CAMBRIDGE — Cash Guilliams called this River View boys soccer season a roller-coaster ride. Few would offer a rebuttal.
At one point, the defending state-champion Black Bears were down six starters and had more ties than wins against a daunting schedule. Among the walking wounded was star forward Parker Andrews, whose broken collarbone cost him the season.
In the midst of that plight came a resolve, however. And that led to another big tournament run.
Cameron Murphy scored twice in the first half and the Bears held Red Devil star Parker Galloway scoreless in a 3-0 win at McFarland Stadium that secured a Division IV regional final trip.
Next is a rematch with Southeast District champ Wheelersburg (17-0-2) at a time to be determined on Sunday, Nov. 2 at Chieftain Stadium in Logan. Burg toppled Chillicothe Unioto, 4-2, in their regional semi at Chillicothe High School.
Right man at the right time
Murphy’s quickness and skill at the top of the River View forward line is among the Muskingum Valley’s elite, good enough to make significant contributions as a freshman on a deep and talented forward group in 2024.
He upped his goal total to 13, trailing only Guilliams’ 17, and leads the team with nine assists. His quick feet paid dividends on both goals, allowing him time and space to find openings.
The first, off a pass over the top from Blaze Klein, came in the 25th minute. The second, off a through-ball pass eight minutes later, saw Murphy cross over from the right side and back toward the middle.
“Their student section stopped talking after that,” Murphy pointed out.
Bodey Richard capped the scoring with a strike from the right side that ricocheted off a leaping Talan Rice and crept into the net from a tight angle.
“We moved the ball better than we normally do and played unselfish,” Murphy said. “The plan was to feed them from behind.”
It was an example of how different pieces have taken on more offensive roles. Andrews had nine goals in eight games at the time of his injury.
“We couldn’t just rely on Parker to score goals for us,” Guilliams said. “We had to play as a team and pass the ball. It’s all we can do. Just shoot when the net is open and leave it up to God.”
In this case, it was Murphy’s turn to play hero.
“He definitely has stepped up,” River View coachVince Andrews said. “We’ve had some heart-to-hearts, some long talks. He was struggling for a while. He’s got a different situation than a lot of kids do, but our families rallied around him and he’s starting to believe in some of the things I’ve been telling him.”
It started with more rest and better nutrition, “and just a lot of things you don’t think about,” Andrews said.
“Now you see his energy level,” Andrews said.
Schedule calloused RV’s defense
River View (11-5-5) has won four straight matches and improved to 5-1-1 away from home as Andrews recorded his 100th career win in a match his team mostly controlled.
It was only the second loss the Red Devils, who ousted West Muskingum, 3-1, in the district finals and set a school record for wins.
By contrast, River View stood at 4-3-5 after a 2-1 loss to Marietta on Sept. 6 and later took losses to West and Mount Vernon in consecutive matches. The physical toll mounted as a result.
But it also hardened them.
“I really believe you play tough competition win or lose,” Vince Andrews said. “It helps you in the long run. I learned that from Columbus DeSales the hard way. We had a season where we were like 19-1 and their coach pretty much said, ‘well, you don’t play anybody. If you can play a .500 season against tougher opponents, it’s going to pay off in the tournament.’
“And I took that to heart,” Andrews added. “When I took over the program I wanted to get tougher teams on the schedule. More physical teams. … I give my hats off to the the MVL, too. Our game has risen a lot.”
The postseason results have supported his philosophy.
After edging Lisbon Beaver Local, 1-0, in a hard-fought district final at Carrollton, the Black Bears leaned on versatile junior midfielder Blaze Klein to hound Galloway, who entered with 46 goals on the season.
The latter never came close to scoring. Klein’s yeoman defensive effort was the key to River View controlling the terms of engagement; the Bears also didn’t allow the aerial attacks that haunted West one match prior.
Ironically, Klein was among the injured — he dislocated a kneecap — who came back to play a pivotal role.
“And I knew Blaze was up for the challenge,” Andrews said. “You’re down a man (on offense), but (Galloway) was their top scorer. It was over 30 goals he had and the next guy only had six. Statistically he didn’t have a lot of assists. You take him out of the action and they aren’t prepared for that. That’s just strategy.”
Looking ahead
Burg, with 12 straight wins, and River View are far from strangers.
The Black Bears handed the Pirates a 4-2 loss in last year’s regional final that secured their first state tournament berth. They also scrimmaged prior to the 2025 season.
Top scorer Nick Sylvia, who has 48 goals and 104 points, is back with senior classmate Evan Mitchell, who entered the regional with 18 goals and 12 assists. Freshman Carson Estep has eight goals.
“This is kind of where we turned the corner last year,” Andrews said. “Against Wheelersburg is when we really, really flipped the switch. They are an incredible team that we are going to be facing, so it’s going to be a tough one. I knew after we played them last year that they would have a lot of guys back.”
sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: River View boys soccer fought key injuries, tough schedule to return to Elite Eight
Reporting by Sam Blackburn, Coshocton Tribune / Coshocton Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
