Boys near playoff berth with dramatic shutout; hat trick by Maeve McRae powers girls
By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
Lone Peak High School began Homecoming Week sports with a pair of wins on Thursday night, as both varsity squads defeated visiting Park High School. Both teams’ playoff hopes benefitted from the win, especially the boys who are now expecting to host a tournament game in Big Sky.
The boys game was tight until the final save by junior keeper Oliver McGuire, who earned a shutout in the Big Horns 1-0 victory.
“Oliver, today, basically played out of his mind… He’s the reason why we won the game today,” head coach Tony Coppola said after the win, praising his goalkeeper’s quiet confidence.
“My defense was creating small windows,” McGuire said. “Funnels it right to me. They’re doing a great job of preventing shots, and preventing time to take shots.”
McGuire said it feels good to beat Park and leapfrog them in the standings, moving up to second place in the Class A eastern division. Because the Big Horns defeated the Rangers in both head-to-head matchups, they won’t rematch in a play-in game—with just two games left, head coach Tony Coppola is cautiously optimistic that Lone Peak will lock up second place behind undefeated Billings Central Catholic High School.
The team employed a new defensive strategy to shut down one of Park’s key players. Coppola credited sophomore Dudley Davis for handling him in the first half, and senior captain Cam Pecunies and sophomore Keegan Luchini for doing it in the second.
“We played really well on defense,” Coppola said. “The guys did their jobs. We asked a couple of guys to do some things that they normally don’t have to do, and they stepped up and did it.”
McGuire still made some key saves without help from his defense. Early on, he redeemed himself with a one-on-one stop after passing the ball straight to a Ranger forward. Nine minutes later, he made a diving save to stop another near-goal, and continued to smother the easier shots.
The Big Horns also missed some scoring chances in the first half, including a few shots launched through the football uprights or wide of the goal.
At halftime, the game remained scoreless.
The second half continued with strong ball movement and a few close shots by junior Brady Johnson, but no cigar.
In the 61st minute, McGuire gave the Big Horns something extra. He dropkicked the ball well beyond half field, where Keegan Luchini collected it in stride.
“I just saw [McGuire] was going to punt it up and made the run,” Luchini said.
“Never seen him punt that far,” senior Finn McRae said after the game.
Two touches later, Luchini volleyed it past Park’s charging goalkeeper. He recognized that the keeper would need to fight the setting sun, and said the defenders seemed to be struggling too.
It was McGuire’s first-ever assist as a goalkeeper.
“I was just trying to get it out of there,” he said. “Ended in a goal. I’ll take it.”
McRae nearly scored three minutes later, but his 30-yard shot was saved on a dive. Dudley Davis hit the goalpost on a 40-yard free kick later on. Defending the lead for 18 minutes, McGuire would be tasked with holding on to his shutout. In the final seconds, it almost evaporated.
McGuire saved a solid shot during stoppage time, but an apparent miscommunication between referees resulted in a corner kick being called. The Rangers threatened twice, but their final shot was a head-ball over the crossbar, followed by the final whistle.
“We played as a team,” Coppola said. “We were definitely gritty out there.”
Luchini said the team stayed disciplined at their positions, and approached their challenges with confidence on Thursday. He commended freshman defender Thaddeus Davis for making an impact as he returned from injury.
“We knew we needed this win to get second place and make it to the playoffs,” Luchini said. “So everybody was really working hard.”
McRae said the team eventually got communication and ball distribution going in the midfield as the Big Horns settled their nerves.
“We all came out pretty hyped, and that’s good, but we still need to stay composed,” McRae said. He added he’s excited for playoff soccer.
The Big Horns expect to hold on for a second-place finish, which means they’ll host a playoff game, potentially rematching Whitefish—last year, the senior-heavy Bulldogs ended the Big Horns’ season on their way to a Class A state championship.
“We’re really excited to be able to host a tournament game, and hopefully we’ll have a better result against Whitefish than we normally do,” coach Coppola said.
Coppola said it felt awesome to beat a strong team in front of a “super loyal” homecoming crowd—he estimated more than 150 fans, scanning the sideline during the girls game.
“I’m glad we got to deliver the win. It always feels good to do that,” he said.
Freshmen girls shine in 4-0 win
As Coppola finished his postgame interview with EBS, he became distracted by a sudden wave of energy from the crowd.
“Come on Maeve, put it away kid,” he said, as freshman Maeve McRae received a through-ball from junior Harper Morris and buried it, giving the Big Horns a 2-0 lead over the Rangers in the first half.
McRae had already scored 19 minutes earlier, finishing a well-placed corner kick from fellow freshman Lola Morris.
McRae finished her hat trick early in the second half, and helped lead the Big Horns to a 4-0 homecoming victory.
“Obviously, Maeve McRae was out of control tonight,” said junior captain Maddie Wilcynski. “She did so well.”
Fellow junior captain Hana Mittelstaedt added, “She deserves that, because she’s been working really, really hard for that.”
McRae said it was her first hat trick in high school, but emphasized Thursday as a team win under the lights.
“It was amazing,” she said. “Honestly though, most of the goals were from my teammates. It was their passes that really helped me score.”
McRae saw strength in the team’s communication and passing, an area that has challenged them throughout the season.
“Simple passing and working together as a team worked out really well for us tonight,” Wilcynski said.
The Big Horns put immediate pressure on the Rangers. In the first five minutes, Harper Morris struck the goalpost, and after their first goal, Wilcynski hit the post again with a long-range shot.
Wilcynski would eventually score in the second half to give the Big Horns their 4-0 lead, and the Big Horn defense held the Rangers scoreless as the clock ticked away.
“I’m so proud of us. That was a great win,” Wilcynski said, adding that it gives her team a positive outlook ahead of their final two games—the Big Horns will need to win both to keep their playoff hopes alive.
That means beating Laurel High School, a team they recently tied, 2-2, in their final game on Oct. 12.
“This win was huge,” Wilcynski said. “Four goals helped us a lot in terms of goal differential. Definitely over Park now, our next big challenge game will be Laurel. We’ll have to win that one… but can do.”
If the team makes playoffs, McRae is ready.
“I think it’s going to be our first year ever… It’s going to be amazing, fun to experience,” she said.
Aside from the race for a playoff spot, the young team has a bright future, with 15 of 20 players being freshmen or sophomores.
Wilcynski commended the team’s young players for their growth throughout the season. Freshmen showed up with an intense mindset, and have been building their soccer fundamentals.
“On and off the bench, as well,” Wilcynski said. “Like, the energy of all them stepping up, chipping in to everything we do. Whether it’s practice, making sure everyone’s intense, or in the games… if they only get a couple minutes, they’re working as hard as they possibly can.”
McRae sees her fellow freshmen making an impact already, including Lola Morris, Marley Chapin and Ava Staudt, who played on varsity as eighth graders alongside McRae.
“I feel like we had a really good connection from the beginning, because we were young on the team, so we immediately bonded… All the freshmen are amazing. Shoutout to all of our wings—most of them were freshmen,” McRae said.
Mittelstaedt said the team’s chemistry has been “super strong” this year. Even without any seniors, youth doesn’t hold the team back.
“Everybody can be a leader, no matter what your age is,” Mittelstaedt said. “If you’re on the field or off the field, I think it’s really cool to learn from each other and really build that camaraderie.”
