BOYS SOCCER: Sunnyside edges Kennewick in SO for 3A regional title

Christian Chavez and Lupe Granados scored goals in the first half and then helped Sunnyside outlast Kennewick 3-2 in a shootout to win the Class 3A bi-district championship Saturday afternoon in Sunnyside.

With postseason wins over University, Kamiakin and Kennewick, the Grizzlies (17-2) earned the top seed to state and will host a first-round match at 5 p.m. Tuesday against Auburn Mountainview.

Kennewick (13-6) will host Mid-Columbia rival Hanford (16-3) in the first round on Tuesday.

Chavez scored his 16th goal of the season in the 22nd minute, and Granados, a freshman, made it 2-0 with six minutes left in the first half.

But Kennewick rallied in the second half with a pair of goals by Ramiro Chavez to force extra play.

The Grizzlies won the shootout 4-3 with penalty kicks from Chavez, Granados, Noe Meza and Jesus Torres.

Sunnyside goalkeeper Jorge Villegas made six saves, including two in the shootout.

Scoring—1, Sun, Christian Chavez (Alexander Marin), 22:00; 2, Sun, Lupe Granados (PK), 34:00. 3, Ken, Ramiro Chavez (PK), 50:00; 4, Ken, Chavez, 60:00. Shootout goals (Sunnyside 4-3)—Sun 4, Chavez, Granados, Noe Meza, Jesus Torres, Ken 3. Saves—Sun, Jorge Villegas 6; Ken 2.

Hanford 1, Kamiakin 0: The Falcons eliminated one Mid-Columbia Conference foe in the District 5/8 regional consolation final for the right to face another MCC rival in the first round of the Class 3A state playoffs.

Mario Zarate hit Joseph Ghirardo with a diagonal feed into the box just seven minutes in, and Ghirardo flicked it over Braves goalkeeper Riley Shulman for the only goal of the match.

“(Kamiakin) is a much improved team that gave us trouble in the last game of the season,” Hanford coach Mike Pardini said. “We wanted to get back to basics. Starting quick was a big deal. We had some other opportunities, but realistically, in the postseason, all that matters is you win the game.”

Hanford (16-3) will play host to Kennewick (13-6) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams split two regular-season matchups, and Kennewick won in the second round of the District 5/8 sub-regionals. The two squads also met in last year’s Class 3A state quarterfinals.

“They’re a well-coached, well-organized team that can get at you if you’re not careful,” Pardini said. “Every time we’ve played them they’ve had a chip on their shoulder.”

Scoring—1, H, Joseph Ghirardo (Mario Zarate), 7:00. Shots—K 3, H 8. Saves—K, Riley Shulman 7. H, Jacob Thiel 3.

OTHELLO 2, GRANDVIEW 0: Jacob Quiroz and Jason Rodriguez scored goals, and keeper Angel Rangel stopped nine shots as visiting Othello beat Grandview in the CWAC district tournament, earning a 2A state tournament berth.

“It’s always tough to lose,” said Grandview coach Anne Holden, whose team went undefeated in CWAC regular-season play but was eliminated Saturday. “Sometimes you play really well, you just don’t get the results. It was a fantastic season, and I wouldn’t change it.”

The Huskies will play Cheney at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the first round.

“We lost two in a row (to Grandview) in league and districts, but we won when it counted most,” Othello coach Bernie Garza said.

Scoring—1, O, Jacob Quiroz (Hugo Martinez), 26:00. 2, O, Jason Rodriguez (Reese Jones), 51:00. Shots—Oth 8, G 9. Saves—Oth, Angel Rangel 9. Gr, Antonio Garcia, 6.

This story was originally published May 17, 2014 at 10:25 PM with the headline "BOYS SOCCER: Sunnyside edges Kennewick in SO for 3A regional title."