Although the play of junior Rocklin Shumaker has garnered a large amount of attention for the Class A/AA top-ranked Chattanooga Christian soccer team, coach Shawn Brower and the Chargers knew they were more than a one-trick pony.
Thursday night in the region championship game against seventh-ranked Notre Dame, they proved just that.
Senior captain Corey Wilson had both a first-half goal and an assist, and the Chargers defeated the Irish 3-0 for their first Region 4-A/AA championship.
With the win, CCS will host eighth-ranked Hixson (17-2-1) – a 3-0 loser to fourth-ranked Boyd-Buchanan – in a sectional match Saturday at 7, while the Irish will visit the Buccaneers (16-2-2).
It took a while for the game to materialize to Brower’s liking, so early in the first half he pulled his starters and had a chat with them.
“He just wanted us to work hard, apply more pressure and get focused,” Wilson said.
Said Brower: “We were doing things right early – we just weren’t finishing. Then we dropped into a lull, so I pulled them and challenged our midfield.”
With 11 minutes remaining, a ball bounced around the 18. Wilson corralled the ball, doing a sort of 360 spin and firing the ball past Notre Dame keeper John Hoffer for a 1-0 lead.
Wilson then worked the end line before feeding the ball to Beau Simmons, who fired a one-touch shot into the goal for a two-goal advantage right before halftime.
“Any given night, we have a variety of players that can score,” Brower said. “We’re diverse enough that at times it can be difficult on the opposition.”
Jacob Warren put the icing on the cake with a second-half goal assisted by Shumaker.
Notre Dame (7-8-2) wasn’t without its chances. The Irish’s best chance came early in the first half, when Andy Helms fired a free kick that took a bounce inside the 18. Justin Gazick got a head on it, but the ball bounced off the side post.
Irish coach Jim Schermerhorn hoped the same strategy they used against the Chargers in last week’s district championship game – a match they lost 2-1 in overtime – would work again in the region final.
“What we did in the last game worked,” Schermerhorn said. “We were trying to repeat the same thing, but they have so many dangerous players that, if you make a mistake, they’ll hurt you.”
Said Wilson: “I think we’re in a good position right now. We’re not overly confident; we’re just taking things one game at a time.”
* Region 3-AAA: Cleveland won its third consecutive region championship Thursday, going on the road and beating Cookeville 3-0.
Seniors Wes Llosa and Shane Butler provided a deadly combination for the Raiders (11-7-3), with Llosa scoring two goals assisted by Butler. Butler had the third goal, which Llosa assisted.
“It looked like the guys were having a lot of fun out there,” Cleveland coach John Brose said. “I just hope that we can carry that over to Saturday.”
Cleveland will host the loser of the Region 4-AAA final between LaVergne and Riverdale in one Class AAA sectional Saturday. Lavergne led 1-0 before play was halted due to weather.