Montague soccer's run ends at regionals with semifinal loss to No. 4 Kingsford

GAYLORD — Montague couldn't overcome a first-half onslaught by Kingsford stars Jett and Jaxon Buckley in its first-ever regional game Tuesday night. Five first-half goals - three by Jaxon and two by Jett - propelled the No. 4-ranked Flivvers to a 6-0 victory over the Wildcats.

The game was originally scheduled to be played in Clare, but after two Upper Peninsula squads won regionals in the state, their games were moved further north to Gaylord for a doubleheader. Fruitport defeated Marquette in a Division 2 regional in the second game.

A lot was working against the Wildcats (17-6) in that first half. Not only are the Buckley brothers remarkably fast, but Kingsford also had the wind at its back for the first 40 minutes, enabling the Flivvers to launch long passes and let the Buckleys chase them down. According to Montague coach Brandon Mahoney, that is their usual game plan anyway.

"We obviously knew watching film on them that (Jaxon Buckley) was their guy to dump and run to," Mahoney said. "We knew that they definitely transitioned well, but we still felt like they were pretty one-dimensional. We thought we could mark him up, but obviously he's quick and he's strong."

For nearly the first 20 minutes of the game, though, despite the opponents' speed and the wind working against it, Montague did not appear outmatched. The Wildcats were able to turn back scoring chances and even created one or two of their own. As the halfway point of the first half approached, it felt as though if Montague could get to the halftime break tied, with the wind slated to be at its back in the second half, the chance for an upset would be there.

The tenor of the game changed when Kingsford gained possession of the ball near midfield with just under 21 minutes left in the half and launched a long pass to Jett Buckley. Buckley got free of the Montague defense and scored an easy goal.

That was the first of three goals in a nine-minute span, each one following that long-ball script, and Mahoney said the Wildcats had difficulty moving on mentally from those scores.

"We got scored on a couple times and it was tough," Mahoney said. "I think they blamed themselves for some mistakes. It's still a great season for the boys. I told them, 'You guys set the bar for anything that comes after this.' To be district champs, (which had) never (happened) before, to be going into a regional semi, it says a lot about the heart that these boys have played with since they were very young."

The final two goals of the first half came within a minute of one another late in the half, and that created a nearly impossible situation for the Wildcats in the second half.

To Montague's credit, it did not fold up the tents, and the Wildcats took advantage of the wind themselves to create some opportunities. They were awarded a free kick just outside the box late in the second half, and a shot by Lucas Husband deflected off the bottom of the crossbar, just missing crossing the line for a goal. Only a rebound shot by Jaxon Buckley for his fourth goal of the game prevented Montague from salvaging a second-half shutout.

With the loss, the Wildcats said goodbye to an impressive group of eight seniors, a class that has recalibrated expectations for the program and, Mahoney said, increased interest in younger players to join the team.

"I think they'll be recognized for years in the future," Mahoney said. "They're the ones who made this happen for us."

At the same time, the coach believes the players set to return will benefit from seeing the level of play Kingsford displayed in the regionals. The Wildcats also saw that kind of play from Fruitport during a regular-season game.

"Win or lose, to be able to look at it and go, 'Look what they do. What do they do better than us?' I think that's how you always have to be as a program," Mahoney said. "It's definitely helpful to be here, and I think the more times you show up here, it's good."