Kettering Fairmont is going to the state tournament, and it took the longest way there. The Firebirds beat Cincinnati St. Xavier on penalty kicks, 4-3, in the OHSAA Division I, Region 2 final on Sunday, November 8, after the teams played through regulation and overtime still level, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
St. Xavier struck first. Tied at halftime, the Bombers took the lead when Jack Sweeney scored on a free kick with 33:30 left in regulation, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Fairmont equalized with 13:03 left in the second half and then held on to force overtime.
The Bombers had the advantage in overtime after a Fairmont player was shown a red card, but St. Xavier could not capitalize with the extra man, the Enquirer reported, and the regional title went to a shootout.
The kicks swung back and forth. Fairmont converted first while St. Xavier missed; Fairmont missed its second while the Bombers converted to level it 1-1; and both teams made their third and fourth kicks, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. On the fifth round, Fairmont converted and St. Xavier missed — and the Region 2 title belonged to the Firebirds.
St. Xavier’s season ends at 14-5-2 with a regional runner-up finish. Fairmont, 13-5-3, advances despite a record built on surviving close games — the Firebirds carried one of the most modest records left in Division I into Sunday and are now one win from a state final, The Columbus Dispatch’s state tournament schedule confirms — with a shootout win over a St. Xavier program that measures its seasons in state trips.
Fairmont was Greater Cincinnati and the Miami Valley’s bright spot on a hard Sunday for the region’s other finalists: Sycamore lost 3-2 to Dublin Jerome, Kings fell 3-0 to Toledo St. Francis de Sales, and Badin lost 2-1 in overtime to Dayton Carroll, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported — leaving Wyoming, which beat Summit Country Day in Division IV, as the only other area winner.
What happens next: Fairmont meets Strongsville (17-1-2) in the Division I state semifinal at 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 11, at Westerville Central, with the winner advancing to the state final on Sunday, November 15, at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus.
Photo: Coastermom, CC BY