The longtime Madison County rivals, each with lofty hopes for the season, finished in a 1-1 tie on a sultry, windless evening that included plenty of leg cramps on both sides.
Junior Jimmy Crowder's penalty kick at 75 minutes, 27 seconds pulled the Kahoks into a tie, overcoming a goal by Knights senior Cameron Ramirez on a long pass from sophomore Cory Warren at 56:53.
Neither coach was particularly happy with his team's execution, perhaps typical for first games.
Collinsville coach Rob Lugge would have preferred better finishing in a first half that saw the Kahoks dominate. Triad coach Jim Jackson had to come to grips with how close the Knights were to victory.
A foul on junior Jake Stewart against Crowder on the left side of the box opened the door for Collinsville to pull into the tie.
"It looked like a foul from where I was," Jackson said. "Like I told the kids, those things happen sometimes. You've got to play smart for 80 minutes. We didn't play real well in the first half. We made some adjustments, talked at halftime and played much better in the second half.
"Collinsville took it to us in the first half. I questioned my guys' fitness. But we played a much better second half. It's unfortunate. We had other chances to score - we just didn't finish well."
Crowder was trying to get possession of a loose ball when he was inadvertently tripped from behind by Stewart. Crowder had no difficulties finishing the penalty kick past Triad senior keeper Brayden Tonn.
"He clipped my foot," Crowder said of the foul on Stewart. "I just had to stay calm and bury it in the corner. That's all. I thought it was a pretty good first game. We came out pretty strong, but we slowed down in the second half. I think a lot of it was the pressure of the first game, jitters.
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"After being down 1-0, I'm happy with a tie. But I feel like we could have put away a lot of chances in the first half."
Lugge was confident the Kahoks would eventually convert after being denied in the first half despite stellar possession. But Collinsville battled through numerous cramps and couldn't capitalize during the flow of play.
"I'm a little frustrated with the night because we missed opportunities, and against a good team like that, obviously you have to bury those opportunities," Lugge said. "For our first game, getting a tie against a team like that, we'll take it. Moving forward, we have a lot to work on."
Lugge agreed that Triad is a team that could make a run at the Class 2A state championship.
"I've never seen a high school team that big," Lugge said. "Those are grown men. They're big, strong boys who know how to play. They were disciplined, they're well-coached. They're going to make a strong run when it comes down to it."
The Kahoks were dangerous behind shots by sophomores Adam Reiniger in the 12th minute and Jaylen Wade in the 21st minute. Another sophomore, Sam Garofalo, nearly converted on a long blast 30 seconds after Wade's shot went wide.
Triad settled in during the second half. Senior Jake Ellis, the Knights' top returning scorer, had a shot go narrowly wide left less than two minutes into the half.
Fifteen minutes later, Ramirez scored from the left side of the box, slipping a shot past senior goalie Jackson Parrill, a field player last season.
"Cameron was over here," Jackson said, pointing to the front of the Triad bench. "I'm right here and said, 'Cameron, you better get up there. You might have a chance.' All of a sudden, he took off. Then we saw Cory. Cory gave him a great ball and Cameron snuck in there and got a nice shot."
Triad's hopes for victory were dashed less than 20 minutes later, but considering everything, Jackson wasn't dejected.
"It was the first game of the year, against Collinsville with 200 kids in the stands. It was a neat atmosphere," he said. "That's why we com... Click here to read full article
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