Former Coahulla Creek standout Panchito Medina, center, goes for the ball while playing for Georgia against Tennessee on Saturday at Finley Stadium during an all-star soccer game featuring recent area high school standouts.
Former Arts & Sciences soccer player Sophia Albarakat, left, shoots past a Georgia defender in the all-star girls' soccer game featuring recent high school graduates Saturday at Finley Stadium. Albarakat scored in the 62nd minute to help Tennessee win 3-1.After a brilliant senior soccer season with Coahulla Creek High School, Panchito Medina's game-changing ability flashed brightly again Saturday at Finley Stadium.
The shifty and quick attacker had a pair of goals and assists in an 8-3 Georgia victory over Tennessee in the all-star game featuring 2019 area high school graduates.
"Panchito is a great soccer player," said Dalton's Tony Saldana, who scored late off a pass Medina made after weaving around several defenders. "I feel like we showed why North Georgia is one of the top hotbeds of soccer talent in the country."
Medina had 51 goals and 20 assists in just 20 games this season, which included nine hat tricks. He scored five goals twice in a single match for the Class AAA state runner-up.
"Winning one-on-ones is key," said Medina, whose point total ranked second in the country. "You have to drive at them and create great looks. To have such a great impact was special to me and our community."
Tennessee led 3-1 in the 22nd minute, but a loaded Georgia squad with 10 of its 16 players from national No. 1 Dalton or Southeast Whitfield was too much.
Baylor's Andrew Hill and John Musick each scored for Tennessee, and Signal Mountain's George Coogan headed in a perfectly placed corner kick from Cleveland's Casey Beck.
The Tennessee girls won 3-1 with first-half goals by GPS's Myra Brock and Walker Valley's Kendall Harris, the latter assisted by McMinn County's Kylie Murphy, and a run begun and finished by Arts & Sciences' Sophia Albarakat in the 62nd minute.
"Soccer is the beautiful game," Albarakat said. "We looked like a team who had been playing together for years. This will be a special memory for all of us."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.