Mike Mathews
FROSTBURG — The Mountain Ridge Miners, who put together a decisive 8-game winning streak that carried them to the region championship and trip to the state tournament, repeated as the Times-News Area high school boys soccer champions.
It was the third straight Area championship for Mountain Ridge, which finished with a 14-3-1 overall record.
For Nightengale, the Area title is a record eighth in a row. He had coached Beall to five in a row, followed by the last three at Mountain Ridge, and has piled up a 113-17-4 coaching record during the eight Area championship seasons. Seven were outright, while one (2007) was shared with Northern.
Nightengale was selected the Pepsi-Cola boys soccer Coach of the Year, and will receive the award at the 62nd annual Dapper Dan Awards Banquet on Sunday at the Ali Ghan Shrine Club. The dinner starts at 4 o’clock and the awards program at 5.
Last year, the Miners were the obvious choice as the Area champion, putting together a perfect regular season at 14-0 and finishing 15-1.
This year it was a bit different but with the same end result, because when the the going got the toughest, the Miners played their very best.
Mountain Ridge, 6-2-1 through nine games and in a battle with Allegany, Bishop Walsh and Fort Hill for the top spot in the weekly poll, reeled off eight straight wins, with five coming on shutouts, four coming against ranked teams and two in overtime, to three-peat as Area champs.
They avenged both of their early-season losses by beating Fort Hill 5-0 and Allegany 3-0 and 2-1 during the streak, which also included a 5-3 penalty-kicking win over Williamsport for the region championship.
The Miners, who scored 49 goals and allowed only 10, had the streak end in a 1-0 state semifinal loss to eventual champion Loch Raven.
“This was the most improved team in our eight seasons. From the time we scrimmaged Williamsport early in the pre-season until we met them again in the region championship, we were a completely different team,” said Nightengale. “We met our goal of playing our best soccer as we met the eventual state champion and talent laden Loch Raven team in the state semifinal and gave them all they could handle.
“Loch Raven was ranked in the top 5 in the Baltimore area and we had them on their heels in an outstanding game. We stepped up our level of play that night and played our best soccer in a heartbreaking loss. Although we lost, we couldn't have been more proud of the team for leaving everything they had on the field.”
Sophomore Chris Ranker led the team in scoring, was seventh in the area and chosen the area’s Offensive Player of the Year after scoring 16 goals and assisting on two others. Four others were among the area leaders: Justin Winebrenner (12 goals, 1 assist); Zach Saylor (5 goals, 12 assists); Brandon Rodgers (7 goals, 3 assists), and Joao Toulson (4 goals, 4 assists).
The defense gave up only five goals over the final 11 games. Goalkeeper Connor Eberly, also a sophomore, led the area in save percentage at .927 (102 saves, 8 goals allowed), and had eight shutouts.
“We have high expectations every year and knew that this team would be young but would be competitive because we have kids that love to play soccer and play year round through indoor and travel and attend summer workouts,” said Nightengale. “We expect our kids to work hard every day in practice and to try to leave practice better than they were when they came. We stress that we play the way we practice and try to get a high intensity work rate during training. Playing our best soccer every game is our goal while also being disciplined in our play and actions and representing Mountain Ridge High School with pride.
“Finding the right combinations of players and the right positions for players took us awhile,” he admitted. “Once we found the right pieces, things started to mesh and we began to play better soccer and the players understood their roles.
“Our coaching staff, Pat Cunningham, Stuart Sommers, Dave Hobel, and Travis Jackson work hard to give us the best opportunities to be successful. Winning breeds confidence and during the win streak our confidence continued to grow and made us a stronger team.
“Being named Area Champions is a special honor these boys worked hard for and are being rewarded for their efforts. It was a great season and we appreciated the support from the administration, faculty and staff, student body and families and friends of the soccer program.”
For Dapper Dan ticket information, call The Original Sports Shoppe at (301) 722-5490.
Mike Mathews is a Cumberland Times-News sportswriter. Contact Mike Mathews at mmathews@times-news.com.
