Blue Devils navigate two-hour weather delay before finishing off victory over Silver Streaks

GALESBURG, Ill. — The path of Tuesday’s severe storms that led to funnel clouds being spotted in McDonough and Fulton Counties not only forced the Quincy High School girls soccer off the field, but it kept the Blue Devils grounded in place.

“The storm was south of us and they weren’t going to make us drive through it,” QHS coach Travis Dinkheller said.

So the Western Big 6 Conference matchup with Galesburg at Van Dyke Field went into a holding pattern.

Initially held up due to lightning, the Blue Devils and Silver Streaks waited through a 2-hour, 19-minute weather delay that began with 19:58 remaining in the first half. Upon returning to the field, Quincy scored four times to finish off a 5-0 victory. 

“Galesburg was fantastic working with us to make sure everyone was safe,” said Dinkheller, whose team was moved from Galesburg’s training facility into the school during the storm. “They were accommodating and extremely helpful. Everyone involved was, from the school administrators to the game officials to our parents and fans.”

So what do you do during a two-hour weather delay?

“It is an antsy group,” Dinkheller said. “I would consider myself and (assistant coach Chad) Struck a little high strung, but everyone dealt with it and stayed pretty calm through it all.”

Dinkheller said many of the girls worked on homework or studied — things they had planned to do on the bus ride home. They had a little fun, too, going as far as wrapping sophomore midfielder Sydney Welsh in pre-wrap so she ended up in a mummy-like state.

“We sat in the hallway, and the girls handled it well,” Dinkheller said.

There had been debate up until the moment the Blue Devils’ charter bus left the school whether to go.

“The weather was always changing,” Dinkheller said. “We’re going on a forecast. With playing on turf, you always know the conditions on the field are going to be fine even if there is rain. It’s the travel aspect and worsening weather that you have to worry about.”

What he didn’t have to fret over was his team’s play after the delay.

Breighlyn Thomas had given the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead when she scored off a Mariah Crist assist before the delay. Upon their return to the field, Welsh scored twice — the first off a deflection and the second off a Rian Moore corner kick for a 3-0 halftime lead.

Bri Lannerd converted a penalty kick, and Grace Shackleton scored her first goal of the season in the second half as the Blue Devils outshot the Silver Streaks 20-0 and owned a 12-0 edge in corner kicks.

“We had a lot of players do a lot of good things and create a lot of space,” Dinkheller said.