West Muskingum’s boys soccer team is going to the state semifinals — the hard way. The Tornadoes played Wheelersburg to a 2-2 draw through regulation and overtime in the Division IV, Region 15 final on Sunday at Logan High School, then advanced 4-3 on penalty kicks, according to the Akron Beacon Journal’s statewide OHSAA regional-final scoreboard.
West Muskingum entered the final 16-2-3, and the regional championship caps a run that has rewritten the program’s recent history. The Tornadoes beat River View 1-0 in the district final on October 29 at Stewart Field in Coshocton to reach the regional round for the first time since 2007, according to the Zanesville Times Recorder, then routed St. Clairsville 3-0 in Wednesday’s regional semifinal to set up Sunday’s final.
The run carries a redemption thread. Goalkeeper Bryce Stant, whose 2025 season was cut short by a foot injury as West Muskingum lost in the district final, returned this fall and anchored the tournament run, the Times Recorder reported — including a standout district-final performance after which Stant told the Zanesville Times Recorder, “It’s the best save I’ve made in my career and it just happened to be in the district finals.” Teammate Dyllan Farmer, who led West with 18 goals entering the regional round, told the Times Recorder of Stant: “He has been a big-time guy for us.”
Wheelersburg was the experienced side of the final. The Pirates (16-1-4 entering Sunday) were playing in their third straight regional final after beating Minford 3-1 in the semifinal, and last season’s team reached the state final four, according to the Southern Ohio Sports Authority (SOSA). “We like to play soccer in November and now we get to extend that to the Elite 8,” Wheelersburg coach Jon Estep told SOSA before the final. “We’ll see what happens and when you get to this point, anything can happen.”
Sunday, what happened was a shootout. Tied 2-2 after overtime, the Tornadoes converted four kicks to Wheelersburg’s three to claim the Region 15 title and end the Pirates’ season short of a second straight final four.
What happens next: West Muskingum advances to the OHSAA Division IV state semifinals, scheduled for Wednesday, November 11. The OHSAA had not confirmed the Tornadoes’ opponent and site in the sources available Sunday evening; the state finals are played at Scotts Miracle-Gro Field at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus.
Photo: Thesteeleisreal, CC BY-SA 4.0