Starr's Mill, McIntosh boys, girls sweep AAA and AAAA state soccer titles

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@thecitizennews.com

Fayette County's soccer dominance got the recognition it deserved on Saturday as McIntosh and Starr's Mill high schools' boys and girls soccer teams won state soccer championships in their classifications.

The four teams were all ranked number one in their classifications for most, if not all, of the season, and now finish the season perched at the top.

The Starr's Mill Lady Panthers (19-2) started the day full of soccer with a win over Marist. This was the third consecutive trip to the state finals for the Lady Panthers and their second consecutive championship. Starr's Mill faced Marist three times this year, including last year's state championship game, and won all three games. The 5-2 victory on Saturday was a sign of the Lady Panthers' defensive and offensive balance.

Starr's Mill's boys faced Heritage after the girls game and won by a score of 2-1. The game went into overtime, but the Panthers were used to it, having had to go into overtime several times on their path to a state title. In fact, Starr's Mill had faced Heritage earlier in the season and had lost in overtime. The Panthers' victory snapped a 20-game winning streak by Heritage and secured the state title that the team had been working toward during the past two seasons.

McIntosh's boys faced Parkview on Saturday afternoon and won by a score of 3-1. The Chiefs were 19-2 on the season and did not lose all year to a AAAA opponent. Their two losses came to the Starr's Mill Panthers and a team from Oklahoma in a tournament held at McIntosh.

The Chiefs had an excellent season with Beau Balesky cementing his place as the leading goal scorer in school history and several players signing to play for some top collegiate programs in the fall. It was also the first year that the team was coached by Samuel “Bunky” Colvin. Colvin was an assistant to Jeff Ford, who stepped down as head coach last year.

The McIntosh Lady Chiefs are sharing their state championship with Pope. The two teams were still deadlocked at one goal each after two overtimes. It was the second year in a row that Pope has shared the AAAA championship.

For the Lady Chiefs, a state championship was the ultimate goal. They marched through the season unbeaten and ranked number one in the state and in the National Soccer Coaches of America Association poll. The wins came against top programs from all around the country, including the Starr's Mill Lady Panthers.

Next year, both schools will most likely be playing in the new state classification, 4-AAAAA.