By Jack Minchew
LEESBURG, VA- The Tuscarora boy’s soccer regular season began on a beautiful spring day on March 15th, with a 2-1 win over Freedom High School. It ended on May 16th with a 1-3 loss to Park View High School. The overall regular season record: a remarkable 9-6-1. The team’s unlikely winning season owes much to the leadership of veteran coach Dave Gryder. Coach Gryder comes to Tuscarora from Potomac Falls, where he led the team to two state championship games, winning one in 2006 and finishing as runner-up in 2009. He also has received multiple coach of the year honors. “He’s a very good coach, he’s experienced and has been to the finals” said freshman starter John Dooney. Credit also lies with the players, who consistently defied expectations, proving that players from many different schools could work together to have an above average season. Two players especially stood out, earning all district honors. Angel Ceron-Garcia, the team’s leading scorer, racked up 16 goals for the season, earning him a spot on the 1st team all district. Midfielder Ben Ogedegbe was also recognized, winning a position on the 2nd team all districts. In their first playoff game, Tuscarora defeated Freedom High School and continued to the semifinals where they lost 2-0 to Dulles district powerhouse Broad Run. However, the season continued into the regional tournament, where the Huskies defeated Fluvanna High School and advanced to the
quarterfinals. On May 31st, the Huskies succeeded in advancing to the Regional Semi-finals with a stunning upset of #1 seed Park View. They followed up that up with a double overtime victory over Kettle Run in the quarter-finals. The game was played at 1:00 during the school day. Despite this, many loyal Tuscarora fans travelled all the way to Fauquier County to support the team. The two teams were evenly matched, and the score was tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. After one overtime, the score was still the same. Then, with 15 seconds left in sudden death double overtime, Angel Ceron-Garcia scored his 21st goal of the season to earn Tuscarora’s first state tournament berth and a spot in the regional finals against sports powerhouse Broad Run. Despite massive fan support in the regional final at Broad Run High, Tuscarora eventually met it’s match, losing 3-0. Broad Run’s defense was flawless, and their offense consistently pressured the Huskies, pounding in 3 goals despite a sound defense. Tuscarora will face Jamestown on Tuesday, June 7 in the school’s first state tournament appearance in any sport. But the team is not content to simply make it to states. “[We’ll at least] make it to the semi-finals”, says Braedon Bird, a freshman on the team. Fans are also confident in their team. “They’re a really great team, and are steadily advancing through the playoffs” said one THS junior.