The Greeneville Greene Devils beat the Sevier County Smoky Bears 2-1 in the TSSAA Class AA soccer state championship in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Friday, May 24, 2019. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY DAN FLESER
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MURFREESBORO – J.P. Elyze-Vital tucked the Class AA state championship soccer trophy under his arm and carried it from one side of Siegel Stadium’s field to the other Friday afternoon, transporting it to photo shoots and celebrations.
The Greeneville High senior forward conceded that the wood-framed prize was a bit of a load. But it was nothing compared to the heavy lifting he did to secure the Greene Devils’ 2-1 victory over Sevier County, which earned the program its third consecutive state championship.
Vital scored both goals, which were the 119th and 120th of his high school career. Both came in the second half. One came off a free-kick set piece. The other was the result of brilliant individual move in which he split two defenders, dribbled across the goal face and calmly scored.
“He wakes up and just does this stuff,” said twin brother Devin, who was patrolling Greeneville’s backline. “He’s just one of a kind. He’s our top striker and we always lean on him in the big moments. And he came up big today. Those goals he came up with today were fantastic. You couldn’t ask for anything more of him.”
J.P.’s heroics were the difference in a pitched battle with Sevier County (17-8-1), who was trying to win a championship on its first trip to state. The Smoky Bears, who lost 2-1 in overtime to Greeneville in the Region I championship match earlier this month, had the better of the play in the first half, hitting a post with one shot. They countered J.P’s first score with a second-half goal from their scoring star, Elias Henriquez.
The Smoky Bears had a game-tying goal inside the final two minutes waved off by an offsides call.
Greeneville coach Jerry Graham called Sevier County a “super quality team” and said, “This could’ve gone either way. This was a battle of two great teams.”
The Greeneville Greene Devils beat the Sevier County Smoky Bears 2-1 in the TSSAA Class AA soccer state championship in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Friday, May 24, 2019. (Photo by Danny Parker)
The opponent and the nature of the match amplified the accomplishment for Greeneville (19-5-3), which returned only three starters, Graham said, and withstood injuries during the season, including a hamstring injury to J.P.
“It’s one of those things that’s hard to put into perspective,” Graham said. “It’s monumental for our guys and our program.”
For the Elyze-Vital brothers, it’s something they will share forever.
“To do that, especially with my brother by my side, is something else,” J.P. said. “It’s something you’ll never forget. As long as you live, you’ll always know you were champions three times in a row.”