Semi-automatic (10/23/2008)

Three undefeated teams remain in the IHSAA boys soccer state tournament.

The first is top-ranked Evansville Memorial, with a 19-0-2 record.

The second is No. 2 Homestead, also 19-0-2.

The third team has one fewer win than the other two, but also one fewer tie. It also lacks a state-ranking in front of its name.

That team is Jay County.

Even though they've been nearly automatic - they won their first nine games and still stand unbeaten - the Patriots never appeared in the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association poll this season. That's likely because they've just never been here before.

Whereas Evansville Memorial is the defending state champion and Homestead has two regional titles and one semi-state crown in its history, this is new territory for JCHS. The 2008 season marks not only its first regional championship, but also its first appearance in the regional finals and just its second sectional title.

"It's a whole different level," said Patriot coach Alan Bailey of what his team will be up against Saturday when it plays Warsaw (14-5-2) in the semi-state semifinal at Hefner Stadium Fields in Fort Wayne at noon. "These kids play club soccer year round. I went and watched Homestead and Canterbury play Saturday night, and that's college soccer. Those kids are fast from front to back. It's going to be great for us to see this. We need to see this if we're going to go to that level."

Undefeated Homestead will play Westview (15-4-2) in the other semifinal, also at noon. The winners will return to the same field Saturday night for the semi-state championship game at 8 p.m.

Warsaw looks to be a slight favorite over the Patriots, based on the results against their one common opponent - Marion.

Jay County defeated Marion 3-2 during the regular season, getting the game-winning goal from Patrick Johnson with just 53 seconds left on the clock. Warsaw earned its regional championship with a 3-0 victory over the Giants.

Thus far in the tournament the Patriots have played teams they are familiar with, having already beaten sectional opponents South Adams and Blackford and regional final foe Muncie Central during the regular season. They had some previous experience against regional semifinal opponent Anderson, having played the Indians in the same round of the tournament two seasons ago.

But although this is new territory, JCHS isn't showing any nerves. The team was loose at an informal pep session with family and friends Wednesday night, joking around rather than worrying about what lies ahead.

"We step up to the challenge as a team," said Bartlett. "We fall down sometimes playing teams that aren't as good, but we also step up really well when we play teams like Marion. I think we can handle it."

"We've made it this far and no one else has," added Aaron McLaughlin. "Really, we have nothing to lose ..."

Warsaw defeated Marion in the regional championship game at Logansport on the power of two goals from freshman Corey Lopez. He scored the first on an assist from senior Jesse Sharp 18 minutes into the game. The other goal came from Micah Price.

The bad news for the Tigers was that they lost Sharp, their all-time leading scorer, to a knee injury. He did not play in the second half, and may not play in the semi-state.

"They're a well-disciplined team," said Bailey, who met with Marion coach Jorge Berry Sunday to discus Warsaw. "Every pass has a meaning behind it.

"(Berry) said if we play hard and play to our wings and play fast, we've got just as good a chance as they've got."

Jay County will make a change for the semi-state to mirror the Tigers' formation.

Warsaw plays a 4-1 (four midfielders, one forward), and the Patriots will shift to that look as well. They will play five backs, drop Isaac Poole (23 goals, 11 assists) back to midfield and leave leading scorer Brad Horn (27 goals, four assists) as the lone forward.

"We're going to keep Brad pushed up as far as we can to keep some gap in the midfield so they can't use it and so we can attack it with our speed," said Bailey. "We're hoping good things will happen from that.

"We're going to switch things up a little bit and hopefully we can go out and get a win."

Jay County has reached its new heights by playing well in every phase of the game.

Horn and Poole are two of the leading scorers in the state, each having hit on more than 40 percent of their shots on goal. The team, which has also gotten big offensive production from Trey Dunn (10 goals, 14 assists) and Johnson (10 goals, 10 assists), has scored at least three goals in 16 of its 19 games.

On the defensive side, the Patriots never allowed more than three goals in a game this year, and have limited opponents to one or none 11 times. The backfield of Joe Rasmussen, David Darby, Moser and goalie Adam Daniels have given up just a total of just five goals in the last seven games, including a 1-0 shutout of Muncie Central in the regional championship.

"It's tribute to the kids and their effort and their hard work," said Bailey, whose team has won nine in a row since tying Centerville 1-1. "Like we always tell them before the games, 'If you go out and do what you're capable of doing good things are going to happen.' Those are my last words before we walk out on the field the whole season. They've gone out and done what they're capable of doing and good things have happened every time. ... I'm just proud as can be of them."

There is a lot to be proud of. And there is a lot on the line Saturday as well - a semi-state title, an even greater place in school history and the preservation of the undefeated season. But for this group of nine seniors and their teammates, it's really about something much more simple.

"(Winning) would mean another week of us getting to play together," said Darby. "This is the most fun year of soccer I've ever had."

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