Once it was done, Marin Sather and Wrylee Osterhaus met on top of the purple bear claw at the center of Krantz Field.
The Blair High School senior soccer players embraced, tears in their eyes, as classmate Valeria Hernandez approached with junior Brynn Ray's arm around her.
They, along with fellow 12th-grader Katie Kramer, led coach Nick Hall's young Bears to Saturday's Class B-8 District Final against Columbus Scotus. Their team lost, though, 4-2, finishing a single win shy of BHS' first state tournament appearance in more than two decades.
“Pretty bad,” Sather said when asked how much she needed those hugs after her final prep match. “It's a special bond with your teammates, especially when we've played together when we were little.”
While the Shamrocks advanced to play more games, the Bears closed the season 11-6 overall. It's their winningest campaign since 2013 when the program went 12-5.
“It's really special,” Hernandez said.
The people involved made it that way, Sather added.
“I just have a lot of love for them and this sport,” she said.
Blair actually scored the first two goals of Saturday morning's match with Scotus. Sophomore Claire Anderson found the back of the net first during the seventh minute, scoring on a rebound after freshman Kaitlynn O'Neil sent her a perfect pass for the first shot.
Hernandez was next, finishing Anderson's 15th-minute corner kick after the 'Rocks' goalkeeper couldn't handle it with her mitts.
“It really means that I could contribute something to the team,” Hernandez said of the goal. “That I could help these girls take that next step.”
Ahead 2-0, the Bears appeared headed to their first state tourney since 2001. Instead, Scotus superstar Emma Brezenski delivered four-straight goals. The junior scored first during the 26th minute before booting in back-to-back penalty kicks in the 29th and 39th.
After halftime, Ray, the Blair junior, placed a shot on goal during the 52nd minute before she was tripped up in the box in the 64th, but did not get a call from there referees.
BHS freshman Laynie Brown later headed an Anderson corner kick just up and over the goal in the 67th before the Shamrocks went ahead by two goals with Brezenski's fourth in the 70th.
From there, the Bears' season ended. Four soon-to-be graduates won't be back for another, but four juniors, two sophomores and 13 freshmen from the district roster will have the opportunity to.
“The future's bright, definitely,” Coach Hall said.
Sather would like for her younger teammates to think of this 2024 season with her class fondly.
“I just hope they remember how fun it was,” she said. “Every day at practice. All the games, even the tough ones, we had a lot of love for each other and we were always playing for each other.”
Hernandez looks forward to seeing what the young Bears accomplish.
“I'll always be cheering them on,” the senior said. “They have really great potential.”
Bears drop subdistrict final
Blair lost its Class B-3 Subdistrict Final on May 1, too, 2-0, but the Bears were emboldened by their effort against the 12-4 Bennington Badgers. Kramer and Osterhaus both were enthusiastic about their team's district chances coming out of the tight loss.
“I honestly think this is one of the better games we've played,” Osterhaus said. “The effort was there, we just didn't finish our opportunities.”
When asked to compare the Bears' showing against the Badgers to its regular season loss to the same team, Kramer said it was a notable improvement.
“We've just got to finish our opportunities and got to limit the mistakes,” she explained.
Anderson look Blair's first corner kick of the match during the 12th minute before Ray placed a shot on goal during the 14th. O'Neil was tripped in the box during the 22nd, too, but the referees didn't feel it warranted a penalty kick.
Then, during the 28th minute, the Badgers scored their first goal on a corner kick. Hayden Anibal headed the ball in past Regan Blattert, the Bears' freshman goalkeeper.
Ray booted another shot on goal shortly thereafter, but it was saved.
With a minute before the break, Bennington went ahead 2-0 when Mallory Minturn got loose for the second goal of the match.
Osterhaus said her coaches, Hall and Ashley Brown, gave thesquad a mission during the intermission and the Bears delivered.
“We played a heck of a second half,” the senior noted. “We had possession for three-quarters of the half.”
Blattert and Blair's defense held strong, while the Bears created scoring opportunities. Bennington made a tough save during the 45th minute before a non-keeper kept O'Neil's header on a Anderson corner kick from finding the back of the net in the 67th.
In the end, though, the loss was BHS' fifth of the season. It lost its sixth a few days later.
BHS SOCCER LINE SCORES
Saturday
Columbus Scotus 4, Blair 2
CS (13-3) 3 1 — 4
BHS (11-6) 2 0 — 2
Goals: Blair: Claire Anderson and Valeria Hernandez. Scotus: Emma Brezenski.
May 1
Bennington 2, Blair 0
BHS (11-5) 0 0 — 0
BEN (12-4) 2 0 — 2
Goals: Bennington: Hayden Anibal and Mallory Minturn.
