By Lee Davis
Is there any doubt where the best soccer in Alabama is played?
Not after Saturday.
It’s as easy as one-two-three, as events at Huntsville’s John Hunt Park proved without a doubt.
Over the Mountain schools brought home three state championships from the state soccer finals, two of them defeating fellow area schools in the process. And yet another area program proved itself one to watch in the future.
Vestavia Hills defeated Oak Mountain 1-0 to claim its first boys’ Class 6A title since 1995.
Mountain Brook’s girls dethroned defending champion Oak Mountain 2-0 to win the Lady Spartans their fourth Class 6A soccer crown.
In Class 5A, Briarwood routed longtime rival St. Paul’s 3-0 to win its fourth boys’ championship.
And in Class 1A-4A competition, upstart program Westminster-Oak Mountain forced Collinsville to the limit before falling 5-1 in the boys’ championship final.
Jarrod Nieves’ penalty kick made the difference for the Rebels in their win over the Eagles. His concentration was briefly interrupted when a teammate came onto the field just prior to his winning kick attempt.
“I thought maybe we’d already won,” Nieves said later. “But I had to hit that last penalty kick to put it away.”
Vestavia and Oak Mountain battled through regulation play and two overtime periods before penalty kicks made the difference. The Rebels connected on all four of their attempts, while the Eagles missed two.
Appropriately because of the low score, Vestavia goalkeeper Marvin Castellanos was named the Most Valuable Player. He had three saves in regulation action and one stop in the shootout.
“We felt like we had the better team,” Castellanos said. “We just had to prove it on the field.”
The Rebels finished the season 29-1-1. Oak Mountain ended the year 21-3-1.
In its victory over the Oak Mountain girls, Mountain Brook understood the importance of neutralizing Lady Eagle star Toni Payne. The Lady Spartans achieved their objective by earning a shutout.
“Oak Mountain is a good team, and Toni makes them very good,” said Mountain Brook coach Scott Flowers. “We knew if we could shut her down or at least limit their opportunities, we had a chance.”
Lady Spartan midfielder Laura Rice agreed with the strategy.
“We had to make sure Toni wasn’t a factor,” she said. “Our game plan was to play like a team and defend like a team.”
After a scoreless first half, Mountain Brook took the lead on a free kick from Rice. Kayla Dowler got the second goal after a serve from Olivia Lantz.
Payne was philosophical after the game ended.
“I think we all played our best,” she said. “We just didn’t come out on top.”
Mountain Brook finished its season with a 22-3-2 mark, while Oak Mountain ended the year with a 22-4-2 record.
The Lady Spartans’ championship was Mountain Brook’s 150th state title since the school opened its doors in 1966.
Grant Janich sparked Briarwood’s win over St. Paul’s by scoring two goals. His first goal came in the game’s 24th minute, with an assist by Kyle Kimel. Kimel scored the Lions’ second goal late in the first half, aided by an assist from Conner Lee, to give Briarwood a 2-0 advantage.
Janich’s goal in the 66th minute put the game out of reach.
Lion coach Mark Wallace paid tribute to his 13 seniors after the game.
“The fact we have so many seniors makes this championship even more special,” he said.
The shutout victory earned Briarwood its fourth state 5A boys’ soccer crown. Kimel was named MVP as the Lions ended the season with a 20-5-3 worksheet.
Westminster-Oak Mountain’s Cinderella tale ended in the Class 1A-4A finals, as Garrett Smith scored the Knights’ only goal. Westminster had reached the finals with a stunning upset of UMS-Wright of Mobile the previous day.
“I couldn’t have asked for better players, a better situation or a better attitude,” said Knights coach Patrick Fitzgerald. “They’ve made history for our school. Our guys opened up a lot of eyes.”
Westminster-Oak Mountain finished the year with a 13-4-4 mark.
