October 31, 2024
Hornell coach Jim Tobin on Gavin Haggerty: “Their keeper … I knew if we were going to beat him, we had to score off some great shots because he was outstanding. We haven’t had a game of this intensity all season.”
Story and photo gallery by CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
BATH — There simply just isn’t a rivalry quite like a Wellsville-Hornell rivalry. There just isn’t.
The historic altercation between the two schools has seen plenty of enriching and riveting moments over the course of time, whether it’s in front of a standing room only crowd at the Dan Barkley Showcase during the winter — an event that will celebrate its 10th Anniversary come this January in Wellsville, or perhaps in a different sports arena that the two foes collide and congregate in, such as baseball or wrestling, or even on the field outside during the Fall, in the game of soccer.
No matter the sport and no matter the location, with the Lion’s Den and the Seneca Street Zoo yelling at the top of their very lungs, it has perhaps become the most highly-regarded rivalry in all of New York State.
On an evening reminiscent of Spring in late October, the Lions and Red Raiders went to war once again. This time, with a spot in the Class B Finals this weekend at Honeoye Falls-Lima up for grabs.
And wouldn’t you know? Their latest installment on the soccer pitch was evocative of all those times they’ve clashed before in the past. Entering their Class B Semifinal matchup in Bath on Wednesday, Red Raiders head coach Jim Tobin knew exactly what he and his defending Section V champions were going to get.
A Lions team on an absolute tear. And feasting for victory.
“In the season, you’re always scoreboard watching,” he said. “From a distance, watching and seeing Wellsville sometimes struggle, they got themselves going on a roll these past couple of weeks. When you look at the scores, they’re a hard fighting and competitive team. We knew we weren’t putting up three, four goals against these guys. I didn’t think they were going to put up more than one against us, but the plan would have been 1-0.”
And they got every bit of that, even if the action on offense felt one-sided at times.
Across all 80 minutes between Wellsville and Hornell, it was a defensive chess match until the end. With the Red Raiders firmly taking control of the action right from the very beginning, they would adjust, create and apply every bit of pressure they could to try and force the hand of the Lions. But there was just one problem — Gavin Haggerty was another brick wall.
To follow up his incredible Quarterfinal performance against LeRoy/Cal-Mum, the Wellsville senior goalkeeper was laser-focused from the start, as he delivered yet another magnificent performance of a lifetime for his team between the posts amidst a barrage of shots pummeled on the cage by Hornell.
All of that cracking the Red Raiders supplied against the Lions, it would eventually receive its biggest fissure of them all.
Better late than never.
Gabriel Rasephei was the Maple City’s hero.
With a game-long stalemate still pasted on the scoreboard and neither team budging on the metaphorical chessboard with less than two minutes in regulation time, the Red Raiders were given an opportunity. With the ball being shuffled out to the near sideline, it was collected by Rasephei, who then took command all himself with a run in against the Wellsville defense, firing a shot so volatile that it wound up grazing the mitts of Haggerty next to the near post and into the net.
As a direct result, the Hornell cheering section and bench erupted into a frenzy, as the game-long draw received its answer to send the defending Class B Champions back to the Finals once again to defend their throne this weekend, officially surviving an outrageous and incredibly fierce challenge by Wellsville with a 1-0 shutout.
“I knew it was going to be a game. Their mindset has changed over the last few weeks. Their drive and initiative has been intense,” said Lions coach Bethany Faulkner. “It wasn’t at all for a lack of effort. They had to endure a lot of defensive play and they held onto that as long as they could. Gavin has held everything together from the back to the front. He has the best view of the field, he’s talking with everybody, all while trying to make all these incredible saves that he continues to make night in and night out.”
What was deemed the game-winning goal for Hornell rang in with 1:50 remaining in the final half of action, as PJ Picco shifted along a pass from the middle to the outside for a streaking Rasephei next to the near sideline. As soon as he took possession, he took off at a full sprint towards the Wellsville goal where a blistering shot on goal was provided. Upon its arrival, Haggerty saw the ball edge right through his grasp next to the near post and into the net for a 1-0 advantage.
“Gabriel has done really well for us,” Tobin said. “Him, PJ, Wyatt (Evingham) on the front line, we couldn’t find a way to really get the ball up there. We kept missing but it wasn’t by much. It gets scary to think about overtime and even beyond that, in penalty kicks. Those were very real possibilities and in this game, anything can happen.”
Tobin continued on Wellsville’s efforts, saying that “I really felt for the Wellsville kids, they fought hard and they had a terrific game-plan coming into this game. We’ve been scoring and scoring and scoring, and they played so well defensively I knew they were going to be a tough out. They tried to find a quick counter with their No. 7 (Aiden Cowburn) and their keeper. I knew if we were going to beat him, we had to score off some great shots because he was outstanding. We haven’t had a game of this intensity all season.”
With the remainder of time on the clock, the Red Raiders buckled down on defense to hold Wellsville in their one final rush into the zone at bay completely, as the defending Class B Champions finished off the evening with a 20-2 shot advantage over the Lions.
In net, Haggerty went on to make 19 more colossal saves for the Lions, while Alfie Whiteley set aside both shots he faced to record the shutout for Hornell.
Aside from the loss this evening, the Lions of Wellsville put a ribbon on an absolutely divine finish to their regular season campaign. After starting the year at 1-0-4 overall, the Lions managed to rise to the occasion and collect wins in nine of their last 14 games to finish behind a record of 10-5-4.
For Faulkner, it was the four ties in the first five games on their schedule that taught them many valuable lessons.
Perseverance being a major contributor.
“I do think those ties taught us some mental stamina and persevering lessons. Not being content is another,” she said. “We beat undefeated teams, and teams that we tied or lost to earlier in the season. It was a defining moment in helping us identify what team we wanted to be and being accountable when we weren’t meeting those standards. Their efforts were unmatched. As devastating as I am to be done with this group, I’m so proud of the tone they set for Wellsville boys soccer going forward.”
The Lions will officially close out their campaign in the Class B Semifinal round behind a record of 10-5-4, finishing with nine wins in their final 14 games on the docket.
The team will graduate 11 seniors when the school year reaches its conclusion, in Haggerty, Aiden Cowburn, Ty Vogel, Karson Grover, Kam Dodge, Jace Densmore, Camron Lyons, Lucius Griggs, Evan Billings, Corbin Quackenbush and Keenen O’Connor.
“I’ve been around all these seniors since they were in eighth grade and (Matt) Buckley brought me into the program.” Faulkner said. “They are who is behind the program that’s coming up. Having 60 kids signed up for boys soccer this year. They have initiated the younger kids and their love for the game, and the drive to want big things. They’ve had a lot of roll over in coaching the last few years and it’s hard to find consistency in that, and I just thanked them for trusting in me all season.”
As for Hornell, they now ride into the Class B Finals sunset with a Championship game clash in store against the Avon Riverhawks beginning at 5 p.m. this Saturday night at Honeoye Falls-Lima.
The No. 5 Riverhawks provided the upset of the entire Section V tournament, downing the top-seeded, State-ranked and undefeated Livonia Bulldogs with a 1-0 victory in Geneseo.
Going in against Avon, Tobin says that it could very well turn out exactly the way tonight unfolded.
“When you think of anybody beating Livonia, you’re thinking “Holy cow.”. They’re such a great team, and they’ve been the team to beat all year,” the Hornell coach said. “Avon, from what little I know, it will be very similar to this evening. They’re a very good defensive team, they’ve been involved in quite a few low-scoring games. They don’t give up goals either, so we have to figure out a way to break them and keep our defense going solid. I’m excited to know more, but even more excited to go back to the Finals again.”
