By PAUL GOTHAM
DANSVILLE, N.Y. — Gavyn Phillips knows a thing or two about scoring goals.
Entering play Wednesday night, the senior striker led top-seeded Livonia and ranked third in Section V with 27 goals.
So when he says the ball could have been struck better, you tend to believe him.
But with time winding down in a tightly-played match, an A+ strike wasn’t needed.
Phillips slipped behind the defense and scored the game winner as Livonia (17-1-1) clinched the 2026 Class B2 title with a 1-0 win over second-seeded Haverling (15-3-0).
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “I’ve never felt it before.”
With less than a minute remaining in regulation, teammate Grant Francis threaded a pass through the Haverling backline that caught Phillips in stride. He one-timed a right-footed into the back of the net.
“As soon as I saw that space, I trusted Grant to give me that ball. It happened all season, so we had that connection. I was ready for it.
“I feel like I could have placed it better, but as soon as I saw it hit the back of the net, just the joy that hit me was unbelievable.”
Class B2: Gavyn Phillips, in the 80th minute, nets the winner. Livonia takes the B2 title with a 1–nil win over Haverling. https://t.co/p0g60iE5cz
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) October 29, 2026
The title is the 15th in program history.
“The boys, I’m very proud of them without them we wouldn’t have won the game,” Phillips said. “I trusted them. Our defense, our goalie, outstanding performance by them tonight.”
Junior keeper Oliver Taylor made seven saves to backstop a Livonia defense that held Haverling (averaging nearly five goals per game) to its first shutout of the season.
“We focused on defense all year long, and it showed,” said first-year head coach Ryan Humphrey. “It’s hats off to the defense, because they shut down the top scorer (Connor Binkowski) and the top assist player (Callum Hill) in all of Section Five. So it’s pretty special.”
Haverling had won seven straight heading into the championship outscoring opponents by a combined total of 38-1 during that stretch. The Rams were looking to win their 19th title.
“It’s just tough with 49 seconds left,” Haverling head coach Matt Hill said of the winning goal. “I don’t know if I’ve been a part of one of those before, or have had a team that’s been a part of one of those before. Yes, in overtime (we’ve lost) but with 49 seconds left in the final, it’s just, it’s a weird feeling.
“We battled. The kids gave everything they had. They’re not going to look at me and say they could give any more because they gave everything they had. So I’m proud of them. Livonia’s a heck of a team. Congrats to them. But it is tough. This is tough.”
Longtime Livingston County Athletic Association rivals, Wednesday night was the first meeting of the season between the two. In years past, this would have been the third head-to-head match of the season, but league realignment had the two placed in separate divisions.
“I bet they feel like they just played three games in a row, for sure,” Humphrey said of the emotional contest. “It’s different this year. We never got to see them during the regular season. It was the first year we haven’t played them at all, so we didn’t know really what to expect a lot. We knew who their stars were, we knew what we had to do.”
Livonia will face B1 champion, Penn Yan in the Class B State qualifier. That game is scheduled to be played on Saturday. Time and location are to be announced
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