District Semifinal Preview: Lady Indians set to face undefeated Ironladies
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The matchup on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in Jackson should be one of tough competition between two teams who could be the class of the district.
The Hillsboro Indians are set to face the Jackson Ironladies in one of the two Division II SE District Semifinal games where the Lady Indians are going in as the "underdog," even though they are the reigning two-time district champions.
JHS, ranked No. 9 overall in the OSSCA Division II coaches poll, this season is 16-0-0, undefeated in the regular season and thus far this postseason, while the Lady Indians are 12-6 overall on the season.
Both teams have performed well this postseason, with Hillsboro defeating Westfall, 10-0 and Circleville, 3-0, having yet to give up a goal in two postseason matchups.
This season, HHS has outscored their opponents, 72-23, including shutting out their opponents on eight occasions (including the postseason).
[[In-content Ad]]"Jackson is a solid program," HHS head coach Jeremy Ratcliff said on Thursday following the Lady Indians sectional final win. "It will be a different game, and on turf, so we need to get prepared for the speed of the game on turf."
JHS, who is currently on their program's longest winning streak in school history, have defeated Warren by a 2-1 score in the sectional finals to reach the district semifinals. They received a first-round bye after gaining the No. 1 seed in the district.
One similarity between the two programs is both have first-year coaches, Chris Skarratt for JHS and Ratcliff for the Lady Indians.
Also in the '14 preseason, JHS and HHS scrimmaged each other at HHS, where the match ended in a 2-2 tie.
This is the first time since 2006 that JHS has been in the district semifinals, as that year they reached the district finals. In '04, they also reached the district semifinals but lost to Zane Trace.
As for the Lady Indians, they have the postseason experience, as most of the roster has played in the postseason at the district level and at the regional level in their high school careers.
HHS last season reached the regional finals, and the year before were in the regional semifinals, as they are the champions of the SE District in 2012 and 2013.
The Lady Indians last season were 4-1 in the postseason, winning the district round last season with a 3-0 win over Circleville and a 1-0 win against Fairfield-Union.
In '12, HHS won both district round games, with a 4-0 victory over Logan Elm and a 3-2 win in OT over Warren.
So again, the Lady Indians have the experience of winning in the district round.
The Hillsboro Indians are set to face the Jackson Ironladies in one of the two Division II SE District Semifinal games where the Lady Indians are going in as the "underdog," even though they are the reigning two-time district champions.
JHS, ranked No. 9 overall in the OSSCA Division II coaches poll, this season is 16-0-0, undefeated in the regular season and thus far this postseason, while the Lady Indians are 12-6 overall on the season.
Both teams have performed well this postseason, with Hillsboro defeating Westfall, 10-0 and Circleville, 3-0, having yet to give up a goal in two postseason matchups.
This season, HHS has outscored their opponents, 72-23, including shutting out their opponents on eight occasions (including the postseason).
[[In-content Ad]]"Jackson is a solid program," HHS head coach Jeremy Ratcliff said on Thursday following the Lady Indians sectional final win. "It will be a different game, and on turf, so we need to get prepared for the speed of the game on turf."
JHS, who is currently on their program's longest winning streak in school history, have defeated Warren by a 2-1 score in the sectional finals to reach the district semifinals. They received a first-round bye after gaining the No. 1 seed in the district.
One similarity between the two programs is both have first-year coaches, Chris Skarratt for JHS and Ratcliff for the Lady Indians.
Also in the '14 preseason, JHS and HHS scrimmaged each other at HHS, where the match ended in a 2-2 tie.
This is the first time since 2006 that JHS has been in the district semifinals, as that year they reached the district finals. In '04, they also reached the district semifinals but lost to Zane Trace.
As for the Lady Indians, they have the postseason experience, as most of the roster has played in the postseason at the district level and at the regional level in their high school careers.
HHS last season reached the regional finals, and the year before were in the regional semifinals, as they are the champions of the SE District in 2012 and 2013.
The Lady Indians last season were 4-1 in the postseason, winning the district round last season with a 3-0 win over Circleville and a 1-0 win against Fairfield-Union.
In '12, HHS won both district round games, with a 4-0 victory over Logan Elm and a 3-2 win in OT over Warren.
So again, the Lady Indians have the experience of winning in the district round.