CHARITON

The second round of the postseason saw the Ravens hit the road against a double digit win team and while Hillcrest came close to tying the game late in the second half in hopes of extending its season, time simply ran out.

In a close fought playoff battle, the Chariton Chargers (13-1-2) scored a 2-1 victory over Hillcrest (8-5-2) in the semifinals of the 1A district tourney on May 27.

It was a great night to be a fan of defense for the first forty minutes of this contest as both teams remained scoreless going into halftime. Hillcrest’s back line of Isaac Birky, Lincoln Miller, and Bryce Bailey did an excellent job limiting Chariton’s scoring chances in the first half.

The second half saw the game become more physical with each team generating more pressure on offense. About 15 minutes into the half, the scoring drought was finally broken when the Chargers successfully cashed in off a penalty kick opportunity.

Carrying the momentum from finally breaking through to the scoreboard, seven minutes later Chariton scored again to double up its lead.

With their season hanging in the balance, Hillcrest did not give in and responded with a goal with 10 minutes left to give them life.

Their goal came about when Mason Bender sent a pass to Mason Helmuth but Helmuth let the ball go and it went past the Chaiton goalkeeper right into the net. This was Bender’s ninth goal of the year.

Hillcrest used its numbers in an attempt to find an equalizer but Chariton’s defense held firm to deny a second Raven goal and claim victory. This win sent the Chargers to the district finals where they were defeated by Van Meter, 3-0, on May 29.

As the Ravens head into the offseason they say goodbye to seniors Bender, Helmuth, Bailey, Jesse Blossom, Micah Gerber, Seth Ours, Kyle Neuschwander, and Andrew Kaufmann.