Ravens, Rockets and a rivalry on the rise

STREETSBORO — Tuesday was a different kind of gameday for Ravenna junior Julian Rios.

"It was nerve-wracking," Rios said. "It had my stomach turning all day."

Ravens senior Mason Ward felt it, too.

"It means a lot," Ward said. "I have a study hall first period and I was in first period watching film and normally I don't do that."

Ravenna and Streetsboro boys soccer first began battling for the Rockwell Bucket, a bucket-shaped trophy named after the lake that both towns border, in 2017 and it has turned into a full-fledged rivalry since.

The kind that leaves stomachs churning.

The kind that leads to extra film watching.

The kind that leads to spectacular soccer, as occurred Tuesday when the Ravens topped the Rockets, 5-4, in an all-timer.

Part of what makes the rivalry special is the proximity, and not just the short drive between the schools on State Route 14, but the fact that many of the student-athletes play club together (for Ambassadors in Macedonia). Those relationships linger before and after the game and even influence how the game is played.

"I don't have to say, 'Mark number so and so,'" Ravenna coach Matt Wunderle said. "I can call people out by name and they just know who it is, right? Like, yes, it's that intimate."

Streetsboro's rise helps a rivalry take off

When the Rockwell Bucket debuted, it may have seemed like trying to create a rivalry out of thin air.

After all, neither Wunderle nor Streetsboro coach Paul Krzeminski could recall the Rockets ever beating the Ravens prior to 2017.

So, while making it a trophy game made sense — given the longtime relationship between the Portage County League and Metro Athletic Conference schools and their geographic closeness — it also didn't seem to make sense at the time, given Ravenna's longtime dominance on the pitch.

And then something funny happened.

The Rockets won the first Rockwell Bucket game, helped by a penalty-kick save from keeper Andrew Sway.

Sway, who now is starring in net for UNLV, was part of a new generation of Streetsboro soccer players that have changed the direction of the program, and as a result, the rivalry.

"We got better," said Krzeminski, as he looked down at beautiful Quinn Field, which has also surely helped his program's progress. "We had kids that got involved. We had the youth program with Streetsboro United."

On that sunny Tuesday, Krzeminski stared down at the pitch, where kids tried to kick soccer balls into the corners of the net to win a year's worth of free blizzards at Dairy Queen during halftime of the girls game.

And the longtime coach marveled at the scene.

"I mean we're kicking soccer balls for Dairy Queen right now, man," Krzeminski said. "It's just, I think, in general, the community, it's embraced soccer."

The Rockets' rise paired with the Rockwell Bucket to form something special.

The next year, Ravenna got revenge, including Austin England redeeming himself for that saved penalty kick with a penalty kick goal as part of the Ravens' first Rockwell Bucket win.

The Rockets won the next two, in 2019 and 2020.

Ravenna responded by snagging the Rockwell Bucket last season, but Streetsboro exacted revenge in their postseason meeting, thanks to a thrilling Stephen Koroly-to-Dom Incorvati connection in overtime.

And then the Ravens got their revenge for that tournament loss on Tuesday night.

A rivalry that at one time seemed a tad far-fetched has been anything but.

Indeed, Ravenna and Streetsboro's last four meetings have all been decided by a single goal.

Ravenna-Streetsboro stage Rockwell Bucket thriller Tuesday

How could Tuesday night live up to last year's postseason game, when Stephen Koroly found Dom Incorvati for a golden goal header?

It seemed impossible.

And then the match started.

The Ravens and Rockets combined for three goals in the first nine minutes and five in the first 22.

Ravenna kept taking leads, 1-0, 2-1 and 4-2.

Streetsboro kept knotting the score, at one, two and four.

Many of the goals were of the spectacular variety.

Down 2-1, Rockets senior Taeven Genovese sent a breathtaking cross from the right sideline to the far post, where Jack Pincoe stood waiting, ready to chest the ball in for a 17th-minute equalizer.

Many of the goals were layered with the history that befits any great rivalry.

For example, down 4-2, the Rockets struck for a goal that brought back memories of last year, when a Koroly (this time, Stephen's younger brother, Billy) found Incorvati for an emphatic header.

"It went to the same spot," Krzeminski marveled. "It went into the same near post. It was almost identical, and obviously, if we had it on tape and we watched both of them, I'm pretty sure it would be the same exact spot."

Then, with Streetsboro still trailing 4-3, Incorvati stormed up the field on a counter, somehow maintaining possession through a strong sliding challenge, and found Genovese for a poised two-touch finish in the box.

"The service that came in and the difficulty of being able to receive that ball on the left foot and staying on top of it and putting it to the right of the keeper into the left of the net, it was unbelievable," Krzeminski said. "They're both soccer junkies. They eat, breath and sleep it. They're such a huge part to what we do."

And of course a great game featured a great game-winner, as Rios, from the defensive side of the field, somehow found the perfect passing lane up the left hash to Ward, who nailed the 73rd-minute winner.

"This is one of the highest Portage County soccer matches in terms of IQ and skill that's probably ever been played, right?" Wunderle said. "Because that ball that's through, I mean he's shielded, he can't see. It's like a hidden pass and just having faith that Mason is going to be there. It's just an elite-level goal."

Minutes later, Ward showed himself on the defensive end as well, with a stellar header out of danger by the post to keep yet another Rockets' corner from getting to the deadly Incorvati.

"Mason's the type of kid that he is not going to beat me again, right?" Wunderle said. "They're taking this personally. This is, I don't know, like [Larry] Bird versus [Magic] Johnson, like, 'Okay, you got last one. This one's me,' and I told the guys after the game that in terms of high school athletics, I don't think we could ask for anything better than a game like this tonight and really for both teams."

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Ravenna, Streetsboro and a Rockwell Bucket rivalry on the rise