MANSFIELD, Ohio — The temperature dips, the leaves change color and Mansfield Christian wins a district championship.
So goes the autumn in Richland County.
MCS (17-2-2) will make its seventh straight Sweet 16 appearance Wednesday at Tiffin’s Frost-Kalnow Stadium, taking on Bluffton in the Division III regional semifinals. The Flames advanced with a 3-2 overtime victory over Van Wert in the district championship match Saturday.
Mansfield Christian’s dominance extends beyond its current seven-year run. Since the Ohio High School Athletic Associated added a third division in soccer in the fall of 2000, Mansfield Christian has won 12 district titles in 17 years. The Flames also won regional crowns in 2000, 2011, 2013 and 2014, was state runner-up in 2013 and won it all in 2014.
“These guys are aware of that streak. It’s something we take a lot of pride in,” Mansfield Christian coach Jesse Ryder said. “They are excited to continue the tradition.”
It’s a tradition the rest of the teams in the district field are well aware of. Mansfield Christian’s reputation often preceded it.
“We’ve watched so many teams come out and play them scared with their history of how well they’ve played here and throughout the state tournament,” Van Buren coach Jess Swaisgood said after the Black Knights pushed the Flames to overtime Saturday. “We weren’t going to (play) afraid.”
The Flames should expect to be shown no quarter against Bluffton. The Pirates (16-3-0) beat Lima Temple Christian 3-1 to punch their ticket to the regional for the first time since 2009 and dropped a 1-0 decision to Van Buren during the regular season.
“We don’t know much about them yet,” Ryder said after the district championship match. “They’ve only given up seven goals on the season, which kind of has a similar feel to Columbia Station last year.”
Columbia Station upset the Flames in the regional semifinals last fall. Mansfield Christian dominated possession but couldn’t find the back of the net and lost in a penalty kick shootout.
“One of the guys’ phones, the image of Columbia Station celebrating is the screen saver,” Rider said earlier this season. “It’s that constant reminder that nothing is going to be given to us. We’re going to have to work for everything.”
It was a lesson the Flames learned again against Van Buren. The Black Knights were able to disrupt Mansfield Christian’s trademark possession game with their physical play.
“They were a physical team, so we had to match their physicality,” said junior forward Jared McPeek, who scored the game-winner in overtime. “It was a little scary because the thought of last year came rushing back. We didn’t want it to go to PKs again.
“We’re looking forward to going back to regionals. We feel like we have something left to prove after losing the way we lost last year. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
