The 2019 soccer season could go down as one of, if not the most, successful overall campaigns in northeast Georgia history.
More than two dozen teams -- 28 in all for both the boys and girls -- made the postseason. Three teams -- the Gainesville boys (Class 6A), the Flowery Branch girls (Class 4A), and the Union County boys (Class 2A) -- all made the championship game, though none could capture a title.
Three other teams -- the Johnson boys in Class 5A, the Jefferson boys and girls in Class 3A, -- advanced to the semifinals, and three more -- the Union County girls in Class 2A and the Towns County and Lakeview Academy girls in Class A Public and Private, respectively -- got to the quarterfinals.
Those nine teams racked up 25 wins in the playoffs.
Gainesville boys coach Elie Viviant, however, said they are trying to put their tough finish to the 2019 season behind them. Injuries heading into the finals against the nation’s No. 4 team in Dalton was too much to overcome in a 4-1 loss.
“We are trying to build a good team for this year, and not think about last year too much,” he said. “We will play some worthy opponents (before Region 8-6A play opens) and that will help us see our flaws and hopefully fix them. I have a good group of players and now we need to become a good team. We need not focus on the previous season.”
The Red Elephants should once again be among the favorites to win a tough Region 8-6A and come in ranked in the top 5 in preseason polls. But Viviant isn’t putting too much stock in the early season noise.
“I don't know if we will be the favorite but we will probably be one of the contenders,” he said. “I don't think that the region is going to be easy in any way this year. Habersham and Lanier are very good. Then we have never won at Dacula so you have to count them in.
“I will expect Coach Hooper at Apalachee to run a good team, and we always have a hard time against Winder. If you add to this that some of these schools switch to turf, I think that the region will be more open this year than in the past few years.”
One interesting thread for the 2020 season, however, may be an unexpected amount of coaching changes for some of the area’s most successful programs.
Biggest on the list is certainly Brian Shiley’s sudden departure at Johnson in the fall. Shirley led the Knights to the 2018 Class 5A state championship and one other finals appearance as well as two more semifinals during his tenure.
Longtime Johnson assistant Frank Zamora takes over for the Knights, who are expected to once again be state title contenders.
“Every year we lose a lot of talent but also get a lot of talent from the younger teams,” Zamora said. “We’re going to be a very young, but very talented team again. Our mentality here is to compete for a state title every year. I don’t see that changing.”
Zamora, who played at Chestatee in the mid-2000s and has been with the Knights for six years, said becoming a head coach has always been a goal. The opportunity, though sudden and unexpected, was too hard to turn down despite following the most successful coach in program history.
“Brian was a great coach and we had a lot of success,” he said. “Brian took me under his wing and he did a great job of helping me prepare for this day. I’m sure there will be some pressure but we’re going to continue to do what has made Johnson successful over the years. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Another stunning, and late, coaching change was for the Lady Falcons, who are coming off their first state championship game appearance. Former coach Anel Lilic left to take a position at Georgia Southern in the fall as well.
Taking over is Ty Stubbs, a former volunteer coach for the Lady Falcons last season and who left an assistant coaching position at North Georgia to assume the reins.
“Things really happened fast with coach Lilic and I knew the girls and felt it was just an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Stubbs said. “We lost some great players but also have a lot of talent coming back, including (the Class 4A state Player of the Year and now-sophomore) Maggie Wadsworth, who had 43 goals last year. We also have another talented freshman in Sarah Greiner coming in to go with others like junior Larsyn Reed, who is moving to defense even though she scored 50 goals as a freshman.”
But the real question was how would a still-young Branch squad respond after a very disappointing 6-0 loss to St. Pius in the finals last year still fresh in their minds.
“We talked about that game and trying to use that as a motivator for this season,” Stubbs said. “The goal is to get back there. I think the girls are still very hungry to get back and have a better showing. After three straight semifinals and then the finals, the next step is getting that trophy.”
Most teams will open the season on Tuesday with a few teams not opening the season until Feb. 11, including the Flowery Branch girls.
Look for competitive battles for playoff spots for area teams in Regions 7-3A, 8-2A on both the boys and girls sides. Region 8-3A, where both Jefferson teams narrowly missed out on championship game appearances, also should also be highly competitive.
On the girls' side, a young North Hall group could be a darkhorse in Region 7-A and Cherokee Bluff, just in its second season, also should be much improved in 7-3A and could threaten for a playoff spot if the progression continues.
The Chestatee girls, which have had plenty of success in the past but has struggled the past two seasons, have another new coach in Tyler Pineda but should be improved for 2020 to maybe challenge for a low playoff spot in a tough Region 7-4A.
The Lakeview girls return nine starters to an Elite 8 team in 2019 and should be poised for another big season in Region 8-A as well.
For the boys, another big coaching change came at East Hall, where former Gainesville girls coach and Lumpkin County boys coach Mark Wade takes over for longtime coach Chris Horton. The Vikings have been a powerhouse over the past five seasons with four quarterfinals, two semifinals, and one championship game appearance since 2015.
“There is still plenty of talent here,” Wade said. “It’s one of the top programs in northeast Georgia and we should be able to keep up that high standard. Of course, with every season there are already some holes to fill. We have a tough early schedule so it may take us a little time to learn each other.
“But the guys were disappointed in their finish last year [a second-round loss] so I think they’re ready to show what they can do this year. I think by the end of the season we’re going to be a very tough team to beat.”
The Chestatee boys, the 2019 Region 7-4A champion, lost to eventual state champ Oconee County by a goal in the second round, and the War Eagles should be geared for an even bigger season in 2020.
Region 7-3A with East Hall, Dawson County, Lumpkin County should also be wide open. Jefferson should also be a favorite in Region 8-3A again, and Union County will look to see if it can build off last year’s shocking run to the championship match.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2020/2/872352/2020-soccer-preview-area-teams-look-for-another-strong-season