On Top Of The World - St. Al Wins 3-0

On Top Of The World:  St. Aloysius soccer players celebrate after beating Starkville Academy 3-0 on Saturday to win the MAIS Class AAA championship.

STARKVILLE — When the first goal went into the net, the St. Aloysius Flashes felt pretty good. The second one made them breathe a little easier, and by the third one, they were on top of the world.

Ryan Theriot scored twice and set up Jack Dowe for a third goal as the Flashes routed Starkville Academy 3-0 Saturday night in the MAIS Class AAA boys’ soccer championship game.

It’s the first boys’ soccer state title in St. Al history and the end of a long chase that spanned not only this season but decades of frustration. The Flashes finished this season with a 14-5 record that included a semifinal victory over four-time defending state champion Central Hinds.

This was also the first time the program had ever reached a state championship game.

“We worked hard all season and this is fitting. Central Hinds has won five years in a row or something like that and now we’re getting our chance. We showed everyone tonight,” Theriot said.

Saturday’s game started slow. Neither team had a shot on goal in the first 20 minutes, and it wasn’t until the late stages of the first half that St. Al started to generate some scoring chances.

In the 38th minute, it finally cashed in.

A foul at the top of the goal box set up a free kick for the Flashes. Theriot teed the ball up at the 18-yard and sent a low grounder through the defense and past keeper Zak Kelly for the icebreaker.

“Once we got that, we broke through,” Dowe said.

The goal gave the Flashes a boost of confidence that they carried over into the second half. After Starkville Academy (9-8) put some pressure on St. Al keeper Chuck Beamish, Dowe cleared the ball with a long broomball pass ahead to Theriot.

Theriot deked Kelly at the 18-yard line and shot into the open net for a 2-0 lead and a huge cushion with 31 minutes to go.

“The first half, I saw how this team was playing and how that team was playing, and I told them to just take it over,” St. Al coach Scott Mathis said. “That’s all they did.”

While the Flashes’ offensive stars were shining, the less-heralded members of the defense were doing their job to maintain the lead. Three times in the second half, defenders cleared loose balls off the goal line when Beamish was caught out of position.

In three playoff games, the Flashes only allowed three goals — one of which deflected off their own player.

“They missed a couple of balls while they were getting the jitters out, but after that, it was lights out,” Mathis said. “That’s how they’ve been playing these last five or six games. Everybody, collectively, has done a great job. I’m proud of them all.”

Dowe scored off an assist from Theriot in the 63rd minute to push St. Al’s lead to 3-0, and the countdown was on to a championship. The final minutes ticked away without a serious charge from Starkville and, when the final whistle blew, the Flashes stormed the field in celebration.

They hoisted the championship trophy high and celebrated with raucous students who made the three-hour trip for the game, hugged each other and wore smiles filled with awe at what they’d just accomplished.

Held High:  St. Aloysius' Jack Dowe holds up the state championship trophy after the Flashes beat Starkville Academy 3-0 Saturday in the MAIS Class AAA title game.

“It was dominating, too. They had a couple of shots that almost went in, but 3-0 … the scoreboard doesn’t lie,” said Dowe, the team’s only senior. “My first year was Coach Scott’s first year. We’ve been through it all together. This means so much to me.”

By Ernest Bowker ~ The Vicksburg Post

St. Al Goes For First State Soccer Championship Tonight In Starkville

Chasing A Championship:  St. Aloysius' Jack Dowe, right fights his way past Central Hinds' Nick Lauderdale during Wednesday' MAIS Class AAA semifinal.  

MAIS Class AAA Championship
St. Aloysius (13-5) at Starkville Academy (9-7)
Saturday, 6 p.m.
At Mississippi State Soccer Field

In the postgame euphoria of Wednesday's state semifinal win, St. Aloysius' Jack Dowe did what any player would do and said he felt like the Flashes would go on to win in the championship game.  A second later he took it back.  "I don't want to jinx it," he said with a laugh.

It was probably a wise move.  For all their success and skill, it wouldn't hurt the Flashes to have luck on their side as well when they returned to the field on Saturday.

St. Al (13-5) will take on Starkville Academy at 6 p.m. at the Mississippi State Soccer Field on the MSU campus, in the MAIS Class AAA boys championship game.

It's the first time St. Al has ever played for a state title in boys soccer.  Starkville Academy (9-7) is in the Class AAA final for the second year in a row.

"I've been dreaming of this since I was in the seventh grade.  It's crazy," said Dowe, a senior forward who has had three goals --- including both game-winner --- and two assists in St. Al's two playoff victories so far.

The biggest challenge for the Flashes might be putting their last game behind them.  They knocked off four-time defending Class AAA champion Central Hinds, 2-1 and ended the Cougars' 71-game winning streak in the process.  Central Hinds had not lost since the 2013 state championship game.

St. Al had lost five times to Central Hinds over the past two seasons, including an embarrassing 8-0 defeat earlier this year and in the 2017 state semifinals.  Wednesday's victory was one that is players will never forget - - but also one they have to, in order to avoid a letdown when the stakes grow even bigger on Saturday.

"I think it is (tougher) because of pressure," said St. Al coach Scott Mathis, who led the school's girls team to the Class AAA championship in 2015.  "If they can keep everything in check, they're going to be fine.  I've been in that championship game with the girls, and they almost gave it away.  But we held on and did it, and I think the boys can do the same."

Mathis didn't have to go back too far to see how the right mindset can affect the outcome of a game.  The Flashes, perhaps looking ahead to their nemesis Central Hinds, struggled to get past Adams County Christian School in the first round of the playoffs.  They trailed 2-1 at halftime before scoring twice in the second half to wind 3-2.

Mathis said that was a bit of a wake-up call.  "After ACCS, I'm not going to rule anything out," Mathis said.  "What we've done is beat the top team in the state, and we're going to play off of that and focus on what we're going to do next."

Although it is in the championship game for the second year in a row, Starkville Academy took a similar route as St. Al to get there.  The Volunteers beat Indianola Academy 5-1 in the first round, then won 1-0 against a Heritage Academy squad that had beaten them twice in the regular season.

Brody Pierce, who spent most of the winter with the basketball team, has scored four of the Volunteers' six goals in the playoffs.  His total includes the game-winner against Heritage.

Now both the Flashes and Volunteers have one final obstacle to clear before they can truly celebrate.

"We've got to get over the hump sometime," Mathis said.  "I told them, 'You guys have got what it takes to do it,' so let's just do it."

Michael T. Morrissey Jr., Dies

Michael T. Morrissey Jr., died Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, at River Region Medical Center. He was 78.

Born in Vicksburg, he was the son of the late Michael T. Morrissey Sr. and Elizabeth Mengis Morrissey.

Mike was a graduate of St. Aloysius High School in the Class of 1958 and a graduate of The University of Mississippi. He was a member of Hawkins United Methodist Church and also attended St. Albans Episcopal Church.

He is survived by his wife, Judy Williams Morrissey; son, Michael (Bo) Morrissey III (Judy); daughter, Kelly Morrissey Stevens; stepdaughter, Suzanne Williams Jackson (Darryl); and a stepson, Shawn Williams (Vickie). Mike is also survived by his grandchildren, Alex and Shelby Stevens, Lauren and Sara Morrissey, Kaleb Williams, Jay and Madelyn Jackson and Michael Kintsley.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Rosalie Biedenharn and Alice Woody; and a brother, Tommy Morrissey.

Services will be 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 19, 2018, at Hawkins United Methodist Church.

Visitation will be Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. at Riles Funeral Home and Monday at Hawkins United Methodist Church at 9 a.m. until the hour of the service. Burial will be at St. Albans Episcopal Church Cemetery.

Pallbearers will be Ed Carruth, Ralph Abraham, Joe Loviza, Roeland Bell, Hardy Warren, Roger Gunn, Roger Cliburn, Richard Price, Bill Lovelady and Jimmy Kendrick.

Memorials may be made to Love a Child, Post Office Box 60063, Fort Myers FL 33906 and to Samaritans’ Purse, Post Office Box 3000, Boone, NC 38607.

(Florence Murphy Morrissey Boren (Class of 1959) married Michael T. Morrissey , Jr. (Class of 1958) in 1962 They had three children.  Kelly, 1965, Norma Ann, 1966 (deceased) and Michael, III "Bo" in  1968)