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Moments after being crowned a soccer state champion Thursday, Clarksburg's Julio Arjona was asked if he felt an obligation to live up to the hype that surrounded him.

"I can't take all the credit," he said, adding it was a team effort.

And that is how the Coyotes thrived this season.

Sure, getting the West Virginia University-bound, U-17 National Team midfielder back from the U.S. Residency Program was imperative. Arjona proved all season why he is one of his age group's top players in the nation, especially in the playoffs, with game-winning goals in each of Clarksburg's two state-level victories. He is a natural, capable of making plays others cannot perform, anticipate or even fathom.

But that is not why the Coyotes made history in their 3-0 win over Hereford.

It was goalkeeper Austin Fiedler, whose 6-foot-5 frame and pterodactyl-like arms preserved a county-high 13 shutouts.

It was center back Henry Reyes, a brilliant defender and the No. 1 reason Clarksburg's defense was practically indestructible. In 400 playoff minutes, it allowed only one goal — a penalty kick against Tuscarora — thanks to countless last-ditch clears and tackles by "our engine," as Arjona once called him.

As it turned out, Reyes' resolve matched his value. Hours before Thursday's final, he was so sick that his availability was uncertain. As head coach Jeremy Spoales put it, "Thank goodness it took us two hours to get here."

"It started in second period and I just started feeling really dizzy," Reyes said.

He was vomiting on the bus ride. "But I had to push through it," he said.

It was midfielder Joel Houapeu, who along with Reyes is the only other player to see time in every varsity game since the school opened in 2006. He played his last in front of his brother, two-time All-Gazette first-teamer Levi, currently a junior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, the venue for the championship game.

Clarksburg's Houapeu will likely never achieve what UMBC's did this fall: leading all NCAA Division I players in scoring (43 points). But the Coyotes midfielder was magnificent in the playoffs, with a game-winning assist on a picturesque through-ball against Tuscarora.

It was midfielder Nick Civetti, whose corner kicks created game-winning playoff goals against Baltimore County's Hereford and Northwood. He also scored in both state postseason games.

It was Fernand Fekeu, whose pass led to the only goal in the Coyotes' playoff opener against Linganore. It was recent junior varsity call-up Jonathan Kukapa, who scored game-winners against the Lancers and Titans.

It was senior Ketch Akum, who finished Houapeu's assist with a bending, 25-yard shot to make the score 2-0 in the final. A transfer from Wheaton along with junior brother Akuro, Akum could only stare at his trophy in amazement.

"I never won something like this," he said. "As soon as I came to Germantown, I hated it. ... Then I saw [Nelson Escobar] in McDonald's and asked him about this season, and he said we've got something good."

It was also Escobar, who scored two crucial postseason goals, one against Calvert's Northern in the semifinals and one to give Clarksburg the early lead against Tuscarora.

While most of his teammates celebrated at the final whistle, Escobar could only stifle tears with his jersey.

"It's so emotional," he said. "That's a lot of hard work."

The numbers speak for themselves. Clarksburg scored the most (42) and allowed the fewest (5) goals in the county this season. No other Montgomery County team allowed fewer than 10.

There was one other meaningful number — 0 — as in the number of state titles Clarksburg team sports had won before Thursday.

How did the team make history?

It was everyone.