Tigers are champions
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Looking at the expressions on their faces you could see the excitement as the clock ticked closer toward them cashing in on their goal from the beginning of the season. Or it could have been the chilling temperatures on that Thursday night that had the team all jittery. Maybe it was a mixture of both cold and excitement, but anyway it is looked at, on that cold night at McClain Field the Tiger boys soccer team became champions.
The chatter of teeth chipping together due to the crisp chill in the air that night soon turned to smiles when the scoreboard read all zeros, and they achieved their goal from the start of August, no, from the start of the boys soccer program, as the ’09 squad put all the pieces together and gave themselves a season that was six years in the making according to head coach Shawn Jackson.
Being around the Tigers for three full seasons, and parts of the ’06 campaign, it was a pleasure to watch the players achieve top success in the league, with Nick McNeal and Shonkwiler being apart of the varsity squad for four seasons.
Going back to the emotion of watching the events progress that night, after seeing the Tigers down on Tuesday when they had an opportunity to clinch the title, then witness them hold in all their excitement until after they shook the hands of their opponents, making this one of teams to be remembered.
This season, the Tigers not only eclipsed their win total from the last three years, with an overall record of 13-2-1 (10-2 SCOL), but they did it in a way that proved they were a team to be reckoned with, not only this season, but for future years to come.
The Tigers won with eight returning lettermen (two seniors) and talented players who stepped up their level of play this season to win almost every game in the league. MHS lost no non-league contests, tying the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs at the start of the year.
The Tiger program went from being shutout, to being the team that was shutting out their opponents in six seasons. The teams before this year helped set the foundation for the ’09 squad.
This team won at home, on the road, and on neutral fields. They were victorious in the sweltering heat of late August. They battled through the rain of September and fought off the dropping temperatures during October.
After the clinching game against the Red Raiders, all the players celebrated like teams should celebrate after winning a championship: running, yelling, hugging, jumping, one player did an acrobatic flip, players gestured the No. 1 sign, and their was one final sound that let their hometown know they were champions: ringing the victory bell.
The victory bell was not just some loud noise of metal colliding with metal, but it was a sound of success and triumph for a team that had to fight and claw their way up the ladder in the SCOL until they gained what they wanted and deserved.
Talking to Coach Jackson about games this season, you could sense the pride he and his coaches had in this team, and he always gave the credit to his staff and players. But it was Coach Jackson who has been steering this ship for six years now, and he deserves praise as well.
This championship personifies the meaning of blood, sweat and tears. Congratulations, McClain, you truly did show The Eye of a Tiger.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
The chatter of teeth chipping together due to the crisp chill in the air that night soon turned to smiles when the scoreboard read all zeros, and they achieved their goal from the start of August, no, from the start of the boys soccer program, as the ’09 squad put all the pieces together and gave themselves a season that was six years in the making according to head coach Shawn Jackson.
Being around the Tigers for three full seasons, and parts of the ’06 campaign, it was a pleasure to watch the players achieve top success in the league, with Nick McNeal and Shonkwiler being apart of the varsity squad for four seasons.
Going back to the emotion of watching the events progress that night, after seeing the Tigers down on Tuesday when they had an opportunity to clinch the title, then witness them hold in all their excitement until after they shook the hands of their opponents, making this one of teams to be remembered.
This season, the Tigers not only eclipsed their win total from the last three years, with an overall record of 13-2-1 (10-2 SCOL), but they did it in a way that proved they were a team to be reckoned with, not only this season, but for future years to come.
The Tigers won with eight returning lettermen (two seniors) and talented players who stepped up their level of play this season to win almost every game in the league. MHS lost no non-league contests, tying the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs at the start of the year.
The Tiger program went from being shutout, to being the team that was shutting out their opponents in six seasons. The teams before this year helped set the foundation for the ’09 squad.
This team won at home, on the road, and on neutral fields. They were victorious in the sweltering heat of late August. They battled through the rain of September and fought off the dropping temperatures during October.
After the clinching game against the Red Raiders, all the players celebrated like teams should celebrate after winning a championship: running, yelling, hugging, jumping, one player did an acrobatic flip, players gestured the No. 1 sign, and their was one final sound that let their hometown know they were champions: ringing the victory bell.
The victory bell was not just some loud noise of metal colliding with metal, but it was a sound of success and triumph for a team that had to fight and claw their way up the ladder in the SCOL until they gained what they wanted and deserved.
Talking to Coach Jackson about games this season, you could sense the pride he and his coaches had in this team, and he always gave the credit to his staff and players. But it was Coach Jackson who has been steering this ship for six years now, and he deserves praise as well.
This championship personifies the meaning of blood, sweat and tears. Congratulations, McClain, you truly did show The Eye of a Tiger.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]