HUGHESVILLE -- Take advantage of the space you're given. Crash the net. Don't let your foot off the accelerator.
Midd-West did all of the above and much, much more in Tuesday's PIAA Class AA first-round playoff game against Southern Lehigh. Corey Goss, Alex Callender and Jeremy Payne all scored as the Mustangs cruised to a 3-1 victory at Raymond H. Perritt Stadium.
"We started off real well," Midd-West coach Chris Sauer said. "We wanted to put them under pressure. ... And we took it to them."
The Mustangs (17-3-1), champions of District 4, now advance to the state quarterfinals for the second year in a row. They'll face District 3 champion Fleetwood on Saturday at a site and time to be announced.
After losing eight starters from last year's state semifinalist, there were whispers at the start of this season that Midd-West would take a step back. But that kind of talk only fueled the fire of the 2009 Mustangs, who have now won nine in a row.
"That was a lot of momentum, people putting us down," said Payne, one of the three returning starters (along with Callender and Jaycen Goodling). "That's how we like it."
"It's not a surprise to us," added Sauer, who's now 3-3 in state playoff games. "Last year on our ride back from HersheyPark Stadium (after a 3-0 loss to Pottsgrove in the semis), (assistant coaches) Russell Goodling and Mark Ferster and I were talking, and we said, We're going to get back.'"We believe in our kids."
Tuesday's matchup was the third in the last five years between the Mustangs and Spartans (17-6). Southern Lehigh spoiled Midd-West's first visit to states in 2005 with a 3-1 victory. Last year, the Mustangs won 2-0 en route to the semifinals.
That meeting last year may have had some influence on Southern's thinking going into Tuesday's rematch. The Spartans routinely gave away too much space in the midfield -- space that Payne and Jeremey Troutman were only too happy to exploit.
"I think (Southern) may have been relating us to how we played last year," Sauer said. "We held more space (last season) because we had a little more speed up top. ... Now the guys we have in the middle are different players that go at you."
Troutman got the ball rolling in the fifth minute, as he dribbled upfield and to the right side of the box before blasting a shot; keeper Eric Novak stopped it, but then slipped in trying to corral it, and Goss was there for the rebound goal.
It was still 1-0 in the second half when Midd-West struck again. This time it was Payne launching a missile into the box in the 46th minute. Novak deflected it, but Callender was there for his third goal of the playoffs.
"That's something we've struggled with all year long," Sauer said when asked about his team's crashing the net. "Tonight, for whatever reason, the guys were prepared, the were ready to go, and we finished."
Payne got the Mustangs' final tally in the 57th minute. He took the ball at midfield, dribbled in, and nailed a shot from inside the right side of the box that found the back of the net.
"We thought our best chances were in going at them in space," Payne said.
"Instead of just passing it to our forwards, we thought dribbling through the midfield was effective."
Southern, the District 11 champion, got on the board in the 77th minute when Kris Kassel scored.
Sports
Related Photos
-
Robert Inglis
Discussion
Midd-West defeats Southern Lehigh in PIAA opener
- Sports
-
-
H.S. Track & Field notebook: Better late than never
As soon as the Class AA boys javelin throwers were finished Friday morning, Lewisburg’s Brandon Smith left his fellow competitors at the throwing area and took off for Seth Grove Stadium track, trying to hurry while negotiating the heavy foot traffic of fans, coaches and athletes.
-
Keller runs to his first victory
Amazing. That was the simple reply from Cody Keller after capping the long comeback from injury win his first sprint car race Saturday night at Selinsgrove Speedway.
-
Zaktansky: Life lessons learned from an earthworm
On my hands and knees, I slogged forward.
The steady rain had long before soaked through my clothes and turned the ground underneath me into a slick film of runny mud. My back hurt, my fingers were caked with brown goop and my mouth was aching from holding a small flashlight as I slowly scanned the backyard. -
Indigo buntings grace the Valley
Summer is the best time for viewing a spectrum of colorful birds.
Like most bird species, it is the male who exhibits bright coloration. From the orange and black patterns of the northern oriole to the scarlet tanager and yellow warbler and the rose-breasted grosbeak — all make a spectacle of themselves. -
Don Steese column: Counting the days
Memorial Day weekend is traditionally the start of the summer vacation season. Kids are out school, the weather is beautiful and all is well with the world ... except for folks like myself, who find themselves counting the days until fall.
-
Hartley, Billas fight off heat
Melanie Hartley was drained, a puddle of nerves and perspiration after a brutal 400-meter dash. While the official thermometer at Shippensburg University flirted with 90 degrees on Saturday, the heavy dose of humidity had the packed house at Seth Grove Stadium sweltering.
-
Moore bags two medals
Matt Moore is a hard guy to please. Or at least, he finds it hard to take pleasure in his own track and field performances.
-
Ken Maurer column: More talk about bass
This past week I attended 2 meetings involving the PFBC.
The first was in Harrisburg where fish commission officials explained to the state senators why they want the DEP to place the Susquehanna River on the “impaired” list. DEP has refused once, and the PFBC has reapplied. -
Scott Dudinskie's high school baseball column: Reich still going strong
Bryan Reich feels it with every pitch he throws. Some would call it pain, maybe discomfort. The Milton right-hander chooses "annoyance."
-
State Track & Field updates
Get updates throughout the day on how Valley athletes are faring at the PIAA Track & Field Championships in Shippensburg.
- More Sports Headlines
-
H.S. Track & Field notebook: Better late than never
