Golden Bodie: Senior forward’s overtime goal secures district championship for Pirates

ST. PETER’S, Mo. — Bodie Rollins could barely recall how the ball got to his foot, but he will never forget what happened after it left it.

Six minutes, 45 seconds into the first sudden death overtime of Saturday’s Class 3 District 4 title game against Fort Zumwalt South, the Hannibal senior forward scored the game’s only goal with a rifle of a left-footed shot from 30 yards out, giving the Pirates their first district title in more than a decade with the 1-0 victory.

“I honestly don’t even remember how I got the ball,” Rollins said. “I just saw the defender coming to my right side. I saw space so I flicked it over to my left, saw the keeper out of position. I looked at the ball, ripped it, looked up and it took a crazy skip and hit the back of the net.”

The ball caromed to Rollins after Pirates sophomore midfielder Brody Wilson battled with Fort Zumwalt South’s Lukas McMahon for the ball near the right corner flag.

“I got him out of the way, he fell over, the ball got knocked out to Bodie, and he just took it and scored,” Wilson said.

Wilson could not tell if the shot had gone in.

“I honestly thought it went past the net,” Wilson said. “I didn’t think it went in, but it just snuck right past. I couldn’t believe it.”

Pirates goalkeeper Clayton Neisen also thought Rollins’ shot had gone wide.

“I originally thought it hit the side of the net,” Neisen said. “But then I saw the keeper dive kind of late and saw everybody screaming. I was like, ‘That went in. There we go!’ Then I sprinted down the field and cheered with everybody.”

A flood of euphoria from Pirates players, coaches and fans overwhelmed the light rain that fell throughout the evening. Rollins hoisted the district championship plaque amidst a mob of his teammates near midfield.

“This is unbelievable,” Rollins said.

After a team photo in front of the net where Rollins scored the golden goal, Neisen hopped, skipped and jumped his way along with his teammates to the sideline in front of the bleachers where they saluted and celebrated with a rather hearty Pirates crowd that made the 1-hour, 20-minute trek to Fort Zumwalt South High School.

“You’re just in the moment, and you’re screaming, hooting and hollering and cheering for a great moment to cherish,” Neisen said. “It almost felt like a home game even though we were on their turf. I’m thankful for all the fans and the support we had the whole game.”

The celebration both on the field and with the fans proved the magnitude of this win for a Pirates program that last won a district title in 2013. The Pirates finished second in Class 3 District 8 in 2014, their first season in Class 3, and again in District 7 in 2020.

“When you saw that goal go in, that tells you everything you need to know,” said Hannibal coach Eric Hill, whose team advances to the state quarterfinals to host Ladue Horton Watkins on Nov. 16.

The Pirates had reached the district semifinals each of the past four seasons, but only got to the district title game once when they lost to Fort Zumwalt South in 2020. The Bulldogs also eliminated Hannibal from postseason play in 2022 and 2023.

“We felt like we’ve been knocking on the door for a few years but just never punched through,” Hill said. “We had some games that we were right in, we just couldn’t come out on top, couldn’t get the bounces to go our way. Tonight we were finally able to have that happen.”

Neisen stopped all six of the Bulldogs’ shots on frame, including one in the fifth minute of overtime off a chest-high, driving shot by Jackson Baum from 25 yards out. The wet conditions and velocity of that shot made catching it a difficult proposition.

“The ball was coming in very solid so I didn’t think I would have been able to get a hand on it without bobbling it and giving them a chance, so I just decided to punch it straight forward and eliminate any opportunity,” Neisen said.

Two minutes later, Rollins sealed the deal.

“That was my favorite game of my whole career,” Neisen said. “I think (I’ll remember this) for the rest of my life.”

Neisen had a hand — or two — in the shutout, but Rollins wrote the final chapter to the district championship story.

“It’s amazing, man,” Rollins said.