Youth/High School Soccer
Youngest of four Dill brothers looking to end career at Delco Christian in another state final
As a senior captain and a goalkeeper, Carter Dill’s presence has been key to Delco Christian’s boys soccer team once again getting to within two wins of playing in what would be the program’s third state final in four seasons.
But even as he is fully looking ahead preparing himself for the final week of his high school career, Dill knows there’s a legacy he’s built his successful career on that long predates his time at the high school in Newtown Square.
That legacy comes with his last name and with a program that has grown out of early efforts to get young children at the private Christian school learning and playing the game together.
When he lines up on Saturday with his 10 fellow starters at Emmaus High School before they play Benton in the Class A quarterfinal he’ll be next to guys he’s played with since preschool and he’ll have a family cheering him on that’s been represented on the roster for the past decade and beyond.
“Carter’s dad Jeff and his grandfather Steve both played at DC and he comes from a family that’s been a great contributor to the program,” head coach Rob Atkins said. “Jack had a great career and contributed in many ways, Micah was also a goalkeeper and then Cody was on the state championship team.”
Jack Dill joined the program as a freshman in 2017 and Micah Dill came in a year later, followed then by Cody in 2020 when Carter was in sixth grade. Carter was a freshman on the team Cody’s senior season when they won the program’s first state title in 2023 with a 1-0 win over Charleroi at Eagle View Middle School in Mechanicsburg.
“I definitely feel like I’ve been part of this team for a lot longer than four years,” Carter Dill said after recording a clean sheet in a 1-0 first round win over Lancaster Catholic on Tuesday night. “My brothers really laid the groundwork for the style of play and the discipline and the skill we have as a team so the program has been building and building.”
Left to Right: Micah, Cody, Carter and Jack Dill after the 2023 PIAA Class A State Championship Game
There has of course been heartbreak along the way.
During Jack Dill’s junior year in 2019 they came up just short of a district championship and state tournament bid on a last second goal to Dock Mennonite in the final. The following year they lost 1-0 to a Faith Christian team in the district final that went on to win the state title.
The season before their 2023 state title, Cody Dill endured a painful district semifinal exit in a penalty shootout against Dock Mennonite. With Carter cheering from the bench and their uncle John Levis as one of the assistants, DC qualified for the state tournament in 2023 with a semifinal win over Calvary Christian before losing to Faith Christian in the final, which they then avenged in a state semifinal shootout victory.
Last year, Carter’s second season as a starter, DC won districts and advanced to the state final before falling 1-0 to Bentworth in overtime in the state final.
“We’re starting 7 of the same guys who were in the final last year,” Carter said. “So we’re experienced in these games and don’t feel as much pressure because we’ve been here before and I think that just transcends down on all the other players.”
Atkins said Carter’s work ethic and the relationship he has with the goalkeeping corps is infectious.
“He is one of the hardest working players I’ve ever coached,” Atkins said. “And he’s someone all of the other players look to.”
Following their win over Lancaster Catholic, Atkins reminded his players to soak up the opportunity to have three more days together practicing, something Carter said is one of the sometimes overlooked benefits of a postseason run.
“Every extra day of practice is something I cherish,” Carter said. “That’s what we’re all playing for.”
Whether it’s at F.N.B. Stadium in the final or not, the time on the Delco Christian soccer field for the Dill brothers will come to an end next week but the memories and the history they made on it won’t soon be forgotten.
