After losing three times to the Saint George’s Dragons during the regular season, the Northwest Christian Crusaders finally figured out how to beat them: get the ball to Jacob Weaver.
Weaver scored a hat trick in the Class 1B/2B state championship game between the two Spokane schools at Sunset Chev Stadium, lifting the Crusaders to a 4-0 win for their second state title.
“I had to make up for those other three (games),” Weaver said.
Weaver, who entered the game with 57 goals on the year, scored in the 17th, 57th and 69th minutes.
“They used some things defensively that make it difficult for him,” Northwest Christian coach Mica Lamb said. “So we told him that he needed to be active off the ball. When he’s going at a breakneck pace he’s pretty much unstoppable.”
Payton Gray scored on an assist from Austin Friedly for the other goal for Northwest Christian (15-4). Saint George’s finished 17-3.
“It was just remarkable finishing,” Dragons coach Heidi Melville said of Weaver.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.