McGrew’s penalty kick vs. Culver extends Comet win streak to 4

Ringer scores for Cavs as Buschman compliments defense

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

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Drew McGrew Carson Harness

FULTON — The Caston boys soccer team’s rapid rise continued in a penalty kick shootout against visiting Culver at the Comet Crater Monday.

Drew McGrew scored the clinching goal on the fifth penalty kick, and Simon McGrew scored in regulation as Caston beat Culver 2-1.

Per conference rules, once a game is tied after 80 minutes, it goes straight to penalty kicks. This game was tied 1-1 after 80 minutes. Caston outscored Culver 3-2 in the penalty kick phase.

(If it were a postseason game, there would be two seven-minute overtimes, and the game would only go to penalty kicks if the game was still tied after the overtimes.)

Junior Jacob Ringer scored the lone Culver goal off a Johnny Villegas corner kick with 34:19 left.

Caston improved to 7-1-2 overall and 2-1 in the Hoosier North. Caston, who won four games all of last year, extended their winning streak to four.

Caston’s lone loss was a 2-1 defeat to Argos on Aug. 29. At 4-0, Argos is the lone remaining unbeaten in the conference, and they can wrap up the outright conference title with a home win over Oregon-Davis next Monday.

Culver (3-6-2, 2-2 Hoosier North) is also improved. They won just once last year.

The duo of Villegas, a senior, and Cisco Rojas, a junior, keys the Culver attack. Coach Mike Buschman complimented his team’s defense in handling Caston’s speed through the midfield.

“We were really pleased,” Buschman said. “And that’s something we’ve struggled with this year is fast people coming down the center and keeping them flushed to the outside. I was super happy with our communication and our willingness to play angles instead of just running straight after the ball. That’s something we’ve had a struggle with this season at times. We just kind of ball-hawk that as opposed to just trying to get the guy flushed out. I thought we did a very good job of that, a very good job of communicating.”

Villegas and Caston’s Mack Mappin scored on their first penalty kick. Rojas and Caston’s Kaemen Lee both scored in Round 2.

Caston senior goalkeeper Carson Harness, who is playing soccer for the first time since junior high, saved Ringer’s attempt in Round 3, but Caston’s Myles Sherrick missed wide left.

Harness also stopped Culver’s Bruce Risner in Round 4, but Simon McGrew’s shot hit the left crossbar.

Culver’s Kael Buschman was wide right in Round 5. That set up Drew McGrew, who aimed for the upper left corner.

“There’s nothing to say but all glory to God,” Drew McGrew said. “I mean, just put it where it needed to go and did it for my team. I knew if I went last, I was going to hit it, so that was the game plan.”

While the loss to Argos might be the team’s only blemish, it might have served to boost Caston’s confidence. Argos is ranked No. 8 in Class 1A and the defending sectional champion, but the Dragons did not take the lead for good until less than three minutes remained against the Comets.

“Argos has always been that school where that’s the school to beat around us,” Drew McGrew said. “And once we realized we’re that close to being there. That’s when we realized we’re legit and we’re going to make it. We always had faith in ourselves, but that just boosted it to us being like, ‘We got this.’ That win over Lakeland Christian (a 4-3 win on Sept. 12) gave us even more, and that’s what led us to where we are.”

Drew McGrew is one of seven seniors who play for second-year coach Trey Young. Harness, also a starting guard in basketball and the ace pitcher on Caston’s sectional champion baseball team, might have been the most unexpected.

“There’s just a certain amount of hand-eye coordination and athleticism that can’t be taught that he possesses,” Caston coach Trey Young said. “So he had to learn a couple things about cutting down shooting angles and a few rule things here and there, but for the most part, we just let him go out and be the natural athlete he is, and that’s been good for us tonight. Just reading the ball off the foot and let his hands do the rest.”

Caston is more productive offensively. They scored 17 goals last year but already have 32 goals this season, and they still have two more regular season games plus the postseason left.

“There’s just a lot more that I understand about the game,” Young, who had no soccer coaching background prior to the fall of 2025, said. “There are a lot of extracurricular things that varsity coaches have to go through, but I just have a better feel for what my own expectations are of the kids. I know the kids better. But most importantly, I understand the game better now. And so I’m able to simplify it for the kids too. Get them more focused and get them in the same direction.”

Of the six schools in the Hoosier North that have boys soccer teams, five of them – everybody except for Oregon-Davis – are also in Sectional 36, which Argos will host from Oct. 5-10. The draw is 7 p.m. Sunday.

Argos also trimmed Culver 2-0 and Winamac 3-2. Lakeland Christian is also in Sectional 36, and they have scored 51 goals in 13 games. Manchester, another Sectional 36 team, has already improved from five wins last year to seven wins this year and is currently undefeated in the TRC.

That could lead to an unpredictable sectionals week.

Buschman has noted how his program has grown in his third season as coach.

“Skill level is really where we’ve probably grown the most,” Buschman said. “We ended the first year with 12, we ended last year with 10, and we have 12 again this year. But we have more soccer players than we’ve had since we took over. It’s just a testament to the guys trusting in what we’re doing and having a culture around them that the guys who are coming up who are soccer players are choosing to come and play with us and stick it out, and that’s been really helpful.”