MERIDIAN —
Forget what happened in the regular season.
That is at least West Lauderdale coach Bryan Miley's message to the Knights as they prepare to host rival Newton County at 7 p.m. today for the Class 4A South State championship and a berth in the state championship game.
The Knights blanked the Cougars twice already this season in capturing the Division 5-4A title, defeating Newton County 2-0 on Dec. 14 at home before beating the Cougars 5-0 on Jan. 11 on the road.
“The key is we're just going to have to keep our kids level-headed,” Miley said. “Even though we beat them two times this year, that does not mean that will impact a thing. It will be a war.”
During those previous two meetings, West was led by senior Chris Mallette. After scoring one goal in the first matchup, Mallette netted a pair of goals and added an assist in the rematch. Tyler Green added assists in both games as well as a goal in Decatur. Tyler Germany, who has paced West's attack in the postseason with five of his team-high 28 goals coming in the playoffs, also scored a goal in the home win, while Quinton Smith and Caleb Carpenter also scored goals on the road. In goal, Cody Anderson had nine saves total.
“There's no love lost there and no scouting to do,” Miley said. “We know each other like the back of our hand. We play each other in JV and varsity.
“It's going to be a war. That's exactly what it's going to be, an all-out war.”
That battle comes after the Cougars upset Bay High in the first round in overtime and then blanked Lawrence County on Tuesday in the second round.
“No, not really,” Miley said about expecting a third game with the Cougars. “We wanted Newton County to go down and upset Bay High. But we were expecting to play Bay High. That happened first round and we knew if we beat Laurel, we'd have a good chance to be at home against them.
“I think it's just a testament to the soccer right around in the Lauderdale County area and Newton County, a lot of their kids come over here and play in the summer and rec ball. So it's just really a testament to the youth soccer program around here that two of our own from this area are playing each other for the South State championship. It's just a testament to this area.”
Sports
Forget about it
West Lauderdale, Newton County meet again for South State
- Sports
-
-
After rainouts, Phil Hardin Rookie season gets underway
Concessions are open, the chalk is smudged, fans are cheering. Youth baseball is back at Phil Hardin Park.
-
Tar Heels tame Tigers in CWS
Home runs are few and far between at the College World Series these days, which made Brian Holberton's first-inning shot all the more important for North Carolina.
-
EMCC, MCC honored for academics
East Mississippi Community College has earned the distinction of being the 2012-13 NJCAA Softball Academic Team of the Year for achieving a 3.59 cumulative grade point average to rank first nationally among the 369 colleges that compete in softball at the junior college level.
-
On short rest, Braves swept by Mets in doubleheader
After a long day at Turner Field, the future suddenly looks a lot brighter for the New York Mets.
-
Learning from the best
Professional soccer coaches from the United Kingdom where football is king were working hard Monday in the Mississippi humidity teaching youngsters the nuances of the game.
-
Movin’ on up: Bulldogs rally past Hoosiers, 5-4
Trey Porter drove in the go-ahead runs in the eighth inning, and Mississippi State took control of its bracket in the College World Series with a 5-4 victory over Indiana on Monday night.
-
Rose not taking any time off
U.S. Open champion Justin Rose has no plans to take any time off after winning his first major championship.
-
Bruins blank Chicago in regulation, 2-0
Tuukka Rask shut out the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night and got enough help from the Bruins' offense to do it without another exhausting overtime.
-
Rivalry Renewed
On paper, Meridian Futbol Club's 1-0 win over Premier Futbol Club of Meridian Saturday in the State Games of Mississippi U10 Youth Soccer Tournament held little significance. With only three teams entered in the U10 division, both teams were assured a spot in Sunday's medal round.
-
Running new roots
I started running during rehab after major knee surgery four years ago. I kept running because I had the knee surgery.
- More Sports Headlines
-
Ohio Woman Accuses 3 of Holding Her Captive
Hunt for Ex-Teamster Boss Hoffa's Remains Ends
Aug. Trial Set for Ohio Man in Triple Kidnapping
Car Crash in NYC's East Village Injures 8
Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions
Raw: Car Jumps Curb in NYC, Injures 8
Unusual Heat Wave Bakes Alaska
Raw: German President Welcomes President Obama
Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
Kid Couture: Spending Big Bucks on Babies
