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TAMPA - A good start and finish weren't enough to rescue Wharton in a 4-2 loss to Gaither on Tuesday.
Wharton's Daniel Eugene worked hard to earn the Wildcats' first goal in the eighth minute, muscling past a defender, then dribbling past Gaither keeper Antonio Cotroneo for the tapin. Eugene also notched Wharton's last goal in the 76th minute.
In between, the Cowboys dominated. In the 27th minute, Tony Bareket took a throwin, held two defenders on his back, then turned and slipped in a shot under Wharton keeper Josh Harrah.
Four minutes later, Cowboys midfielder Gustavo Cornejo followed up on Trevor Scott's deflected shot to make it 2-1. With less than a minute left before halftime, Jesse Crews knocked in the rebound off another shot by Scott for a 3-1 lead.
In the 56th minute, Richard Jackson headed in Scott's third assist on a corner kick.
The Cowboys (10-5) swept the season series from the Wildcats (7-2-1), handing them their only losses of the season. With an 8-1 mark in Class 5A, District 7, Gaither has the top seed heading into the playoffs Feb. 2. Wharton is the No. 2 seed.
In the meantime, Wharton has six more games - three in its tournament that starts Tuesday - before the district playoffs.
"I look forward to playing (Gaither) again," coach Mike Rowan said. "Hopefully, we'll grow up a lot over the next two weeks."
Gaither coach Eric Sims said he also was looking for his team to mature.
"As we get into the playoffs, we've got to come out and play the full 80 minutes," he said. "It's a relief to get the No. 1 seed, but we still have to get up for every game."
Gaither girls tie WhartonTAMPA - The Gaither girls (8-2-3, 6-0-2 in 5A-7) wrapped up the top seed in their district with a 2-2 tie against Wharton. The Wildcats are the No. 2 seed.
Wharton (10-6-2) struck first in the 10th minute as Emily Miller won the ball from a defender, then shot and headed in the deflection. Midway through the half, Gaither's Kari Teresi equalized on a cross from Heather Dickson.
Jessica Wooden had a chance to put Wharton back on top after she went down in the box and earned a penalty kick. But her shot went off the post.
In the second half, Caitlyn Bliss intercepted a clearance attempt by Wildcat goalie Cali Ondina and scored on a shot that deflected off a defender.
With 3:45 remaining, Aline Lena got loose in the box and nailed her 15th goal of the season in the left corner.
Despite rallying for the tie and improving on an earlier 5-2 loss to the Cowboys, Wharton coach Craig Wallace said he wasn't satisfied with his team's play.
"Gaither's been a powerhouse for years, but we felt like we could come in here and beat them," he said.
Gaither coach Diane Sumner agreed that her team was outplayed this time and was fortunate to come away with the tie.
"(Wharton) really took it to us tonight," she said. "It shows that we still have a lot of work to do. Teams even up with each other as you reach the end of the season."