Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
TOPEKA -ÊWawasee entered the Westview boy's soccer sectional final on Saturday night as a decided underdog. The Warriors faced a Northridge team that had lost only two games all season and had already beaten the Warriors earlier in the year.
But as the saying goes, "On any given night."
Saturday was one of those nights as the Warriors picked up their first boys soccer sectional championship in the nine-year history of the program.
It took two 40-minute halves and then two seven-minute overtime periods before the game was ultimately decided in penalty kicks in favor of the Warriors.
"I was especially proud of our defense," said Wawasee coach Paul Boyd, "I felt we challenged the ball well and played hard. We maintained good position and played a smart game defensively."
Sweeper Ben Champaux, stopper Brent Bokhart and backs A. J. Klaassen and Chris Mock led the defense Boyd spoke of.
Neither team could find an answer to the other's defense as the first half finished with the teams tied at zero.
"I told our guys at halftime to just go back out and continue what they were doing," said Boyd. "I told them to be patient, don't get anxious, and don't get caught up in it. I felt Michael (Cone) and Brandon (Davis) really picked it up in the middle offensively in the second half. When Anthony (Argentino) got hurt I thought Ryan Beer came in and made things happen."
The first official shot on goal for either team didn't come until the 33:12 mark of the second half. A Raider slipped through the Warrior defense only to be thwarted by an excellent save from Wawasee keeper, James Ward.
Less than a minute later at the other end of the field the Warriors' Austin Kaiser took a pass from teammate Michael Cone and slipped a shot past the Raider keeper to put the Warriors up 1-0.
Things heated up at the 23 minute mark when Wawasee senior Brent Bokhart headed the ball into the corner of the goal only to see the Raider keeper get a finger on the ball to make the save.
On the ensuing corner kick, Cone headed the ball into the corner of the goal only to have the score waved off due to a Warrior foul.
With 10:37 remaining the Raiders tied the score as they played a ball from midfield to in front of the goal and the Raider's Mario Ingraffia fired a near perfect shot past Ward.
The 1-1 tie held throughout the remainder of the game and the two overtime periods as both teams challenged to take the lead but the defenses prevailed, forcing the game to penalty kicks.
"I felt pretty good heading into penalty kicks," said Boyd. "We had James Ward and they didn't. He was amazing."
Northridge went first in the penalty kick phase and buried its first shot. That was followed followed by Wawasee's Brandon Davis who did the same.
On the Raiders' second shot, Ward came up with what was probably the game winning save as he dove to his right for the stop. Austin Kaiser then put the ball into the corner of the goal giving Wawasee a 2-1 advantage.
In round three, both Northridge and Wawasee made their shots as Cone put the ball high, into the corner of the goal for the Warriors.
When the fourth kicker from Northridge slammed his shot off the side bar, Wawasee needed only make one of their last two kicks to pick up the win.
Warrior Chris Mock saw to it that it didn't go any further as the junior calmly slipped his shot to the keeper's left and the celebration began.
The Northridge keeper stood alone in tears as the Wawasee players swept onto the field. In a reminder of what high school athletics is suppose to be about, Wawasee coach Paul Boyd, instead of joining his team's celebration, went straight to the Raider keeper to help console him.
The Warrior win takes their record to 11-7-1 and puts them into the one-game regional. In that game they will face the Leo Lions who won the Angola sectional. Game time will be 7:00 pm back on the Westview field.
