History was made at JE “Hot” O’Brien Stadium.
The Tallassee boys soccer team defeated rival Elmore County 7-1 on Thursday to claim the AHSAA Class 5A, Area 3 championship. This is the second area championship in program history and the third time the Tigers have advanced to the playoffs.
However, Tallassee went undefeated at 8-0 in area play for the first time.
“This is a huge accomplishment for our school and community,” Tigers coach Matt Tarpley said. “It's a testament to how hard these kids have worked over the last three years. This didn't come out of nowhere. This is the culmination of several years of hard work and commitment to this process.”
Thursday's matchup against rival Elmore County played out much differently than the first game. Tallassee, playing in the first of two games at Elmore County, was down one man due to a red card but scored three goals in the final 14 minutes of the game to dominate the Panthers and win 3-2. .
In Thursday's home rematch, the Tigers quickly took control. Irvin Delfin scored three of his 47 goals this season, and Julen Rodriguez added two of his own. Louis Mosley and Francisco Diego each added goals for the big win.
“I think we went into the first game a little overconfident,” Tarpley said. “Last night they were very focused and focused on the job at hand. They wanted to bring the area together and win the area championship at home in front of their fans. It was just a bonus.”
The first game at Elmore County was the start of what is now a 10-game winning streak for the Tigers. Tallassee hasn't lost since a 3-2 loss to St. James on Feb. 27.
Since that loss, Tarpley's team is 10-0-3, with the three ties being Ben Russell in Class 6A, Chilton County in Class 6A and Opelika in Class 7A.
During that span, Tallassee defeated multiple playoff teams twice, including Wetumpka, Stanhope-Elmore, and Brewbaker Tech.
“We've spent a lot of time developing the team concept and the players have bought into it,” Tarpley said. “They're comfortable with each other. They like each other, they depend on each other. There's a team atmosphere within our program, and everyone's friends. That strong family atmosphere carries over to the field. They want to win for each other.''
The show's second area title didn't come in recent months. The team has been building towards this moment since 2020.
The Tigers were just 0-5 that season before the season was suspended due to COVID-19. The following season, they won only one game with one win and nine losses.
In 2022, Tallassee finished third in the area with an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs. Last year, the Tigers finished with a program-best 16-4 record but missed out on the playoffs, falling one game short of the second-place playoff spot.
Wanting to build on that, Tallassee threw in a playoff opponent in the first half of the schedule to prepare for area play.
As a result, Tallassee will host a playoff soccer game against Demopolis on Monday.
“They wanted to do something special in Tallassee this year and were willing to put in the effort to accomplish that,” Tarpley said. “They're excited to play and love the game of soccer. They're willing to go out and compete against each other. This is a special group of kids.”