The South-Doyle Cherokees fell to Station Camp, 3-1, on Friday, May 23, 2025, in the TSSAA Class AA Boys Soccer Championship at Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Pic by Danny Parker/5Star Preps)
BY DAVE LINK
MURFREESBORO – Not much went right for the South-Doyle soccer team Friday afternoon at Richard Siegel Soccer Stadium.
Not the bounces. Not the calls. And not the score.
The Cherokees’ bid for a second consecutive Class AA state championship ended with a 3-1 loss in the final to Gallatin’s Station Camp.
South-Doyle coach Sam Mitchell was given a red card and ejected with 21 minutes and 50 seconds left in the match and the Cherokees trailing 3-1. It was the first time Mitchell has ever gotten a red card.
Junior Jude Straussfogel also got a red card and was ejected with 2:29 left in the match.
“We’ll be sad for a little bit,” Mitchell said after the postgame awards ceremony, “but we won’t lose sight of how special this season was. We had an insanely long unbeaten streak.”
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South-Doyle (18-2-3) lost to Halls 2-0 in the March 6 season opener and didn’t lose again until Friday against Station Camp (20-2-2), which avenged a 1-0 loss to the Cherokees in last year’s state semifinals.
“We won’t lose sight of everything that was so great about this season,” Mitchell said. “We’ll get in the weight room and do what we can to get back here next year.”
They won’t forget the sting from Friday’s loss.
The Cherokees fell behind 2-0 in the first 22 minutes.
Ryan Hendon, MVP of the championship match, scored from about 10 yards in the 5th minute off an assist by Angel Fuentes.
Fuentes made it 2-0 in the 22nd minute, scoring from about 15 yards past senior goalkeeper Jonah Mitchell, the coach’s nephew.
“The first goal was a perfectly executed 6-yard drill,” Jonah Mitchell said. “It was just a textbook play. The second goal, I got caught a little bit on my heels. I wish I could have been a little more set looking back on it, but ultimately, I don’t think I could have done much about it. Two great goals by them.”
South-Doyle cut the deficit in half when Cameron Harp scored in the 16th minute. Straussfogel got the assist.
The Cherokees were called for a foul inside the 18-yard box with 33 seconds left in the half.
Hendon fired the penalty kick to his left for the goal, while Mitchell made a diving attempt to his left.
It gave Station Camp a 3-1 lead going into halftime.
“They’d just scored two quality goals, and we get one back,” Sam Mitchell said. “I love how we battled back from that adversity, and then we get a questionable PK call. Looks like it was outside the box on all the videos, and then it looks like it was all ball on all the videos.
“But we’re asking refs to make judgement calls. I’m not mad. It’s whatever. But when we’ve taken all the momentum away, and suddenly they get a PK to go up 3-1 instead of 2-1, and trying to recover from that in the second half against the quality of team they have, it’s a tough out.”
Sam Mitchell’s frustrations grew when the Cherokees were called for a foul 6 minutes into the second half.
They increased even more with 21 minutes left to play when South-Doyle was called for another foul.
Mitchell had gotten a yellow card earlier in the match for one of his players having the wrong-sized shin guards when he asked the center referee to explain a foul and was apparently ignored.
“I was fine with that yellow,” Mitchell said. “I said I’d like to have a conversation (with the center referee). He told me ‘No.’ I said, ‘That’s your job to have conversations with coaches,’ and he turns around and red cards me.”
Mitchell’s complaint hinged on the sideline referee not communicating with the center referee about what he was saying.
“We’re in a championship game,” Mitchell said, “and we’ve had fourth officials in every game miked on the sidelines so he can talk to the center (referee) for every match, but not for the championship game. … We can’t have a fourth official not miked up when he’s telling me he sees stuff, but he can’t communicate that with the center (referee).
“When he’s telling me, ‘Yeah, I see it your way,’ and he can’t communicate that with the center, and when I ask to have a conversation with the center, he’s going to look me in the eyes and tell me, ‘No,’ I say it’s a little ridiculous.”
After Mitchell’s ejection, the Cherokees were coached by their assistants.
“It’s definitely upsetting,” senior holding midfielder Turner Williams said. “It’s hard to stay focused on the game when something like that is happening and you can’t really communicate with the referee, but it’s important to stay focused and keep your mind on the game.”
Jonah Mitchell said the ejection of the coach tested the team’s composure.
“Luckily, we have three great coaches beyond coach Sam,” Jonah Mitchell said. “The big thing is just keeping our guys’ heads in the game. We need to stay focused on what’s happening on the field, not on the bench. I like how our guys responded and went down trying to find another goal.”
Station Camp finished with 15 shots compared to South-Doyle’s six shots, according to TSSAA match statistics.
Jonah Mitchell was credited with seven saves, and Station Camp keeper James Preston made two saves, per TSSAA.
“We knew it was going to be a very difficult game,” Williams said. “I honestly think we played really well, all things considered. Difficult circumstances, calls didn’t go the way we wanted them to, but I feel like overall we had good perseverance and we played pretty well.”
And once the hurt wears off, the Cherokees will recall a memorable season.
“It’s always a great accomplishment to be one of the last two teams in the state,” Williams said. “I’m definitely not upset with how the season went. I’m proud of us. Even though we went out this way, I’m glad I was able to do it with this group of guys, and I regret nothing about this season.”