Seeing Red Again: Bethany Christian clinches fifth straight FBAC-Red soccer league title

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

ROCHESTER HILLS — Whether it be luck, skill, talent, hard work or any of the aforementioned attributes, winning league championships has become commonplace for Troy Bethany Christian’s boys soccer team.

The Bruins clinched their fifth straight Fundamental Baptist Athletic Conference Red Division crown Tuesday with an 8-0 whitewashing of host Rochester Hills Christian.

Bethany Christian, which yielded only one goal in conference games this season, has now won 14 of their last 15 games following a 2-0 loss to defending West Michigan Home School Athletic Association state champion Hudsonville Home School in the opening weekend of the season. The Bruins finished 3-1 in the Rochester Hills Christian Eagles Cup tournament and have lost only once since that mid-August tournament.

At one point this season, the Bruins captured 13 straight wins. That was snapped last week in a non-league loss to Burton Genesee Christian.

“It’s nice to win the league again, but I think the rest of our league is down this season,” admitted Bethany Christian coach Phil Fougere, whose team has outscored the league opposition 31-1 so far this season with three league shutouts.

Against Rochester Hills Christian, juniors Ryan Woodham and Daniel Sprankle each finished with two goals and an assist to pace the Bruins. Seniors Tyler Parsons and Tim Crisan, along with juniors Noah Francis and Bret Hayhurst, all had single goals for the Bruins (15-2-0, 6-0-0), who are averaging around 5.5 goals a game.

PUSHING IT TO THE LIMIT: Troy Bethany Christian senior Tyler Parsons and the Bruins captured their fifth straight FBAC Red Division crown this season. File Photo | Dan Stickradt.

Senior Ajay Solomon snared the shutout between the pipes on two saves.

Bethany Christian has now gone five straight seasons without a FBAC Red Division league loss, tying one game in 2007 and 2009 and running the tables in the other games. The Bruins were 8-0-0 last season and 6-0-0 this year in the conference. They have won 20 straight in the league overall.

“We are pushing hard to the end of the (regular) season where we will face off against our rivals (Davison) Faith Baptist on October 14^,” said Fougere. “That is a rematch of last year’s MACS state final game and could prove to be the precursor to this year’s game.

“Our goal is to make it back to the state finals and win back-to-back championships,” continued Fougere. “We feel that we have the talent to do so. We have some tough non-league games coming up with (Temperance) Stateline Christian, Burton (Genesee Christian and (Davison Faith Baptist). I think those are the games that will help prepare us. I think next year we will try to schedule a bunch of other tough out-of-conference games.

“I would like to schedule some of the MIAC teams next season. That’s far better competition for us,” offered Fougere. “I don’t care if we lose some of those games. Sure, it’s nice beating up some of the teams in our league and some of the other teams on our schedule, but what good does it do? We are actually on pace to score more goals than we did last season but it doesn’t make us a better team.”

Bethany Christian, the reigning Michigan Association of Christian Schools Division I state champion, begins its title defense next week as the No. 1 seed in the MACS Division I South Region. The Bruins, who won state titles in 1986 and 2010, are trying to become the first boys sports team in school history to win back-to-back state titles.

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Tags: boys soccer, FBAC Red Division Boys Soccer, featured, high school boys soccer, MACS Division I Boys Soccer, Prep Boys Soccer, Rochester Hills Christian Boys Soccer, soccer, Troy Bethany Christian Boys Soccer

Category: High School, Prep Wraps, Rochester Hills Christian, Troy Bethany Christian