Published: 05/10/2008

By Greg Oshust
Marietta Daily Journal Sports Writer

MARIETTA - Walton may have earned its fifth state boys soccer championship Friday, but it didn't come easy.

Collins Hill battled Walton on even terms through most of the game before the Raiders scored on an own goal late in the second half to beat the Eagles, 2-1, in the Class AAAAA title game at Raider Valley.

It was the fifth state championship for Walton (16-4) -and second in three years - for the Raiders, who previously won in 1986, 1995, 2002 and 2006.

It was also the second state crown for Walton's outstanding senior class, led by Connor Barbaree, Cameron Cooksey, Taylor White, Michael Fuller and goalkeeper Ben Yabrow.

"This senior class has been at least to the state semifinals four years in a row and has won two state championships," Boozer said. "They have provided strong leadership for us and we're really going to miss them."

For Barbaree, who returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with a hamstring pull, it was a satisfying conclusion to his high school career.

"We just played as hard as we could," Barbaree said. "We worked hard all season and the all the hard work has paid off."

Collins Hill (18-5) didn't go down without a fight, however, as the Eagles battled Walton to a scoreless tie in the first half and came back with a goal to tie the game, 1-1, midway through the second half.

"To be honest, (Collins Hill) took it to us," Boozer said. "They're a very good team and they did a good job keeping the pressure on us."

Collins Hill went on the attack from the beginning and nearly got a goal within the first minute of the game before Greg Hoover's shot hit the crossbar for the Eagles with 39:27 remaining in the first half.

Collins Hill continued to control the action through most of the half, getting several shots on Yabrow.

However, Walton ended the first half on a promising note when Daniel Gnecco's shot went just to the right of the goal with 1:53 left.

Walton continued its momentum into the second half and finally got on the scoreboard with 32:42 remaining in the game, when White took a free kick from Barbaree and headed his shot past Collins Hill goalkeeper Jesse Garbowski to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead.

Collins Hill nearly tied the game soon after that when Juan Giraldo's bicycle kick was stopped by a diving save from Yabrow with 26:30 left in the game.

The Eagles were luckier on their next scoring attempt as David Holm blasted a shot past Yabrow with 22:35 left to even the score, 1-1.

Collins Hill nearly took the lead with 13:07 left when Ricardo Ortega's shot skidded just left of the goal.

Yabrow stopped another Collins Hill scoring attempt when he deflected a shot by Ortega with 4:40 left.

Walton broke through with 2:41 left, when Cooksey booted a cross from the corner that bounced off a Collins Hill defender guarding Barbaree and dribbled into the goal for an own goal that clinched the state title for the Raiders.

Victory over Collins Hill would be Raiders second in three years

Published: May 9, 2008
Marietta Daily Journal

By Carlton D. White
Marietta Daily Journal Sports Writer

After a one-year absence, the Walton boys soccer team returns to the Class AAAAA state championship finals today with an 8 p.m. clash at Raider Valley against Collins Hill.

The top-ranked Raiders (15-4) last won the state title back in 2006 and several players on this year's team were a part of that squad.

Walton coach Bucky Boozer is hopeful that the experience some of his players gained from that 2006 championship season helps propel the squad to a title today.

"Some of these guys have been in this position before and won," Boozer said. "As long as those guys are still hungry and the young players, who haven't won it, are also hungry, then we can do it again. Everyone knows it's a final, now they just have to play like its one. They have to fight for it."

The Eagles will be looking for revenge today against the Raiders after Walton bounced Collins Hill from the first round of the playoffs last season by a 2-1 score.

"It doesn't surprise me that Collins Hill is in the finals," Boozer said. "We played them last season. They have a nice mix of players, a solid goalkeeper and a good center back.

"They are very quick and skillful players. We'll have our work cut out for us. They have size and power and can beat you one-on-one. Collins Hill has a lot of weapons."

Walton's ride to the finals has been keyed by its defense, which has posted three shutouts and allowed only one goal in four playoff games.

In order to capture its second state title in three years and third in seven seasons, the Raiders will have to continue their stellar defensive play and catch some breaks on offense.

"We won in penalty kicks (5-4 over Brookwood) in the semifinals, took a day to recover, and went back to work to prepare for Collins Hill," Boozer said. "Our guys are staying sharp, offensively and defensively. Our practices have been tough, but we've gotten a lot accomplished. Now, it's time to play the game and beat Collins Hill."

Boozer has been at the helm of each of Walton's four state soccer titles, also capturing crowns in 1986 (his second year at the helm) and 1995.

The Raiders have been to the semifinals of the state playoffs now for four straight seasons and with their experience to lead them, they are poised to complete the season with another championship banner.

"There isn't too much pressure with a team like this," Boozer said. "They've experienced this before and now it's just time to go out and play good soccer. In games like this, everybody has to go out and do their jobs and stay focused.

"What we have to do is stop them from playing and get our game going. Our seniors have a big influence on our team in terms of leadership and direction, which will be an important factor for us (tonight) in order to win."

Marietta Daily Journal

Published: May 7, 2008

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published: 04/23/2008

By Carlton D. White
Marietta Daily Journal Sports Writer

Staff Photo by Daniel Varnado

MARIETTA - The shots hit everything but the back of the net in the first half of Tuesday's first-round playoff match between Walton and Central Gwinnett at Raider Valley. 

The second half, however, was a different story as Connor Barbaree scored two goals roughly 22 minutes apart to lead the second-seeded Raiders over the third-seeded Black Knights, 2-0, in the Class AAAAA state tournament.

Walton (12-4), ranked fifth in the state, advanced to the second round of the state playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

"It's about surviving and moving on to the next round," Raiders coach Bucky Boozer said. "Central Gwinnett is a very good team. We just had to be patient up front and keep taking shots. We had chances in the first half, but they didn't fall. We were fortunate that things started working out for us in the second half."

A scoreless first half continued well into the second until Taylor White sent a feed to the left side in front of a streaking Barbaree, who collected the ball, side-stepped his defender, and sent a quick shot inside the low left post to beat goalkeeper Josh Aiken-Phillips, that gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead.

"It feels good to get the win and to get that first victory under our belts," Barbaree said. "We played well overall, I thought. We were knocking on the door in the first half, so it was good to get two in the second."

Barbaree's second score came off a free kick from roughly 25 yards out after he was taken down inside the box. Three Black Knights lined up in front of Barbaree, but he sent the shot from right to left past a diving Aiken-Phillips to put the Raiders ahead, 2-0.

"I saw (Aiken-Phillips) cheating to the other side," Barbaree said. "He's a big guy. I knew I could get it past him if I hit it right."

Neither team could capitalize on first-half opportunities. Walton missed out on at least two scoring chances as Cameron Cooksey headed a shot over the ball from inside the box at 17:10 and Barbaree sent a shot over the crossbar as well in the early going at the 36:30 mark.

The Black Knights fared no better, missing out at the 35:45 mark when Walton goalkeeper Ben Yabrow ran out to deflect a Manase Irakoze shot. Devon Fernandez collected the rebound, but his wide-open shot hit the top of the crossbar to maintain the scoreless tie. Central Gwinnett nearly scored again with 1:54 left, but Allen Brefo sent his shot over the goal from about 5 yards out.

"Although we missed some chances, we just kept encouraging each other to keep making plays," White said. "We just continued to play our game and to keep the ball in front of us."

Barbaree nearly picked up a hat trick for the Raiders, but reserve keeper Andy Szabo deflected a point-blank one-on-one attempt with 4:35 remaining in the contest.

"We're a young team and we'll have everybody back next year," Central Gwinnett coach Bryan Allen said. "I'm really proud of my guys and our future looks bright. We fought and competed (Tuesday) and had opportunities in the first half. Walton is a veteran team and they showed that (Tuesday)."

The Raiders will travel to cross-county rival Harrison on Tuesday to face the Hoyas in the second round of the Class AAAAA state playoffs. The two teams will meet for the third straight year in the state playoffs. The matchup also pits the last two state. In 2007, Harrison defeated the Raiders, 4-0, in the semifinals en route to its state championship. Walton defeated the Hoyas, 1-0, to claim the 2006 crown.

Published: 03/29/2008

By Greg Oshust
Marietta Daily Journal Sports Writer

MARIETTA - Walton scored a big Area 6AAAAA victory as the No. 5-ranked Lady Raiders defeated No. 3 Pope, 1-0, in a battle of area and east Cobb rivals Friday at Raider Valley.

Julia Holz's goal in the second half was all the scoring Walton (10-1-1, 6-1) needed as the Lady Raiders handed Pope (12-1, 8-1) its first loss of the season.

"It was a very big win in the (area) standings," Walton coach Bruce Wade said. "A lot of the girls on both teams know each other and Pope is a big rival, so it was an emotional win."

Pope coach Jim Haskin said the game was an example of how tough Area 6AAAAA is.

"When you play in (an area) as tough as ours, you have to expect to lose a couple of games," Haskin said. "We have to keep getting better."

Goalkeeper Madison Ryan made seven saves for Walton.

The decisive goal came with 10:45 remaining in the game when Holz took a cross from Kianna Nicholson and blasted the ball past Pope goalkeeper Michelle Krengel to give Walton a 1-0 lead it would hold for the rest of the contest.

The first half was an evenly-fought battle between Walton and Pope, as the two teams had several near-misses.

Pope nearly got on the scoreboard first as Ryann Davie launched a shot that narrowly slid just to the left of the goal with 31:35 remaining in the first half.

Walton had a scoring attempt that fell just short with 30:00 remaining in the half as Nicholson took a cross from Erin Holt and took a shot that went just left of the goal.

Meggie Graham tried to get Walton on the scoreboard with 15:16 left in the first half, but Krengel deflected her long shot.

With 4:02 left in the first half, Walton's Sara Nourachi drove towards the goal and appeared to have a chance to put the Lady Raiders in the lead, but the ball was knocked away by a Pope defender.

Krengel kept Walton off the scoreboard at the end of the first half with a couple of leaping saves off long shots by Graham, the first one coming with 1:30 remaining and the second one with 35 seconds left.

Krengel deprived Walton of another opportunity midway through the second half as she blocked a shot by Nicholson off of a cross from Nourachi with 21:38 left in the game.

Walton continued on the offensive the rest of the game, with Holz's goal giving the Lady Raiders all they needed for the win.

"In the second half, we played more disciplined soccer and that put us in a good position," Wade said.

Said Haskin, "(Walton) did a good job of possessing the ball and we didn't take advantage of the opportunities that we had."

Walton has five regular season games remaining, with the Lady Raiders playing on the road against Area 6AAAAA foes Wheeler on Tuesday and Milton on Thursday, then hosting Marietta in a non-area game April 12 before closing the season at home with area games against Lassiter (April 14) and Northview (April 16).

Pope has only two regular season games left, with the Lady Greyhounds closing the regular season with area games against Milton on Monday and Roswell on Wednesday.

It seemed no one on Walton's side thought Connor Barbaree's goal in the 11th minute was going to be enough to close out the east Cobb County school's third state championship.

Coach Bucky Boozer? "No."

Defender Andrew Newcity? "I didn't at first. They came out really strong."

Barbaree? "Honestly, I didn't think so."

But there they were, with the one-goal lead over Harrison in the closing minutes of the Class AAAAA state title game, and sophomore goalkeeper Ben Yabrow had an axe to grind. An admonishment from his father was enough to spur him on to six saves in Walton's 1-0 win over its county rival.

Yabrow's dad pointed out before the game that he was the only goalkeeper left who didn't have a shutout in the playoffs.

Even he had his doubts.

"The whole second half they were parked in front of our box," Yabrow said.

Aided by two offsides calls that nullified first-half Harrison goals and a nifty bit of passing that resulted in Barbaree's score, the Raiders (17-2-2) claimed their third state title in 12 years. They won the AAAA title in 1995 and the AAAAA crown in 2002.

Afterward, there were fireworks set off from the Walton side of Harrison's stadium.

"That's what we've been working for all year," Newcity said.

It took just 18 seconds for this one to turn contentious. That's when Harrison's Matt Spoon had an apparent goal --- a header from just outside the goalie box --- wiped out by an offsides call.

Then came Barbaree's goal. Walton's Cameron Cooksey settled the ball on the right side and fed it to the middle. Mario Burstein tapped it out to the left of the 18-yard box to an open Barbaree, whose shot found the net at the upper-right corner.

The Hoyas (19-3) had another apparent goal wiped out in the 17th minute when Austin Steele found the net but was whistled for the offsides.

Harrison had five other chances at the equalizer.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007
By Greg Oshust
Marietta Daily Journal Sports Writer

MARIETTA - Top-ranked Walton certainly played up to its lofty state ranking as it blitzed Wheeler for all of its goals in the first half on its way to a 3-0 victory in a battle of Area 6AAAAA foes at Raider Valley on Tuesday.

Goals by Lauren Vanderbroek, Emme Graham and Hannah Secunda in the first half was all that was needed for that Walton (12-0, 9-0), which climbed to the top spot in the Class AAAAA state poll this week.

The Lady Raiders can clinch the Area 6AAAAA championship with a win on the road over east Cobb rival Pope on Friday.

Meanwhile, Wheeler (7-5, 6-3), which was tied for second place with Lassiter and Pope in the Area 6AAAAA going into the game, fell into a tie for fourth with Milton.

Walton coach Bruce Wade said his team came out ready to play and were very effective in taking advantage of scoring opportunities.

"The girls were focused from the start," Wade said. "We had a lot of respect for Wheeler, having beaten Lassiter and we were ready for them. We finished our chances and that was huge."

After a slow start by both teams, Walton broke through when Vanderbroek scored on a header off an assist by Secunda with 26:36 remaining in the first half to give the Lady Raiders a 1-0 lead.

Walton increased its lead when Graham slipped the ball into the right corner of the goal with 6:44 left in the first half for a 2-0 Lady Raider advantage.

Less than 2 minutes later, Secunda blasted a free kick into the goal to give Walton its eventual margin of victory.

Walton and Wheeler each had one more scoring opportunity in the first half, with Wheeler's Caroline Long's long shot hitting the crossbar with 4:00 remaining in the first half and Meggie Graham's attempt with 2:04 left also hitting the crossbar.

Walton wasn't able to duplicate its first half offensive success as Wheeler made some adjustments on defense and were able to keep the Lady Raiders scoreless in the second half.

"In the second half, we played real well," Wheeler coach Ray Furstein said. "We made some adjustments and fixed a few things."

Said Wade, "We made some changes and experimented with some things and it didn't quite work out. Wheeler came out more aggressive and they did a good job on defense."

However, Walton was just as adept on defense, with Vanderbroek deflecting shots by Kendall Michaelis with 15:33 remaining in the game and Stacey Leung with 13:05 left.

Now, Walton is focused on its big game with rival Pope, with a win giving the Lady Raiders the 6AAAAA title and the top seed from the region in the state playoffs.

"It's a very big game for us," Wade said. "The girls on both teams know each other and it's a big rivalry."