High school goalkeeper survives being hit by car

No. 2 McIntosh misses starting goalkeeper Noah Slepicka on the pitch, but the Chiefs are just glad he’s still around at all.

On Saturday, the night after No. 2 McIntosh lost to No. 1 Dalton in a thriller that was decided by penalty kicks, Slepicka was hit by a car while riding his bike home from his girlfriend’s house. According to Peachtree City police, the accident occurred around midnight, near the intersection of state highway 54 and Peachtree Parkway.

“He shouldn’t be with us,” McIntosh coach Bunky Colvin said. “Remarkably, he is.”

According to Colvin, the car that hit Slepicka was slowing down and was only going around 25 mph when the collision occurred.

Colvin said the sophomore keeper, who had started the first nine games for the 8-1 Chiefs, did not suffer a brain injury, but did crack his ankle bone and will miss the rest of the season.

“He looks like a tiger scratched his face and body, where he slid across the pavement,” Colvin said of Slepicka. “And he got a huge gash in his neck, very lucky that he didn’t get his Carotid Artery. He was only half-an-inch from that. He won’t be back for us this year, but he’s lucky to be alive.”

With Slepicka sidelined, senior Parker Romo, an experienced keeper, will take over as the starter. Colvin has confidence in Romo, who has seen significant minutes already this season.

“We won’t miss a beat,” Colvin said of having Romo in the net.

The Chiefs faced Luella on Tuesday, Union Grove on Thursday and are at Greenbrier for a region contest on Saturday.