High School Boys soccer

Healthy Blake matters for Tigers boys soccer team

D6 3a boys championship

PHILIPSBURG -- Hollidaysburg entered the District 6 Class 3A boys soccer playoffs as the defending champion, but junior Micah Blake didn't get a chance to be part of that team due to a knee injury.

He's making up for lost time.

After scoring the game-winning goal in a semifinal win over Tyrone, Blake scored both goals -- including an incredible strike from standing on nearly the sideline -- in Hollidaysburg's 2-0 triumph over Central Mountain in Wednesday's championship game at Mountaineer Stadium.

"If anyone can score from there, Micah can," Hollidaysburg coach Craig Shale said. "He can put a ball on a dime. Both of those goals, he knew what he was doing. The keeper was off his line a little bit. We had so many chances before then, you start to wonder if it's going to come. We hit the post, the crossbar -- I thought we dominated the game without scoring. The longer you leave a team in the game, you're one breakaway from losing. That goal settled everyone down."

Many of those early chances came from Blake, including a shot set up by a corner kick from Caiden Galioto with 18:10 left to play that struck squarely off the right goalpost.

He had another attempt on a free kick from inside the 15-yard line with 13:30 left that Central Mountain keeper Cooper Confer stopped.

That finally changed with 8:54 to play in regulation.

"I had a lot of shots early in the game that were very close," Blake said. "I hit the post a couple times. It felt good to see that one go in."

But ironically, when he kicked it, scoring himself was not his intention.

"I was trying to play a back post to my teammates," said Blake, who led the Golden Tigers with 13 goals his freshman year and was named a first-team Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference and Altoona Mirror all-star. "It's something we have worked on all year to get a back post. We have some people that can head the ball. It was just a good cross that the keeper hit the tips of and it went in."

The gold medal around Blake's neck was a reward not just for winning this year's championship but fighting his way back from injury and having to watch his team celebrate last year without him being able to contribute.

"This is my first one," Blake said. "Freshman year, we didn't win it. Last year, I didn't play because of my knee, so to come back and win it this year feels really good."

Liam Jancula recorded a shutout for Hollidaysburg, but he didn't have a very busy night, especially in the second half when he needed to make just one save thanks to a strong Golden Tigers defense.

"We played really well tonight," Shale said. "It was just a matter of time, and the guys believed that. There wasn't any frustration. They just kept playing the game. They are a good team and played well."

Leading just 1-0 with 4:10 to play, Hollidaysburg defender Nolan Lloyd broke up a three-on-one opportunity for Central Mountain before a shot even took place.

Blake sealed the game with a free kick that made it 2-0 with 1:36 to play.

Hollidaysburg struggled -- by its high standards -- to start the season. The Golden Tigers lost to Central Cambria and Bishop Carroll Catholic and tied Tyrone. Following the loss to Carroll, Shale made some adjustments.

"It took us almost halfway through the season," Shale said. "We had to tweak our best starting 11 and our best formation. Right before the Altoona game, we went to a four-three-three, and it just opened things up. You saw that today. Our three forwards are so involved, and it keeps their guys on their back feet. That's been the biggest difference. We took the game to our opponents in the second half of the season. That's been the biggest difference."

With Wednesday's win, Hollidaysburg defeated the other four teams in this year's very competitive 3A bracket -- Bellefonte and Johnstown in the regular season and Tyrone and Central Mountain in the postseason.

"You feel like you have earned it," Shale said. "We had to go through Tyrone. That was a final in itself. Sometimes, we get here without having to really earn it. We have definitely had to earn it these last couple years. Tyrone, Bellefonte and Central Mountain are good teams. Johnstown is much improved. It's nice. There were five good teams battling it out, but you've still got to go through Hollidaysburg."

SCORE BY HALVES

Central Mountain 0 0 -- 0

Hollidaysburg 0 2 -- 2

First Half: none.

Second Half: H--Blake (unassisted), 8:54. H--Blake (free kick), 1:36.

Records: Hollidaysburg (14-3-3); Central Mountain (7-7-5).