STARKVILLE — Starkville Academy boys soccer returned to the field on Tuesday night after nearly a month off over the holiday period. Head coach William Wells expected a bit of sluggishness in getting back up to speed, but his group exceeded those expectations in an energetic display, shutting out visiting Magnolia Heights in a prolific 7-0 win.
“I was very surprised, but that’s the way we want to play,” Wells said of shaking off the rust. “I think the practices we had we focused on getting it wide and working our outside backs forward, and they did a good job of that.”
The Vols were led from the front by their No. 10, both positionally and numerically, in top goalscorer Hayden Parrish. He completed a hat-trick on the night, scoring alongside teammates Nathan Miller, Conner Bastow, Justin Crittenden and Jackson Riekhof.
The performance followed a week of extra running to get back in shape after the holidays, but Wells’ worries over their sharpness quickly subsided. The Vols took the lead after just a few minutes of play, setting the tone for a high-scoring performance.
“I was impressed at 7-0, but I was worried because we hadn’t practiced too much,” Wells said. “They really came out here and got after it like we want them to. They were aggressive and got the job done, and I’m proud of them.”
Parrish noted the team’s positive attitude after the game and their shared confidence that they can advance further into the playoffs than they did last year.
“We feel good right now,” Parrish said. “We looked a little rusty at practice but we’ve done a lot of running and it helped us. We came out and played well and I think everybody knows we have a good chance to win this year.”
Goalscorers Parrish, Miller and Bastow have been teammates since youth soccer and continue to play together at club level – alongside goalkeeper Beau Cox – for Golden Triangle outfit, North Mississippi All-Stars. They help form a group of upperclassmen who are looking to make this year count before their time as Vols runs out.
“This is going to be our best chance to win because we have so many seniors graduating,” Parrish said. “We’re going all out for this last year.”
The Vols are 5-3 on the season now and face a trip to face rivals Heritage Academy on Friday night. The two teams met in a heated game to decide the district a year ago, and with a win earlier in the season the Vols have a chance to take control of their destiny with another win in Columbus.
“Heritage is going to be a good game,” Wells said of the upcoming rivalry match. “We got a bit lucky in the first game, we got the one goal and fought hard to stay in front. We’ve changed things up a bit and I think we’ll be ready for them.”
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