Mark Perry is starting to get used to being the Center boys' soccer coach and now the Trojans program should start getting used to being the, uh, center of attention in Class AA.

Center improved upon last season's WPIAL third place finish and 16-win season with a WPIAL second-place finish this season and a 20-5 record as they advanced as far as the PIAA quarterfinals. They exceeded expectations once again as many expected to see a dropoff after the Trojans lost six starters from the 2006 season.

With nine returning starters next year and a strong junior varsity team coming up, Perry in just his second season has made Center a force in Class AA.

"I don't think Center is going to sneak up on anybody," Perry said. "We have become one of the better teams and expectations will be high. That will be a new thing for the people at Center. We will be considered one of the better programs in Class AA."

The Trojans finished the regular season at 16-3 and went 12-2 in Section 3-AA to claim the title. They shut out Ambridge, Hampton (winning on penalty kicks) and Mars to advance to the WPIAL championship match where they fell behind early and lost 4-1 to Steel Valley.

They bounced back with a 2-0 victory in the first round of the PIAA playoffs against Bradford but in a rematch against Mars, Center allowed a goal with four minutes left in the first overtime to drop a 1-0 decision.

"Mars was out for revenge and we knew they were a good team," Perry said. "Talent-wise they are loaded and we knew they had outplayed us in the first game even though we won."

Perry held previous coaching positions at Class AA Hampton and Class AAA Fox Chapel. At Hampton his team won the WPIAL and PIAA championships in 1990 and when he was with Fox Chapel, his teams won the 1991 and 1995 WPIAL titles.

This year's Center team featured a three-pronged scoring attack led by sophomore center midfield Luca Campos. Campos, one of three 20-goal scorers for the Trojans, had 23 goals and led the team in assists. Forwards Ryan Prosper and Zach Taylor each had 21 goals.

"Between those three we had pretty dynamite kids who score. It's a nice luxury to have and I never had it before," said the 21-year coaching veteran. "Each one of them was capable of taking over a game. It makes it very difficult for the opponent."

Center's offensive attack in the playoffs was hampered by injuries to both Prosper and Taylor. A nagging hamstring injury kept Prosper from being 100 percent and Taylor played despite an ankle injury that would have kept him on the bench had it been a regular-season game and not the playoffs.

With both forwards hurting, opposing defenses paid more attention to Campos. Each one of the scoring threats brought a different talent to the table. Prosper was known for his tremendous speed. Taylor used his size and strength and Campos has an uncanny ability to distribute the ball to the forwards.

The Center offense outdueled Thomas Jefferson's, the second-place team in the section, twice this season. On its home field Center won a 5-4 game early in the season and then on the road in a game that clinched the section title, they took a 3-2 decision.

The defense was rebuilt coming into the season with new starters playing in front of returning goalkeeper Rob Scala. Sophomores Michael Biskup and Alex Munroe saw their first substantial varsity action this year as did junior Pat Kennedy. Senior Andrew Forbes had to learn a new position after being moved from sweeper to outside back.

"It took them a while to mesh as a unit," Perry said. "We had a lot of growing pains in the beginning of the year but having that whole year experience playing in our tough section prepared them for the playoffs."

The defense allowed 11 goals in its first seven games but gave up just 11 in its next 15 contests.