East Ridge soccer player Tad Whitaker will try to help the Pioneers make the next step to the state tournament this season.TEAMS TO WATCH1. Boyd-Buchanan: The Buccaneers return 10 starters from a District 5-A/AA championship team.2. Calhoun: The Yellow Jackets are off to a 4-0-1 start after falling in the Georgia Class AA state final last year.3. Dalton: The Catamounts are on a 26-game winning streak that includes the 2013 Georgia AAAA state championship.4. Notre Dame: The Irish return a solid core from a team that advanced to the A/AA state quarterfinals.5. Ooltewah: The Owls return a hungry senior class that has advanced to two sectionals in their careers.PLAYERS TO WATCH1. Darwin Lom, Calhoun: A season after finishing with 27 goals and 10 assists, the junior forward has eight goals as the defending Class AA state runners-up have started 4-0-1.2. Eder Mora, Dalton: The junior midfielder was a first-team Best of Preps member last season and has helped the Catamounts to a 4-0 start.3. Jose Orellana, East Hamilton: The junior midfielder was the District 6-A/AA player of the year last season and is the top offensive player returning for the Hurricanes.4. Trey Taylor, Ooltewah: Taylor was the District 5-AAA player of the year with 14 goals despite missing half of the season with an injury.5. Tad Whitaker, East Ridge: Whitaker was a Class A/AA all-state player last season, finishing with 23 goals and 19 assists.
Since they’ve started gaining relevance as a program, the East Ridge soccer Pioneers have had one primary goal: to advance to the state tournament. Last season they came closer than ever, losing in double-overtime to Notre Dame in a Class A/AA sectional match.
They have added new players to a solid set of returners, and the objective looms even bigger.
The Pioneers earned their second sectional berth last season and pushed Notre Dame into the golden-goal period before falling on a Baggio Card score in the 102nd minute. It left a bitter taste for the upstart program, but that seems to have turned to greater determination.
Tad Whitaker was the team’s offensive leader last season, totaling 23 goals and 19 assists on his way to all-state honors. He described the loss as “the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”