A SEASON TO REMEMBER

You never realize how much you enjoy something until you lose it. For the Boy’s Soccer team, they could definitely relate to this. Everything was going the Rebels' way this year through the playoffs until a loss in the WPIAL 1A Semifinals to the Charleroi Cougars with the score 1-0.

Senior Captain James Farnan said, “The game felt like it was ripped away from us. Everything that we worked for all summer and fall just all went away after the game.”

This loss featured some controversial calls and non-calls by the refs, including the call made at the end of the game to set up the game winning penalty for the Cougars. The game was a true heartbreaker for them, but they could still make a run in the state playoffs. Unfortunately, the Rebels couldn’t finish as they lost in state qualifiers to the Burrell Buccaneers 1-0. 

Senior Captain, Jack Billick, said, “After the loss to Charleroi, it felt like we lost all of our confidence and momentum we had with us the first three playoff games. We couldn’t get many chances against Burrell and once they got the first goal it almost felt like our chances were just slipping away from us even though we felt like we were the best team in the state.”

It was a great season for the Rebels and the deepest WPIAL playoff run in five years. It wasn’t the ending they were hoping for, but they experienced a season to remember.

Jack Billick, Nick Cherry, James Farnan, Elliott Brennan, Sasuk Nyarsuk, Tyler Kovalcik, and Jack Lyons all made All Section. Humberto Lopez made All Section honorable mention. Billick and Cherry were awarded as Co-Section Player of the Year. 

When asking freshman Tyler Kovalcik about his accomplishment of getting All-Section as a freshman, he said, “It truly means a lot that I could provide offense for this team throughout the year, but the farther we got in playoffs made me realize that the only thing I wanted to accomplish was winning that WPIAL championship. Getting All-Section felt as if it was a team accomplishment. I wouldn’t be able to accomplish any of this without my teammates; therefore, I’m thankful for all the seniors that helped me throughout this year so for the foreseeable future I can lead my future teams to many other championships.”

Billick, Farnan, and Nick were rewarded by making All WPIAL. Each of them will be playing in an all WPIAL All Star Game and deserve congratulations for making the AA All WPIAL team. In the All Star game with a final score of 2-1, Cherry and Farnan played all 80 minutes, while Billick scored the game-winning goal against the AA All Star Team. Cherry was one of 14 players to make the All State team for 1A. Cherry is the first SLS goalkeeper to be in acceptance of this major accomplishment.

Senior Cherry said, “It’s a true honor to be the first goalkeeper in SLS history to make the All-State team. Everything I worked for has truly paid off, but I can’t help but thank my defense and the rest of my teammates that were on the field that helped me accomplish something that I worked so hard for.”

Those accomplishments are proof of a good year for all of them no matter the way it ended. Although the team had so much potential to go farther, the players remain a close family. When asking the players from the juniors to freshman they all came to a conclusion that this was the most fun year they had playing soccer. That’s what makes this year a “A Season to Remember.”