Hudson dominates Twinsburg in OHSAA boys soccer district final
MACEDONIA — The Hudson boys soccer team won its fourth consecutive Division I district championship Saturday afternoon in convincing fashion.
Hudson scored quickly in the first half en route to a 5-1 win over rival Twinsburg at Nordonia High School's Boliantz Stadium. The Explorers beat the Tigers 3-1 in the regular season.
Saturday's victory gave Hudson its seventh district title during the past 10 years. The Explorers advanced to play Medina in a regional semifinal at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Twinsburg.
"Each year, the kids coming up, it doesn't matter if we have 17 seniors or eight seniors, they all know what to do," Hudson coach Steve Knapp said. "They don't even look at that as pressure. They look at it as let's have fun because this is a fun program to be a part of. Credit to them. I don't know how I would be. I would be nervous. They don't even think of it because they are such good teammates and out here playing with their brothers. They just want to keep playing for each other and continue playing as long as they can."
Hudson (15-4-0) took control with two goals in the first 10 minutes as sophomore Will Hallis converted a penalty kick and senior Gavin Mertes scored off of a pass from Hallis.
"We usually take a little bit to work into a game and feel it out," Knapp said. "Today, for whatever reason, these guys, all of them, not just our starting 11, but everybody was focused and it came off from the kickoff. It was winning the initial ball, and not only winning the initial ball, but then having that ability to be calm on the ball and be able to play the ball. That opened up their back four really early in the game and we never looked back."
Hallis and junior Sam Robledo then netted two more goals to give Hudson a 4-0 halftime lead. Sophomore Ian Katz assisted on Robledo's goal.
"We were very confident and we made sure that we were practicing very well the last few days," Hallis said. "We made sure that we came out strong, we pressed really hard and made sure that we got the first goal."
Hallis' older brothers, Ben and Joe, played on some of Hudson's successful soccer teams before graduating in 2021 and 2023. Will Hallis was a ball boy when he was a child.
"This run during the past decade is amazing," Will Hallis said. "My family has been through here for nine years, so I made sure to come to all of the games. It has been great to see how we keep staying on top and are always a top team. ... It is so fun being out here and doing exactly what my brothers were doing."
Explorers junior Matthew Caputo took a pass from Mertes and scored to make it 5-0 with about 16 minutes to play in the second half.
"I am so proud of how we have been playing recently," Hudson senior Luke Bleifer said. "I feel like we are getting better and better. We started off not the way we wanted at the beginning of the season, but I knew we would turn it around and we would develop through the entire season. I am so proud of everything that we have done in practice and in games. The first half we just had against Twinsburg was really amazing."
Bleifer, Mertes and JJ Wright are senior captains and Robledo is a junior captain. All four start with senior Derek Huminsky, juniors Ben Beucler, Braeden Deutsch and Sam Sockol and sophomores Alastair Leedham, Katz and Hallis.
"We are playing our best soccer right now, which is the most important part," Wright said. "I have never been a part of a team that is more connected than us. We are always together in school, out of school and after practice. I think that shows on the field during games. We all just love each other, want to play and want what is best for everyone."
Tate Lowry scores in final game for Twinsburg
Senior Tate Lowry concluded the scoring with a penalty kick goal for Twinsburg (13-4-2) with about 15 minutes remaining.
Twinsburg coach Michael Lally trotted out a starting 11 with six seniors: Brendan Pane, James D'Isidoro, Caden Casselman, Noah Rosenthal, Connor Sterlekar and Lowry.
The Tigers are slated to bring back junior starters Nate Grant, Devin Couch, Gavin Varnum, Keelin Fuentes and Evan Schneeman.
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: OHSAA boys soccer: Hudson wins fourth consecutive district title
