Decatur airs it out, wins title in Everett

By Dan Sargent

Herald Writer

EVERETT – Decatur soared through the air to capture its second straight 4A state championship and extend its unbeaten streak to 44 games.

Decatur used two set-play opportunities in the second half to come back and capture a 3-2 victory over Lewis &Clark at Everett Memorial Stadium Saturday night.

“They came out and upped the tempo on us,” Lewis &Clark coach Kenny Krestian said. “To their credit they scored two goals off set pieces. We really haven’t seen a team that was that good in the air all year long.”

Decater’s Alex Chursky, a McDonald’s All-American, headed in the game-winning goal in the 61st minute off a 32-yard free kick by Zach Norwood.

“Everytime, I look for Alex, he’s great in the air,” Norwood said. “He’s big, he’s quick and he’s going to find a way to get to the ball.”

Decatur tied the score in the 57th minute on a free kick by Nick McCluskey that found the head of Kyle Colbath, who put it into the net past Lewis &Clark goalkeeper Bryce Warren.

Decatur came out meaning business, scoring off a Christian Scholze header. Norwood kicked a ball down the left sideline to Chursky, who crossed the pass in front of the net. Scholze headed the cross into the back of the net to put Decatur up 1-0 after only 50 seconds of play.

Lewis &Clark’s Grant Lundberg answered the call in the 25th minute by fighting off a defender to kick the ball past Decatur goalkeeper Kyle Bressler to tie the score 1-1.

Lewis &Clark took the lead 2-1 going into the half on a penalty kick by Matt Ross in the 37th minute.

Lewis &Clark made its best showing in school history by finishing second.

“We now have a standard set by the seniors to follow,” Krestian said. “We now have expectations to get back here and prove we belong.”

3A championship, Sehome 2, Squalicum 1 (shootout): It was a bright day for Bellingham soccer as Northwest League cross-town rivals Sehome and Squalicum went head-to-head for the championship.

Squalicum and Sehome left everything they had on the field as at the end of regulation and two overtime periods the score remained tied 1-1. Sehome brought home the trophy, claiming the title with a 4-2 advantage in the shootout.

“It was a great high school soccer game,” Squalicum coach Andy Donahue said. “It speaks volumes about Bellingham’s youth programs as both teams deserved to be here.”

If these kids didn’t play for the Rangers program (Bellingham’s youth program) we wouldn’t be here,” Sehome coach Jonathan Fleck said.

After having its first penalty kick in the shootout blocked by Squalicum goalkeeper, Zach Jarvis, Sehome rattled in four straight goals. Sehome goalkeeper Brenden Carroll blocked Squalicum’s second- and fourth-round kicks.

Mason Webb set the tone early by fighting off two defenders to blast a 20-yard shot into the back of the net to give Squalicum the 1-0 lead in the 3rd minute.

Sehome’s Chris Jepson got his head to a deflected cross from the right side in the 30th minute to equal the score 1-1, setting up the game ending heroics.

“He’s a real assett as he can play up front, in the middle and in the back,” Fleck said of Jepson.

At Everett Memorial Stadium

Goals-Squalicum: Webb. Sehome: Jepson. Goalkeepers-Squalicum: Jarvis. Sehome: B. Carroll. Records-Squalicum 19-4 overall. Sehome 18-2-3.

2A championship, Connell 1, Elma 0 (Shootout): Connell just would not be denied. After finishing as the bridesmaid in the 2A final last year, Connell played Elma to a 0-0 tie through regulation and two overtime periods, then captured its first state title on a 4-3 score in penalty kicks.

After losing 12 seniors to graduation last year, Connell’s remaining players wanted to go back and finish what they had begun the year before.

“I know they came back hungry,” Connell coach Will Thielmann said of his returning players. “I think it (experience) helped a lot. We convinced the rest of the kids that we can play with the best because we have a state contender (Wakluke) every year in our own district.”

Connell’s starting goalkeeper Daniel Chairez kept Elma off the scoreboard for 85 minutes until Connell put in its back-up keeper Mizael Mendoza. Mendoza played the last overtime period and stayed in to face the Elma lineup in the shootout.

“Well for the last couple of weeks he has been more adept at guessing the right direction,” Thielmann stated.

After Elma’s goalkeeper Logan Cox blocked the first Connell attempt to give Elma a 1-0 advatage after the first round, Mendoza took over, blocking the next two Elma kicks to give Connell a 2-1 advantage after the third round. Both teams made their fourth-round kicks, setting up round five. After Elma’s Rusell Jones scored his fifth-round shot, Connell’s Carlos Gil stepped up and buried his shot into the right side of the net to give Connell their state championship.

At Everett Memorial Stadium

Goalkeepers-Elma: Cox. Connell: Chairez, Mendoza. Records-Elma 17-3 overall. Connell 18-3.

4A third-place game, Kentwood 3, Auburn-Riverside 0: Kentwood used a little bit of deception and luck to claim its victory.

Kentwood dominated the play as Auburn-Riverside looked worn out from its 1-0 shootout loss to Decater on Friday.

Anthony Melchior set up Kentwood’s first goal in the 21st minute. Melchoir struck a ball from 45 yards away that had enough speed to travel into the goal. Melchoir’s kick was chased by teammate Yohei Murakami, who faked a shot on the oncoming Auburn-Riverside goalkeeper Joe Chase. Murakami’s deception let the ball roll past Chase into the net to put Kentwood in the lead 1-0.

Ethan Easterbrook, left unmarked on a corner kick, added Kentwood’s second in the 26th minute to give Kentwood a 2-0 lead at the half.

Melchior added his second goal on a Matt Taller assist in the 75th minute. Taller kicked the ball behind the Ravens defense as Melchoir made a run though the middle, giving Melchoir the breakaway goal.

At Everett Memorial Stadium

Goals-Kentwood: Melchior 2, Easterbrook. Goalkeepers-Auburn-Riverside: Chase. Kentwood: Reichert. Records-Auburn-Riverside 16-4-2 overall. Kentwood 18-4.

3A third-place game, Camas 3, Hanford 1: Junior Dan Macaya directed the Camas Papermakers to its highest-ever state placement.

Macaya had a part in each of Camas’ three goals as the Papermakers made three first-half goals stand up.

Macaya’s first assist came off a corner kick that was headed in from 12-yards by Dan Carlson in the 23rd minute. Carlson’s header caught Hanford’s goalkeeper Greg Staeheli out of position as the ball sailed over his head into the back of the net.

In the 37th minute, Macaya dribbled pass two defenders down the left side of the field to cross the ball on the ground to Jonathan Carlson, who laid off a touch pass to the streaking Jay Hardy. Hardy drilled the 10-yard shot into the top of the net.

Macaya tried to get a goal of his own in the 39th minute by rocketing a shot off the crossbar. Dan Carlson followed the rebound and put in his second goal of the game.

Camas improved to 20-1 overall with its only loss coming in the semifinals by a score of 1-0 to Squalicum

Jacob Iller had Hanford’s lone goal in the 44th minute placing a shot just underneath Camas’ diving goalkeeper Chris Bennett.

At Everett Memorial Stadium

Goals-Camas: Carlson 2, Hardy. Hanford: Iller. Goalkeepers-Camas: Bennett. Hanford: Staeheli. Records-Camas 20-1 overall. Hanford 14-12.

2A third-place game, Othello 2, Lynden Christian 1: Othello repeated as the third-best team in Class 2A on an opportunistic goal.

Jose Villanueva scored the game-winning goal in the 73rd minute off a Omar Dominguez shot that was going wide on the net. Villanueva reached out with his right foot to knock the ball into the goal as he slid into the goal netting and became entangled. Villanueva needed assistance and to take off his shoe to get out of the netting.

Lynden Christian’s Nicholas Ammons rocketed a 25-yard shot passed Othello goal keeper Brian Brault in the 69th minute into the upper right corner of the goal to tie the score 1-1.

Dominguez scored the only goal in the first half in the third minute on a pass by Robert Monroy sent through the middle of the Lynden Christian defense.

At Everett Memorial Stadium

Goals-Othello: Dominguez, Villanueva. Lynden Christian: Ammons. Goalkeepers-Othello: Brault, Ochoa. Lynden Christian: Bogaard.

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