For the week of October 22 - 28, 2003

WRHS, C-School
advance to state soccer

Cutthroats hold off Bliss 3-1

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The Community School boys’ varsity soccer team knew what it had to do Monday afternoon in its Fourth District 3A tournament game against the upset-minded Bliss Bears.

John Hayes, Community School senior, has scored six goals in his team’s last three games. Hayes is the top Cutthroat scorer with 18 goals for the season, 36 for his three-year Sun Valley soccer career. Express photo by Willy Cook

"If we win, we go to state. It doesn’t get any easier than that," said Cutthroat coach Richard Whitelaw before the game played on a mild day.

Win, by a 3-1 score, is just what the #2-seeded Cutthroats (11-2-2) did against a hustling Bliss squad (6-2-3) that had emerged with a 0-0 tie on its last visit to Browning Field Sept. 12.

Finn Brown punched home a goal after a Bobby Flanigan corner kick 10 minutes into the game. John Hayes (18 goals season, 36 career) made it 2-0 on a Flanigan feed nine minutes into the second half, and Flanigan (15 goals, 22 career) went in alone on a Hayes lead pass for a 3-0 lead at 52 minutes.

Jovan Rojas broke in alone for Bliss at 55 minutes, finalizing the scoring of a game that had plenty of enthusiasm and not much ball control.

"Man of the Match," for the Cutthroats was captain Taylor Rothgeb.

With the win, The Community School earned one more shot at top-seeded Wood River (15-3-1) for the district title Thursday, Oct. 23 at 4 p.m. at South Valley Sports Complex in Hailey. The Community School has won two straight district tourney titles, last year’s 4-0 over Wood River.

The way it works this year, the loser of Thursday’s district final might be the "winner," by virtue of more favorable seeding at the state tourney.

Meanwhile, the winner of today’s Bliss-Wendell elimination game will play a state play-in game Saturday.

On Saturday, Whitelaw’s #2-seeded squad opened the eight-team tournament with a 7-0 home win over #7-seeded Declo. Hayes and Flanigan each scored two goals. Singles came from Luc McCann, Ash Higgins and Jon Goldberg. "Man of the Match," was midfielder Wes Flanigan.

Thursday, the Cutthroats rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit with three second-half goals by Hayes and beat Wendell 3-1 in the final home regular-season game. Sharing "Man of the Match" honors for the home team were right back Corey Warren and center midfielder Finn Brown.

 

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