The Flames couldn’t be much hotter.
Brendan Ernsberger scored a hat trick and Mansfield Christian ran its winning streak to 15 games with a resounding 5-0 win over Bluffton in a Division III district semifinal at Tiffin Columbian on Tuesday.
Mansfield Christian (17-1) will play Findlay Liberty-Benton (17-0-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday in Tiffin for a district title and a berth in the next week’s regional tournament. Liberty-Benton blanked Milan Edison 7-0 in Tuesday’s early game.
“We did a good job of taking advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves,” said first-year Mansfield Christian coach Jesse Rider, a 2002 MCS graduate. “At the same time, I thought we did a good job of limiting their chances.
“One of the marks of a good team is the ability to control the pace of the game and I thought our midfield did a good job of dictating the tempo.”
Josh Cochran and Bailey Craner also scored goals for the Flames, whose only loss of the season came against Mansfield Senior on Aug. 31. MCS built a 4-0 halftime advantage.
Mansfield Christian was ranked second in Division III in the final Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association state poll. Liberty-Benton was sixth.
Zach Garver leads Liberty-Benton with 33 goals. Peyton Schroeder has 18 goals and 10 assists while Jacob Lyberg has 16 goals and 11 assists.
“They are a talented team and have some good scorers up front,” Rider said of Liberty-Benton. “They are active and aggressive and they are solid in the midfield. It should be a great game.”
The news wasn’t as good for the Mansfield Christian girls. The Flames fell to Liberty-Benton 3-1 in a Division III district semifinal played at Findlay High School on Tuesday. MCS finished the season 11-5-2.
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.