Pre-season stories

  
   
     
       
     
 
     
 


 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
     
 

All of the newspapers were saying that we would have a pretty strong team, but it was doubtful we could achieve the success of the previous year's team.

That team had a perfect regular season record, but lost in a shootout in one of the saddest things I've ever witnessed.

Keswick outplayed Tampa Prep the whole game, but the Terrapins scored on a direct free kick to tie it.  As the sun was setting (this was before there were lights on the field), the game went to a shootout.

Now, by some accounts, that game should have been called for darkness, but the referee wasn't about to do that.

Sophomore Kevin Crippen came up to take a kick that would have been the game-winner. He was very confident.  He pumped his fists in the air.  He walked right up, and kicked it in.  The crowd went wild, everyone was hugging.  Keswick was headed the to state tournament!  Only one problem--the referee said that he had not signaled for Kevin to kick.
Kevin had to re-set the penalty kick. This time, however, by some strange twist of fate, his toe got stuck in a little hole in the field right behind the penalty kick spot. Kein tripped slightly, and his foot brushed into the ball. The ball rolled about two feet.  The referee ruled that this was Kevin's shot, and it was a miss.

Everyone was dumb-founded.  The Terps converted on their next shot.  Then, they were hugging and headed to the state tourney.  We had gone from perfection to devastation in one instant.

I thought Kevin was going to have to be institutionalized, he was so upset.  I saw his dad, former Channel 8 sportscaster Dick Crippen, put his arm around him and tell him there would be other games.

I'll bet no one savored our 1983 state championship more than Kevin Crippen. It was sweet vindication.

Anyhow, click on these links to go to the stories that had season previews about the 1983 season.

  
   
 
     
 

After the previous year ended tragically, and several seniors were lost from that squad, no one really knew what to expect in 1983.

  
   
 
         
       
     
   
     
   
     
   
 
     
 

State soccer champions 1983 | Pre-season stories | Post-season stories | State final stories | A little about Keswick | Team photo and autographs | Directory of Related Links

  
   
 
   
 
     
 

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Email:
Jeremy Rasmussen

  
   
 

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