Monday, Apr. 28, 2008

McIntosh Lady Chiefs (13-3-1) vs. Thomas County Central Lady Yellow Jackets (12-4)
The Lady Chiefs, ranked third in Class AAA and 13th in all of Georgia, shut out Northside, Warner Robins 8-0 in the opening round of the AAAA state playoffs.

Bethany Austin paced McIntosh’s offense with a hat trick, including the Lady Chiefs’ first two goals — the first on a blast from the top of the box that sailed high into the net, the second off a cross in the goal box from Hannah Rector — in the opening 10 minutes.

Austin’s three goals were a single-game season high for her.

The game could have concluded once the first 10 minutes were completed, as Northside played on its heels the entire way. But the Lady Chiefs showed no mercy, piling on the goals.
McIntosh scored twice more in the first half to take a commanding 4-0 lead.

KC Hewitt found an opening among a host of players parked in front of the net and headed home Olivia Tucker’s free kick from about 30 yards out.

Kerri Reid capped the first half scoring by booting a free kick from about 10 yards outside the goal box into the net.

Goals by Jessalyn Moore, Tucker and Emily Husted completed the blowout for McIntosh.

McIntosh has now won 10 games in a row. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of McIntosh’s winning streak has been its defensive play. McIntosh has allowed only two goals during its winning streak, which includes victories over two state-ranked teams that are currently in the playoffs, sixth-ranked Whitewater and seventh-ranked Woodward Academy.

Thomas County Central has won five games in a row. It beat Glynn Academy 3-1 to make the second round of the playoffs. It has face one ranked opponent this season, Lee County, and has lost twice. It is a high-scoring team, though, scoring in the double digits in seven wins and winning by margins of six goals or more 10 times this season. It has posted six shutouts this year and has outscored their opponents 122-22 this season.

The winner of this game meets the winner of Marist-Sequoyah.

Tuesday, Apr. 29, 2008

Starr’s Mill Panthers (12-3) vs. Lakeside, Evans Panthers (11-5-2)

Starr’s Mill crushed Northside, Warner Robins 8-0 in the first round of the AAAA playoffs.
The Panthers were led by Gray Phelps (two goals, one assist), Jesy Phelps (one goal, one assist), John Murtaugh (one goal, one assist) Josh Hughes (one goal), Jerry O’Hara (one goal), Chris Ward (one goal), Ryan O’Shaughnessy (one goal) and Danny Hojaij (three assists).

Starr’s Mill was exceptional on defense, as well, holding Northside to only one shot on goal.

“Our defense has been playing well all season,” Starr’s Mill coach Mike Hanie said. “We’ve only let up six goals this season. Everybody is working hard on defense.”

The Panthers are currently ranked second in Class AAAA and 10th in all of Georgia.

Lakeside, Evans slipped past Lee County with a 2-0 win on Tuesday. It was their second win in a row after a 3-1 loss to ninth-ranked Greenbrier. Greenbrier is the only ranked team that Lakeside has faced this season, and Lakeside has lost all three times. It has posted five shutouts this season and has kept all but two games, those against Greenbrier, close. Lakeside has scored 34 goals this season and allowed 27.

The winner of this game will meet the winner of Lakeside, DeKalb and Hillgrove.

McIntosh Chiefs (15-2-1) @ Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets (14-0-1) 5:30 p.m.

The McIntosh Chiefs advanced to the second round of the state playoffs with a 4-0 win over Baldwin.

David Fratto gave McIntosh the only goal it would need in the first half, patiently dribbling the ball into the top left corner of the box and firing a precise shot that landed just inside the upper right side of the goal post with 35:14 remaining.

Ramsey Jarun and Allen Stein combined on perhaps the prettiest play of the night to hand the Chiefs a two-goal cushion at the 28:42 mark.
Jarun perfectly bent a corner kick from the right side of the field to the left goal post, where an unmarked Stein easily headed the ball into the net.

Stein burned Baldwin for another goal early in the second half, splitting two defenders on the run to reach a rolling pass from Matt Meyers that led him into the goal box and sliding the ball into the net.

“Allen played great,” Colvin said of Stein. “He lived up to his potential today. He worked hard all game.”

Zach Bruhn completed the scoring by heading Fratto’s free kick into the goal with 13 minutes left.

McIntosh’s defense suffocated Baldwin’s offensive attack, preventing the Braves from getting off high-percentage shots and making sure goalkeeper Michael White was never seriously tested.

The Chiefs are currently ranked third in Class AAAA and fourth in all of Georgia.

It has been almost a perfect season for Thomas County Central with the lone imperfection being a 2-2 tie with Cairo on Valentine’s Day. The Yellow Jackets have posted nine shutouts and have won 12 games in a row, but they have yet to face a team ranked in the state of Georgia. Thomas County Central advanced to the second round of the AAAA state playoffs with a 1-0 win over Statesboro. They have scored 49 goals this season and have allowed nine.

The winner of this game will meet the winner of Alexander and Salem.

Whitewater Wildcats (9-7-2) @ Evans Knights (12-6), 6 p.m.

Whitewater beat Upson-Lee in their first-round playoff game. The Wildcats’ goals were scored by Ryan Pugh (two), Robbie Zeider and Victor Murray.

The Wildcats, ranked eighth in Class AAAA, enter their second-round game with a record of 4-1-2 over their last seven games, four of which were played against ranked opponents.

Evans defeated Bainbridge 3-0 in the first round of the AAAA playoffs. The Knights have faced ranked opponents four times this season: Greenbrier three times and Dacula once. They lost all four games by a combined score of 12-3. One aspect that might give them at least a mental edge over Whitewater is their record in games that went to penalty kicks. The Wildcats are 0-4 this season when the game is still tied after overtime, while Evans is 2-1. The Knights have posted five shutouts this year and have scored 53 goals while allowing 29.

The winner of this game meets the winner of Marist and Dalton.

Sandy Creek Patriots (9-7) @ Flowery Branch Falcons (16-1-1)

The Sandy Creek Patriots varsity boys soccer team advanced to the second round of the Class AAA state playoffs with a 2-1 win over Apalachee.

The Patriots got goals from Garrett Harper and Harry Lee and had a tremendous defensive effort from the entire team to preserve the win.
Flowery Branch, ranked third in Class AAA, had a brief hiccup in their season on March 11 and 14. The Falcons lost to Cherokee on the 11th and then tied Forsyth Central 1-1 on the 14th. Since then they have gone 8-0 and have outscored their opponents 28-9. They are 2-0 against ranked opponents this season and have outscored their opponents 74-18 this season.

They advanced to the second round with a 3-0 win over 14th ranked Blessed Trinity.

The winner of this game will play an opponent yet to be determined.

Wednesday, Apr. 30, 2008

Whitewater Lady Wildcats (10-7) @ Lee County Lady Trojans (16-2-1) 5:30 p.m.

The Lady Wildcats, ranked sixth in Class AAAA, defeated Griffin 9-0 on Wednesday to advance to the sweet sixteen of Class AAAA.

Whitewater was led by Brittany Vining (two goals), Holly Crawford (two goals), Courtney Reddig (two goals), Feagan Hunt (one goal), Erin Emerson (one goal) and Jade Ah-low (one goal).
Caitlin Beale, Jewelia Strickland and Emily Culbreth each had an assist for the Lady Wildcats.

“The game went very well,” said Whitewater coach Heather Allen, who added, “It took us awhile to finally get a goal. We had several chances in the first half and just could not finish.”
Lee County, ranked 13th in Class AAAA, blanked Evans 6-0 to make the second round of the playoffs. Since a 2-0 loss at Columbus on March 21, Lee County has won six games in a row. They scored 52 goals and have not given up a goal in that span. Overall, they have outscored their opponents 89-13 this season.

The winner of this game will face the winner of East Paulding and St. Pius.

Starr’s Mill Lady Panthers (10-3-1) @ Lakeside, Evans Lady Panthers (13-3-1), 6 p.m.

The Lady Panthers defeated Dutchtown 8-0 in the opening round.

Starr’s Mill’s scoring attack was led by Carlie Banks (three goals, one assist), Mandy McCalla (three goals), Bailey Ragan (one goal) and Katrina Frost (one goal). Laura McCalla had two assists for the Lady Panthers.

“The team played pretty well,” Starr’s Mill coach Deanise Myers said. “We controlled the game and kept possession well. But we still need to pick up the pace a little and get better and better each game we play.”

Starr’s Mill, ranked fourth in Class AAAA, is 5-1 over their last six games, scoring 36 goals and allowing one.

Lakeside, Evans beat Americus-Sumter 11-0 to advance to this game. The Lakeside Lady Panthers have faced one ranked opponent this season; Greenbrier, and they have lost all three games to the Lady Wolfpack by a combined score of 14-2. Lakeside, Evans has posted five shutouts this season and has outscored its opponents 75-27 this season.

The winner of this game will take on the winner of Chapel Hill and Salem.

Sports writer Kevin Wandra assisted in the reporting in this article.

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