Boys soccer sectionals
The pairings for the 27th annual IHSAA boys soccer state tournament were announced Monday night. Two area teams are currently ranked in the top 10 and have high aspirations, with Argos the defending state champs in Class 1A.
Here is a quick preview of the sectionals involving local teams.
Class 3A
Plymouth is now all the way up to No. 8 in the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association ( ISCA) poll after defeating No. 5 Northridge Saturday. The Rockies were not even in the top 20 at the beginning of the season.
Plymouth head coach Grant Masson has not been shy about saying that semistate or beyond is a realistic goal for this year’s squad led by skilled seniors like Adrian Cardona, Marco Diaz, Ariel Romero, Eddie Mendoza, Alex Baca, and Ethan Hundt, while supported by strong underclassmen standouts like Selvin Pagaoda, Ariel Matute, Junior Aguilar, Jose Rosas, Zach Truitt, Ivan Turcios, Adrian Baca, Abe Relollo, and Sidney Melendez.
South Bend Adams defeated Plymouth in the sectional title game last year and these two should meet up in the semifinals of Sectional 3 to be played at Jackson Field in South Bend, with the winner being the heavy favorite to win this year’s championship.
The Rockies ( 12- 0- 1) could enter the postseason undefeated as they try to complete a sweep through the NLC this week (Tuesday vs Northwood, Thursday vs Wawasee). Adams’ record is not impressive ( 2- 3- 1), but they took SB St. Joseph to a shootout (Plymouth tied SJ, 1-1), lost to Class 2A No. 6 Marian 3- 2 (Plymouth def. Marian, 2-1), and lost to Class 3A No. 12 Valparaiso, 3-1.
Class 2A
Bremen ( 8- 2- 1) and Glenn (7-6) will try to break
HS boys soccer
up the Marian/st. Joseph stranglehold in Sectional 19, but first have to play each other in the opener. Bremen won the regular season meeting, 4-2, two weeks ago so expect another close game. The winner will most likely see No. 6 Marian in the semifinals. All games will be played at the North Field near St. Patrick’s Park in South Bend.
Third-ranked Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran is the heavy favorite in Sectional 22 to be played at Fort Wayne Canterbury. Culver Academy ( 4- 8) is hopeful its difficult schedule has the Eagles prepared for the postseason. They open with the host school Cavaliers (5-4-5), who lost to Concordia Lutheran, 1-0, during the regular season. If the Eagles get past that one, they would have a good shot to reach the finals, where they lost in a shootout a year ago.
Class 1A
Defending state champ Argos is the overwhelming