Much has changed for a Crocker club that suffered through a tumultuous season just two years earlier that saw a 4-14 overall record.
Now in his third year heading the Lady Lions and trudging through another challenging schedule, head coach Darren Boberg has a district championship under his belt – thanks to a clutch 2-1 Crocker (11-12-1) victory over Fair Grove (15-6) in Class 1, District 6 play on Thursday.
“We've got a good bunch of girls here,” Boberg said after the win. “They molded together very well in the beginning of the season. We took a hard loss from some hard schools, lost a little bit, but we brought it together in the end when it counts.”
After an opening 15 minutes consisting of several scoring threats by both teams, it was the Lady Lions who made the first dent on the scoreboard at the 25:19 mark of the first half when junior forward Saffron Lancaster trickled a slow roller that managed to find its way past the keeper and across the goal line.
Crocker's momentum was tempered shortly after, however, as Lancaster fell to the turf with a leg injury – sending one of Boberg's most prolific scoring threats to the bench for the rest of the match.
But even with Lancaster out of action, Crocker remained determined as a district title was within sight.
“Even though Saffron [Lancaster] was sitting, the other players stepped up just like we told them how to do,” Boberg said.
Senior Hannah Carriger, who became accustomed to gathering assists off goals from Lancaster, picked up her team with a splendid arcing shot that found the back of the net to extend Crocker's lead to 2-0 in the 23rd minute.
"Saffron, she's a huge part of our forwards and a huge part of our team," Carriger said. "Usually, I send it to her, but then I'm thinking, I have to send it to myself."
Fair Grove showed signs of life with a Haileigh Houston netter at the 24:50 mark in the second period to cut the lead in half, but that's as close as the Lady Eagles came to catching Crocker with freshman Maggie Fancher guarding at goal.
Fancher performed her duties admirably on Thursday – making three key saves on the night to help the Lady Lions come away with the trophy.
“She came to me very, very raw,” added Boberg of Fancher. “But you can't really teach the instincts. You can teach the skills, but not the instincts. She's going to be very good for a long time.”
As the final seconds ticked down, exuberance for Crocker equated to heartbreak for a Fair Grove team that let late scoring opportunities fall by the wayside.
“We had some chances that we couldn't quite turn into goals tonight,” Fair Grove head coach Joseph Florez said. “That's the nature of it. Our district was a really tight district and sometimes you're not going to win.”
With the victory, the Lady Lions advance to the state quarterfinal round to face Father Tolton Regional Catholic in Columbia on Wednesday.
