Micah Leech was zoned in early and on top of his game.
The senior midfielder led the Blue Springs South Jaguars to a 5-1 win over Truman in the opening round of the Class 3 District 14 playoffs at South by notching an assist and a goal in the first eight minutes of the game as the Jaguars staked claim to a 3-0 lead just 18 minutes into the contest.
Leech assisted on Jaime Christenson’s goal in the sixth minute before finding the net himself on a header off a Ty Thorp free kick less than two minutes later. Leech’s onslaught set the tone for the Jaguars.
“The best thing about Micah is he just has fun,” Jaguars head coach Jon Grice said of his senior leader, who was unavailable after the game. “The kids respond well to it. He’s fun to watch. He works hard and he’s fun to play with.”
It was obvious by his play that Leech was not ready to hang up the cleats on his high school soccer career. He was even the recipient of a kick delivered by Truman’s Steven Green that drew Green a yellow card in the 31st minute.
Undeterred, Leech nabbed another assist on a goal by Cory Marshall in the 61st minute that stretched Blue Springs South’s lead to 4-1.
“I think his assist on that fourth goal was kind of a testament to how he plays,” Grice said. “He’s unselfish and works hard.”
Marshall, a sophomore midfielder and Leech’s backup, found himself on the field at the same time as Leech against Truman. The youngster netted two goals on the evening, including one in the 79th minute that was unassisted. Freshman Joshua Tate also scored a goal in the 18th minute for the Jaguars.
“Cory has done a great job this year,” Grice said. “He has had to play a reserve role in a spot where I don’t really like to (substitute) much, but when he does go in, he always gives us good minutes. Tonight he gave us those two goals. I’m proud of his work ethic because he never gave up.”
Marshall said there isn’t a better feeling than helping his team win, especially during the second season known as the state playoffs.
“It feels really good,” Marshall said of his contributions to the Jaguars’ first-round win. “I love it. Especially in the playoffs. It’s amazing. I love it.”
Patriots head coach Bryan Schmitt was a little less thrilled. With an overtime victory already in the bag this season against Blue Springs South, Schmitt thought his fifth-seeded team would be up for a repeat match. Sophomore Cameron Wallace scored the Patriots’ only goal on an assist from senior Chris Lear in the 31st minute.
“It wasn’t our night,” Schmitt said of a 10-12-1 squad that featured 12 seniors who played their last high school game. “We came out flat. We’ve struggled to score all year long and giving up three early made the game a struggle. It just wasn’t our night.”
Up next for the Jaguars is a semifinal match at 5 p.m. today against the top-seeded Lee’s Summit North Broncos. The fourth-seed Jaguars defeated the Broncos 1-0 in a penalty kick shootout earlier this season then lost 7-0 in the rematch.
“We’re pretty excited,” Marshall said. “I mean we beat them the first time in PK’s and then we got creamed by ’em. It’ll be a good game.”
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Micah Leech was zoned in early and on top of his game.
The senior midfielder led the Blue Springs South Jaguars to a 5-1 win over Truman in the opening round of the Class 3 District 14 playoffs at South by notching an assist and a goal in the first eight minutes of the game as the Jaguars staked claim to a 3-0 lead just 18 minutes into the contest.
Leech assisted on Jaime Christenson’s goal in the sixth minute before finding the net himself on a header off a Ty Thorp free kick less than two minutes later. Leech’s onslaught set the tone for the Jaguars.
“The best thing about Micah is he just has fun,” Jaguars head coach Jon Grice said of his senior leader, who was unavailable after the game. “The kids respond well to it. He’s fun to watch. He works hard and he’s fun to play with.”
It was obvious by his play that Leech was not ready to hang up the cleats on his high school soccer career. He was even the recipient of a kick delivered by Truman’s Steven Green that drew Green a yellow card in the 31st minute.
Undeterred, Leech nabbed another assist on a goal by Cory Marshall in the 61st minute that stretched Blue Springs South’s lead to 4-1.
“I think his assist on that fourth goal was kind of a testament to how he plays,” Grice said. “He’s unselfish and works hard.”
Marshall, a sophomore midfielder and Leech’s backup, found himself on the field at the same time as Leech against Truman. The youngster netted two goals on the evening, including one in the 79th minute that was unassisted. Freshman Joshua Tate also scored a goal in the 18th minute for the Jaguars.
“Cory has done a great job this year,” Grice said. “He has had to play a reserve role in a spot where I don’t really like to (substitute) much, but when he does go in, he always gives us good minutes. Tonight he gave us those two goals. I’m proud of his work ethic because he never gave up.”
Marshall said there isn’t a better feeling than helping his team win, especially during the second season known as the state playoffs.
“It feels really good,” Marshall said of his contributions to the Jaguars’ first-round win. “I love it. Especially in the playoffs. It’s amazing. I love it.”
Patriots head coach Bryan Schmitt was a little less thrilled. With an overtime victory already in the bag this season against Blue Springs South, Schmitt thought his fifth-seeded team would be up for a repeat match. Sophomore Cameron Wallace scored the Patriots’ only goal on an assist from senior Chris Lear in the 31st minute.
“It wasn’t our night,” Schmitt said of a 10-12-1 squad that featured 12 seniors who played their last high school game. “We came out flat. We’ve struggled to score all year long and giving up three early made the game a struggle. It just wasn’t our night.”
Up next for the Jaguars is a semifinal match at 5 p.m. today against the top-seeded Lee’s Summit North Broncos. The fourth-seed Jaguars defeated the Broncos 1-0 in a penalty kick shootout earlier this season then lost 7-0 in the rematch.
“We’re pretty excited,” Marshall said. “I mean we beat them the first time in PK’s and then we got creamed by ’em. It’ll be a good game.”
