In the playoffs, some coaches rely on their experienced players to lead the way during high-leverage moments. At Century, coach Jeremy Benson is guiding a younger roster filled with talented newcomers who have played valuable minutes all season.
From Day 1, they were thrown into the fire with a target on their back that came from last season’s county championship. In the opening moments of Wednesday’s playoff opener, they thrived.
“I feel like we all expected to win,” freshman Noah Tignall said. “We’ve been playing really well for a while now and we’ve got a lot of confidence in ourselves.”
The Knights exploded offensively for the win, defeating Oakland Mills 21–5 in a Class 2A West Region I quarterfinal. Century, the region’s third seed, advances to the regional semifinals, where the Knights will travel to face Manchester Valley.
“We wanted to come in and dominate from the beginning,” Benson said. “We’ve kind of been in playoff mode for a minute now, so we have high expectations and we know what we can do.”
Coming off a dominant victory against Westminster to clinch the county championship, the Knights got off to a hot start, scoring nine straight goals to open the game. A first-quarter hat trick by Tignall not only set the tone but also placed him in the county record books.
His first goal — his 54th point on the season — set the single-season record for a Carroll County freshman.
“I knew I was close [to the record], so it was nice to get it,” Tignall said. “Credit goes to my teammates and coaches because a lot of those goals were assisted. It’s been a team effort all season.”
Tignall has led an offense all year that features multiple scoring threats. The Century crowd was in awe as, one by one, a Knight found the back of the net. Eight different players scored in the win — an impressive feat, though it was bested by the girls’ team, which saw 11 different players score in a 27–1 victory over the Scorpions earlier Wednesday evening.
With the attack firing away with ease, the defense complemented with a stiff wall. JT Ferguson and Dom Damico were once again brilliant, stifling many of the Scorpions’ attacks and cutting off scoring opportunities. Despite two goals from Xaiver Vereen and a hat trick from Joe McConaghy, each goal was hard-earned as goalkeeper Jacob Ushamirsky made several key saves to seal the win and help the Knights advance.
“It’s been coming together,” Benson said. “We’ve placed a couple of guys in some new positions and it’s worked. Our defense can really give other teams matchup problems.”
Wednesday marked the Knights’ sixth straight win, with Benson’s team scoring double-digit goals in each game during the streak. Spirits are high and so is the confidence, as players smiled from ear to ear when Ferguson gathered the team for a picture in front of the scoreboard.
Perhaps the only thing that didn’t go according to plan, Benson missed the photo.
His response: “That’s okay. We’ll win another game and I’ll be in the next one.”
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