SLATINGTON — If Tyler Yeakel could’ve put down his crutches, he would’ve joined his fellow Schuylkill Haven seniors on the pitch.
In the closing moments of Wednesday night’s 8-0 loss to Moravian Academy in the District 11 Class A championship at Northern Lehigh High School’s Bulldog Stadium, 10 seniors — missing only the injured Yeakel and Brandon Edelman — shared the workload together, as a lot of them had through so much success during their time together.
“I would’ve loved to go out there,” Yeakel said with a smile. “I had my bag over there. I kept saying about putting me in.
“It’s just unfortunate,” Yeakel added about the season-ending knee injury he sustained Sept. 24. “I’d never wish this upon anyone. It’s just unlucky, being senior year and everything.”
With or without Yeakel and Edelman, top-ranked Moravian (18-3) impressed from the beginning Wednesday night.
Just two minutes into the game, Nic Lozano finished a corner play with a header to put the Lions ahead 1-0. Moravian had three corners in the first three minutes.
The Lions added to their lead in the 16th minute after Hurricanes senior keeper Brad Fryer made a sprawling save to his left, but the rebound bounced right to Jeff Brown for an easy tap-in.
Brown scored again two minutes before halftime on tic-tac-toe passing between he and Ryan Peslis.
The Hurricanes’ only shot on goal during the game came on Kristian Svenson’s free kick from 50 yards away in the 28th minute.
Schuylkill Haven (14-6-2) nearly cut its deficit in half in the 34th minute after two nice passes by Dawson Evitts and Aidan Inman set up Cole Handling near the 18-yard box, but a hard touch allowed the ball to roll to Moravian keeper Marshall Merwine-Hanyon.
“We didn’t have a great start at the beginning of the game,” Schuylkill Haven coach Vanco Georgevic said. “We knew they were very fast. It’s a very good team we played. Not to take anything away from them, but we made some mistakes.”
Georgovic noted losing Edelman to injury in the district semifinals against Nativity at Tamaqua on Monday hit the Hurricane back line hard, especially since the side hadn’t practiced without the senior in the lineup.
Moravian, as it has all postseason, took full advantage. The Lions have now outscored opponents 31-5 in five playoff games, including their two en route to the Colonial League title.
Moravian’s most recent win dethrones its predecessor. Schuylkill Haven won three of the last five District 11 Class A championships — appearing in eight straight.
Looking back on that figure isn’t so bad for Yeakel, despite the gut-wrenching feeling of watching Wednesday night’s game from the bench.
“Best four years of my life. No doubt,” Yeakel said. “Give credit to all those guys on the field tonight. They all played their hearts out. I know the scoreboard doesn’t show it, but I know they did.”
It didn’t get much easier in the second half as the Lions’ goals started coming in bunches.
Peslis scored eight minutes in on a well-placed through ball by Jack McCambridge to put Moravian up 4-0.
A minute later, in the 49th, Lozano struck again with a header finish on a Peter Neligan corner.
In the 50th, Neligan notched his own by redirecting a Tanner Shane kick from 25 yards.
Phil Astolfi and Kevin Loughlin added goals in the 55th and 63rd minutes, respectively, to set the final.
It might not have been the color of medal the Hurricanes wanted hanging around their necks, but the fact that Schuylkill Haven has earned either silver or gold in each of the last eight years is nothing short of astonishing.
“That speaks volumes for the program,” Georgevic said. “It’s not easy to get to this point. I’m proud of the team. I’m proud of the seniors.
“In the end, I was just happy they could be on the field together because they’ve done a lot for the program.”
But even those seniors know you don’t win them all. And winning what they have is nothing to forget.
“All four years we’ve been on this team, we’ve had so much heart,” Yeakel said. “You gotta win some and you lose some. It doesn’t always come out our way.”
Game Summary
District 11 Class A Championship
At Northern Lehigh High School
Sch. Haven (14-6-2) 0 0 — 0 Moravian (18-3) 3 5 — 8
M —Lozano (Shane), 2nd minute
M —Brown, 16th minute
M —Brown (Peslis), 38th minute
M —Peslis (McCambridge), 48th minute
M —Lozano (Neligan), 49th minute
M —Neligan (Shane), 50th minute
M —Astolfi (Painter), 55th minute
M —Loughlin (Woolley), 63rd minute
Shots on goal: Schuylkill Haven 1, Moravian 23. Corner kicks: Schuylkill Haven 0, Moravian 9. Saves: Schuylkill Haven (Fryer 11, Zimmerman 3) 14, Moravian (Merwine-Hanyon 1, Joseph 0, Elmi 0) 1.