DAVIDSVILLE —
Postseason soccer so often comes down to a fortunate bounce, particularly when the opponents are as familiar with one another as Conemaugh Township and Rockwood.
The Indians and Rockets are WestPAC rivals who played two games this season before Saturday night's District 5-A quarterfinal match at Conemaugh Township.
Given the familiarity and what was at stake, the match was tightly played and physical, even chippy at times and, in typical fashion, low-scoring.
Not that any of it matters to top-seeded Conemaugh Township, which advanced to the semifinals with a hard-fought, 1-0 victory.
“We knew coming in this would be a physical game. We just played them for the WestPAC title,” Conemaugh Township coach Christopher Miller said. “They are by no means a No. 8 seed.”
Rockwood (11-8-1) certainly didn’t play like the lowest-seeded team in the tournament, but the Rockets were unable to keep Conemaugh Township’s Cody Ofsanko off the score sheet in the 60th minute.
Naturally, the game-winning goal was the result of being in the right place at the proper time.
Freshman Clayton Blough set up the goal for Conemaugh Township (14-2-3), which plays Fannett-Metal in the semifinals, when he maintained possession for the Indians near the Rockets’ penalty box. The ball bounced to Ofsanko, whose shot bounced off Rockwood goalie John Waltermire, who made several key saves, and into the net.
“We played them (to a scoreless draw) about three weeks ago,” Rockwood coach Mike Jenner said. “We were trying to get organized in the back. We were very organized back there in the first half, but we got a little disorganized later in the game.”
Conemaugh Township’s defense had no such problem as they shut down what few opportunities Rockwood generated against the possession-happy Indians. James Bassette, Nick Felton and even Blough helped make things easier on goalkeeper Jeff Callihan.
“They’ve been fantastic all season,” Miller said of his defense. “We’ve only given up one or two goals in most matches and, at most, I think they’ve allowed 15 shots, most times it’s under 10. It’s a credit to (Callihan) and how he keeps them organized.”
HS Sports Conemaugh Township
Conemaugh Township advances to soccer semis
- HS Sports Conemaugh Township
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Seven Conemaugh Township athletes make commitments
Dillon Boyer entered Thursday’s scholastic baseball action ranked fourth in the state with a .688 batting average.
Boyer will take those impressive numbers a few miles North on Route 219 when he continues his career at the next level. The Conemaugh Township senior will attend Pitt-Johnstown and play NCAA Division II baseball for coach Todd Williams. -
Teamwork carries Conemaugh Twp. past Windber girls
Instead of having to depend on one player, the Conemaugh Township girls are blessed with an offensive arsenal from which to choose.
On Wednesday night at Windber, the Indians had seven players score at least three points led by 25 from Megan Boyer, as Township defeated the Ramblers 65-38 in the WestPAC North contest. -
Athlete of the Week: Deanna Binnie
Name: Deanna Binnie
School: Conemaugh Township
Year: Senior
Sport: Rifle
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Conemaugh Township eliminated
Conemaugh Township matched Sewickley Academy almost shot for shot on Tuesday evening, but was unable to take advantage of two early Panthers goals that were nullified, and fell 1-0 in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.
After an initially long battle for possession at midfield, Sewickley gained the offensive advantage and looked as though it was going to quickly take the lead as forward Mackenzie Coles appeared to score off of a long kick by Sophia Werner that was mishandled by Township goal keeper Jenna Telenko. -
Conemaugh Twp. girls, Windber boys capture titles
The Conemaugh Township Indians won their third straight District 5-A girls soccer championship at Somerset Area High School in the first game of doubleheader with a 3-0 victory over North Star.
In the nightcap, Windber captured its first district crown with a 1-0 shootout win over Conemaugh Township in the 5-A boys title match. -
Windber-Conemaugh Township highlights soccer slate
The Windber boys soccer team is no stranger to playing Conemaugh Township. After all, the Ramblers ran into the Indians twice during the regular season and came away with one victory and one draw.
What’s different about today’s game is the stakes. -
Friday preview: Battle of unbeatens highlights slate
A battle of two 9-0, state-ranked teams highlights our weekly look at Friday-night matchups.
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Conemaugh Township advances to soccer semis
Postseason soccer so often comes down to a fortunate bounce, particularly when the opponents are as familiar with one another as Conemaugh Township and Rockwood.
The Indians and Rockets are WestPAC rivals who played two games this season before Saturday night's District 5-A quarterfinal match at Conemaugh Township. -
Friday preview: Forest Hills concerned about Bishop Guilfoyle
Bishop Guilfoyle accomplished something not many believed possible during last week’s win against Cambria Heights. The Marauders significantly hampered the Highlanders’ high-powered run game.
Don’t be surprised if Bishop Guilfoyle’s blueprint for defensive success is copied by other members of the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference when going against Cambria Heights. -
Conemaugh Twp. answers challenge
Conemaugh Township coach Sam Zambanini issued a challenge to his young, winless team and the Indians met it as they left Meyersdale with a convincing 35-20 victory, a result from grit and costly Red Raiders turnovers.
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