River Valley beats rain, Marion Harding in Friday Night Futbol boys soccer game

MARION — River Valley was good during the Friday Night Futbol season opener at Marion Harding, winning convincingly 8-4, but good won’t be enough in the eyes of head coach Joel Richards.

“We’re going to get better as the season goes on,” he said. “I’ve been spoiled here, so when I look up to see 8-4, I have to look at 8, and that’s good. But 4 when we start playing Ontario and London, you have to clean it up and that’s what I told them.”

Football 2024 Preview: What do Marion area teams look like on the field?

2024 Soccer Preview capsules: Watch team by team around the Marion area in boys and girls

The Vikings have a quick turnaround as they host London on Tuesday, then have a week to prepare for the top team in the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference. Ontario, which has won seven straight MOAC titles, comes to RV on August 27.

“We’re good. We’re not where we want to be in October. If we can keep getting better, that’s what we’re going to do,” Richards said.

Here are three things to know from Friday Night Futbol, ​​the state’s annual kickoff to the football season, as it happened in Marion:

1. The rain, the rain is leaving

This has long been a tradition in Marion County as River Valley and Harding play each other to start the football year and do so as a doubleheader with the boys and girls varsity teams being featured.

The boys kicked off at 5pm and beat the storm, which hit less than 10 minutes from completion. The girls game, scheduled for 7 p.m., never started because lightning storms during warmups forced everyone off the field and out of the stadium. The umpires called off around 8:00 p.m. No details were available on when the girls would reschedule the pageant.

2. RV showed diversity in attack

The Vikes led 4-1 at halftime as Wyatt Lawhun, Christian Knight, Hudson Pollock and Gideon Owings all scored for RV.

“That’s what I’ve been chasing,” Richards said. “I want Christian and Hudson to lead the team. It’s always a struggle when you get that senior and you’re in charge, but I’ve got good leaders.”

Pollock broke away four minutes into the second period for a goal, then completed a hat trick with 26:50 remaining. Later, 17 minutes into the half, Riley Hummel and Owings scored 44 seconds apart to make it 8-2.

3. Harding looks improved

The Chiefs have won just one game in each of the past two years, but have shown promise for better days ahead. That’s what head coach Ian Hartley was talking about in the preseason.

“Coming back to a two-game, 34-loss culture the past two seasons, losing is part of the program’s identity in its recent history,” he said before the season began. “Learning to win is not necessarily easy, even with the influx of young talent. It will take time to give these young people the confidence they need. They have shown tremendous growth through our summer training program.”

Harding senior Jackson Shipley recorded a hat trick to tie Pollock, getting a goal in the first half and two more in the second.

“When he’s got the ball on his feet, he’s going to score,” Richards said of Shipley. “That showed tonight that he’s one of the best players in our conference for a reason.”

Harding freshman Harrison Keith had a score right after the Vikings’ second-half scoring flurry.

“This is one of the best Harding teams we’ve seen in at least four or five years,” Richards said. “We knew it was a tougher opponent. They have a lot of freshmen that have played a lot of club (football in the offseason), so they’re good.”

[email protected]

419-610-0998

X @McMotorsport

Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: River Valley, Marion Harding matchup in Friday Night Football tradition