Keeper of the stars
KOKOMO — Chesterton’s Nick Harmon was prepared to play in penalty kicks.
The senior goalkeeper wasn’t prepared to take over for injured sophomore Charlie Eaton during Saturday’s Class 3A Kokomo Semistate.
But Harmon was the central figure as the Trojans won in penalty kicks over Fort Wayne Carroll, which went most of the game with 10 players after a red card for running into Eaton.
Chesterton topped the Chargers by a 3-1 count in PKs after the teams played to a scoreless tie through regulation and overtime.
The Trojans (20-0-2), ranked No. 1 in the state coaches poll, will play No. 2 Zionsville (18-1-3) in next weekend’s state title game at IUPUI.
The start of Saturday’s game against Fort Wayne Carroll (17- 3-2) was delayed 45 minutes because of wind and freezing rain. It snowed for most of the second half.
But Harmon succeeded in remaining unaffected.
“I just get in there and it’s all mental, especially when it’s this type of weather,” Harmon said. “You feel like an icicle. You can barely move, but you have to put all of that to the side and focus on the game.”
Harmon made five saves during the game and another in the penalty kicks. Chesterton covered 3 of 4 PKs. In addition to Harmon’s save, Carroll hit the crossbar and put another shot over the crossbar.
Chesterton coach Lucas Sabedra said Harmon would have been the goalkeeper in PKs whether Eaton had been available or not.
“He’s our guy — we throw him in there,” Sabedra said of Harmon. “Without a doubt, he’s our best option. He’s a beast.
“He got down on those. He’s deceptive like a cat in the goal. He’s a big boy. He has such great hands. He makes it look so easy catching the ball. He stepped up so big. It was his moment — he won this for us.”
Chesterton played with the man advantage after Carroll’s Michael Frank was given a red card with 16:40 left in the first half. Eaton was run into, leaving the game and getting carted away after getting hit across both legs, Sabedra said.
Chesteton’s Seth Conway had a goal waved off with :43 left in the first half, receiving a yellow card after he was ruled to have intentionally hit the ball with his hand.
The junior forward, visibly upset with the sequence, will miss the state title game due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Chesterton is making its second