Through Crooked Path, Mustangs Found New Heights
by Phil Blackwell

What culminated Sunday afternoon in the late autumn sun in Oneonta had
its roots four years ago.  That was when the rudderless Marcellus boys soccer
program was put in the capable charge of Jennifer Griffin.

Under her guidance, the Mustangs have gone from also-ran to challenger, then
to contender, and finally to a level it has never reached before – that of state
champions.  If people didn’t realize just how much Marcellus had improved from
2002 to 2005, it wasn’t because the boys were not trying to break through.

Griffin’s first contender, in 2002, was taken out in penalty kicks by Chittenango.
A year later, the Mustangs were in the Section III Class B-2 finals, only to be
beaten by Bishop Ludden.

The 2004 season was even more frustrating. Marcellus was rolling along until its top forward, junior Scott Campbell,
suffered a season-ending injury. Without him, the Mustangs struggled for goals, yet still took archrival Skaneateles to a
shoot-out in the sectional playoffs – where it was beaten again.

While all this was going on, the Marcellus boys were pushed further into the shadows by their female counterparts, who
were busy delivering back-to-back state Class B titles to add to the one it already earned in 1989.

At first, 2005 looked to be no different than the other disappointments. Campbell was back, but Marcellus started 1-4. If
anyone dared suggest that these Mustangs would end its season in triumph in Oneonta, they weren’t talking too loud.

Somewhere in late September, though, everything started to click, all at the same time, and all over the field. Every aspect
of the Mustangs’ game would excel, and it would lose just one time over its final 20 games.

As it always does with soccer championship teams, the surge was based on strong defense.  A quartet of seniors served
as the anchors. Twin brothers John and Dan Walsh combined with Kyle Duck and Pat Richardson to form a formidable
back line that filled up every inch of space and made opposing attackers miserable.

Meanwhile, sophomore Kyle Blackmer provided a steady presence in goal,
showing maturity and confidence well beyond his youth.  More leadership came
in the midfield, from seniors like Tom Szpak, Zack Zbikowski, Justin White and
Kevin Dooley. Their speed and dribbling ability wore out other teams who were
forced into futile chases. And when they needed a breather, sophomore John
Henry Jackson ably stepped in.

Up front, all kinds of heroes emerged. Every goal sophomore Alex Rouse scored
seemed to be a big one, especially the “golden goal” in overtime against Canton
that sent Marcellus to the state final four. Kevin Merriman, John Kermes,
Brendan Crowley and Joe Sullivan also came up with timely tallies.

As with most championship teams, Marcellus needed some breaks. It didn’t win the OHSL Liberty division title, going
0-1-1 against eventual champion Skaneateles, but the Lakers were knocked out of the sectional Class B tournament by
Westhill in the quarterfinals, freeing up the Mustangs’ path to a title.

And Campbell plowed right through it. Having sat on the sidelines a year earlier, he nearly carried Marcellus in the last steps to its first sectional title in 20 years, pulling out back-to-back three-goal hat tricks – first in the semifinals against
Sherburne-Earlville, then in the finals against Clinton.

After that, the Mustangs still had serious hurdles, from the OT scare with Canton to the comeback it needed in Oneonta
to beat Cold Spring Harbor in the semifinals. Every time, Marcellus found the magic it needed, and by Sunday, no team,
not even Spackenkill, could keep the Mustangs from claiming the ultimate prize.

What made it all the more satisfying was that it had been such a struggle. All nine seniors had been with Griffin from the
start of her tenure, and went through the near-misses and the disappointments of the last through years, and they stuck
together, using that adversity as fuel to achieve something greater.

In the shadow of the National Soccer Hall of Fame Sunday afternoon, the
Marcellus boys soccer team climbed out of every other shadow it faced,
especially that of the girls at their own school, and stood at the top, basking
in the sun – and basking in the glory of a state championship, too. ~

Marcellus High School
2005 New York State Champion
Boys Soccer Team

Submit your news and photos to: breagan@marcellusny.com