Jay eyeing another title

The season has come full circle.

Two months ago, the Jay County High School boys soccer team started the year with a 4-0 defeat to the Muncie Central Bearcats. Although the Patriots were coming off an 18-1-1 season, the graduation of nine seniors and the opening loss left an unclear picture of what the 2009 squad could accomplish.

Now everything has come into focus.

JCHS responded to the loss to Muncie Central with five consecutive victories. It has now earned a rematch with the Bearcats - the teams meet in regional semifinal action Wednesday at Blackford at 5:30 p.m. - having won six straight en route to their second sectional title in a row.

"They're very confident," said coach Alan Bailey of his Patriots, who are 14-4 and have already avenged one of their regular season losses with their 5-0 sectional championship win over Blackford. "I think (the regional) is well-balanced. I don't see anybody above anybody else."

At 13-3 Muncie Central has the best record of the bunch, but Jay County is not far behind at 14-4. The other regional semifinal game, which will be played Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., pits Yorktown (10-5-1) against New Haven (10-7-1).

Senior Brad Horn said the opportunity to repeat 2008's post-season accomplishments has been the goal for the team throughout the year.

"It would be amazing," he said of the possibility of playing for another regional title. "That's always on our mind to get back to semi-state."

To have that chance, Jay County will need to get past Central first.

The Bearcats were in control throughout the season opener, scoring twice in the first 12 minutes. They limited JCHS to just three shots on goal.

"As cliché as it may sound, we just have to play like we did then. The first couple games of the season as far as overall play, passing, ball-control, those were some of the best games we had," said Central coach Shea Hill, noting that illnesses kept his best lineup off the field for a portion of the year. "Here towards the end of the season we've finally been able to put everybody back on the field again together. That play that we had at the beginning of the season has come back."

Despite the result this season, Jay County has had success against the Bearcats in the past. It beat Central twice last season, including 1-0 in the regional championship game.

And to a man, the Patriots agree that they are a much different team than they were on Aug. 18.

"On the defense it was the first time really that anybody besides Garrett (Krieg) had played their position," said goalie Adams Daniels before practice Monday. "We were really young, didn't really know what we were doing. But we've picked it up a lot."

"The communication is a lot better back there," added Krieg. "We're understanding the game a lot better than we were at the beginning of the season."

The results back up that assertion.

Jay County allowed just one goal in its two sectional games, and that came on a penalty kick. It earned its fifth shutout of the year by blanking Blackford, a team it had lost to 4-1 during the regular season.

"Defensively there is all the difference in the world," said Bailey of the group that includes Krieg, Dillon Ainsworth, Brandon Poore, Colton Bartlett, Alex Dunn and Gary Corle. "We were basically playing five kids back there who had little or no varsity experience whatsoever. ... We've come a long way ..."

Central got to the regional round after rallying from a 1-0 deficit Saturday to defeat Muncie Burris. Jon Galvin was responsible for both goals.

The first came late in the opening half when he was tackled in the penalty box on a breakaway. Neil Chalupa converted the ensuing penalty kick to tie the game.

Seven minutes into the second half Galvin added what would be the game-winning goal.

"We were going in trying to keep ourselves calm," said Hill of his team's slow start. "We almost calmed ourselves down too much ... You really do have to get up and get pumped and intense in every single game. ... If you don't come ready to play ... another team can sometimes out hustle you ..."

No player in Indiana has hustled to the net this year more than Horn, who now leads the state in goals with 44. He also has nine assists.

Patrick Johnson, another senior, has 18 goals - the school record prior to Horn breaking it last season was 20 - and seven assists this year. And Ben Brandt has dished out 14 assists.

"They have got a number of athletic guys," said Hill, a 2005 Central graduate. "I think last year gave them confidence. I think they really wanted to come out and prove that it wasn't just a one-year thing last year. Obviously they've done that."

The Patriots will try to continue to prove that point Wednesday, and they hope again in Saturday's regional championship. Bailey believes his team is up to the task.

"I think we've got just as good a shot as anybody of winning this regional," he said. "Everybody is strong, but they've all been beat. I think we're ready.

"I'm looking forward to Wednesday."[[In-content Ad]]