KC boys repeat as District 9 champs
BROCKWAY — Casey Young was attacked by Gremlins Thursday night, those donning Karns City purple and gold.
From the left and right, from straight ahead they came and Saint Marys' goalkeeper received little reprieve from the onslaught, particularly in the first half of the District 9 Class 2A boys soccer title game.
Young allowed two goals in the first 40 minutes, a modest amount considering the pressure he faced, but they gave KC momentum the Dutchmen were unable to overcome as the Gremlins remained atop the district with a 4-0 win at Frank Varischetti Field.
After losing in the district final three straight years (2017-19), the Gremlins have now won back-to-back titles.
Myles McCully, a sophomore forward, was part of last year's championship. He contributed a goal and assist Thursday night.
“Winning again is great,” he said. “It means a lot for me to be part of another title. We knew we just had to be consistent tonight.”
The Gremlins immediately began putting pressure on Young, earning a corner kick just 35 seconds into the game.
In the fifth minute, McCully won a 1-on-1 battle with a Dutch defender to the right of Saint Marys' net. He sent a perfect cross to the left side of the goal, where teammate Seth Bishop scored for a 1-0 lead.
“In years past, we've had kids, sometimes two, who scored 30 to 40 goals in a season,” said KC coach Jim Grenninger. “We don't have that this year, so goals are more at a premium for us.
“Scoring early tonight was very important for us. It put a damper on things for them (Dutch).”
Fifteen minutes after Bishop's goal, Young stopped a shot from McCully and Braden Slater's attempt on the rebound was off the mark.
But the Gremlins soon earned corner kicks less than a minute apart. As the Dutch were attempting to mount an attack after the second, McCully gained possession, got by a defender and put a shot into the back of the net before Young could thwart the chance.
The Gremlins (15-2-1) played at a rapid pace in the first half.
“We burnt ourselves out,” said Grenninger, “and we sub sparingly.”
That combination, along with desperation on the part of the Dutch (11-8-1), left most of the heat on KC's defense and goalie Luke Yasika in the second half.
Saint Marys' Matt Palmer and Dawson Krug spearheaded their team's attempt to get on the scoreboard. Yasika had made four saves in the first half, but those came on long-range shots. The action pushed much closer to him in the final 40 minutes, but he stopped all nine shots he faced.
“He played the game of his life,” said Grenninger of Yasika. “Mallick Metcalfe, Braden Slater and Cole Sherwin, they all stepped up defensively.”
“We've been a strong second half team this year and our kids fought to the end tonight,” said Dutch coach Mike Shaffer.
Jacob Callihan further frustrated the Dutch by scoring a pair of goals less than two minutes apart late in the game, accounting for the final score of 4-0.
Karns City will open the state playoffs Tuesday.
