NORMAN — A state championship game ought to be a showcase, and now it really will be when Norman North and Tulsa Union meet for the Class 6A boys state soccer championship.
Originally scheduled for Friday night, it has been moved to 6 p.m. Saturday at Newcastle High School.
North advanced to the title game with Tuesday’s 5-0 home-pitch victory over Broken Arrow. Also at home for the semifinal round, Union topped Edmond North 2-1.
It is the matchup everybody should have been hoping for. Union (13-1) has been ranked No. 1 and North (16-0) has been ranked No. 2 virtually the entire season by the state’s Class 6A coaches.
Additionally, the T-Wolves have moved up to No. 3 in the ESPN Powerade Fab 50 national poll, behind only Centennial High School out of Roswell, Ga., and Mills E. Goodwin High School in Richmond, Va. Union, meanwhile, is No. 10 in the same poll.
The T-Wolves haven’t lost this season and their wins include a 1-0 deicison over Irmo High, the then-No. 1 team in the nation at the Palmetto Cup on April 14 in Columbia, S.C.
The Redskins’ only loss was handed out by Auburn (Ala.), 4-3, at the Tournament of Champions in Jeckyll Island, Ga.. The next day, at the same tournament, Union topped St. Pius X High School, of Atlanta, the then-No. 4 team in the nation (and which has since dropped to No. 38).
The title game will be North’s third in five seasons.
The T-Wolves lost the 2008 chapionship game to Edmond Memorial, claimed the program’s third state title in 2010 over Jenks and get another chance Saturday night.
Union last won the state title in 2007.
Clay Horning 366-3526 cfhorning@normantranscript.com
