Raiders on brink of first title

By Marty Kirkland
martykirkland@daltoncitizen.com

May 08, 2008 11:18 pm

— If the motivation of playing in the school’s first state championship game in any sport isn’t enough, Southeast’s boys soccer team will carry one more banner into tonight’s Class 4A title match against Lakeside-DeKalb.
The Raiders hold the pride, hope and reputation of the area’s soccer scene as they enter this game — and they’re well aware it probably won’t just be Southeast fans cheering for them tonight.
“I’ve got a lot of people from Dalton and (Northwest Whitfield) that have been like, ‘Hey, man, good luck,’” Southeast senior wing Victor Rodriguez said. “(They say) ‘I don’t go to Southeast, but you’re representing Dalton.’ ... We know we’ve got the support. It’s about Southeast, but it’s not just about Southeast.”
The match is set for 6:30 p.m. at Raider Stadium. Admission is $7, a price set by the Georgia High School Association.
Area soccer teams have several notable accomplishments to their credit this decade, and the Raiders know a win tonight would be a grand addition to the stack.
In 2006 and 2007, three of the four teams that represented Region 7-4A in the GHSA Class 4A state tournament were local schools and in 2006, Dalton, Murray County and Southeast helped the region claim a first-round sweep in the playoffs. When Southeast won this year’s region title, it took over after Dalton’s seven-year stretch wearing the crown.
The Catamounts — who pushed local prep soccer to the heights by making back-to-back appearances in the Class 4A title match in 2003-04 and sharing the title in ‘03 — joined the Raiders in this year’s state tourney, advancing to the quarterfinals before a 2-1 loss to Whitewater ended their season.
Many of the players who make up area teams are friends in spite of their different school loyalties. Many of them are teammates when travel season arrives — and even more know each other from growing up and playing in local leagues.
So there’s no surprise that the Raiders want to do their best, not just for themselves but the area. Lakeside-DeKalb ended Dalton’s season in the playoffs the past two years.
“Right now it’s not based on the shirt you’re wearing, whether you go to Dalton or (Northwest Whitfield),” Southeast senior defender Pedro Almazan said. “Right now it’s about the team that’s in the area that’s playing, and right now that’s us.”
The Raiders (18-2) draw a tough final assignment in the Vikings (19-1-1), who have six state titles to their credit, dating all the way back to the days when the GHSA state tourney was an open event from 1966-93. Their last title, won in Class 3A in 1997, was shared with St. Pius X.
Vikings coach Rick Barbe is making his first appearance in the state championship since taking over as coach prior to the 2004 season, but he’s well aware of the program’s history at this point. He came to Lakeside as an assistant the year after the last state title, but played against the Vikings as a member of the now-defunct Henderson High in the 1975 championship game.
“This is kind of a soccer school,” said Barbe, whose team is currently ranked No. 1 in the eurosportscoreboard.com Class 4A coaches poll.
“I think virtually everybody here has played youth soccer at some point in their life. So there’s a good buzz about it — they organized (three to four) school buses to bring students up there and the last I heard, there were only 10 seats left and those (were expected to sell Thursday).
“There’s definitely some excitement. Everybody realizes it’s a big game and state championships don’t happen that often.”
Third-ranked Southeast is certainly aware of the rarity of such opportunities, since this is its first title shot since the school opened in 1975, but Rodriguez believes it’s important for the Raiders to stick with the approach that brought them to this point.
“We basically didn’t know anything about (Dacula or Thomas County Central, Southeast’s past two playoff foes),” Rodriguez said. “We just knew we were going to play our game. We have to play at our level of soccer ... we don’t get concerned about their way of playing.”
As has often been the case when Southeast faces teams from outside the area, the Raiders’ style — built on quickness, shorter passes and improvisation — will likely be in contrast to their opponent.
“Our big games have been against teams like Whitewater, St. Pius X, Starr’s Mill, and they’ve played a controlled, possession type of game like us,” Barbe said. “The quickness we’re anticipating from Southeast and the individual skill they have is a concern.”
But Lakeside, the No. 1 seed from Region 6, has displayed plenty of skill, too. The Vikings have outscored opponents 91-7 this season — for Southeast, the cumulative score is 83-18 — and their only loss came 1-0 to region foe Marist on March 28. They had played to a scoreless finish against Class 3A finalist Chamblee earlier in the season.
They’ve given up more than one goal in a game just once, and that came in a 4-2 victory against Druid Hills, a team that beat Southeast twice this season.
The Vikings took a three-step approach this season, focusing first on team unity, then defense, then offense, Barbe said. The fact that they’re still around would seem to indicate check marks for all areas, and they’ve been able to adjust on the fly when necessary, too.
“I think one of our strengths,” Barbe said, “has been our ability to adapt and take what the other team gives us.”
Raiders coach Jamison Griffin said it’s been tough to take time to enjoy all that has happened this week, which included three players signing junior college scholarships on Wednesday, but he’s trying to savor these moments.
If the Raiders win tonight, he’ll have even more to enjoy — and finally, the time to do it.
“We’re just excited for the opportunity, but we’ve been excited for every opportunity,” Griffin said. “Come (tonight), we’re going to try to give them all we can.”’

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