Liberty Christian, Heath soccer jelling in August heat

PATASKALA — Monday’s Heath boys soccer scrimmage at Liberty Christian was as much a test of the Bulldogs’ endurance as their play against a strong opponent.

The short-handed Bulldogs played with just 11 players, giving them no bench in nearly 90-degree heat. They cut a 2-0 halftime deficit to 2-1 before eventually falling 4-1 to the Eagles.

"Today was more of a fitness day," said Heath coach C.J. Davis, whose team at full strength shut out Galion 4-0 in a scrimmage Saturday. "We got one back, which was good to see that they have some fight. We have a lot of new guys, so it's just getting them in the groove and having them learn the way to play the game."

Liberty Christian has a new coach with Sean Patterson taking over for Sean Smith, who stepped down to follow his sons' college careers, but the Eagles appear ready to pick up where they left off. They won the Mid-Ohio Christian Athletic League championship in their first season of play in the conference and have 10 experienced juniors ready to lead them in pursuit of a repeat.

Junior Shelby Carr, who Patterson noted gets overlooked because she is a girl playing on a boys team, scored less than seven minutes into match. Classmate Caleb Reichert scored once in each half, and senior Brennan Fox, a transfer from Pickerington North, completed the scoring when he guided in a perfect corner from junior Kaden Minier at the back post.

"It went really well for the first scrimmage," said Reichert, who was named a co-captain after the scrimmage for his leadership and sportsmanship. "I was a little unsure how it would be for passing and movement and just talking, but overall, we did a pretty solid job. I am excited to see what's going to come."

Liberty was a good step up in competition for Heath, which graduated eight seniors and has a handful of players new to high school soccer. Sophomore Austin Lee scored the lone goal early in the second half after sophomore Spencer Boyette scored twice and classmates Carter Wiley and Landon Montgomery each scored in the first scrimmage.

Heath's biggest challenge is keeping its defense cohesive in front of sophomore goalkeeper Kamden Holmberg. The Bulldogs had Montgomery helping direct traffic with senior Kamden Luna and junior Lane Grady.

"With two scrimmages now, we are starting to understand, starting to get it, the level we want to play at and our system," Montgomery said. "It comes with time. We try to work on communication every practice, working on terminology, when to say what."

Josh Onabanjo, who joins Fox and Josh Michel as Liberty's three seniors, helped juniors Landon Snyder and Aaron Schindler, whose work ethic Reichert called "very motivating and inspirational" in the backfield. They kept the Bulldogs at bay and away from junior goalkeeper Ethan Gohn.

The Eagles won their first Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III match in their first attempt last season, and they have significantly upgraded their schedule. They open the season next week against Northridge and West Muskingum and later finish the regular season with matches against Bishop Rosecrans, Worthington Christian and Grove City Christian, the last being played at Lower.com Field.

"It's been wild. I have been telling them since we started in June, 'You guys are now going to be hunted,'" said Patterson, whose son Isaac is a sophomore on the team. "Setting the schedule, you have to see where you are at. We just want to test how we play. We expect to compete, and we expect to win. More than anything, we want to measure where we are at against those teams who are a little bit more seasoned."

Heath, which hosts Maysville for a scrimmage on Wednesday, opens the regular season at home against New Lexington on Aug. 17. Christian Arruda, David Link, Jonah Williamson and Xavier Matthews join Luna, giving the Bulldogs five seniors.

"The win on Saturday was definitely a confidence boost going into the season," Montgomery said. "It shows the new guys coach knows what he's talking about. If we execute what we practice, it's going to work for immediate results."

Liberty, which hosts KIPP Columbus for a scrimmage on Friday, opens the regular season at home against aforementioned Northridge on Aug. 16.

"That (schedule) is only going to ensure that we hopefully get better as our program just builds and grows," Reichert said.

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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Liberty Christian, Heath soccer jelling in August heat