BY CALEB GARNER
Special to The Dispatch
STARKVILLE–Starkville Academy’s size and experience dominated Heritage Academy’s youth on Thursday night in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Division III semifinal matchup.
The Volunteers (11-5-1) took down the Patriots for the second time in three tries this season, earning the 2-0 shutout at the Starkville Sportsplex.
Starkville head coach Matt Sykes relished the win against the rival Patriots. He said he like his team’s mind-set and the way they set out to dominate from the very beginning.
“It’s always good to win, especially against a rival, especially with what was at stake,” Sykes said. “These guys came out and were ready to play. It seemed like we dominated the game from the beginning. There’s not much more to say than that these guys fought hard and they definitely earned the victory.”
SA’s first goal came in the 13th minute on a goal by senior forward Dalton Dempsey off an assist by junior Cameron McKee.
Sykes realized that, despite Heritage’s youth, they still had the talent to stick around.
“When Dalton scored first, my first thought was, ‘alright, we have to get another one,'” Sykes said. “These guys have fought the entire year and Heritage is a great team and you can’t let a team like that stick around.”
The second goal of the game came off the foot of senior Torin Hamilton in the 57th minute after Heritage switched goalkeepers. Hamilton said that the switch was crucial in the placement of his shot.
“They changed keepers on us,” Hamilton said. “I knew I could go higher because we had a shorter keeper and I didn’t have to keep it low.”
After the victory, Sykes directed his players to thank the fans sitting on the hillside adjacent to the field–something that he has implemented from his playing days at East Central Community College in Decatur.
“It is something I was taught during my college days,” Sykes said. “You are to show thanks to those who came out to watch. That is something that I wanted to continue.”
“(The fans) are always out here supporting us,” Dempsey added. “Usually it is pretty cold during soccer season. It was pretty warm (on Thursday), but they are always out here supporting us no matter what.”
Heritage head coach Joe Asadi, who coached Sykes at Heritage, noted that his team’s youth played a huge role this season, but gave Starkville credit for showing up ready to play.
“We have a very young team,” Asaid said. “About 70 percent of my team is basically junior varsity. Hopefully next year, they are going to grow up and get bigger. Starkville played well today and we didn’t. They deserved to win.”
While Sykes is no longer a player under Asadi, he still views his former coach as a mentor, so it was satisfying to get his second-straight victory in the series.
“It is always good to coach against somebody who taught you so much and is so close,” Sykes said. “Before the game, we told each other that if anybody is going to play for (the north half championship), this is who we would want to play. We would want each of us to be the one to go down and play for state.”
The Volunteers will play for the MAIS Division III state title game against Central Hinds Academy, who has not lost a game in three-plus seasons, on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Raymond. The Cougars downed St. Aloysius 3-2 in the other semifinal match to advance to the state title game.
Hamilton is confident in his and his teammates’ ability to make history and end Central Hinds’ streak.
“They are going to be a good team and will be able to move the ball,” Hamilton said. “We are just going to have to play better. We played a whole lot better (Thursday night) than we have been so we just have to bump it up even more for Saturday. Everybody is beatable.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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