The Randolph Varsity Soccer Program exceeded expectations this season. With a 16-9-1 record, the boys fell just short of their goal of reaching the Final Four for Class 6A. Due to the consistent success of our program, Randolph Soccer plays in the 6A classification, 2 classifications up from our traditional 4A Classification, but the boys rose to the challenge.
We began our season with multiple 7A opponents to prepare ourselves for Area play. Victories were hard to come by against the likes of Grissom, Sparkman, Bob Jones, and James Clemens. After starting the season 4-5, a turning point came when we faced Sparkman in the River City Shootout. Having lost to them 3-1 a week earlier, the boys took their chance at redemption with a come from behind 3-2 victory to advance to the finals of the tournament. We fell to Grissom in the final, 2-0, but we knew that we had what it took to hang with the larger schools in the state.
After the annual beach trip, the boys came back for the second half of the season ready to begin area play. We sent a message to the rest of the league by defeating Athens 6-0 on their own turf. The boys would go on to win 8 out of their next 10 on the way to an undefeated Area Championship, securing home field advantage for the first 2 rounds of the playoffs.
The wins continued with a 3-0 victory over Buckhorn and a nail-biting victory over Hazel Green in penalties. All roads pointed to our familiar foe, Fort Payne. Having played and fallen to them in the last 4 playoffs, we knew it would be a difficult challenge. It was the game we knew it would be, hard fought and full of twists and turns. Fort Payne took a 2-goal lead in the first 8 minutes of the game. Things looked bleak until JJ Chung finished off a great team goal with 15 minutes left in the first half. The second half turned into a dog fight, with neither team able to create a clear-cut chance. In the end, we were unable to get the equalizer. Many would’ve never believed we would’ve been in that situation in the first place. It is a testament to the players, the staff, and the program that we continue to compete at such a high level at the 6A classification.
Many players had fantastic seasons, with quite a few playing their first varsity minutes this season. Tyler DeOrio, a varsity staple since he was in 8th grade, led the team in goals with 13 while also providing 7 assists. While JJ Chung and Addison Dub? both hit double figures in goals. Wesley Harvey, a senior, became a starter for the first time at center back and exceeded all expectations. Desmond Stearns and Tristan Morse, having played JV for 3 years, made incredible contributions with Desmond becoming a permanent starter and Tristan scoring important goals, including the game tying goal to send us to overtime against Hazel Green.
All in all, the team had a fantastic season. They have so much to be proud of and plenty to build on heading into next season. We know where we are heading and what needs to be done to get us back playing in the Final Four of the State Tournament. The work for next season is already under way!
