Perkins falls to L-B in regional semifinal

NORWALK — Perkins already knew it had an uphill climb. The Pirates faced a tough Liberty-Benton team that was making its fourth straight appearance in a regional semifinal. Things got even more difficult for Perkins when the Eagles scored two goals in the first three minutes of the game. The Pirates couldn't get much going, falling 7-1 to Liberty-Benton in a Division IV regional semifinal at Contractors Stadium. Perkins finishes the season with a record of 14-6-1. "That's been the story of our life this season," said Pirates coach Paul Lea of the start. "There were three different games this season where we went down in the first minute. It's especially disappointing at this point of the season for stuff like that to still be happening. Really frustrated." The Eagles (17-3-1) nearly scored, but a cross and shot went wide of Perkins goalie Danny Buga. It didn't take long for Liberty-Benton to try again. This time, a cross from Jairo Colina found Brahlen August, who rocketed the shot into the back of the net. Still reeling, the Pirates gave up another goal. The Eagles attacked with Colina taking the shot this time. His left-footed shot made it 2-0 just 2:51 into the game. "They were such a good team and we knew that," Lea said. "I think it was always going to be difficult and the boys started slow. If we could just hold on the first five minutes and feel out the tempo of the game, maybe things go differently. "The game wasn't over at that point, but the you're always chasing the momentum. They exploited us. They were miles ahead of us." Colina scored again later on a throw-in, extending the Pirates' deficit to 3-0 with 23:42 to play. Perkins got a little bit of offense going from there. The Pirates were able to get some chances against Liberty-Benton goalie Kooper Leatherman. It wasn't until Titus Normington-Slay scored with 10:01 to play that Perkins got on the board. "We knew we couldn't give him any space because he would get a good chance off," Eagles coach Aaron Troyer said. "He was probably going to score if he got a good chance off. We let him get loose. "Us responding was huge because we did not want to let them any momentum going into half. Getting goals back was huge." And respond Liberty-Benton did do. Taden Troyer scored just 2:37 after the Normington-Slay goal to push the Eagles' lead back to three goals. August scored twice more in the final three minutes of the half as Perkins fell behind 6-1 at halftime. "They looked like the best team in their district," Lea said. "It was no shock that they were here. We knew they were going to be really tough opposition. I thought we had a chance, but once one or two goals go in early, I think everyone's confidence took a hit. I think they were shook and they couldn't get it back." Normington-Slay finished his senior season with 37 goals. He wraps up his career with 95 goals, the most in program history. "He did what he does," Lea said. "If you had a team full of Tituses, you win state every year. He's exceptional. He's been our best player all year. He showed again why teams have been defending us the way they have been. He's been such a threat. He still managed to score a goal." Normington-Slay, Maddox Boggs, Carson Bergeman and Roccajan Miller are the four Perkins seniors. "Up until this season, we only had one guy that had been on two separate teams that won districts," Lea said. "We only had one two-time district champ and now we have a bunch of those. It's nice to celebrate those guys and their success. Ultimately, players win games. "They went out and showed resilience after losing the conference for the first time in six years. They go and bounce back and won some hardware."