John Bruce, Editor
MINFORD – After a rocky week of preparation for Minford, head coach Jacob Hackworth wasn’t sure how his Falcons would come out of gates on Saturday.
But a lightning-quick start from sophomore Colby Mullens calmed those worries.
“We got a few touches on Friday, but that was it,” Hackworth said of his team’s pregame. “To say that we’ve been sharp was probably not my way. But to score two goals in the first seven minutes, that may be the new regiment.”
Less than two minutes into their season-opener, senior Ashton Reeder sent a beautiful lead pass to Mullens. Mullens split two Lynchburg-Clay defenders and one-touched the ball into the back of the net with 38:19 to play in the first half.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
It was the opening statement of what eventually turned into a 3-1 win.
The ideal start for the Falcons (1-0) was nearly even better when the combination hooked up again. But the Mustangs’ 6-foot-5 junior goalkeeper Tanner Roberts made a sprawling save to deny Mullens his second goal — temporarily.
At the 33:13 mark of the first half, Reeder chipped a ball over the Mustangs’ defense right to the feet of Mullens. Mullens collected the pass and sent a perfect right-footed shot that even the rangey Roberts couldn’t parry away.
“Having Colby [Mullens] up top is amazing,” Reeder said of his teammate, “It doesn’t really matter how I play my ball, he’s going to get it. I have full confidence that he’ll get it for me.”
PHOTOS: Images from Minford’s win over Lynchburg-Clay
As the Falcons continued to push forward and keep the Mustangs (0-1) on their heels, Reeder made a big individual play that would have sealed the deal against lesser teams.
With 16:32 to play in the first half, Reeder depossessed a Mustang defender near the top of the box before slotting a right-footed shot just under the crossbar to give Minford a commanding 3-0 lead over the visitors.
Lynchburg-Clay responded well to the hole, finally putting consistent pressure on the Falcons’ back line. Goalkeeper Trevor Born, along with defenders Brody McGuire, Owen Meadows, Evan Richards and Gabe Turner, were able to corral the Mustangs’ attacks.
Born and Turner each made saves on successive shots to keep the Mustangs off the board, for the moment.
However, a penalty would be called on a cross against the Falcons, giving the Mustangs a golden opportunity to grab some momentum late in the first half. With 5:03 remaining in the half, junior Brayden Warne stepped to the penalty spot and calmly slotted his shot into the right side of the net to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Lynchburg-Clay couldn’t get any closer in the match, though, as the Falcons’ defense kept the attack out of the box, denying any great chances. Born made a pair of saves to answer the two chances that the Mustangs did put together, which would be answered on the other end by Roberts with a pair of outstanding saves.
“Tate [Johnson], Owen [Meadows] and Ashton [Reeder] all played or started the state championship game in 2024,” Hackworth said. “So those guys have seen it, they know what it takes and what some of the teams are that they are going to run into. Gavin Akers was injured last year, but has worked his butt off to be a captain of the team this year. He’s going to make a lot of plays for us, and Brody [McGuire] starting on the outside right, was never a defender, but will do whatever you want. They are really good kids.”
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