Maconaquah Schools

The Maconaquah Braves’ Soccer Team punched their ticket to regionals after defeating the Oak Hill Eagles in the Sectional Championship game on Saturday night. The win earned the Braves the title of back-to-back Sectional Champions! The boy’s soccer program has won 4 sectional titles in their history, with this win notching their first repeat as sectional winners. The Braves were matched up against a very talented Oak Hill team who had reached the finals by defeating Northwestern 5-0. The championship game scoring started slowly as the teams spent the first 20 minutes feeling each other out and settling their nerves. The Braves struck first as Colton Beebe took a free kick from just passed midfield. The kick was intended for Braves’ strikers to make a play on it, but it sailed over Joe Manueles’ head, took one bounce, and ended up in the back of the net. With under 5 minutes to play in the half, Luis Mendoza playing a ball out to Darwin Aguiriano who chipped it up to Joe in the middle of the box. After a scrum involving the goalie, a few defenders, and Joe – Joe’s effort came out on top as he flicked the loose ball into the goal, making it 2-0. The Braves’ excitement was dampened quickly, as Oak Hill scored via a long throw in just 45 seconds later. The Braves carried a 2-1 lead into halftime. In the second half, the Eagles struck first with a game tying goal. The competition stayed tight with each team making runs in an attempt to break the tie throughout the 2nd half. With 14 minutes left in the match, Luis took the ball up the right sideline before dropping it to Evan Zeiser who immediately played it into the middle where Jaxon Cole was waiting. Jaxon was able to elude defenders with a short pass up to Joe who took the one-on-one opportunity with the goalie to score his second goal of the match! The Eagles pressed hard throughout the rest of the match in a failed attempt to find an equalizer as the Braves’ defense accepted the challenge and stifled each attempt. When the clock showed zeros, the Braves were still on top. With a final score of 3-2, the Braves captured back-to-back Sectional Championships! Coach Wilhelm was ecstatic after the win. While holding his 6-month-old son and standing near his wife and parents after the match, he said, “What a great season! Going back-to-back didn’t always seem like a possibility, but these kids have worked so hard for it. It just all came together perfectly. We’re excited for another shot at West Lafayette in regionals.” Coach Sparks took a break from doing a TikTok dance to add, “This was a team win. From start to finish, selflessness is what got us here tonight. What a great game to be a part of…these boys have earned this title and I happy to play a small role in that process. Now let’s go win regionals!” “MVPs of the Match” – THE 2026 BACK-TO-BACK SECTIONAL CHAMPION MACONAQUAH BRAVES – the whole team – the starters, the subs, the guys on the bench, the practice players – every one of them have helped build this team to become what it has. The Braves return to Maconaquah Stadium next week as they host the first round of regionals on Thursday night (Oct 15) against West Lafayette. If you haven’t seen these boys play, come out and support the team for the big regional matchup on Thursday!