63rd District boys soccer final: Mark of a champion: Gibson, Lions deny Tomcats district title in extra session
Oct. 7—ASHLAND — Boyd County keeper Carter Gibson knew the challenge that awaited him late in the match against Ashland on Thursday night.
He had watched the same scenario just 48 hours earlier.
The Tomcats had completed its comeback after recording a goal to tie the score with just two minutes remaining in regulation.
Two overtime periods followed but couldn't decide the 63rd District championship. The two teams would determine the outcome with kicks from the mark.
Gibson denied two Ashland attempts that allowed Boyd County to win the extra session and the match, 3-2, and claim its fifth straight district title.
The Tomcats faced a comparable situation in their district semifinal battle with Russell on Tuesday. Ashland needed extra kicks late in that match to advance.
Boyd County coach Logan Price contacted Gibson to inform him of the thrilling conclusion between the Lions' district opponents. The senior was already studying the game as it streamed on his computer.
"Three years ago, I guess I hurt my arm because I was patting myself on the back about how we don't practice penalty kicks," Price said. "Finally, it bit me one time too many. I tell you now that every single practice session we practice PKs. I obviously don't want us to get to that point."
"With Carter, I couldn't ask for a better goalkeeper," he added. "He is so amazing. When PKs were going on the other night (with Ashland and Russell), I called him and asked him if he's watching. He said, 'Heck yes, I'm watching and I'm taking notes.' It's just the kind of guy he is. When I see No. 82 between the pipes, it makes this old coach breathe a little easier."
The Boyd County quartet of Cole Thompson, Alec Lawson, Maverick Boyd and Aiden McCoy found the back of the net during kicks from the mark. Gibson blocked Ashland's first try and deflected the fourth on a diving save to seal the victory.
"When it went to overtime, I wanted it to go to pins," Gibson said. "This is my game to win. We got there and I showed them what I was worth.
"My mindset is that my shooters will make (their kicks), and my job is to make (Ashland) make a mistake. I caught them twice."
Boyd County (9-3-2) held a 2-0 lead until the 53rd minute when the Tomcats were granted a penalty kick after the Lions committed a foul in the box.
Gibson deflected Gavin Maynard's first shot from the mark. The ball diverted to into a group of players, but another shot found its way back to Ashland's net. It was thwarted again but ricocheted back to Maynard who guided it into the goal.
"I am proud of our guys," Ashland coach Preston Freeman said. "They fought hard. We gave up a cheap goal to start the second half. At the last 15 minutes of the first half, we were starting to run some plays and create opportunities. We have played games before where we didn't not stand up and fight. Tonight, we stood in there and played for the entirety of the game. We wanted to win the game. That's four years in a row that we have lost to them. I think we are set up in a great spot going into the region tournament."
Ashland (13-6-1) was running out of time and still needed to find the equalizer. The Tomcats took advantage of a scoring chance late in the contest. The ball found its way into the box and a furious contention for possession ensued.
Nick Parker didn't have enough time to turn around, so he found enough space to guide in the tying goal with a heel kick at the 1:54 mark of the second half.
Price spoke of the respect the Lions have for the Tomcats program and it would a battle of attrition for his team to claim the district hardware again.
"We've had the situation a couple of times this year where we were up a couple of goals," Logan said. "I don't feel we had any let up emotionally. They got the PK and they worked for the other one. Hats off to Ashland. They wanted to get us to overtime. We went through every single emotion in that game. We talked pregame that pressure will either crumble a rock or it's going to make a diamond. We got up two goals, but they fought back. .... We showed a lot of maturity and poise tonight."
The Lions dented the scoreboard first on an Alec Whitely goal off an assist from Boyd in the 21st minute. Boyd County quickly doubled their margin when Rolan Sanderson scooted the ball past a defender and the overextended keeper to score off the left foot into a wide-open goal.
"One goal is tough to hold for eighty minutes," Price said. "Rolan gave great effort. He made it around the keeper and to finish left-footed, I started worrying that the ball was on the grass. I'm leaning to the left and I'm trying to will that ball across the line. It was huge and gave us a little breathing room. It made all the difference in the game."
Both teams advance to next week's 16th Region Tournament at Greenup County. After playing a tough schedule and enduring the grind of two physical district matches, Preston believes his team is prepared for the next round.
"We are definitely battle-tested," Freeman said. "We have played some very good teams this year and played well against some good teams. When we get to the region tournament, we will be a tough out for anybody."
Gibson feels the same about the Lions after their victory on Thursday.
"This win gives us a lot of momentum," Gibson said. "These are definitely two of the best teams in the region. It's always a battle between us and Ashland. It was a very intense game. We pulled through it and that's all that matters."
(606) 326-2654 — msparks@dailyindependent.com
