Brookwood soccer teams rolling into quarterfinals
THOMASVILLE — Brookwood’s boys and girls soccer teams are streaking into the quarterfinal rounds of the GISA Class AAA playoffs.
The boys have won 10 straight and will play at Westminster (Augusta) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The girls, winners of eight straight, will host Frederica Academy on Monday at 3:30 p.m. at Warrior Stadium.
“We’re excited for the opportunities,” said Brookwood boys and girls soccer coach Eddie Foy. “We’re going into this game against Westminster as underdogs. We’re ranked No. 7 in the state on the boys side and they’re ranked No. 2. We’re very excited about that opportunity. We like being the underdogs.”
Brookwood’s boys may not be favored but they’ve played like the team to beat over the past month and a half. They haven’t lost since March 20, which includes a 5-2 victory over Young Americans Christian School in the first round on Wednesday.
“We had a tough schedule of 17 games,” Foy said.” We’ve won the last 10 in a row. The only games we’ve lost are against huge GHSA schools. We’ve played Thomasville and lost to them. We played Valdosta and lost to them. “We had a tough start to the year because of weather. We found it very difficult to get outside to practice because January and February were so wet outside. We lost a lot of rhythm at the start of the year. We started well by beating Cairo, had a great game there.
“We play Westminster on Saturday, who is a very tough team. They’ve won a few state championships over the last few years. It’ll be a tough challenge for us but I think one our boys will be ready for.”
Like the boys, the girls are riding a wave of momentum heading into Monday’s second round. They’ve won eight straight and have been dominant.
“They went 8-0 in region and scored 51 goals and only conceded six,” Foy added. “They’ve been really, really impressive.”
Senior leadership is key to both teams’ success this year. The boys feature seven seniors, including Tyson Joyner, who will play next year at Andrew College; and Robert Gallagher, who will play at Pensacola Christian College next season. The girls feature five seniors.
“It’s organizing the squad, sending out group texts, communication and making sure everyone’s on the same page,” Foy said. “That’s really what’s been key to our success in both programs is just having that leadership to pull from those seniors, and they really have done an incredible job.”
The boys’ senior class include Joseph Davis, Benjamin Filston, Robert Gallagher, Tyson Joyner, Henry Ladson, Willard Miles and Nathaniel Yokley. The girls’ senior class includes Jordan Burns, Ryan Gaston, Eliza Miller, Elizabeth Rollins, and Jessie Wortman.