Chargers top Maroons in overtime for first regional title in 13 years | Sport

CHARLESTON – Fifteen years ago last Thursday, Thair Al-Saqri won a regional championship playing for the Centennial boys soccer team. By the end of Friday night, he won one as a coach, with his Chargers beating Champaign Central 2-1 in overtime of the Class 2A Charleston Regional final, their first title since 2011.

“It’s kind of fun right now,” Al-Saqri said as he waited with the team for his festive Wendy’s Frosty. “I was 0-2 in the girls regional final, so this is nice. It feels like a monkey has been taken off my shoulder. These guys certainly deserved it. We have built a sense of pride because we believe Centennial is back where it needs to be. Finally these boys can taste this victory. It was pretty amazing.”

The Maroons (7-13-1) got on the board first, as Ishan Kalsotra overwhelmed the Centennial defense with a goal after just three minutes.

From that point on, the Chargers (13-7-2) took over and controlled possession for most of the game, thanks in large part to Lincoln Meyers. They tied the game with an Isaac Ramos goal off a Tyler Luchinski corner kick with 21 minutes left and headed into extra time with confidence.

Early in extra time, Ramos passed the ball over the central defense to Lucas Pianfetti, who then buried the winning goal. In the end, it was another classic crosstown rivalry game, this time with postseason hardware on the line.

“Everyone is 0-0 when you start the play-offs,” Al-Saqri said. “It didn’t matter how many games Central won or lost. Everyone gets a fresh start in the playoffs, and that’s the best part about it.”

While the Maroons didn’t have the best season, they stepped up when it mattered most, which is why Central coach Alex Zarco still considers this campaign a success.

“We have struggled to play well all season. We couldn’t find anything and nothing was coming our way,” Zarco said. “I told the guys it all comes down to the playoffs. If we win, we move on, and if we lose, we’re done. We needed everyone’s effort, and that’s what they gave me. It was a Central-Centennial game in the regional finals. It was intense, we stuck to the plan and it was almost done.”