Wheeling Park owned the opening half, going into the break with a 1-0 lead and momentum.

Hurricane dominated the second half against an undermanned Park squad, scoring four unanswered goals.

At the end of 80 minutes, Hurricane came out on top, 4-1, to advance to Saturday’s championship game against Woodrow Wilson High School. Woodrow defeated Morgantown High School earlier in the day, also by a 4-1 score.

The game was physical from the opening whistle, with both teams quickly moving the ball. Park’s opening half saw the Patriots take 10 corner kicks, have several solid scoring opportunities and, aside from a 15-minute stretch in the middle of the half, control much of the play. Senior Wilson Hanna cashed in at the 25-minute mark of the half off a broken play, putting the Patriots on the board, 1-0, a score that would hold up for the rest of the half.

Hurricane came out firing early in the second 40 minutes, scoring a quick goal just a few minutes in to tie the score at 1. The game stayed tied until the momentum fully shifted when a Park defender was given a red card for a tackle at midfield, which led the Patriots to play a man down for the final 30 minutes of play.

Hurricane took full advantage of the extra man, cashing in three times in the next 14 minutes to put the game out of reach.

Wheeling Park came into the game on a 14-match winning streak, with its last loss coming on Sept. 6 — a 1-0 decision to Hurricane.

Park head coach Mario Julian said playing a man down in the second half against such a strong team made the task even more difficult.

At halftime, “We talked about finishing the game and we talked about open space, because it was such a big field. Giving up an early second half goal and then getting the red card that sent our player off, it really took a lot out of the team,” Julian said. “They really fought hard, to the last minute.

“The season’s over, so we’re obviously disappointed. We felt like we had an opportunity with this group to potentially win a state championship, but we fell a game short.”

Julian’s 2025 squad finished 18-4. He said what makes this loss even more tough to swallow is this is one of the best groups he’s coached in his two-plus decades on the pitch.

“I told them yesterday, before dinner, that they’re one of the best groups that I’ve ever had. They really came together as a team, and they play for each other and support each other. To walk away with the loss today, it’s just really disappointing — not for me, but for them. I know they’re upset, but they really should be proud of how they played this year. We won 14 games in a row, we beat the defending state champs in the regular season (Woodrow Wilson). I have nothing but admiration for this group — guys like Wilson Hanna, Ike Aderholt, Samuel Rockey and all the other seniors.”