COLUMBUS — The chase was on before Sammy Paul’s game-winning goal had settled into the back of the net late Saturday afternoon at Columbus Crew Stadium.
The junior midfielder had just lifted Mansfield Christian to its first ever state championship — in overtime, no less — and his euphoric teammates wanted to celebrate. The only problem was that the rest of the Flames were having a hard time catching up with the slippery Paul.
Grandview Heights knew the feeling.
Paul scored two goals as Mansfield Christian claimed the Division III state title with a thrilling 4-3 win over the top-ranked Bobcats.
MCS (19-2-2) became the first Richland County school to win a state championship in soccer. The Flames reached the D3 title game last year before falling to Summit Country Day, the team Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association Division III poll champ Grandview Heights (18-3-2) had eliminated in the state semifinals.
“You know, I have to say the gold feels a little better than the silver,” the personable Paul joked amidst a wild postgame celebration. “It’s very nice. I like it.”
Mansfield Christian’s raucous cheering section liked what they saw from Paul moments earlier.
Stevie Brown triggered the game-winning sequence with a free kick near midfield. The junior midfielder sent a long ball toward the left side of the box, where prolific goal scorer Brendan Ernsberger awaited. The ball sailed over a leaping Ernsberger, but Paul darted in behind him, dove and headed it past Grandview Heights goal keeper Micah Miller, who had left his line in anticipation of an Ernsberger shot.
“Stevie plays that great ball in. Brendan … challenges for that header. He doesn’t get there but leaves room for me to slide in there behind him,” Paul said. “I just had the honor of putting the cherry on top.”
Momentum Swings: Overtime didn’t seem likely after Mansfield Christian built a 3-0 halftime lead. Ernsberger scored on a penalty kick with 16:03 remaining in the first half after Brandon Mount was fouled in the box. Less than seven minutes later, Mount settled a crossing pass from freshman Jared McPeek and rifled a shot past Miller for a 2-0 lead with 9:33 to play in the first half. Paul gave the Flames a 3-0 advantage when he collected a rebound of an Ernsberger shot that Miller bobbled.
The Flames scored three goals in the span of 10 minutes and did it on just five first-half shots.
“They probably shot 4 for 6 or 4 for 7 on the night,” Grandview Heights coach Brian Neidenthal said. “That’s a pretty high percentage in soccer.”
First-year Mansfield Christian coach Stephen Armstrong agreed.
“We were very opportunistic today,” said Armstrong just before receiving the traditional Gatorade shower. “We scored three goals in the first half (on) 3 out of 3 chances.”
Mansfield Christian maintained its 3-0 lead deep into the second half before the Bobcats stormed back into the match. Rya McHugh made it 3-1 in the 66th minute off a Alec Gastesi assist. Colin Jourdan scored an unassisted goal four minutes later before McHugh scored the equalizer in the 71st minute.
“If we can score three, they can score three and they did,” Ernsberger said. “We had to stick with it. We couldn’t change our style, we just had to play 10 times harder.
“We proved our resilience out there. We fought.”
Flames Nation: When he addressed his team before Saturday’s game, Armstrong made sure to make mention of Mansfield Christian’s proud tradition and this team’s place in history. Lambert Sommers led the Flames to the Final Four in 2000. Ben Stauffer, a 1996 MCS grad, replaced Sommers and piloted Mansfield Christian to the Final Four in 2011. Jesse Rider played on the 2000 team before graduating in 2002 and guided MCS to last year’s runner-up finish.
“It’s got to be special for them because they know it started with them,” said Armstrong, who played for Stauffer before graduating from Mansfield Christian in 2007. “I’m so thankful that I get to be a part of the tradition that they started.
“We talked about that in the locker room today, how much it means for Mansfield Christian and just for all the people around the United States cheering for us because there’s a lot of … alumni, family and friends who are a part of our small community.”
“We talked about that in the locker room today, how much it means for Mansfield Christian and just for all the people around the United States cheering for us because there’s a lot of … alumni, family and friends who are a part of our small community,” said Coach Armstrong
