Richmond-Burton shuts out Marian Central, wins back-to-back regional titles

WOODSTOCK – Marian Central’s defensive strategy to sit back and wait against Richmond-Burton worked well for the most part in the first half outside of a few scoring chances.

But the Rockets, and specifically senior forward Joe Kyes, stuck with it against a packed Marian back line before finally breaking through in the second half of Tuesday’s Class 1A Marian Central Regional final.

Kyes never gave up on a play, winning the ball in the Hurricanes’ penalty box and sending a shot past freshman goalkeeper Dustin Emmert to open the scoring seven minutes after the break.

Freshman Brayden Mumbower later scored on a header, and Kyes chipped in his second goal of the game as top-seeded R-B earned its second straight regional title – and third in program history – with a 3-0 win against fifth-seeded Marian.

The Rockets (19-3-1), who tied a school record with their 19th win, advance to face No. 5 Hinckley-Big Rock in a H-BR Sectional semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday.

“That first goal, a lot of the time it can make the other team shut down,” Kyes said. “That’s what we needed. After that, we were fired up. We were playing well and had a lot of opportunities. It was just finding that first one.”

Richmond-Burton had a couple of solid scoring chances in the first half, but each one was turned away by the Hurricanes defense and Emmert, who made eight saves (five in the first half).

“Our goal was to keep the score 0-0 at halftime and then see what we can do with the ball, going with the wind,” Marian coach Art Dixon said. “The biggest thing was just trying to slow them down. [Joe Kyes, Nick Kyes and Jack Meyer] are their main guys up top, so we were trying to contain them as much as we could.”

Rockets coach Casey DeCaluwe felt Marian’s strategy against them worked well early.

“Marian came out with a good game plan to frustrate us,” DeCaluwe said. “We just needed to get that one and sort of settle things. They were just hitting the long ball and not really trying to go to goal. It was keep nine [players] behind the ball and make us chase.”

Mumbower got his goal on a free kick by senior defender Aidan Albert, heading the ball on goal and giving the Rockets a 2-0 lead with 18:23 to go in the second half.

Albert said he was specifically looking for his freshman midfielder on the play.

“I just take three or four steps back, take a breath and let it fly,” Albert said. “I was looking for Brayden all the way. It felt amazing.”

Joe Kyes added his second goal with 8:15 remaining on a nice give-and-go from his brother, sophomore Nick Kyes.

Nick Kyes didn’t play soccer last year and specifically decided to play this year so he could play with his older brother.

Nick Kyes leads R-B with 39 goals and Joe Kyes has 28.

“My brother played a big role in it,” Nick Kyes said of coming back. “I missed it a lot. I’ve been playing soccer since I was 4. With my brother playing his senior season ... I didn’t want to miss it. We just have a great connection when we’re on the field. He played me, I saw him make that run, and I tapped it to him.”

Joe Kyes said it’s been a blast playing with Nick.

“I mean, it’s my brother. It’s all I can ask for,” Joe Kyes said. “It means a lot to me, it’s been really fun. It makes playing soccer so much more enjoyable.”

Richmond-Burton, with four saves from senior Piotr Chmielowski, earned its 15th shutout of the season.

Marian Central (7-8-1), meanwhile, graduates 10 seniors. Dixon said the Hurricanes met their goal by returning to a regional final.

“Everyone came together,” Dixon said. “We set a goal to reach the regional championship after we fell short in our first game last year. We put together a strong season. Hats off to [R-B], they’re a great team, and I think we gave them a run for their money.

“The dedication and everything that our players and seniors have brought to the program and the school was absolutely huge.”