BALTIMORE — Allegany head coach Blake Geatz has asked his players every day this season to do one thing: Get better. The Campers’ culmination of getting better is today, when they play for the first state title in school history.
Geatz and the Campers (18-0), the top overall seed in Class 1A, will take on No. 6 Harford Tech (12-4-1). Kickoff at Loyola University is 2:30 p.m.
“That mentality has made us a lot better,” Geatz said of his “better every day” mantra. “It’s fixing something as simple as a first touch, or instead of having a 50% finishing ratio in practice we strive for 75%. It’s all about improving every time you’re out there.
“One of the big things that puts a smile on my face is how these kids have learned to talk to their teammates. That’s something young players at every level don’t learn is how to communicate the right way. We know that even when these kids leave high school, they’ll leave knowing how to play the game the right way and communicate with teammates. It’s been a great year. Every team has bad practices, but for the most part we’ve been getting better every single time we’re out there. Since the playoffs started, I can’t think of a single bad practice we’ve had.”
Allegany hasn’t just beaten everyone in its path — it has dominated all 18 games this year. Last Saturday was no different, as the Campers beat No. 5 Perryville, 2-0, behind a pair of goals from Mason Salvadge.
The Campers now have 112 goals on the season while allowing just eight. They’ve won 17 of 18 contests by at least two goals and 14 of 18 have been by a margin of five or more.
Caedon Wallace leads the attack with 26 goals and 13 assists and Liam Mowbray is second on the team in goals with 16 to go with 10 assists. Salvadge had 15 goals and 16 helpers and fullback Jace Patton has 12 assists.
Allegany is led by a strong, deep group of seniors who have a chance to do something not many high school athletes have a chance to do — play for a state title in their last high school game.
“This group just has a different feel to it,” Geatz said. “It’s much better than any group I’ve had, whether it be soccer or baseball. They’re so hungry for this.
“They’ve been teaching themselves the ins and outs of Harford Tech this week. They’re getting on each other at practice and encouraging each other. They make it very easy to coach because they are all coaches in their own right. That feeling has been around all year long, but the past two weeks they’ve taken it to new heights. Now we just have to go out and capitalize on it.”
While Allegany is playing in the state championship game for the first time, the Cobras are in their second in three years — Harford Tech fell 1-0 to Parkside for the Class 2A state crown in 2021.
“I know how high school kids are — they know everything,” Geatz said. “So, they know Harford Tech played for a state title two years ago. I know about it, but I hadn’t even thought about bringing it up this week and neither have the kids. Even then, I don’t think we really care. It was two years ago. A lot can change in two years.
“I personally don’t think it’s that important. It’s important to respect a team and a program like that, that has played for a state title recently, but we trust our ability and are going to play our game.”
Harford Tech advanced to the state title game last Saturday with a 1-0 win over No. 7 Liberty. The Cobras snatched the lead early when Aiden Warren’s corner kick found the head of Demayne Trotter, who powered it across the goal line for the deciding goal.
“I’ve watched a sickening amount of film on Harford Tech, as have the kids,” said Geatz. “We know they’ll be similar to us, probably the best team we’ve played all year. They have athletic kids all around the field like we do. They have long throw-ins like we do. They’re very similar to us all around. They don’t look like they have a lot of depth, but I mean that in the sense that they don’t sub a whole lot. But some would say the same about us because we don’t sub very much either. I like to think we know them inside and out at this point.”
A win today wouldn’t just be the first in Allegany’s school history, but an etching into very, very limited company in the book of area soccer with an undefeated season.
To find the last area team that finished undefeated and untied in a state championship-winning year, you’d have to rewind to 1924 when Barton went 16-0 and beat Federalsburg 3-0 for the state crown — all schools were in one class back then.
“It would mean the absolute world to win a state title,” Geatz said. “It’s the pinnacle. I told the kids today — we’re going to the pinnacle of 1A soccer in the state of Maryland. They know what’s at stake. They know how many people are backing on them and relying on them to go down state and do their thing.
“It would mean so much for our program, and soccer in general in this area. I think it truly would be a pivotal moment in Western Maryland soccer history. It would be awesome. It would mean so much to the parents of these kids and to our community.”