WINFIELD — Brandon Johnston could only watch from the sideline when his Century boys lacrosse team blew a second-half lead against South Carroll on April 25.
The senior midfielder missed a handful of games during the regular season with a concussion. And that included that devastating loss to the Cavaliers.
When the Knights again held a slim lead against SC in the fourth quarter on Friday night, Johnston did his part to ensure his team wouldn't again leave Parker Field with a sick feeling in their stomachs.
Johnston scored all three of his goals in the fourth quarter, including a pivotal score with just less than two minutes to go, to seal a 10-7 win over South Carroll in a Class 2A-1A West Section 1 semifinal.
"It was a tough one last time," said Johnston, who tallied a game-high five points. "We talked about [finishing] a lot, we had a lot of games to work on that. We talked about heart and I think we came back and we just wanted it more than ever. This is a game that we could really use to redeem ourselves."
Just like last time when the two teams matched up, Century (12-4) had a lead entering the final quarter. But again, the Cavaliers (9-7) made a final push.
Junior midfielder Kyle Dizon scored with 2 minutes, 41 seconds to go, cutting the Knights' lead to 8-7. However, less than a minute later, Johnston created some separation.
Johnston reared back and fired a long shot past SC goalie Josh Squires with 1:54 to go with a 9-7 lead. Senior attack Chris Rinehart pounced on Johnston in celebration after the goal, while several other of his Century teammates celebrated around him.
"I was just relieved it went in, honestly," Johnston said. "It was a good feeling."
With 36 seconds remaining, Johnston dished out an assist to freshman attack Carter Truby to seal the 10-7 victory.
Johnston wasn't the only Knights player to miss some time during the regular season because of injury. His twin brother, Austin, also a senior midfielder, missed some games, as well as some other key players.
But first-year coach Jeremy Benson said his team is as close to full strength as it has been all season. And perhaps that is helping Century peak at just the right time.
"It took a little while for [Brandon Johnston] to get comfortable. But once he has his feet planted, he's one of the best shooters in the county," Benson said. "Our offense really started to click and we started to get the looks I wanted."
That wasn't necessarily the case in the first half, when the South Carroll defense held Century to just two goals. Senior defender Garrett Colvin held Rinehart, the Knights' leading scorer, to no points in the first half.
The Cavaliers outscored the Knights 2-0 in the second quarter and held a 4-2 lead at halftime.
Jalen Stanton scored less than one minute into the third quarter and Rinehart later added his first tally of the game to knot it at 4-4. Andrew Fleishell gave Century a 5-4 lead with 5:24 to go in the third quarter, and the Knights held on the rest of the way.
"We came out and we weren't really playing our offense," Johnston said. "We just needed to calm down a little bit, let our nerves settle in, and once that happened, it all meshed together pretty nicely."
South Carroll's season ends after it previously opened the playoffs with a win over Manchester Valley. And while the Cavaliers' season ended earlier than they had hoped, it can be deemed a successful year under new coach Brad Widner.
After losing 13 seniors from last season and having to adapt to new coaching philosophies, South Carroll made the county championship game after going 5-2 in county play during the regular season.
"We kind of had the mentality that nobody expected anything from us," Widner said. "I think we've far surpassed our expectations and everyone's expectations."
Century got redemption from one of its toughest losses during the regular season by eliminating SC. Now, it seeks more redemption, but it'll be an even tougher task.
The Knights travel to undefeated Liberty (16-0) on Monday for the section final with a spot in the region final on the line.
"If we could write it up, we would've had it written the same way. We wanted South Carroll, and then Liberty's obviously a crosstown rivalry for us," Benson said. "We can't have a slow start. They have a really good offense and if we give them too many chances, they can really put us in the mode where we have to catch up. So it's really coming out and dominating time of possession."
Goals: SC-Kyle Worsley 2, Adam McCarty, Jimmy Wagner, Kyle Dizon, Scott Dillon, Jacob Snell; C-Brandon Johnston 3, Jalen Stanton 2, Carter Truby 2, Austin Johnston, Chris Rinehart, Andrew Fleishell.
Assists: SC-Wagner, Dizon, Worsley, Snell; C-B. Johnston 2, Stanton, Rinehart, Fleishell, Brett Kropinski.
Saves: SC-8 (Josh Squires); C-13 (Chris Yanchoris).
Halftime: SC, 4-2.
jake.rill@carrollcountytimes.com
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