'You have to make it count': Revere blanks Rocky River in OHSAA boys soccer district final
BRUNSWICK — Sometimes motivation comes in like a cyclone.
It certainly has for the Revere boys soccer team this season, and it’s a big reason why the top-seeded Minutemen won their fourth consecutive district championship Saturday with a 2-0 Division I, Akron 5 District victory over fourth-seeded Rocky River.
And you better believe Nov. 5, 2022, has been on the minds of Revere (17-0-2) all season. That's when the Minutemen lost 3-2 in a regional final to eventual state champion Lima Shawnee.
That game featured 75 mph winds that moved the goal post a yard off the line at one point. The advantage was so apparent that whoever had the wind may as well have been playing with 15 starters on the field.
Unfortunately for the Minutemen, Shawnee had just a little bit more.
“That’s been our No. 1 drive,” Revere midfielder Jeff Boyle said. “I remember not being able to watch the film last year because it hurt so much. It took me a week to watch it. I think that has fired us up. That’s two years, too.
“My sophomore year, Bay went to the state championship [after beating Revere 2-1 in a regional final]. That gives us confidence. We know we can play at a state championship level.”
Revere showed once again why its the top of the crop in Division II
The Minutemen, who went wire-to-wire in the state coaches poll at No. 1, proved that against Rocky River (16-4).
The Pirates’ only shot on frame came with 4:39 left and by that time the final score was almost already decided.
Dylan Halm scored his 29th and 30th goals of the season on assists from Boyle and AJ Catlett and Revere turned its eyes to a regional semifinal against Maumee (19-0-1) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Sandusky Perkins.
“Obviously, last year’s loss is motivation,” Catlett said. “It was a little bit of a cancellation for us because they won the state title. You can say we lost to the state champs.”
The next step for Revere is a team that has scored more than 150 goals
The regional semifinal against Maumee is an interesting one.
Although the Panthers haven’t played anywhere near the schedule Revere has played, the squad certainly knows how to fill it. Maumee has scored 135 goals and is coming off a 3-1 win over Wauseon.
“You don’t get to where you’re at unless you win,” Revere coach Nick DePompei said. “We don’t overlook anyone. They have players that can put the ball in the back of the net. It doesn’t matter who they play, they can put the ball in the back of the net. We’ll be prepared for that. What we learned is we could be walking into a tornado. We have to be ready for every possible scenario.”
The Panthers will come in with Blake Wagener (54 goals, 19 assists), Austin Dwyer (15, 16) and Noah Preciado (14, 20) hoping they can penetrate a Revere defense that has posted nine shutouts.
“Usually, we have a board that says this many days until Nov. 12 [the date of the state final],” Catlett said. “We’ve erased that. Now, it just says until the next game because we know we’re only guaranteed that one. We’re only guaranteed a set number of games.
"To win this, [it] means we have three or four more guaranteed days to practice. After that, we might be going home. You have to make it count.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: OHSAA boys soccer: Revere wins fourth consecutive district tile
