Normally, a five-hour road trip into hostile territory is enough to cause more than just a few worries for any coach.
For East Hall boys soccer coach Chris Henry, however, Tuesday's jaunt down to Savannah to take on Benedictine in the Class 4A state playoffs quarterfinals, is almost like a 'been there, done that' kind of moment.
Almost being the operative word. The third-ranked Vikings (14-3) made the same trip in 2022, in the same position in the playoffs, and came away with a 3-0 victory.
"Having been down there last year in the same exact situation, that gives us some familiarity of what to expect with everything that the trip entails," he said. "Our guys have been very focused each and every day during the playoffs and they know that if you lose focus at any point, you can lose to anyone."
Also similar for the Vikings coming into Tuesday's showdown, they have won a pair of one-goal victories in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the same as last season. Henry is hoping for a similar finish this time around but also understands the seventh-ranked Cadets (13-5) are sure to be waiting.
"We expect this game to be a battle from start to finish, and if we have to go to extra time or penalty kicks, we must keep our composure like we have done all season," he said. "I'm sure that they would like to avenge their loss to us last year, but we are also very motivated to get back to the Final 4 and have an opportunity to win a state championship. We will have to have patience in our attack and we want to control the pace of the game."
East Hall is just one of four Northeast Georgia-area teams left on the boys side. Johnson, also in Class 4A, Flowery Branch (5A) and Union County (2A) all are looking for Final 4 berths on Tuesday.
No. 1 Johnson (18-0) has been dominating in the first two rounds of the playoff. The Knights ran their shutout streak to six with a 2-0 win over Holy Innocents' last week. Don't let the closer-than-it-really-was score fool you. They controlled time of possession by roughly 90 percent while almost seemingly toying with the Golden Bears, who managed just two shots in the game.
But Knights coach Frank Zamora knows that their quarterfinal opponent, Whitewater (15-3-1) is more than formidable. The fourth-ranked Wildcats are one of two Region 4-4A teams into the quarterfinals. The Knights were one of three defending state champions from the 2022 campaign in the Class 4A field. The other two -- Southeast Whitfield (4A) and Pace Academy (2A) -- have already been sent packing this season.
However, the Knights get the Wildcats at The Dungeon, where they have won 20 straight matches and are 25-0-1 in their last 26 overall going back to a 2-1 loss to Gainesville in 2021.
"Class 4A soccer ha[d] many quality teams that can win it all (in the field)," Zamora said. "We understand that last year's championship is now in the books so that allows us to focus on the goals we have for this year. We are just taking it one team at a time.
Both teams have been stingy on the defensive end. The Knights have allowed just 4 goals all season with 14 shutouts in their last 15 matches. They have yielded just 1 goal over than span (Cherokee Bluff). Since allowing 9 goals in back-to-back losses to Starr's Mill and McIntosh, Whitewater has given up just 6 goals during its current 9-1 stretch.
Zamora felt a quick start and then relying on their defensive play will be key for both squads.
"Scoring early is key but so is playing solid defense all game," he said. "At this stage of the tournament we will need to play well both in the attack and defending."
(Check below for scores and the quarterfinal round schedule for Northeast Georgia-area boys teams.)
BOYS SOCCER PLAYOFFS, quarterfinal round, Tuesday, April 25
Class 5A
Flowery Branch (R8, S1) at Union Grove (R2, S1), 7 p.m.
Class 4A
East Hall (R8, S2) at Benedictine (R3, S1), 7 p.m.
Whitewater (R4, S3) at Johnson (R8, S1), 6:30 p.m.
Class 2A
Union County (R8, S3) at Putnam County (R4, S1), 5:30 p.m.
