By Michael Butler

The Tallassee soccer season is coming to a close this week. There will be no post-season.

Despite the Tigers being among the top teams in the state with its boys and girls teams, the playoffs were not in the cards for 2025.

Last year, the boys reached the Class 5A semifinals. This year’s drop to 4A grouped Tallassee with some of the highest ranked squads in its own area.

“It stuck us with Trinity, Saint James and Catholic,” Tallassee head coach Matthew Tarpley said. “Those are traditional soccer powers. Trinity is No. 3. Saint James is No. 4. We’re No. 5. Catholic is No. 9. Four are in the top nine. Tough draw for sure.”

The Tallassee boys (19-6-3) finished third in the area meaning they are on the outside looking in with only two playoff teams per area making the playoffs.

“Area play for soccer is a tough thing,” Tarpley added. “It’s a wacky system. It needs some revising.”

This turned out to be a grueling year as well due to travel. With J.E. “Hot” O’Brien Stadium getting artificial turf installed, the soccer team played every game on the road.

“I think it wore the kids out a little bit,” said Tarpley. “27 bus trips. No locker room. No home. It took a toll. It’s been an exhausting year. I’m proud of the kids and the resiliency they’ve shown. Despite all the challenges, the boys were ranked No. 5. The girls were ranked No. 9, first time in the history that they’ve been ranked in the top ten. I try not to play the what-if game, but imagine if we had a home field and the edge that might have given us.”

The girls will graduate three seniors. The boys will have five, including all-time leading scorer Irvin Delfin. He finishes his career with 151 goals ranking him seventh on the all-time goals list in Alabama. The two-time all-state selection will be playing professional soccer at Leeds in London next year.

“Irvin is possibly the best in the history of Tallassee. The kid is special,” Tarpley added. “These seniors have carried the torch over their past four years and won 63 games, which is phenomenal. They’ve got right at 70 percent winning percentage. The previous 11 seasons, there were only 28 wins total, a 20 percent winning percentage.”