Jim Thorpe falls in Schuylkill soccer final

History awaited the winner of the Schuylkill League boys soccer final.

Pottsville was seeking its first league championship since 1997.

Jim Thorpe simply its first.

But this night belonged to the Tide.

Two second-half goals powered Pottsville to a 2-1 victory and the program’s second league title.

“It’s the end of a 20-year drought. It feels wonderful,” said Tide head coach David Newton. “Yeah, I got a little emotional over there with the guys. It feels damn good, actually.

“It’s been 20 years. And there’s a banner in Martz Hall with all the school’s accomplishments; all the teams’ accomplishments are up there. And boys soccer has one – 1997. This was the year. We’re gonna add to it. It feels great.”

Despite trailing at halftime, Division I champion Pottsville (15-4-1) never wavered.

The Tide broke through when Victor Ortiz scored on an assist from Caleb Roos to tie the game at 1-1 with 32:49 remaining in the second half.

Two senior captains connected for the decisive goal, as Collin Ebling found Luke Joyce to make it 2-1 with 21:17 to play.

“We’ve talked about this season, and this is one of the teams that we’re very evenly matched with,” Olympians’ head coach Michael Dudak said. “Anything can happen. It’s not like this is a 4-0 game. It’s a 1-0 game; it’s a 1-1 game; and it’s a 2-1 game. It’s just the way it goes.”

In the first half, it went Jim Thorpe’s (14-6) way. Thomas Dein found Thor Huth with 26:56 left in the first half to give the Olympians a 1-0 lead.

“For us to go up 1-0 is actually kind of a misnomer,” Dudak said. “We’re a come-from-behind team. To get up and lead, it felt comfortable. We certainly didn’t back off; 1-0 is not a game you back off. A second goal would have been nice. But that what it was.

“This game wasn’t ending 1-0. They were gonna give it everything they had, and they did. And rightfully so. It’s a championship game. You have to.”

A second-half deficit was nothing new for Division I wild card Jim Thorpe. This is a team that scored two goals in the waning moments of its semifinal victory over Williams Valley on Tuesday to reach the championship game.

The Olympians almost pulled off another comeback with several scoring opportunities in the second half, including a rocket from Preston Lawrence that ricocheted off the top crossbar and out. But Tide senior goalie Tobias Serrian – another captain – prevented Jim Thorpe from cashing in.

The setback didn’t diminish what has been a remarkable run for the Olympians, who won 14 of their last 15 games after starting the year with four straight losses.

“We’re young, but we’re talented,” said Dudak. “There’s a lot of talent here. The talent that’s here, needed to gel. When we started off the season 0-4, I’m sure three-quarters of the league wrote us off - new coach, graduated 16 kids, not much left, this is their rebuilding year.

“And I said it right from jump street, this is not gonna be a rebuilding year. We’re a team that’s gonna compete this year. And we did.”

SPLIT … Jim Thorpe went 1-1 against Pottsville during the regular season. The Olympians won the most recent meeting 2-1 on Oct. 12.

NOT DONE YET … Jim Thorpe closes out its regular season Saturday with a non-league game against Catasauqua. The Olympians are No. 3 in the D-11 Class 2A standings.

FIRST TIME … Not only was Jim Thorpe seeking its first league title on Thursday, the Olympians were also playing in their first championship game in school history. Jim Thorpe’s semifinal victory over Williams Valley on Tuesday was the program’s first-ever league playoff win.