That happened last week, when the Haddon Township boys beat Lenape, 1-0, in a first-round game.

Lenape is a serious threat this season in South Jersey Group 4. Haddon Township is the smallest school enrollment-wise in Group 2. With that win over Lenape, the Hawks made sure nobody will overlook them in the state tournament.

It might not be of David and Goliath proportions, but it was still a big win for a small school.

Haddon Township's enrollment for grades 10-12 is 505. Lenape's is 1,434.

Of course, having more students than another school doesn't ensure success, but it does wonders for depth.

While it's true that many of the small schools do lose in a tournament like this, the benefits of playing far outweigh the negatives, regardless of the outcome.

"I would never say no to this tournament," Haddon Township boys' coach Jim Bonder said. "It's such a great honor and a great opportunity for the kids."

Bonder conceded that Lenape controlled the play. Still, all that matters is the final result, and the Hawks' Joe Bernhardt provided the winning score. It won't get any easier in the next round, when Haddon Township takes on Group 4 Eastern, a team that tied Lenape during the first game of the season.

"At the end of the day, they are all high school kids, and anybody can beat anybody on a given day," Bonder said.

The Coaches Tournament also allows certain leagues to flex their collective muscle. The Olympic Conference and Burlington Liberty Division in boys' and girls' soccer are usually the heavyweights.

That is why Clearview girls' coach Dan Motozzo loves competing in the Coaches Tournament.

Clearview plays in the Tri-County Royal, which is predominantly made up of Group 3 schools. It isn't fair to compare them with a Group 4-size conference such as the Olympic American. But that doesn't mean the teams can't be competitive. "We're not the soccer conference like Olympic, but any time we can play well against those teams and beat them, it really benefits us," Motozzo said.

In the first round, the Clearview girls beat Cherokee, 2-1. The fact that a Royal Division team beat one from the vaunted Olympic Conference American Division wasn't even that significant, a sign of progress for programs such as Clearview.

That's because Clearview also beat Eastern this season. The Pioneers also lost to another American Division team, Washington Township.

Clearview has always sought the best competition, which is why Motozzo was happy to be in the Coaches Tournament.

"I think it is prestigious to be invited and earns more respect for our team and our conference," said Motozzo, who is in the second-smallest school in Group 4 after previously competing in Group 3.

This late in the season, teams are a little banged up and could probably use the time to heal injuries before the state tournament begins in November.

Still, teams that compete in the Coaches Tournament even win while losing, because nothing could be better preparation for the state tournament.

The essence of competition is putting everything on the line, an opportunity the Coaches Tournament provides for schools of all sizes and varying skill levels.