Two plates, 14 screws.
That much metal in one's right leg certainly would make for an interesting trip to an airport, and definitely couldn't have felt all that great on the coldest night to date-if not ever in program history-for a boys' soccer match inside Wolverine Country Stadium.
Jack Ferguson laughed Tuesday night about the wicked "tib-fib" (tibia/fibula) break against Ridgway which cost him his junior season's final month. After reconstruction and rehabilitation, he resumed defender duties this fall, thus savoring Senior Night perhaps more than a typical 12th grader.
"It just feels great," he stated, following Bayfield's 4-2 win over Pagosa Springs. "All four years I've been here, and even coming into this year, we've had, really, nothing. Now we're picking it up and hopefully we can continue it next year when I'm gone."
Still energized by a 2-1 road win beneath Alamosa's bright lights three nights before, BHS wasted no time electrifying their fanbase with the Pirates in town. In only the third minute, senior Marcus Isiordia netted the icebreaker with the very first shot. That pun is somewhat intended, considering the game-time Fahrenheit was in the low 40s, and the Wolverines (9-3-0, 7-3-0 3A Intermountain) were off and running.
"I was down the line - we always try to play the lines if it's there - and I knew that, with my pace, I was able to get by the guy," explained Isiordia. "And once you get by him, you've got to attack the goal. Maybe give a pass, but if you see the opportunity you've got to take it."
"Usually we have him as a wing," senior Tilden Berriman said, "but since he's kind of fast we threw him up top tonight. And it ended up working out for us; we knew something good would happen."
Finishing a ninth-minute buildup created by junior Berman Abdallah-Boehm and sophomore Jason Schneider, senior Tilden Berriman increased the lead to 2-0 and tripled the advantage in the 16th. His initial shot on PSHS goalkeeper Paul Farrah clanged off the crossbar, but Berriman, his stride barely slowed, managed to slide down and convert a highlight-reel volley off the rebound to Farrah's right.
"It definitely was a relief when we got up by three goals," Berriman said. "Last year when we played Pagosa at home we were up 3-0, and they came back to beat us 4-3. So that's exactly what we talked about before the game."
"We just had to possess, play our game," he continued, "and towards the end we finally figured out how."
As feared in the chat preceding the 7 p.m. kickoff, Pagosa Springs (2-10-1, 2-7-1) did indeed rally behind a 23rd-minute PK by senior Jason Monterroso, and senior Tate Hinger's 46th-minute free kick lined over senior Chad Winkler from better than 20 yards out.
Berriman countered in the 57th, cashing a breakaway after gaining possession near midfield, and though the Pirates' pressure continued until the very end, the Wolverines kept pace with Berriman blasting a shot off the upper crossbar and out of play in the 68th, then junior Dylan Doskocil drilling the lower, in-play crossbar in the 75th and nearly generating a second-chance try against Farrah (11 saves) for any white jersey nearby.
"We just kept going...I don't know," Ferguson said. "We just pumped each other up, tried to keep going. And it was a struggle, but we came out on top."
Including a spectacular one-handed diving stop made during the first half, Winkler totaled five saves.
"We've never won a Senior Night before," Berriman said, speaking for a group also including fellow four-year veterans Colton Fine and Shea Marx, one-year newcomer Armando Lerma, and injured (but present) Cordell Ashcraft. "So this is the first one-good memories!"
"Last year was my first year, and I feel like I've been a part of this team ever since.a freshman," Isiordia said. "It's great to say I'm a part of.such a good season; we've come together as a team."
Still with plenty of time to make 2017 all the more special, Bayfield will try for a rare tenth victory this Friday, Oct. 13, when they travel to Bloomfield, N.M., and battle the 5A Bobcat JV at Mesa Alta Junior High at 4 p.m. The crew will then welcome Crested Butte Community School on Monday for a 3 p.m. start.
"We're going to push it, just do as good as we can," stated Ferguson. "We really want to go to the playoffs this year, and we're never going to count ourselves with an easy victory. Going to give it our all every time."
AGAINST ALAMOSA: Defeating the Mean Moose in dramatic fashion last Saturday night, Fine converted a set-up from Marx just before the halftime whistle. AHS' Antonio Esteban equalized shortly after intermission, but Isiordia was fouled running onto a Berriman pass into the Alamosa 18 with fewer than five minutes remaining.
Berriman then stepped to the spot and nailed the winning penalty kick.
"Both Alamosa matches were tough!" head coach Chris Zoltowski said upon returning to Bayfield shortly after midnight Sunday. "They are fast, physical, and they are being coached very well. Every single one of the boys left it all on the field, and I couldn't be more proud of our team!"
