Get ready — Bellarmine Prep two wins away from first state boys soccer title in 14 years
Bellarmine Prep senior twins Peter and Jack Radovich grew up playing a few feet away from each other on the soccer field in the years leading up to high school, as defenders on the back line of whichever team they were playing for. They were always together.
That is, until eighth grade, when Peter moved up to the forward position. A betrayal, surely.
“It kind of hurt,” Jack Radovich said, laughing. “Up until eighth grade, we both played center back next to each other, side by side. Then Peter got bored of it and he moved up to forward. Now he plays forward. All of high school he’s been playing forward and I’m still stuck on defense.”
Jokes aside, the transition has paid dividends for Bellarmine Prep, especially in this, the senior year for the twins. The Lions tore through the Class 4A South Puget Sound League undefeated, the lone blemish — if you can even call it that — a 1-1 draw to perennial state tournament contender Puyallup on April 28. Bellarmine has amassed a 17-2-1 overall record and finds itself now in the 4A state tournament semifinals and is the last South Sound team standing in any of the boys soccer state tournament classifications this spring.
The Radovich twins might be on opposite sides of the field these days, but the connection is still there.
“I just have to find him with those long balls now,” Jack said.
That’s often a simple task, given Peter’s breakaway speed and savvy positioning.
“He’s really a cerebral player,” said first-year Bellarmine coach Jim Dempsey, who replaced longtime Bellarmine coach and local soccer legend Joe Waters this spring. “He’s really calm, understands the game. He doesn’t just react, he analyzes what needs to happen in real time and he makes adjustments.
“But then on top of that brain part of the game, he has such great skills, composure and he’s fast. He’s one of those guys who catches people off guard because he’s pretty fast. That’s natural talent that no one can coach.”
Bellarmine, the tournament’s No. 5 seed, faces top-seeded Pasco on Friday night at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup, with a trip to the state championship game on the line. Bellarmine has won a pair of state titles, both by Joe Waters, in 2004 and 2008. Waters took the coaching job in 1992, so it took him over a decade to win his first. Will Dempsey, who coached on Waters’ staff as an assistant before taking over, give his good friend a hard time if he manages to win one in year one?
“Never, ever,” Dempsey said, laughing. “I will never come close to equaling what coach Joe Waters has done. I was fortunate to be able to work with him, I’m even more fortunate to call him a good friend of mine. If we win that, he’ll be a huge part of that success, too.”
Bellarmine is veteran-loaded, with 10 seniors on the roster. Senior captain Cael Tackett is a focal point and opportunity-creator in the midfield. Jaggar Judkins leads the team with 12 goals, Peter Radovich has 11 on the season, Kiki Salas has eight to his name and Tackett and Parish Kerr have scored five goals apiece.
The Lions have tested depth, too, going close to 20-deep off the bench. A lot of the players have played together on club teams, so there’s an established chemistry that’s difficult for most high school teams to replicate.
“It’s been a great help,” Peter Radovich said. “We didn’t have a season sophomore year and our season was really short junior year, so the seniors have really just united the rest of the team. Ten underclassmen and juniors have just followed through with the leadership, as well, and it’s just all worked out.”
Peter Radovich has scored goals in both of Bellarmine’s state tournament games thus far: a 2-1 comeback win over Eastmont and a 1-0 squeaker over Newport in the semifinal round. He’s quick to deflect credit to his teammates for setting him up with assists.
Senior defensive-midfielder Ryan Hundven is the grandson of longtime Bellarmine Prep science teacher Ron Nilsen, who heads the school’s marine chemistry department. He doesn’t start every game, but he buys the message Dempsey has been selling this year: To win the school’s first state title in 14 years will take a selfless effort.
“I feel like everyone has just gotta play with passion,” Hundven said. “The end thing for me is just ‘we before me.’ It’s bigger than you. You can’t do it alone. You’ve gotta learn to be grateful. As a team, you can never forget that. In the end, we are a team and on the pitch, all we’ve got is each other.”
The Radovich twins said a state title has been on their minds, and the minds of their teammates, since they were freshmen. With the past two state tournaments canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, their only chance is now.
“I think it would cement the legacy of a great team, the 2022 great team,” Jack said.
This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
