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Howland boys secure district title in shootout
By Jon Moffett
Canfield
Scott Heinemann watched as his shot sailed into the top left corner of the goal and out of the reach of the diving goalkeeper.
At that point, he knew he was a champion.
Heinemann had the deciding goal in the Division I district championship game between Howland and Canfield on Thursday night. The Tigers won 2-1 after outlasting the Cardinals in a shootout.
Both sides played staunch defense for 80 minutes of regulation, plus two additional 15-minute overtime periods. And not even that was enough.
So five players from each squad lined up to break the 1-1 tie. Heinemann was fifth for the Tigers.
“It was just confidence,” Heinemann said of his emotions just before the winning shot. “I knew it was going there.”
“There” would be just out of the reach of a diving Mike Thomas. The junior goalie laid out for the shot, but it sailed past his glove. A missed Canfield shot earlier in the series meant it was the last shot to be taken.
Howland goalkeeper Robert Daniels ran toward Heinemann, who was engulfed by the Tigers (16-3). Thomas walked back to his team, which could only stare in disbelief at the celebration happening on their own field.
It was the third meeting between the two schools this year. Each won their home contest.
But the third time was the charm for Howland, who will advance to the regional tournament which begins Tuesday. Canfield coach Phil Simone said it is always difficult to play a team three times in one year.
“My hat’s off to both sides; it’s been a war every time we’ve played this year,” he said. “It’s always tough to play a team, no matter who it is, three times in one year.”
Howland coach George Stevens agreed.
“The rivalry with Howland and Canfield has been outstanding over the years,” he said. “This year in particular, we each won one and lost one to each other. And this game was as close as it could be with the shootout.”
As the visiting team, Howland had the first shot. Senior Anthony Russo knocked his attempt past Thomas’ right side. Canfield senior P.J. Stickle saw his attempt sail just high of the crossbar.
Howland scored on two of its next three attempts, as did the Cardinals. Since Canfield had missed twice, Heinemann knew it was all up to him.
“I just noticed in the few kicks before [Thomas] was leaning a little to the right; he had a few steps to the right, and the left side had a little bit more side,” he said. “I just knew I was going to that side.”
The five shooters on each side were determined almost immediately. But how the coaches decided was a little different.
“We practiced [penalty kicks] about two weeks before the end of the regular season,” Simone said. “And we had about 14 or 15 kids do competition. And for our last shootout, we selected these five. They won the game, so I selected the same five.”
Stevens’ approach was a little more casual.
“We had it set about two seconds before the game ended,” he said. “I don’t make any decisions. The guys on the field, if they’re confident they can put it in, they’re one of the five. Let them pick the five, go out and do the best they can.”
Simone said he gave all the credit to Howland, and said both teams played hard. But to lose in such a fashion left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Our first game of the tournament [against Boardman] was a shootout. I hated to see Boardman lose in a shootout; I hate to see any team lose in a shootout,” he said. “It just seems like an unfair way to end a game.
“But my hat’s off to Howland.”