The top two boys soccer teams in state — No. 1 Chattahoochee and No. 2 Roswell — close out the regular season Wednesday at Roswell.
It will be a non-region game and both teams already have locked up top seeds in the state tournament. But there is some buzz about the showdown between the two Fulton County upstarts.
“When we scheduled each other, we had no idea that either of us were going to be this good,” Chattahoochee coach Les Meenan said. “It has been a pleasant surprise and it’s a good benchmark for what we’re going to run into in the playoffs.”
Chattahoochee ended last season on a five-game winning streak, but still missed the playoffs. After last season’s finale, Meenan had a heart-to-heart talk with his team on the field. The next day he received a text message from captain Shane Burke.
“We’re going to make the playoffs,” the text read.
The texts kept coming.
“From then, every day I got a message: ‘We’re going to make the playoffs.’ It was almost annoying,” Meenan said with a chuckle. “And now he’s always saying, ‘I told you. I told you we were going to make the playoffs.’”
Burke was right. The Cougars enter the game 16-0.
Roswell also has been a surprise, bouncing back from last season’s 4-13-1 record to win Region 5-AAAAAA under first-year coach Will Roney.
“I think it’s OK that there’s a sense of magnitude for the [Chattahoochee] game,” Roney said. “You don’t get to play a team with a skill level of Chattahoochee all the time. It’s a great precursor to the state tournament. But in the end, win or lose, it’s not going to affect anything in regards to the state tournament.”
Notes: The GHSA expects to have the state tournament bracket completed Thursday. The first round begins April 29. All championship games will be played May 14-16 at Mercer University in Macon. … Clarkston (13-1-1) has locked up the top seed from 6-AAAAA. Druid Hills and Dunwoody also have clinched state tournament berths. …
Towers senior Kerry Mondesir leads DeKalb County with 18 goals and is tied with Cross Keys junior Roberto Martinez with 15 assists. … Cross Keys senior goalkeeper Alexis Briceno has allowed only three goals with 75 saves heading into Wednesday’s game at Tucker. … Two-time defending AAAAA champion McIntosh is finding its stride after a midseason slump. Heading into Tuesday’s Region 4-AAAAA finale against Forest Park, the Chiefs had won three consecutive games, outscoring opponents 17-0 during that stretch. …
Duluth will be the No. 1 seed in the state tournament from Region 7-AAAAA. Meadowcreek also has clinched a spot in the tournament from the region. … Two-time defending state champion St. Pius clinched the top seed from Region 6-AAAA. Marist will be the No. 2 seed from the region.
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