Special contribution

Hartselle Enquirer

With less than 5 minutes remaining in the match, Luke “Moose” Minnon fired a shot from 20 yards away, splitting two defenders before crashing into the back of the net.  Minnon’s second goal of the championship match put the Hartselle’s U-12 Boys team ahead by 2 goals as they went on to complete their third come back of the tournament by winning the championship match 4-2. Hartselle won all 5 matches, sweeping the AYSO Section 5 Tournament in Knoxville, Tenn. The AYSO Section 5 represents 10 states from the Southeast; this is the first team from Hartselle to win the Section 5 Tournament.

Hartselle’s Head Coach was admittedly surprised, “I knew we had talent and were very capable, but we haven’t played well lately and we lost some players prior to the tournament so my expectation was modest.” The results were anything but modest. Owen Bennich led all tournament participants with 8 goals in 5 games. Gavin Zanda and Quincey Kattes also scored goals throughout the tournament. Jack Adams paced the team at midfield while Levi Denney, Jonah Morton, Tyler Peek, Sam Ashley, and Braeden Brown provided solid defense.

Hartselle had to battle back from deficits in their first two games. They rallied to beat Gatlinburg, Tenn. 2-1; and then rallied from a 2-0 deficit to knock of the host, Knoxville, 3-2. The players responded well to coaching adjustments on day two as they beat Madison, AL 4-1 to win the group stage and secure the #1 seed. Meanwhile, the team from Montgomery was also undefeated through the group stage, earning the #2 seed.

On Sunday morning, Hartselle cruised past Gatlinburg in the semi-final while Montgomery needed extra time and penalty kicks to advance. The

championship match now featured two undefeated teams. Hartselle struck first shortly after kickoff as Gavin Zanda slipped a shot past the keeper. Montgomery responded with a goal of their own before adding another goal and taking the lead on a free kick. Down 2-1, Luke “Moose” Minnon scored with an artillery shot from 25 yards that took a high bounce over the keeper’s head to tie the game 2-2. The third period ended with an own goal as a Montgomery player failed to redirect a crossing pass. Minnon’s goal late in the match sealed the championship 4-2. “I knew they couldn’t recover from a 2 goal deficit that late in the game,” stated “Moose” Minnon.

Hartselle Coach Jon Minnon reflected “It’s a blessing to see these boys and families experience this. Even when the right people do the right things the right way, success is still not a guarantee. They will treasure this whole weekend for the rest of their lives.”