So, why was Community School boys' varsity soccer coach Richard Whitelaw feeling so chipper after Friday's 4-3 loss to 5A Twin Falls in a game played under the lights at Bruin Stadium in Twin?
It wasn't because Twin Falls (2-8-1) snapped the modest two-game winning streak of the Cutthroats (4-5-3, 4-2-2 league). It wasn't because 17th-year coach Whitelaw (197-76-23) drew closer to the 200-win mark in his 296th Cutthroat game. He didn't.
Whitelaw was excited because he just might have found the answer to the season-long Cutthroat quest for offense--the ongoing puzzle of someone to complement Tanner Flanigan's scoring ability up front and give the Fish more of a threat.
That person, at least on Friday night in Twin Falls, was senior co-captain Alex Conn, who has done such a great job on defense as the Cutthroat sweeper for several years.
With his team trailing 4-1 in the second half, Conn moved up front with about 10 minutes left in the game and scored two goals, one on a penalty. The Cutthroats were knocking on the door at the end and nearly completed a miracle comeback.
"I stuck Alex up front. He's big, fast and has been waiting his whole life for the chance. For the next 10 minutes I've never seen one player so dominate a game. He got the ball and just ran through them (Twin). It was pretty impressive," Whitelaw said.
The coach added, "It was great, it was exciting, a game that had everything. And maybe that 10 minutes will change our season. I know the boys were all pumped up afterward. They were all saying 'let's go down to Buhl (Sept. 29) and beat them.'"
Friday's game was dramatic to start with, because of thunder and lightning that delayed the start for 40 minutes, because it was "Senior Night" for Twin Falls, and because it was played under the lights in the Twin Falls football stadium.
Twin Falls went ahead 2-0 at halftime with two penalty kicks. Junior Flanigan, making his 51st varsity start, scored in the 47th minute for a 2-1 game.
It was Flanigan's 11th goal of the season and 48th of his three-year career. He has scored in 24 of the last 31 Cutthroat games.
"We weren't playing that badly, hanging with them. And Tanner was the best man on the field in the first half. His goal came from the edge of the penalty area. He slotted it to the far post. And after that, for 10 minutes, we were all over them, pushing forward all the time," Whitelaw said.
But Twin Falls poked two more goals into the net, making it 4-1 and forcing Whitelaw to shuffle his cards and come up with a scoring ace in Alex Conn. The coach moved Bergen Palmer back to sweeper to take Conn's place. And it worked.
He's hoping momentum continues at Buhl Sept. 29. The Tribe (3-1-3, 4-2-3), who won 3-1 over the host Cutthroats Sept. 4, struggled last week with a 1-1 tie at Declo (1-8-1) Wednesday and a 5-0 home loss to resurgent Bliss (5-2-1, 4-1-1) Saturday. Bliss is ranked second in the Idahosports.com 3A boys' poll.
Still leading the league is Wendell (6-1-1), due for the Cutthroat home finale Oct. 3.
Whitelaw was also proud of junior Jackson Bates, who made his 52nd varsity start at Twin Falls.
Girls fall 2-0 to Twin Falls
Coach Kelly Feldman's Cutthroat girls (6-5-1, 6-1-1) had a hard-fought 2-0 loss to 5A Twin Falls (7-3-1) on Friday afternoon at Sagewillow Farms at Elkhorn. Twin Falls is ranked second among 5A schools.
The #4-ranked 3A Cutthroats resume Sept. 29 at top-ranked Buhl.
