Composure, execution powers Chiles to top Leon in 2A-1 semifinals; Faces Niceville for district title

The Timberwolves knew what was ahead Tuesday night in its district matchup, and just had to follow a game plan they've been through again and again this season.

Chiles has faced Leon three times this season prior to its Class 3A District 2 semifinal matchup and had won two of three meetings. They knew that it was going to be intense, emotional and a lot was on the line, but all of that came down to closing out the same way they've done before.

A 2-0 hole early on and a possession advantage to the Lions didn't hinter Chiles from taking over the game. Composure, the understanding of roles, and a hat trick from senior attacker Kelcey Marston were more than enough to get the job done, elevating the Timberwolves to a 9-6 win over Leon.

It's the first time since 2018 Chiles has ended Leon's season and the first time since 2019 the Timberwolves are playing for a district championship.

"The team has been getting better throughout the entire season and we've been executing exactly what I've been teaching them the entire season, and they looked good," Timberwolves head coach Junior Ramos said. "Honestly, we're just happy to have another day to practice and keep getting better."

Taking possession

Leon came out the gate with an intense press, resulting in an early 2-1 lead at the end of the first quarter. The biggest thing Chiles was running into was the Lions held possession for long periods of time, allowing them to run down the clock early on.

However, the press was something the Timberwolves were expecting. In it is a rivalry of sorts, and their seasons on the line, Chiles knew Leon was ready to come out guns a-blazing.

"We knew that they were going to come out super hungry," Marston said. "Coach knew that and we weren't surprised. We knew we had to fight to the end and we did it. Period."

After the scoring slated in favor of Chiles, it turned into a game of running out the clock and staying focused on the end goal. Leon ended up taking a few penalties, having two goals disputed and one called back, and Chiles had an illegal stick call made on them. However, all of it came down to just staying the course.

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During the penalty kill, Ramos could be heard from the sidelines yelling to his players "give me 10 more seconds", "pass it in seven" and "spread the word". The hyper fixation on what needed to be done allowed Chiles to ride its way to victory nearly seamlessly.

"I've been preaching about good sportsmanship and keeping their composure in every single game this whole season," Ramos said. "I'm really proud of the Chiles boys that did exactly that. It is a rivalry, but we came in prepared. This is our fourth time playing them this season, so we came ready."

Chiles played its defense through its offensive possession time according to Marston. In the bulk of the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves' main focus became running down the clock and found some goals along the way. A three-goal window gave Leon a chance throughout, but a late-game shot from senior midfielder Dominic Barbacci sealed the deal for Chiles.

Goals weren't the focus on the stretch, but reaching the finish line was. Executing that plan of controlling the clock made the ladder end of the game less complicated.

"If you look at the first half, Leon had the ball for the majority of the half," Ramos said. "At halftime, I told my boys that Leon had the ball for the majority of that half and that we should try to at least keep that ball, and have a little more patience. Stop just trying to go to the cage and just possess the ball in the half, and when the opportunities present themselves then we just capitalize."

Need for Niceville

There's no doubt that Chiles wants Niceville. Even before they knew the final result of the other semifinal game between Niceville and Booker T. Washington, which the Eagles won 21-0, the Timberwolves imminently jumped at a rematch with them. Chiles was only one of two losses for the Eagles this season, beating them 7-6 in overtime.

Since that loss, Niceville has gone 6-1 and had one other close call, which was in a 12-11 win over Lincoln in the final game of the regular season.

"We expect to play Niceville, but whoever we face, we just want to win," Marston said. "If we play together like we did today, we'll win. They have a couple of guys who can dodge and shoot, but we have a lot of guys that can dodge and shoot, so I'm feeling confident."

The confidence has only built going through this season. In the post-game huddle, Ramos told his team that their last game could be Thursday or it could be May 7th in the state championship game. Either way, the Timberwolves just need to execute and they'll continue to find ways to win.

"At this point of the season, we've been developing the entire time, so it's hard to make any kind of changes right now that's going to affect us drastically," Ramos said. "Everything we've put in this entire season will help us make it as far as possible."

Jack Williams covers prep sports for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com, on Twitter @jackgwilliams.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Chiles upends Leon to punch ticket to 2A District 1 championship