You could call Andrew Petty the Prince of Penalty Kicks.
Simon Kenton needed every one of Petty’s three against Grant County on Wednesday. The first one tied the score at 1-1 in the 79th minute, and his other two led the Pioneers to a 2-1 win (9-8 in PKs) – and third straight 32nd District title – at Grant County Middle School.
Perry was calm as he took the final kick.
“Just breathe,” he said. “I’ve been here the last three years, same team, playing over and over, just got to go up there and win it for my family.”
Simon Kenton coach Jeremy Wolfe, meanwhile, couldn’t have been more emotional if he’d won the $1 billion Mega Millions jackpot.
“Yes, it was nerve-racking,” Wolfe said. “This is a good group of guys; we’ve got nine seniors, they’re all hard-workers, good leaders.”
Grant County and Simon Kenton both scored in the first round of PKs – the Braves’ Konnar Helton beat Miles Mullen to the upper right corner, and Perry did the same to Drake Schlueter to the lower left.
On the 10th set of kicks, Grant County’s Coleman Barker’s shot twice clanked off the crossbar. Mullen offered advice.
“Petty was walking up, and I just told him, just trust his gut,” Mullen said.
Grant County (10-7-2) was a little shorthanded at halftime – midfielder Lane Griffith missed the second half with a right knee injury.
“He’s a starter, he’s a senior, he’s important to the team,” Grant County coach Dustin Smith said.
The Braves scored in the 63rd minute. After Boston Traylor’s free kick cleared a wall of Pioneers, Helton’s follow-up beat Mullen.
“Even with that, going up a goal, I think toward the end of the game (I) would have liked to see us maintain our composure a bit more and value having the ball and not give it up quite as much with that one-goal cushion,” Smith said.
Simon Kenton (11-9-2) had a chance to avoid PKs in the 82nd minute, but Schlueter saved Michael Cawthron’s shot.
Girls
Simon Kenton 7, Walton-Verona 0
The Pioneers convincingly won their 12th straight district title on two goals each by Ella Smith and Cam Ruble and single scores from Reese Johnson, Niya Johnson and Alexis Howard.
Simon Kenton coach Hillary Johnson thought Wednesday was a lot nicer because the Pioneers’ 4-3 win over the Bearcats on Sept. 20 required a comeback from a 3-1 halftime deficit.
“That was a completely different team,” Johnson said of Wednesday’s win. “It proved they executed our game plan.”
Simon Kenton goalkeeper Fayth Tomlin recorded her eighth shutout of the season – pretty good because she was a midfielder last year.
“I think it’s a pretty big accomplishment for my first year,” Tomlin said. “My defense helps me a lot.”
What was maybe toughest for Walton-Verona to handle: Simon Kenton (12-9-1) improved its record over the Bearcats to 25-0.
“It was not good, that’s what it was,” Walton-Verona coach Patrick Luken said. “It was not good; we just weren’t ready. We warmed up flat, we gave up an early goal. We had momentum the first 10 minutes or so, and we looked fine.”
Until the Bearcats (17-4-2) didn’t.
It took Simon Kenton just three minutes to open the scoring on Reese Johnson’s goal. Twelve minutes later, Smith scored on Reece Johnson’s assist, which Howard followed with a goal off a deflection in the 27th minute.
“We just decided that we were done pretty early in the game,” Luken said. “It just went downhill from there.”
The Pioneers, however, were just starting.
A Walton-Verona own-goal in the 30th minute made it 4-0, and Niya Johnson found the net a minute later.
Ruble finished the scoring with goals in the 48th minute and a PK in the 61st.
Both teams advance to next week’s Eighth Region tournament. District winners will host first-round games, and the semifinals and finals will be played at Carroll County.
