Greenfield tops Hickory Christian to reach first state final since 2012
By Tom Ham
Senior Staff Writer WILSON DAILY TIMES
Senior James Wells’ second hat trick (three goals) in as many playoff matches vaulted the host Greenfield School varsity boys soccer team to a 5-2 victory against No. 3-seeded Hickory Christian in the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A semifinals on a sun-splashed Tuesday afternoon.
The output enabled Wells to boost his 2016 goal count to 50 — which is tops in North Carolina in all classes of public and private schools.
But Wells’ individual status paled in importance to the outcome against an opponent that ousted Greenfield in the 2013 and 2014 semifinals.
“We finally got past the semifinals,” Wells clamored. “It feels great. But this is the group I expected to get all the way to the finals — and win it.”
Thus, No. 2-seeded Greenfield, in the third season of head coach Randol Mendoza, will play for a state championship for the first time since 2012 against top-seeded Wayne Country Day at 1 p.m. Saturday on the Greenfield School pitch. The Knights and Wayne Country Day shared the Coastal Plain Independents Conference championship after splitting regular-season meetings. Wayne County Day ousted No. 4 Cape Fear Christian, 4-1, in the other semifinal.
Greenfield will be in quest of its first state crown since 2012 and the 14th in the program’s illustrious history since 1989.
Greenfield boosted its record to 17-2-1, while Hickory Christian, also the Knights and the top 1-A finisher in the 1-A/2-A Southern Piedmont Conference, exited at 13-8-1.
The host Knights erased a 1-0 deficit with five unanswered goals. Hickory managed its second goal in the final five minutes — when excitement stirred with the Greenfield reserves mopping up.
Hickory seized the lead in the fourth minute. On a breakaway, sophomore Gabriel Walker maneuvered within a few yards of the goal and, one-on-one with senior Greenfield goalkeeper Cedric Kirby, slid a shot into the left corner.
Wells took the blame for the goal, explaining he attempted a backwards pass that didn’t reach the intended teammate — and Hickory capitalized.
Hickory junior goalkeeper Tommy McGrath and his defensive back line of Owen Duncan, Luke Ikerd, Jack Zagalaris and Will Lehman kept Greenfield scoreless for 29-plus minutes.
Finally, Greenfield sophomore Jackson Stone served the ball into position for Wells to knock in his first goal. Less than a minute later, senior Logan Johnson’s rebound of a missed shot from eighth-grader Jarrett Smith kicked Greenfield in front for keeps.
“When they countered with the equalizing goal, it didn’t deflate us too much,” commented Hickory head coach Josh Walker. “But when we went down 2-1, that deflated us a little too much. We didn’t have that fight.”
Still, Hickory had two excellent shots at forging a 2-2 tie. However, Greenfield sophomore midfielder Alonso Hernandez stepped into an empty goal to boot away a Hickory shot, and Kirby, in an one-on-one situation, denied Walker from a few yards away.
Greenfield squandered numerous opportunities from close range the final 40 minutes but, in a span of slightly over a minute, Wells banged in two more goals on assists from Smith and Hernandez. Junior Alex Rodriguez rifled a lengthy shot to the left corner with slightly over 18 minutes remaining to conclude the Greenfield assault.
“We fell asleep for the second game in a row,” Mendoza noted, “and we don’t need to be doing that with just one game left. It was another wake-up call. But we calmed it down, kept possession as much as we could to try to get their defense out of position.”
Added Wells: “We slowed the game down, found our passes and won most of the balls out of the air. We didn’t back down. We came together as a team. We finally picked up the tempo. We were moving the ball from side to side and wearing them down. You could hear them huffing and puffing.”
Against the Greenfield reserves, Hickory intensified its attack and managed a goal from Nate Frye, its only senior, after a near-miss from Zagalaris. However, backup Greenfield keeper Ron Patel, a senior, responded with a pair of clutch saves.
Walker said Hickory’s yearly expectation is to at least reach the state semis and assured he was pleased with the 2016 accomplishment from a squad with just one senior.
“They are a pretty good team,” he said of Greenfield. “They are one of the better teams we have played.”
Now, another Greenfield-Wayne Country Day showdown.
“We’re excited,” Mendoza assured. “It has taken a lot of preparation to get us here. Now, we have to find a way to beat Wayne Country Day. We’re going to have something for them. It has taken us three years to get here — and we’re going to be prepared.”
Added Wells: “This is the team I have wanted to play in the finals since the ninth grade.”
By Tom Ham
Senior Staff Writer WILSON DAILY TIMES
Senior James Wells’ second hat trick (three goals) in as many playoff matches vaulted the host Greenfield School varsity boys soccer team to a 5-2 victory against No. 3-seeded Hickory Christian in the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A semifinals on a sun-splashed Tuesday afternoon.
The output enabled Wells to boost his 2016 goal count to 50 — which is tops in North Carolina in all classes of public and private schools.
But Wells’ individual status paled in importance to the outcome against an opponent that ousted Greenfield in the 2013 and 2014 semifinals.
“We finally got past the semifinals,” Wells clamored. “It feels great. But this is the group I expected to get all the way to the finals — and win it.”
Thus, No. 2-seeded Greenfield, in the third season of head coach Randol Mendoza, will play for a state championship for the first time since 2012 against top-seeded Wayne Country Day at 1 p.m. Saturday on the Greenfield School pitch. The Knights and Wayne Country Day shared the Coastal Plain Independents Conference championship after splitting regular-season meetings. Wayne County Day ousted No. 4 Cape Fear Christian, 4-1, in the other semifinal.
Greenfield will be in quest of its first state crown since 2012 and the 14th in the program’s illustrious history since 1989.
Greenfield boosted its record to 17-2-1, while Hickory Christian, also the Knights and the top 1-A finisher in the 1-A/2-A Southern Piedmont Conference, exited at 13-8-1.
The host Knights erased a 1-0 deficit with five unanswered goals. Hickory managed its second goal in the final five minutes — when excitement stirred with the Greenfield reserves mopping up.
Hickory seized the lead in the fourth minute. On a breakaway, sophomore Gabriel Walker maneuvered within a few yards of the goal and, one-on-one with senior Greenfield goalkeeper Cedric Kirby, slid a shot into the left corner.
Wells took the blame for the goal, explaining he attempted a backwards pass that didn’t reach the intended teammate — and Hickory capitalized.
Hickory junior goalkeeper Tommy McGrath and his defensive back line of Owen Duncan, Luke Ikerd, Jack Zagalaris and Will Lehman kept Greenfield scoreless for 29-plus minutes.
Finally, Greenfield sophomore Jackson Stone served the ball into position for Wells to knock in his first goal. Less than a minute later, senior Logan Johnson’s rebound of a missed shot from eighth-grader Jarrett Smith kicked Greenfield in front for keeps.
“When they countered with the equalizing goal, it didn’t deflate us too much,” commented Hickory head coach Josh Walker. “But when we went down 2-1, that deflated us a little too much. We didn’t have that fight.”
Still, Hickory had two excellent shots at forging a 2-2 tie. However, Greenfield sophomore midfielder Alonso Hernandez stepped into an empty goal to boot away a Hickory shot, and Kirby, in an one-on-one situation, denied Walker from a few yards away.
Greenfield squandered numerous opportunities from close range the final 40 minutes but, in a span of slightly over a minute, Wells banged in two more goals on assists from Smith and Hernandez. Junior Alex Rodriguez rifled a lengthy shot to the left corner with slightly over 18 minutes remaining to conclude the Greenfield assault.
“We fell asleep for the second game in a row,” Mendoza noted, “and we don’t need to be doing that with just one game left. It was another wake-up call. But we calmed it down, kept possession as much as we could to try to get their defense out of position.”
Added Wells: “We slowed the game down, found our passes and won most of the balls out of the air. We didn’t back down. We came together as a team. We finally picked up the tempo. We were moving the ball from side to side and wearing them down. You could hear them huffing and puffing.”
Against the Greenfield reserves, Hickory intensified its attack and managed a goal from Nate Frye, its only senior, after a near-miss from Zagalaris. However, backup Greenfield keeper Ron Patel, a senior, responded with a pair of clutch saves.
Walker said Hickory’s yearly expectation is to at least reach the state semis and assured he was pleased with the 2016 accomplishment from a squad with just one senior.
“They are a pretty good team,” he said of Greenfield. “They are one of the better teams we have played.”
Now, another Greenfield-Wayne Country Day showdown.
“We’re excited,” Mendoza assured. “It has taken a lot of preparation to get us here. Now, we have to find a way to beat Wayne Country Day. We’re going to have something for them. It has taken us three years to get here — and we’re going to be prepared.”
Added Wells: “This is the team I have wanted to play in the finals since the ninth grade.”
