Robert C. Byrd's Aaron Carver (left) gets set to kick the ball as Charleston Catholic's Wilkes Aliff (4) leaps to try and stop it during their match at Schoenbaum Field Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024.
Robert C. Byrd's Aaron Carver (left) gets set to kick the ball as Charleston Catholic's Wilkes Aliff (4) leaps to try and stop it during their match at Schoenbaum Field Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024.
If Point Pleasant and Charleston Catholic arenòòò½ÊÓƵ™t the biggest soccer rivals in the state, another championship tournament berth for both their boys and girls teams might soon make them the biggest.
When the Class AA-A tournaments kick off at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday with the girls semifinal between the Big Blacks and Irish, the two schools will have soccer teams meeting on the pitch yet again.
Both Point Pleasant and Catholic will have to win their boys semifinals on Thursday to reach Saturdayòòò½ÊÓƵ™s final for a rematch of the 2023 state championship.
East Fairmont, Elkins and Grafton will have their say before any trophies are awarded, however.
Boys: Charleston Catholic vs. Grafton
The Irish were last yearòòò½ÊÓƵ™s state runner-up. Point Pleasant defeated Catholic on kicks from the mark after the two teams were tied 1-1 through regulation and overtime.
At 13-7-3, Catholic is the No. 1 seed in the tournament and will open against the No. 4 seed Bearcats.
First touch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday at the complexòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Carter Stadium.
The Irish finished the regular season with a five-game winning streak that included a golden-goal, 2-1 victory over PikeView in the Region 3 final at Catholicòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Schoenbaum Stadium.
Grafton enters the tournament with a 13-4-6 record and wins in four of the Bearcatsòòò½ÊÓƵ™ last seven matches. That stretch includes a 3-1 loss to University and a 3-3 tie against Buckhannon-Upshur.
Grafton won Region 2 Section 1, then earned a state tournament berth with a 2-1 win over Herbert Hoover on a neutral field in Elkins.
Catholic and Grafton met during the regular season and tied 1-1 on the Bearcatsòòò½ÊÓƵ™ home turf.
Boys: Point Pleasant vs. East Fairmont
The defending champion Big Blacks slipped to the No. 3 seed in the tournament with an 11-10-1 record.
One of those defeats came via East Fairmont, which posted a 2-0 victory in Mason County to open the season on Aug. 23. The rematch is scheduled for Thursday, 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Catholic-Grafton game, and will also be at Carter Stadium.
Point cruised to a Region 4 Section 1 crown with an 8-0 victory over Buffalo and a 10-1 decision over Wood County Christian. A 2-0 win over Ripley in the region final put the Big Blacks back into the state tournament.
The Bees posted a 16-2-5 record during the regular season, with defeats coming to Huntington St. Joe and Elkins. East Fairmont defeated Hampshire, North Marion and Trinity Christian in the postseason to win the Region 1 championship.
The winners of Thursdayòòò½ÊÓƵ™s matches will meet in the championship on Saturday at Carter Stadium, with a first touch scheduled for 45 minutes following the conclusion of the girls championship.
Girls: Charleston Catholic vs. Point Pleasant
The Irish are the No. 1 seed in the girls bracket.
Catholic cruised to a Region 3 championship by shutting out its opponents by a combined score of 30-0 in three postseason matches.
The Irish (19-0-1) are going for their sixth straight championship.
Scoring against the No. 4-seed Big Blacks wonòòò½ÊÓƵ™t be easy, with Katie McCutcheon in goal for Point. McCutcheon is regarded as one of the top goalkeepers in the state.
The Region 4 champions are 9-5-5 this season, with a 2-0 loss to the Irish at Schoenbaum Stadium on Oct. 1.
Elkins vs. East Fairmont
The Region 1 champion Bees are the No. 2 seed in the tournament and boast a 22-1 record. That lone defeat was a 4-2 home loss to Catholic on Aug. 27.
East Fairmontòòò½ÊÓƵ™s postseason path to the state tournament included a pair of 10-0 wins over Keyser and Hampshire. The Bees won the regional championship 3-0 over Weir.
Elkins is familiar with its semifinal opponent. The Tigers (16-4-1) lost a 2-0 contest at home to the Bees on Oct. 3.
A 10-0 win over Braxton County and a 3-2 sectional final victory over Hoover put the Tigers in the Region 2 championship opposite Lincoln. Elkins won that game 2-0 to earn its spot in the state tournament.
Winners of the semifinal contests will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at Carter Stadium.
Rick Elmore covers sports. He can be reached at 304-348-5122 or relmore@hdmediallc.com. Follow @ElmoreSports on Twitter/X.
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