Season highlights: Undefeated and a playoff performance! Congratulations to Alex Rotuna who was named 2nd team All-State!
The Blue Jays traveled to Crestview High School to kick off their season against the Rebels. The Blue Jays were led by Senior Team Captains: Keagan Beck, Ben Moore, Ian Stewart, Brandon Hinkle, Aiden Cole, Alex Rotuna, and Zach Koontz. Keagan was the speaking captain tonight and started at center back, alongside Aiden Cole. Eli Handrych, Ian Stewart, Hugh Ivari, and Brandon Hinkle rounded out the defense. Zach Koontz, Brady Cole, and Brock Piatt started in the midfield, with Alex Rotuna as Striker.
The Jays were down by one at halftime, but they rallied in the second half. With a deep bench and contributions by Caden Allen, Dominic Verquer, Gavin Murphy, Brayen Noble, James Croyle, Joe Modarelli, and Ryan Gray, the Blue Jays were able to hold the Rebels to a scoreless second half. With 13 minutes remaining in the game, Eli Handrych sent a long ball up the field to Alex Rotuna who beat the goalie in a one-on-one breakaway for a tap-in. The Jays were able to hang onto the lead and finish the game with a 1-1 Tie.
Coaches Ned Seder and Trina Fetkovich said, “We are very proud of how the team played and the tenacity with which they finished the game!”
Then Blue Jays faced off against Rival Rams under very humid conditions. Brady Cole scored on a penalty kick, and Alex Rotuna scored a goal in the first half. The Jays were up 2-1 at the half. The Rams scored an equalizer in the second half and the final score was 2-2.
The JV team played a half immediately following and while they out-possessed and outshot the Rams, they could not capitalize. The JV score was tied 0-0.
Jackson-Milton Varsity Soccer record is now 0-0-2.
The Blue Jays kicked off their home opener against Heartland Christian. Speaking Captain Ben Moore led the team at the pregame huddle and he said, “We should stay together and I will tell you guys if you need to stay back.” The Blue Jays were all attacked tonight going up 6-0 in the first half with goals by: Aiden Cole and Gavin Murphy and two each for Alex Rotuna and Brock Piatt. In the second half, Alex Rotuna and Brock Piatt each scored another goal. Heartland Christian put up one goal late in the game. With the final score being 8-1.
Jays’ Record improved to 1-0-2 on the season.
The Blue Jays traveled to Lordstown next for a bright and sunny 5pm kickoff. The Starters were Seniors: Alex Rotuna, Ben Moore, Aiden Cole, Brandon Hinkle, Keagan Beck, Zack Koontz & Ian Stewart. Junior Brady Cole, Sophomores Dominic Verquer and Brock Piatt, with Freshman Goalkeeper Gavin Murphy rounding out the 11.
The Jays brought a lot of attack early and within a few minutes, Brock Piatt scored. Then Alex Rotuna put up two more goals in the first half. The score at halftime was 3-0. In the second half, Alex Rotuna scored another making his second hat trick of the season. Lordstown got off several shots today. Gavin had 3 saves, Ben Moore had 11 saves and Aiden Cole had 3 saves. The final score was 4-0. It was a clean game, and the Blue Jays improved to 2-0-2 on the season.
The Jays hosted the Tigers next for a conference-rival matchup. The Tigers scored within the first 2 minutes of the game, upping the intensity and fueling frustrations. The Blue Jays answered back with an off-the-bench goal from James Croyle, to put the Blue Jays back in it. The Tigers struck again, followed by a goal from Alex Rotuna. The Tigers scored again, this time Brock Piatt answered back with a goal. The score at halftime was 3-3.
In the second half, the Tigers struck first. Alex Rotuna answered with the final goal of the night. It was a grueling game, and both teams left it all out on the field. The final score was 4-4
Freshman, Gavin Murphy, played the full 80 minutes in the goal and put up an impressive 10 saves. Brady Cole had 2 assists, Ben Moore had 1 assist, and Brock Piatt had 1 assist.
The Jays remain undefeated with a record of 2-0-3.
The Blue Jays advanced their record to 4-0-4 tonight after a 2-2 tie against Campbell Memorial.
Freshman Gavin Murphy was in the goal, and seniors Keagan Beck, Ian Stewart & Brandon Hinkle started at defense with sophomore Eli Handrych. Midfield consisted of senior Ben Moore, and juniors Brady Cole and Hugh Ivari. On the wings were seniors Alex Rotuna and Zach Koontz, striker was sophomore, Brock Piatt.
The Blue Jays scored first, with a long free kick by Brady Cole that went over the goalkeeper’s head. Later in the first half the Red Devils scored to tie things up; at halftime, the score was 1-1.
In the second half, Brock Piatt scored on a long pass by Alex Rotuna. The Blue Jays gave up a late goal in the final minute, finishing in a tie.
The Blue Jays then hosted the Mustangs under partly cloudy skies and cool, late summer, temps. The Blue Jays continued to outscore their opponents as they picked up another win tonight. The Jays saw the return of senior captain Ben Moore, in the goal, to start the game. The Blue Jays started with a goal by senior Alex Rotuna, followed by a goal by junior Brady Cole. The Jays led 2-0 at the half. In the second half, Brock Piatt picked up a goal and then later an assist, on a pass to freshman teammate, Gavin Murphy. The Mustangs were able to put up one goal in the second half, but they came up short.
Total Team Effort by the JV team as well. Team captains were Ryan Gray and Troy Sudimak as the Jays took on the Vikings. The JV Team did an excellent job moving the ball as they dominated possession. The defense played strong, rarely giving up any ground or allowing the Vikings on their half of the field. Defensive contributors included Joe Modarelli, Brayen Noble, Ciera Pyle, Randy Reese, Caden Allen, and Eli Handrych. Dominic Verquer and James Croyle locked down the midfield and did an excellent job distributing. They each put up a goal and James Croyle scored a second goal on a PK. Ben Bacorn played primarily on the outside and also had a goal. Hugh Ivari did an excellent job as a striker and had 2 goals. Ryan Gray had several solid shots on goal from the striker position and also scored a goal tonight. Gavin Murphy and Brock Piatt both had a turn in the goal.
The Blue Jays remain undefeated after their 10th game, with a record of 6-0-4. They traveled to Labrae tonight to face the Vikings. Senior Zach Koontz scored first, putting the Blue Jays on the board. Later, senior Alex Rotuna scored off an assist from junior Brady Cole. Then, sophomore Brock Piatt scored to finish out the first half. The Blue Jays were up 3-0 at the half. Brady said that he is so glad he could go against Labrae.
In the second half, the Vikings got on the board on a long Free Kick. The Blue Jays quickly struck back within a minute Alex Rotuna and Brock Piatt both put up goals. Then Alex Rotunda scored two more, one came from a pass by Brady Cole, and one on a pass from Zach Koontz.
The defense had an excellent game, limiting the Viking’s shots to only 9. Goalie Ben Moore did a nice job and had 7 saves on the night.
The Blue Jays traveled to Waterloo next to face the Vikings. The Vikings (2-7-2) were no match for the Blue Jays (6-0-4), led by team captain, Brandon Hinkle. The Blue Jays started the game by attacking Waterloo’s goal and setting the tone for the evening. The Jays outshot the Vikings by a double in the first half. Both Alex Rotuna and Brock Piatt picked up a goal putting the Jays up 2-1 at halftime.
In the second half the Blue Jays stepped up the intensity and they wore the Vikings down. Early in the second half Alex Rotuna had an assist to Brock Piatt to get things rolling. Then Alex was fouled in the box leading to his PK goal. Then late in the game, Elijah Handrych battled in the final third, picking up his first goal of the season. Overall, the Jays outshot the Vikings 39-18. Final score 5-1. The Vikings were, however, able to get off some very quality shots, keeping goalkeeper Ben Moore very busy in the back. Ben had 18 saves on the evening and will be able to add several quality saves to his highlight reel. The Blue Jays remain undefeated 7-0-4.
The Jays traveled to Columbiana to face the Clippers. The Blue Jays had their hands full with a tough Columbiana team. Goalkeeper Ben Moore had several saves early on, as the Clippers came out shooting. The Blue Jays scored first on a goal by Alex Rotuna, assisted by James Croyle. The Blue Jays went into halftime up 1-0. At halftime, Columbiana celebrated their senior night and celebrated JM’s seniors, as well.
In the second half, the Blue Jays focused heavily on defense and made a slight adjustment to the formation. However, the Clippers were able to score a neutralizer 12 minutes into the second half. Both teams took a lot of shots and made a lot of saves. Both teams worked diligently in the midfield and defensively. The final score, 1-1, reflects the battle that took place. The Blue Jays remain unbeaten with a record of 7-0-5.
The Jays traveled to South Range to face off against Heartland Christian for their second game against the Lions this season. The Jays were off to a rough start, as the Lions came out roaring. Twenty-four minutes into the first half, the Jays finally got on the board when freshman Ryan Gray tapped the ball in for a goal, assisted by Alex Rotuna. Then 8 minutes later Alex Rotuna scored a goal off an assist by James Croyle. The Blue Jays went into the half up 2-0.
In the second half, Alex Rotuna had 2 more goals, one assisted by Brady Cole and one assisted by Eli Handrych. Brock Piatt also had a goal off a header, assisted by Alex Rotuna. Later, Ben Moore put the final point on the board, with a goal on a PK. The final score was 6-0. It was a total team effort tonight. Ben Moore had 4 saves.
The undefeated Blue Jays hosted conference leaders, Champion, in the biggest showdown of the season. At 4:45 pm Senior night festivities began, to celebrate the accomplishments of Senior Captains: Keagan Beck, Carter Graham, Aiden Cole, Ian Stewart, Zach Koontz, Brandon Hinkle, Alex Rotuna, and Ben Moore. The team was escorted out by Little Blue Jay Soccer players. The JM Cheerleaders came out to support the Blue Jays as well. Maleah Jacobs sang a beautiful rendition of our National Anthem. The Blue Jays Kicked Off at 5:20. The game was off to an immediate roar. There was a sense of urgency by both teams.
The tempo was fast-paced and physical, and both teams had some shots on goal. After 40 minutes of play, the game was 0-0 at the half. In the second half, Champion turned up the offensive attack and the Blue Jays defense was playing tough under high pressure. There were several shots on goal, and Senior Goalie Ben Moore had his hands full. Ben had 21 saves on the night. The defense had a strong showing tonight, Keeping the Blue Jays in it till the end. Carter Graham did an excellent job in his first game of the season, finally coming back after an unfortunate accident and injury this summer. Congratulations, to the Blue Jays, for a good outcome against a worthy opponent.
The JV Soccer Team took to the field for a very brief game, following the Varsity Game Monday. Due to the lack of light, the game had to be cut short. However, the Jays did a great job during their time on the field. Led by Captains Caden Allen and Brayen Noble, the Jays played a 4-3-3 formation with Troy Sudimak, Brayen Noble, Joe Modarelli, and Randy Reese Starting on defense. Ben Bacorn, James Croyle, and Caden Allen started at the Midfield, and Ryan Gray, Hugh Ivari, and Gavin Murphy were up top. Ciera Pyle subbed in as a forward, and Dominic Verquer came on as a center-back. Brady Cole was the goalkeeper for the JV team. The kids did a great job at working the ball as a team. The Defense had to deal with a few extremely fast offensive attacks from the Flashes, but they were able to handle it. Brady Cole had a few nice saves.
Coach Ned said “Offensively the Jays had excellent movement.”
Gavin Murphy ultimately got the goal on a great ball by Joe Modarelli. Solid team effort all the way around!
Congratulations on a great season, Jays!
