By JAMES COOK
jcook@record-eagle.com
October 09, 2008 12:00 am TRAVERSE CITY -- If Friday's pivotal Big North Conference game between Petoskey and Traverse City West comes down to a kick, it will be only fitting. Two days ago, the Northmen and Titans faced off on the soccer field in almost the exact same situation: The two teams were at the top of the league, playing in a game that would go a long way in determining the league champ. Grant Reed's Petoskey team won that game 2-1 over Cody Hamilton's West squad -- the first Northmen victory over West in seven years. Reed made six saves as the starting goaltender. Hamilton -- a midfielder on the pitch and West's field goal and extra-point kicker on the gridiron -- is hoping there isn't a repeat in Friday's matchup at Petoskey's Curtis Field. "It was hard," Hamilton said of Tuesday's loss. "You don't really note the importance of the score until afterwards. It was hard to lose because we haven't lost (to them) in seven years. "To walk away with two losses to Petoskey this week wouldn't really be good for your confidence. They are 6-0 and a win would really help us." It was an entirely different story last year, when the Northmen came into Harry Running Stadium at 0-6 and shocked the Titans 25-22 in West's homecoming, a game that brought tears to the eyes of Petoskey coach Kerry VanOrman as he stood on the turf of Thirlby Field after the victory. "It was a win that proved to the coaches and our kids that it's not so much what you do, but how you do it," VanOrman said. "West is perennially a good team, and it gave us some confidence. It's carried over into this season. There's no question it was big for us." That victory started a string of nine consecutive wins by the Northmen. "It turned our season around," said Reed, whose 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter last season provided the margin of victory. "We finished the season strong and since then everything has been going pretty good." "That's one of the biggest wins I can remember. (Coach VanOrman) gets emotional sometimes, but he usually keeps pretty level-headed. It was cool to see, though." This time, Petoskey is 6-0 and playing in its homecoming game while the 4-2 Titans are hungry to win their fifth straight and get within a victory of the playoffs. "I haven't mentioned 'championship' once this week," TC West coach Tim Wooer said. "If we win, we're just one step closer. "We're having so much fun right now. I had tears in my eyes talking to the guys that we might only have three weeks of football left." On the other hand, Petoskey has not only gone 6-0 -- clinching the fourth playoff appearance in school history -- but the Northmen have done it with only 25 players. Prior to the start of the season, VanOrman said staying healthy would be a key to the season, and Petoskey has done just that. "We've been pretty fortunate and I attribute that to the conditioning of the kids in the off-season," VanOrman said. "Knock on wood; hopefully, we'll stay healthy." Petoskey's soccer team still has to defeat Alpena -- a team they tied earlier this season -- tonight to clinch the outright soccer title. A tie would force a deadlock with West and a loss would give the crown to the Titans. West's Keenan Sanford -- who handles kickoff duties -- also plays soccer for the Titans. Big North battle WHO: TC West (4-2) vs. Petoskey (6-0) WHERE: Curtis Field, Petoskey WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday WHAT: The two teams are tied atop the Big North Conference standings at 2-0 in league play. Every other BNC squad has a league loss already, raising the stakes in this game.
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Photos
Grant Reed
Cody Hamilton