CINCINNATUS – The ESCAL league championship playoff games saw the lower-seeded teams come away with championship victories Saturday at Cincinnatus High School.
Valley Heights Christian Academy’s girls, third place in the regular season, played the first-place Lake Effect Homeschool Association (LEHA) Royals from Oswego for the league championship, and took the title, 1-0 in double overtime.
The game’s only score came at 2:57 of the second overtime when Sarah Miedema netted a cornerkick by Becky Lawton.
In the boys’ contest the Valley Heights Christian Academy entered the finals asthe top-seeded team and unbeaten in the regular season. Playing the lower-seeded Cortland Christian Academy Saints in a reversal of last season’s final, CCA won a penalty kick shootout, 3-0, after the two teams played to a 3-3 tie through regulation and two overtimes.
After a scorless first half, the Crusaders' Ryan Rose started the scoring at 26:32 assisted by Luke Halberg. Halberg scored at 16:15 assisted by Rose, and that same combination worked again for the Crusaders at 13:05 making it a three-goal lead.
The Saints took their turn to score rallying for three goals over the final 4:05 of play, the last by Kyle Kinney with 2:10 left forcing overtime.
In the shootout, the Saints’ Caleb Kinney, Kyle Kinney and Jake Gibbs had tallies.
