Reiter brothers help write Hollywood ending to Quaker Valley soccer season

By: Shawn Annarelli
Sunday, November 24, 2019 | 10:01 AM

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Dom Reiter will replay the final moments from the PIAA Class AA championship game in his head over and over like a viral video.

He’ll recall goaltender Rees Edwards darting across the penalty box to field a free kick in the last second, hugging the first person he saw, forward Fisher Hemwall, and watching defender Tommy Guild throw his jersey off in excitement.

“It was one of those times where you let the happiness overtake you,” Reiter said. “I’ll never forget the final second ticking off the clock and celebrating with my teammates.”

Quaker Valley’s soccer season played out a lot like a movie, especially in its final act.

Dom and Fritz Reiter rewrote the program’s record books and capped off their high school careers by assisting each other’s goals in the state championship game, a 2-1 victory for the Quakers over New Hope-Solebury.

They showed how 15 years of passing back and forth can pay off in their last game together.

“You can point down the line and credit every player in this program,” Quaker Valley coach Andrew Marshall said. “Dom and Fritz, rightfully so, get a lot of the headlines. They’re incredible leaders. Not to take away anything from anyone, but if you were to write the script, you put Dom and Fritz getting those goals.”

There were plenty of subplots to Quaker Valley’s season, not the least of which was when the Reiter twins connected for the double-overtime game-winner against Deer Lakes in the WPIAL championship game.

For a program that has won nine WPIAL and eight PIAA titles, it is the first time the Quakers (24-2) took home each in the same season since the undefeated 1996 team.

“To be able to leave it all on the field and win everything, it just puts you in the history books of Quaker Valley and Pennsylvania high school soccer,” Dom Reiter said. “It’s special.”

With the Reiter twins often in the spotlight, Franky Fernandez seemingly flew under the radar en route to tying the program’s all-time assists record at 57.

“He is one of, if not the, most important pieces to this team,” Fritz Reiter said. “The passes he sets up, and the tempo he adds to the game is remarkable. He’s the best at elevating everyone’s play.”

Weston Grant inspired the team by returning to the lineup less than a year after a broken tibia and fibula nearly required amputation.

“We were all crushed when he was injured,” Fritz Reiter said. “He worked so hard to crack the starting lineup and did everything right, and he came back after nine months out and was still the same player with the same drive. To see him persevere, it motivated the entire team.”

The Quakers shut out opponents 14 times with two goalies, Rees Edwards and Zach Buhr, sharing duties.

They were supported for most of the season by Blaise Burns, Nick Kriebel and Guild on the backline.

Guild tried to pinpoint how the Quakers won 23 consecutive games after a 1-2 start in their storybook season.

“I think what sets us apart from other teams is that we’re not friends because of soccer,” Guild said. “We’ve just always been friends, and soccer was just part of what strengthened our bond.”

The Quakers ended the season with Marshall asking his team to look around the locker room after the state championship game.

If it was the team’s last time together, he wanted everyone to able be to reflect on it.

“He said to cherish the moments we have left together,” Dom Reiter said. “I really took that to heart. I think we all did.”

Tags: Quaker Valley