Originally posted by The Waukesha Freeman…
MILWAUKEE — Not many people have had as wild or impressive 30 hours as Catholic Memorial junior Will Kinateder.
At 11 a.m. on Friday, Kinateder provided two assists for the boys soccer program in a 4-1 win over Somerset in the WIAA Division 3 state boys soccer semifinals. Eight hours later, Kinateder switched the pitch for the gridiron, taking kickoffs, nailing extra points and even converting a two-point try for the Crusaders football program in a 28-7 third-round playoff win over Mount Horeb/Barneveld.
“I’m so grateful. Honestly, it’s a blessing,” Kinateder said. “I mean, the coaches are amazing. Couldn’t do it without all these teammates, man. It’s just really a great, great environment.”
Kinateder provided three assists over the two matches, taking his already-teamhigh tally of 12 to 15. His main target this season was senior Cal Olbrantz (15 goals), the Crusaders’ top marksman heading into the tournament. And the two proved to be a lethal combo again on Saturday.
Just 2 minutes and 18 seconds into Saturday’s final against the Tritons, Olbrantz and Kinateder played a beautiful one-two at the edge of the Tritons’ penalty box, which Olbrantz finished beautifully into the bottom left-hand corner.
“The biggest thing we talked about both games was coming out strong,” said Olbrantz, who also scored two goals in the first six minutes against Somerset. “We were a second-half team all year, and we wanted to change that for the playoffs because we knew the teams we’re going up against were going to be tough.”
Olbrantz’s goal felt like a sign of things to come, and just two minutes later, Kinateder put him through on goal again. But as he tried to round sophomore Ryan McNerney in the Notre Dame goal, the Tritons keeper got down well to smother the ball.
CMH had the lion’s share of possession in the opening 15 minutes, but couldn’t find that all-important second goal. After soaking up the pressure, Notre Dame started to grow into the match, and got top-scorer and Fox River Classic Conference Player of the Year Liam West (33 goals) more involved.
“No. 12, they found him and he started creating problems for us,” Crusaders coach John Bisswurm said. “I was just hoping we could get into half, holding onto that lead where we could try to solidify things a little bit.”
It looked as if the Crusaders would be able to do just that, but West, who was averaging a remarkable 1.8 goals per game, would not be denied. With just 14 seconds to go until the halftime break, West controlled the ball in the penalty box and fired a low shot into the lefthand corner past the despairing dive of freshman Chase Thomas, who had done well to repel earlier efforts, in the Catholic Memorial goal.
“Unfortunately, we gave up that late goal, and it gave them the momentum coming into the second half,” Bisswurm said.
With things all square again, there were 40 minutes left to decide a state champion. Both sides came out of the break with renewed energy, and if the first half was a tale of two halves, the second was as even as it gets. Each team has five shots and two corner kicks in the second period, highlighting the level of competition that any fan would want in a state final. It felt like one goal would decide the match, and whichever team scored would walk away as state champions. Fortunately for the Crusaders, they were the ones to get it, with a little help.
With just over five minutes remaining, senior defender Matthew Schantner played a dangerous cross into the box. Tritons defender Jayden Flegal, trying to deal with two Crusader attackers on his own, couldn’t quite sort his feet out and put the ball into his own net past a helpless McNerney.
“We were just trying to break them down as much as we could with combinations and just try to set it up,” Bisswurm said. Now with a one-goal lead, the Crusaders just had to see out the clock and they would be state champions. But Notre Dame wasn’t about to give in. With just under two minutes remaining, the Tritons earned a free kick about 40 yards from goal. The ball was driven into the penalty box, causing confusion amongst the Crusaders’ back ranks. All of a sudden, the ball was in the back of the Crusaders’ net.
But just as quickly as the cheers from the Notre Dame fans erupted, their cheers turned to groans. Everyone looked toward the assistant referee, who stood firm with her flag held high, signaling offside.
The Crusaders, saved by the lineswoman’s flag, held firm the rest of the way, and as the clock hit 80 minutes, the players, coaches and fans burst into tears of joy.
“Our freshman year, we won one game. Sophomore year, we won three. Last year, we won five, and now we’re standing here with a gold ball,” Olbrantz said. “I’m so proud of the senior class for just bringing this team back.”
“It’s just amazing, indescribable feeling,” Kinateder said. “You can’t describe it, just gotta feel it.”
For Bisswurm, who has been at the helm of CMH’s boys soccer program since 1980, bringing home a second gold ball was a moment he could hardly process.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Bisswurm said.