ATHENS, Tenn. — The 10 seniors on the Cleveland High School boys’ soccer team couldn’t have asked for a better graduation present.

In a match that started less than four hours before their commencement ceremony, the Blue Raiders earned their first Region 3-AAA championship since 2001 and avenged a loss to their rival in last week’s District 5 final. Their 4-0 victory Thursday afternoon at McMinn County also gives Cleveland the opportunity to host one more match, which it will do in Saturday’s state sectional against Region 4 runner-up Murfreesboro Blackman.

“It couldn’t be any better than this,” Blue Raiders senior Marlon Ayala said. “This was a really big step forward. This year’s goal is to make it to the state tournament, which we’ve never done before.”

Cleveland (17-5) won its regular-season meeting against McMinn by a 3-0 score but fell to the Cherokees in a penalty-kick shootout last week. In a steady rain Thursday, the teams battled throughout the first period, with each creating several scoring opportunities but both coming up short.

“I felt like in the first half, we played with them,” McMinn coach Bobby Earls said. “I think we had better opportunities. But for some reason, I felt like we got content and came out flat for the second half. You can’t do that against a team of Cleveland’s caliber.”

Staff Photo by John Rawlston- With his fist in the air, Cleveland's Wes Llosa celebrates with teammates after scoring the game's first goal at McMinn County High School on Thursday. Cleveland defeated McMinn County by a score of 4-0 in the Region 3-AAA soccer championship in Athens.

The Raiders finally connected 10 minutes into the second period after Wes Llosa’s perfectly timed header following senior Javier Rocha’s corner kick, and the goal helped Cleveland settle down.

“In the district final we were never up,” Raiders coach John Brose said. “They went ahead and we came back and tied it, so just to get that one goal did worlds for our confidence. I think we started to relax more. It was a night-and-day difference from the first half to the second half.”

The score remained 1-0 until the 70th minute, but the Raiders erupted for three goals in the final 10. With 9:52 on the clock, Robby Marcum took on McMinn County keeper Robby Bursley one-on-one. Bursley came up with the save, but the rain-coated ball bounced out of his hands and into the net for a goal that took the momentum away from the Cherokees for good.

“After the second goal, you could see us just drop our heads,” Earls said. “I think that was the back-breaker. The effort wasn’t there like it was before.”

Cleveland scored again off a Rocha corner with 5:49 to play, and senior Clay Bunch broke free for a goal in the final minutes, sending him and his classmates into celebration mode.

“What a second half,” Brose said. “It was unbelievable. They’ve worked hard all preseason, all season, for games like this.”

While Cleveland will try for its first state-tournament berth Saturday, McMinn County (11-6-1) will be looking for a return trip when it visits Region 4 champion Riverdale in Murfreesboro.

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