Written by Rubin E. Grant
Will Jackson was not a member of Homewood's 2021 state championship soccer team as he spent his freshman season training with the MLS Next Youth Soccer program in Nashville.
He was on the team in 2023 when the Patriots suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Fort Payne in the Class 6A semifinals.
Last Saturday, Jackson ensured the Patriots won't win the AHSAA 2024 State Soccer Championship at the Loretto P. Spencer Sports Complex at John Hunt Park in Huntsville without the Blue Map championship trophy. I made it.
The senior midfielder scored an unassisted goal just 77 seconds into the game and added a second goal in the second half on a penalty kick to lead Homewood to a 3-1 victory over Spanish Fort in the Class 6A boys championship game. Ta.
“This really means a lot,” Jackson said. “Winning a state championship is everything I've wanted since joining the team. I'm very relieved because we've been working so hard.”
Jackson, who is headed to Wake Forest to play collegiately, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player as the Patriots won their seventh boys state title.
“I tried not to get nervous and just play freely,” Jackson said. “Winning MVP is a great honor, but I'm more proud of the team's performance than any individual award.”
Homewood (24-3-4) controlled the tempo from start to finish.
“I'm very proud of their grit, determination and work all year long,” Homewood coach Julian Kirsch said. “We lost in the semifinals last year, so we knew we had some work to do. They came out and delivered.”
Senior forward Charlie Herring scored Homewood's winning goal, sending a shot into the net off an assist from Drew Giardina.
Spanish Fort (12-10-2) avoided a shutout on Dylan Gainer's goal at 69:20 of the second half.
Homewood goaltender Jacob Hill made four saves.
The Patriots avenged their 2023 loss to Fort Payne in the semifinals, shutting out the Wildcats 2-0. Fort Payne was the 2023 champion.
Jackson scored the first goal at the 39:31 mark of the first half with an assist from senior Charlie Herring. Homewood's other goal came with 1:55 left in the game when junior midfielder Haynes Durkin entered the game and immediately fired a pass to teammate Charlie Chewning, who broke free and scored the goal. Ta.
“Thursday's incident was never about revenge or anything like that,” Kirsch said. “We had a mission to fulfill. Fort Payne was great last year, so we knew they would test us again this year.”
Spanish Fort defeated Northridge 4-2 in the semifinals, but was no match for the hyper-focused Patriots in the final.
“It was a quick game, about 48 hours after we beat Fort Payne, so we celebrated a little bit and then changed our mindset to focus on the championship game,” Jackson said. “We have prepared properly and we got the result we deserved.”
Homewood's previous state championship wins were in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2014, 2018 and 2021.
“Before we left school and came here, we showed them around the trophy case,” Kirsch said. “I told them all the championships on the wall, and I went ahead and put 24 on there for them.
“And I said, 'Guys, these aren't in your bag, but I'm going to put 24 of them there so you know what you've done.'” Every year, students walk by. Then, long after you graduate, they'll find out you guys won the state championship that year.”
Oak Mountain Caps undefeated season
After experiencing two disappointing results in the Class 7A state soccer tournament over the past two years (loss in the 2022 finals and loss in the 2023 semifinals), the Oak Mountain Eagles weren't going to leave Huntsville without winning a title this time around. .
Oak Mountain put together two dominant performances, including a 3-0 victory over Auburn in the Class 7A final and finishing the championship season undefeated at 29-0-1.
“It's unbelievable,” Oak Mountain coach David DiPiazza said. “This is the greatest group of kids I've ever coached. They come from great families. They're great people, they're really good football players, and I coached them and helped them win state championships. I'm honored to be able to lead him to this goal that he needed to achieve.”
This is the eighth state title in school history, but the first since 2017.
Oak Mountain took a 1-0 lead at the 50:35 mark with an unassisted goal by junior midfielder Gabe Capozzi. Eleven minutes later, senior Aidan Riley scored on a great assist from senior Nate Joyner. Gerardo Rodriguez scored the winning goal with 70 minutes, 27 seconds left on an assist from junior Luke Yovanovic.
Jovanovic had two goals and two assists in the semifinals and finals, earning him MVP honors at the state tournament.
The Eagles defense did not allow a single shot on goal in the championship game.
Oak Mountain, which entered the tournament ranked second in the nation as a spring high school soccer team, defeated Huntsville 3-0 in the semifinals. Last year, the Crimson Panthers defeated the Eagles 1-0 in the semifinals.
Yovanovic and Joyner played leading roles in the win over Huntsville. Joyner scored the opening goal of the semifinal at 18:42 of the first half and assisted Jovanovic's first of two goals with a deep serve inside the box at 45:45 of the second half. His second goal came on a takeaway steal and shot with just over 10 minutes left in the game.
In the other semifinal, Auburn defeated Fairhope 2-0.
This season marked multiple milestones for DiPiazza, who reached his 500th career win as a coach at the start of the season.
The only blemish on Oak Mountain's record was a 1-1 tie with Oconee County, Georgia. The Eagles won all 29 games against in-state opponents.
“Obviously it was our goal all along to win this,” DiPiazza said. “The rankings that come with things like MaxPreps are great. But we needed to win a state championship to know if we could be a nationally ranked team.”
Hoover Denies 7A Girls Crown
The Hoover girls soccer team fought valiantly in their first championship game since finishing runner-up in 1999, but the Bucs were unable to capture the title.
In the Class 7A girls championship game, Hoover (21-5-2) outscored Auburn 12-5 but couldn't find the back of the net and lost to Auburn 1-0.
Auburn's Peyton Bishop scored the only goal of the game 26 minutes into the first half after the ball slipped through the Hoover defense.
“For Auburn, their back line was unbelievable,” Hoover's second-year head coach Nick Smith said. “Our girls left it all out there. We outscored them but just couldn't score one point.”
Auburn junior defender Lyla Simmons was named MVP. The Tigers (20-3-1) also shut out McGill-Toolen Catholic 3-0, aiming to win the girls soccer championship for the first time in school history.
Hoover defeated Huntsville 3-0 in the semifinals, giving the defensive-minded Bucs their third consecutive shutout in the playoffs.
The Bucks took control from the start, scoring two goals in the first six minutes of the game. Junior midfielder Elise Marquardt scored the first goal on a penalty kick at 4:06. A minute and a half later, junior Dee Uhde scored her second goal on a takeaway on the offensive side of the field. Nneka Udeh scored the winning goal at 58:36 of the second half.
Huntsville had just two shots on goal, both of which were deflected by Hoover goaltender Lane Morton.
Westminster Oak Mountain doesn't come close.
Westminster Oak Mountain's boys team narrowly missed out on winning its first state championship since 2018.
The Knights (19-5-4) took an early 1-0 lead on junior midfielder Aiden Gamble's goal just 3:11 into the Class 1A/3A championship game, but Mobile His hometown St. Luke's Episcopal Church rallied to win 3-2. First boys state soccer title.
Following Gamble's goal, St. Luke's scored three goals to take a 3-1 lead. Junior Mason Brown tied the game against the Wildcats (20-7-3) with a goal 31:42 into the first half off an assist from Jamison Bryant. Seven minutes later, Ryan Knotts scored to put the Wildcats ahead 2-1.
Knotts, who was honored as the Class 1A/3A state tournament MVP, scored early in the second half to make it 3-1.
Westminster Oak Mountain added another point 67:07 into the second half when sophomore David Bean scored on an assist from Walter Moore.
The Knights defeated Tanner 4-1 in the semifinals with two goals from junior midfielder Charlie Krulak and one each from Gamble and Bean. In the other semifinal, St. Luke's advanced with a 6-1 victory over Tuscaloosa Academy.
