Tigers find better footing in 2nd round
Jack Pearson turns in a hat trick as Darlington rolls to a 7-0 win and earns a trip to the state quarterfinals.
The only similarity between the Darlington boys’ first-round playoff game against Lovett and its second-round game against Vidalia was the final result.
After squeaking out a 2-1 win against a powerful Region 6-AA squad last Friday, the Tigers gave their fans no worries in a 7-0 romp Tuesday afternoon against the Indians at Darlington. The win puts Darlington in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive season.
“You could not have asked for better execution, played very well today,” Darlington coach Chris Babb said of his team. “We had scoring opportunities and actually finished it. That’s good because we’ve had a few games where we have not been able to finish.”
The result was a call back to the earlier part of the season, when the Tigers started the season 8-2 and won six of those matches by four goals or more. The team won no such matches after that start, going 3-3-1 in their previous seven games before Tuesday.
Jack Pearson was the leader of an always attacking front from the Tigers, scoring a hat trick that went along with two assists.
Hollis Ledbetter recorded a goal and two assists as well, and most importantly, the team kept the ball on one side for most of the match.
After a competitive but scoreless first ten minutes of the game, Will Sparks got the scoring going cutting past a defender to get in front of the net with 27 minutes left.
Pearson added his first goal about 10 minutes later, and Noah Woford scored minutes after him.
Vidalia came out in the second half with a new goaltender and more aggression, but Darlington kept the same style. The Tigers added two goals in the first 15 minutes, including a Pearson penalty kick score.
“We didn’t have any letdown at all, which is good because sometimes when you get three goals in the first half you get complacent,” Babb said. “The guys did their job, keeping the pressure on and not allowing them to get back in the game.”
Darlington goalkeepers Billy Briscoe and Phillip Woford were given an easier night than usual, facing only a few shots on goal.
The Tigers’ midfield dictated the game most of the way, and if the Indians did break through that the ball was typical cleared swiftly by a defender.
The Tigers finished the game off with two more goals, one from Andre Mbakwe and another for Pearson to complete the hat trick. It’s the third time this season they have reached seven goals, and the first time since March.
Some Darlington players probably felt deja vu during the victory considering the team beat Vidalia 6-0 in the second
round only one season before. But Babb was proud of his team for not taking the opponent lightly, and thought the close first round win had something to do with that.
“We beat these guys last year, but that doesn’t mean anything,” Babb said. “So I think they came in ready to play
and I just hope they’re ready to keep moving forward.”
The Tigers take on a fellow region champion next when they play Putnam County on Friday, with the location and time to be determined. The Eagles have dropped only one game all season while going undefeated in Region 4-AA.