LAFAYETTE >> The new Granite Peaks soccer league houses arguably some of the best teams in the entire state — across all the biggest classifications — and on Thursday night at Spangenberg Field, Class 4A’s third-ranked Centaurus and fourth-ranked Silver Creek proved as much in their battle for the 4A GPL title.
After 80 minutes that didn’t see a single goal and a 0-0 draw, the Warriors and Raptors will have to wait until the official end of the regular season on Saturday to see who truly takes home the crown. With their identical league records (5-0-2) now thrown out the window, it will all boil down to where CHSAA’s Selection & Seeding Index rankings fall.
Either way, it puts both teams in prime position for the 4A state playoffs.
“I think their energy was just really good the whole game,” said Centaurus junior keeper Nick Jones, who made numerous spectacular saves. “They were pressing the whole time. You could tell they really wanted to win this. We were able to hold on for at least a tie, so hopefully that’s enough for the league championship, although it can’t be confirmed yet. My defense did pretty good to make sure I didn’t have to do too much, and I think we handled their pressure pretty well throughout the entire game.”
The Warriors will return to the postseason after making it to last year’s semifinals, where they fell to eventual state champion Battle Mountain. They didn’t seem to miss a single step when they lost 14 seniors, instead bringing up 12 more to fill their shoes.
They hope to continue the legacy that last year’s team started, while Silver Creek’s story tracks a bit differently.
The Raptors fielded strong teams over each of the past two seasons but always ran into a brick wall whenever the second round rolled around. Senior defender Aris Lindquist hopes that Thursday night’s decision — or, rather, indecision — will help propel them further than in years past.
He led a back line that has only given up 15 goals all year.
“They had constant pressure on us, but I think our back line just locked them down any time they got past the 30(-yard line) or whatever, and then we were just going right back at them,” Lindquist said. “It was a lot of back and forth. We’ve been pretty locked down all year.
“We’ve had this game the last three years, so it’s like a little rivalry for conference. Definitely not the way we wanted to end it. I mean, if it comes down to the RPI or whatever it comes down to, that’s a bummer. We’d love to win the game.”
The Warriors finished the regular season with a 9-3-3 record, pacing just slightly behind the 9-2-3 mark that the Raptors were able to put up. Now, they’ll just have to wait until Monday to see where they fall for playoffs.