CENTRAL NEW YORK – Sometimes what can be accomplished and experienced elsewhere can eclipse anything done at a local level. Even as the Manlius Pebble Hill boys soccer team was working through the Section III Class C playoffs it was preparing to see head coach Tim Goldman leave and turn his energies to a slightly bigger project. MPH announced this week that Goldman was taking on an important role for soccer’s 2026 World Cup to take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, serving as the Manager of Referee Operations for FIFA, the sport’s international governing body. Assistant coach Luke Schlachter would take over if MPH could get past its sectional semifinal against Tully held Wednesday night at Fayetteville-Manlius, but Schalchter would never get his chance. Tully prevailed 3-2 in double overtime, a tense classic not decided until Julian Shay found the net in the second extra period to help the Black Knights avenge a 3-0 loss to the Trojans earlier in the month. Shay, who had just returned from missing six games due to injury (including Tully’s first two playoff wins), got his side on the board first, only to have Dash Goode respond for MPH. Tied 1-1 at halftime, the two sides again exchanged in the second half, this time with Andy Lurvey scoring for the Trojans to match one from the Black Knights’ Tommy Santuri. Regulation ended and one OT period passed still at 2-2. Then, as the second OT got going, Ryan Rauber, who had assisted on both previous Tully goals, cleared out of his own end, charged down the wing and passed it to Sean Mize, whose touch pass found Shay as the Black Knights forward put it past Owen Hay to win it. Prior to that, Hay had kept his team in the game, recording 15 saves, three times the number by Tully counterpart Oscar Breitzka. But it was the Black Knights moving on to a title game against defending champion Fabius-Pompey, who required penalty kicks to survive both its quarterfinal with Westmoreland/Oriskany and its semifinal with top seed Bishop Ludden. East Syracuse Minoa, the no. 2 seed in Class AA, earned a title-game berth next Monday against unbeaten Nottingham at Fulton with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over no. 3 seed Central Square in its semifinal match. Having won a last-second 3-2 decision in September and a 4-0 shutout in October over the Redhawks, the Spartans had plenty of confidence which manifested itself in a pair of first-half goals. Jackson Tedesco was at the forefront, converting once and assisting on Ames Osmamovic’s tally. Nick Courcy assisted on Tedesco’s goal and a solid ESM defense made sure Central Square didn’t answer, Robbie Gabor stopping all eight shots he faced. While it was hosting the Class C semifinals, F-M had its own boys team at Phoenix facing defending champion Baldwinsville in the Class AAA semifinal round and getting overwhelmed in the second half of a 3-0 defeat to the Bees. Both sides had ample opportunities in the first half, and while it remained 0-0 early in the second half B’ville started to produce a wave of attacks utilizing its deeper roster against a fatiguing F-M back line. Then in the 54th minute it all changed. Seconds after Hornets goalie Jeremy Albert made a spectacular stop on a Brayden Schrader header, sophomore Jack Dutter lobbed a perefct corner kick to the same spot and Owen Daly headed it past Albert. Up 1-0, the Bees remained aggressive and two minutes later forced an F-M foul inside the 18-yard box, resulting in a penalty kick that Dutter converted. With 7:59 left, Schrader returned and this time his strong header off a corner kick found the net. Of the local sides, only Jamesville-DeWitt in Class A had a top seed, but that didn’t mean much as, in last Tuesday’s semifinal round at Phoenix, the Red Rams were upended 1-0 by no. 4 seed South Jefferson. These teams had met Sept. 7 and J-D had rolled to a 4-0 win, but the Spartans learned from that game and were far sounder on the defensive end this time around, focusing its game plan there. It helped South Jefferson that, barely five minutes into the game, an attack resulted in a goal when a rebound fell to Russell Hazard, who flicked it past Ryan Rigdon as Nate Matteson earned the assist. Though more than 70 minutes remained, neither team would convert again. The Rams made sure the Spartans had few chances, yet saw all of its many thrusts turned back, with South Jefferson goalie Jack Porter recording seven saves.