A penalty kick from Lachlan Bond and a shot 2 minutes before halftime from Emery Weiser helped THS to a 2-0 lead. Lansing clawed back with a goal early in the second half and then, with roughly 3:30 left in regulation, had a golden chance to get the equalizer.

Standout goalie Jackson McWilliams, though, dove to his right and stymied the Lions’ attempt. THS then held on for the 2-1 victory and notched its first victory of the season.

Tonganoxie coach Jon Orndorff said the team still seemed a bit fatigued from the Mill Valley match two days before, but the Chieftains eventually got their legs under them.

“We still had some tired legs,” Orndorff said after the game. “It was like still playing Mill Valley until 10 minutes left (in the first half).”

With 8:21 left before intermission, Bond connected on his penalty kick and then a big shot from Weiser before halftime gave Tonganoxie some insurance.

Lansing responded with their goal about 14 minutes into the second half, but the Lions wouldn’t get anymore in the second half.

THS has been battling cramping and other injuries, so Orndorff said he’s had to utilize a lot of the roster. He commended team members for stepping up and noted that the squad continues to get acclimated to the hot conditions, especially after having early morning practices due to the extreme heat.

He said he thought the team dominated fairly well, but just couldn’t get some more shots to go in.

For instance, a Jameson Breitzman shot hit the crossbar and dropped straight down, but the ball couldn’t quite clear the goal line.

Tonganoxie will have its first Frontier League test of the year when the Chieftains play Spring Hill on Tuesday at home. The match will start around 6 p.m.

Familiar foe

Monday’s match against Lansing provided a reunion for Tonganoxie’s newest assistant coach.

Parker Ast joined Orndorff and fellow assistant David Frese on the THS coaching staff in the offseason. Ast served as Lansing head coach the past four seasons. After the match he got to spend some time chatting with former players.

“It’s really tough,” Ast. said about facing his former team. “I’ve got a heart for all those kids.”
He said it was surreal to be on the other bench Thursday, but he said it was the best-case scenario to have such a competitive game between his new kids and former players. It definitely was a bittersweet night.

“It was super awesome at the same time,” he said.