By RICHARD TORRES
For the Reporter
NOBLESVILLE – A year ago, the Class 3A Noblesville Millers’ team motto centered on the finer details, a “Sweat the Small Stuff” philosophy which led to the program’s first-ever state title.
This year, the revamped and reigning 3A state champion Millers are determined to “Always Find a Way,” and they’re proving it, as they attempt to become only the 10th repeat title winner in IHSAA state tournament history.
In a grueling 80-minute tug-of-war with 3A No. 14 Warsaw on Wednesday, the host 3A No. 7 Millers seized an early 1-0 lead in the 16th minute and with 61 seconds left in the game broke a 1-1 stalemate to win 2-1 and advance into Saturday’s Kokomo regional final.
A team with a chip on its shoulder, the Millers’ quest towards a potential repeat run has been a test of perseverance and belief, and it’s netted nine consecutive state tournament victories, dating back to 2021.
“We weren’t ever going to be bad again. Last year’s team was passing the torch down to us, and we were going to keep the legacy going,” Noblesville junior Sam Holland said. “Everyone kept doubting us, but we’re still here. We’re still in the tournament and we’re proving everyone wrong.”
Already avenging their 2-1 regular-season loss to rival No. 5 Hamilton Southeastern with a 3-0 win in the Fishers Sectional finals this past Saturday, the Millers netted a fifth straight victory with two crucial goals against Warsaw from their two-top scorers.
An unassisted goal by senior Sam Divis in the 16th minute put the Millers ahead in the first half, as the forward broke down a pair of defenders before firing the ball past a diving Nehemiah Wright in goal.
From there, the pressure mounted for the Millers (13-3-3), who faced a litany of foul calls against, which steadily tipped the momentum slightly in the Tigers’ (15-4-1) favor.
Warsaw’s lone goal came off a bending direct free kick by Dennis Hernandez-Martinez in the 35th minute that slipped past Millers goalkeeper Cole Thompson, who recorded two saves overall.
In the first half, the Millers and Tigers combined for seven shots and 13 fouls, but those numbers changed in the final 40 minutes.
Whistled for nearly a dozen fouls in the second half, the Millers were forced to reconfigure their attack, as the Tigers took control of the midfield and Holland was issued a yellow card in the 58th minute.
“Our boys’ resolve to deal with all the elements that were brought their way tonight, I think, was amazing. It’s tough being a high schooler and having to deal with that amount of mental toughness, and I think our boys being able to kind of work through that, and score with a minute to go, is just phenomenal,” Millers head coach Ken Dollaske said.
The Tigers were awarded a handful of potential go-ahead free-kick opportunities, but the Millers’ back line of Blake Horn, Luke Odle, Owen Mejia and Max Reason clamped down, while the offense found its way.
“We kept fighting. We didn’t let the calls get in our heads or anything else. We kept playing,” Holland said.
Holland just needed a chance, and it materialized with overtime looming late in the game.
“Since he got the yellow card earlier in the game, I was holding him out for a majority of the second half. I didn’t want anything to happen where he gets a second one and we’re playing down a man,” Dollaske said. “With about 10 minutes to go, I looked at him and said, ‘Now is your time. I can feel it. You’re going to get one.’ And then, he looked back and me and said, ‘I completely agree, coach.’
“We were prophetic on that one. Right place at the right time.”
The game-winning goal unfolded as senior Jake Johns, the lone varsity starter from 2021, challenged Wright with a hard shot with less than 1:30 remaining that the goalkeeper couldn’t secure.
As the ball bounced away, Holland charged in, lining a shot into the open net with 1:01 left on the clock.
“It felt good. We were hanging in. We were fighting and kept going, then I finally got my break,” Holland said. “I knew it was going to bounce because it was slippery out there, and I knew I just had to crash the net.”
Noblesville’s Sam Holland scored the go-ahead goal for the Millers with a minute left in the game. (Kent Graham)
Earlier this season, Sam’s older brother, Spencer, had his jersey retired after scoring 44 career goals, including his last in the Millers’ 3-1 win over Carmel in the state finals last October.
“There’s a good legacy here. I’m hoping I can retire my jersey, too,” Holland said. “Every step is important to us because we want to prove everyone wrong. At the beginning of the season we were ranked 15th in the state because we (graduated) everyone. We wanted to prove everyone wrong after that. We’re still here.”
The Millers will travel to Kokomo on Saturday to face Fort Wayne Carroll (12-4-1) for the regional title at 4:30 p.m. Carroll defeated Harrison 4-2 on Wednesday night during their regional semifinal to advance.
In the 2021 regional title game, Noblesville eliminated Fort Wayne Northrop 5-0 before defeating Chesterton, 5-0, at semistate.
No. 15 Penn (12-4-4) potentially stands in their way this year, as the Kingsmen defeated No. 17 Goshen, 5-4, in their regional semifinal pod to move into the final where they will face either Lake Central or Portage on Saturday.
The Millers, however aren’t concerned about who they play, just how they compete.
“It is a completely different team. The only starter that returned from last year is Jake Johns, and he’s been injured for probably three-quarters of the season. It is basically an entire new 11 guys, and we’re trying to do something that is very difficult to do,” Dollaske said.
“Last year, our team motto was ‘Sweat the Small Stuff,’ to make sure every little detail mattered no matter how small. This year, it’s ‘Always Find a Way,’ and at the end of the game, I said, ‘Hey, did we find a way tonight?’ And the answer was 100 percent, ‘Yes, we did.’”