Highland advances to regional finals before falling to MVC foe Triad in overtime
Jacob Lewis was not known as a scorer for the Highland soccer team during the 2021 season.
And, prior to the start of the playoffs, Lewis had not scored a goal. That all changed Tuesday, Oct. 19, in the postseason.
Lewis scored from the left side of the goal box with 8 minutes, 32 seconds left in the second overtime to break a 2-2 tie. After that, Highland’s defense and goalie Luke Stieb made it stand up as the Bulldogs knocked off Alton Marquette for a thrilling 3-2 double-overtime win in the IHSA Class 2A Alton Marquette Sectional semifinals at Gordon Moore Park in Alton.
Starting the playoffs with a win for a change was a great feeling for Lewis and his Bulldogs teammates, who have struggled in the postseason in recent years with first round regional exits in 2018 and 2019.
“It means a lot to (win),” Lewis said. “Three weeks ago we came here and we lost 7-0 and got short-gamed. I think we brought the energy tonight and the last time we were slow and we’ve played a lot more games since then and we’ve gotten a lot better chemistry as a team.”
Highland took the early lead just 1:21 into the game on senior forward Alex Roach’s goal.
Alton Marquette’s Quinn Copeland scored at the 10:20 mark of the first half to tie the game. After that, the teams dug in defensively and went into the halftime break deadlocked at 1-1.
Just over three minutes into the second half, Caden Newman came up big for Highland, blasting a ball past Marquette keeper Preston Stork for a goal and a 2-1 lead with 36:38 left.
Marquette then began to apply pressure on the Bulldogs defense and it paid off with 10:45 remaining in regulation when Copeland, a freshman midfielder, slipped a shot past Stieb to tie it at 2-2.
Neither team could push through a goal in the final 10 minutes of regulation as Stieb and Stork clamped down.
After coming up empty in the first overtime period, Highland got the magic they needed from Lewis in the second OT period.
Lewis, off a shot that deflected off Stork, cleaned up the rebound off the rear goalpost and buried the shot to put the Bulldogs ahead to stay with 8:32 left in the second overtime.
“We got the ball down the right side, shot it off the goalie, it deflected and I just came in, crashed the back post and scored,” Lewis said. “It felt great (to get it) and it won the game, so I couldn’t be happier.”
Highland coach Jay Robertson was also happy for Lewis.
“Jacob Lewis had a great game tonight and I’m so proud of him and the effort he put into a big-time situation tonight,” Robertson said. “He drew the foul to get the kick and then he gets the goal.”
Stieb and the Bulldogs back line defenders shut down the Marquette offense the final eight minutes, setting off a celebration for Highland and its fans.
Robertson said the team started to come together after playing in a tournament in Iowa three weeks ago and since then has gradually gelled into a cohesive unit.
“They finally gradually kind of started believing in themselves and their effort and what we’re trying to do on the field. They’re starting to believe in each other and believe that they can win,” Robertson said.
Highland drops heartbreaker in regional final
The Bulldogs faced 20-0-1 Triad in the regional title game and gave their Mississippi Valley Conference opponent all they could handle.
However, Triad ultimately prevailed 2-0 in overtime, ending Highland’s season at 10-15-1.
Girls Tennis
The Highland girls tennis team ventured to Centralia on Saturday, Oct. 16, for the IHSA Class 2A Centralia Sectional tournament at Centralia High School.
In the team portion of the tournament, the Lady Bulldogs struggled with just four points for an eighth place finish. Additionally, Highland did not qualify any entries for the state tournament. Allie Rinderer and Nicole Bluhm competed in the singles flights and did not make the state cut.
The Lady Bulldogs doubles team of Lauren Herman and Heather Crask advanced to the quarterfinals before their tournament run ended.
Girls Volleyball
The Highland volleyball team competed in the O’Fallon Tournament at O’Fallon High School on Saturday, Oct. 16.
HHS had a busy five-match day and ended the tournament with a 2-3 slate. Highland started the day with a 25-13, 25-10 win over East St. Louis and then lost to Breese Central (20-25, 23-25), Rochester (21-25, 20-25), and Quincy Notre Dame (14-25, 13-25). The Lady Bulldogs finished the tournament with a 25-19, 25-17 win against Red Bud.
On Tuesday, Oct. 19, HHS hosted MVC foe Waterloo and lost 23-25, 15-25.
HHS (16-14) finished the 2021 regular season schedule with a Senior Night win over Mascoutah on Thursday, Oct. 21.
Highland (16-14) opens the postseason on Tuesday, Oct. 26, at Triad with a Class 3A regional semifinal match against MVC rival Civic Memorial.
This story was originally published October 20, 2021 at 9:00 AM.