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First row, left to right: Albert Kirchner, Luke Mitchell, Chad Hunter,
Matt McMunigle, Sean Duncan; Second row, left to right: Lonnie Hunter, Jason Fredricks, David Poland,
Gio Ricci, Evan Bras, Matt Bras, Scott Stearns, Mike Shilling, Zach Barnes, Rachel McMahon, Dan Bras
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Written by: Chad Hunter and Luke Mitchell, edited by Jonathan Southwick
The Letdown
Following the 2004 Chevy Open, where the Penncrest Predators were crowned the U14 Boys Division 3 champions, the majority
of the Predators were looking forward to their first season of scholastic soccer. However, wishful optimism transitioned
to disappointment at a somewhat unsuccessful season with the Saegertown Panthers. Over all the season ended with a
disastrous 3-15-2 mark. Needless to say, the former Predators were eager to reestablish their dominant reputation via the
upcoming Spring travel season.
Back To Business
With the coming of Spring came the beginning of a fresh new season for the Predators. Back under the tutelage of Lonnie
Hunter, the Predators’ full roster of 19 players began their march to reclaim their reputation as an extraordinary team.
This season’s roster was made up from Scott Stearns, David Poland, Mike Shilling, Albert Kirchner, Evan Bras, Matthew Bras,
Sam Jonas, Zack Smith, Zach Barnes, Luke Mitchell, Chad Hunter, Matthew McMunigle, David Loeschke, David Gregg, Jason
Fredericks, Ian Gorske, Andy Barnhart, Gio Ricci, and Anthony Tordella. The team rebounded from its recent poor record, to
finish the Spring travel season with a record of 5-2-1.
Repeat
As has become an annual practice for the Predators, the team entered the Chevy Open for 2005. Some players were unable to
attend and the Predators took on two guests to fill the losses. The tournament roster consisted of Zach Barnes, Matthew
Bras, Evan Bras, Jason Fredericks, Chad Hunter, Albert Kirchner, Matthew McMunigle, Luke Mitchell, David Poland, Gio Ricci,
Mike Shilling, Scott Stearns, and guest players; Sean Duncan and Michelle McMahon.
The first match was scheduled for 7:30 AM on Saturday of June 18th. The Predators, bleary eyed and sleep deprived, arrived
at field 22 to meet their first adversaries, Washington Co. Monessen. Goals were scored by Chad Hunter (2), Zach Barnes (1),
and Matthew McMunigle (1). After some excellent plays by the Predators and despite lack of sleep and a faulty referee,
Penncrest finished the match with a 4-2 victory.
Between games, the team downed liberal amounts of pizza and energy drinks. The secret behind the Predators’ tight
coordination is the friendship and trust shared between them. One could even venture to call the Predators a family rather
than a team. After a good deal of games and laughs, the family headed out for their next match. Kickoff was set for 3:00 PM
on field 20 the same day versus Brentwood. The game was hard fought and quickly turned into a physical battle. Goals were
scored by; Scott Stearns (1) and Chad Hunter (1). Beautiful teamwork and playing led the Predators to a 2-0 victory over
Brentwood. With a guaranteed place in the finals and no more matches for the day, the Predators retired to rest
light-heartedly in preparation for their upcoming matches. Though the 7:30 AM match versus the Jefferson Jaguars the next
day was not necessary to proceed to the finals, the determined Predators arrived at field 17 on schedule, ready to continue
their winning streak. It was quickly realized that three of Jefferson’s top guns were absent for the match, perhaps feeble
mind games to feed the Predators a false sense of security. The match was slow on the start, with no goals scored in the
first half. In the second half, Zach Barnes scored off an amazing header, and Matthew McMunigle also scored later on. After
a grueling 90 minutes, the game was taken by the Predators in a 2-0 victory. The final match would be these same two teams
battling for the title of U19 Boys Division 3 Champions.
Once again, the Predators grabbed some shut-eye and refueled with energy drinks in preparation for their match. The fact
that the upcoming match would be more intense than the first due to the considerably larger rewards of victory, and also
the probable appearance of the missing Jefferson players was not overlooked. The championship match was scheduled at 2:30 PM
on field 18 the same day versus the same opponents. As expected, the former absent Jaguars made their appearance for this
match. In consideration of the importance of the match, the international walk-on was preformed before the match. Itching
to tuck another champion title under their belt, the Predators took the field with a steely determination ablaze in their
eyes. The match proved to be much more intense and physical than the earlier game. The obviously out-sized Predators
struggled to keep the game scoreless. After some marvelous keeper-work by Gio Ricci and a few clever moves by the rest of
the team, regulation (90 minutes) ended in a 0-0 stalemate. Both teams were granted a brief water break before going into
two 5 minute overtimes. Nothing changed however, as the second overtime ended with the score still deadlocked at 0-0. The
match was to advance to penalty kicks. 5 shooters were chosen from each team. The Predators’ shooters were, respectively,
as follows; Matthew McMunigle, David Poland, Matthew Bras, Chad Hunter, and Evan Bras. After a coin flip, the Predators
elected to shoot second. The initial 5 shooters of each team put their shots in the back of the net flawlessly despite the
immense load of pressure. The 6th shooter from Jefferson was denied when Gio Ricci made an amazing save. Gio Ricci then
fficially sealed the deal as he, the 6th shooter for Penncrest, planted his shot in the back of the net to win the
tournament. Tremendous applause and cheering rang through the air as the Predators all rushed to Gio Ricci, their hero,
and smothered him in hugs and congratulations. To the horror of many, the opposing coach attempted to recall the Predators
victory over a minor issue regarding the penalty kick procedure. However, after a brief meeting with the tournament
director, the officials declared the match over with the Predators as the victors. A short award ceremony followed and the
Predators were officially named the U19 Boys Division 3 PAWest Repeat Champions.
The Road Goes Ever On
The Predators will be competing in the California University Sportsmanship Tournament in July, where they will hopefully
seize yet another title. Another season of scholastic soccer is also around the bend. With Ryan Schenck stepping in as
head coach, and Lonnie Hunter backing him up, the Panthers hope to carry their success as Predators over into the
scholastic season. Come out and support us as we continue a great legacy. TO BE CONTINUED...
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