What a wonderful day yesterday at Memorial Stadium in the backyard of my Rosewood home. Great crowds, weather, and the facility looked super! The games were outstanding as I saw all but one-half of the games and I believe all four boys games were scoreless at halftime yet 12 goals were scored in the matches. Unfortunately, I didn't make it over on Friday for the girls contests but appreciate the information from this site as there was no coverage in the local paper. Here are some thoughts about each match:
1A
Christ Church (Episcopalian) continues to roll in this event and it's almost not even fair. Both Upper State finalists are private christian-affiliated schools and I understand that St. Joseph's (Catholic) is joining this class from the independent schools next year. I guess the rich will get richer in that regard as the likes of Dixie, 96, etc., just don't stand a chance against these clubbers. Academic Magnet was back once again, but albeit a weakened team compared to the last couple of seasons. The 3-0 scoreline seemed perfectly just to me as CC controlled most of the match and I thought #16 for the Cavs was the best player on the field. Also impressed with #4 in the back.
2A
Wow! Great job by Batesburg-Leesville! #10 is quite a player and the outside girl defender #12 was super! I thought #8 and #13 for B-L did well, too, because they were under siege from the outset. The big goalkeeper turned in a nice performance. It appeared that Bishop England thought they were going to just roll the ball out there and win the game like they usually do in Columbia in May and there is no doubt that BE was the better team 1-11 (and subs) but could not get anything as a result. #8 controlled the midfield and #2 was a stalwart in the back, but BE just seemed off-kilter all day and the longer it went scoreless the more tight and frustrated the green team became. What a sensational goal by #10 in overtime and the celebration was something to behold - exactly what high school athletics should be about. In all my club years and witnessing of championships, I've never seen the celebrations take place like they did yesterday after the AA, AAA, and AAAA finals. Kudos to the B-L community, too, as the only thing that must have been left in western Lexington County was Shealy's BBQ!
3A
Kind of a mundane game after the 2A final and I really expected somewhat of a romp by JL Mann. This team exudes the club persona as each player kind of marches to the beat of his own drum. And the hairstyles - or lack there of - whoa! Talk about displaying your own traits! #21 for JL Mann was clearly the best on the field in my estimation and #9 who seemed to be all over the place at times was a hard worker as well. #21 is extremely fast and the second goal he scored was an absolute bomb! South Aiken's #4 worked tirelessly but was ball chasing most of the game as JL Mann really controlled the tempo after the first 20 minutes. In fact, had it not been for some good reactions by the SA back line then it could have been 3-0 or 4-0. Their goalkeeper looked a little uneasy at times and I don't know what happened on the first goal but that play was as unorthodox as I have seen, including the display by the GK after it crossed the line. He literally laid down on the field for 2-3 minutes while things were trying to be sorted out by the coaches and referees. No qualms, though, the better team won.
4A
What a doozy! Being in Columbia the past 25 years I have had the privilege of watching Irmo a great deal. As much as you have to respect that program there is something about that squad that makes you pull against them. After becoming familiar the past 4-5 years with Northwestern they have become somewhat my second favorite team (well, behind Dreher of course). Their style is brash, but it's more of a confidence and a delivery of the game itself instead of cockiness or a boorish attitude. All things being equal, I just cannot root for a team that bleaches their hair every spring for the playoffs. Some say tradition, I say yuck! The first 40 minutes I felt Irmo had the play and momentum but though there were a lot of shots, none really possessed the punch necessary to get past the NHS backs. This isn't the best Northwestern team I've seen, but it might be just as explosive as #7, #9, #10, #14 are all capable of taking a game over. In fact, #10 seemed to be in the middle of everything the entire time. Throw in the hard work of #4, #12, and #19 and there aren't a lot of spots left. I thought little #22 was good outside with some tough assignments and the goalkeeper held Irmo at bay for almost 70 minutes. Irmo's #4 might have been the best player on the field. #8 in the back is a beast but the gloves seemed to effect his long throw-ins. I expected a lot more from #7 and #10 but they were inept in the final third. One question I do have is who was the Irmo goalkeeper or did they platoon? Whatever, the second half was a nightmare for the Irmo defense as the few opportunities that Northwestern had they cashed in and did so in style! Those four goals the Trojans scored were sensational and the last one was icing on the cake for a superb game plan by NHS. For all the Irmo offensive prowess they have IHS really only mustered a floating ball from 40 yards out and an own goal late (I think everyone familiar with these teams knew it would take more than that to defeat Northwestern).
Again, it was a super Saturday and the weather cooperated. Does anyone know the attendance figures? All of the games were well attended but I don't think I ever heard a figure announced. I'll be sure to check the Time Warner On Demand schedule to see when I can DVR the second half of that 4A game because those goals were incredible. Thanks for a fun day and congratulations to the winners - there are no losers when you make it this far!
