Hartselle soccer teams win Morgan County Tournament
In a thrilling display of skill and determination, both the Hartselle High School boys and girls varsity soccer teams successfully defended their titles at the Morgan County Soccer Tournament. Entering the competition as reigning champions, both teams had a bye in the first round and went on to clinch their respective championship games on March 1.
The Lady Tigers showcased their prowess with a decisive 5-1 victory over the Austin High Black Bears in the second round, earning their spot in the championship game. They faced a formidable opponent in the championship, Decatur High, but emerged victorious with a 2-1 win. Key contributors to their success included Jaylee Browning, Maggie Garnett and Claire Harper, who were named to the All-County team. Barran’s outstanding performance throughout the tournament earned her the MVP award.
The boys’ tournament saw the Tigers defeating the West Morgan Rebels 4-1 in the second round, setting up a final showdown against their perennial nemesis, Austin High. The championship game was a defensive struggle, with Austin managing only three shots on goal in the first half while Hartselle had none. The score remained 0-0 at halftime.
The deadlock was broken when Luke “Vinny” Vinson executed a perfect shot high in the left corner of the goal on a free kick from just outside the box, giving Hartselle a 1-0 lead with 17:09 minutes remaining in the second half. Goalkeeper John Vinson made a stel-lar save on a penalty kick to secure the clean sheet and the victory, earning him the tournament MVP award. Gavin Erb, Landon Littrell and Luke Vinson were also recognized for their efforts and named to the All-Tournament team.
The victory sealed the first ever back-toback tournament championship crowns of the Hartselle High School varsity soccer teams.
More games
The varsity boys team faced a challenging start to their third consecutive area championship hopes in the 6A Area 13 game against the Cullman Bearcats on March 6, resulting in a 4-2 loss. Despite the defeat, Andrew O’Leary and Warren Peyton managed to score, with Luke Vinson providing an assist.
Undeterred, both JV and varsity teams competed in the Alabama Sports Officials Foundation (ASOF) tournament on March 7-8 in Oxford. The varsity Tigers showed resilience by defeating Talladega 3-2, thanks to goals from Warren Peyton, Luke Vinson and Andrew O’Leary. They also triumphed over Heflin with a remarkable 10-0 victory; Peyton, O’Leary, and John Vinson each scored two goals, while Rhett Spivey, Luke Vinson, Noah Huff and Levi McIntosh each contributed one goal. The match against Boaz ended in a 3-3 tie. Although the team finished with a 2-0-1 tournament record, they were tied for first place but lost out on the tie breaker due to goals allowed, with Boaz conceding one less.
Meanwhile, the JV boys team continued their winning streak, securing their second consecutive ASOF championship by defeating Oxford 2-1, Boaz 2-1 and Central-Phenix City 3-0.
