Men's Soccer | 2/7/2024 7:42:00 AM

The Clinton Arrows Soccer team put on a show and proved they are capable of accomplishing a rare feat in the sports world as they began their quest for a third consecutive state championship on Tuesday night by securing a 7-0 mercy rule win over the DeSoto Central Jaguars.  The win moves the Arrows to a record of 18-2-3 on the season and 1-0 in the playoffs.

The scoring started early for the Arrows as Senior Logan Bryant sent in a beautiful shot from distance that floated over the Jaguars' goalkeeper and into the top corner of the net.  The goal in the 3rd minute made the score 1-0 and set the tone for the rest of the match.  The game would settle for the next 20 minutes of the first half before the Arrows opened up a scoring barrage in the final 13 minutes of the opening frame.  Sophomore Wes Ambrose found the net in the 27th minute on an assist from Senior Keaton Cole.  Senior Price Farrar scored in the 32nd minute to make the score 3-0, and Senior Cody Barnett scored in the 35th minute to send the game to halftime with a 4-0 Arrows advantage.

The second half was more of the same, as Farrar scored his second goal of the night in the 43rd minute on another assist from Cole to make the score 5-0.  Cole then drew a penalty in the box on a beautiful individual move to beat the Jaguar defender who dragged Cole down from behind to give the Arrows a kick from the spot.  Cole stepped up and drilled a shot into the back of the net past the Jaguars' keeper to make the score 6-0.  Senior Brice Nunnery finished the game in the 59th minute as he found the net on an assist from Senior Logan Cole to bring the mercy rule into effect after 50 minutes with a 7 goal advantage.

The back line for the Arrows was also dominant as Barnett, Seniors Brady Torrence and Thomas Martin, and Junior Justin Singleton were able to thwart any Jaguar attack throughout the entire match.

Head Coach Tyler Wade said of his team's effort, "We challenged the players to step up and give us more in the playoffs. More effort, energy and focus and they definitely showed that from the first whistle tonight. Proud of the boys for capitalizing on the opportunity, but not to be satisfied with result. It's time to get ready for the next one and accept the challenge ahead."

The Arrows will move on to the 2nd round where they will host the Tigers of Hernando who defeated Starkville by a score of 2-0 on Tuesday night.  Kickoff time is TBA.