BOYS SOCCER: Troy Athens topples Rochester Adams, celebrates 18th league championship
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
TROY — It’s only fitting that Troy Athens celebrates 40 seasons of boys soccer with another league championship.
The Red Hawks moved to 6-0-0 in OAA Red Division play Tuesday with a 3-1 victory over visiting Rochester Adams. No other team in the eight-school division can catch Athens, which means the Red Hawks not only captured its third straight league championship in recent days but 18th overall since first starting the varsity program in 1981.
In other terms, Athens has almost captured league titles in nearly 50 percent of its seasons. Actually 45 percent but who’s counting?
“It’s always one of our goals. Tim Storch was here for 30 years and I’ve been head coach for 10 years. But we’ve won a lot of league titles and it’s always an accomplishment considering the league we play in,” beamed Athens coach Todd Heugh, a 1990 graduate who played on numerous championship-caliber teams at Athens in the late 1980s, including on its 1989 Class A state championship team that also won league, district and regional titles that year.
The Red Hawks have also won 18 district titles, 10 regional titles, played in 10 state semifinals games where they boast an 8-2 record, finished as the state runner-up twice and captured six state titles in its storied history to boot.
“For a team that graduated 14 players, we’ve found a way to win another league championship. I’m proud of them, especially the core of returnees who led the way,” said Heugh. “I don’t think everyone thought we’d win the league again, but we’re scoring goals in those league games. In a year where it seems everyone else in the OAA keeps tying each other, we’ve found ways to win games.”
Athens never trailed longtime rival Rochester Adams — another program celebrating its 40th season — Tuesday, scoring twice in the first half and adding a second-half tally before surrendering a late goal to the Highlanders.
Athens (9-1-2, 6-0-0) scored first just 2:05 into the contest when senior Adrian Lekocaj set up senior Gage Biedul with the ball in the corner of the box and Biedul ripped a low shot to the far post.
The Red Hawks scored again with 22:14 to go in the first half when senior Anthony Kapala rang a shot off the crossbar and senior TJ Renaud was there to clean up with a rebound into the net.
Athens pushed the lead to 3-0 with 16:19 to play. Junior Abel Noble had a nice individual effort beating two defenders and slipping a shot past Adams goalkeeper Jake Grekowicz and Biedel ran into the goal mouth and tapped it home just before the ball crossed the line.
Despite lacing only three shots within the penalty box and being forced to take shots from a distance, Adams (2-4-2, 1-3-2) spoiled the shutout with 3:14 remaining in the contest.
Junior Merrick Delvin’s pass into the box was redirected by senior Will Bass, who laced a shot just under the cross bar on the left side from 10 yards out.
Adams flooded the Athens third of the field over the final 20 minutes to try to get back into the game and actually held a 14-12 shots edge. Both teams had seven shots on frame and both attempted three cornerkicks in the match.
Athens junior goalkeeper Matt Gawthrop made six saves for his ninth win of the season. Grekowicz, a freshman, made four saves for Adams.
TROY ATHENS BOYS SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS
League Titles — 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2020
District Titles — 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2019
Regional Championships — 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1995, 1997, 2016, 2019
Final Four Appearances — 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1995, 1997, 2016, 2019
State Runner-Up Finishes — 1986, 2016
State Championships — 1981, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1997, 2019
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