MECHANICSBURG — For the first time since 1985, Moon Area will take on District I champion Radnor with the chance to capture its first state title in program history Friday morning at Eagle View Middle School in Mechanicsburg.
“It has been 39 years in the making for this program, and the program cares so much about its history and the alumni involvement,” Moon Area head coach Tyler Blake said. “The boys know that they are not just doing it for themselves but for the ones that have come before them. They have had a lot of support throughout the journey, and a lot of people have come back and supported them, and we are up for the challenge Friday.”
Along with trying to capture the program’s first PIAA title, the Tigers are also going for an unbeaten season after posting a perfect 25-0 up until this point.
Despite all the outside noise and potential history that could be made on Friday, Blake’s senior-heavy squad is locked in.
“This senior class has an aura about them,” Blake said. “They haven’t lost a single regular-season game during their sophomore and senior seasons and haven’t lost a regular-season game at home in three years. I can’t say enough about this team. They have a strong bond and connection that they have on and off the field. Nobody is trying to be a hero; they are happier to see each other succeed than to see themselves succeed.”
Heading into the state finals matchup with the Raptors, the Tigers are coming off of three straight one-goal matches in the state playoffs, defeating District III fourth-place finisher Lampter Strasburg 2-1 at Moon Area High School on Nov. 5, City League champion Allderdice this past Saturday 2-1 in extra time and most recently District III champion Conrad Weiser 1-0 on Tuesday.
WPIAL Class 3A Boy’s Soccer:How far can Moon Area boys soccer carry its undefeated run?
Moon Area senior midfielder Luiz Silva has been the team’s driving force over the past two games, scoring the game-winning goal in extra time against Allderdice on Saturday along with the team’s lone goal against Conrad Weiser.
“Luiz has come up in big moments on multiple occasions this season,” Blake said. “He had the goal that put us up against Franklin Regional at Highmark Stadium, the game-winner against Allderdice on Saturday and then the game-winner last night. He has been here for four years in the program, comes to work every day and is playing as tough as I have ever seen him.”
On the other side, Radnor has posted a 20-3 record this season with losses to Conestoga, Penncrest and Shipley all coming in the regular season. The Raptors are looking to capture its first PIAA title since 2004 and are making their first appearance in the state championship since 2018.
Radnor rolled through the district playoffs, shutting out all three of its opponents. In the PIAA playoffs, it defeated Kennard Dale 3-0 on Nov. 5, Archbishop Ryan 4-1 this past Saturday and Dallas 3-0 on Tuesday. Of its 20 wins this year, the Raptors have shut out 16 of their opponents.
With the short turnaround from Tuesday night’s match and Friday morning’s contest, the Tigers and Raptors will have limited time to prep for the match.
However, Blake’s Moon Area squad is ready for whatever challenges get thrown its way in the championship.
“Truthfully, we do not deviate much off of our game plan,” Blake said. “It has worked all season, and even Tuesday night when we tweaked a few things to match our opponent’s top guys, we were still in our system. When we play the style that we want to, I think it is hard to beat us on any given day because of the intensity that we play with.”
Friday morning’s PIAA Class 3A State Championship match will begin at 10 a.m. in Mechanicsburg.
