Dillon Holesapple ignited an Ozark celebration with a game-winning goal Tuesday, but wasn't part of the Tigers' celebration.

As his Ozark teammates rushed to meet their student section classmates for an on-field party filled with high-fives and hugs, Holesapple was on the opposite sideline paying respect to Nixa goalkeeper Nick Reid.

The Tigers edged the Eagles 3-2 in a memorable penalty-kick shootout on a walk-off goal by Holesapple. But he never raised his hands in victory, only his right hand to give Reid a friendly pat on his back and head, while offering congrats on an instant-classic performance put forth by both sides.

"We've played club ball together. He's a great 'keeper and a buddy of mine," Holesapple said, while adding he and Reid are joined by multiple Ozark and Nixa players on Sporting Springfield. "I felt it was only right to stop him and give him congrats on what he did tonight. He was insane in that penalty shootout. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't enough.

"I love celebrating with my teammates and that was a great moment," Holesapple added. "But at the end of the day I wanted to give props where it was due."

Nixa fought Ozark to the brink, rallying from a 2-1 deficit in regulation, thanks to a goal by Cooper Hines with eight-plus minutes remaining. 

The roles were reversed once the teams went to a PK shootout. The Eagles quickly went up 2-0, as Reid deflected two Ozark shots. For Reid and his Nixa 'mates, it was their third PK shootout in as many weeks.

"To be honest, I lost a lot of confidence when we were down 0-2," said Ozark 'keeper Mark Shtevnin, who was in his first career PK shootout. "But my teammates were supporting me."

"I have never in my 29 years (of coaching) been on that side of 0-2 and come back to win. It's never happened to me," Ozark coach Tom Davidson said. "I was standing there thinking, 'Oh my gosh, every time we've been down 2-0, we've gone on to lose.'" 

Davidson also was fretting he could have another senior class go their entire high school careers without beating Nixa. The Tigers had lost 12 straight to the Eagles dating back to a 3-2 Ozark win in 2009.

"This group of seniors, I wanted it so bad for them, to break this streak," Davidson said. "We always play terrible on 'Nixa Night' and are always on the short end of the stick it seems like. In the last 10 years up until last year, I always thought (Nixa) was better than us man for man. But last year I thought we were so much better than them and they just pounded us." 

Eagles coach Evan Palmer is playing several freshmen regularly and was thankful for the experience his players gained.

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