There is, and I can't remember all the details, but I believe it was proposed by the late Ebbie Dunn, who -- among other things in his playing career -- was the legendary coach at St. Louis University High (38 years, two state titles) and an inductee in the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Some time around 1991, when Vianney and DeSmet tied 0-0 after four overtimes in the championship game of the Class 4A state tournament and were declared co-champions, I read a story that put forth an idea I believe would be better than PKs.

It may not please a soccer purist, but it has to beat PKs. Having a tie basketball game decided essentially in a free-throw contest wouldn't be the best way to determine that outcome either. It doesn't allow the athletes to make plays, and after the dramatic shots and saves that took place in the Helias-ND game, it would have been neat to see it decided by the play on the field.

The proposal to replace PKs was to continue playing overtime periods but to take a player off the field after a certain period of time, whether it was 5 or 10 minutes I cannot recall.

So, you might go down to 9-on-9, 8-on-8, etc., with the field opening up and coaches forced to consider what players they had out there and what kind of formation was used. You've got to think not many games would get as far as 5-on-5, adding essentially one hour of playing time if it was 10-minute intervals. And it would be some exciting action.

I would like to see one of Missouri's leagues, or the coaches association, dust off the proposal and implement on a trial basis on some games. The Metro Catholic Conference, in which Dunn's SLUH's teams competed against some of the nation's other top programs at DeSmet, Vianney, Chaminade and CBC, could honor one of its coaching greats by trying out the proposal as a test for the state and the country.

Anyone who saw Helias-ND probably would prefer more soccer to PKs to determine the winner.