Archer, one of Gwinnett County’s youngest high schools, has enjoyed early success on the football field and basketball court. The story hasn’t been the same on the soccer pitch, though, but the Tiger boys did pull off one of the biggest upsets of the season last week.
Archer knocked off defending AAAAAA champion Brookwood 2-1 on March 24. The Tigers benefitted from an early red card on Brookwood, and sophomore Nick Pruehs volleyed home a ball that banged off the crossbar off of a free kick from senior Anthony Keiss with 15 minutes to play for what turned out to be the decisive goal.
“The boys were pretty jacked at that point, and I was hoping the adrenaline would carry them through the end of the game,” Archer coach Brian Zirbel told the AJC.
Archer opened in 2009-10. After coaching the girls from the last five seasons, Zirbel moved over the boys this season. He inherited a team that won just two games in 2013 and 2014. The Tigers went 1-7 in Region 8-AAAAAA last year. The win over Brookwood was the Tigers’ second region win this season.
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Welcomed addition:
St. Pius X, a two-time defending state champions in AAA, has not had any trouble making the transition to AAAA. The Golden Lions were off to a 13-0 start, heading into Tuesday’s game against Dunwoody. St. Pius had won 19 consecutive matches dating back to last season, which they capped with six straight wins and its third state title in the last four years.
The senior tandem of striker Edmundo Robinson and midfielder Louie Aponte is bolstering the St. Pius offense, while senior captain Adam Kinsel leads a defense that surrendered only two goals through 13 games.
Plus, the Golden Lions added to their roster last week with the arrival of baby girl Neela Ruth O’Shea, daughter of coach David O’Shea and wife Dee O’Shea.
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Westminster turnaround:
A coaching adjustment has keyed Westminster’s turnaround. The Wildcats started the season 0-2-1, with losses to Chattahoochee and Walton. They gave up a few sloppy goals and weren’t showing the blue-collar work ethic coach Scott Snyder wanted. So he made a change, moving senior midfielder Trey Blasingame back to solidify the defense. It worked. Heading into Tuesday’s game against rival Blessed Trinity, Westminster had surrendered just three goals during a six-game win streak.
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DeKalb County leaders:
Towers senior Kerry Mondesir leads DeKalb County with 16 goals and 15 assists. Cross Keys junior Roberto Martinez (12), Southwest DeKalb senior Seriki Sultan (12), Cross Keys junior Gilberto Ramos (11), and Clarkston freshman Musab Abdizaiz (11) round out the double-digit goal scorers in DeKalb as of Monday’s games.
Mondesir’s teammate, junior Victor Norman, is second in the county with 13 assists. Cross Keys senior Felipe Lopez (11) and Southwest DeKal’s Bahquajau Mahnassi (10) also have double-digit assists.
