By PAUL GOTHAM
IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. — Jody Wyant had a feeling on the bus ride Tuesday night that his team was about to accomplish something special.
The usual playful banter and joking was nowhere to be found.
“They didn’t say a word the entire ride over here,” Wyant noted of the 19-mile trek from Spencerport to Eastridge High School. “They weren’t on their phones. They were so dialed in. It was unbelievable. We knew. Getting off, I looked at Coach (Chris) Somers and I’m like ‘We could have a chance here.’ They are so focused.”
The fourth-year coach’s hunch was accurate.
Andrew Wiebeld and Kyle Milburn scored a goal apiece, and the Spencerport defense turned in another stout performance as the third-seeded Rangers defeated reigning champion, No. 4 Pittsford Sutherland, 2-1 to claim the 2022 Section V Boys’ Class A Championship.
“They were dialed in at Thomas,” Wyant said of the semifinal win over the No. 2 seed. “But they were dialed in more tonight. It was impressive. I’m so proud of them, so proud of them.”
Wiebeld scored on a rebound off a free kick with 4:46 remaining in the first half. Milburn took on the Sutherland defense with a 40-yard rush before finishing with a left-footed strike for a two-goal advantage with less than 17 minutes remaining in the contest.
“They executed,” Wyant said of his team. “We had a game plan tonight, and they executed, 100 percent.”
The championship was the 13th in program history but first since 2012.
An exhale of relief came along with the win as the former program assistant with the Spencerport girls acknowledged the challenge of trying to keep up with that team which has won seven straight sectional titles.
“It gets the monkey off the back. There was some pressure there. The girls’ program is so good that you just want to be able to give the boys the same experience.”
The Rangers also avenged back-to-back losses to Sutherland in the past two semifinal rounds. Those defeats fueled the Rangers’ efforts Tuesday night.
“We said ‘guys it’s tough to beat a team three times in a row. They may not be as hungry. We’re hungry. We want this. We know we want this. You just keep repeating it.
“Feeding that hunger. It was absolutely something that we kept prodding. We knew they were on the other side of the bracket. We said ‘let’s meet them in the finals.’ Let’s get there.”
Spencerport dictated play for much of the first half. Five corner kicks represented that effort, but it was a free kick from 35 yards out that started the scoring.
35’ Andrew Wiebeld (unofficial) gets @RangersBSoccer on the board. pic.twitter.com/OJD3DmaiK5
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 1, 2022
Milburn fired a low-driving shot on the Sutherland goal. Wiebeld was among three Rangers along with John Choate and Josiah Warrington to crash the net waiting for the opportunity.
Wiebeld connected for his third tally of the season.
Milburn’s goal was nothing short of a herculean effort.
After a Sutherland shot attempt, the junior attacker received the ball in Spencerport’s defensive end of the pitch. He turned and pushed the ball along the right side of the middle third. Three Sutherland defenders converged at the edge of the 18-yard box. Milburn cut back to his left and went opposite side netting.
64’ Kyle Milburn on the counter. @RangersBSoccer 2-0 pic.twitter.com/hHIybuR1Qi
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) November 1, 2022
“I saw the open space and I trusted myself that I know I’m good enough to take these guys,” he said. “I knew I could come out and put it right in the corner.”
With that, he became the program’s all-time leading scorer with 44 goals.
“That’s what my coaches want me to do, and that’s what I go out there to do.”
Will Hanford scored the lone Sutherland (15-4-1) goal with 6:37 remaining in the game.
Spencerport came into the game with back-to-back shutouts over Greece Arcadia (4-0) and Webster Thomas (1-0).
Wyant noted the efforts of his backline – Wiebeld, Frank Grad, Jack Keady, John Choate and junior keeper Jack Distaffen.
The loss ended a three-year championship run for Sutherland.
“Spencerport really put it on us in the first half,” Sutherland head coach Sean Hopkins said. “I felt like they outworked us. They seemed a lot more motivated than we did. I felt like we corrected it and were much better in the second half. They just seemed to have a lot more energy than us for whatever reason.”
“I thought we had a much better second half. The kids fought until the end. They gave us a chance to get back in the game. A lot of heart.”
Spencerport is one of 17 boys’ programs in Section V to have won 10 or more titles. The Rangers had won three consecutive championships from 2010 to 2012 under former head coach Tom Etsler.
Getting back to that level was a goal from the beginning of the season.
“We thought we could compete and maybe make a run at it,” Wyant said of his team’s pre-season goals. “We wanted this, and we put that on the board as a goal. You can do that but then it requires a lot of hard work.
“They knew what the goal was. Every day was just a constant reminder: What are we playing for? What are we playing for? We just kept it on the forefront of their minds and they stepped up big. It was a tough road. It’s Class A. It’s difficult. It’s not easy.”
The Spencerport girls claimed the Class A title on Saturday. The two teams matched the 2007 squads that also won sectional titles in the same year.
Spencerport (15-4-1) gets the unique opportunity to host a regional game as the Rangers will play Section VI champion Niagara-Wheatfield (13-3-1) Friday at friendly confines.
“Regional game at our place?” Milburn said. “It’s like the Super Bowl at your own place. There’s nothing better.”
A 7:30 p.m. start time is scheduled for Friday.
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