By Lee Davis
The Over the Mountain area proved itself again as the soccer capital of Alabama last week.
Four schools claimed state championships at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, and one of them – Oak Mountain – swept both the boys’ and girls’ Class 7A titles.
John Carroll Catholic’s Lady Cavaliers claimed a second consecutive title by winning the Class 6A crown. They took the blue trophy for Class 5A last season.
Westminster-Oak Mountain’s boys’ team brought home the Class 1A-3A blue trophy.
The Oak Mountain boys claimed the 7A title with a 3-0 win over Auburn May 9. A goal by Carl Davis with 14:06 remaining in the game gave the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
Tripp Langner and Clayton McDonald added goals to seal the victory. Davis also earned an assist. Goalkeeper Ryan Dearman earned the shutout, and Langer was named MVP.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this team,” Daniel DeMasters, Eagle coach, said. “From the beginning of the year, winning the state championship was one of our goals. This was a complete effort by all of our guys.”
Oak Mountain reached the finals on the strength of a win over Bob Jones the previous day. The Eagles finished the season with a 23-4-1 record.
To claim the girls’ title, the Lady Eagles needed a big play by goalkeeper Katie Denney to earn their second consecutive state crown with a 2-1 shootout win over Auburn May 9. Tied 1-1 after regulation play, Alexandra Dunn, Nealy Martin and Julia Pack scored in the shootout.
Denney then stopped three Auburn kicks to clinch the victory. Her third stop – coming off a kick from the Lady Tigers’ Hannah Deweese – was a close call.
“At first, I thought it went in, and I was really nervous,” Denney said. “But I looked to the sideline, and the official said the ball was out. That was a big relief.”
Denney had plenty of experience in shootouts. She had gone 13 rounds in a shootout playoff victory over Vestavia Hills the previous week.
Pack also scored Oak Mountain’s only goal in regulation play.
“I told our players to believe in themselves,” David DiPiazza, Lady Eagle coach, said. “If you believe in yourself, you will make the shots.”
Oak Mountain ended the year with a 24-3-1 worksheet. The Lady Eagles reached the final after a win over Bob Jones in the semifinals. They won the Class 6A championship in 2014.
John Carroll’s girls dominated Daphne 5-0 on May 9, as Carmyn Lyster scored three goals for the Lady Cavaliers. Claire McPherson and Lindsey Flemming also scored for the victors. Lyster earned an assist on McPherson’s goal.
Lyster scored her first goal at the 27:38 mark in the opening half.
“We came out a little slow, considering it was for the state championship,” Chace Zanaty, John Carroll coach, said. “Once we got that first goal, we settled down and played our game.”
Lyster, a junior who was named game MVP, said she thought her team’s work ethic was a key to the win.
“We really wanted (the title) and worked hard for 80 minutes,” she said. “That’s what we do. I’m really excited for our seniors. I’m ready to try to win again next year.”
The Lady Cavs dominated the game at all levels, including a 14-1 advantage in shots on goal.
Zanaty said he thought John Carroll’s strong depth contributed to the win.
“We benefit from having so many substitutes,” he said. “We can shove people in and out and just run our opponent to death, and that’s what we did.”
The Lady Cavs completed 2015 with a 16-4-2 record and earned a berth in the championship final with a win over Athens.
The Westminster-Oak Mountain boys captured their first-ever state title with a 4-0 rout of Faith Christian on May 8. Ironically, Erik McDaniel, Faith coach, may be the Knights’ greatest admirer.
“They are fantastic,” said McDaniel about the Westminster players. “They are the best 1A through 6A team in Alabama.”
Westminster’s record may well justify the opposing coach’s claim. In posting a 16-1-2 ledger, the Knights’ only loss came against Class 7A power Hoover, and the ties came against Class 7A Spain Park and Class 6A Homewood.
Jack Stein scored a first-half goal and a second-half assist on the way to winning MVP honors. Stein – a certain all-state selection – will not play college soccer next season. He’s going to Great Britain to work at a church in London.
Other goals were scored by Daniel Richardson, Jarod Keeler and Nathan Richards. Goalkeeper Jonathan Stanford earned the shutout.
