From the first practice of the season, the Fort Osage boys soccer team set its sights on a conference championship. Now, after a season defined by grit and teamwork, that goal has become reality as the Indians claimed the Suburban White Conference crown for the first time since 2016.
The boys’ soccer team had already clinched the title with their 8-0 win over Ruskin on Wednesday, Oct. 22. But to ensure they didn’t have to share the title with someone else, they had to beat Platte County. The Indians secured a 3-2 double-overtime victory. The Indians started out hot as senior Blake Overbeck was fouled in the box and buried his penalty kick. But the Pirates fought back, going up 2-1 after halftime. Junior Bogan Weikel’s free kick found fellow junior Nick Cornejo’s head to give the Indians the equalizer. Then in double overtime, senior Austin Sinclair smashed home a half volley to give the Indians the victory and sole possession of the conference title. The goal sent the Indians pouring onto the field. For Sinclair, it was special as he’s been waiting years for this moment.
“I’ve been working for it the last three years that I’ve been starting, and we came short last year, and it just sucked,” Sinclair said. “But I’m glad that we finally got one this year in my last year.”
The Indians showed so much grit by winning all three of their overtime games and both of the games that went into penalty kicks. Head coach Ra Del Hinckley believes there is something different about this year’s team.
“This team is a special team,” Hinckley said. “They don’t get down, they keep fighting. The amount of grit this team has is amazing. I didn’t doubt it at all that even when we got to overtime, we would win.”
This is a huge feat for the boys’ soccer team. They haven’t held a conference title since 2016. The Indians have also come in 2nd in two of the last three years. Hinckley expresses how proud he is of the work the team put in this year.
“We’ve been so close to conference multiple times in the past few years, and I’m just so unbelievably proud of them,” Hinckley said. “And the work that they do and how hard they work to win the conference.”
Breaking a winning drought like the Indians had is a huge step in the right direction for the program. Cornejo can’t wait to get back to work and win again during his senior year next season.
“I think next year there’s going to be a tough fight too,” Cornejo said. “And I think we’ll bring it back.”
Not only does this win feel great for this year’s team, but it also feels great for the team’s future. It will set up for future success because returning players will want that winning feeling again. Hinckley believes that leaving a legacy will push the players even more to keep winning the conference.
“I think it leaves a legacy,” Hinckley said. “It will now be something that we can point to and say, Let’s get our number up there next. Let’s get a banner next to the other one we already have.”
The Indians then turned their attention to districts where they would face conference foe Grain Valley for the third time on Saturday, Nov. 1. the same team the Indians beat twice during the regular season. Grain Valley got the best of them this time and defeated the Indians 3-1 in a heartbreaking loss. So the season did not end the way the team had hoped. Nonetheless, this year’s team is just a building block for what’s to come.
