The Class AAAAAA boys state soccer final four features rising upstarts and perennial powers.
In one semifinal, Alpharetta, making its first playoff appearance, travels to surprising Duluth for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on Tuesday in a battle of contrasting styles.
Bolstered by a senior-laden defense, the Raiders are allowing 0.89 goals per game and have shut out six of their last seven opponents, including all three playoff foes. Seniors Omar Lewis, an All-Region 6 selection, and David Roel anchor the Alpharetta defense, with midfielders Clark Restivo and Stefan Jean also making key contributions to the Raiders’ best season in school history.
“We’ve broken pretty much every record, winning percentage, season wins,” said coach Scott Cole, who has teamed with assistant Mike Cediel to change the expectations at Alpharetta.
The Raiders finished below .500 last season and lost their last nine games in 2012-2013 season. They enter Tuesday’s game at 12-5-1.
Senior goalie Warren Cherry deserves plenty of credit, said Cole. Cherry came up with a big save during penalty kicks in the Raiders’ quarterfinal win over Tucker and has been a weapon all season with 80-yard goal kicks.
“He’s overlooked, because he has such great defense in front of him,” Cole said.
The Raiders’ defensive unit will be tested by an explosive Duluth attack that is averaging nearly five goals per game. Alpharetta scored more than two goals in only two games this season.
There’s plenty of championship pedigree in the other AAAAAA final. Parkview hosts Brookwood Wednesday night in a battle of Gwinnett County rivals.
Brookwood, the defending AAAAAA champion, overcame a rocky stretch during the regular season to put together another playoff run. Parkview is the last team to beat Brookwood, 2-1, on April 21. Brookwood and Parkview have won or shared a total of eight state championships. Parkview last won the state title in 2005.
The state championship games, which will be held at Mercer University in Macon, feature Class A and AAAA on Thursday, Class AA and AAAAA on Friday and Class AAA and AAAAAA Saturday.
Other notable semifinals include:
Woodward Academy at St. Pius: The Golden Lions (20-0) have won two consecutive state championships and four in the last six seasons. They have surrendered only one goal in the playoffs and three for the season. They'll host a powerful Woodward Academy squad that has won eight in a row. The St. Pius-Woodward winner will face the Southeast Whitfield-Cross Keys winner for the Class AAAA title.
Decatur at Calhoun: One of the biggest surprises of the season, Decatur has reached the final four for the first time since winning the 2003 state championship. The Bulldogs (10-8-1) went 4-13 last season, but has advanced to the AAA semifinals with wins over Washington County, Sonoraville and Dawson County. Calhoun is 19-0-1. The Decatur-Calhoun winner will face the West Hall-Oconee County winner.
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