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.”