It took some time for sophomores Angel Fuentes and Ryan Hendon to mesh as Station Camp's top scoring prospects.
The Bison have been one of the best teams in the state since the freshman duo found it.
Fuentes had a hat trick in the first half, scoring four goals, and Hendon added two more in a 9-2 victory over defending state champion Valor College Prep in the Region 5-AA semifinals.
“As this season has gone on, me and him have just been accumulating goals for the team. That was very important to us,” Hendon said.
Hendon scored in each half Wednesday, bringing his total to 25 points in the last month of play.
Fuentes scored three consecutive goals against Valor, extending his recent hot streak. His first shot went past goalkeeper Devon Colclough, his second he evaded two defenders and he darted around the box before firing his third.
Added to that by a bounce shot to start the second half, Fuentes now has 10 points in Station Camp's last four games.
“Ryan and Angel had never even played together before this year,” Bison coach Jeremy Cook said. “…They really have confidence in each other’s abilities and their own abilities.”
The semifinal scoring began less than two minutes later for Valor (8-8-2) on a Zain Abdelhadi free kick.
A minute later, Hendon fed the ball to Sieg Rowland, who fired a shot at Colclough, who was out of position.
Fuentes had a hat trick, giving the Bison a 4-1 lead before halftime. Abdelhadi added another point for the Wildcats, but Hendon, Fuentes, Will Hackford and Spencer Schatz all fought back, forcing a lag against the 2022 runner-up and 2023 champion in the same class. .
Cook quipped to assistant coach Jason Taylor 10 minutes into the second half. He said: “If I told you we had scored six (or) seven goals in that many minutes, you would think we were crazy.''
“We knew from the beginning that this area was one of the toughest in the state,” he said. “It’s going to be a challenge for them and MLK.”
Station Camp's offense scored its 58th point in the last 10 games Wednesday, with Hendon and Fuentes leading the way.
Hendon roams the field in formation, while Fuentes takes on the traditional scoring role up front. Depending on how he plays defense, Hendon can receive the ball or draw defenders from a distance, giving his classmates a greater chance of scoring.
“There's no specific way to play,” Hendon said. “But we just want to play for each other and go down that path.”
The Bison (14-5-2) will advance to Thursday's Region 5-AA title game against MLK Magnet, and from there will play either Chester County or Lexington in Saturday's sectional.
“I think this is a huge statement game,” Hendon said. “This just shows that we deserve to be in this state (tournament).
“We know what we're capable of. We're definitely going to come out here and set the tone for how we want to perform at state and come out front and beat the defending champions 9-2. It’s a statement.”
