Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
McDERMOTT — For North Adams, the district semifinal block is a thing of the past now.
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
After getting eliminated year after year just before their shot at a title, the Green Devils took matters into their own hands on Monday.
With two first half goals and a bend-but-don’t-break defense, North Adams knocked off Rock Hill by a 2-1 final in a Division III district semifinal at Northwest High School.
The win clinches their fourth-ever trip to a district championship game.
“I wanted to win this game so badly since we haven’t gotten past district semis in a while,” North Adams’ Laney Ruckel said. “So it’s great that we’ll finally have our chance to play in a district final.”
The task for the Green Devils (16-1) on Monday night was mighty with the Rock Hill Redwomen having one of the strongest offensive attacks in the state, led by the eighth-leading scorer in OHSAA history, Briana Reynolds.
To try and counteract an offensive juggernaut like Reynolds, the Green Devils always had a player marking her, along with having extra help to her right side. Laney Ruckel was one of the player’s tasked with trailing Reynolds.
“We were outstanding marking her all night and we knew that she likes to cut the ball,” Ruckel said. “She had a really nice right foot, so we tried to take away her inside and make her make her cuts to the right so someone was always there on the back side to pick her off.”
Speaking of Ruckel, the senior captain got the scoring started for North Adams at the 34:50 mark in the opening half. She received a pass from Kensley Cornett near the top of the box and she blasted a shot into the back of the net for a quick 1-0 lead.
“A goal always gets us going, so I wanted to push up the middle to get our intensity going,” Ruckel said. “I love that I got that opportunity to start off strong.”
The Redwomen (12-3-1) weren’t phased by the early deficit as they continued to push forward while putting pressure on the Green Devils’ backline.
Between Reynolds, Hazley Matthews and Emma Scott, Rock Hill got off multiple attempts in the early minutes. But North Adams’ stellar goalkeeper Harlee Brand continuously kept the Redwomen off the scoreboard.
“If I’m thinking about going, then I just go. There’s no thinking twice about it,” Brand said. “I can’t hesitate in those types of situations.”
North Adams answered every attack from Rock Hill with outstanding midfield play from Kenlie Jones and Olivia Wright. Behind the duo, the Green Devils led many counterattacks that gave them chances to extend their lead.
With 2:05 remaining before halftime, junior Hunter Grooms was able to get a one-on-one chance to widen the lead and she came through to push the Green Devils’ lead to 2-0 right before the half.
Coming out of the break, Rock Hill once again showed no signs of panic and they were able to score to cut the lead to 2-1 when Reynolds scorched the net from the top of the box for her 46th goal of the season.
Following the goal, the Green Devils’ backline of Ruckel, Jaida Mason, Raylan Eldridge and Tatum Grooms faced test after test, eventually passing each one with flying colors.
The final test came around seven minutes remaining in the contest, when Matthews was able to get a shot off from inside the box. But Grooms blocked the shot before any harm could be done. Ultimately, that proved to be the final chance as the Green Devils held on to advance their season.
With the loss, the historic career of Briana Reynolds comes to a close for the Redwomen as she finishes her career at fifth on the OHSAA’s all-time scoring list with 140 goals.
North Adams advances to Thursday’s Division III district championship game, where it’ll face Wheelersburg, whom it already defeated 2-1 earlier this season.
The clash will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Waverly’s Raidiger Field. The Green Devils will be looking to win their first ever district championship in their fourth attempt.
“There are a few players that we know of, so we’ll do everything we can to try and contain them,” Brand said. “As long as we do what we do, I think we’ll succeed.”
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