Champion pulls away from Falls in 2nd half
By Jim Flick
CHAMPION — After a sluggish first half, Champion High scored three second-half goals to defeat Newton Falls, 4-0, in the first round of the boys Division II soccer tournament on Tuesday.
The game was scoreless for more than 20 minutes, until Rusty Barnes gave Champion (7-9) a 1-0 lead with 19:08 remaining in the first period.
Banks struck again early in the second period, working the ball near the goal with assists by two teammates and kicking the ball past the goalie into a corner of the net. Banks’ second goal of the night was the sophomore’s sixth goal of the season.
Kyle Blackshere boosted Champion’s lead to 3-0 at the 29:58 mark. The goal was the freshman’s 10th goal of the season for the team’s second-leading scorer.
Champion’s leading scorer smashed home a goal with 20:02 remaining in the game. Josh Rable’s 20th goal of the season gave the Golden Flashes a 4-0 lead.
“In the first half, Newton Falls came out ready to play,” Champion coach Shawnn Wilson said. “They attacked us, and we weren’t very effective.”
In the second half, Wilson added, “our guys woke up and played the way they had during the season.”
Wilson credited Rable for distracting Newton Falls (8-5-4), which allowed his teammates to score the game’s first three goals. Rable had scored four goals against Newton Falls in a previous match-up, so he already weighed heavily on the minds of the Tigers.
“Hats off to Newton Falls,” said the Champion coach. “They played aggressive. But my guys finally played as a team, and we got the win.”
Newton Falls coach Adam Frantz said he made some changes in his team’s offense prior to the game, which helped the Tigers nearly stymie Champion in the first half.
But Frantz admitted that Wilson apparently notice the changes early on.
“He just needed to get the kids off the field [during the period break] and reorganize them,” the Newton Falls coach explained.
The reorganization allowed Champion to build a commanding lead in the second period, Frantz said.
“Give them credit. They made some adjustments,” that helped the Golden Flashes score a trio of goals in the second half.
Frantz agreed that his squad was determined to keep Rable from repeating his previous blitz of the Tigers’ goal.
“We man-marked him to keep him under control.”
Champion sophomore Dakota Coulter had two assists, while senior Joao Ciuba and Banks were each credited with an assist.
Champion goalie Brandon Brazina recorded six saves, while Myron Lard was credited with 11 saves for Newton Falls.
Champion travels to Lakeview in a sectional final on Saturday at 3 p.m.