By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
It’s almost becoming old hat for the North Adams Lady Devils girls soccer squad to get that team photo taken after winning a sectional championship. From the rebirth of the program under Coach Dave D’Avignon to the current reign of Coach Morgan Hendrickson, the Lady Devils have created expectations of success that begin with solid regular seasons and then extend to the postseason.
Last season, the North Adams girls captured sectional and district titles before falling to Lynchburg in a regional heartbreaker and to repeat that run this season required a sectional crown to start the path back.
That crown came on Wednesday, October 18 as the #5 seeded Lady Devils played host to the Lady Panthers of Southeastern High School, the #12 seed on the Division III brackets. The home team left little doubt as to their intentions to advance, scoring three goals in the game’s first seven minutes, two of those by senior Hunter Grooms, then got a hat trick from freshman Zaylee Eldridge to coast to a 7-0 win and return to the district semifinals with their ninth consecutive sectional championship.
“I was wondering which team would show up today, ” said Coach Hendrickson. “The team that wanted to score showed up in the first half and that gave me an opportunity to put different people in to get scoring opportunities and we get a freshman with a hat trick.”
The first North Adams goal came at the 37:59 mark of the first half, when Grooms found herself one one one with the Southeastern keeper and easily found the back of the net. Two and a half minutes later, it was Grooms again, this time with a bloop kick that was elevated just enough to elude the grasp of the Lady Panthers’ keeper to make it 2-0. The third quick goal came from the Lady Devils’ leading scorer, senior Kenlie Jones, who fired a bullet into the net from about 20 yards out for her 28th goals of the season and a 3-0 North Adams advantage.
The first of Eldridge’s three goals came with 20:43 left in the first half, when she connected with her left foot and just managed to roll one past the keeper to make it 4-0. With 11:48 left in the half, Eldridge got her second score, taking a perfect corner kick from Emmy Holt off of her chest and into the net, 5-0 North Adams.
With just 1:08 reaming in the opening half, sophomore Karis Tumbleson joined the scoring parade, finding the corner of the net from 15 yards out and the Lady Devils had a six-goal halftime advantage.
For soccer tournament play this season, the OHSAA has instituted a Goal Differential Rule that keeps the clock moving or calls the contest if a team takes an eight-goal lead at any point in the second half. The Lady Devils only managed the first of those options and Eldridge completed her hat trick for the seventh and final goal in the North Adams shutout win.
Also notable in the shutout victory, and even though she didn’t face too many challenges from the Southeastern offense, the Lady Devils’ senior goalie, Harlee Brand, broke the school record for shutouts in a career, notching her 32nd clean sheet in her four-year career.
The reward for last week’s victory was a trip to Northwest High School on Monday, October 23 to face a very familiar opponent, the Wheelersburg Lady Pirates, Last season the North Adams girls defeated ‘Burg in the Division III district championship game and the Lady Pirates got a small dose of revenge with a 3-1 win earlier this season.
“ The road gets a lot tougher now,” said Hendrickson. “We have a game plan and we’re looking for some redemption from the regular season but I know they are also looking for some revenge for last year’s district tournament.”
(Update: On a second half goal by Kenlie Jones, the Lady Devils defeated Wheelersburg 1-0 Monday night to advance to the Division III district championship game to be played on Thursday, October 26 at Lucasville Valley High School. It will be a rematch of last year’s regional semifinals as North Adams will face the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs at 6 p.m.)