An Overtime Thriller and the Week Ahead

With momentum negative, we head into a busy election and Fed week with questions... but first... what on earth happened in the Strawberries championship?

TIMONIUM, Md. — In a heart-stopping championship that went to "Braveheart" overtime, the second-seeded Black Panthers edged the fourth-seeded Strawberries 3-2 Sunday, concluding one of the most memorable playoff runs in recent Lutherville Recreation League history.

The Strawberries, who had captured international imagination with their Cinderella run to the finals, twice rallied from one-goal deficits to force the dramatic overtime period, where teams play four-on-four without goalkeepers.

After trading possessions in the extra period, the Black Panthers finally broke through for the golden goal, ending the contest.

The Strawberries' Amelia Baldwin, who had prepared for the championship with an intensive Friday training session – defeating her father 3-2 in a full-field scrimmage – showed remarkable resilience. Despite being temporarily sidelined after taking a direct shot to the face, she returned to help fuel her team's comeback efforts.

"I'm not an athlete anymore," Baldwin's father, G…