'Toppers overwhelm Crockett, Vikings shock Tribe in District 1-3A semis

JOHNSON CITY — Science Hill and David Crockett both suffered through their share of injuries this season. The main difference was the Hilltoppers had the depth to absorb them, and the Pioneers did not. When the two teams met in the District 1-3A semifinals on Tuesday night inside Kermit Tipton Stadium, top-seeded Science Hill was pretty close to being back to full strength while fourth-seeded Crockett was missing Carlos Prato, the team's primary goal scorer all season. With Prato out and Science Hill's Ian Almaroad back in the lineup, the Hilltoppers dominated possession and came away with a 9-0 victory. The Hilltoppers clinched a spot in the Region 1-3A tournament and will face off against third-seeded Tennessee High in the district title game. The Vikings came back from a 2-nil deficit in the second semifinal to shock second-seeded Dobyns-Bennett 3-2. "We are almost at full health," said Science Hill coach David Strickland. "We got Ian back. He's healthy again, and you can see he's impactful. We've got one more who's on his way back, so we're almost back to full strength, and this is a good time of year to be there." The Hilltoppers turned up the offensive pressure from the outset and were immediately rewarded with a goal by Naham Tadesse in the third minute. Tommy Feleke backed that up with a goal of his own in the sixth minute off an assist from Dylan Trull, and the rout was on. Despite the fact that he was under pressure for virtually the entire first half, Crockett's starting goal keeper Calvin Dennis limited the damage with a variety of leaping and lunging saves. He recorded 18 saves before leaving the game early in the second half. "This is his first year in goal, and you saw improvement as the year went on," said Crockett coach Carlos Campos. "He's learning." The deficit stayed at 2-nil until Johnny Brenes scored on a penalty kick with four seconds in the half to give Science Hill a 3-0 lead heading into halftime. The Hilltoppers started fast in the second half as well, getting goals from Faleke in the 44th minute, Yasin Kassaby in the 47th minute and Tadesse - assisted by Ian Almaroad - in the 50th minute. Strickland said integrating Almaroad back into the lineup requires the team to rebuild chemistry to a degree, but having the senior back paid dividends on Tuesday. "Everybody has got to get used to the way they play again," he said. "I thought he was very effective in the second half." Parker Shipley scored the final three goals of the game, the first in the in the 63rd minute, the second in the 65th off an assist by Jackson Faddis and the final one in the 75th minute. With six midfielders at his disposal, Strickland said he's always bound to find a player who's running hot. "Parker Shipley, he was just on fire," he said. "He had an incredible night." Although Crockett's season came to an end one step short of the region, Campos was happy with the progress his program made in his first year as head coach, especially considering the Pioneers made the step up to 1-3A with an inexperienced roster. "We've improved and it took a while to come up with a system," he said. "Obviously we changed it a little bit for today's game, but (the Hilltoppers) have a lot of fire power. Give them credit. Classy coach, classy team." Tennessee High 3, Dobyns-Bennett 2 The Indians got on the board first on a goal from Santiago Cerna in the 14th minute, and they took control on another goal from Cerna in the 20th minute. Cerna's second goal came from about 30 yards out and traveled like it came out of a cannon, grazing the outstretched fingertips of Tennessee High's keeper before finding the back of the net. The second half brought a shift in momentum as the Vikings began to take control of possession. Jackson Ferrell got Tennessee High on the board in the 54th minute when he found the back of the net on an assist by Holden Lester. Everett Lester scored on a penalty kick 73rd minute to knot the game at 2 before Holden Lester secured victory with a goal in the 77th minute. The loss marked a disappointing end to the season for the Tribe while the Vikings earned a spot in the Region 1-4A tournament.