GREAT FALLS — It wasn’t a typical Tuesday for Great Falls High senior Gavin Groshelle. COVID-19 had temporarily closed his school, but he still had a soccer game to play. It was the first crosstown match of the year against Great Falls CMR, and it was Senior Night. So when he got the opportunity to give the Bison a lead with a penalty kick, he didn’t take it lightly.
"I missed one at my very first freshman game. I took a PK and missed it over the bar way, way back then. And I haven't taken one since," Groshelle said. "So I just felt, I was told a bunch of things like, 'Oh, if I miss this again, they're going to give me so much more crap.' But I just focused in and knew where I was going to put it right from the start, and then it just felt great to see it finally go in."
The Bison boys won 3-1, their first victory over CMR since 2012. For Groshelle, who also competes in cross country, it’s the first time he’s beaten CMR in either sport, and it’s a special feeling for him and his team.
"It feels great. We've been we've been building year after year and finally it got to a point where we can actually take action and finally win some games and it feels great to come out, especially crosstown with the all the fans here watching, to finally stick it to the Rustlers," he said.
Groshelle hopes that team building continues to pay off as the soccer season goes on, but he has the cross country City Meet with CMR on his mind, too. That’s scheduled for Oct. 13.
