Oak Mountain Completed Unbeaten Season #1.
Six different players scored for the Eagles in a 6-0 win over Prattville for the school’s first boys state soccer title.
Vestavia Hills HS downed McGill-Toolen 3-1 for the girls 6A championship. Homewood HS went to overtme to beat Cullman 2-1 for the boys 5A state title, and the girls 5A championship was won by Huntsville, 1-0 over Briarwood Christian. Holy Spirit won the boys 1A/4A title on kicks from the penalty mark, beating Mars Hill 4-3, and the girls 1A/4A final was won 4-0 by Indian Springs over Mars Hill.
Oak Mountain Wins First
Oak Mountain ran the table in posting their first championship season and finishing the year unbeaten at 26-0-2.
“They played soccer instead of relying on their athletic ability,” said coach Ryan Patridge, describing his team in the title game. “They are a very athletic group. They like to run, and they’ve been doing that lately, but today they really knocked the ball around.
“We took our chances and finished them. It was our best game since spring break.”
Patridge, an assistant at defending 2004 champion Shades Valley, became the Oak Mountain head coach in January when Eagles veteran coach Derek Dearman shipped out to Iraq with his U.S. Navy reserve unit.
Bryce Noel got Oak Mountain on the scoreboard with the opening goal in the 25th minute, and Trey Gregory made it 2-0 by halftime. Johnny Markey, Loy Vaughan, Eric Schauwecker and Clark Powell completed the scoring.
Oak Mountain’s Gregory was named the 6A MVP.
Prattville, which reached the finals with three playoff shutouts, finished the season 17-5-5.
Lightning Strikes For Vestavia
A five-minute delay for lightning delayed the final whistle for Vestavia Hills, but lightning on the field had already struck for the Rebels who downed McGill-Toolen 3-1 for the 6A girls state title.
Claire Hooten, Erin Pender-gast and Julie Andra got the goals to give Vestavia Hills (24-3) its first state title since 2001. Andra was named the game’s MVP.
Had it not been for the efforts of McGill-Toolen goalkeeper Samantha Allen, who had 16 saves on 32 shots by Vestavia, it margin could have been greater.
McGill (27-4-1) upset Auburn 2-1 in the semifinals, while Vestavia beat Grissom 4-1.
Patriots Go To Extra Time
A Homewood vs. Cullman final has been a common site in recent years. It’s been that way three of the last four years.
After splitting the last two championships, Homewood now has the edge in the series after beating Cullman 2-1 for the 2005 5A title in overtime.
Senior Morgan Smith got the gamewinner, finishing a long throw-in from Wilson Boardman, for the title. Julian Kersh had given Homewood (21-6-1) a 1-0 lead, but James Nyquist got the equalizer for Cullman (20-6) midway through the first half.
Homewood senior Matt Neill was named the game’s MVP.
Homewood had reached the finals by upending topseeded Briarwood 2-1 in the semifinals. Kersh got that game-winner on a deflected shot into the goal with only one second left in regulation.
Cullman edged Northridge 3-2 in the other semifinal.
Back-To-Back Titles
Huntsville broke open a 1-1 game with four goals in the final 24 minutes to win its second consecutive 5A girls state title.
Senior Hannah Lanford scored twice for Huntsville (21-1-1). Sophomore Meredith Kerkhof and junior Stephanie Boyd also scored for the Panthers. Sophomore Ivy Bentley was named the game’s MVP.
Briarwood (21-5), which lost three games to Huntsville this season, got its lone goal when Haley Taylor scored on an assist from Leslie Jennings midway through the first half to tie the game at 1-1.
Huntsville, which beat Gladsen 10-0 in one semifinal, has won state championships three of the past four years, including the 6A title in 2002. Briarwood shutout Benjamin Russell HS 5-0 in its semifinal.
“The good thing about today is I think the best team won,” said Briarwood head coach Andrew Brower, praising the winners. “This group of players that’s played at Huntsville will be one of the top four or five teams ever to come through the state of Alabama.”
Decided In A Shootout
Holy Spirit entered the playoffs having never gotten past the first round, and after putting together four straight wins found itself the boys 1A/4A state champions.
With the game tied at 3-3 after overtime, the game was decided in a shootout. Each team made four of its first five kicks from the penalty mark, and in sudden death Holy Spirit goalkeeper Ben Bucy made a big save and Michael Navarro converted the deciding kick for the Titans.
Holy Spirit had taken a 3-1 lead late in the first half, but was scoreless in the second. Phillip Wittenbrink tied the game for Mars Hill (17-7-1) midway through the second half. He had two of Mars Hill’s goals, and Michael Jones had the other.
Freshman Fernando Zambrano, who was the game’s MVP, Auturo Zambrano and Jackson scored for the Titans (20-2-1).
Holy Spirit eliminated Indian Springs 2-1 in one semifinal, while Mars Hill topped Jacksonville 4-1 in the other.
Indian Springs Wins Second
Both the Mars Hill Bible boys and girls teams reached the 1A/4A championship games, but came away empty. Indian Springs (20-4-3) won the girls title with a 4-0 win over the MHB (16-1-2).
Center midfielder Rosalind Chaplin was named the MVP of the championship