2023 PIAA Class 2A boys soccer championship preview: Camp Hill vs. Quaker Valley

By: Bill Hartlep
Thursday, November 16, 2023 | 4:34 PM

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PIAA Class 2A boys soccer championship

Camp Hill (19-2-2) vs. Quaker Valley (20-4)

1 p.m. Friday at Eagle View MS, Mechanicsburg

On the air: PCN-TV

Seeds: Camp Hill 3-2, Quaker Valley 7-2

How they got here: Camp Hill defeated Scranton Prep, 4-1; Northwestern Lehigh, 1-0; and Blue Mountain, 1-0. Quaker Valley beat Bedford, 7-0; Shady Side Academy, 2-1; and Central Columbia, 1-0.

Coaches: Justin Sheaffer, Camp Hill; J.J. Veshio, Quaker Valley

Players to watch: Mac Sarff, Camp Hill; Nick Allan, Quaker Valley

PIAA titles: Camp Hill 2 (2016, ‘17); Quaker Valley 9 (1985, ‘91, ‘93, ‘95, ‘96, 2000, ‘17, ‘19, ‘21)

Corner kicks: District 3 runner-up Camp Hill is looking for its third state title in its fifth finals appearance. The Lions moved up from Class A last year but have remained contenders in 2A. Sarff has recorded 16 shutouts this season and had eight saves in the semifinals. Ty Kirchhoff scored the winning goal off an assist from Lorenzo Lici in the seventh minute against Blue Mountain on Tuesday. Camp Hill defeated Quaker Valley’s neighbor, Sewickley Academy, 4-1, to win the 2016 Class A title. The Lions beat North Catholic, 3-2 in overtime, for the championship in 2017. … After losing to South Park, 1-0, in the WPIAL championship match, the Quakers have been strong across the board, outscoring opponents 10-1 in the PIAA tournament. Jack Karwoski scored the winning goal in the semifinals, lifting the Quakers to the PIAA finals for the 15th time. Kiril Grin had 14 goals to lead the Quakers in the regular season, and Allan had 13. Allan, a senior midfielder, senior defender Matteo Castellini and senior forward Bennett Haas were All-WPIAL selections. The Quakers are looking for their 10th state championship. They beat Lewisburg 1-0 (5-4 PKs) to win the 2021 crown after Allen scored the winning goal in penalty kicks.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: Quaker Valley