Gatlinburg-Pittman goalkeeper Jeffry Vallladares came up big during the Highlanders’ win in PKs in Friday’s Class A state championship at Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo by Danny Parker)
MURFREESBORO – Jeffri Valladares played like a veteran on the biggest soccer stage of his life Friday.
And he’s only a freshman.
Gatlinburg-Pittman’s goalkeeper blocked three shots in the penalty-kick shootout won by a 3-2 score Friday, lifting the Highlanders to victory over Madison Magnet of Jackson in the Class A state championship game at Siegel Soccer Complex.
The match was tied 0-0 after 80 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtimes.
“It’s a really an amazing feeling as a freshman, and especially for the seniors who have been here for four years and haven’t won it,” Valladares said. “I would just like to thank all of them and my coaches for helping me come here.”
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Before the shootout, Valladares reminded himself of a line from the movie, “Top Gun,” which G-P coach Zach Schrandt took them to see during Thursday’s off day.
“I was a little bit nervous, but coach took us to a movie yesterday and someone said, ‘Don’t think, just do,’” said Valladares, who is 5-foot-9, 210 pounds.
G-P (16-6-2) was state runner-up un 2019 and 2021 and won the Class A state title in 2018.
“It kind of felt like we lost three in a row because our 2020 team probably beats all four of our teams that came here, and probably handily,” Schrandt said. “There was so much weight going into last year. We had all that pressure to win it last year. This year I thought we played freer, looser, because we weren’t really expected to be here, we lost so many kids (go graduation last year).”
The Highlanders lost last year’s state championship in a PK shootout against Austin-East.
Schrandt spent plenty of time in the offseason thinking about that PK loss, and the Highlanders worked on PKs often during practices.
They also won a PK shootout in the postseason against Chuckey-Doak.
“I think a lot of it was maybe my approach,” Schrandt said. “You have to look every year and say, ‘what did I do right or wrong.’ I don’t put it on our kids. I think last year I didn’t have them in the right frame of mind for that PK shootout.
“We had enough all-state players to have won the PK shootout, but it was like we were already defeated there. I thought today, we’ve worked on it so many times. We told the kids, it’s just a game. There’s so many bigger things going on in life. All you’ve got to do is go do a 12-yard shot.”
In Friday’s shootout, G-P went first, and Cody Kihlberg scored past Madison Magnet keeper Charles Donnell.
Donovan Pruitte then scored past Valladares, tying it 1-1.
G-P’s Erick Marcia-Chavez had his next shot blocked by Donnell, and Valladares blocked Braden Nye’s shot, preserving the tie.
In the third round, G-P’s Aiden Jennette scored for a 2-1 lead, and Jack Young tied it 2-2 going into round four.
G-P’s Moises Betanco-Ramirez took a shot that went wide in the fourth round, and Valladares made another diving block of Brody Cravens’ shot.
Eli Colbert gave the Highlanders a 3-2 lead in the fifth round with a shot over the head of Donnell, and Valladares needed one more save to win it as Donnell – the goalie – lined up for the shot.
“When he placed the ball down,” Valladares said, “I saw from his run-up that it was a little bit curved, so I knew he was going to put it that way.”
Donnell drilled the shot to his left, and Valladares made a diving save to his right, winning the match and state title.
“He’s worked so, so much, that it was great to see him have that moment,” Schrandt said of Valladares.
Madison Magnet controlled play for the first half, posting six shots (three on goal) to G-P’s no shots.
At the end of regulation, the Mustangs had 11 shots (three on goal) to G-P’s four shots (one on goal).
“At halftime we tried to adjust,” Schrandt said. “We tried to go at them in a more attacking 3-5-2 (formation). We tried to pick our moments and we got on them in the second half and almost scored, but we missed it, and it was OK. It was like, ‘pick your moments,’ because they had more quality than we did, and the kids knew that, but having talent doesn’t always win games. Heart does. It was like worst case, we go to PKs and we win it there.”
