Sham was one of the best horses in the Triple Crown campaign of 1973. One could say before the start of that season the dark bay stallion was the favorite.
There was one horse that was better, a big, red thoroughbred that proved to be the greatest racehorse of all time: Secretariat.
In history’s fastest Kentucky Derby run, Secretariat defeated Sham by 2 1/2 lengths. Two weeks later, in the Preakness Stakes, Big Red bettered Sham again, once more by 2 1/2 lengths.
Three weeks later, in the Belmont Stakes, the two challenged each other for the first half-mile. In an incredible display of speed and determination, Secretariat won by 31 1/2 lengths as Sham faded to last in the five-horse field.
All through the 2026 girls soccer season Cocalico has been Secretariat to Warwick’s Sham. The Eagles swept the teams’ Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 season matches in shutouts.
Monday night in Denver, the teams met for the third time, clashing in the semifinals of the District 3 Class 3A tournament. Warwick, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, played its best game of the three meetings.
But Cocalico, the No. 2 seed, won 1-0 on Emma Strunk’s free kick from 25 yards in the 70th minute. It was the firs...