Linn-Mar takes down another higher-ranked foe for state championship

DES MOINES - Linn-Mar's first state championship team in boys' soccer was waiting impatiently for its coach to arrive near the goal for a team picture.

A voice rang out: 'He's on the phone with his mother.”

That might have been the only person who could have delayed the celebration that ensued.

The Lions dispatched Ankeny Centennial 2-0 Saturday at Cownie Soccer Park to win the Class 3A title.

'This was definitely the goal,” senior Ben Johnson said. 'We had a couple hiccups during the season, but on the whole we stayed pretty confident. Look where it got us. It's the best feeling especially being the first ones, paving the way. Especially for this young team. They'll have a great chance next year.”

The Lions (20-3) came in ranked fourth and beat all three teams ranked ahead of them at state.

'I think in between our ears we were the best team at the tournament,” Lions Coach Corey Brinkmeyer said. 'We were mentally prepared. We had a routine. We kept to that routine. We didn't overextend ourselves. We said earlier in the week we were coming down here for a three-day trip, not a one-day trip.”

Linn-Mar got the lead on a free kick by Alexy Boehm just outside the box.

'I just wanted to put it on frame, get us the early goal,” Boehm said. 'I saw my opportunity. I just took it.”

A Jaguar player tried to head the shot away, but it instead sailed over the keeper's head and into the net.

'He came up to flick it, but I saw Jack (Ramsey) in the back post, so either way it had to have gone in,” Boehm reasoned. 'We got some luck on that, but it's a goal so we'll take it.”

That goal came in the 20th minute, but Linn-Mar didn't rest on its luck. In the 34th minute Johnson took off on a run down the left side dogged by two defenders. Leroy Enzugusi streaked up the middle.

'I was going down the side and I had a guy coming on me, and it was kind of 50-50 between us and it kind of popped out to Leroy and he did what he does,” Johnson said. 'He put it away.”

Johnson managed to get the ball between the defenders but it hit one of the Jaguars in the ankle. Yet Enzugusi had the athletic ability and presence of mind to boot the redirected ball into the net.

'Ben had the ball,” Enzugusi said. 'He had two guys and took it down. I was screaming for the ball. He found me. I saw the farside post and I scored.”

Goalie Phil Adams then saved a goal just before halftime when a penalty kick was awarded for a hand ball. It was the second game in a row in which he'd saved a PK.

The Lions remained aggressive in the second half, even with the 2-0, lead and dominated possession.

'We weren't going to park the bus in the 18,” Brinkmeyer cracked. 'Speed was important today. Possession was important. Once we got the lead we were able to keep more possession probably than we have all tournament.”

'We were hungry,” Boehm said. 'We wanted it so badly. Everything clicked for us. Sometimes you have those days.”