By Tyler F. Thompson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — After the early-November weather system pushed back the Class 1 District 6 championship tilt to Parkview on Monday evening, the Greenwood Blue Jays (12-13) had ample time to prepare.
And so did the New Heights Christian Academy Cougars (12-12) — who fell prey to the Blue Jays, 5-3, back on Sept. 19.
Now, that September loss is being chalked up as a positive, as the Cougars prepare for a state quarterfinal matchup against Sacred Heart after defeating Greenwood 3-1 behind senior Hudson Clevenger’s hat trick Monday evening.
Clevenger, not two minutes into the contest, took the feed and scored from about 25 yards out, making it inside the upper left post.
After Greenwood tied it up on Taaha Khan’s deflection score, Clevenger put his team on his back.
Nine minutes later, the senior took the ball from Michael Parrigon on the corner and found the net.
And with 18:47 remaining in regulation, Clevenger sprinted down the near seam en route to his final score on the night.
“I saw Ben [Schumacher] send it over the top. It was just a foot race from there. The goalie came out, so I just hit it over his head,” said Clevenger.
The Blue Jays were called for a red card with 18 minutes remaining in the opening half, which played into the Cougars’ hands.
“I was just telling our players to be careful. We didn’t want to lose that advantage,” Clevenger said. “I knew we had them right on their heels. We had them right where we wanted them.”
The team’s motto is simplistic: fast, loose and clean.
Head coach Aaron Dogotch said he knew Greenwood would modify the attack, and that his Cougars would have to mix it up, as well.
“We came out with a more counter attacking approach. I moved some players around, letting them possess the ball. Where I think we got beat last time was where our talent was on the pitch, we were more offensive and contained them. The last time we played them, we probably had 30 shots. This time, we had quite a few but not as much, because we were playing more contain in the counterattack,” Dogotch said.
Confidence has greatly improved since the early going, as rough terrain with Class 4 schools did not get the season off to a commanding start.
But, according to Dogotch, that was all part of the plan.
“It really prepared our team to be strong mentally,” Dogotch said. “We were pretty confident coming in. Just our counterattack — knowing their back line that we were going to get some [points]. The hope was that our defense would hold up. And they did just phenomenal. There wasn’t a lot of sniffing at the goal in the second half. They played great.”
This marks year two at the helm for Dogotch, and district titles aren’t supposed to come so quickly.
But when you have Clevenger’s field general ability, Schumacher, Parrigon (one assist) and Bennett Thomas feeding the ball, the mix lends itself to early success.
“He is fun,” Dogotch said of Clevenger. “He is easy to coach, humble, a leader. I cannot say enough good things about him. He does such a great job. It makes the team flow.”
The Cougars now prepare for Sacred Heart (17-9), whom they meet this Saturday.
