Morgan County soccer topped the Academy of Richmond last week to capture its fourth straight region title.
The Dogs completed the season sweep of the Musketeers, winning 2-1 to lock up the top seed in Region 4-AAA entering the postseason next week. They improved to 8-6-1 overall and 7-1 in region play with the win.
Morgan County soccer coach Aaron Paul acknowledged how proud he was of his team after the win over ARC.
“Man, this is a goal that we set as a team at the end of last year. This is something the other coaches and I have constantly talked about and harped on how important it was to win another region championship to help with our playoff seedings,” Paul said. “It just feels good to accomplish that goal. I knew we could do it.”
Morgan County’s victory didn’t come easy. The Dogs held off ARC in the second half to pull off the big win.
The first 20 minutes were a standstill, but Morgan County broke through with a goal shortly after that mark.
Korbin Hegwood scored the first goal, giving the Dogs a 1-0 advantage over the Musketeers in the championship tilt.
The sophomore striker came sprinting across the pitch and seized his opportunity to score.
Fellow sophomore striker Larson Detienne gave Morgan County more momentum a few minutes later with a second goal.
He knocked the ball through the back of the net on a cross pattern, extending the Dogs’ lead to 2-0.
ARC responded with a goal before the end of the half, making it a 2-1 game heading into the break.
However, Morgan County’s defense and sophomore keeper Blake Downs kept the Musketeers from scoring again.
Paul highlighted how important Downs was in pursuing the region championship, especially against ARC.
“Our keeper is a guy who is consistent,” Paul said. “(Blake) is a leader and has stepped up for us big this year.”
The win was even more special because sophomore Carson Keener, who missed the last month due to injury, was cleared to play the day of the match. Keener played a key role for the Dogs this year before his injury.
Morgan County faced some adversity this season with injuries, but the result was worth it in the end for Paul.
“We’re so young and only have three seniors. (The season) was up-and-down. We battled injuries,” Paul said. “We’re such a young team that we had to figure out who we were. There were a couple of times we thought we had found an identity and then we would hit a reset. It’s sweet to see our guys overcome those things.”
Earlier this season, Harlem knocked off Morgan County, putting it in a bind, so the match against ARC was very important. Each team entered the contest with one region loss each, although the Dogs left with the title.
Paul mentally prepared his players for a match of this caliber and said they were ready for it.
Paul and his staff simplified things for their guys, who just took care of business against a talented squad from ARC.
“We didn’t want to overcomplicate things and didn’t want to hype it up too much,” Paul said. “We knew who they were and had them on film. We watched that film after the last game and watched it again last week. We studied what they do well. We told the guys to settle down and do their jobs. That’s what they did.”
The first round of the Class AAA state playoffs will take place on Wednesday, April 17.
Morgan County is set to host the No. 4 seed from Region 1, which will likely be Dougherty (5-5, 2-3), at Bill Corry Stadium.