John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
KINNIKINNICK — South Webster’s Hunter Barnard continues to re-write the Jeeps’ record book … and he’s doing so by breaking his own records.
The senior striker scored five times on Monday to break his own single-season scoring record in the Jeeps’ 8-0 win over Chesapeake in a Division V district semifinal at Zane Trace.
“We attacked this game with the same mentality we do every time we take the field,” South Webster’s Hunter Barnard said. “Chesapeake is a solid team and we couldn’t overlook them. Balls were finding the net, the guys found me and we made some really good runs at the goal.”
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
The Jeeps sprinted out of the gates with an offensive flurry, but Chesapeake’s Landon Kerns made an outstanding non-keeper save in the opening five minutes to keep them off the board.
It wouldn’t last long, though, as Barnard was able to split the defense on a through ball and outran the keeper to score at the 30:54 mark of the first half. He’d score again at the 27:32 mark on a gorgeous bending shot from outside the penalty area to give the Jeeps a two-goal advantage.
SW kept up its forward push, but Chesapeake’s Jacob Bentley made several outstanding saves to keep the Panthers within reach. The junior laid out to parry away a low, bending shot before leaping into the air to snatch a rocket away from the net.
However, South Webster’s Cole Belford sent in a scorcher that Bentley could not deflect high at the 16-minute mark of the first half. Belford, fresh into the game, ripped a shot from about 25 yards out that crashed off the bottom of the crossbar and just past the goal line to put the Jeeps in front 3-0 at the break.
From there, the rout was on.
PHOTOS: Images from South Webster’s district semifinal win over Chesapeake
To start the second half, the Jeeps came storming out again and scoring in bulk to push the game to a running clock.
Barnard added two more goals, one off a throw-in and another after Benaiah Andrews hit the post for a rebound. Barnard then assisted Brycin McClintic on his first goal of the game at the 32:10 mark in the second to make it a 6-0 advantage.
“Having a strong midfield is huge. It really holds the team together,” Barnard said. “Working together from the defense to the middle and up top to me and Carson, those guys are great about placing balls over the top or getting them through, so I couldn’t ask for a better midfield.”
Chesapeake did respond with a push themselves, but the Jeeps’ backline of Cole Bennett, Kaden Perkins, Brayden Barnard, Caden Johnson and Jared Phelps kept the Panthers at bay.
The best look of the game for the Panthers did challenge senior goalkeeper Sam Murphy, but Murphy was able to corral the short range look to maintain the shutout.
“Sam can save a lot the balls, but if we don’t have a good defense, the it doesn’t do us or him any good,” South Webster’s Cole Belford said. “Having the guys that we do back there, they mix together incredibly well and it just makes us that much stronger as a team.”
Belford extended the lead even further with another long range missile with 23:10 to play, before Barnard scored his fifth goal of the evening, assisted by Jacob McGraw, to end the festivities.
The Panthers finish their season at 12-3-3 and will return Bentley, Kerns and 37-goal scorer Aden Parrott next season as they look to continue building their program.
The Jeeps advance to Saturday’s Division V district championship game. They’ll take on Lynchburg-Clay, a 2-1 winner over Eastern Brown, at 5 p.m., back at Zane Trace High School.
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