It was a soccer set piece Bishop Brossart had never tried in a playoff game until Tuesday.
It worked. Kingston Hungler’s goal in the 82nd minute gave the defending 10th Region champion Mustangs a 3-2 overtime win over George Rogers Clark in the quarterfinals at Campbell County.
Next for Brossart: Mason County in the semifinals at 8 p.m. Thursday.
“Oh, this means the world,” Hungler said. “I live with these type games, and I wouldn’t want to get any other way.”
Perhaps the happiest Mustang was coach Donny Bray, Hungler’s stepfather.
“I’m proud of Kingston and every one of these boys,” Bray said. “Tonight was a great example of who these boys are.”
The winning play began with Ben Sweeney’s throw-in to Luke Neltner, who was stationed near then right post. Sweeney watched 2026 graduate Kyle Piscitello try the same play last year.
“This year I realized I could throw the ball as far as him,” Sweeney said. “… I knew I could throw it that far, but we struggled off the headers backwards, the flicks, but today we capitalized off of three flicks.”
Neltner then flicked Sweeney’s ball over GRC goalkeeper Jack Keely.
“I started playing varsity soccer as a sophomore, and over time I’ve just gotten better and better at where I’m placing it,” Neltner said. “If I can find the ball and get a flick over the keeper like I did, I’ll do it every time. That assist is probably one of the favorite assists in my life.”
And finally, there was Hungler, hanging around the far left post.
“I’m standing in the (18-yard) box,” Hungler said. “We practiced this play before.”
GRC coach Renwick Ross said his team always wanted to play aggressively.
“I think our goalkeeper’s trying to come out and make a play,” Ross said. “It’s, you know, a soccer play.”
Brossart and GRC both played 4-5-1 systems, with four fullbacks, five midfielders and a striker.
“We’re a more possession-oriented team,” Ross said. “We build from the middle third to the attacking third.”
Tuesday was Brossart’s second win over GRC this season. (Anthony Morales and Jackson Clark scored in the 2-1 victory Sept. 8 in Alexandria.) Sweeney said it was the first time Brossart had played at Campbell County, which he said has narrower dimensions than the Mustangs’ home turf.
“We had more space to actually move around and pass around,” Sweeney said. “But (Tuesday), they matched us perfectly. We didn’t have space and they didn’t have space, so it was more of a game of speed and actually be physical enough to the ball to get it.”
For about 15 minutes Tuesday, it looked like the Cardinals (10-7-2) would run Brossart off the pitch.
In less than a minute, GRC’s Oliver Snowden beat Brossart keeper Ryan Eldridge. Fourteen minutes later, it was 2-0 Cardinals on Jayden Hisle’s goal.
“We got caught flat, ball went over the top, no communication,” Sweeney said.
Hungler also had a foot in Brossart’s (9-9-2) first-half comeback. He scored in the 21st minute, and Jeffy Schwegmann tied the score in the 33rd.
“Jeffy Schwegmann, he found a gear that I haven’t seen yet, and he turned it on and he did what we’ve known he’s been capable of all season,” Bray said.
In Thursday’s other semifinal in Claryville, Campbell County takes on Montgomery County, an 8-0 quarterfinal winner over Harrison County, at 6 p.m. The final kicks off at 2 p.m. Saturday.
“I would love to win a region my senior year,” Neltner said. “And I’m going to give everything I have to get there.”
