Even for a premier boys soccer program like Snohomish, winning a state championship is never a sure thing.
But neither is it necessarily a surprise.
As the Panthers prepared for last season, they were loaded with both talent and, not surprisingly, confidence. Having reached the state semifinals the year before, and with many of the same players returning, Snohomish felt good about its chances to make a run at a Class 4A state title.
Recalling the start of last season, “we expected to get to the final four and our mindset was that we would win it,” said Panthers coach Dan Pingrey. “From Day 1, that was (the players’) direction and that was their focus. And that’s what we expected as a coaching staff as well.”
“We were showing great potential throughout the whole season,” agreed midfielder Blake Crutchfield, a key member of last year’s squad, “and I totally thought that we had a great shot at winning a state championship.”
As it turned out, the team’s expectations were right on the money. Snohomish rolled to first place in the Wesco 4A North, then won a district title, and then defeated Rogers (2-1), Skyline (2-1) and Kentwood (2-0) in state playoff games to reach the final where the Panthers edged Ferris 2-1 for the state championship.
Throughout the season, “the guys played well and scored some good goals, and I’m really proud of that from a team perspective,” Pingrey said. “And ultimately the final win and the effort the guys put into it was awesome.”
A year later, not much has changed at Snohomish. The Panthers are once again loaded, once again filled with confidence, and once again taking aim at a state title.
“With all the guys we have returning, I totally think we have an opportunity to win it again,” said Crutchfield, now a senior.
“We know we have a big target on our backs, but we’re ready for the heat,” agreed senior defender Gus Baxter. “We can definitely do it again.”
There are a few questions, of course. The Panthers lost five seniors from last year’s 20-2 team, including three starters. Among the graduates were leading scorer Uriel Herrera and starting goalkeeper Ryan Peters, both first-team all-conference selections.
Pingrey, who is starting his 15th season as the team’s head coach, is looking for ways to replace Herrera’s scoring and to find a goalkeeper to step in for Peters. Some of those decisions might take a few weeks to unfold, but Pingrey is still encouraged by the potential of “an upper-class team” with eight seniors and five juniors, and a squad that “is probably deeper than we had last year. … I have a lot of players that can play multiple positions.”
Along with Crutchfield and Baxter, the Panthers will rely on the talent and veteran experience of senior forward Tanner Corrie (the team’s No. 2 scorer last season) and junior midfielder Eric Jones. In addition, Pingrey is excited about the potential shown by freshman forward Hal Uderitz.
In the upcoming season, “I expect to see some bumps in the road,” said Pingrey, who also coached Snohomish to state titles in 2000 and 2006. “It’s not going to be easy, and a lot of that is because of what everybody else throws at you. Everybody is going to come after us, that’s a given. So even though last year was great, we can’t rest on those laurels.”
The good news, he went on, is that the Panthers “are very hungry (to repeat). And it’s fun to watch these guys getting prepared to go forward and to make something happen. … They know how tough it is to repeat, but they’re very excited to do that.”
“This team is really hungry,” Baxter confirmed. “Especially all of us seniors because we know what it feels like to win. We’re all definitely hungry to get to the championship game again because that feeling is so surreal.”
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