LA CENTER — The moment Alec Watkins best remembers isn’t any of the three goals he put in the back of the net Tuesday, but instead one he almost did.
Midway through the first half of La Center’s 7-0 Trico League win over Seton Catholic, Watkins — with his back to the goal — contorted his body enough to connect on a bicycle kick that sailed with enough power and accuracy to kiss the back of the net.
But it was saved by a lunging header from Seton’s Sam Niehaus — turning the near offensive highlight of the season into the defensive play of the game.
Watkins finished with a hat trick. He scored two goals in the first half to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead, and his third early in the second amid a scoring barrage.
But he can’t help but think about the wondergoal that could have been.
It was the closest he’d ever come to scoring a bicycle kick in a game.
The senior had even been practicing for the moment.
After seeing Cristiano Ronaldo do it in a game, he was determined to as well.
So he practiced over spring break with his grandfather. They found a sand pit in a school yard down the road from La Center High School to serve as a cushion for his inevitable falls on his back and worked on the mechanics.
When serviced a perfect ball on Tuesday, it was all about timing and instinct.
Niehaus showed some of that, too, in his header save.
“Dude, I was so mad when it got robbed,” said Watkins, who plans to play at Clark College.
La Center scored its first shot attempt of the game in the eighth minute.
It seized control of the game early, owning possession throughout the half. Multiple goal scoring opportunities, including Watkins’ bike, were thwarted by an oft-tested Seton Catholic back line.
Perhaps no one faced as much danger as Cougars’ Goalkeeper Shameel Faiyez. He finished the game with eight saves.
The Wildcats quickly padded their 2-0 halftime lead early in the second half.
Senior defender Jared Cox, who the Wildcats recently pushed up to midfield, scored in the opening minute of the second half. By the midway point of the second half, La Center led 6-0.
“The last 10, 15 minutes of the first half, the midfield opened up a little bit and we squashed that in the second half,” Wildcats coach Reece Scragg said.
Seton (2-3, 2-4 Trico League) fields a roster with mostly underclassmen.
“We’re in a transition year,” Seton head coach Amanda Chase said. “I’m excited with the progress we’ve made so far but we do have a long way to go.”
Chase is in her first year as head coach of the boys program after coaching the girls program. Her dad, Dave McPherson, was the boys coach when the school opened in 2009.
La Center (5-4, 4-1) holds a three way tie atop the league standings with Columbia-White Salmon and Toledo. Much like last season, Scragg expects the trio of teams to battle for the top three spots.
Watkins believes continuing the team’s level of play will position them well to compete for first.
