A year ago, Howard School did not have a boys' soccer program. Thursday, Howard will play for a district title.
An elated Hustlin' Tigers bench flooded the field and let their emotions fly once the referee's final whistle validated a hard-fought 2-1 win over East Ridge in a District 6-A/AA semifinal Tuesday night.
"We lost 6-0 to East Ridge earlier this season. It was our first loss," Tigers coach Scott Rieckhoff said once he escaped his team's celebratory dog pile. "A few of our guys played for East Ridge last year, too, so there was a lot of emotion in this one."
Rieckhoff, in his first year of coaching, and assistant coach Nick Siler revived the Howard program and now have guided it successfully through its first full season. Asked what an appearance in the district championship means for a program that had never won a game before this season's opener, Rieckhoff smiled and took his time.
"I don't know what to say. It's huge," he said. "It was a total team effort, and our guys played their best game of the season right there. It takes a lot of people on the sidelines that you don't see, too -- parents, teachers, administrators."
The Tigers scored early as Ervin Chilel-Chilel handled a Pioneers defensive miscue and slotted the ball into an open net. Howard then relied on defense to keep an East Ridge team that scored six goals in their previous matchup at bay. The Tigers led 1-0 at halftime.
"You know, they had a clear strategy, and it worked," said East Ridge coach Jeremy McIntyre. "It was smart. We didn't go without opportunities, but we just couldn't put it in the back of the net."
The Pioneers tied the game on an own goal by the Tigers to keep their hopes alive, but they could not net another of their many chances. Howard had only two or three players attacking at once but earned a free kick with about 10 minutes to play.
Juan Escalante Perez stepped up and his shot deflected off the East Ridge wall and found the back of the net to send the Howard bench into a frenzy.
East Ridge had late chances with the ball dancing around in the penalty area, but Howard players were able to knock it away to secure the win, leaving the Pioneers to wrestle with a tough home loss to end the season.
"It stinks for my seniors and one foreign exchange student who won't be back next year," McIntyre said. "They wanted it bad. It stinks to get knocked out early."
The Tigers will be at it again Thursday with a chance to claim their first district title in the same season as their first win ever.
Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com.