Bush scored in overtime to beat the South Whidbey High School soccer team 1-0, eliminating the Falcons from the bi-district tournament.

South Whidbey ended the season with a 13-3 record and went undefeated (12-0) during league play to capture the North Sound Conference crown.

“The simple answer is that our guys fought a valiant battle, but in the end, we lost to what was probably a superior team,” South Whidbey coach Emerson Robbins said after the loss to Bush. “We played as well as we could.”

Bush’s back line was “as solid as I have seen,” Robbins said.

“Three of their back four players were lock-down defenders, as strong as we’ve faced, possibly in all the time I’ve coached at South Whidbey,” he added.

Bush controlled the midfield, which put pressure on the Falcons’ back line.

“(Goalkeeper) Julian Inches was like a super hero in the game, stopping shots, stopping their crosses, their corners for much of the game,” Robbins said. “Cormac Workman, as his name suggests, never stopped hustling and winning balls.”

He also lauded the play of defenders Joey Lane, Sequoia Durham, Tommy Simms and Aidan O’Brien.

The Blazers hit the game winner in overtime when “our defenders just didn’t mark up tightly enough that one time,” Robbins said. “However, it was not surprising given the number of attacks we had to face.”

“In the end, as I told the guys before and after the game, and, in fact, all season long — it’s all about effort,” he added. “If we give our best effort, that in itself is the ultimate definition of success. We had a great season, accomplished a lot.”

The Falcons won the league title, possibly the school’s first in boys soccer, Robbins said, and surrendered only three goals in conference play.

Michael Lux set single season (27) and career (72) scoring records as well.

“Bottom line, I’m extremely proud of the guys,” Robbins said. “I hope they had fun this season, learned some helpful tips that they can take with them in soccer and, more importantly, in their lives ahead, and that they will cherish the memories of playing soccer for their high school. That’s what it’s really all about.”