The soccer landscape in Georgia high school soccer doesn’t look much like Kevin Costner’s Field of Dreams. Other sports, such as football and baseball, feature teams from all corners of the state, but the best prep soccer in the state is clearly played close to Atlanta. While First Presbyterian of Macon won the girls Class A title, every other champion came from the metro area. The furthest municipalities to house champions from the capitol were the not-so-rural suburbs of Peachtree City and Johns Creek.
At first blush, it’s would be easy to say that the playoffs were without storylines, but this would also be inaccurate.
EXCEPTION TO THE RULE …
The girls state title for First Presbyterian was the first of any kind for the private school from Macon. That said these girls were dominant this spring. The Lady Vikings gave up only five goals all year including the 3-2 finals victory over Paideia on their way to a 21-1 record.
There was nothing unfamiliar about a championship for boys Class A winner, Walker. It’s the eighth title for the school and their leader, head coach Gary Blohm.
“This is just as exciting as it was when we got the first one back in 1988,” Blohm told the Marietta Daily Journal after a 3-1 finals win over Providence Christian.“It’s just a great feeling.”
BACK ON TOP …
For the Blessed Trinity girls in Class 2A, it was another case of déjà vu. The Lady Titans were state champs four of five years from 2004-2008, but hadn’t been the last girls standing since. They ended their “relative” drought with a 1-0 win over GAC in the final.
The Westminster boys also denied GAC a Class 2A state soccer title. They trailed virtually the entire first half 1-0, but came back, took the lead 2-1, and held on in the second half. Wildcat head coach Scott Snyder told the Neighbor newspapers just how clutch his team was: “We were able to take advantage of our chances better than they were [their’s].”
In Class 3A, the soccer state championships were practically the icing on the cake for the St. Pius X boys and girls. By sweeping both tournaments, the boys and girls are virtually assured of each finishing at the top of the overall Class 3A Regions Bank Directors Cup Standings. Their victims in each match were the teams from Woodward Academy. The girls cruised past the Lady War Eagles 4-0, but the boys needed every goal in a 5-4 win over the Woodward boys team.
The McIntosh girls had the biggest nailbiter of all in Class 4A. They needed a shootout after two 20-minute overtime periods to edge Region 3-rival Whitewater 1(6)-1(5). The McIntosh boys didn’t get to feel their classmates stress or satisfaction. Chattahoochee cruised to a 3-0 win over the Chiefs in the final.
In Class 5A, it was a Cobb sweep over Gwinnett. Harrison edged North Gwinnett 1-0 on the girls side, and the Walton boys used an 11-man defense in the final minutes to barricade nationally-ranked Collins Hill 2-1 and give outgoing head coach Bucky Boozer his sixth state championship at the East Cobb school.
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