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With its boys soccer team just moments away from the Class 3A state championship on Thursday, hundreds of Clarksburg fans began reciting the international "Olé" chant in unison. It was fitting in a way; for the past two weeks, the Coyotes sang the same tune after each victory, thanking the fans as they left the field.

This one deserved extra celebration.

"It feels good to put Clarksburg on the map," said senior midfielder Julio Arjona, "to win our first state title."

In fact, the Coyotes' 3-0 exclamation point against Baltimore County's Hereford at University of Maryland-Baltimore County Stadium gave the four-year-old school its first state title in a team sport, its second overall after the 2A outdoor track crown last spring.

They did it in style, logging their 13th shutout of the season. In five playoff victories, Clarksburg (13-1-3) allowed just a single goal, a penalty kick against Tuscarora in the 3A West Region final.

Its offense was also pretty special, too. Off a corner kick just 6 minutes in, midfielder Nick Civetti sent diagonal pass to striker Fernand Fekeu, who confused a Bulls (11-3-1) defender by running past the ball. That left Arjona, situated several yards behind Fekeu, to receive the ball with plenty of space, and his forceful shot trickled in off the foot of a defender standing at the far post.

Arjona had scored on the same exact play twice before, both in crucial situations. In a Sept. 29 defeat of Watkins Mill, it sent the game to overtime. Then in the regional semifinals, it broke a scoreless tie against Northwood in the 55th minute.

"We've obviously worked on it a lot," said Clarksburg head coach Jeremy Spoales. "Set pieces were kind of our downfall our last couple years."

Added Arjona: "Usually we just go with the flow, but we really wanted a play that we knew would always work when we needed it."

Clarksburg's defense was rarely challenged, though goalkeeper Austin Fiedler snuffed out one terrific chance early. Three minutes in, Hereford back Stephen Vicchio sent a corner to John Frasier, one of the preeminent strikers in the state with 25 goals on the season. Frasier went airborne to head the ball, but Fiedler sprawled to his right to deflect the shot just wide.

"It's tough when you have a 6 [foot]-5 keeper," said Frasier.

After that, it was all Coyotes. They scored again in the 11th minute, with midfielder Joel Houapeu sending a nifty through-ball to striker Ketch Akum, whose 25-yard bender was equally impressive. Civetti put the game away in the 45th, rebounding an Arjona cross.

Despite the school's relative infancy, Clarksburg's first fourth-year senior class already had a wealth of playoff experience entering its playoff run. Each of the past two years, the Coyotes reached regional finals, losing to Carroll County's Liberty both times.

The mohawks atop their heads on Thursday continued one tradition, while ending another.

"We had players last year, Peabo [Doue] and Dillon [Muise]. Peabo's playing at West Virginia, Dillon's playing at Frostburg; they kind of created it," said Fiedler. "It's just become a ritual for the playoffs. I guess now you can't say it's a curse."