The Bellefonte boys soccer team pulled out their second district title against Hollidaysburg with a 3-2 win. They beat Tyrone in the semi-final 3-1, qualifying them for the final. After their district title, they advanced to the first round of the state tournament.
The team captains this year were Elijah Davis, Andy Gerasenko, Austin Smith, and Tate Tooker. They helped to lead Bellefonte to a district win along with Head Coach Martz and Assistant Coaches Dave Lamb, Frank Gaus, and Noah Gaus.
Andy, a striker on the field, scored two goals in the first half, making the score at half-time 2-1. In the second half, Hollidaysburg sneaked in another goal, tying the game, and making it look as if the game was heading for overtime. But, with 40 seconds left, Connell Stabinger managed a shot, ending the game 3-2, Bellefonte.
The guys thankfully had a chance to play Hollidaysburg earlier on in the season.
“I have never seen our guys so focused, we won that game 4-1, and at that time I knew we could win it all this year,” Coach Martz said.
However, Andy recalls losing the League Championship, directly before the district game, as having been quite a mental setback for the team. Tate shared another challenge.
“We lost a lot of guys last year, so we had a bunch of new kids starting for the first time,” Tate said.
Nonetheless, Andy said they entered the district game “very confident” in themselves. Nothing was going to get in their way this season.
It seems nobody wanted it more for the guys this season than Coach Martz. He has repeatedly emphasized how proud he is of the team this year. After winning his first thought was, “they deserved it.”
“They worked so hard for that moment,” Coach Martz said.
When realizing they won, Andy felt a sudden relief.
“…We fought for four years and it was finally achieved,” he said.
The team came close to a win last year losing 0-3, but they certainly got their revenge now.
With the season over, Andy says he sees a lot of “leadership, potential, and skill” from the rising under and upperclassmen. Bellefonte might just be looking forward to back to back district titles next year!
