Port Washington’s fab four:

The Port Washington High School boys’ soccer team did a dangerous thing it could at Grafton last Thursday.

It took the lead.

That hasn’t been a good omen in the annual battle for the Timm Snider Trophy. The Pirates have staged dramatic comebacks in recent memory to win the past three seasons.

This time, however, junior striker Scotty Bennett and the rest of the Pirates wouldn’t let the Black Hawks back into the game.

Bennett had a hat trick, scoring three different ways in the 3-0 victory.

“It’s been my third year in a row. I’m glad,” he said of winning the trophy. “I’m trying to go for a fourth year. I’m stoked.”

Coach Mark Burmesch said, “It feels great. It’s the one we always want against Grafton.”

Bennett scored on a hard high shot in the 11th minute in front of the goal after Grafton keeper August Benninghoff made a diving save.

After the Hawks tied the game in the 18th minute on an own goal, Bennett came up with a highlight-reel rainbow.

He launched a direct kick from the side of the field about 35 yards away. Benninghoff went airborne but couldn’t stop the long ball.

“I was going up to the ball. I was like, I’m either crossing it or I’m shooting it. And I just shot it. I’m thankful my teammate went for a little fake, allowing the ball to go in. It was a great shot,” he said.

In the 49th minute, Bennett scored on a penalty kick to make it 3-1. He shot left and Benninghoff guessed the other direction.

“Scotty’s a monster,” Burmesch said. “When he’s in the right mindset, mentality, no one can stop him in the conference.”

Port held the ball for much of the second half, either pressuring the Hawks — Benninghoff made diving and leaping saves — or just letting the clock run.

“The best defense is offense. I take pride in that,” Port defender Grayson Allen said. “As long as we have the ball, we’re not getting scored on.”

“The defense was ecstatic,” freshman midfielder Gracen Chapman said. “They were amazing and locked it down back there.”

Burmesch said he put his best field players on the field to play more of a possession game in the second half.

“Usually, our style is win (the ball) and go direct. It was new for us but it looked good. It worked well. The boys did great,” Burmesch said.

He praised senior midfielder Kalin Mundt, Chapman and junior Bennett Walter for trying a new spot.

“Bennett Walter never played left back in his life. He looked great,” Burmesch said.

Senior midfielder Kalin Mundt said his team knew it had to keep up the intensity in the second half.

“We know this is our rival. We’ve got to come out strong because they’re going to want it just as much as us,” he said.

Both teams came in after losses of differing differentials.

Grafton lost, 1-0, to Division 2 defending state champ Whitefish Bay on Sept. 8, which worried Burmesch. But the Hawks had an off night.

“I don’t think our performance on Thursday was as strong as it was on Tuesday,” coach Jake Wilde said.

The Blue Dukes scored in the 70th minute to beat Grafton.

“We were in it to the end. We had a game plan. We knew we were going to have to defend for some long periods, and we did that,” Wilde said. “I think it’s been a few years since we felt like we truly competed with Bay.”

He singled out Benninghoff for his play and vocal leadership.

“He’s going to make a couple of saves every night that some keepers don’t make,” he said.

He also lauded freshman midfielder Crosby Wieland, who started the season on the bench and has worked his way into a bigger role on the team.

Port came off a 6-0 loss at Kettle Moraine Lutheran on Sept 8.

“We needed (the Grafton win) badly after the KML game on Tuesday,” Burmesch said.

Port, 2-1-2, plays at Plymouth on Thursday, Sept. 17, and hosts an invite on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 18 and 19. Port plays at Sheboygan South on Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Grafton, 1-5, hosts Nicolet on Thursday, Sept. 24.

About Timm Snider

Timm Snider began his soccer career as a U-12 player the first year club soccer started in Port Washington. At Port High, he made the NSC first team. In 1990, at 21, Snider became the youngest coach to lead a team — the Port girls — to the state soccer tournament. He also coached the Grafton boys to the sectional finals in the early 1990s.

Snider operated a soccer store, Sportworks, ran youth camps and played on the Milwaukee Sport Club Major and Reserve teams. He played soccer the night before his heart went into an abnormal arrhythmia, and he died at 32 in 2001.