Kosciusko boys soccer split four games with victories over Northeast Lauderdale 2-1 and Enterprise Clarke 4-2, and losses to Newton County 3-0 and Ridgeland 3-1. Northeast Lauderdale and Newton County are Region 4-4A games, leaving the Whippets with a 2-2 conference record.
Jon Gant accounted for both goals against Northeast Lauderdale, assisting on a goal by Robert Pickle and scoring on passes for Thomas Sims and Christian Garcia.
After Pickle gave the Whippets a 1-0, Northeast Lauderdale tied the game, scoring off a corner kick before Gant’s game winner.
Gant and Alexis Hernandez did the kicking for Kosciusko’s football team in the fall, Gant as the punter and Hernandez as the placekicker. Against Enterprise they showed that they are good with their feet in more than one sport, each with two goals. Hernandez assisted on both Gant goals, who returned the favor with an assist on one of the times Hernandez found the net.
After Gant gave the Whippets a 1-0 halftime lead, Enterprise scored two quick goals to start the second half. Kosciusko tied it on a goal by Hernandez, went ahead on Gant’s second goal and Hernandez added an insurance score.
Coach Greg Cooper feels the Whippets played well in the loss to Ridgeland, a 5A school with a strong tradition in the sport. “They were able to capitalize a little more than we did. But overall, I was pleased with the team.”
Gant scored the Kosciusko goal, with an assist from Eli Kemp.
Girls
The Lady Whippets dropped all four games, 1-0 against Newton County and Northeast Lauderdale, 6-0 against Ridgeland and 3-2 against Enterprise.
Kosciusko took a 1-0 halftime lead against Enterprise when Raven Pernell scored with an assist from Molly Steed. Enterprise responded with three goals, including a free kick and a penalty. Pernell scored again, assisted by Mia Manjarrez, but the Lady Whippets were unable to get the equalizer.
“We ran out of time,” Cooper said. “We had some shots. Just couldn’t put them away.”
The goal by Northeast Lauderdale came when Kosciusko was playing a man down, the result of Pernell being assessed two yellow cards.
Cooper said Ridgeland plays a Jackson style of physical soccer, but he appreciates the effort shown by his team. “They never gave up. Continued to fight. There were opportunities for us. We were just unable to put them away.”
Next games for the Whippets and Lady Whippets will be January 3 at West Lauderdale. West Lauderdale won earlier games, 2-0 for the boys and 7-0 for girls.
Newton County boys and West Lauderdale girls lead 4-4A. The top three teams, boys and girls, will qualify for the playoffs.
