3A Boys Soccer | Palomera goal powers Hazen to first crown

LAKEWOOD — Hazen couldn't have written a better finish.

Senior Guillermo Palomera scored a breathtaking goal in the 75th minute to give the Renton school a 2-1 win over defending champion Camas in the Class 3A state boys soccer championship game Saturday at Harry Lang Stadium.

The Highlanders (19-1-1) won their first state championship in their second tournament appearance. Hazen's only previous state game was a first-round loss to Ferndale in 2005.

"They deserve it. They worked for it for three months," said Hazen coach Ritch Gouk. "It'll be something they remember for the rest of their lives."

With just five minutes to go in a back-and-forth contest, Palomera fired a 25-yard rocket into the upper corner for the go-ahead score.

It was the senior's fourth goal of the season, but in his final high-school game, he couldn't have scored a bigger one.

"I saw I had some room, kept going and took a shot," said Palomera. "At first, I couldn't even see it."

For the final five minutes, Hazen endured a frenzied Camas attack to hand the Papermakers (17-1-4) their first loss of the season.

"They way these guys played all season long, I didn't think they'd be denied," Gouk said of his team.

The Papermakers opened the scoring in the ninth minute when midfielder Evan Lehner crossed a ball in front of the net. After a loose scramble, the ball landed at the feet of senior forward Greg Beasley, who calmly knocked it in from inches away.

Hazen found the equalizer in the 15th minute, when Javier Ruiz cleared the ball forward to a sprinting Aaron Dieckman. The senior midfielder headed the ball toward the net at the top of penalty box and, after a couple of bounces, it found its way in.

"They kept coming at us. They worked hard today," said Camas coach Roland Minder. "You could they wanted it badly."

Camas was the aggressor early on, threatening the Hazen goal for most of the first half as freshman Quinton Beasley dazzled the crowd with an assorted of moves and scoring chances.

But Saturday was Hazen's night.

"It's unbelievable," forward Juan Salas said. "Unbelievable."

Third-place game

Bishop Blanchet 2, Sammamish 1 (OT)

Geoff Bloom made two consecutive saves and the Braves converted all four of their penalty kicks in a 4-2, shootout win over the Totems.

It is Bishop Blanchet's best finish since its championship in 1980.

"I'm gonna miss them. Some guys have been here for four years and we've become like a family," said Blanchet coach Chris Connors of his team. "Now it's time for them to move on."

The Braves (16-4-3) scored first, in the fourth minute, when forward Colin Schmetzer headed in a cross from Kyle Montgomery.

Sammamish (14-7-0) tied the score in the 52nd minute when Vini Oliveira, the KingCo 3A co-player of the year, muscled past the defense and chipped in the equalizer.