Staff picture / Brian Yauger. Champion’s Carter Chapin and Crestview senior AJ Milhoan race towards a free ball throughout Wednesday’s recreation at Champion.
CHAMPION — Earlier this season, Champion coach Shawnn Wilson talked about how there have been a mess of gamers who may very well be the difference-maker for the Golden Flashes this season.
In Wednesday’s recreation towards Crestview, 5 completely different gamers scored targets to assist propel Champion previous the Rebels and hold its undefeated season rolling, 5-0.
“This is the definition of a team,” Wilson mentioned. “We have multiple people that can play, that can do everything that we ask them to do and when you have that and you don’t know who’s going to put the ball in the back of the net, it’s nice to have that with our team.”
The packages have had some intense, however all the time respectful, battles over time. That results in each groups angling to actually set the tone early.
On Wednesday, it was Champion who did that.
“We love playing Crestview. We respect them. I respect the coach, I respect the team and program,” Wilson mentioned. “I think when I first came into this program, we wanted to win that game, and it became a very intense, but fun game to be in, and that’s how it started out today. We love playing them and we had nothing but respect for them.”
Carter Chapin received issues going for the Flashes, blasting a shot into the web across the midway mark within the first half.
The targets saved coming for Champion.
In the ultimate 10 minutes earlier than halftime, junior Hunter Maylone and sophomore Evan Tilley joined Chapin on the scoresheet.
Westin Kuhns and Nicolas Abruzzi every added targets within the second half.
Now, eight video games in, Champion is unblemished with an 8-0-0 mark.
The staff is deep and anybody could make the opposition pay. That’s normally a reasonably good recipe for fulfillment, and the Flashes have proven that up to now this season.
And it’s not simply offense that’s fueling Champion. The Flashes’ protection has been oppressive, limiting groups to only three targets towards up to now this yr.
“Not only are we putting points on the board, we’re shutting teams out with a tremendous defense and goalie that we have,” Wilson mentioned. “Kyle Haynie, our center back, had a great stop to prevent a goal early. Our defense and goalie (Ty Horm) keep on playing lights out defense every single game.”
There’s no resting for Champion, nonetheless. Winning the primary eight video games on the schedule is simply that. They’re eyeing extra. The Flashes wish to make historical past.
“I believe these young adults are at this stage, they know, and they want it,” Wilson mentioned. “When you’ve got a staff that is aware of and desires one thing it’s onerous to cease them, and also you don’t really want to do far more than to maintain on reminding them what they need. They know what they need, which is to attempt to be the primary staff to win a regional recreation for Champion. That’s our final purpose, and to do this, you must win districts and to do this, you must set a precedent and be dominant, and we’re attempting to be dominant.
“We know that there’s peaks, we know that there’s valleys. Can we be dominant when we’re in the valley? And then can we excel better and learn from where we’re at on the peaks?”
Crestview (5-3, 4-1 MVAC Gray Tier) seems to get again within the win column with a highway recreation towards East Liverpool on Saturday.
As a younger staff, Rebels coach Tony Dolan knew Champion was going to be a tricky matchup. He needed the children to be taught above all else, and now they get to use these classes towards the Potters.
“We’ll have time to work on our wings and work on those little things that we saw tonight,” Dolan mentioned. “(There were) a lot of mistakes, and (I hope we can) take this anger and take it down to East Liverpool.”
Champion performs host to Harding on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.