For the week of November 5 - 11, 2003

Cutthroats have plenty of gas in their engine

Unlikely but worthy state runner-up team

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"We’re the little engine that could. No one really expected anything of us," said Community School soccer coach Richard Whitelaw during Saturday’s awards ceremony of the State 3A boys’ soccer tournament in Buhl.

"To be here standing proudly with the second-place trophy is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a testament to our small school with 50 boys to choose from. The only team we lost to all season was Wood River…..

"And we lost to them four times, I might add."

There is no more ardent ambassador of soccer in Idaho than Whitelaw, and nobody more of a class act. He was nearly as excited that all four Wood River Valley teams made Friday’s state semi-finals than he was about the success of his own team.

Indeed, his 2003 Community School squad reflected Whitelaw’s spirit, determination and, yes, class.

Certainly the Cutthroats benefited from a more advantageous draw in the 2003 state tournament, but there is no question Whitelaw’s current team was not the equal of his last two squads that overpowered opponents 267-52.

"Look at our ragtag team," said Whitelaw after Saturday’s 4-1 loss to friendly rival Wood River in the State 3A championship team.

The irony, of course, was the current underdog Cutthroats (13-4-2) made it to the State 3A championship game while the previous two Sun Valley powers settled for third and fourth places with devastating 3-2 losses to Payette in the first and second rounds.

But state is often a crapshoot.

Take, for instance, Thursday’s opening-round game between The Community School and Teton.

The Cutthroats, unaccustomed to playing outside of the Wood River Valley this season—with only road trips to Declo and Twin Falls a month ago on their suitcases—got off to a terribly slow start and trailed 2-0 at the half.

At intermission, the coach’s halftime pep talk featured language more commonly heard at venues like Whitelaw’s Tavern in Edinburgh.

The ultimate insult came when Whitelaw pointed across the field, to the spot where Wood River players had once congregated to watch the game, and pointed out that the Wolverines had jumped on the bus early to avoid watching the Cutthroat debacle.

The fire was lit. The Cutthroats out-shot Teton 11-2 in the second half and waltzed away with a 4-2 victory.

Junior Bobby Flanigan got the ball rolling with a crisply-hit 30-yard shot that sailed into the top corner three minutes after half. John Hayes tied it 2-2 with a header, on a Flanigan cross, at 51 minutes.

With the wind at their backs, the Cutthroats put it away with two Hayes goals at 70 and 73 minutes. The defense with Taylor Rothgeb, Ash Higgins and Reed Boeger was solid.

"Nothing fancy. We like to get it up front. That’s our strength, with John (Hayes) and Bobby (Flanigan)," said Whitelaw, who said Jon Goldberg, Finn Brown and Luc McCann had solid games, too.

"Man of the Match" Hayes scored the hat trick in his 50th varsity start.

Little did Whitelaw know that he was going to dive and jump on top of the celebrating Cutthroat pile after Friday’s spine-tingling 4-3 overtime triumph over Bonners Ferry.

That’s because he was destined to have nightmares of Payette-style two-goal comebacks after his overachieving Cutthroats took a 3-1 halftime lead on two goals by Flanigan and one by Jon Goldberg.

Bonners Ferry, 6-0 winners over Snake River in Thursday’s opener, came on like gangbusters after the half. The Badgers out-shot the Cutthroats 10-3 in the second half. Sun Valley keeper Luke Fostvedt (11 saves) was busy. Two got through.

Senior Reuben McCrum started the rally with a penalty four minutes after half. "The penalty was suspect. But it got them going," said Whitelaw.

Going relentlessly to the ball and benefiting from a slight breeze, the Badgers equalized at 60 minutes on a Chris Hoover-to-McCrum connection that Fostvedt juggled—and senior Jon Pluid finished for a 3-3 deadlock.

A less determined team would have been crestfallen after Cutthroat senior sweeper Ash Higgins was helped off with a knee injury at 75 minutes. Rothgeb, playing in his fourth state tournament, ably took over at sweep.

"Taylor is such a good player," said Whitelaw about his captain.

It went to the first 10-minute sudden death overtime period. Hayes brought the semi-final game to a sudden and satisfying conclusion when he blocked a Badger clearing pass, chased it into the corner and drilled the game winner.

The clutch play in a perilous situation saved the veteran Sun Valley coach another nightmare—which is one reason why he jumped on the pile and high-fived Hayes afterward.

Hayes (23 goals) ended up scoring in each state tournament game, five in all. "Man of the Match" against Bonners Ferry was Ash Higgins, and all the Cutthroat seniors earned "Man of the Match," honors in Saturday’s finale.

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Final Community School statistics: Record 13-4-2 (9-1-2 home, 4-3 away). Goals scored—55 (2.9 per game). Goals against—30 (1.6). Individual scorers—John Hayes 23 (41 career), Bobby Flanigan 18 (25 career), Yancy Caldwell 4, Luc McCann 3, Finn Brown 2, Ash Higgins 2, Jon Goldberg 2 and Taylor Rothgeb 1.

CUTTHROAT NOTES—Whitelaw’s 12-year coaching record is now 141-54-14 including a 17-9 mark at state tournaments.

 

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