But that ball they just gave you, they're coming hard - with a frightening, full-throttle intensity - to take it back.
"Several times this year we've won the coin toss and given them the ball," Glenn coach Brian Scherzer said. "Then we get right on them on their kickoff.
"We've exceled with high pressure, so we go after everything fast and hard."
Despite ceding the kickoff to Bay City Western, it took high-powered, hard-charging Glenn just 77 seconds to score the game's first goal, setting the tone for an intense 2-1 victory in the Division 2 boys soccer district semifinal in the John Glenn stadium.
The victory vaults No. 8-ranked and undefeated Glenn (23-0-2) into the district title game to face Ludington (14-3-5) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Mount Pleasant. After a nearly flawless campaign, the Bobcats sit one win away from the first district championship in program history.
RELATED: Bay City area district pairings, scores
Glenn understood that Western would be a tough task. The neighboring rivals have a history of taut tussles, including Glenn's 1-0 victory in the Bay County Championship finale this fall.
Still, the Bobcats didn't hesitate to give Western the first possession - albeit with bad intensions to follow. Glenn unleashed a blitzkrieg attack from the opening touch and soon controlled the ball.
Carter Glaza sent in a deep pass that got behind the Western defense, where Brady Priemer won the footrace to punch in the first goal just 1:17 into the contest.
"That throws the gameplan out the window," Western coach Kyle Jean said. "Our nerves go up and their nerves go down. You go into a game talking about A, B, C and D, and all of a sudden A and B are gone."
Glenn bumped the margin to 2-0 in the late stages of the first half when Asher Clark - the school's all-time record holder with 55 goals on the season - took a feed from Dylan Wood and put the ball in the back of the net.
"Asher just buried that one," Scherzer said. "I don't think anybody was going to stop that one. He blasted it."
But the game took on a new tone after halftime as Western (13-9-1) came out with a new spark. The Warriors raised the level of physicality and showed they wouldn't go quietly.
"We weren't as intense as they were in the first half," Jean said. "But we got more committed and were able to match them in the second half.
"I'm proud of the boys, they faced a really good team and fought tooth and nail. Some of the seniors are bloodied up from hitting the turf, so they gave it everything they had."
Western made it a one-score game late in the second half on a penalty kick goal by Blake Dore, making for an action-packed stretch run. Western keeper Logan Courier and Glenn keeper Drew Bailey traded spectacular saves and refused to let another ball pass, keeping it a 2-1 score the rest of the way.
Now, after winning the first Tri-Valley Conference crown in program history, Glenn tries to add another milestone on Wednesday. Bay County's oldest boys soccer program has never captured the district crown, but they're starting to believe the time is now.
"It's been a crazy ride so far, and I'm loving it," Scherzer said. "I don't want it to end. These guys have worked so hard and they're a fun bunch of guys.
"Their character is really strong. The respect they show toward each other is tremendous. They work together and they lift each other up."
Glenn takes on a Ludington program that is riding a four-game streak of shutouts, including postseason blankings of Bay City Central and Mount Pleasant. But the Bobcats have 17 shutouts on the year and are looking for the one win that will set them apart in Glenn history.
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