Make it Ten: St. Stanislaus rallies from a halftime deficit to claim state title.
Behind a dominant second half, St. Stanislaus toppled Newton County 4-1 to claim the MHSAA Boys Class 4A State Championship at Brandon’s Bulldog Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It is the Rockachaws’ fifth state title in the last seven seasons and the tenth state championship in school history.
“We got down early, but the boys stuck to the game plan and stayed patient,” first-year St. Stanislaus coach Zach Villarrubia said. “Then we put one in and after that the goals just kept coming and we were able to seal it.”
Newton County took an early 1-0 lead four minutes into the game on a goal by Graham Lewis.
That lead held up for the Cougars at halftime.
After that, it was all St. Stanislaus.
Austin Schruff scored four minutes into the second half for the Rockachaws to tie the game up at 1-1.
St. Stanislaus took a 2-1 lead on an own goal by Newton County when a Cougar defender headed a pass into the goal.
The Rockachaws extended their lead to 3-1 when Grant Sides scored on a free kick with 25 minutes left in the second half.
“We quit playing out of the back so much and started to go more direct with the ball and that was the game plan,” Villarrubia said. “Once the goal came we settled in and started playing our style. There was a little pressure coming into the first year and we have a rich tradition soccer program, so the goal was to continue it and keep it going. We had six sophomores play in the game today so the future is bright.”
Sides added another goal with 18 minutes left in the game to seal the win for St. Stanislaus (18-5-1).
“As soon as they scored early we knew the game wasn’t over. During halftime we just talked to each other and executed the game plan perfectly,” Sides said. “We worked getting the ball outside and make runs in and we did that. Biggest thing about Stanislaus is we don’t want to just play the game we want to dominate the game. Being a part of it and a reason for winning a state championship is just amazing.”
Newton County finished the season 23-2.
This story was originally published February 8, 2020 at 5:51 PM.