This is when all the hard work should pay off. The opening round of the boys soccer regional playoffs is Friday, and teams around the area are hoping that all their preparation will catapult them to success.
The Class 3A East Region stands out as the toughest. Several coaches have called it the “bracket of death” because it is the only region with a 14th seed and it features the most dense concentration of quality Baltimore-area teams.
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The region?s 14th seed is an unexpected one: River Hill. The Hawks, who finished as 3A state co-champions with Towson last year, wound up drawing the lowest seed of any team in all the regions despite a record of 8-2-4.
“The mentality going in was we are going to have to play good teams no matter what,” River Hill coach Matt Shagogue said. “We have to be ready for them.”
River Hill opens against Mount Hebron, a team they are more than familiar with through regular-season pay in Howard County.
Since it happens so frequently each year, having familiar opposition in a region bracket is no clear advantage or disadvantage, according to some coaches.
“The kids get certain attitudes towards teams, and it can hurt you good or bad,” Arundel coach Nick Jauschnegg said.
In the 4A East, Arundel (10-2-2) is the top seed among seven other Anne Arundel County teams, including No. 2 Chesapeake and No. 3 Broadneck.
“The good thing about the tournament now is that anybody can win,” Jauschnegg said. “You can have one good night and knock off one good win and you can have a chance.”
Playing teams from the same county or league is unavoidable, but some teams endure a tough schedule early in the season to be stronger for the playoffs. Loch Raven opened the season with a narrow 3-2 overtime loss to Calvert Hall, and since that time, according to Raiders coach Joe Fiedler, his players have believed in themselves, going 11-3 in the regular season.
“The tough schedule has really paid off,” Fiedler said.
Regular-season schedules and records aside, every team gets a shot at the postseason, and that is what makes the playoffs so unpredictable.
“You have got to take it game by game,” said coach Scott Smith of Century, the 2A West?s top seed. “When you start looking ahead, that is when people start knocking you off.”
