By Dana Harding
Springfield — After combining for 33 victories in 2016, both Nixa and Kickapoo find themselves scrambling to quickly fill roster holes this season.
If Tuesday’s game gives any indication, Nixa may have a considerable head start on its northern rival.
The visiting Eagles capitalized on early opportunities and didn’t look back, throttling Kickapoo 8-1 in the process.
Hunter Daniels found Jacob Romero in front of the Kickapoo goal for the early 1-0 lead.
Daniels, who had two assists and a goal in the game, proved to be a constant source of havoc inside the Kickapoo 18.
“I just look up and look for red jerseys,” Daniels said. “I like to dribble into the box and make passes across the goal to Jacob Romero, because he’s really good at making runs and finding openings.”
While Nixa benefitted from its opportunistic play early on, the Eagles were just getting started.
Less than a minute after Romero’s strike, Nathan Hirsch lined up just inside midfield for a Nixa free kick.
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Nixa head coach Evan Palmer was hoping for a playable ball near the back post, but Hirsch delivered a bit more than what was expected.
The junior midfielder struck a 50-yard bomb that sailed up and over defenders and attackers alike, before dropping into the top left pocket of the net.
The goal was the first of Hirsh’s varsity career.
“We didn’t tell him to shoot,” Palmer said. “We’re just … ‘hey, let’s get the ball towards the far post and get it up there.’ When he first hit it, he thought he hit it too hard. It was just one of those things. He hit that thing high, far post and good things happened.”
For Nixa, good things continued to happen in the first half.
At the 12-minute mark, Jacob Voi struck a header from Daniels into the goal to complete a wild, seven-minute stretch that produced three goals and a commanding Nixa lead.
Still, the Eagles weren’t quite finished with the first-half firework display.
With 18 seconds left in the half, Ethan Pellegren blasted a shot across the goal box and struck the left post. The ball ricocheted right to a waiting Brady Harrison, who slammed home the rebound and stretched Nixa’s lead even further.
Chiefs head coach Phil Hodge talked about some of the mental adjustments heading into the break.
“We talked about having heart and pride at halftime; playing on our home field,” Hodge said. “There’s no such thing as a four-point goal, and it’s going to take one at a time and all 18 guys on the team.”
Down 4-0, Kickapoo came out swinging.
Three minutes into the half, Deuce Vandaver got Kickapoo on the board with a score from Aiden Bilbo’s free-kick crosser.
While the Chiefs seemed on the verge of a momentum-swinging comeback run, those hopes were quickly dashed by Daniels’ continued onslaught in front of the box.
A nifty pass from Romero to a wide-open Daniels stretched the Nixa lead back to four, thwarting the Kickapoo rally.
“I was pretty angry about the goal,” Daniels said. “We shouldn’t have let that one in, so I had to take it myself. Jacob Romero had a good header to me, I looked up and I finished.”
The Eagles netted three additional goals in the half en route to the 8-1 final.
After the game, Palmer quickly put the lopsided victory into perspective.
“We had a great finishing night,” Palmer said. “The score is pretty deceiving. We finished our chances; they had some chances and didn’t. It wasn’t like we just dominated and they had no chances. They were getting shots.”
For Kickapoo and head coach Phil Hodge, the early season continues to be a work in progress as the Chiefs search for an identity.
“[Nixa] worked a lot harder off the ball than what we did,” Hodge said. “They’ve got a lot of guys that have been in that moment, and we’ve got a few guys that have been in that moment. We’re trying to figure out who needs to be where; just trying to be patient, teach and find something to come together so we can be a better team by the end of the year.”
Both teams are back in action later this week. Nixa (1-1) travels to Carl Junction, while Kickapoo (1-2) hosts West Plains.
Varsity Final: Nixa – 8, Kickapoo – 1
First-half scoring
Nixa (4:49) – Jacob Romero (Hunter Daniels assist )
Nixa (5:42) – Nathan Hirsch (unassisted)
Nixa (12:13) – Jacob Voi (Daniels assist)
Nixa (39:42) – Brady Harrison (Ethan Pellegren assist)
Second-half scoring
Kickapoo (43:22) – Deuce Vandaver (Aiden Bilbao assist )
Nixa (59:33) – Daniels (Romero assist)
Nixa (61:12) – Romero (unassisted)
Nixa (63:54) – Pellegren (Brock Nelson assist)
Nixa (77:58) – Cooper Hines (Tyler Stoneberger assist)
