With 10 WPIAL titles in the program's history, six during his coaching tenure alone, it could be tough for one of those accomplishments to stand out among the others for coach Ron Wilcher.

This year's WPIAL crown, however, considering the long wait and the way it was won, will surely be tough to forget for everyone involved.

The Blue Devils had not won a WPIAL championship since 2002. That's not all that long of a stretch for most programs, but considered a drought for a Mt. Lebanon program that has averaged a championship every three years since its first one in 1977.

Even for a coach who has been around six titles as a head coach and three as an assistant under his father, John Wilcher, Ron Wilcher cannot remember being connected to such a dramatic finish.

With more than 100 minutes of soccer played Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair were still locked in a scoreless tie.

The Blue Devils had lost to Upper St. Clair, 1-0, in the regular-season meeting between the two teams and Ron Wilcher said the Panthers were by far the best team his squad had played all season.

But after an Upper St. Clair handball called in overtime, Mt. Lebanon was awarded a free kick from 30 yards out. Blue Devils leading scorer Zach Batteer lined up to take the shot. He had been practicing free kicks all week.

In practice he was just missing the net. His kicks were skimming off the uprights. In the WPIAL title game Batteer, a left-footed kicker, bent his shot around the five-man Upper St. Clair wall and around the goalkeeper. Just as in practice, Batteer's free kick would hit the post. This time though it was the inside of the left post and the shot deflected off it and into the net and just like that Mt. Lebanon was 2009 WPIAL Class AAA champions.

Wilcher moved down to the end of the bench to get a better look at the shot as Batteer lined up.

"You hear the sound of the ball hitting the post and then you see it in the net," Wilcher said.

"It was total euphoria. That is something that every coach truly enjoys, seeing the happiness and elation among the players and realizing the accomplishment. It is just an unbelievable way to finish the game. I don't think we have ever had a win that dramatic. When you think about it -- a 30-yard shot, off the post ... don't know how you beat that."

The WPIAL title win also avenged Mt. Lebanon's lone loss of the season. Entering the PIAA playoffs, Mt. Lebanon, the Section 4-AAA champion, was 19-1-1 overall. But Mt. Lebanon was surprised by District 10 champion Erie Cathedral Prep on Tuesday, losing, 1-0, and bringing its season to a jolting halt.

The WPIAL title game win was the third consecutive one-goal win for Mt. Lebanon in the playoffs. In the quarterfinals the Blue Devils got past Shaler Area, 1-0, before a 4-3 win over Norwin in the semifinals. Batteer and forward Conor Wohlfarth each scored a pair of goals in the win. Senior co-captain Nate Sharbaugh has also been a dangerous player for Mt. Lebanon in the midfield.

The two shutouts in the WPIAL playoffs added to the total of 12 regular-season shutouts by the Mt. Lebanon defense. Senior goalie Nate Doctor and senior center backs Evan Schardt and Brian Richardson have led the defense throughout the season.

"Nate has made some really fabulous saves all the way through," Wilcher said. "I thought he was very, very solid in the final. Anytime you get a shutout in a situation like that, it is a great accomplishment. And our two center backs, Evan and Brian, have been really, really solid."

Despite the Blue Devils' early exit from the state playoffs, the WPIAL title has already cemented a spot for them in the Hall of Champions at Mt. Lebanon High School. The hall recognizes individual and team championships. Wilcher has discussed with his team about creating a legacy in the hall outside the south gymnasium at the school.

"One of the big motivators in our high school is the Hall of Champions," Wilcher said. "It creates a historical place for athletics and we always talk about getting our picture in the Hall of Champions. It is there forever.

"The players go into that hall and see the teams from earlier -- back to the '40s and '50s. When you start to get close in the playoffs, you realize you are just a game away from a piece of history."

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