BELLVILLE — Injuries are a part of sports, but Clear Fork coach Brittany Bechtel has never seen anything like this.

The fact the Colts are playing in a Division IV regional semifinal game Tuesday in Tiffin is a testament to the resolve of a team ravaged by season-ending injuries.

It all started last spring when projected starter Kendall Baughman was lost to a season-ending injury. Asia Bechtel, a senior midfielder and the coach’s daughter, was lost early in the first game of the year. Senior defender Layla Daugherty and senior forward Mya Perry were both injured in a Sept. 10 game against Copley.

“This team has been through more than any team I’ve ever witnessed as an athlete or as a coach,” Bechtel said after Clear Fork’s loss to Ontario in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship game. “If someone was to write a book about what Clear Fork is doing right now, it would be a fiction story.

“For everything we’ve been through … I’m just so inspired by my girls.”

Since that 1-0 loss to Ontario on Oct. 14, the Colts have won four in a row. That stretch includes tournament victories over Galion (8-0), Upper Sandusky (1-0) and, most recently, a 1-0 win over Ottawa-Glandorf in last week’s district championship game at Frost-Kalnow Stadium.

The Colts (16-2-2) return to Frost-Kalnow at 7 p.m. Tuesday for a regional semifinal match against Liberty-Benton (17-2-1). The Eagles advanced with a 2-0 win over Mansfield Christian in last week’s district final.

Clear Fork beat Liberty-Benton 2-1 at Liberty-Benton on Oct. 10. Ava Boccio scored both goals for the Colts, while Maci Roberts and Brea Bieri each had assists.

Roberts, Boccio, Bieri and Lily Swendal have shouldered the scoring load in the absence of Baughman, Bechtel, Daugherty and Perry. Roberts leads the Colts with 20 goals and 19 assists. Boccio has 13 goals and six assists, while Bieri and Swendal have scored 11 goals apiece.

Liberty-Benton hasn’t allowed a goal in three postseason games, outscoring opponents 6-0. Ally Ferris and Kylie Modd lead the attack with 22 and 13 goals, respectively. Ferris has a team-high 15 assists while Modd has 10.

“This has really been about the seniors. We have nine seniors this year,” L-B coach Andy Modd told the Findlay Courier after last week’s win over Mansfield Christian. “The chemistry on the team has been just great. Every year you always seems to have a dynamic issue you have to work through. We have not had that.”

Boys

A pair of area boys teams, Mansfield Senior and Mansfield Christian, also claimed district titles last week. 

The Tygers won their first-ever district championship with a 1-0 victory over Holland Springfield in the Division III Lake district final. Senior High (12-4-2) will take on Maumee (16-1-2) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Findlay’s Elmer Graham Soccer Stadium.

Aiden Henry leads the Tygers with 19 goals and 12 assists. The senior had a hat trick in Senior High’s 4-1 win over Ontario in the district semifinals.

So what has been Mansfield Senior’s secret to success?

“We don’t give up. It’s whistle-to-whistle,” Henry said after the win over Ontario. “We just keep fighting.”

Colton Oswalt has 15 goals and nine assists, while Graham Stentz and Cy Henry have seven goals apiece. Reza Aidara scored the game-winner against Springfield, a team that handed Maumee it’s only regular season loss, 3-0 on Aug. 29.

Meanwhile, perennial small-school heavyweight Mansfield Christian won its 17th district championship with a 1-0 win over New Knoxville. 

The Flames will meet Norwayne in a Division V regional semifinal at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Ashland’s Community Stadium.

Owen Neal scored the MCS goal in the win over New Knoxville.

The Flames have won five regional championships in program history, most recently in 2016. Mansfield Christian won a small-school state championship in 2014.