South Fayette hot, but can play better
Tri-State Sports & News Service
While on the bus ride home from another big win Saturday, South Fayette coach Rob Eldridge was asked about the three-week run of perfection that has helped the Lions become one of the WPIAL’s hottest teams.
“It’s interesting because we haven’t played our best soccer through some of this stretch, but we still have been able to get results. And we’ve been able to build on it,” Eldridge said. “Kids sometimes don’t play their best soccer, but the best teams find ways to win. These kids persevere, don’t panic and they work.”
That work sure has paid off.
South Fayette entered this week riding an 11-game winning streak. It was a stretch that saw the Lions (12-2-2 overall) outscore their opponents, 35-6, putting them on the brink of winning the Class 3A Section 4 title. The Lions played defending WPIAL champion Chartiers Valley in Tuesday’s section finale.
A season ago, South Fayette went 8-10-1. However, the Lions are just two years removed from winning a WPIAL title. Three members of this season’s team played significant roles on the 2015 team. That trio is headed by junior midfielder Colin Martincic — Eldridge said he is the team’s catalyst — and also includes senior midfielder Ruthvik Panda and senior goalkeeper Tim Locher.
“Having members of the 2015 team, there’s the realization that [winning a WPIAL championship] is possible if you work hard,” Eldridge said.
Martincic and senior forward Jared Renz are the team’s top goal producers. Martincic scored one in a 2- 1 double-overtime win Saturday at Class 2A power South Park.
South Fayette is fairly young overall. Two freshmen start — midfielder Chad Eldridge (son of coach Rob Eldridge) and defender Ethan Sanders. Eldridge’s brother, Gavin, is a sophomore and another starting midfielder.
Juniors Zach Weis and Mike Gates join forces with Sanders to give the Lions a very good group of starting defenders.
South Fayette has qualified for the postseason six years in a row and don’t expect the Lions to fade away anytime soon.
“We have the lion's share of our lineup returning next year,” Rob Eldridge said. “All of our defenders. Eighty percent of our midfield. Other players will be expected to step in and sustain the program. Our goal is to be competitive year in and year out.”
Obama Academy
Of the three Pittsburgh Public Schools competing in the WPIAL, Obama Academy is having the best season. The playoff-bound Eagles were 10-2-1 overall and 7-2-1 in Class 2A Section 1 coming into the week. This comes on the heels of a season where they went 114-2 and earned their first WPIAL playoff berth.
“We’re young, but hungry to prove ourselves,” coach Pantelis Papazekos said. “We lost eight starters from last year and have only three back. The eight new starters saw the opportunity to continue what last year’s team did. Definitely hungry. Talented. I think the drive is the most important thing. Of course, we have a special player in Ian Thomas.”
Thomas, a senior, is one of the top midfielders in Class 2A. He has 14 goals and nine assists.
Thetwo other former City League teams — Allderdice and Brashear — play in Class 4A Section 3. Allderdice is headed to the playoffs forthe fifth year in a row.
Central Catholic
Peters Township (Section 2) and North Allegheny (Section 1) won their sections by wide margins and will almost certainly be the top two seeds in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs. However, the classification’s other section champion, Central Catholic (Section 3), is a team that could make some postseason noise, too.
Central Catholic will go into the playoffs as a section champ for the first time since 2014. The Vikings had won eight games in a row before Saturday’s loss to Franklin Regional. Coach Claudio Morini’s team is strong defensively and is led offensively by senior midfielder Dan Schearer.