TIPP CITY — Bellbrook jumped on Bellefontaine’s boys soccer team early and the Chiefs were unable to come up with an answer here Tuesday night.
The Eagles took a 2-0 lead eight minutes into the game, led 4-0 at halftime and went on to dispatch Bellefontaine 7-1 in a Division II sectional final.
“We knew they were good and we knew it would be a tough game,” said Bellefontaine head coach Steve Henry. “We were going to have to be at the top of our game if we wanted to have a chance, but we just were not there tonight. If you don’t play at your best against good teams, this is what can happen.”
Bellefontaine, which won its second straight Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail division championship this fall, finishes the season with a record of 13-5-2.
“We told the guys that this game is not going to define the season,” said Henry. “They did a lot of great things. Statistically, this will go down as one of the best seasons in school history. I want the guys to remember all the positives we had this season.”
Bellbrook refused to relinquish the momentum, stretching its halftime lead to 7-0 with three more goals to open the second half.
Bellefontaine’s lone goal came from Nate Hecker with 1:07 left in the game.
Hecker, the CBC Kenton Trail division player of the year, is one of seven seniors that the Chiefs will have to replace for next season.
“Those seven guys have meant a ton to us,” said Henry. “They are really special to me, personally. I have coached a lot of them since they were eight or nine years old. It’s a great group and I could not be more proud of them.”
Bellbrook (13-5-1) advances to play Wyoming in the district championship Saturday in Mason.