Program firsts, region, state titles fill spring, summer
It was a wild ride on the local sports scene in 2017 from thrilling games and performances to milestone accomplishments to region, area and state titles to coaching changes and so much more.
Today the Calhoun Times continues its series which looks back on the exciting year that it was with the Stories of the Year. Today’s recap will cover the stories for the second third of the year from May through August, and the rest will run in Saturday’s paper.
So without further ado, here are the stories of note from the second third of 2017 (in chronological order):
Lady Jackets advance to first-ever state finals (May 2)
The Calhoun Lady Jackets had one hurdle between themselves and program history on Monday, and they cleared it with room to spare.
The Lady Jackets hosted Lovett in the Class AAA State Final Four Monday afternoon at the Calhoun Tennis Center, and when it was all said and done, they had earned their first-ever trip to the State Championship match.
Calhoun (20-1) defeated the visiting Lady Lions 3-1 behind a sweep of all three singles spots thanks to the play of McCartney Kessler, Carly Briggs and Emma King.
Calhoun coach Robin Proffitt said her team came out on a mission on Monday and didn’t let up until it was completed.
“The girls played great today,” said Proffitt. “They were awesome out there. We got very quick wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, and then Emma King clinched it at No. 3 singles. Our doubles came up a little short today as they weren’t on their game, but Emma stepped up and took charge. Once she won her first set, she looked really confident and closed things out. We’re very proud of her and all the girls to step up in a match like this and get the job done.”
Calhoun, who was playing in just their second-ever Final Four in program history, advances to the Class AAA State Championship on Saturday at Clayton County International Park Tennis Center in Jonesboro. They will face off against Westminster for the title, after the Lady Wildcats defeated North Hall 3-0 on Monday. The teams will report to the site at 10:45 a.m. and the match will start shortly after that.
Kessler started things off on Monday for the Lady Jackets with momentum as she ran through her opponent at No. 1 singles for a 6-0, 6-0 win to put the team up 1-0. Carly Briggs followed suit herself shortly thereafter with a 6-0, 6-0 victory of her own at No. 2 singles.
Lovett jumped back into contention in the match with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Calhoun’s No. 2 doubles team of Sammy Bramlett and Molly Mashburn to make the score 2-1.
But that’s when the freshman King took control and shut down any hopes of a Lady Lions comeback. The No. 3 singles player followed up a 6-2 win in the first set with an even more impressive 6-1 advantage in second set to clinch the third point, the match and the Lady Jackets’ trip to the Class AAA State Championship match.
The No. 1 doubles spot was pulled shortly after the match was no longer in doubt. The team of Marlee Nichelson and Jalen Holland dropped the first set 6-3 in a competitive, backand-forth affair, and were trailing 4-1 in the second set before the match was pulled.
Sonoraville boys soccer punches ticket to first Final Four (May 7) NORCROSS
— Good leaders not only show their true character when things go well but also when things do not go their way. Sonoraville’s Kevin Villatoro put that on full display on Saturday afternoon as the senior came right back from missing a big chance to put his team ahead in the second half of their Class AAA Elite Eight matchup at Greater Atlanta Christian to come through with a game-defining play a few minutes later.
Villatoro earned a penalty kick in the 48th minute of a scoreless game but missed high. However, he didn’t hang his head, stayed focused and bounced right back with an incredible play from just outside the top of the box to free himself from multiple defenders and bury the ball in the back of the net for what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 50th minute in a 1-0 win to send the Phoenix to their first-ever Final Four appearance.
“When I got the PK, I knew I had to be confident and expect to score and win,” said Villatoro, who is a Dalton State commit. “Once I missed it, it really hit me in the heart. This is my team, and I put everything on my shoulders so I knew I had to make up for it with a goal.
“I love this team, and I don’t want this thing to end. We’ve come out of nothing at Sonoraville, and now, we’ve put this program on the map. We’re proud to be in the Final Four, but we expect more. We’ve got to stay focused. I feel like we can win the whole thing. This is my family, and I’m going to make sure I give it all until the end.”
The Phoenix (13-7-1) advance to play Westminster in the Class AAA Final Four on Tuesday night at 7:45 p.m.
In Saturday’s game at GAC, the Phoenix used their dynamic, deep attack to cause problems all day for the host Spartans. After GAC started the game out controlling possession for the first 10-15 minutes of play but coming away without a goal due to strong defense in the back end by the Phoenix, Sonoraville took momentum from there to finish the final 20-25 minutes of the first half with several quality chances. Villatoro, Dawson Holbrook, Omar Jacobo and Alexander Soldevilla each had shots that were either saved or just missed their mark.