Fast start helps Raiders sweep bitter ITCL rival



South Range’s Cole Durina moves the ball against Crestview’s Mitch Lindsay during their Inter Tri-County League match Wednesday at South Range High School. The Raiders shut out the Rebels, 4-0.
Fast start helps Raiders
sweep bitter ITCL rival
By Ryan Buck
BEAVER TOWNSHIP
The past three seasons have seen the burgeoning soccer rivalry between Inter Tri-County League foes South Range and Crestview grow into one of the area’s best.
In four years neither team has managed to win each of the two games they play every season.
Until Wednesday.
The conference-leading Raiders notched two quick first-half goals and dominated play throughout as they shut out the Raiders, 4-0, at the South Range sports complex.
The Raiders, the defending Division III district champions in the Youngstown bracket, improved to 9-1 on the season and, perhaps just as important, are 2-0 against their rivals.
“It’s been great,” fourth-year South Range coach Joe Staffeld said of the rivalry. “This is the first year that I can remember that we’ve won both games.”
Five minutes into Wednesday’s match, senior defensive midfielder Jonah Wilson launched a 30-yard cross that led freshman forward Brandon Youngs right to the front of the Rebels’ goal.
Youngs, who plays with a presence well beyond his age and experience, buried the header for a quick 1-0 lead.
Two minutes later, the Raiders were awarded a penalty kick after a fascinating holding call on Crestview inside the box prompted the referee’s whistle.
Junior midfielder Landon Bauer calmly converted the penalty kick into the side netting left of Scott Murray.
Staffeld, who would be comfortable outside in a hurricane, felt anything but.
“Against this team, it meant nothing,” he said. “These guys are tough. They come to play and I didn’t feel comfortable at all. I never feel comfortable playing Crestview (8-3). They come to fight.”
The young Rebels, who graduated 10 seniors a year ago, were clearly fazed.
Crestview coach Jon Kinkead said the momentum belonged to the Raiders, who won the first game between the two teams, 5-1.
“Any time you shoot out to a two-goal lead in the first 10 minutes and you’ve talked for the last two weeks about staying even as long as possible and getting to the second half even, you can take it from there,” Kinkead said. “The result’s not surprising.”
With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, a flawless right-to-left transition across the Raiders’ midfield gave midfielder Landon Baer space to find Youngs attack the net to his left. A pinpoint touch pass found Youngs in stride and the precocious freshman buried the Raiders’ third goal of the match, as Murray couldn’t quite reach the hard-charging and slightly deflected blast.
As much trouble as their defense was having containing the Raiders’ attack, Crestview’s offense was stifled by South Range’s veteran back line.
Andrew Cullar, Will Stephenson, Dominic Garuccio and Wilson — all seniors — anchor a dominating defense.
“They’re solid,” Staffeld said. “It’s going to be tough to fill their shoes next year. I’m graduating our defense at the end of this season.”
Luckily for Staffeld, that date will not arrive until early June. For now, the quartet makes life easier for goalkeeper Brant Rothbauer (one save Wednesday) and gives the Raiders’ attackers freedom to make plays.
Their chemistry is a substantial asset.
“It’s key,” Staffeld said. “They know where each other’s going to be and they have great communication. They work out at practice as a group and they come out here and play as a group.”
Wilson netted the Raiders’ fourth goal of the match at the 27:00 mark of the second half on a arcing 40-yard bomb of a free kick. Murray — who made eight second-half saves in the face of relentless pressure — couldn’t extend far enough as the sailing drive snuck inside the crossbar.
Kinkead, who has taken the Rebels’ program to new heights during his tenure, must wait a year for another chance at his team’s rival.
“Any time you have two teams that either win or share a league title back-and-forth, it’s going to create a heated rivalry,” Kinkead said. “Every year when we spell out our goals as a team, one of them is always to beat South Range twice.
“They’re obviously the character of our league and they’re the better team at this point.”