The future of high school soccer in Lauderdale County looks bright after Lamar School and West Lauderdale combined to take six of the 12 available medal placements in the State Games of Mississippi 7V7 High School Soccer tournament at Northeast Park on Saturday.

Lamar won both the Girls Group A and the Boys Group B divisions, and Lamar’s Boys Group A and Girls Group B teams each won a bronze medal. West Lauderdale took silver in Girls Group A and Boys Group A.

The State Games events provide athletes around the state with a chance to compete, but they also provide athletes with a chance to develop their skills against good competitors. Lamar midfielder Blake Harris said he wanted to play in the State Games to get better and improve his ball skills so that he can try to play past high school some day.

“We thought it was a great opportunity to get some game time for the kids this summer and play some teams that we don’t typically get to play,” Lamar boys coach Rusty Warden said on Lamar playing in the State Games. “We really like the seven-a-side games because you have less space and less time, which makes players think faster and execute with higher technical skills.”

Lamar assistant coach Thallison Alex, who led Lamar’s Boys Group B team, said having just seven players on each side playing on a much smaller field leads to more shooting and more one-on-one matchups, which helps them develop skills that carry over to the high school game.

West Lauderdale boys coach and tournament commissioner Matthew Castleberry mentioned that using smaller teams and smaller fields helps players develop their play speed and their first touch with the ball.

“We’re big proponents of the State Games,” Castleberry said. “It’s a local event, and we enjoy playing in it. The kids have a sense of pride playing in it. Most of them have played in it since they were youth and club players, so to play in high school, they just enjoy it and it brings more competitiveness to their games, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Overall, Castleberry said the State Games event went well despite a mixture of heat and brief rain showers that muddied the fields.

“It’s been hot, and there’s been a lot of good soccer, and the fields held up well,” Castleberry said. “It’s a little sloppy, but other than that, it’s been a lot of fun. Kids got to play, so that’s all that really matters.”