Brookfield Central tied Brookfield East, 1-1, Thursday night on a sloppy field at East, won a 5-3 shootout and then advanced to the sectional semi-finals at 2 p.m. on Saturday back at Brookfield Central.
The field conditions and the weather were absolutely terrible and it was a tribute to both the Lancers and Spartans that they performed as well as they did under those conditions. Several times throughout the game the athletes would find themselves slipping and sliding trying to change directions.
It even rained in the pressbox, as the windows had to stay open just to see what was happening on the field. I use felt pens, so my notes looked pretty when the blue and orange ink blended together.
An unusual occurrence came late in the game when Central star Kevin Ferron left the game with cramping and hypothermia. He was rushed to the pressbox where he changed clothes with the help of the trainer and an assistant coach, dried off and put on dry clothes to help warm up.
The two media people, the Central film person, the PA/scorekeeper and the two Central stat girls all kept our eyes on the field while this was happening, of course.
Afterwards, following the standard operating procedure for this I was told, the two stat girls hugged Ferron to help keep him warm (he did seem to be smiling). He wouldn't leave until the game was over, even as a car was being warmed up to take him to the hospital. After the Lancers won, his teammates were waiting at the bottom of the steps behind the pressbox and they cheered him on while he made his way down the steps and to the car.
Coach Jon Mroz reported Friday morning that he was doing fine and would be OK. His status for Saturday was up-in-the air for the championship game with Arrowhead, but I wouldn't count the gutsy Ferron out.