Following the full-time whistle Oct. 9 at Perry, two members of Madison’s girls side chased Coach Chad Butler with water containers in celebration. The first thrust didn’t quite reach the target, in part because Butler was spry enough to avoid it. A portion of the second thrust got there. Perhaps within that moment was symbolism for the sides’ annual rivalry match, staged around the worthy cause of Kick for the Cure. The mission was completed. It just took a unique route to the destination. The Blue Streaks’ Reese Meister and the Pirates’ Jordan Rowan traded strikes, and that’s where it remained as Madison and Perry battled to a 1-1 stalemate. The good news for the Blue Streaks (11-4-2) despite not getting the proverbial full three points — and the reason for the postmatch pursuit of Butler — was the draw did clinch an outright Chagrin Valley Conference title. Madison finished CVC Lake Division play with a 4-0-1 record, while the Pirates (10-4-3) finished 3-0-2. “Oh, it’s huge,” Butler said. “Without a doubt. It’s one of those goals we have for ourselves at the beginning of the year is to win the conference every year, no matter what conference we are ever in. And I knew it was going to be tough coming in here on Jordan Rowan’s final conference game and everything. I think we played a very disciplined game.” Meister gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. Playing a bounce off service on the left flank, the senior striker got a strong first touch into the box and went side net for a left-footed finish. It was her 23rd goal of the fall. Madison 1-0Reese Meister 5th min pic.twitter.com/6M8aeSX7u6 — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 9, 2024 The Pirates did eventually grab an equalizer through the dynamic Rowan. In the 57th minute, on a free kick, the senior striker sensed the bounce off the free kick in the box impeccably for a left-footed strike at the left post. It was Rowan’s 55th goal in a prolific 2024. Perry equalizer through Jordan Rowan 57th min1-1 match pic.twitter.com/UGprinJjaS — Chris Lillstrung (@CLillstrungNH) October 10, 2024 Thereafter, Meister was unlucky with a bar rattler from distance in the 66th, and Perry’s Madison Scales had a decent look in the 70th turned away. “I think we were looking to play through our center midfielders out to the outside,” Pirates coach Rich Stavar said of the second-40 improvement to generate an equalizer. “That’s essentially what we were doing. We were finding our target and playing off our target. There were so many coming in to support and trying to go to the outside. I think we got a lot more push as a result.” Rowan gutted out the 80, sporting a special mouthguard for the match, at one point in the second 40 grimacing and having the match stopped by an official to check on her after drawing contact with a ball toward the mouthguard. When asked by The News-Herald after the match, Stavar declined to get into specifics on the nature of Rowan’s injury. “You want to win every game,” Butler said. “But knowing we only needed to tie, and knowing we have someone of Jordan Rowan’s quality on the other side, we got them to push numbers — and there’s a couple we’d have liked to see a little bit better. “It wasn’t the most fun game we’ve played. But it was what we needed to do to make sure we got the job done.” The tie pushed Madison’s unbeaten run in the series to 15 matches (11-0-4), with Perry’s last victory in the rivalry match coming in 2009 and last tie before this one coming in 2020. “We like to play these guys,” Stavar said. “I think that sometimes, folks think there’s a lot of animosity between the two schools. It’s been played up over the years. But I think the two sides get along really well. Chad and I get along really well. It’s nice to play well against him. “We really respect him as a coach. And so it’s nice to go out and have a good game against his squad. They are so well coached.”