The Press-Dispatch

October 11, 2017

The Press-Dispatch

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B-4 Sports Wednesday, October 11, 2017 The Press-Dispatch program, a great team and great coaches," Chargers head coach Chad Western said. "They are a very ef- ficient, high-powered of- fense, and we could not let them get going. Our defense and wings did a great job of working back, winning the ball, and dis- rupting everything they tried to do." Senior goalkeeper Ty- ler Tormohlen made sev- eral difficult saves while recording his sixth con- secutive shutout – cover- ing 508 minutes – and the team's 12th of the season. "Tyler was great in goal, making several nice saves and directing our guys to keep yet another shut- out for 94 minutes," Chad Western said. "This is an awesome feat, against one of the best offenses we have seen, for sure." Washington's best scor- ing opportunity during regulation came with six minutes left in the first half, when junior Carlos Rodas shook free for a one-on-one breakaway. Tormohlen, however, charged directly at Rodas as he approached the goal and made a sliding stop of Rodas' shot on goal. Pike Central had sever- al opportunities to score, including one play in the first half when a shot by senior Kyson Western – off a throw-in by sopho- more Ethan Scott – sailed just over the crossbar with 23:15 remaining. In the second half, the Chargers' best scoring op- portunity occurred with about 37 minutes remain- ing, when a long kick by Pike Central senior Cam- eron Henson bounced past Washington senior goalkeeper Ethan Fran- ces and bounced toward the open goal. Kyson Western, rac- ing down the middle of the field, tried to catch up with the ball and nudge it into the goal when Wash- ington sophomore Brady Hill kicked the ball away, past the right side of the goal to keep the game scoreless. "We had some chanc- es that went just wide or over, and hit the bar a cou- ple of times," Chad West- ern said. "Of course, they did, too, and either team easily could have had a goal. But it was meant to be 0 -0, and that is great soccer." A fter neither team was able to break the 0 -0 dead- lock during the two sev- en-minute overtime peri- ods that followed regula- tion, the contest went to penalty kicks. With Chargers' soph- omore Noah Whann in goal, Washington took a 1-0 lead when senior Solo- mon Davis kicked the ball past Whann into the lower right corner. Kyson Western took the first penalty kick for Pike Central, but his shot was blocked by Frances, leav- ing the Hatchets with a 1- 0 lead. Then, after Washing- ton sophomore Brady Hill missed his penalty kick to the right, Pike Central se- nior Tyler Meadors fired a shot that hit off the front side of the crossbar and ricocheted to the left of the goal. Washington then took a 2-0 lead when senior Kyle Hummerickhouse kicked the ball into the upper right corner of the goal. Frances then made a punch save on a penalty kick by Chargers' senior Briar Meadors, preserv- ing the Hatchet's 2-0 lead with two attempts left per team. Hatchets junior Kevin Serrano clinched the win by kicking the ball past Whann into the lower left corner of the goal. "Penalty kicks were going to be a big task, as this is the best PK team we have ever went into PKs with," Chad Western said. "They have very of- fensive-minded guys that are all high-quality fin- ishers, and we knew they were going to be strong." "We were spent, and gave everything we had, and played so well in our last game," he added. "As a coach, parent, fan or school, that is all we can ask of these young men. I say, 'A job well done, guys.'" Chad Western noted that the loss marked the end of the high school careers of the Chargers' nine seniors – Breyton Booker, Gavin Boyd, Kaleb Claridge, Quade Claridge, Cameron Hen- son, Briar Meadors, Ty- ler Meadors, Tyler Tor- mohlen and Kyson West- ern. "This group is special for so many reasons," Chad Western said. "I have coached these guys for years, in rec soccer, other sports, had them around our house, and have been so lucky to have them for middle school soccer and now three years of high school soccer. In my opinion, this is the best group that has come through Pike Cen- tral for boys' soccer, and they had all the parts to make a great team with help from, of course, last year's seniors, and a few others that will be back to play huge parts for Pike Central soccer next year. Everyone thrived on their role, and did what they were supposed to do, without getting upset or wondering why they weren't able to play a cer- tain place." "We had 14 starters all year," Chad Western add- ed. "But, actually, we had 14 stars." Chad Western ex- pressed his appreciation to all the support shown for the boys' soccer team throughout the season by fans, friends, family and the community. "It really does make a difference to play in front of our people, and feel them wanting and push- ing us to play great," Chad Western said. "We have great parents and players, and I can only say great things about these fami- lies that have been there all year with us." "To win a sectional last year, and win a confer- ence title this year and go undefeated in the PAC and not allow a goal in sev- en matches is so great," he added. "I think of these seniors as eight extra sons, and could not have asked for a better group to coach and be around. All of them are great guys, students, out in the com- munity, and will do great things from here on out. Their parents and fami- lies should be so proud of the young men they are. I know I am." Pike Central 4, Vincennes Lincoln 0 Junior Austin Holder scored two goals and se- niors Cameron Henson and Kyson Western added one each to lead the Char- gers to a 4-0 victory over Vincennes Lincoln in the first-round of the section- al tournament on Monday, Oct. 2. Kyson Western dished out two assists while se- nior Quade Claridge and sophomore Ethan Scott had one each. "I thought we played well, and our defense was great again," Chad West- ern said. "Tyler had anoth- er shutout in goal and him and his defense has been as good as I have seen them play." Western named PAC Player of the Year for boys' soccer By Ed Cahill Press-Dispatch Sports Editor sports@pressdispatch.net Pike Central High School senior Kyson Western capped off a stellar four- year career by being named the Pocket Athletic Confer- ence's Player of the Year for boys' soccer on Monday, Oct. 9. This season, Kyson West- ern scored a total of 32 goals – falling just one short of the school record 33 goals set by Colton White in 2016 – and had 22 assists as the Chargers went 15 -3-1, in- cluding a perfect 7-0 in the PAC to win their first-ever conference title. "The coaches had a lot of compliments for our team, and Kyson, which was nice to hear," said Pike Central head coach Chad Western, Kyson's father. "He end- ed his career with a lot of school records, but, in the conference, he holds re- cords now, too." During his four-year high school career, Kyson Western scored a total of 87 goals – ranking second all-time in the PAC behind Gibson Southern's Hunter DeWeese – while setting PAC records for most as- sists (76) and points (250). Kyson Western had pre- viously been named to the All-PAC team following both his sophomore and junior seasons. In addition, senior Tyler Tormohlen was named to the All-PAC team at goalie after recording 12 shutouts – including all seven match- es against PAC opponents – and posting a goals against average of 0.709 with 152 saves. Two of Tormohlen's shutouts this season came during sectional play – a 4- 0 first-round victory over Vincennes Lincoln and a 0 -0 tie with Washington in the semifinals that was won by the Hatchers on penal- ty kicks. "This is a great accom- plishment for Tyler," Chad Western said of Tormohlen, who tied with South Spen- cer's Kipper Johnson as the All-PAC goalie as a sophomore. "He has had a great season this year and stepped up and been so big for us. Tyler finishes a great career, during which he was first team All-PAC twice." "The coaches were so impressed with Tyler, in and out of conference, and he was an easy selection for the only goalie spot on the All-PAC first team," he added. "Tyler has a lot to be proud of. I really don't think he could have played any better. That's a great com- pliment, to have used your talent to the fullest." Also named to the All- PAC team was senior Gavin Boyd, who received the most votes among the de- fensive players. "So he was the defensive player of the year, which is no surprise that the coach- es saw what we and our fans have seen all year, and for the past four years," Chad Western said of Boyd, who also scored six goals this season. "Gavin is one of the best guys to ever come through Pike Central – and also the conference – for boys' soccer. Our program would not win near as ma- ny games without Gavin do- ing his job every night and playing so well in the mid- dle of our defense." In addition, senior Brey- ton Booker, who scored 10 goals and dished out seven assists this season, was al- so voted onto the All-PAC squad. "Breyton had a lot bet- ter stats for him this year, and scored and assisted on some big goals for us," Chad Western said. "He plays both defense and of- fense, which is hard to do for some players. But he has a way to be able to do both." "Booker makes a differ- ence in each game, and it can be on either end," he added. "So it was nice to have the conference see that. I am very happy for Breyton to get recognized for our team." In addition, three Char- gers – sophomore Ethan Scott and seniors Tyler Meadors and Cameron Henson – received honor- able mention. Scott scored a total of six goals while dishing out a conference best 20 assists during the regular season. "Ethan had very good stats, and was deserving of getting honored by the PAC," Chad Western said. "He was at the top of the PAC in assists, which is what we expected of him this year. He was a differ- ence on offense, and will have to be even bigger next year. But Ethan is a guy that wants to come up big in the big situations, so that is go- ing to be important next year." Meadors, meanwhile, scored seven goals and dished out two assists. "Tyler was our most ver- satile player, playing of- fense and defense," Chad Western said. "Really, he could play about any posi- tion. He was a captain for us, and moved when and wherever we needed him without complaining or even being directed." "It's great when a guy just wants to win, and have his team succeed," he added. "And Tyler was that type of player. He wanted our team to do great things. Guys like this is why we were able to win one con- ference championship and a sectional title in the last two years." Henson, despite play- ing mostly on defense, also proved to be a deadly weap- on on offense, scoring three goals and dishing out as- sists on three more. "Cam was our glue guy," Chad Western said. "He played mostly defense, but has improved so much. He seemed like he was every- where every minute he was out there. His length and athletic skills allowed him to win balls, and catch up with anyone trying to at- tack." "Cam was great for us," he added. "But you nev- er know how others view what he does for us. I am very happy to know that the other teams saw what a dif- ference he made." The seven Chargers named to the All-PAC team, Chad Western noted, were the most in the program's history. "They were all deserv- ing and, with the great year in conference, the oth- er coaches were very good showing us the respect we deserve for our players," Chad Western said. "As a Pike Central High School senior Kyson Western (3) takes control of the ball as Washington soph- omore Brady Hill (left) and senior Solomon Da- vis (9) close in during a sectional semifinal match on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Chargers junior Hayden Kabrick (11) looks on. Ed Cahill photo Above: Pike Central High School junior Chris- tian Benson (right) tries to stay between Washing- ton junior Daniel Cardona (11) and the goal during a sectional semifinal match on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Chargers junior Austin Holder (8) looks on. Ed Ca- hill photo Below: Pike Central High School senior Gavin Boyd (9) looks on as senior goalkeeper Tyler Tor- mohlen (1) makes a sliding save as Washington sophomore Esteban Becessa (24) closes in during a sectional semifinal match on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Ed Cahill photo Pike Central High School junior Christian Ben- son (15) and Washington sophomore Grant Nie- haus go up to head the ball during a sectional semi- final match on Wednesday, Oct. 4. Ed Cahill photo Pike Central High School sophomore Ethan Scott (6) tries to get the ball past Washington sophomore Lance Roach (right) during a section- al semifinal match on Wednesday, Oct. 3. Ed Ca- hill photo Kyson Western Gavin Boyd SOCCER Continued from page 1 See WESTERN on 7 Call us at 812-354-8500 or email sports@pressdispatch.net GOT SPORTS NEWS?

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