State Champs

MATTHEWS — In a battle of the best offense in NCHSAA 2A soccer and the best defense, the Clinton Dark Horses played host to the Southwest Randolph Cougars in the state championship game at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex. Two titans on the pitch collided, but the strong defense of the Horses prevailed, as they won, 3-1, giving them their second-ever state championship in the sport.

Before the game kicked off, Ryan Freeman was awarded the sportsmanship award for his leadership, teamwork, and clean play throughout the season.

Clinton took the opening kickoff, which they took towards their defensive side. From here, the Cougars put the defensive pressure early on, showing the Horses they came ready to play.

An early corner kick at the 37 minute mark from Southwestern Randolph was denied by Clinton. The Horses took the ball to the other end of the field where Brandt Sumner mistimed his kick on a shot, keeping it the same.

Back to the other end the ball went, and Randolph looked to have an open field. James Sinclair came in to tie up the attacker deep on the field near the goal, and after Luis Bartolome got his foot on the ball, the signature Clinton defense kept it scoreless.

Brandt Sumner sent a long shot from near the top left of the box on the Horses’ next possession, but the goaltender was there to swallow it up. The teams traded the ball near midfield until a Cougar penalty gave Ryan Freeman a free kick. This attempt was squandered away as well, and as the clock neared 30 minutes, no one had an open late at a shot yet.

Like many foes had seen thus far, Clinton turned on the jets offensively. Clearly the aggressor, they wanted as many shots as they could get. David Paz put a spin move on a defender to try and create a lane, but the Cougar defense still held strong.

A brief lapse in the offensive pressure from the Horses netted Bartolome two saves at the 28:25 and 28:01 marks.

Nelson Guerrero broke free just south of 23:30 for an attempt, but the goalie was there for the stop. It didn’t take much time for Holden Spell to take the rebound down and sneak it in for a goal, for the 1-0 lead.

Southwestern Randolph quickly answered and got a goal of their own at 22:45, making it 1-1.

11 took a free kick near the 22 minute mark, but the Cougars thwarted it once more. The rebound attempt was no good. After battling for possession near the center mark, the Cougars moved down the field once more and got a shot on Bartolome who block it once more.

A rebound from a header presented Sumner with a shot again, but it sailed over top as the first half continued winding down. Bartolome was still a formidable force for the Horses as pressure had now flipped in the Cougars’ favor, as the game saw a much higher offensive tempo out of Southwest Randolph late in the first half.

Frustration started to evolve from both sides, as the game started to get chippier with uncalled penalties and rough interactions between the Cougars and the Horses. Not enough, though, to warrant many calls from the officials.

Holden Spell fired one on goal near the 6:30 mark, which ricocheted off the goalkeeper’s face, and the rebound shot went into the legs of the defenders, stopping the Horses in their tracks once more.

With just 3:28 remaining in the opening period, Sumner scored on a rebound from a Griffin Williams throw-in. The initial toss didn’t net the goal, but after the ball bounced between the two teams in front of the goal, Sumner trickled the shot into the goal. Clinton took the 2-1 lead with that.

As the second half kicked off, Clinton was back on the offensive. The early tempo they had in the first half was back for the Horses as they were putting the pedal on the metal.

The two Titans on the pitch were letting very little reprieve for either side, until David Paz got a centering pass which he put into the back of the net with 31:32 left in the game. This made it a 3-1 game in Clinton’s favor.

Guerrero fired another one at the goal just past the 30 minute mark, but the stout defense of the Cougars’ goalie kept it at bay.

The Horses and Cougars traded yellow cards, as Griffin Williams was awarded one with under 27 minutes. Things continued to be as scrappy as they were in the waning moments of the first half, but the referees were much quicker to award the penalty calls this time around.

Luis Bartolome went down with an injury at 24:56 on a save, appearing to have injured his lower leg. After spending some time on the ground and receiving medical attention, he was back on his feet and in the goal for the Horses just a few moments later.

Frustrations started to grow with Southwestern Randolph, as any attempt to get the ball down the field and an open shot on Bartolome was taken away from the blanketing defense.

Things didn’t get any better for them, as Bartolome rejected another and Clinton’s defense snagged another one shortly after. Like the first half, the Cougars turned their offense up late in the second.

Clinton got more shots on goal as the clock was nearing the 10 minute mark. An eerie silence fell over the stands on both sides, as the intensity of the final moments was mounting.

Disaster almost struck for Clinton just shy of nine minutes, as a Cougar shot was barely too high and hit the crossbar. A corner kick for them also sailed over the top at 6:48.

The Horses held off the attack, and as the clock hit all zeroes, Clinton held their 3-1 lead. And with that, 2024 NCHSAA 2A soccer state championship belonged to the Clinton Dark Horses, their second in the sport.

Brandt Sumner took home the MVP award for his performance in the game, which he said “feels awesome” in a post-game interview. “But I want everyone to know that it’s not just me being the MVP. The whole team has brought us through this whole season — we’ve been through it together, including God. We put most of our season towards him.”

Coach Brad Spell, who has now coached two state championship winning teams, and one state championship loss, was doing everything he could to choke back his tears and emotions. “Oh man, I tell you. Great feeling. I’m just real happy for the guys, because I knew how bad they wanted it throughout the summer, and how bad they wanted it throughout the year.”

Sumner said that he will hear the words “play feet,” which is Spell’s signature phrase, ring through his head for the entire off-season until next season starts. Those words, within earshot of Spell, gave the two a bit of a chuckle, cutting through the post-game tension like a knife.