Rochester Hills upsets Juniata to reach MACS finals for first time since 1993
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
CLARKSTON — The last time Rochester Hills Christian played in the Michigan Association of Christian Schools Division I boys soccer state finals, none of the current players on the Eagles’ roster were even alive.
The Eagles lost to Davison Faith Baptist, 2-1, in the 1993 finals. That came on the tail end of five straight state title game appearances for Rochester Hills Christian.
The Eagles won four straight MACS-I titles from 1989-1992, started by a 2-1 victory in 1989 over Roseville Calvary Christian.
“We had some good teams back then,” recalled Rochester Hills coach Jerry Slota, whose was a senior goalkeeper on that 1989 team. “We had a nice streak going back then.”
Fast forward to 2011 and Rochester Hills Christian will be making an unexpected appearance in the state finals. The Eagles upset Vassar Juniata Christian, 2-0, for the North Regional title at Clarkston Springfield Christian and will face third-ranked Davison Faith Baptist in Saturday’s 1 p.m. MACS-I title game, also at Springfield Christian.
“I thought that this may have been our best game,” admitted Slota. “We are very young, so we can be a bit inconsistent. But we played a very good game. Juniata was ranked No. 1 (in our region). I know they were favored.”
Davison Faith Baptist upset defending state champion Troy Bethany Christian, 2-1, in a shootout, in the other semifinal Tuesday.
Senior Nathan Simon scored with 15 minutes left in the first half for what proved to be the game-winner, taking a pass from sophomore Brandon Rodriguez and lacing a shot from 17 yards out.
The Eagles (10-7-1) added an insurance tally with 15 minutes to go, as sophomore Jesse Montgomery finished off a breakaway feed from classmate Marquez Hatcher.
Sophomore Jared Brown made 11 saves to gain the shutout.
“He made three really good saves in the game,” praised Slota. “Jared is really starting to come along. The whole team is young. Last year we had a bunch of seniors, I think nine of them.”
The Eagles, who upset Temperance Stateline Christian, 3-2, in Saturday’s second round, have only three seniors on the entire roster and one junior. The team bolsters nine sophomores.
“I think half of our team is sophomores, which is why it took us a while to come together and start playing as a team,” said Slota. “We’re starting to get a lot of contributions from sophomores. It’s a very good class of (athletes).”
Davison Faith Baptist defeated Rochester Hills Christian 8-0 in a game back in mid-August.
“We’re a completely different team than we were back then,” offered Slota.
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Category: High School, High School (M-Z), Prep Wraps, Rochester Hills Christian
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