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South Range soccer team goes far in hopes of reaching Columbus
Raiders, Archbold face off in Sandusky
By steve wilaj
BEAVER TWP.
Joe Staffeld searched for Archbold’s highlights on the western Ohio news-channel websites.
He found a few.
The South Range boys soccer coach also talked to a coach who talked to a coach who faced the Blue Streaks (19-2) this season.
It’s second-hand information, so he took it for what it’s worth.
Nonetheless, while Staffeld doesn’t know much about South Range’s opponent for tonight’s Division III state semifinal match at Sandusky High School, he knows the best way for the Raiders to go about their second consecutive trip to the Final Four.
“There’s really not a lot [of preparation] you can do since their school’s a couple hundred miles away from us,” Staffeld said. “So we’re just gonna focus on what we’re good at and just keep doing the same things we’ve been doing all season and postseason.”
Considering the Raiders’ 17-3 overall record — as well as how well their regional games went — it’s not a bad idea.
After defeating Kidron, 2-1, in a regional semifinal, South Range downed Beachwood, 3-0, on Saturday in a regional final. Brandon Youngs scored two goals while Hunter Higgins recorded another and Brandt Rothbauer notched a shutout.
“They definitely earned it this year,” Staffeld said.
“Last year it was a real solid group of kids, but we definitely got a little bit of luck and good calls. This year I feel like we earned everything.”
In the 2014 state semifinal, Mansfield Christian dominated South Range, 4-0. It was a game in which Staffeld said the Flames “outclassed” the Raiders, before calling them “the better team.”
“To go that deep and make it to the Final Four, you can’t help but think, ‘What could we have done differently?’” he said. “But it was just time for our season to be over.
“I don’t think that’s how the kids — or do I — feel about [tonight’s] game. We’re confident we’ll be playing in Columbus on Saturday. We feel good about it.”
Should the Raiders — the eighth-ranked D-III team in the state — defeat seventh-ranked Archbold, they’ll play the winner of Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans and top-ranked Cincinnati Summit Country Day.
But back to the Blue Streaks: No scouting report? No problem.
South Range is simply focused on itself.
“We just have to play our game, get in and let the nerves settle,” Staffeld said. “We want to score first, score often and then smother on defense and shut them down.”