“It ain’t over till it’s over.” – Yogi Berra. Nothing was more true than last nights game between Barron Collier and Gulf Coast. Cougar Stadium was packed, the rain had let up and GC was looking to do what they had never done…Beat BC. For 3 ½ quarters BC controlled the game and had the Sharks on their heels. GC had only taken 4 shots on goal and the Cougars stifling defense (Junior Michael Nathan – picture above) was holding true to its name. Up 5-1, it looked over. Not so fast… A couple of untimely penalties and 3 goals from Sterling Desourcey and it was 5-4. The last 6 min was a dogfight. GC made run after run at BC and goalie Zach “Chevy” Woods continued to make save after save. GC goalie Nick Jardone was equal to the task all night log. With BC’s shooters blasting away, he continued to come up big and keep GC within striking distance. Barron Collier senior Michael O’Dea scored the first goal to give the Cougars an early lead, which they never surrendered. “It’s exciting for Collier County to have two Top 10 teams in the state,” Barron Collier coach Trent Carter said. “We will probably see them again when we get into the playoffs in the next couple of weeks.” The Cougars (13-1), LaxPower’s No. 3 ranked team in Florida, benefitted from a tough out-of-district schedule to prepare for Gulf Coast (13-2), LaxPower’s No. 4 ranked team in Florida. “We’ve challenged ourselves by playing teams in the East coast that are ranked in the Top 10 all year long,” Carter said. “We were ready for the challenge.” Two goals from Barron Collier junior Jake Telitz gave the Cougars a 3-0 lead. The 4th BC goal was an interesting one. Junior Middie Drew Goodrich made a nice move and scored what looked like a goal. One official called it good, one called it no good. As GC goalie Jardone came out to argue the call, BC Junior Attacker Austin Miller grabbed the ball in the crease and flipped it in. Either way, it gave the Cougars a 4-0 lead. Gulf Coast junior Sterling Desorcy, who scored all four Sharks’ goals, ended Barron Collier’s scoring streak at four to make it 4-1. However, O’Dea responded with his second goal of the game with 25 seconds remaining in the third quarter to give Barron Collier a 5-1 lead. The 4th continued until the 6 minute mark when Desourcy came up big for the Sharks, but it was not enough. “We had our chances tonight versus a very good defensive team,” Gulf Coast coach Luke Nealon said. “Our boys gave a great effort for four quarters and just came up short. It was really nice to see the fan support for this rivalry game. We will see them again in two weeks. BC closes the regular season on Friday against Fort Myers and Gulf Coast is home on Thursday against Cypress Lake. Both are Senior nights.