AHS teams poised for playoffs halfway through district

The district season is underway for both the Bearcat and Ladycat soccer teams. Midway through the district schedule, both teams have put themselves in good position to make the playoffs. However the season has come with drama to this point.

The weather has not been a friend to either team, causing changes to the schedule and making it harder to prepare for games. A second freeze pushed through the metroplex the weekend of Feb. 24-26 which postponed a match for each team and forced another week of three games.

That was not the only drama that occurred for the Ladycats, as it was revealed that Wichita Falls Rider had played an ineligible player in six of its matches, causing a forfeit for three district games. The overturning of the results shifted the district standings in such a way that the Ladycats now hold the second place position in the district. Wichita Falls High remains at the top with a 6-0 record, while Rider now falls to 3-3.

The Ladycats held a district record of 3-2 going into the home district match with Brewer on Monday, Feb. 28. Aledo had control of the game from the start, keeping the pressure at the Brewer net all game long. McKenna Vela buried the first goal, and Ashlyn Laughly added another before the end of the first half to give the Ladycats a 2-0 lead at the break.

In the second half, the Ladycat offense exploded, scoring seven goals before the final gun. Vela scored three more early in the second half, and Laughly added a pair to get the hat trick as well. Harper Smith and Reece Warren both added goals of their own in the latter stages of the match. Emma Davis was credited with the shut out in net, while Rebecca Vandenberg played the final 21 minutes of the match and recorded five saves. Aledo defeated Brewer 9-0 to improve their district record to 4-2.

Afterwards, the Bearcats took the pitch to take on Brewer as well, but it did not go as hoped. The Bears scored two goals in the first seven minutes to take the early lead, and then one more with three minutes left in the first half to take a commanding 3-0 lead into half.

The Bearcats came out in the second half and started to push back. With 27 minutes left, Cole Crawford scored the first Aledo goal to close the gap. Then with just little more than a minute to go before the buzzer the Bearcats scored again on a corner kick to pull them back to within one goal. Unfortunately, the Bearcats could not regain possession and the buzzer sounded with Brewer prevailing 3-2.

The Bearcats now stand at a district record of 2-4 but still hold spots above Azle and Granbury for the playoffs.

Both teams played two more district games this past week against Granbury and Azle. They will both play Wichita Falls Rider on Tuesday, March 8. The Ladycats will be in Wichita Falls, the boys will be at Bearcat Stadium.