Carson Francis, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
LOGAN — Sometimes, all it takes is one.
That statement has applied to Minford throughout the stretch of its tournament run.
After winning by shootout in a district final and by a 1-0 margin in a regional semifinal against South Webster, Minford again found itself in a tight situation in Sunday’s Division V regional final against Grandview Heights.
Just one day after the Falcons edged out Grandview Heights to win a regional title on the girls side, the boys looked to recreate that same success.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
And even though they would need more than 80 minutes to do so, they still found a way to get the job done.
Myles Montgomery assisted Gavin Downey just 4:15 into the first overtime period for a regional-title-winning goal, sending Minford (18-3) to its first Final 4 in school history.
“There’s a lot of hard work that was done over the last four years with this group of seniors. We came close a lot of times, and we knew that if we could put it together and come together as a unit, we could achieve it,” Falcons head coach Jacob Hackworth said. “I’m at a loss for words for what this means to us. It’s been a lot of hard work and these kids truly deserve it.”
“Grandview Heights is always at this stage. It’s a historic program. Our game plan was simple. We wanted to stay compact, stay disciplined, and when we could break, get Myles on the run and get some support behind him,” Hackworth added. “Credit to our guys for going nearly 85 minutes and holding one of the best soccer teams in the state in Division V to a clean sheet. Our goalkeeper, Kade Glockner, has been huge. He’s been the player of the tournament right now, and we’re going to go as far as he takes us.”
While Minford generated very little offensively in the first half, goalkeeper Kade Glockner stole the show.
Grandview Heights (15-5-1) put Glockner to work early on, but the senior keeper came prepared. With 31:31 left in the half, the Bobcats fired a shot towards the upper half of the goal. But Glockner made a leaping catch for a save to keep it out.
Glockner continued to be a stronghold in the box throughout the entirety of the half, and it was no more evident than with 6:28 remaining in the first half.
Grandview Heights fired a shot directly at Glockner, only for the ball to slip through his hands. Just when it looked like the Bobcats would grace the scoreboard, Glockner made an acrobatic save before denying a rebound shot attempt for another.
“[Glockner] just shows up every day and knows what he has to do. He’s almost, to a fault, a little cocky because he knows he’s good,” Hackworth said. “He carries that swagger and it carries over on the field. We’ve got all the trust in him in the world. We’re all super proud of him and the growth he’s made from last year to now.”
He finished the first half with eight saves, sending the two teams into the intermission in a scoreless tie.
Minford earned a number of chances on the attack in the second half.
Montgomery found himself with a few clean looks throughout the half, but all to no avail as Grandview Heights keeper Toby Hatzifotinos was there to keep the ball out of the net.
In turn, the Bobcats would get their share of shots off, forcing more pressure on Minford’s defense. However, Glockner still made his presence felt in the box. With 23 seconds left, Grandview Heights lined up for one final corner kick.
When the ball was entered, the Bobcats had a point-blank shot lined up, but Glockner again quickly corralled it for his 14th save of the match, sending things to overtime in a scoreless tie.
The Falcons didn’t need all of those extra 15 minutes.
A little over four minutes into the extra time, Montgomery took the ball away from a Grandview Heights defender and charged into the box.
Drawing the keeper out of position, the senior fired at the goal before his shot was barely deflected.
But Gavin Downey just so happened to be at the right place at the right time.
As the ball trickled his way, Downey tapped the ball into a wide open goal at the 10:45 mark, sealing the deal on Minford’s first regional title in school history.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
“When Grandview’s keeper whiffed on it, I didn’t even know Gavin tapped it in. We were already going to the corner to go celebrate. But this team doesn’t care. We’re selfless,” Hackworth said. “We’ve said impossible is nothing, and why not us? Our Scripture for this game was 1 Samuel 17, David and Goliath, and everybody knows how that went. We were David and Goliath here, and if you just have faith in the Lord, He’ll let good things happen.”
“Gavin, Ethan Cordle, and Myles Montgomery are all four-year starters on varsity. They have 65 career wins now, and that’s probably not something a lot of high school kids can say they’ve achieved,” Hackworth added. “They’ve been on the field every match since they were 14 years old. That’s just a testament to the hard work, the grit, and the toughness they bring to us.”
Minford will advance to a Division V state semifinal at 7 p.m., Wednesday at Big Walnut High School. The Falcons will meet with Kidron Central Christian, who defeated Lake Center Christian by a 1-0 final to advance.
“We’re going to have to rest and recover, because a lot of these guys didn’t come off the pitch. We’ve got to get our minds right and we’re going to break down some film,” Hackworth said. “I don’t care who we play or where we play, that does not matter, we’re going to prepare the same way we have all year. When we get back to Minford, we’re going to celebrate, and then get back to work tomorrow.”
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