Tipp boys win second state title in soccer, return home to a parade
Tippecanoe won its second Division II state soccer championship Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Richfield Revere at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus. Then they returned home to Tipp City to a parade.
Police cars and fire trucks escorted the team through town to the school.
“The community supports us so much, so it’s really neat,” first-year head coach Joel Slyman said.
The Red Devils (22-1-1) took a 1-0 lead in the first half on a goal by junior Landon Haas, who finished the season with 33 goals. Haas’ long kick to the top corner of the net came midway through the half.
“Landon Haas scored an absolute great goal,” Slyman said. “That gave us so much momentum and confidence. And I think it put them on their heels a little bit.”
At 14:44 of the second half, the Red Devils took full control when sophomore forward Colin Turner scored on an assist from senior midfielder Caleb Ransom.
Revere (20-1-2) struggled to attack Tipp’s defense with any consistency.
“We do such a good job scouting other teams,” Slyman said. “We shut down some of their guys and kind of rattled them a little bit. Kudos to the defense there with Caden Turner, Landon Luginbuhl, Carson King and A.J. Jergens for stepping up and executing the game plan. We just frustrated them.”
The Red Devils also won state in 2019 and were runner-up in 2020. Slyman, who played for Tipp, has been an assistant since 2018. Slyman said it’s a surreal feeling to win state in his first season as head coach, but he credited the players he has known since they were in middle school for working together.
“The relationships we have with them are strong, and I think that means something on the field,” Slyman said. “So it’s nothing about me. It’s all about them and the camaraderie that we’ve built with each other. That’s the reason why we were successful this year and won it all.”