RIDGELAND — Matthew Castleberry hoped the early goal by senior Michael McClinton was a sign of things to come.

In just the fifth minute of play, McClinton found the back of the net and gave West Lauderdale an early 1-0 lead in the MHSAA Class 4A boys soccer state championship game Saturday at Ridgeland High School. While opponent Richland was able to tie it in the 19th minute and send the game into the half tied 1-1, the Knights felt good about their chances to put a few more scores on the board in the final 40 minutes.

But despite several opportunities, West Lauderdale couldn’t punch it in a second time. A goal by Richland’s Greg Anderson in the 75th minute gave the Rangers a 2-1 advantage, and despite West Lauderdale pushing the ball up the field several more times, Richland’s back end did its part to keep the Knights from scoring, securing the 2-1 win and leaving a disappointed taste in the Knights’ mouths.

“They played a great game,” Castleberry said of his team. “It’s a great accomplishment to be here. We would have like to have won it, but they fought hard, and the game-winner came with 5 minutes to play. … I felt like the game was pretty even. I felt like we could have controlled the ball a little better. We were worried about the (artificial) turf, and it affected us. We weren’t as smooth and crisp as we usually are, but overall, I told them all year you have to win it on turf, and I thought they played a great game but just came up a little short.”

McClinton said he felt like his early goal would be a tone-setter for the game, and even though the Rangers ultimately came out on top, it wasn’t from lack of effort on the Knights’ part.

“I just tried my best to put it on target,” McClinton said. “When it went in, I thought we had the momentum, and we were going to keep working hard throughout the game. Unfortunately it didn’t end up how we wanted it to end up, but we gave it our all.”

Anderson scored Richland’s first goal in the 19th minute off a penalty kick and his second with 5 minutes remaining on a breakaway.

The Knights finished the season 21-8-2 with a North State title in Castleberry’s first year coaching at his alma mater. 

“It means a lot,” Castleberry said. “They boys did great. They worked hard all year, they fought for it and came up a little unlucky in the end. We came out and scored first and I felt like we had a good (momentum going). The penalty was unlucky, and the last goal at the end comes from fatigue and just playing 80 minutes.” 

McClinton said the artificial turf was a bit of a different feel but didn’t blame it for the loss.

“It’s a big difference,” McClinton said. “The ball moves faster, and we’re not used to playing on turf, but still, no excuses. We gave it our all.”

In addition to McClinton, West Lauderdale graduates six other seniors: Joseph Aviles, Luke Lott, Tyler Lank, Jack Green, Brooks Hull and Cade Johnson. It’s a group that will always hold a special place in McClinton’s heart.

“I’m proud,” McClinton said. “We started off the year as just teammates, and we ended it as brothers. I’ll remember them for the rest of my life, and it was a great experience playing with the boys.”