Campus hits elation as Colts get over the hump to make regional final

Cole Thompson stood in the shadowed end of the stadium with a chance to push his school to a regional final.

He stood over the penalty spot waiting for the scene to clear as Wichita North players told him he was nervous. But Thompson pegged his penalty kick hard and high to give the Colts a two-goal lead in their eventual 4-0 on Tuesday.

“I was pretty nervous, but after I scored, I let them hear it,” Thompson said. “I said, ‘You might want to be nervous now, buddy.’ “

Coming into the Class 6A playoffs, Campus had struggled with penalty kicks. The Colts missed one that would have tied the game at Andover Central, the No. 1 seed in 5A, and another at Derby, their biggest rival.

After that game, coach Casey Reece made a change from senior midfielder Erique Holloway to Thompson, a senior center back. Both had taken plenty of penalties for the Colts before 2018. It was just Thompson’s time.

“Misses happen to the best in the world, it just happens,” Reece said. “Going up a couple of goals tonight, yeah, it definitely put the nail in it. Nice to see us finish.”

After Thompson’s penalty, the gates were open. Sophomore forward Hassan Al-Amood scored the opening goal after a barrage of a first half from North.

The Redskins dominated the ball and the chances. Thompson said his side came out with poor intensity, and that showed. But senior goalkeeper Rylan Walter kept Campus in the game, reaching a scoreless halftime.

Reece said it was a “game of survival.”

“We know that most teams are going to keep possession against us, but we’re going to be hard to break down,” Al-Amood said. “If we get a chance, we’re going to punish teams, and that’s what we did out here tonight.”

By the end of the match, Colts were making heart symbols with their hands toward Walter.

“He’s huge every night, but first half, that was probably one of the best keeper performances,” Thompson said. “That was wild. We were lucky to come out 0-0 at half.”

In the second half, Al-Amood and Thompson’s goals set the stag as junior forward Erick Rojas came off the bench to score on a fastbreak and sophomore midfielder Aleec Hinojos scored a world-class free kick.

The game was tighter than the scoreline showed, but Campus hit its shots, and Walter held North out - something the Colts have struggled with at times this season.

Campus hasn’t lost since that Derby game Sept. 27, and having scored four against one of the most talented teams in the Wichita area, and the team that ended its season in 2017, will give the Colts confidence heading into their Class 6A regional final at No. 3 Dodge City on Thursday.

“That win feels absolutely incredible,” Thompson said. “That might be one of the best feelings after a game.”

This story was originally published October 23, 2018 at 10:10 PM.