How did Marion County high school boys soccer teams fare in the postseason?
With Trinity Catholic falling to Providence School on Wednesday night, the hunt for Marion County's first state boys soccer title ends.
The farthest an area boys team has advanced in the state playoffs was St. John Lutheran in 1997, when Class 3A needed four wins for a state championship.
Despite not having postseason success, soccer was strong throughout the county this past season. Three of the eight teams to take the pitch during the 2022-23 season made the district finals match. Forest finished the regular season undefeated and took the MCIAC championship.
It's time to review the postseason while the dirt remains on their cleats and the grass stains are fresh on their jerseys. You'll find records and how far each team went in the playoffs.
Early districts resultsMarion County Boys High School Soccer playoff updates for districts
How did our predictions turn out?Three Marion County boys high school soccer teams to watch in district competition
A rivalry worth trackingForest boys and girls soccer teams sweep Vanguard in last matchup of the regular season
West Port
Record: 11-6-2, district quarterfinal
The Wolf Pack were one of three Marion County teams to post double-digit wins. Despite earning home field advantage as the fourth seed at districts, West Port fell to Apopka, 4-1.
Trinity Catholic
Record: 11-6-3, regional quarterfinal
The Celtics went 3-2-2 against in-county teams. Trinity Catholic beat Interlachen 8-0 and P.K. Yonge 2-1 during the district tournament. They were one point from tying Williston in the 3A district 4 title game before losing, 2-1. Then, in the regional quarterfinal, Providence scored a goal early in the second half and the Celtics couldn't respond, falling 1-0.
"It would be a good feeling to have more teams make it to the quarterfinal because, at the end of the day, we all represent Marion County. It does feel good to make it there, and it was all through hard work and sweat throughout the season," Trinity Catholic head soccer coach Gary Saint Fleur said.
Vanguard
Record: 4-10-3, district quarterfinal
The Knights were better than their record suggests. Eleven of their 17 games were decided by two goals or less. Leesburg beat Vanguard in a shootout in the district quarterfinals.
Forest
Record: 15-1-6, district finals
The Wildcats bulldozed through the season without suffering a loss. Their first setback of the season came from Gainesville, a top 20 team in the nation according to MaxPreps, by 1.
"I'm proud of the sense of community and family the boys have with each other. We're going to come out of this even stronger, and I have a feeling we're going to come back and win the district," Forest head soccer coach Jason Wigginton said.
Lake Weir
Record: 8-7-1, district final
The Hurricanes bounced back from last year's below .500 record to finish one game over .500. Lake Weir beat North Marion in the district semifinal and fell 2-0 at The Villages in the championship game.
Dunnellon
Record: 0-15, district quarterfinals
The Tigers struggled this season. They were eliminated from the postseason in an 8-0 shutout by Crystal River.
North Marion
Record: 3-14-1, district semifinals
North Marion secured a first round bye as the third seed in the district tournament. The Colts fell to Lake Weir 1-0 in the semifinals.
Belleview
Record: 9-5-3, district semifinals
The Rattlers earned the No. 1 seed and a bye in the district tournament. Belleview won or tied in 10 of their in-county matchups. But Belleview came up short to Leesburg, 3-2, in the district semifinals.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Results from Marion County high school boys soccer teams' postseason
