SEYMOUR — Columbus North put the pressure on Columbus East right from the opening kick.
The Bull Dogs’ aggressiveness paid off. They picked up two quick goals and went on to capture the Seymour Sectional boys soccer championship with a 2-0 victory.
The moment was extra special for North (13-5-1) after seeing the Olympians celebrate the championship a year ago.
“It feels pretty good right now,” North senior Nick Beales said. “(East) played a hard-fought game, but we prevailed. This is only the first step in what we want to accomplish.”
North sophomore Alex McGill agreed.
“It feels great because we were in this same situation last year and lost,” he said. “This feels so much better.”
North assistant coach Chris Morlock kept his kids focused. Morlock was filling in for head coach Andy Glover, who had a prior commitment.
“We prepared just like it was any other game,” Morlock said. “We tweaked it a little according to what East does, but it was business as usual.”
In the seventh minute, Beales sent in a cross and it deflected off a Bull Dog player. When the Olympian defenders could not touch the ball, it landed at McGill and he finished it off for a 1-0 lead.
McGill’s second goal came just a few minutes later in the 14th minute. He took a couple of touches from the left side of the field and the ball went deep and almost crossed the end line, but he recovered and kicked the ball at the perfect angle to put it in the far right side of the net.
“I couldn’t cut it across because someone was coming, so I had to take the shot with my weaker foot and kick it hard as I can,” McGill said.
East finishes the season 9-6-1.
“I’m proud of all our players, especially the seniors,” East coach Brad Barber said. “They fought the whole time, and no one will doubt their heart. It’s a small group of seniors, but they left a big impression in our soccer program that will be shelved for many years to come.”
Now being crowned sectional champions, the Bull Dogs are hungry for more. They will play Floyd Central in the North Regional semifinals at 6 p.m. Thursday.
“The celebration is over after tonight, and come Monday, our coaches will prepare us for our next game,” Beales said. “We have to stay focused because we have bigger fish to fry now.”
Morlock agreed.
“The kids are happy, but I don’t think they are quite satisfied with just a sectional championship,” Morlock said. “They want to keep moving on as far as they can.”
