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By Hannah Ellington, News Editor
The clock continuously counted down while fans sat on the edge of their seats, anxiously waiting for a miracle to happen in the last seconds. As the final buzzer sounded, the feeling of dismay set in for the Nighthawks’ soccer team.
The Nighthawks suffered a 1-0 defeat against Newton-Conover in Saturday’s NCHSAA 2A Men’s Soccer State Championship. This was their fourth attempt at a state championship in the past five years. First Flight also fell to the Red Devils in 2014, then beat Chase 4-0 for the 2016 championship.
“They were good. It was an even match,” junior Trent Powell said. “They were probably the best team we’ve played all year.”
First Flight played an aggressive game despite having to go with its third choice at goalie. Sophomore Stryker Owens stepped up to play after sophomore Lucas Neiderlander received an injury to his thumb during warmups. Neiderlander was scheduled to make his first start in place of junior Wilmer Andino.
“Phenomenal,” head coach Juan Ramirez said of Owens. “He stepped up and he did an incredible job. Awesome, awesome, awesome.”
While First Flight dominated the action at both ends of the field, Newton-Conover scored a clean goal with 21 minutes left in the second half. The goal was scored by Francisco Tapia, who was named MVP of the game, after he took a pass at midfield and beat four defenders for a point-blank shot.
“They definitely had a system they wanted to play and they executed that,” assistant coach Joel Mount said. “All props to them — they scored, so that’s how it is.”
First Flight hit Newton-Conover’s keeper, Jon Joplin, with 15 shots, 11 of which were on frame. Despite all the opportunities to score, the Nighthawks couldn’t find the back of the net.
“The difference is luck. We dominated the game,” Ramirez said. “The way this game is won is by putting the ball in the back of the net and the ball bounced their way, but we were the better team.”
Despite the disappointment that flooded the field after the game ended, First Flight has plenty to celebrate after finishing 21-2 and being ranked eighth overall in the state. Nighthawk fans cheered all the way through, at one point singing, “We still love you!” after the Red Devils’ goal.
Senior Mast Lige won the 2A North Carolina Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Award, and senior co-captains Vega Sproul and Quinn Douglas accepted the runner-up plaque in the postgame ceremony.
The Nighthawks are making a habit of being one of the last teams standing in the state by channeling all their hard work and effort into championship-level soccer.
“For them to have fun (next season) and have some great memories of the year and to hopefully come back here,” Ramirez said of his hope for the future. “This is the ultimate conclusion to a great season so that’s the goal. Each year, it gets tougher and tougher, but we have a great group of student-athletes at school and we can’t ask any more — they’ll perform.”
Junior Hannah Ellington can be reached at ellingtonha121@daretolearn.org.
