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BY DAVE LINK
MURFREESBORO – Even the defending state champion can be an underdog.
Just ask Gatlinburg-Pittman soccer coach Zach Schrandt.
He led the Highlanders to Class A state championships last year and in 2018 and to runner-up finishes in 2019 and ’21.
And G-P is back in Wednesday’s state semifinals after beating Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences 3-1 in the quarterfinals Tuesday afternoon at Siegel Soccer Complex.
“We’ve played in four or five straight (state) finals and everyone keeps saying we can’t possibly get there,” Schrandt said. “We see all the predictions. The boys keep seeing it. We’re pretty good in the postseason. There’s a reason we keep playing for state finals, so everyone can pick against us. We’ll just keep fighting.”
G-P (16-8) will play Madison Magnet on Wednesday at 4:30 in the state semifinals.
Madison Magnet (18-0-2) advanced with a 5-0 victory over McKenzie in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.
“I know Madison is better than us tomorrow,” Schrandt said. “Everyone’s told me that. Everyone in the media’s picked them. That’s OK. We’ll just go fight for 80 minutes and see what we can do.”
The G-P vs. Madison Magnet game is a rematch of last year’s state final won by the Highlanders.
After scoreless regulation play and overtimes, the Highlanders defeated Madison Magnet 3-2 on penalty kicks for the 2022 state title.
“It will be a really tough game, tougher than this game,” G-P senior Aiden Jennette said. “We didn’t play very good this game, but we’ll come back even stronger tomorrow.”
G-P took a 1-0 lead Tuesday in the 6th minute on Jennette’s unassisted goal.
CSAS tied it in the 16th minute on Gavin Castle’s unassisted goal.
It was tied 1-1 at halftime when G-P had nine shots and CSAS had six shots.
And it was still tied 1-1 in the 77th minute when CSAS’s Justin Smith fouled Carlos Turcios inside the 18-yard box.
Jennette took the PK and drilled it low and left past keeper Rohan Woodruff, who dove to the right.
“I knew I was going to make it,” Jennette said. “I practice PKs almost every day with the team. It was pretty easy. That’s how we won the state championship last year, so I just knew I had to stay calm. I knew I was going to make it.”
Turcios scored in the 78th minute for a 3-1 lead.
G-P finished with 13 shots to CSAS’s 10 shots.
“We’re just happy to still be playing,” Schrandt said. “Like I told the boys, I don’t care about winning another state title. I just care about getting 80 more minutes with them, another night in the little hotel, watching them try to give each other haircuts and everything that goes with it.”
IN THE OTHER SEMIFINAL
Alcoa advanced in Class A via a forfeit Monday night from Sheffield (10-2), which allegedly played an ineligible player during its sectional win.
Alcoa (14-9-2) will play Merrol Hyde (12-7-3) at 4:30 p.m. Central time in the semifinals at Richard Siegel Soccer Complex.