An elusive record-tying
state championship had slipped through Gaither's fingers at the hands of
Orange Park, and a runner-up trophy and second-place medals were not what the
Cowboys were looking for Saturday after a 1-0 loss (4-3 in penalty kicks). Coming agonizingly close
to becoming just the second team in state history to repeat as the largest
classification champion - Miami Killian did it in 1983-84 - made it difficult
to accept after the game. ``I told the guys that if
they are not upset then there is something wrong with them,'' Gaither coach
Adrian Bush said. ``But there has to be a winner. You don't want the game to
go on all night.'' This one easily could have
gone past midnight, as two evenly matched teams battled for 100 scoreless
minutes, including 20 minutes of overtime, before deciding the game on
penalty kicks. In the penalty kick round,
Orange Park, which lost to Gaither in overtime in last year's semifinals,
converted all four attempts, while Raiders goalkeeper Chris Goralczyk stopped
Travis Bourguinon's second-round attempt and Brenden Crampton's attempt in
the fifth round sailed high. ``It just wasn't our day
today. We had several chances but God has a way of deciding things,'' Bush
said. ``We did everything in our power to win this game today - we just ran
into a good team.'' Orange Park's defense also
had a big hand in deciding this one. Defenders Clay Wright and Chris Zepp
tag-teamed marking Bryce Wegerle, limiting his chance to create scoring
opportunities for the Cowboys. Trying to penetrate a defense that had allowed
just nine goals and recorded 20 shutouts in its previous 28 games proved too
tough a task. Hearing about Wegerle's
offensive talent only fueled the defense's fire, Orange Park first- year
coach Frank Pastore said. ``Our defense clamped down
on [Wegerle] and that is outstanding,'' Pastore said. ``We do not back down
from a challenge, and to read about all their offensive weapons, our boys
took that as a challenge.'' |
