Players to Watch: PIAA Boys State Finals

The PIAA soccer state championships are back at Mechanicsburg this weekend and for the first time since the finals were moved to the new location from Hershey in 2022, a team from host Cumberland Valley will be in it. The CV boys soccer team will play Parkland at 10 a.m. on Saturday.   The games kick off on Friday morning at 10 a.m. with Radnor playing Moon Area in an East vs West final in the 3A boys championship. The 1A boys final is at 4 p.m. with Lancaster Mennonite playing Brentworth. Northwestern Lehigh plays Cathedral Prep, defending 3A boys champions, in the 2A final at 4 p.m.    Fisk has been a consistent and cerebreal force for Radnor over the past 3-4 seasons and on Friday morning he'll have a chance to end his soccer career with what would be his school's first state title since 2004. His ability to read the game and to smooth over the edges of any chaos the opponent will try to cause in the box could be the deciding factor.     While Moon has a number of attacking players who can beat you, it's been Silva that's stepped up to play the hero with game-winning goals in each of the last two playoff games for Moon. His height and ability to win balls in the air will have to be dealt with by a Radnor team that outside of Fisk is not particularly tall.     Van Lierop has been something of a legend in high school soccer circles since his panenka penalty kick as a sophomore in the postseason in 2022 and he's come back for his senior year just absolutely brutalizing defenses to the tune of 71 goals. NW Lehigh hasn't really been challenged in the run to the state final but they'll face a Cathedral Prep team that won the 3A final last year so they'll need some more of that Van Lierop magic.     DiSanza is one of several key returners from last year's 3A state title run and his presence defensively and ability to find ways to contribute off dead balls in the final third could be a factor in slowing down a NW Lehigh team that is flying high after an 8-2 semifinal win.     Amisi is LM's leader in goals this season and stepped up with the lone goal in their semifinal win over defending 2A champs Camp Hill to get to Friday's state final. The Blazers will need to get Amisi service and create opportunities for him to do what he's done throughout the season.     Moessner was the Class A WPIAL player of the year and he's scored 36 goals for his squad so he will definitely be a player poised and hungry to lead his side to the program's first state title. He's good on the half turn, has a quick trigger and likes to combine with his teammates so LM will want to limit his touches as best they can.     Sipling has been outstanding in the postseason for Parkland with 3 saves in a shootout to lead Parkland to a district title and another strong PK shootout showing in the quarterfinals against Northeast. He kept a clean sheet in Parkland's 2-0 win over Great Valley and had a shutout in their first round win over Phoenixville.     Cumberland Valley also has a goalkeeper who can steal the show in senior Michael Hoy. Hoy is an excellent shot stopper who is quick on his feet and good in 1v1 situations.     Marino has been clutch all season long for Radnor with a flair for dramatic overtime game-winners and key contributions at important times. If Radnor is going to capture the school's first state title in 20 years he could very well be the guy who scores the winner.     Watching highlights of Cumberland Valley's run to the program's first state final, a lot of players have contributed to the success but Handy is one who has stood out in many of the highlight videos for his athleticism and disruption he creates in the final third.     Fritz had an impressive goal to lead Parkland to the school's first state final so he's full of confidence and no doubt hungry for some more highlights for his reel.     Bentworth hasn't given up a goal since September and they've recorded 18 clean sheets this season thanks to a stingy defense and the goalkeeper of senior DJ Hays.

The PIAA soccer state championships are back at Mechanicsburg this weekend and for the first time since the finals were moved to the new location from Hershey in 2022, a team from host Cumberland Valley will be in it. The CV boys soccer team will play Parkland at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

The games kick off on Friday morning at 10 a.m. with Radnor playing Moon Area in an East vs West final in the 3A boys championship. The 1A boys final is at 4 p.m. with Lancaster Mennonite playing Brentworth. Northwestern Lehigh plays Cathedral Prep, defending 3A boys champions, in the 2A final at 4 p.m.