Dan Stickradt
Sports Scene
TROY — ‘Winning championships’ and ‘Troy Athens soccer’ are two phrases that go together. Few large schools in Michigan have enjoyed as much soccer success over the years as Athens has.
Under the tutelage of former coach Tim Storch, Athens captured legions of league, district, regional, and state titles in boys’ and girls’ soccer between 1981-2011. When Storch retired from teaching at Athens in June of 2011 and moved to Alpena, his replacement was one of his former players, Todd Heugh, a 1990 graduate of Athens.
So it’s not surprising that Athens captured another conference crown this season under Heugh. What is surprising is that the Red Hawks did it without the being the league favorite.
OAA Red Division league member Rochester Stoney Creek won the previous two titles was ranked No. 1 in the state heading into the final week of the regular season. It was the preseason favorite.
“I don’t think anyone gave us a chance [in the preseason],” admitted Heugh, whose team had climbed to the No. 5 spot in the May 20 state rankings. “But we got it done. We don’t give up a ton of goals.”
In early May, Troy Athens became the only team to defeat Stoney Creek this season by posting a 3-1 victory. The Red Hawks went 11-4-4 in the regular season against quality competition. They are unbeaten in OAA Red Division play at 5-0-2 (17 points). Stoney Creek finished 5-1-1 (16 points) in league play.
Athens has lost to fellow top-10 teams Saline, Utica Eisenhower, and Detroit Country Day.
The league crown this season marks the 35th such title between boys’ and girls’ soccer in school history. Heugh also coached Athens’ boys’ team to league and district titles in the fall of 2012.
Overall, Athens has outscored the opposition by a 30-12 count this season, and junior goalkeeper Amanda Harris has picked up 12 shutouts between the pipes. An all-state third team selection last year, Harris anchors the back and has a 0.67 goals-against average.
Sophomore forward/midfielder Ashley Leonard has led the Athens offense with 15 goals, 50 percent of her team’s offensive output.
Athens won a district title last season when it finished a respectable 9-5-10 — that’s right, a state record 10 ties. “A couple of those ties we had last year we have turned into wins,” noted Heugh. “We are more mature this season, a little better than we were last season when we had all of those ties. We are hard to score upon, and offensively, Ashley Leonard has really stepped up to lead us.”
Junior Silvanna Mancini has emerged rock solid in the midfield, along with seniors Claire Nord and Shannon Birney. Juniors Elena Manzo and Hannah Schell have been sturdy in the backfield, along with goalkeeper Harris.
Last season, Athens lost in a shootout in the Division 1 regional semifinal to Utica Ford II, a team that reached the state semifinal. The Red Hawks, who captured state crowns in 1989, 1991, 1993, and 2000, will begin their quest for a championship May 26 against Royal Oak.
Athens tied Royal Oak this season, 0-0, and defeated the Ravens 2-1 in a shootout in last year’s district final.
“It’s never easy,” said Heugh, who was head coach of Rochester’s 2002 boys’ soccer Division 1 state championship team and who started on Athens’ Class A state title squad back in 1989. “There’s a lot of good teams in our league and in our district. Games are usually very close and we know we have to play well in order [to advance].”