Cutthroats bounce back, beat Bliss and Buhl
League wins in boys? soccer
With leading scorer Bobby Flanigan sidelined due to a strained neck, Community School freshman Travis Stone picked up the scoring pace with two goals in Monday?s 5-0 home league win over Buhl. Photo by David N. Seelig
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Bouncing back in a big way from their 1-0 league loss at Wendell Sept. 13, The Community School Cutthroats kept their league championship hopes alive with home soccer victories over Bliss and Buhl this past week on the Sagewillow field, Elkhorn.
Coach Richard Whitelaw?s Cutthroat boys (6-1-0, 6-1 league) stayed unbeaten on their Browning Field home pitch Monday with a 5-0 league triumph over the Buhl Tribe. They swept the season series with Buhl, having prevailed 1-0 at Buhl Aug. 27.
In a frigid game that ended in a driving hailstorm, the Cutthroats had Buhl on its heels all day?and when the speedy Tribe strikers got free, defenders like ?Man of the Match? Ryon Campbell and back Connor Wade put the brakes on the Buhl attacks.
The Cutthroats played the game without their leading scorer, senior Bobby Flanigan (strained neck). Flanigan has 10 goals in six games. Still, the home team managed its second-best scoring total of the season. The offense is currently averaging 3.4 goals.
Max Danielson, a junior, stole the ball from the Tribe defense and scored his first goal early in the game. Reed Boeger made it 2-0 Sun Valley at the half, on a feed from Wes Flanigan.
Freshman striker Travis Stone (6 goals) took a pass from Danielson and made it 3-0 in the first minute of the second half. Wes Flanigan nailed a 28-yard floater for a 4-0 game, then Stone punched home his second goal.
Goalkeeper Regan O?Reilly preserved his fourth shutout with a fine lunging save in the closing moments.
The Cutthroats also swept the season series with the Bliss Bears 4-2 Friday afternoon, although they had a bit of a scare at the end of the game.
?We were up 3-0 with 15 minutes to go, then Bliss scored two goals in two minutes,? said Whitelaw.
Sparking the Cutthroats once again were ?Man of the Match? Bobby Flanigan and the team?s other senior co-captain, sweeper Boeger. ?Bobby scored three goals and Reed was everywhere,? said Whitelaw.
Bobby Flanigan?s first goal gave the Cutthroats a 1-0 lead at half-time. He added another in the second half, then Travis Stone made it 3-0. Flanigan's hat trick completed the scoring and provided some breathing room.
Whitelaw said, ?Bliss is a good hustling team. They?ve beaten Wendell, who beat us, which means we have one league loss and so does Wendell. Bliss has two league losses, both to us. It?s a good league.?
The Cutthroats travel to Declo Friday, Sept. 24 for another league game, then host the American Falls Beavers for non-conference contests Saturday, Sept. 25 at 11 a.m. (varsity) and 1 p.m. (JV) on Browning Field.
