Free Kicks: James Buchanan earns win in semi-darkness
Maybe it would have been easier if all the fans had brought a flashlight to the game.
James Buchanan hosted Big Spring in a boys soccer game Monday that finished in almost complete darkness, thanks to a series of coincidences. The game had been scheduled for last Thursday, but was postponed until Monday and scheduled for 5:30.
But with all the rain over the weekend, the new Rocket soccer complex, which has lights, was still too wet to play on, so the game was moved to JB's practice field behind the high school and moved up to a 5 p.m. start. Of course, after 80 minutes, the teams were tied 3-3.
"We started the overtime around 7 o'clock," Rocket coach Randy Jarrett said, "and we didn't take much of a break after the first (10-minute) overtime. By that time about the only light was coming from a spotlight the band was using for their practice near the school. It got dark quickly."
The Bulldogs, in Jarrett's words, "totally owned the overtime," but James Buchanan was awarded a free kick about 30 yards from its goal. Hunter Sowers took the kick and put it right on the head of teammate Connor Fritsche.
Jarrett said, "We'd hoped to get it to 'Fritch' because has excelled in the air, and Hunter dropped it right there."
Fritsche headed the ball to Derek Pine, who gave it right back to Fritsche, and he beat the Big Spring goalkeeper 1v1 to score the game-winner with just three minutes left.
"I didn't know the ball was in until I saw our players celebrating," Jarrett said.
The Rockets had jumped to a 2-0 lead on goals by Alec Truett and Isaac Shenton, which Jarrett said was the biggest lead his team has had all year. But Big Spring tied it on a pair of penalty kicks. Truett put JB ahead again, but the Bulldogs got the tying goal with five minutes left in regulation.
TOUGH STRETCH: The Chambersburg girls soccer team is in the midst of a long road stretch. The Trojans played a home game last Tuesday against Central Dauphin and were postponed Thursday.
Chambersburg's next five games are all away games - Tuesday at Juniata, Thursday at Cedar Cliff, Saturday at State College, next Monday at CD East and next Tuesday at Cumberland Valley.
It would been six in a row, but the postponed game at Carlisle was moved to Oct. 18.
That leaves only two home games left on the schedule -- Oct. 13 vs. Red Land, and a rescheduled game vs. Greencastle-Antrim on Oct. 19.
RANKINGS: As of Tuesday, no area girls teams in District 3 were in place to earn a playoff berth. Waynesboro is No. 19 in Class 4A and James Buchanan is No. 18 in 3A. The top 16 get in.
For the boys in District 3, Chambersburg sat at No. 3 in 4A and Waynesboro was No. 15, while Greencastle-Antrim stood No. 8 in 3A.
In District 5 girls, McConnellsburg checks in at No. 3 in Class 1A. In boys 1A, McConnellsburg holds the top spot, while Southern Fulton is fifth and Fannett-Metal is No. 8, the last spot to qualify.