It was good and bad to be Jordin McGinnis in the Nokomis-Winslow field hockey game Tuesday afternoon. The sophomore forward scored the game-winning goal, but sat out the last 10 minutes after taking her lumps from a ball and a stick.

McGinnis scored the game-winner on a nice individual play with 11:02 to go. Less than a minute later, she took a drive directly off her knee. McGinnis limped for a bit but stayed in the game.

Just seconds later, McGinnis was still staggering around when teammate Alison Berg tried to take a quick free hit. McGinnis tried to get out of the way but walked right into the path of Berg's backswing, and the stick caught her in the head. That's when McGinnis came out. When I interviewed her after the game, she was holding a bag of ice on top of her head and said she was fine.

One observation: The difference in the Nokomis team this year was easy to see. The Warriors have had a good offense for years, but couldn't stop the top teams from scoring. This year, they've beaten Mt. View and Winslow, allowing one goal in each game. Sophomore goalie Maria Adams, a first-year starter, is a big reason for that.

The loss was a frustrating one for Winslow, but shouldn't be destructive in the long-term. The Black Raiders had a clear edge in scoring chances against a 4-0-1 team.

"I think Class B KVAC is one of the toughest ones to be in," Winslow coach Mary Beth Bourgoin said. "I think the competition is all over the place. All of us have great potential, and every opponent is tough. I think if we put it all together, we'll be right there with the best of them."