KUA 5 - Holderness 0
What inspires greatness? ….. a moving story, a motivating action, a rousing speech? All have their benefit and have spurred on past heroes to achieve wonderful deeds. However, most would not add “a hike up French’s Ledges” to our list of Things that inspire. And yet, that appears to be what kindled the inner fires for several of the JV2 boys as they thought about their rematch against the Holderness Bulls.
Coach Custer knew that old strategies and tactics had to change. We had faced off against this team earlier in the season, so we saw this rematch as a way to observe the depth of our boys’ talents. We had seen strikers PJ Tessier, Spencer Allen and halfback Robert Lee on defense before and knew they were a solid force, but never before had we given keeper Brian Kim or halfbacks Martin and Marco Cheng such a chance to attack the net. We were able to watch fullback Jun Lee rubbing elbows with the Holderness defense as he raced up the offensive side of the field, and oft times half backers Charley Perry and Jon Evan scrapping the edges of the pitch and lofting passes into the middle. It was an exciting day. Andrew Shields our stolid defender scored off a mid-field cross from Dylan Chauvin. Gabe Engfer crashed the net several times and assisted Brian Kim with his first goal of the season. But perhaps the most remarkable and memorable part of this day’s match was the stellar performance of mild mannered Bill Peng. Bill climbed to the top of The Ledges, saw the vast forest that surrounded him, and drank in the wilderness. The wild in Wildcat was evident as he pushed the boundaries between striker and defense. Five time in the first half he was reprimanded by the official’s whistle for aggressively moving into off-sides territory, and yet, it was this same hunger that Charley Perry and Marco Cheng recognized and reacted to and assisted.
There are few players who earn the distinction of having scored a hat trick. Upon the fields of Holderness, surrounded by the deep forest and wilderness that is New Hampshire’s great White Mountains, Bill Peng joined their ranks.
