By BUTCH HARMON
For the second time in three years, the Williamston boys soccer team reached the state championship match in Division 3. The Hornets reached this year’s title game against Unity Christian and turned in a solid match before dropping a 1-0 decision.
Williamston fell in the 2012 state title match to Grand Rapids South Christian.
Williamston ended the season with a 14-4-6 record. The Hornets defeated Tawas 3-0 in the semifinal to reach the title match.
Reaching the finals may be something that becomes a habit for Williamston, as many of this year’s top players were juniors. Junior Josh Ward led the team in points with 11 goals and 13 assists, while junior Zach Griffin added 18 goals and three assists, and junior Ben Ganton scored 14 goals and added five assists.
Two other area teams also reached the regional round in the state tournament. Lansing Catholic fell to Paw Paw in the regional semifinal, while Swan Valley fell to Imlay City in another regional semifinal.
In Division 1, Okemos was ranked first in the state for much of the season. It reached the elite eight in the state tournament before falling to Saline 3-2 in the regional final.
In Division 2, East Lansing won the state championship.
Mason defeted St. Joseph and Holland Christian to win the regional championship before dropping a 3-2 decision to East Lansing in the state semifinal.
In Division 4, Valley Lutheran reached the regional final. It defeated Genesee 1-0 in the regional semifinal before fallling to Harbor Beach in the regional title match.