An Amazing Comeback...

Normally, I don't write about school-related stuff on my blog, but I know that several alumni will be interested in this story. And rather than have to write the story in several different messages, I thought I'd put it here.
WAHAA, one of our chief rivals in the KCAA, came into town with an excellent record and a couple of resounding victories against other teams in our league (8-0 over Heritage and 6-0 or 6-1 against Olathe Christian). They were older and taller than us, as well as well-coached. Coach Congdon rightfully said that this was going to be a tough game for us, and he was right. The story of this game ranks as one of the best comebacks in the history of Cair Paravel Latin School Boys' Soccer.
The game began with the teams trading opportunities back and forth without much success. In the 8th minute, however, WAHAA finally captialized on our poor marking. One of WAHAA's players hit a cross that went through Boggs's hands and to an unmarked WAHAA forward. The game remained a back-and-forth affair, with both teams having opportunities. Finally, we were able to take advantage of one of our opportunities. Harrison was able to corral a loose ball from a corner kick and send it off their keeper's outstretched hand to knot the score at 1-1. The remainder of the first half saw both teams trading fruitless opportunities.
Then, the drama began. Coach Congdon had to leave for a wedding rehearsal, leaving me in charge. (Not my favorite place to be, admittedly, but I can do it in a pinch for one game. Coach is more than welcome to keep his job...)
Anyway, so we began the second half underway, and WAHAA nearly scored a goal on a breakaway. Andrew saved us by making an amazing recovery. And then only 6 minutes into the second half, it rained. Or perhaps a better way to say it would be then the skies opened up and every single ounce of water in the atmosphere (coupled with lightning) came pouring down out of the sky. The game was suspended for 10 to let the storm pass.
As we resumed, the seniors led us in the "Oggie" cheer, something we haven't done for a while, and we came out fired up. Unfortunately, we took a punch to the gut only two minutes after we resumed play, when a WAHAA player was able to beat Boggs to a loose ball in the box.
Now down 2-1, our players had the chance to give up or to fight on through. I was impressed how they continued to fight. The next 12 minutes or so were relatively uneventful, as we again slowly regained momentum from giving the goal.
Then, we took another blow. Or more accurately, Boggs took a blow. He had just dived on a loose ball when one of WAHAA's players speared Boggs with his shoulder. Boggs had to leave the game with an injured left shoulder, forcing us to put Andrew into goal. (Now, Andrew has played goal for us before, but he's had no reps at that position in practice.)
The next 4 or 5 minutes passed tensely as we tried to adjust to different people in different places forced upon us by the injury. With fifteen minutes remaining, the game seemed to have reached a stalemate. Needing two goals in only 15 minutes, we switched our formation to a 4-3-3. Boggs was also able to return to the game as a stopper.
Switching to a 4-3-3 is a bit risky because you can lose the battle in midfield and put insane amounts of pressure on your defense. But if the defense holds together and your opponent doesn't adjust correctly to it (by playing short passes through the midfield), it will usually work within about 10 minutes.
In this case, it seemed to be working. WAHAA's defense was having trouble adjusting to the extra pressure created by the third forward. In the 75th minute (about ten minutes after the change), Ryan hit a great through ball to Trevin, who calmly carried to about 10 yards out and nailed a shot past the helpless keeper.
The score was tied 2-2. With only 5 minutes remaining, the question was whether we would be able to get another goal in time, or whether we would have to take the risk of overtime. Less than a minute later, that question was emphatically answered. Grayson hit a short square pass to an open Harrison who promptly unloaded a beautiful shot from about 25 yards out. The ball sailed past the outstretched arms of the WAHAA goalie.
We were now up 3-2 with about 4 minutes to play. WAHAA made one last-ditch effort to find the equalizer, but one of their wings was called offside on their most promising attack. In the end, we prevailed, and credit has to go to the team for playing such an excellent game. The seniors did a good job of stepping up and showing some leadership with Coach gone, and the defense played much better once Boggs went down. Andrew only had to touch the ball a couple of times, and he performed admirably in both cases. The offense turned it on when it counted, and the team refused to quit. And now, here I am, two hours after the final whistle, still not totally believing what I just saw happen. It was truly one of the most amazing comebacks I've ever seen.