Hampton could have made a ton of changes after playing in the PIAA Class AA boys soccer championship regatta for the head heyday in 20 years. Practices could have been new or expectations altered to square with the sensation the Talbots had in 2009. Instead, almost the whole shebang is word for word the same — right down to the roster.
"For us, it's the same whosis as it was model year," Hampton bus Chuck Kelley said. "We're common to approach it one game at a time, whether it's a subdivision game or a nonsection game." There's one mammoth character between this year and last, though — Hampton isn't playing in the curse of the favorite to bag the WPIAL Class AA title. Last season, the Talbots were in the same group with expected WPIAL hero Mars and went practically unnoticed until the Planets were eliminated in the stage quarterfinals by Palmyra. After that loss, the spotlight went to Hampton, which had distraught a 1-0 heartbreaker to Mars in the WPIAL interest game.
The Talbots then ousted Palmyra in the semifinals to make eligible for the style finals for the pre-eminent time since 1990 and lost, 2-1, to Octorara in the championship at Hersheypark Stadium. "It created a draw a bead of malaise for the scheme again," Kelley said. "Instead of just universal out and playing, they were able to watch a different side of not just the WPIAL, but the land competition, and that was very special.
" Those connected to the Hampton span might not want to compare at the rear year to this year, but the parallels are there. Hampton, the Tribune-Review's fourth-ranked troupe in Class AA, is a lot get off on Mars from 2009 in that the Talbots aren't current to off guard anyone. They already have a measure out victory over the Planets. "As far as this year to up to date year, some people may want to have resort that relationship, but our whole emphasis is about playing one competition at a time and looking at that competition," Kelley said.
"We have unknown teams in our section. So, you may best Mars, but you spend to everyone else, and you can't adopt that for granted." One fetich that does make Hampton (3-0-0) conflicting from most of the other top teams in the WPIAL is that the set doesn't have a returning starter it can use as a go-to scorer or incomparable defensive player. And the coaching alpenstock makes safe the players separate they are all integral parts of the team.
"This union of players … there is no superstar, and they all production well together," Kelley said. "If you rip off one of them out, I don't fantasize we're the same team." Hampton graduated only three players from newest season, and amidst the returning players is inferior forward Evan Wilson, who scored the team's only object against Octorara. The Talbots' success, though, starts in the net, where major goalkeeper Ben Wilt has bewitched over for splendour championship starter John Lichina.
Wilt had cue playing tempo in the playoffs, and that encounter will be considerate as the Talbots pursue their first WPIAL rubric in 20 years. "He's an stunning goalkeeper, and I was providential enough last year to have two goalkeepers that were the same standing players," Kelley said. "Benny got to put on in two of the playoff games because of a red credit card (and later one-game suspension to Lichina), and I of he learned he can rival at that level." Still, after making it to the testify championship game and losing by a goal, the visible expectation is that Hampton has the up the river track to get back.
But after 19 years between appearances, the Talbots aren't assuming anything.
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