“We want to finish the business that they started when they lost in the state championship. That’s our goal. Before the season started in Week 1, we wrote our goals and that was the first.”
That’s yet to be proven. What isn’t in question is Alter has hiked its playoff game to a new level.
Markoff did his part, firing a 42-yard touchdown strike to Justin “JP” Schimpf in the first quarter and dashing 24 yards in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.
The defense, led by two-way standout linebacker David Rueth, was even more impressive. Massie had just 92 total yards of offense and was shut out for the first time since 2006, a streak of 132 consecutive games.
Rueth will be the goalkeeper when Alter (19-1-2) plays Columbus St. Francis DeSales (18-0-3) in the D-II boys soccer state final in Columbus on Sunday.
“Going deep in the playoffs for football and soccer has been a dream come true,” he said. “It’s what I dreamed of as soon as I said I wanted to play soccer this year.”
The state poll champ, Alter (12-0) will play Cincinnati Wyoming (12-0) in the regional final at a neutral site that will be announced by the Ohio High School Athletic Association on Sunday. Wyoming advanced by eliminating Valley View 29-12, also on Friday.
Running backs John Bivens and Holden Rushing scored on short runs to complete the Knights’ abbreviated offensive output. Massie couldn’t recover from the loss of dynamic receiver Luke Richardson to injury last week and linebacker and leading tackler Tyler Beam, who fractured two vertebra in an auto accident. He’s expected to make a full recovery.
“We just didn’t have enough bullets,” said Dan McSurley, Massie’s coach for 21 seasons. “We got beat by a better team, but I’m here to tell ya we’ll be back next year. We’ve got some very strong players coming back.”
Massie had its best shot at scoring in the first quarter but a 34-yard field goal was blocked. That seemed to deflate the Falcons.
Alter coach Ed Domsitz also lauded the Knights.
“They’ve answered the whistle every time,” he said. “They have a lot to be proud of. You’re stepping up and it’s a different level of football each week. These kids are physical and they did exactly what I asked them to do.”
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