| 1st | 2nd | Final | |
| Hesston | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Johnson | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Coach's Comments--
With a rain soaked field and overcast
skies, Hesston College enters post-season with the daunting task of
playing the top-seeded Johnson County Cavaliers. We knew that this was
going to be a tough task but we were confident we could give them a
good game. Johnson comes into the regional playoffs with a 9-1 regional
record. Their only loss came at the hands of Cloud County. Hesston lost
to JC earlier in the season 2-0.
It was clear from the starting whistle
that both teams were ready to play. Johnson passed the ball around very
quickly and was clearly looking to attack the Larks with a fury. But
for the better part of the first half the Larks were ready to withstand
the pressure. Although the Larks were having difficulty sustaining any
real attack, their defense was solid. Solid until JC’s Ryan Craig
ripped a 25-yard shot that skipped along the wet grass into the lower
right hand corner 30 minutes into the first half. Just a few minutes
later JC made it 2-0 when Jason Cummings got behind the defense and
finished a close range shot from just outside the 6-yard box. To make
matters worse, Hesston’s Nathan Wood suffered an injury to his
right knee that took him out of the rest of the game. It was tough to
be down 2-0 at half. We were really hoping to at least keep it 0-0 at
the half. Coming back from a 2-goal deficit on a good team like Johnson
is a difficult task for any team. But to my players credit they never
gave up.
Hesston played strong to start the
second half but was unable to withstand the strong attack of the Cavaliers.
Johnson tallied four more goals in the second half to make the final
score 6-0. Hesston did manage to create a few scoring opportunities
but the day belonged to Johnson County. Johnson played really well.
They’re a really talented team. What else can I say? Our guys played
their hearts out. I’m really proud of my players. They just don’t
give up. We’re a young team, but this experience will really benefit
the freshmen for next year. Some coaches might be depressed about finishing
with a 4-12-1 record but I’m pleased with the improvements we made
and just the overall character of my players. I’m proud to be their
coach. It's disappointing not to be playing in the region semis since
it will be at our place, but it’s been a fun season and I think
the players can be proud of themselves.
Johnson County will move on to play
in the Region semi-finals at Hesston College this weekend. They will
face the winner of the Cloud County/Allen County game to be played tomorrow.