Webb's Sam Waterbury goes on the attack during the boys varsity team's quarter-final win against Madison. The October 28th game was played on the team's home turf at Al Stripp Field in Old Forge. Photo by Chuck Walley

Outside the box by Chuck Walley

Webb Varsity Boys roll on with quarter-final win over Madison

Webb's Sam Waterbury goes on the attack during the boys varsity team's quarter-final win against Madison. The October 28th game was played on the team's home turf at Al Stripp Field in Old Forge. Photo by Chuck Walley

Well… it’s here!

Sectionals are officially underway. And while the regular season grind may be like a long work-year on the farm, the playoffs are a bit more like harvesting season.

That is, time to reap the rewards for all of your tireless efforts. If that’s the case, the boy’s varsity soccer team just brought in a bumper crop, at least in their quarterfinal matchup against Madison.

Thanks to a winning season, the guys earned a bye, followed by a home game on Friday, October 28 against the Blue Devils, whose 4-8 record suggested that Old Forge might have an easy time of it.

Such was not the case early on as the visitors put early pressure on the Eskimo defense, including a series of close calls that had the partisan crowd groaning. Madison’s big push didn’t last for long, however, as Old Forge reversed the trend completely, starting with a Sam Waterbury goal that provided a lead which would never be surrendered. Waterbury was far from done, to be sure, as his next score came off one of the most unusual plays I’ve ever witnessed.

He and an opposing player were chasing after a loose ball a good fifteen to twenty yards from the box when they simultaneously struck it. Undoubtedly, Waterbury had the better leg, as the ball floated high in the air toward the goal, eventually sailing over the keeper’s outstretched hands.

At this point, one might assume that the local boys might relax a bit, as they’ve been known to do. Therefore, fans were far from convinced that the contest was anywhere near over.

What followed was exactly what this team needed if they are to reach their full potential, that being a relentlessness heretofore unseen.

Moments after his second score, Waterbury hit the post off a corner kick, nearly earning a hat-trick in the process.

A highly vocal crowd, however, saw him accomplish exactly that with forty seconds remaining in the first half.

Not satisfied, the “Waterhorse,” as he is affectionately known (the origins of the nickname are unknown to me) placed yet another one into the back of the net for his fourth of the evening.

I’m not sure if four goals in a single Sectional game is a record, but it’s nothing short of amazing whether it sets a new mark or not.

By now, it was apparent that the squad had no intention of letting up. And why would they? This was fun!

Finally, with 13:44 remaining in the game, Connor Rockhill tallied the final goal, wrapping up a sweet 5-0 victory.

With all that offense, it would be easy to overlook the fine play of the rest of the team. That would be an extreme injustice, at best.

The midfield passing was crisp and accurate and the defensive effort was equally impressive. Quite frankly, the overall domination came from every position on the field.

With that game behind them, the Eskimos now move on to the semi-finals against Brookfield on Wednesday, November 2 in a game to be played at Sauquoit right at deadline.

We look forward to bringing you those results.

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