Led by perennial powerhouse Johnson, six northeast Georgia area soccer teams stormed into the Georgia High School Association state semifinals last week.
Region 8-4A on the boys side showed its dominance placing two teams -- East Hall and Jefferson -- into the Final Four. The Buford girls in Class 6A and both Towns County teams in Class A Public advanced to within one game of a championship match.
The Knights (15-4-1) are looking for their third Class 5A finals appearance in five seasons. Johnson, which was ranked fourth in the final regular season Eurosportscoreboard poll, won the 2018 state title and lost in the 2016 championship match.
Coming into the 2021 season, the Knights were an unknown commodity with changes galore since the abrupt end to the 2020 campaign. But coach Frank Zamora said that played little factor in their usual preseason expectations.
"I think for us here at Johnson, being a finalist is always a realistic possibility," Zamora said. "We went through some challenges early on this season, but those only made us stronger and united us even more. This is a special young group of boys that are willing to put in the work. At the beginning of the season we talked about how difficult it would be, but we also knew we were very capable of being where we are right now."
They will play host to Region 3-5A champion Woodward Academy (16-2-1) which is ranked third and riding a 14-match win streak.
"Woodward is a quality side. They are coming into the game with plenty of momentum," Zamora said. "It will be another tough match for us. At this point it will require a lot of heart, a good defensive performance, and for us to be able to execute in the final third."
In Class 4A, the East Hall boys (14-4-1) are ranked fourth and will take on an unranked Islands squad (10-1-2) that is 9-0-2 in its last 11 matches coming into the semifinals, including a tough 2-1 win over Flowery Branch in the quarterfinals. The Sharks have risen as a new power in the Savannah area.
"At this point in the season, every team is really strong. It comes down to which team executes the best," East Hall coach Mark Wade said. "Islands is talented at every position. They have an actual signed pro player on their roster. Islands has been consistently good for several years. We will have to play our absolute best game to have a chance."
Jefferson (11-5-2) has caught fire in the postseason. The Dragons limped into the playoffs with an 0-3-1 stretch but has allowed just one goal through the first three rounds. However, they will travel to No. 1 Southeast Whitfield (15-0-3) which has outscored its first three opponents 19-0, including a 7-0 win over Chestatee in the second round.
The second-ranked Buford girls (20-0-1) are the only undefeated team in Class 6A and have won 19 straight. The Lady Wolves have been led by a stingy defense that has yielded just three goals on the season. They play host to a third-ranked Cambridge (13-3-3) team that has scored 16 goals through three rounds so far.
Towns County is the only area school that has both teams into the semifinals. The Lady Indians (8-6) also have caught fire in the postseason as the only No. 4 seed left in the state in any classification. They have given up just three goals but will travel to No. 4 Atlanta Classical Academy, which is averaging more than 6.0 goals in the playoffs.
The Towns County boys (11-2) had a first round bye but did not yield a goal in the second or third rounds. They take on a Georgia Military squad that has produced 23 goals in the 2021 playoffs.
SEMIFINAL ROUND SOCCER SCHEDULE
(Games listed by date and classification, highest to smallest)
(Games listed by visiting team in alphabetical order)
(Area teams highlighted in bold)
Monday, May 10
CLASS 6A
Cambridge girls (R7, S2) at Buford (R8, S1), 6 p.m.
CLASS A PUBLIC
Towns County girls (R8, S4) at Atlanta Classical Academy (R6, S2), 5 p.m. (at Silverbacks Park, Atlanta)
Tuesday, May 11
CLASS 5A
Woodward Academy boys (R3, S1) at Johnson (R8, S1), 6 p.m.
CLASS 4A
Islands boys (R3, S1) at East Hall (R8, S1), 7 p.m.
Jefferson boys (R8, S2) at Southeast Whitfield (R7, S1), 6 p.m.
CLASS A PUBLIC
Georgia Military boys (R7, S2) at Towns County (R8, S1), 5 p.m.
