Hall stands tall as Highland bests Owyhee on PK’s to earn first-ever state bid

POCATELLO — Looking for their first state tournament berth in program history, the Highland Rams hosted the Owyhee Storm Saturday in one of two 6A play-in games.

One hour and 40 minutes wasn’t enough to settle things between the No. 6-ranked Storm and No. 13-ranked Rams, however, as the winner-take-all game went to penalty kicks tied 3-3. And that was where sophomore goalie Chase Hall left an indelible impression on Highland soccer lore.

After allowing the first two Storm attackers to find the net, Hall sealed it off, saving the next two and giving his teammates two shots at winning. As it turned out, though, the Rams did not need extra chances, scoring on all four of their shots to secure a 4-2 PK victory.

After the game and celebration, Highland head coach Alejandro Moreno said he was so anxious watching his goalie work that he felt sick.

“It’s embarrassing, man, I feel like I’m about to throw up in all reality,” he told EastIdahoSports.com. “But we’ve been here before, in these type of situations, in the past. The boys are pretty comfortable.”

Hall had something different going on inside his head. He said that after doing some quick preparation between the end of the second 10-minute overtime period and the first penalty kick, he let his mind go blank and just reacted.

“Just save it. Don’t think, just do it,” was how he described his mindset.

Between chances, as he waited for his Highland teammates to cash in on their chances, Hall paced the area behind the goal with his hands covering his ears.

“Mental stuff,” Hall said when asked what he was doing during those short breaks between chances. “Just keep the noise out and play your game.”

Asked what he thought of Hall’s performance, Moreno was quick to offer some descriptors.

“Amazing. Great,” he said. “He did everything you could inside the box. And, as a sophomore playing as a varsity goalkeeper, to be able to stop two PKs, that is tremendous, it is amazing. That kid had it all today, he had his ‘A’ game for sure. I’m really proud of that kid.”

With the win, Highland earned the first state tournament berth in the history of the program, according to athletic director Travis Bell.

Highland got to PKs behind the performance of junior striker Dalton Poulson, who scored all three of his team’s goals.

But the defense, Moreno said, remains an area of concern.

Asked what one thing his Rams will need to improve if they are to parlay this first-ever state tourney appearance into a state trophy, the coach took no time to say they will need to play better defense. Highland, Moreno said, needs to do a better job of staying in front of the man they’re marking and make offense work harder.

“Overall, I think defense is something that we need to work on, for sure, before the state tournament,” he said.

Hall, who coordinates the Ram defense, said there are some things his team can focus on in hopes of improving its defense.

“Communicate better, shift often,” he said. “Just do whatever we can do to not give up a goal.”

Highland joined a state tournament field that already included 6A District 5-6 champion Thunder Ridge. As the lowest-ranked team to qualify, the Rams will likely enter as the bottom seed and be matched up with No. 1 Coeur d’Alene in the opening round.

The state soccer tournament begins Thursday at five different sites. The 6A tourney will be played at Hillcrest High School.