South Side got goals from Angel Noyola and Gary Salinas, and JD Comer had a dramatic save in the final minute of a 2-1 home-opening win against previously unbeaten Crockett County earlier this evening (March 23).

“They were a really good team and we were prepared for them,” said Hawks coach Jake Stoffregen, whose team improves to 2-0. “We went in, followed the game plan and came out successful. It felt good to get a win, especially after such a hard game.”

Crockett County (3-1) has wins over Gibson County, Peabody and Liberty.

“It was a great challenge for our team,” sophomore defender Trace Richardson said. “The team and I love coming together to take home the victory.”

But South Side started off shaky in the opening minutes of the game.

“We had to find our feet,” Stoffregen said. “They were pressuring us up high a lot and we were a little iffy at the beginning.”

Crockett County scored about 10 minutes in for a 1-0 lead.

“The rest of the half was a quick-paced affair,” Stoffregen said. “Both teams were playing some fast balls and we just kept moving the ball around a lot. We just couldn’t find a breakthrough.”

The Hawks eventually found one.

Playing on an injured right ankle, junior captain Noyola scored with about 10 minutes left in the first half.

“It felt great to get it,” Noyola said. “I had to push the pain down until we could score, but it was worth it. We won the game.”

Said Stoffregen: “The best time to score is always going into the half. It gave us a boost that we needed to rally in the second half.”

South Side played with more control throughout the second half.

“The defense really stepped up and knocked it down,” Stoffregen said. “We got our offense to final connect and we capitalized on a turnover.”

The Hawks took the lead with seven minutes to play. Salinas, a senior captain, scored off a Crockett County turnover to make it 2-1.

“It felt great because it’s the work of the whole team,” Salinas said. “It’s something that we’ve been working on. The goal felt good because it gave us confidence, and that’s how I could help the team, too.”

The Hawks switched tactics with the lead, spreading it out and dropping more players back on defense.

“But at that point the guys were all hyped up and they were hungry for more,” Stoffregen said. “They kept going down and firing more.”

Comer had a big game as goalkeeper for the Hawks.

“JD was on it tonight,” Stoffregen said. “He came up with a lot of really big saves for the team, especially there at the end. He did a good job distributing the ball. He was aggressive. He went out and met the ball. He moved around the box well and cut off potential scoring opportunities.”

He also had a dramatic save in the final minute.

Comer came out to get a ball on the edge of the box. He leaped in the air, grabbed it and came back down. That wasn’t the game-winning save. That was a penalty. The referee said Comer came down outside the box.

Crockett County set up for a free kick right outside the box as players piled into the box. Crockett County passed the ball in and a player took a shot. Comer rushed out, slid to his knees and caught the ball with both hands above his head. The referee called time a few seconds later.

“It was beautiful,” Stoffregen said. “It was glorious. It was the perfect ending to the game.”