Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — The legend of Lucas Hanes continues to grow.
But this chapter of that story includes a contribution from a sophomore teammate that stepped up to make a play in the biggest moment of a huge game … all while playing a position he had never played before.
Unioto’s Liam Mathey didn’t want his team’s season to end just yet on Tuesday. So, with 3:53 remaining and the Shermans trailing 2-1, Mathey calmly received a gorgeous feed from Hanes in front of the goal before beating a diving keeper to wipe the slate clean.
So much for adjusting to new surroundings.
Mathey’s score set the stage for Hanes to deliver his own heroics in overtime. An awarded penalty kick, thanks to a handball call inside the box, allowed Hanes to peg the game-winner of a 3-2 win over Zane Trace in a Division II district semifinal.
He’s an absolute menace.
“We have guys,” Unioto coach Freddy Cortez said. “When I say we have guys, I mean that you’re not going to find another all-time great like Lucas Hanes. When you have guys like Lucas, Cameron [Thompson], Kamden [Smith] … you know that things will fall eventually if they keep their heads in it. For us, we managed to do that.”
Hanes also delivered the game’s first score, which came at the 26:05 mark in the first half. That 1-0 tally lasted until halftime and, at the time, Unioto looked to be in full control.
However, that was about to change and it was courtesy of Zane Trace’s Brock Jarrell.
Jarrell tied the score just two minutes into the second half. Then, with 33:49 to go, he found teammate Ivan Chavez for a header that found netting, allowing his Pioneers to — all of the sudden — take a 2-1 lead.
“If [ZT] got ahead, we knew what they were going to do,” Cortez said. “Anything can happen in the box, though. I think, statistically, we were the better team tonight. But when things don’t fall for you, the other team is going to do whatever they can to keep the lead. Zane Trace did a really nice job of that for much of the second half.”
With a lead intact, the Pioneers chose to load the box defensively and it created all kinds of problems for Unioto’s offense.
The Shermans continued to pelt ZT goalkeeper Judah Hanks but many of their shots came from distance. Hanks, who played one of the best games of his career, was there every time to easily knock the ball away from danger.
“You’re not going to find a better goalkeeper than [Hanks] in southern Ohio,” Cortez said. “He kept [ZT] in the game and he kept them alive with some great saves. The kid was everywhere. Great athletes show up in big moments. He’s a good one. He did a really good job tonight.”
With time winding down, and with Hanes having at least two defenders draped on him at all times, Unioto turned to Mathey to deliver the goods.
Out of his regular position, he answered the call and found the net to take his team’s season off life support — which allowed Hanes to later give it a breath of fresh air.
“It’s awesome because [Mathey] was reluctant to a position change,” Cortez said. “He was comfortable with it, but how do you tell a 10th grader who’s starting for the first time at the varsity level in the tournament that you need him out of position? The great thing about it is he never once said, ‘I don’t know.’ He was like, ‘I can do it.’ So to see it pay off, that’s really cool. Kudos to him for taking on that challenge.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
While the Pioneers’ season comes to an end, Unioto advances to a Division II district final at 2:30 p.m., Saturday at Zane Trace.
There, the Shermans will meet with top-seeded Marietta, who beat Minford by a 3-1 tally on Tuesday. Earlier this season, the Tigers beat Unioto by a 7-0 score.
Cortez hasn’t forgotten.
“They put it on us. There’s no other way to put it,” Cortez said of Marietta. “We were competitive for the first 25 minutes or so and then went down 2-0. We didn’t know how to react. But we’ve been punched a little bit this year. We’re OK with that now and we’re better because of it. At this point, it’s all about heart and effort. So we’re going to challenge our guys to just leave it all out there.”
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