STARKVILLE — “One more win.”
As the wild postgame celebration ensued and Starkville High School boys soccer coach Brian Bennett received a Gatorade bath, he reminded his Yellow Jackets they had one more victory to get.
Starkville moved one step of capturing the school’s first state title in soccer after defeating Hernando 3-1 Tuesday in the Class 5A North State Class championship before a boisterous crowd at Yellow Jacket Stadium.
“Oh my God! I have never had a feeling quite like this,” Starkville senior forward Price Day said. “We had never gotten this far in the playoffs. To be able to do it with a group of guys I have grown up playing with is an amazing experience. This is totally unreal. I am out of my mind.”
Day scored two goals as Starkville (13-3) broke a 1-1 halftime tie to advance to face Pascagoula (20-4-1) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Clinton High School’s Arrow Stadium for the Class 5A state title. It will be Starkville’s first appearance in a soccer state title match, while Pascagoula will be in the final for the first time since 2004.
“We were in Class 6A for so long,” Bennett said. “We played so many great teams over the years, and we played them real close. To be able to finally get over the hump is very special. First time to be playing for state is such a great accomplishment. This has been a long time coming.
“Playing at home gave us such a huge advantage. I am so proud of everybody connected with the program. This is a special night.”
Hernando (14-3-2) had only allowed five goals entering the match, and hadn’t surrendered more than one goal in a match this season.
Starkville quickly hit that mark when Day took the opening possession and converted an opportunity 15 seconds into the match.
“After we came out and scored right away, we were really fired up,” Starkville senior defender J.R. Tomlinson said. “After they scored, we lost our momentum. We were not getting the 50-50 balls anymore. We lost our intensity. That is what we really stressed at halftime.”
Starkville missed a couple of easy scoring chances that allowed Hernando to right the ship and to take charge in the final 20 minutes of the half. Freshman Erick Pinon scored on a crosser with 27 minutes left before halftime to tie the match.
“We came out right off the bat and scored,” Bennett said. “After that, we were flat. Hernando caused a lot of that. They were flying around everywhere and going after all the loose balls. At halftime, we told the guys they had to match Hernando’s intensity.
“It was not like we couldn’t win the match. We had the talent to do it. We just had to stay within ourselves and play harder. We picked it up a lot in the second half.”
With a renewed energy, Starkville moved back on the attack. After a near-goal by Juan Salazar, Kase Kingery found the distance with a long-range goal from 30 yards.
“I was trying to put in on the frame,” said Kingery, a senior midfielder. “That was in case their goalkeeper bobbled it. He had been struggling with his hands all night. Fortunately, the shot went in. That was a really big score. I think that goal really lifted the team.”
Hernando had a golden opportunity to tie minutes later, but the defense was up to the task and turned away a couple of shots from close-range and a well-executed corner kick.
Tomlinson was responsible for a couple of those stops as he anchored a back line that played brilliantly in the second half.
“The defense did not allow a score in the second half,” Tomlinson said. “That took all the pressure off our offense. We were then able to score two goals to put it away. Everyone stepped up and did it. It was a very intense match.”
With 18 minutes remaining, Day scored his second goal by catching a ricochet and bringing it home from close range.
“You have to give credit to everyone on this team,” Day said. “It was a team effort, and everybody really played great. We did the best we could and fortunately, we came out on top.”
Addison Watson completed the second-half shutout in goal as the Yellow Jackets were rarely threatened after Day’s second score.
“We have been together for a really long time,” Kingery said. “It is special when it comes together at the end like this. There have been so many years where we thought we could go further but we didn’t for various reasons.
“I think we are playing the best we have ever played. I am really proud to be a part of this.”
After a couple of tough mid-season losses, the Yellow Jackets have found their second wind. The turnaround also includes playoff victories against Center Hill (4-0) and Oxford (4-2).
“(Earlier in the year) we were talking about what we had to lose,” Day said. “With so many seniors on this team, we decided we needed to go out with a bang. That is what we have done.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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