Published Sunday

April 18, 2004

Lincoln East wins Papio Invitational

BY DAVID WORFORD

WORLD-HERALD CORRESPONDENT

Lincoln East 1, Omaha Creighton Prep 0

Lincoln East Boys Coach Jeff Hoham said some people may have questioned just how good the top-ranked and undefeated Spartans were.

Some of those questions may be cleared up after Lincoln East ended Class B No. 1 Omaha Skutt's 29-match winning streak with a 2-1 overtime win Saturday and then held off Omaha Creighton Prep 1-0 in the Papio championship.

"Both the Skutt game and the Prep game could have gone either way," Hoham said. "It's tough to play three games within 24 hours. It was a major physical and mental test."

East junior captain Mike Johnson got the match-winner in both match. He headed home Bob Kurasawa's feed off a freekick from the left corner of the penalty box in the 35th minute to give the Spartans all they would need in the final.

"Our defense was the difference in those games," Johnson said. "I did score a couple of times, but we only allowed one goal in three games and that was key."

It came at the right time as the Junior Jays, who upset No. 4 Millard South in the semifinals, had controlled play for much of the first half. From there the Spartans stifled the Prep attack to improve to 9-0.

"Lincoln East is the real deal," Prep Coach Tom Hoover said. "They're pretty impenetrable."

Om. Creighton Prep (6-5).........................0 0-0

Lincoln East (9-0).........................1 0-1

Ä Goal: CP, Mike Johnson.