Smithville rolls on and on in Class 2 soccer

Make it eight in a row for the Smithville boys soccer team.

The Warriors clinched their eighth straight district title last Thursday with a convincing 7-1 victory over Oak Grove in Missouri Class 2.

Smithville wound up winning convincingly, but coach Jon Reed said his team was wary of the red-hot Panthers, who were the No. 7 seed in the district.

“Oak Grove was riding high,” said Reed, whose team improved to 23-4. “They had just knocked off the No. 2 seed (Staley) and No. 3 seed (Kearney). But we were lucky enough to get a goal in the first 90 seconds of the game, and that really got it going for us.”

Senior forward Stefan Hoffman’s early strike was the first of four first-half goals for the Warriors as they cruised to the victory.

Now, Reed said his team is getting ready for its state quarterfinal game against Jefferson City Helias (13-4-1) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Blue Springs South.

The two teams are not strangers. Smithville’s 23-game winning streak was snapped with a 2-0 defeat by Helias in the quarterfinals last season.

Now, Smithville has a chance for revenge, with the added bonus of getting one step closer to a state soccer title. The Warriors finished second in 2007.

“Every team wants to leave their mark,” Reed said. “We want to win that elusive state title, and this could be the year. Who knows?”

•St. Pius X advanced to the Class 1 quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Barstow last Thursday in the District 8 championship game. The Warriors now face Sacred Heart at 6 p.m. Thursday at Excelsior Springs with a state semifinal berth at stake.

•Winnetonka and Park Hill advanced to the sectional round in Class 3. Park Hill defeated Park Hill South 4-2 last Wednesday for the District 16 championship, and Winnetonka edged Liberty 2-1 last Thursday for the District 15 title. Winnetonka and Park Hill were to meet Tuesday in the sectional round.

submitted by TEREZ A. PAYLOR - 2009-11-10 15:58:03

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