PRAIRIE GROVE -- In one of the shortest games in recent Decatur sports history, the Decatur Bulldogs soccer team traveled south, taking on the Tigers of Prairie Grove in what was called the "Soccer Under the Lights" match at Tiger Stadium April 4. It was a real adventure for the Bulldogs and some of their fans who traveled to Prairie Grove to cheer them on.
Earlier in the week, the April 3 conference match with Green Forest at Bulldog Stadium in Decatur was canceled due to heavy rain from storms earlier in the day that made field conditions impossible for a contest. This match will be rescheduled for April 26 at 5:30 at Bulldog Stadium in Decatur. For the Bulldogs, it was on to the conference matchup in Prairie Grove.
As the afternoon progressed, a line of severe thunderstorms began to build in eastern Oklahoma near the Tulsa area. The movement of these storms was to the northeast away from the Prairie Grove area. So the match was a go.
The Bulldogs departed around 4 p.m. for the hour-long trip. Shortly after departure, the bus had mechanical problems and the team was delayed for about an hour, plenty of time to make the 7 p.m. match time (which followed the girls' match with Shiloh Christian).
Once Decatur arrived, the players took the field for warm-ups and a short practice. Off in the distance clouds began to build and an occasional bolt of lightning flashed 20 miles away. It looked like this storm was going to miss the stadium. So the referees and coach decided to go ahead with the match.
Decatur took control of the match, attacking the goal several times during the first two minutes of play. At the 37:54 mark in the first half, as Decatur's Bracy Owens was driving toward the goal, the referee blew his whistle, stopping the match. In the two minutes and six seconds of play, a severe storm with heavy lightning moved within five miles of the stadium, forcing a 30-minute delay.
The Prairie Grove coaching staff and school officials moved the teams and spectators to the middle school gym for safety. But the storm intensified, forcing the cancellation of the match.
In other soccer news, the Bulldogs traveled to Berryville April 7 for another 4A conference matchup with the Bobcats. Berryville quickly established control of the match and, when the final seconds counted down to 0, they took the victory, 8-0.
Decatur is now 0-3 going into the third week of conference play. The Bulldogs will be on the road April 10 to take on the Huntsville Eagles in Huntsville and the Gentry Pioneers April 13 in Gentry.
For a complete schedule of remaining matches or to check on rescheduled matches, go to decatursd.com/athletics.
Sports on 04/12/2017