Last week, the Tigers found themselves playing for a tournament championship in varsity boys soccer for the second time this season. Unlike the first time they played for a title, however, they had to settle for being runners-up. The Tigers placed second in their own tournament, which wrapped Sept. 10. The finish followed Excelsior Springs’ championship run at the Winnetonka Tournament, held Aug. 30-Sept. 1. After receiving a first-round bye, the hometown boys defeated Kearney 2-1 on Sept. 8. An unassisted goal by junior Mason Wartner gave Excelsior Springs the opening lead. Sophomore Austin Collins made it 2-0 with an unassisted goal. The Bulldogs scored their lone goal on a penalty kick. “Today was an ugly win, but it is always better to win ugly than lose ugly,” coach Zac Ganzer said. “We need to be able to possess the ball more than we did, but we found ways to win and we are happy about that.” ...