The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Bay upholds reputation, returns to regional final
Bay upholds reputation, returns to regional final
The Rockets are back in a regional final and set to take on Elida at Madison Comprehensive High School.
After Bay topped Rocky River in a Division II sectional semifinal on Oct. 25 in a penalty kick shootout, Pirates coach Kevin Zerbey had this to say about the Rockets.
“They’re the standard. They’re the best Division II program on the west side and probably the best Division II program in Greater Cleveland,” Zerbey said. Zerbey wasn’t kidding. The Rockets, again, are back in a regional final, set to take on Elida at 7 p.m. on Nov. 4 at Madison Comprehensive High School in Mansfield. They pulled off another comeback in a 4-2 win over Ontario in a regional semifinal on Nov. 1.
In the 30 years coach Bobby Dougherty has been around, Bay seemingly has been a contending team each year. Dougherty appreciates every deep postseason run.
“We don’t take it (regional final) for granted,” Dougherty added after Bays’ win over Ontario. “We never know if we ever will get back. We’re so excited we get to practice tomorrow. That’s the mantra we’ve always had
— we just want one more training day. If we train, that means we won. If not, that means we’re turning in uniforms and we lost. The schedule we play allows us to have games like this.”
The Rockets will have their hands full with a deep Elida team, which enters with a 19-1 record. Elida has recorded 13 shutouts this season and allowed only seven goals all season. The Bulldogs ousted Memorial (St. Marys), 7-2, in a district semifinal and topped Kenton, 2- 0, before beating Sandusky in a regional semifinal, 3-0.
It’s clear they present a suffocating defense. But Bay has the personnel to potentially break through for a low scoring 1-0, or 2-1 win, as they have all season. Junior forward Cade Gergye has 22 goals and 13 assists.
He’s the first Rocket to have over 20 goals in a season in 20 plus years. Gergye earned first-team Greater Cleveland and Great Lakes Conference honors.
He missed three games this season with a concussion but still remained the Rockets’ best scorer and is directly responsible for 70 percent of the Rockets’ goals this year.
Gergye sounded confident in his team’s ability to keep the train moving.
“We have a very technical and young center midfield and they did a good job. I’m looking forward to getting another win in the regional final,” he said Nov. 1.
His teammate, senior centerback Sam Nortz, is a first-team Greater Cleveland player and two-time first-team Great Lakes Conference athlete. After a 1-4-1 start to the season, Dough- erty moved Nortz to centerback and since then Bay has won 14 in a row with eight goals allowed and 12 shutouts.
“Sam Nortz would be the starting centerback for any team in Greater Cleveland in any division,” Dougherty said.
If the Rockets want to make their second state semifinal appearance in the past three years, they will need their two big aces to combat an elite Elida team.