Dallas knocks off defending state champ to win D2-3A title

Home High School High School Soccer Dallas knocks off defending state champ to win D2-3A title Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin ReddIt Email Print By John Erzar [email protected] Dallas celebrates Saturday’s District 2 Class 3A championship on Saturday after knocking off reigning state champion Abington Heights. Buck Norton-Jennings | For Times Leader Abe Hobson-Tomascik collects the ball for Dallas on Saturday. Buck Norton-Jennings | For Times Leader Dallas goalkeeper Brandon Miller comes up with the ball to turn away Abington Heights. Buck Norton-Jennings | For Times Leader Dallas’ Kevin Osipower (25) carves out some space before making a pass on Saturday. Buck Norton-Jennings | For Times Leader Dallas celebrates the lone goal of the match by Abe Hobson-Tomascik in Saturday’s District 2 Class 3A championship. Buck Norton-Jennings | For Times Leader ❮ ❯ 🔊 Listen to this DALLAS TWP. — There will be a new PIAA Class 3A boys soccer state champion. Dallas made sure of that on a windy Saturday afternoon. In a game where each team traded dominant stretches, it took a scramble in front of the goal and a shoulder not a foot to propel the Mountaineers to a 1-0 victory over defending state champ Abington Heights in the District 2 Class 3A title game. Abe Hobson-Tomascik scored the game’s only goal with 5:50 remaining off a restart from about 40 yards away by David Da Silva. Players from both team battled for possession near the goal, but Hobson-Tomascik was able to flick the ball in with his right shoulder. “I saw it bouncing up and I just redirected it,” Hobson-Tomascik said. “I saw keeper already diving that way so I hit it with my shoulder the other way. It was a slow goal, but he thought the ball was going over here and he couldn’t get it it.” The victory was the 14th in a row for Dallas (17-1-1). The Mountaineers opened the season with a 3-2 loss to West Scranton and tied D2-4A champion Wyoming Valley West 2-2 on Sept. 10. Since then, it’s been all victories, with Saturday’s the biggest of them all. The win also avenged a 5-0 loss to Abington Heights in last season’s title contest. “They knocked us out last year,” Hobson-Tomascik said. “They embarrassed us last year. It was 5-0. We’ve been preparing for 372 days I think. Every single day. “It’s an amazing feeling to come back here on our home field and win the district championship, especially because it’s my senior year. There’s no better feeling.” Dallas will return to the PIAA 3A playoffs for the first time since 2024 when it defeated Abington Heights in penalty kicks for the district championship. The Mountaineers will host District 1 runner-up Springfield Township (16-4) on Tuesday. Abington Heights (14-5-1) didn’t get a quality look after Hobson-Tomascik’s goal. The Comets even moved goalkeeper Billy Johnson into the attack, but the Mountaineers withstood the pressure. “You get into crunch time the last couple minutes and you throw the kitchen sink at them to get one over the line,” Abington Heights coach Frank Dyska said. “I still think we did a fine job trying to create some opportunities and make something happen.” The first half was divided in two segments after the initial minutes. Dallas dominated for a stretch and thought it had a goal when Kevin Osipower ran onto a pass through the penalty area from Hobson-Tomascik and scored, only for it to be negated by an offside call. The Comets flipped the momentum just before halftime, but Dallas keeper Brandon Miller came up with a save to keep the game scoreless. The second half played out similarly. Dallas, though, was able to sustain more offense overall. “We were talking about this all year long where we wanted to stay patient,” Dallas coach Jesse Williams said. “Not everything is going to go our way all the time and we have to conduct ourselves the same whether we’re up four, down four or any situation in between. “We talked about it last year keeping our composure while maintaining our intensity.” District 2 Class 3A Championship Dallas 1, Abington Heights 0 Abington Heights`0`0 — 0 Dallas`0`1 — 1 Second Half — DAL, Abe Hobson-Tomascik (David Da Silva) 74:10. Shots — AH 6, DAL 8. Saves — AH 7 (Billy Johnson), DAL 6 (Brandon Miller). Corners — AH 6, DAL 3. Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. Subscribers enjoy valuable benefits, including full access to our e-edition, a reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more. Your support helps ensure independent, high-quality local news remains available today and for future generations. Thank you for standing with local journalism. Click for subscription offers.