BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Apollo Conference champion M-S completed an unbeaten run through league matches on Thursday with an 8-1 win at Taylorville in the regular-season finale.
Colten Brunner, Jake Janda and Kadyn Jones each scored two goals.
Charlie Moore and Eli Warren had one goal apiece. Moore’s goal was the first of his prep career.
Warren was credited with two assists. Teammates with one assist each were Brunner, Evan Coleman, Jones, Nate Lundstrom, Justin Straub and Logan Woodward.
“The boys were able to move the ball well and create a deluge of opportunities in front of the net,” M-S coach Jeremy Davis said.
Janda’s goals raise his team-leading total to 25. Jones broke the school record for combined goals and assists in a career with 60.
Warren has the single-season mark for combined goals and assists with 43 this fall.
“All three players could have added to the total on the night, but were working on their defensive skills in the second half,” Davis said.
M-S is 15-4-4 overall an 10-0-2 in Apollo matches. The team returns to action on Tuesday at Urbana in a 7 p.m. regional semifinal match against Danville.
The Bulldogs’ junior varsity squad went 4-0 to capture team honors on Saturday in a JV tournament at Peoria Notre Dame.
Three of the wins were achieved via penalty kicks.
Against Morton on Friday, the teams were scoreless in regulation. In the shootout, M-S hit all of its attempts while goalkeeper Zach Beyer stopped two of Morton’s attempts.
In Saturday’s opener, Titus Payne and Sam Henrichs supplied goals against Dunlap to create a 2-2 deadlock after regulation. M-S goalie Clayton Kessler stopped two shots in the shootout as the Bulldogs prevailed.
In the semifinals, Clayton Gibson had a goal and an assist in M-S’ 3-2 triumph over Chatham Glenwood. Henrichs also had a goal and Nick Thajadi had an assist.
The title match was a repeat of the 2018 finals with M-S matched up against the host school.
A goal by Payne – assisted by Gibson – helped the Bulldogs finish regulation with a 1-1 tie.
Following the first round of five penalty kicks, the teams were still deadlocked.
The outcome was decided on the seventh penalty kick. Kessler blocked a Notre Dame shot. Payne made his attempt to clinch the championship.
For the season, the junior varsity squad has a 19-2-2 record and has allowed 14 total goals. The M-S JV team has netted 59 goals.
