A strategic move proved to be fruitful in Ocosta’s 8-2 throttling of Ilwaco on Monday in Westport.
Looking for a spark to his team’s offense, Ocosta head coach Mike King moved sweeper Kennedy Reynolds up to forward in order to give Wildcats scoring-leader Miki Ness some support.
The move turned out to be a brilliant one as Reynolds scored five goals while Ness added a hat trick in the victory.
But the game started off ominously for Ocosta (4-4-1 overall, 2-1 2B Central) as an Ilwaco goal six minutes in put the Wildcats behind 1-0.
Then Reynolds began to make her mark on the game, scoring less than a minute later off a pass from Ness then following it up with a goal off a crossing pass from Scarlett Nelson, netting two goals in two minutes.
Ness scored on a pass from Natalie Carloza in the 19th minute for a 3-1 lead.
Ilwaco (2-5, 2-4) trimmed the deficit to 3-2 on a goal in the 35th minute, but Ness responded with a goal just before halftime for a 4-2 lead.
Ocosta’s defense — which had to adjust to Taeler Jardine moving to sweeper in lieu of Reynolds — got comfortable with the arrangement in the second half, holding Ilwaco scoreless in the second half.
Ness completed the hat trick in the 56th minute, scoring off a pass from Nevaeh Smith.
Reynolds followed with a goal off a Ness pass for a hat trick followed by her fourth goal of the game off another Ness feed in the 77th minute.
Reynold’s incredible night concluded when she took a feed from Nelson and scored in the 78th minute, prompting Ness to say,”You’re never going back to sweeper, Kennedy.”
“Our passing was the best it’s been all year and our communication was outstanding,” said King, whose team connected on 75% of its passes in the game. “Ilwaco’s keeper did an outstanding job with 14 saves, but our passing gave us some good looks at the goal. Our intensity from the opening kickoff to the final whistle was incredible tonight. We’re starting to gel at the right time.”
With the win, Ocosta moves into second place in league and will face Raymond-South Bend at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at South Bend High School.
Ilwaco 2 0 — 2
Ocosta 4 4 — 8
Other scores
Raymond-South Bend 3, Forks 0
BOYS PREP GOLF
Aberdeen 222, Centralia 255
Aberdeen’s Trevon Nichols had his best round of the season to lead the Bobcats to a 222-255 win over Centralia at Grays Harbor Country Club on Thursday.
Nichols shot a 9-hole round of 39 to lead the Bobcats, highlighted by a 30-yard chip-in on hole No. 3.
Aberdeen also got top-four scores from Charlie Ancich (41), Baylor Ainsworth (46) and Hunter Eisele (47).
Bobcat Trevon Ramos just missed the scoreboard, cracking into the 40s for the first time in his prep career with a 49.
Centralia’s Vaughn Wasson won Medalist honors with an even-par 35.
“When we play Centralia, it is like a homecoming for coaches and players,” Aberdeen head coach Dan Sundstrom said. “I have known (Centralia) Coach Gronseth’s family for 30 years and some of both team’s players participate in a summer baseball league. It makes for a great golf atmosphere.”
Aberdeen (222) — Nichols 39, Ancich 41, Ainsworth 46, Eisele 47.
Centralia (255) — Wasson 35, Brady Sprague 52, Tucker Weaver 54, Caden Fitzgerald/Tig Hedgers 57 (tie).
