The 2023-24 high school soccer season recently ended with three teams bringing a state championship golden ball back to the Coast.
The MHSAA playoffs consist of single-elimination rounds in each classification that led to five Coast teams vying for one last win.
In Class 1, the St. Patrick Lady Irish wiped out every team that stood in their way of back-to-back state titles. Throughout all five playoff matches, St. Patrick outscored their opponents 33-0, including a 7-0 victory in the state final against Tupelo Christian Prep.
With another trophy secured, coach Cassandra Terry was already looking to the future.
“I think these girls are very capable of winning a third consecutive title,” Terry said. “We will lose some fantastic seniors, but we have so many young talented players that will be willing to step up and be difference makers next season.”
The championship win improved St. Patrick’s final record to 19-3-2.
On the boys side of Class 1, St. Stanislaus returned to the title game in search of a 13th championship.
Similar to their 2022 victory, the Rock-A-Chaws once again faced off against St. Andrew’s Episcopal.
Two first-half goals by the Saints saw the Rock-A-Chaws title hopes slip away as the match ended 2-0, but that didn’t stop coach Zach Villarrubia from looking ahead.
“We are returning eight starters, so the focus will be to build around that and hopefully put ourselves in the same position next year with a better ending,” Villarrubia said.
St. Stanislaus finished the season with a 16-4-2 record, including a 9-0 mark for the Region 8 championship.
In 4A boys action, and in Chris Doxy’s first year being promoted to coach, the Bay High Tigers slipped past the Pass High Pirates in the South State championship and earned the opportunity to defend their 2023 state title.
The Tigers met the North State winners, New Albany, in a tightly contested match.
A single Tigers goal scored by Sawyer Bilbo late in the second half secured another championship for the Bay players and coaches.
The win brought the Tigers’ final record to 23-1-2.
The Coast was also represented in the girls and boys 6A state championship matches.
The George County Lady Rebels, led by coach Britin Dean, made their second appearance in a state final, the last time being a loss in 2002.
This time, the Lady Rebels found themselves up against impressive opponents from Saltillo High School. The Lady Tigers had already knocked off soccer powerhouses Tupelo, Oxford, and Southaven in the regular season, and they kept their winning ways in the playoffs as they defeated George County 3-0 for the 6A title.
“Saltillo played well. We had our moments but didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we created,” said Dean.
The Lady Rebels ended their season with a 13-9 record.
In recent years, the Long Beach Bearcats have become the most experienced soccer team on the Coast and in Mississippi when it comes to state championship matches. They won the last three titles and lost in the finals in the three previous seasons.
This season marked their seventh consecutive appearance in the big game, and along with newly appointed coach, Matt DeFillips, they continued their winning culture.
After a 1-1 first half, the Bearcats overcame Center Hill to complete the championship and a four-peat with a 3-2 victory.
Long Beach finished the season with an 18-4-1 record.
