It’s often said that games are played on the field and not on paper, regardless of the matchup.

That was proven true at Lehighton Wednesday as Jim Thorpe upset top-seeded Blue Mountain 3-1 in the boys soccer 3A District 11 semifinal to advance to the final with a chance to win the program’s first-ever district title.

Coming into the game, the Olympians had gone four years without a victory against the Eagles, having last defeated them in an October 2020 regular season game.

In addition, their most recent game before last night came in last year’s Schuylkill League playoffs when Blue Mountain dominated en route to a 9-1 victory.

With both teams playing in different leagues this season, they would not get the chance to face each other until the district playoffs.

Despite the odds being stacked against Jim Thorpe, its players were confident against the Eagles after its quarterfinal victory on Monday against Bangor, especially with last year’s league playoff defeat fresh in their minds.

“We wanted revenge on them,” said senior Ehren Hassler. “They kind of beat us pretty brutally last year, but we knew coming into this that we had a pretty good chance this time.”

The beginning of the game saw the Olympians setting the pace of play and generating early offense.

It would only take them six and a half minutes to get on the scoreboard, as junior Conor Holland set up Hassler for the first goal of the game.

With an early lead, Jim Thorpe settled in and began to control the game defensively, as it would rush back and make things difficult for Blue Mountain to advance the ball up the field.

“This team plays so much better with a lead,” Olympians’ coach Mike Dudak said. “When we put that first one in, it kind of calms the nerves a little bit, and everyone plays with a little more confidence.”

Jim Thorpe’s hard work defensively paid off late in the first half.

After successfully defending a scramble in front of their own goal off an Eagles’ corner kick, the Olympians counter attacked on an odd-man rush with Hassler setting up senior Henry Snyder in tight for a 2-0 lead just before half.

In the second half, Jim Thorpe became more conservative in the middle of the field as Blue Mountain began to pepper the Olympian defense with numerous scoring chances.

The Eagles capitalized just over a minute into the half, with senior Shawn Batory scoring to cut the lead in half.

After nearly 20 minutes of Blue Mountain scoring chances and physical battles for ball possession, it would be Jim Thorpe that found the back of the net, as Hassler came up with a loose ball in tight off a scramble and scored to restore the two-goal lead for the Olympians.

The lead would remain intact the rest of the way en route to a 3-1 final score, and a shocking upset for Jim Thorpe over Blue Mountain that sets up an opportunity to play for a district title.

“When it comes to a game as hard as this one and a team as good as Blue Mountain, it’s a game of grits and guts,” Hassler said out of respect for the Eagles. “Some of us, including myself, the seniors on this team, we’ve been thinking about Blue Mountain as a big dog. This year, it kind of came down to jelling as a team, playing a little bit better and coming out with confidence.

We had to fight for it. We had to break some lines. They’re a fast team in the back, but we managed to break through and get some teamwork going and converted on some goals, and it really just came down to who wanted it more. These guys were a great team. They were the No. 1 seed in the district. (If) we can beat them, we should theoretically be able to beat anyone. It would be nice to bring Jim Thorpe the first district title for boys soccer.”

With this victory, Jim Thorpe is now set to play Southern Lehigh for in the 3A District Final next Wednesday.

While their opponent wasn’t known yet at the time, Dudak was already making sure his players are mentally and physically prepared for what it takes to play in a game this significant.

“For these kids, none of these kids made a run for the district title last time,” he said. “I think I’ve got them to the point where they understand what’s involved in winning the district title and what the path is.

“Teams in the past really haven’t understood that path, but these kids got it. They’re working on their hydration, and their eating and things they have to do off the field to make sure they’re ready to play these games because you got to play all 80 minutes of them.”

THE MATCH IS SET ... Southern Lehigh defeated Wilson 4-0 in its semifinal matchup to advance to the district final against Jim Thorpe.

CHANCE FOR MORE REDEMPTION ... Jim Thorpe fell to Southern Lehigh 3-1 on Oct. 3 in their only regular season matchup.