Making its first State 4A soccer tournament appearance since 2005, the Wood River High School boys' soccer team will have a familiar opponent in its first-round game Thursday, Oct. 22 at Caldwell.
First-year coach Luis Monjaras will send his Wolverines (13-3-3) out against the Sixth District champion Hillcrest Knights (8-7-3) for the 2 p.m. game at Brothers Park adjacent to Caldwell High School.
Idaho Falls school Hillcrest got a golden goal in the second overtime last Wednesday to beat Bonneville of Idaho Falls 2-1—ending a streak of five straight years that Bonneville had beaten Hillcrest for the High Country Conference title.
Wood River punched its state ticket with a similar thrilling finish, eliminating Burley 3-2 in a double overtime, 6-5 penalty kick shootout last Tuesday in Burley. Then the Wolverines (7-1-1 road) fell to Jerome 5-2 in Thursday's Great Basin Conference finale.
In their only meeting of the season, Wood River beat Hillcrest 3-2 in Idaho Falls Oct. 3.
A victory over Hillcrest Thursday would put Wood River into Friday's 2 p.m. semi-final against the winner of Thursday's first-round match-up between defending State 4A champion Sandpoint (13-2-2) and Skyview of Nampa (17-1-0).
On the other side of the eight-school bracket, playing 11 a.m. Thursday games, are the following match-ups: GBC champ Jerome (19-1-0) against Bonneville and Century of Pocatello vs. District Three runner-up Middleton (4-10-3).
Skyview, last year's State 4A consolation champion in penalty kicks over Hillcrest, captured its sixth straight District Three title Thursday 3-0 over Middleton. Then third-place finisher Mountain Home lost a play-in game 3-2 to Bonneville.
In Idahosports.com rankings, Jerome is #1, Skyview #2, Century #3 and Wood River #4. Last year, Sandpoint won its sixth state title in nine years 5-1 over Columbia. Jerome captured third place 4-0 over Century. Middleton and Bonneville each went two-and-out.
Wood River is the only newcomer in the state field, since all other seven schools are returning from 2008.
The Wolverine program, which made nine straight state tourney appearances from 1997-2005 with three championships, has made great strides since its 3-7-2 campaign of 2007. It will be Hailey's 18th state appearance in 24 seasons since the soccer program began in 1986.
Cutthroats regain HDSC title, head to state
The State 3A girls' soccer tournament has been mostly a Boise-area party over years—but The Community School girls will be trying to crash the party starting Thursday, Oct. 22 at Vallivue High, Caldwell.
Unbeaten in their last eight games, coach Kelly Feldman's Cutthroats (13-4-2) are one of the hottest teams entering the eight-team state tournament. They've outscored opponents 77-25 with 11 shutouts and are making the school's ninth consecutive state tournament trip.
Feldman will be the first to say that her Cutthroats have been there before—hot coming in and cold at state. Last year, the Cutthroats went 0-2 with losses to Shelley and Teton and managed only two shootout goals, none in regulation.
The Cutthroats are hoping for better results in 2009.
Having regained the High Desert Soccer Conference championship with their 2-1 road win over Filer Thursday, the Cutthroats will try to reverse the trend and write a new story Thursday at 11 a.m. against Payette (10-4-2)—a 3-1 state play-in winner over American Falls last Saturday.
Payette won the 2005 state tourney, one of five state championships by Boise-area teams since the Idaho High School Activities Association started sanctioning the meet in 2000. Fruitland was the last to prevail, 3-0 over Shelley with Payette placing third in 2008.
Other first-round games Thursday: Northern Idaho champ Orofino vs. Teton of Driggs (15-2-2) at 11 a.m.; Fifth District champ Snake River vs. Bonners Ferry at 2 p.m.; and Fruitland (12-1-1) vs. HDSC runner-up Filer (13-3-5) 2 p.m.
Teton, last year's consolation champ 2-0 over Snake River, won its only state title in 2007. The Community School-Payette winner will go against the Teton-Orofino winner Friday at 2 p.m. at Vallivue High.
One of the pleasant surprises for the Cutthroats down the homestretch has been the emergence of senior Nellie Brown as a scoring threat.
Fourth-year varsity player Brown (16 goals season, 28 career) has scored in eight of the last nine TCS games. She and freshman Ellie Swanson (12 goals) provided goals in Thursday's narrow win over Filer that brought the league title back to Sun Valley. Sophomore keeper Josie Bunce was a force against the 'Cats.
Can Blaine teams break the state soccer jinx?
You can't win a state soccer championship unless you win on the first day. And Wood River Valley teams have had a difficult time getting past the first day in the last five years.
Four Wood River teams from The Community School and Wood River High are a combined 2-13 on the first day in five state meets from 2004-08. The only wins came in 2005—WRHS girls 4-2 over Hillcrest and The Community School girls 3-0 over Sugar-Salem.
The Wood River girls have lost twice to Bishop Kelly and once to Hillcrest since 2005. The Community School girls haven't scored a goal in regulation since their win over Sugar-Salem, losing twice to Shelley and once to Marsh Valley. And the Wood River boys when they last went to State 4A in 2004 and 2005 fell to Skyview twice.
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Senior co-captain Morgan Pike will lead the Wood River High School boys’ soccer team into its first state tournament appearance since 2005, Thursday in Caldwell. Photo by Willy Cook
