The Chillicothe Hornets (9-11) approached Monday’s Class 2 District 8 semifinal knowing a difficult task awaited as the Hornets were set to take on the host team of the district tournament and top seed, the Excelsior Springs Tigers (11-5). Chillicothe entered with momentum on their side following the comeback win in the opening round against Savannah. For the Tigers, it was their first postseason game as they earned a bye to the semifinal matchup.
Excelsior Springs showed why the were the district favorites quickly in the game, scoring in the 8th minute when Jacob Zapata found the back of the net. Over the next 12 minutes, the Tigers would score twice more, and ultimately take a 4-0 lead into halftime. Excelsior Springs then added another 4 goals in the 2nd half to win the district semifinal matchup 8-0 over Chillicothe. Kollin Kincaid spearheaded the attack for the Tigers in the game, scoring 4 goals. Zapata and Austin Collins each added 2 more for Excelsior Springs.
With the win, the Tigers advance to the district championship where they will play Bishop LeBlond, who knocked off Kirksville 1-0 in the other semifinal matchup. For Chillicothe their season concludes with 9 wins and 12 losses including one postseason victory. Congratulations to Coach Tim Cunningham and his team on a solid season.