headlines were about who was playing the defending state champs but not really about the state champs. The kids felt like they were fighting an uphill battle, but they came through."