When asked if Mills Wood is the type of soccer player who can carry a team, fellow Boyd Buchanan senior Matthew Stone did not hesitate with his response.
"100%. Whenever we need the ball to go in the back of the net, Mills is our guy," Stone said.
Wood made a lasting memory to help seal the TSSAA Division II-A East District 2 regular-season championship at home Friday night.
Buccaneers senior Hutch Healy's throw-in from the right sideline went to Wood, whose leaping header sent the ball at a perfect angle inside of the front left post for the tiebreaking goal in the 50th minute of a 2-1 victory over Notre Dame.
The score from Wood was his 22nd this season for Boyd Buchanan (7-0-1), which is ranked second in the state by MaxPreps.com and has outscored its opposition 40-6. The star playmaker is on pace to break the school's single-season record of 29 goals set in 2019 by his brother Hayes, who has excelled as an NCAA Division I soccer player at Lipscomb University.
"The Wood family has meant so much to this school," Boyd Buchanan coach Dustin Johnson said. "His grandfather actually started the program. To see Mills put the winning goal in the back of the net, it had to be that way. I thank the Lord so much for the opportunity to be with them every day and see them work hard for each other. This was an awesome night."
With the Bucs trailing in the first half, Matthew Stone's 30-yard throw-in for Boyd Buchanan from the left sideline grazed off a Notre Dame defender before going in for an own goal by the Fighting Irish in the 20th minute. It was the first goal surrendered by the Irish (4-1-2) this season.
The Bucs lost 3-0 to Grace Christian Academy in the DII-A state final last May, but they'll soon begin another push for a second state title to go with the program's 2010 championship won in Class A/AA
Opponents would appear to have their hands full as Wood has added to his scoring prowess and his teammates have not missed a beat -- including his brother Taylor, who has three goals as a freshman.
"I feel like I have gotten a lot better with my touch this year and it has helped me score more often," said Wood, who led DII-A as a junior with 27 goals in 18 games last season. "Scoring six goals in one match earlier this season was fun, but it's big wins like tonight that mean the most. Winning the district is the first step we wanted to accomplish; now we are focused on much more."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.
Updated at 12:15 a.m. on March 15, 2023, to correct season scoring totals for Boyd Buchanan and its opponents.