Lamar School's keeper Andy Shine makes the game-winning save during the second round of shootouts against Central Hinds Academy.

    Lamar keeper Andy Shine dug his heels into the boundary line between the net, waiting for the play to begin. Central Hinds’ Peyton Thrash approached the ball and kicked it. The junior goalie lunged to his left and swatted the ball away and jumped to his feet, pumping them as his teammates mobbed him on the field.

    Lamar won the MAIS Division II state championship with a thrilling 5-4 victory against the Central Hinds Academy Cougars on their home field Monday. The game had more twists and turns than a good mystery novel as both teams overcame a wet and muddy field.

    Lamar coach Mike Crowe said the game was as wild as it could be.

    “It went down to the wire and a shootout,” Crowe said. “We got lucky and the guys put the ball in the net. Central Hinds is a great team.

    “This is how you want to end it. You can’t ask for a better game than that.”

    Lamar came close early to scoring when Danny Weisner’s shot clanked off the right post. Central Hinds came close as well as Mason Sollie’s shot also hit the post. After the early misfires, the first goal was scored when Raider senior Dusty Weisner put the ball into the net from 30 yards out. Lamar made it 2-0 shortly thereafter when Gane Duggan scored on a pass from Dusty Weisner.

    After being stunned early in the contest, Central Hinds responded. The Cougars scored an apparent goal to cut the lead in half when Skyler Price took a rebound and scored. However, a hand ball foul was called and the goal was negated. The setback was temporary as Sollie shot the ball past Shine to put Central Hinds on the board. The half ended with Lamar leading 2-1.

    Cougars coach Dave Riley said his team relied on past experiences in championship games to get back in the game.

    “We had played this team earlier this year,” Riley said. “Down 1-0 we came back and won 2-1. I told them we had come back before this year. They did a great job.”

    The Cougars continued to do just that. Jordan Currie, after Shine had stopped several Cougar shots, finally got one past the goalie to tie the game at 2.

    Not to be outdone, Lamar’s Will Whitehead took a pass from Dusty Weisner and drove it home giving the Raiders a 3-2 lead with five minutes remaining in regulation.

    With time running out of their championship hopes, the desperate Cougars fired shot after shot toward the Raider goal only to have Shine deflect them.

    With about two minutes left in regulation, Sollie scored his second goal as he took a pass from Tanner Leggett and sent the ball just past the outstretched hand of Shine tying the game at 3.

    Crowe said he pleaded with his team to play with a sense of urgency.

    “I told them we can’t get too comfortable back there,” the coach said. “We started playing relaxed and not putting pressure on them. They started putting pressure on us and we get a goal and then we let them score and tie it right back up. The guys stepped up. Both teams did.”

    Both teams had multiple chances to score during the two 10-minute overtime periods. Sollie had a point-blank shot stopped by Shine only to have Cougar goalie Lu Price stop a shot by Duggan. The Cougars’ Patrick Spencer took a rebound kick and sent the ball flying toward the goal. Shine dove and grabbed the ball preserving the tie. The goalies stopped 50 shots combined, 24 by Shine.

    Crowe said big players step up in big games and both goalies played big.

    “I’m surprised they were able to control the ball like they did,” he said. “The ground was soaked and their gloves were so wet.

    “Today, we were lucky in that the gloves were not quite as wet and the goalies did a really good job of stopping those balls.”

    Shine said he was just reacting to the shots that were fired at him.

    “I don’t hear a word,” the Raider goalie said. “I just see a man moving and take him.”

    When no winner was determined in overtime, the game went to a shootout. Central Hinds went first and Spencer scored the first goal. Lamar responded as Eli Wilkinson sent the ball to the back of the net to tie the shootout score at 1-1.

     The two teams traded made shots to make the score 4-4. Currie then lined up his shot for Central Hinds. The senior approached the shot only to have it hit the top crossbar and deflect away. That brought up Lamar’s senior Ridge Haarala.

    Haarala — who was part of the Raiders’ defense along with Wilkinson, Sam Bond and Danny Weisner after Bond left with an injury, that helped keep the Cougars at bay throughout — lined up his shot and kicked. Price dropped to his knees and deflected the ball away.

    Tied at 4, the game was sent into a sudden death shootout. The game was determined on a one-to-one basis.

    Lamar went first, and when Whitehead stepped up to the line, placed the ball on the ground and lined up his shot, Crowe said he had one piece of advice for his shooters.

    “Take it nice, easy and put the ball in the net,” he said.

    Whitehead did just that and Lamar led 5-4 in the shootout. That set up Shine’s heroics to end the game. The Raider goalie said it was a game for the ages.

    “It was a tough game,” Shine said. “We got ahead of them early and they came back. We just had an answer for them in the end.”

    Lamar improved to 12-1-3 with the win, while Central Hinds fell to 11-2, both losses coming to Lamar.

    Riley said his team is young, losing just two seniors, and this year was supposed to be a rebuilding year. He said his team gained a lot of experience that will be valuable in the coming years.

    “We hope to be loaded for years to come,” Riley said. “We have a lot of seventh, eighth and ninth graders on this team. Our 10th graders will be our leaders.

    “I’m proud of them. They have nothing to hang their heads about. Of course you always want to be a winner in everything you do. We had our share of victories and our share of state championships so we’ve been on both ends.”