BOYS SOCCER: Emotional Rochester Hills Christian goes to shootout to capture seventh MACS state title
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
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DAVISON — Adam Patton had a feeling Saturday afternoon in the final soccer game of his high school career.
The Rochester Hills Christian senior guessed right and stopped Midland Calvary Baptist’s sixth shooter in a penalty kick shootout, while classmate Alec Spiegel buried his heroic opportunity, as RHC captured its first Michigan Association of Christian Schools Division I state championship since 2013 with a 3-2 victory at Davison Faith Baptist High School.
The fourth-ranked Eagles held a 6-5 edge on penalties to prevail for its seventh MACS state crown in 30 years.
Patton, a senior center back, was inserted into goal for the shootout. After both teams converted their first five tries, Patton dove to his right to stop the shot and set the stage for Spiegel’s game-winner — the final page of an emotional roller coaster season.
“I lost my mom to cancer early in the season and this was for her,” offered Patton, who along with his teammates wore a M.P. patch on the front of their jerseys seeking inspiration from the late Marilyn Patton who passed on Sept. 6. “I just prayed to the Lord to let us win this game and looked for strength from him. I know she was watching. I had that feeling. I had a feeling which way he was going to shoot, too.”
Spiegel, a marking back not known for his offensive prowess, converted his game-clinching shot in the shootout.
“I am calm and collective with everything in life except for penalty kicks,” smiled Spiegel. “I was nervous to be honest. I took one in a (early-season) tournament back at the beginning of the season and I made that one. But there wasn’t pressure like this one in a state championship (game).”
Rochester Hills Christian coach Jerry Slota, who was the starting goalkeeper during the Eagles first MACS state title win back in a 1989, a 2-1 triumph over Roseville Calvary Christian, said that this was the most emotional season he’s ever been involved with in over 20 years serving on RHC’s coaching staff.
“It was so emotional. The boys are so close and wanted to win this for Adam’s mom,” offered Slota. “And ironically it was Adam Patton and the seniors that stepped up and helped us win this game.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys. To come back from only winning two games (in 2014) to not only have a winning record this year but to win the state title is amazing,” added Slota. “No one counted us in the discussion at the beginning of the season and even at the start of the (state) tournament no one counted us in as having a chance. But these boys came together and had a great run and proved everybody else wrong.”
Rochester Hills Christian (11-6-3) scored just five minutes into the contest. It was the arms of Patton, who routinely hurls the ball off long throw-ins into the penalty box, that set up the first goal, which senior Michael Childress converted during a wild goal-mouth scrum at the 35:00 mark.
The Eagles, who tied Midland Calvary Baptist 0-0 back in August, held the lead until there was 10:03 left in the second half. Calvary Baptist junior midfielder Onelson Louis-Charles slipped in behind the RHC defense and blasted home his shot off a feed by junior midfielder Nathan Bright.
The game stayed even at 1-1 entering overtime. The Kings took the 2-1 advantage when sophomore forward Tim Neeb scored off a breakaway following a perfectly-slotted through ball by Bright with 3:43 remaining in the first overtime.
The Kings also had a goal called back in the second half due to an offsides call.
Rochester Hills Christian responded with the game-tying tally with 2:07 left in the first extra session. Patton’s long throw-in sailed across the box, deflected off a Calvary Baptist a defender, and senior Carlo Mercurio pounced on the loose ball and sent it into the net for a 2-2 draw.
Both teams recorded one shot in the second overtime.
“We practiced that play in practice a lot over the last few weeks, getting the long throw ins into the box and trying to get off a shot or get a deflection. A lot can happen when the ball is bouncing around in the box and both of our goals came like that,” said Slota.
Calvary Baptist coach James Day felt the game could’ve gone either way.
“It’s high school (state) tournament soccer,” offered Day. “Both teams went back and forth and they won a great game in a shootout. I’m proud of our team for making it here. We only had three seniors on the roster. Last year we had 10 seniors and we’ve undefeated going into the tournament and lost to (Clinton Township Faith Christian). This year we were a lot younger and had six sophomores in the starting lineup and nine on the team, so I think we made a great run at it with a young team. We just came up short.”
Patrick Puscas, Tyler Reid, Deven Burrick, Ethan Suciu, Kaloh Holmes and Spiegel converted their penalties in order for the Eagles, who also won titles in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 and 2013.
Matthew Mwemba, Bright, Joshua Kipfmiller, Mark Dickerson and Adam Chrysler made their penalty kicks in the shootout for Midland Calvary Baptist (18-7-3), which played a brutally tough schedule against many MHSAA schools.
Suciu, a freshman, was RHC’s goalkeeper through 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods, making four saves. Patton made his first appearance of the season between the pipes during the shootout.
“We talked about it and I knew that I was going in goal if it reached a shootout,” said Patton. “I haven’t played there since my freshman year. But my coach felt I was pretty good at stopping (penalties).”
Junior Jude Tenbush recorded four saves for Calvary Baptist.
Rochester Hills Christian held a narrow 11-8 total shots edge before the shootout, while both sides fired six shots on frame and both teams recorded two cornerkicks.
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