Quaker Valley wins 9th state championship in PK shootout

By: Michael Love
Friday, November 19, 2021 | 6:25 PM

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As sophomore Nick Allen stepped to the ball as Quaker Valley’s fifth shooter in a tiebreaking penalty kick shootout Friday afternoon, he found himself in the middle of a moment he had pictured for years.

Allen converted his attempt past Lewisburg goalkeeper Tony Burns to send Quaker Valley players, coaches and fans into a frenzy as the Quakers claimed their ninth state championship with a 5-4 penalty kicks victory over the District 4 champion Green Dragons at Hersheypark Stadium.

“As a kid, you always think of playing for your high school in the state championship (game). The game’s on your back, and you’ve gotta score and win,” said Allen, who, along with his Quakers teammates battled through a scoreless tie with Lewisburg through 80 minutes of regulation and two 20-minute overtimes.

“I was a little bit nervous before the shot, but I was mostly confident,” Allen continued. “This is amazing. This is probably my most favorite year, the whole season. It’s going to stay with me my whole life.”

Rowan Kriebel, Ryan Edwards, Keller Chamovitz and Wil Dunda also converted their attempts in the shootout.

Lewisburg got penalty kick goals from Nick Passaniti, Philip Permyashkin, Rudy Gural and Carter Hoover.

The only miss for the Green Dragons was on the third attempt by Simon Stumbris, whose shot skimmed off the crossbar.

This was the first time penalty kicks were used to decide a soccer state champion since they were instituted for the PIAA finals in 2011.

For Quaker Valley, the state-final appearance comes on the heels of the 2020 season when the Quakers were not able to participate in the postseason because of issues with covid.

“Since the day we knew we couldn’t participate last year, it was about prepping for right now,” Quaker Valley coach J.J. Veshio said. “This is validation for these seniors and the struggles they went through last year and everything the pushed through this year.”

Quaker Valley capped its season at 23-2, and it is the Quakers’ third PIAA title in five years (2017, 2019). The Quakers finished the postseason allowing just three goals in eight games.

“There is relief and excitement that we did this, all of us, every single person,” Veshio said. “With these guys, I am just so proud to be a part of this team.”

Lewisburg (20-2-1) came into the game 4-0 against WPIAL teams in state championship games. That included a victory over Quaker Valley in the 2016 Class 2A final and last year’s dominant 6-0 triumph over Deer Lakes.

“To decide a game on penalty kicks with two good teams, it is very difficult,” Lewisburg coach Ben Kettlewell said. “I don’t know a better way, because you could tell the last five minutes (of the second overtime) that both teams were really, really tired. It was a tough way to end the season.”

Lewisburg’s state semifinal game against District 4 runner-up Midd-West also went to penalty kicks.

Quaker Valley ended the 120 minutes of regular play with a 17-6 advantage in shots and was 11-3 up in shots on goal.

Four of the shots on goal came in the two overtimes as the Quakers put up several close calls from Chamovitz and Kreibel.

Lewisburg’s first shot of the game didn’t come until the 12th minute of the second half, but the attempt from 25 yards landed in the waiting arms of Quaker Valley keeper Zach Buhr.

Burns made saves to his left, his right and above his head throughout the game.

“Lewisburg had a really good plan and they did a good job of making our shots difficult,” said Chamovitz, who also had a dangerous attempt early in the first overtime stoned by Burns. “We were looking for different ways to get a goal. But in the end, we got the win, and that’s all that matters.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Quaker Valley