Since it began in 2017, the Russellville soccer program has been on the rise in terms of its reputation as an up-and-coming elite soccer program in Alabama. And so there wasn’t any doubt as to if the soccer program would become a championship contender. The only question was: when would it do so?
And head coach Trey Stanford and his squad got that answer last week as the Golden Tigers boys team managed to secure a spot in the 5A/6A AHSAA state championship game in Huntsville.
According to Stanford, while the 2021 season might only be the fifth season in program history for the Golden Tigers, the support that the program has received from both the community and the Russellville administration to this point has been nothing short of massive.
“The community has wanted soccer for a while and Dr. Grimes stepped in and made it happen. They had been wanting it for years and now the community has been all in on it, just the way they are with athletics, academics and clubs. The support here is second to none,” Stanford said. “Academics come first of course, but winning in athletics is expected too and we have a fantastic support system top to bottom and they do a fantastic job in giving the resources needed to achieve that success.”
Before the Golden Tigers got the opportunity to play for a state championship, they had to go through Crossville High School in the semifinals in what was as exhilarating of a high school soccer match that you’ll find for miles around.
Tied at 2-2 headed into extra time, the Golden Tigers needed someone to step up and give them an edge in any way possible.
“We got down in the first half and subbed several guys in and we managed to tie it up and I really think we had a solid advantage when it came to our depth. Toward the middle part of the match, it just felt like momentum had swung in our direction. We told our guys at halftime that we’ve just got to believe. We knew we were facing a good team in Crossville but you guys are a better team,” Stanford said. “Johnathan Salgado managed to score and tie things back up at 2-2 and our crowd went wild. After that you could see it in our guys eyes that they weren’t going to accept a loss.”
In extra time, Juan Cano came through for the Golden Tigers in a huge way.
Cano managed to give the Golden Tigers the lead and the win after the goalkeeper mishandled the shot by Cano to send Russellville to the state championship game.
Squaring off with Indian Springs in the state championship match, the Golden Tigers fell by a final of 2-0, coming up just short of the program's first state title.
“Juan scores that goal with 30 seconds left in overtime and everyone was just elated. It’s just such a great opportunity for everyone on our team, especially the younger ones we’ve got on the team. To be able to be a part of something like that is special,” Stanford said.
And while they fell in the state championship game by a 2-0 final to Indian Springs just one day later, make no mistake about it, the Golden Tigers will be back.
Stanford and his staff already have no trouble garnering interest in the soccer program and for a team that loses only four starters and a plethora of young up-and-coming talent that will soon be infused into the mix for the Golden Tigers, this team will be a fixture in the final four for years to come.
“When I first got here, a lot of people had never been to a soccer match. And once we started, and we played those first couple of matches, people were hooked. Every kid wants to play for a state championship, that’s the goal. And as a player you chase that dream and that’s what the kids here want. So in a sense we’ve kind of gotten everyone even more fired up for Russellville soccer moving forward,” Stanford said. “Our kids are ready to go right now for next season and I think that they believe that we can go back next year and we face that team one more time and we feel good about where we would be at.”
