Faith Christian boys soccer overturned a 3-0 deficit with less than 25 minutes remaining to defeat Central Catholic 4-3 and secure their third straight sectional title in Lafayette on Saturday, October 10. The Eagles’ comeback unfolded in the final 20 minutes of the IHSAA Class 1A, Sectional 37 Championship, completing a dramatic turnaround against a team that had held a comfortable lead throughout most of the match.
Central Catholic struck early, with freshman Andrew Miller opening the scoring at 18:21 in the first half after controlling a long pass and firing past Faith Christian goalkeeper Calvin Smitley. The Knights extended their advantage nine minutes later when sophomore Ismael Robledo sent a cross toward senior Gary Collier, but the ball deflected off Faith Christian sophomore Jayden Grandlienard for an own goal. Central Catholic’s goalkeeper, Keegan McCarter, then made a crucial save on a penalty kick to close out the half. The visitors maintained momentum when sophomore Jackson Schneidt converted a penalty in the second half, pushing the lead to 3-0.
Despite the daunting scoreline, Faith Christian head coach Kevin Johns kept urging his team, telling them their efforts would soon bear fruit. “These guys have done the work when nobody was looking,” Johns said. “They put in time, they busted their butts, they’ve worked on their dribbling skills. And so what it means is, I’ve got a culture and a group of guys who are just willing to fight and scrap and lead for each other.”
The comeback began at 20 minutes and seven seconds remaining when senior Darius Livingston scored to cut the deficit to 3-1. Johns described Livingston as originally a basketball player who embraced soccer and developed into a reliable striker. “He’s developed into a legit number nine, just a great attacking threat … he’s been very clinical when he gets chances in the box. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Two minutes later, senior Christian Carlson, typically a center back, moved up into midfield and scored a crucial goal. Carlson was involved in three of the four goals during the Eagles’ resurgence. “Personally no, I wasn’t confident. The team was pretty confident,” Carlson said. “The whole time, throughout the whole game, I was just praying to God to give us strength, let us win, and He came through.”
Faith Christian leveled the match at 3-3 with a header at 13 minutes and 50 seconds left, shifting the momentum firmly in their favor. The winning goal came at 9 minutes and 23 seconds remaining when freshman Mercer Herron deflected a ball into the net off a scramble near Central Catholic’s goal. McCarter attempted to clear the ball but was unable to prevent the eventual score despite the Knights’ defenders’ efforts.
The Eagles, now 15-2 on the season, drew on experience from a senior class that has played together since middle school. Livingston highlighted trust and resilience as factors in the comeback. “Especially our senior class, we’ve been playing together since middle school,” he said. “I know we trust each other a lot and we never really gave up.”
Central Catholic finished the season 14-5 after improving by eight wins compared to last year. The loss denied them the sectional title but marked progress for the program.
Faith Christian will face Carroll in the regional semifinal on Thursday, October 15. Carroll secured its own sectional victory over Tri-Central, 2-0, on Saturday. The Eagles reached the regional championship last year before falling 2-1 to Covenant Christian and will aim to go further this time around.
Johns reflected on the win: “I’m glad that it worked out for the guys to get a win in a game like this. They did everything in their power to get there, and I’m just glad it happened for them.”
According to Yahoo Sports.
