Just one deadly dose of double "D" was more than enough for the Rogers Rams to handle in a boys soccer game as Dominique Dismuke, a fast-footed Decatur sophomore, took a pass from fullback Ryan Baranntes and short-kicked a shot past the fingertips of the Rams’ keeper late in the game for a 1-0 Gators win at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup Wednesday.

"They are a really good side," said Gators coach Sean Smith of Rogers. 'It's going to be close with the top four teams."

Good parity.

Certainly this season is shaping up that way after the first half's nearly through and the South Puget Sound League 'South' Division title is definitely still up for grabs for a lot of teams' hands, er, feet, to grab.

With the win Decatur keeps afoot with the league leaders. Halfway through this season now, it's Curtis and Puyallup tied for first place at 4-1-1, then it's Emerald Ridge second, at 3-0-2 followed right behind by Beamer and Decatur at 3-1-1.

It was one goal that won this one for the gold and navy blue boys of our town, the Dismuke score with 10 minutes left. It came via a quick, calculated, pinpoint control flick at the top of the 18-yard box down to the wide-playing Baranntes in the corner, who saw Dismuke in the heart of the 18-yard box. Without hesitation, Baranntes sent a ball straight to the feet of Dismuke, who pivoted and footed it in for the one and only goal needed to win.

The first half was pretty even. Just as coach Smith said, neither team made many shots on goal, with Decatur getting a couple more than the Rogers' couple. But in the second half things changed some, with shots favoring the Gators a little more, with the Gators getting seven strikes on goal and Rogers, three.

But of Rogers' shots, not any were of the dangerous sort by the light and dark blue clad lads. The closest shot by the Rams was taken from about 10 yards in back of the 18-yard-box area while the Gators' threats really mounted in the second half.

After Gators' keeper Conner Adkisson, a freshman, scrambled out off his goal line in the first minute to kick-save a Rams striker's one-on-one attempt and also a little earlier than that, like 30 seconds into the second half, Adkisson came off his goal line brilliantly to punch-save a corner kick put into the middle of the 18-yard-box by the Rams. In fact, the Rams had three ck's in the first three minutes of the second half, but between Adkisson's work and the Gators’ back-line four defenders, the cks all became null and void.

So, after that little early offense on the Gators’ goal from Rogers, directed at Adkisson and the center fullbacks (left and right side), Colton Olson and Cody Olson, and, right back Spencer Nakashima and left back Baranntes, the best chances came from the Gators from then on.

"It's good," said Adkisson, who may be young in high school, but he's plenty good, being a part of the Sounders Academy now where best players go for development in high school.

Nakashima, who made some nice passes in the game from his right fullback position downfield to Elliott Klavugn on the right wing, put this game in perspective. It was close in ball possession, probably slightly favoring the Gators a 55 to 45 percent ratio over the Rams. So it was something else, besides keeping the ball, that gave the Gators the edge in this game.

"We wanted to control the tempo of the game," said Nakashima, with Dismuke standing by testifying that the win was not an easy one.

"They were tough," said Dismuke, who leads his team in goals with four, with good balance from other teammates. Michael Klavugn has three goals and Josh Smith, who played the ball to outside backs and wings and strikers up front like Dismuke nicely from his center midfield position.

But the Gators just got tougher and tougher as the game wore on. With five minutes elapsed off the second half clock, following a couple minutes after the Rams’ early barrage of corner kicks was Elliott Klavugn dribbling into the 18-yard-box and then losing it over the goal line just before a dangerous cross could have come.

Again, threatening five minutes later, Dismuke took the ball in off a nice feed from Barrantes at the 50 yard line and Dismuke kicked it near-post and nearly scored, but the ball hit post and bounced out for Rogers clearing it.

Rogers controlled the ball well in the middle of the field this first 10 minutes of the second half's 40 minute duration, but always the Gators’ defense stiffened up and either took the ball away or kicked it away, much like in football what's called the “red zone” defense where teams score from the 20 yard line. On a lot of teams, big yardage can be amassed down the field but then at the 20 yard line, the first downs quit coming.

Only what kind of shots for the Rams in this game?

"Long range shots," said Adkisson, who would know better than anybody.

So the Gators, in between some middle-of-the-field ball possession by the Rams, took the rhythm reigns with their close shots on goal (including the one that went in) the big difference in this game, explaining the tempo that Nakashima spoke of being a good game plan demonstrated by the players and implemented from coach Smith.

Another near-score for the Gators, came from Johnny Hong, who chest-trapped a ball 10 yards outside the 18-yard-box and throttled a volley (ball not touching ground) but a defender got in the way of the blast, stopping that Gators threat with 20 minutes left in the second half.

Josh Smith, the coach's son, made a nice shot with 15 minutes to go in the game, smashing the ball over the far left post upper vee about a foot, in a shot going right to left from the corner of the 18.

Dismuke, a couple minutes later, launched a rocket shot from the left side 25 yards out that went just over the right upper vee far post. Then Dismuke got the only goal needed to be the game winner three minutes later.

The strategy behind that one was the push up of players, rather “player,” as Smith would have it be done.

"We moved one of our defenders (Colton Olson) forward and that created the runs forward.,which is how Dom got his goal," said Smith.

Good strategy, good team, good players. All that means good things happen.

The Gators play their next game against Emerald Ridge, a team that has played one less game than Curtis and Puyallup, six games to five so far in the season. Because if the Jaguars had played six games, and won so they were 4-0-2, they would be the first place team over both Curtis and Puyallup. It should be a good game

it is on the road April 5 for the Gators, who come home on April 13 to play against rival Todd Beamer.