U12 all-stars win state title

The Lancaster County Parks and Recreation Department 12-under all-stars successfully defended the S.C. Athletic Programs state championship title for the third year in a row.
On Dec. 3, the Lancaster County stars traveled to Patriot Park in Sumter, where they faced stiff competition from the host Sumter U12 all-star team and the Walhalla all-star team.
Walhalla defeated North Myrtle Beach in the first round to advance to the state championship match.
Lancaster faced Sumter in the first-round match.
Kendra Haddox anchored the Lancaster defense with four saves at keeper in the first half. Blaine Gossman added a save in the second half.
James George, William Ingram, Garrett Watts and Tyler Deese quelled the Sumter attack with five stops each.
Gavin Flowers, Isaac Williams, Jim Small, Nicholas Mangano, Deese and Zayn Sutton displayed above-average passing skills to advance the attack.
Mangano, Williams, Grey Phillips, Flowers and Bryton Davis tallied one goal each, assisted by Gossman, Luke Roberts, Deese and Williams, who earned the “Kiss My Boot” award by posting two assists in a single match.
Lancaster U12 coach Joel Patterson said every player on the roster contributed in the 5-1 win over Sumter.
With the win, Lancaster earned a bid to the state finals, where the team faced Walhalla for the championship.
It was an exciting match. Most of the time it looked more like a tennis match than soccer, with each team’s defense making tremendous plays to stop their foe.
Garrett Watts, James George, Hanna Fitch, Ingram, Deese, Sutton, Davis, Roberts, Kyle McManus, Gossman and Quevedo stopped the ferocious Walhalla attack.
Goalkeeper Haddox had five saves in the match.
The match remained stalemated until late in the first half when Walhalla opened the scoring.
Several minutes later, Lancaster rallied when Williams assisted Mangano with the game-tying goal.
The remainder of the first half and the entire 25 minutes of the second half ticked by with a tremendous battle occurring on the pitch.
The score remained tied 1-1 at the end of regulation.  In the 10-minute overtime period, Lancaster’s Flowers netted the game winner with less than four minutes remaining.
 The Lancaster defense then stepped up to defend the lead and secure the S.C. Recreation and Parks Association SCAP State Championship Trophy.
This marks the third consecutive year the U12 Lancaster County all-stars have returned with the state title.
The Lancaster County coaches thanked the team members’ parents for their support throughout the season.
“The players should be commended for their work ethic, positive attitude and team spirit,” Patterson said. “We would like to thank Bernie Kuebler and all the staff at LCPR who make this program a success.”
Kuebler is the youth soccer coordinator for the Lancaster County Parks and Recreation Commission. 

photo supplied

The Lancaster County Parks and Recreation Commission U12 all-stars won the state championship in Sumter on Dec. 3 with wins over Sumter and Walhalla. Team members are, from left, front row: Gavin Flowers, Luke Roberts, Austin Catoe, Kyle McManus, Zayn Sutton and Blaine Gossman; second row: Garrett Watts, William Ingram, Isaac Williams, Bryton Davis, Grey Phillips and Nicholas Mangano; third row: James George, Alex Quevedo, Tyler Deese, Hanna Fitch, Jim Small and Kendra Haddox; back row: head coach Joel Patterson, assistant coach Wyatt Deese, assistant coach Calvin Catoe and assistant head coach Susan Small. Not pictured is team mom Wendy Patterson.