Cardinal Gibbons, 2A champs

In Cardinal Gibbons fourth straight championship appearance they left no question about who deserved the trophy. Winning 5-0 over the Shelby Golden Lions they set a record for the largest margin of victory ever in a 2A championship game. The Crusaders outshot the Golden Lions 26-5, and goalkeeper Eric Hamilton didn’t have to make a save to earn the team’s 16th shutout of the season.

Cardinal Gibbons players celebrate after their 5-0 win over Shelby during the 2A NCHSAA Soccer Championship game on Nov. 16, 2008. (Photo by Grant Halverson) See the rest of his great photos here:http://www.highschoolot.com/content/image_gallery/3971693/


Gibbons smashes Shelby 5-0 for 2-A soccer title

Powerful Cardinal Gibbons squads blanks Shelby in State 2A soccer final

Montero scores 3 in soccer final



Hopes smothered for Lions
Shelby's Turner Almond, right, hugs teammate Ryan Bailey, after their loss in the state championship title game against Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh on Sunday.
Brittany Randolph / The Star

Hopes smothered for Lions

CVAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2008

Kyle Luterbach of Fred T. Foard receives Player of the Year for the Catawba Valley Athletic Conference honors. Here's some video from his Spring Club season. Look close and you'll see more CVAC All Conference players on the field with Kyle.
Congrats Kyle!

NCHSAA MEN’S STATE SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS POSTPONED

NCHSAA ANNOUNCEMENT

"The forecast for heavy rain throughout much of the next two days, along with concern over field conditions and safety with four games scheduled for the Curtis and Jackie Dail Soccer Stadium on the campus of North Carolina State University, forced the switch. Three games will now be played on Sunday and then the 4-A championship will be Monday night at 7 p.m."

Sunday, Nov 16 CLASS 2-A: Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (23-2-1) vs. Shelby (19-2-2) 1 p.m. CLASS 3-A: Jacksonville (25-3) vs. Charlotte Catholic (23-1-1), 4 p.m.
CLASS 1-A: Hampstead Topsail (16-5) vs. Albemarle (16-5-1), 7 p.m.

Monday, Nov 17 CLASS 4-A: New Hanover (23-2-1) vs. Charlotte Myers Park (24-0), 7 p.m.

2A SEMI-FINALS

Shelby 3
Salisbury 0

Shelby heading to state title game with 3-0 win

Cardinal Gibbons 2
First Flight 1

FINALS
Shelby vs CG 10:00am Saturday

REGION 9, 2A ALL REGION 2008

Congratulations to this year's 2A All Region.
Hibriten leads the way with four members and the CVAC is well represented with 12 members (in red).

Richie Absher, SR, F, Ashe County
Miguel Aguilar, SR, MF, Hibriten
Will Bodfish, SR, MF, Patton
Saul Carias, SR, MF, Ashe County
Jon Easton, SR, K, Hibriten
Ryan Harrold, JR, F, Wilkes Central
Jacob Joines, SR, FB, Wilkes Central
Chris Jordan, SR, F, Newton-Conover
Ethan Kilby, SR, K, Forbush
Dago Lainez, SR, MF, Hibriten
Martir Lopez, SR, FB, West Caldwell
Mauricio Lopez, SR, F, Starmount
Christian Lovas, SR, MF, Forbush
Burt Lujano, SR, MF, Forbush
Oscar Luis, SR, F, Newton-Conover
Thomas Lunsford, SR, FB, Bandys
Zach Mellon, SR, MF, Newton-Conover
Jule Picton, JR, MF, Hibriten
Michael Prigmore, SR, B, Starmount
Michael Scott, SR, FB, Patton
John See, SR, FB, Bandys
Eric Sonato, SR, MF, Surry Central

Congrats to Hibriten's 2008 All Region players

MIGUEL AQUILAR, SENIOR MIDFIELDER



JON EASTON, SENIOR GOAL KEEPER



DAGO LAINEZ, SENIOR SWEEPER




JULE PICTON, JUNIOR MIDFIELDER

2A WEST FINAL

Okay maybe I was a little premature in my reaction to the newspapers.



Salisbury plays in Western final tonight

Shelby gears up to face Salisbury in 2A soccer semifinals

NAH! A couple hundred words. The Salisbury article talks about their defense and GK, and has a picture of a player that has scored one of five of their play off goals.
Come on you can do better.

2A semifinals soccer match

Unfortunately High School Football play offs have begun so this is the most any newspaper can muster for the Western Regional Final tomorrow night. The Shelby Star has:

"Shelby High School will host Salisbury High School for the Western 2A Regional soccer championship on Wednesday at Blanton Memorial Stadium. Game time is 7 p.m. and admission will be $7.

The winner of the game will play in Saturday's state championship game at 10 a.m. at the Curtis and Jackie Dail Soccer Stadium at N.C. State."

The Salisbury Post prints:

"If Salisbury wins its soccer game at Shelby Wednesday, it will play in the 2A state championships game at 10 a.m. on Saturday at N.C. State."

Of course that's buried beneath the news of the fan bus going to Pisgah for the first round Football game.

THEN THERE WERE TWO, 2A WEST UPDATE

Hibriten 0
Salisbury 2

Prep Soccer Playoffs: Salisbury 2, Hibriten 0

Inches away from victory

"Sexton gave most of the credit to goalkeeper Frankie Cardelle... Cardelle has spent most of the season stopping about four shots per game. In this win, shots were consistently peppered at him and the senior never flinched, stopping 21 Panther tries."

Shelby 2
Forbush 1

2A WEST FINAL FOUR

photo by N.M. Lewis

SALISBURY TRAVELS TO HIBRITEN
GAME TIME 7:00pm

Salisbury soccer to face Hibriten

Regional final spot on the line

FORBUSH AT SHELBY
GAME TIME 6:00pm

"Forbush has won nine straight matches and took its only two losses on the road, against Reynolds early in the season and against Wilkes Central in a Mountain-Valley 2-A game. Forbush had a split in the regular season with Wilkes Central, which lost 2-1 to Shelby on Wednesday night.

Shelby is 15-0-2 in its last 17 matches and has scored 68 goals while allowing 14. The Lions' only losses came against Class 4-A and Class 3-A programs."
Mason Linker, Winston-Salem Journal

2A WEST PLAYOFF UPDATE Round 3

Hibriten 2
East Davidson 1
Picton leads Panther rally



South Iredell 0
Salisbury 1
The streaking Hornets bottled some more magic Wednesday night
Last-minute goal ends Vikings' impressive campaign

South Iredell’s Chris Laws races upfield in Wednesday’s 2A state playoff game as Salisbury’s Randy Almeida gives chase.


Shelby 2
Wilkes Central 1
Golden Lions nip Wilkes Central 2-1 in double OT

Shelby's Turner Almond (16) fends off Wilkes Central's Chris Skidmore (24) for the ball Wednesday evening during the 2A men's soccer third round state playoff game at Blanton Memorial Stadium.


Forbush 3
Owen 0
Owen's playoff run ended by Forbush

Owen's Oscar Orellana, left, battles Forbush 's Burt Lujano for the ball during Wednesday's NCHSAA playoff game. - John Coutlakis

2A WEST second round results

East Davidson 1
West Stanly 0
East is sole survivor in soccer playoffs

Lexington 1
Hibriten 6
Panthers dominate, advance

East Davidson travels to Hibriten

West Davidson 2
South Iredell 3
West Davidson came back from a two-goal deficit

Forest Hills 0
Salisbury 1
Salisbury advances to third round

South Iredell faces Salisbury

Patton 0
Shelby 1
Shelby advances in playoffs with 1-0 win

Wilkes Central 1
West Henderson 0

Shelby hosts Wilkes Central

Newton-Conover 1
Owen 2

Smoky Mountain 1
Forbush 3

Owen travels to Forbush