Tarpley Photo by Kyle Thornton

Soccer team off to best start ever

By Michael Butler

Through seven matches, the Tallassee varsity boys soccer team has dismantled its competition. A 7-0 record. 64 goals. Zero for the opposition.

It is the best run in program history. The win streak is 11 games going back to a strong finish on the back end of last season.

"It's crazy. I don't think we imagined it would go this well," said coach Matthew Tarpley. "It's a testament to the work that they put in. Last year we had some success, but it was a building year."

Tallassee has won its first two area games over Valley both by 10-0 scores. They go on the road to Brewbaker Tech and Beauregard this week.

"We plan to win the area," Tarpley said. "Brew Tech will have something to say about that. Tuesday night we're going over to Montgomery to play them. They're a really good team. Some of our boys have watched them play. They've got some really quick and shifty players. They're going to give our defense a really good test."

Last year, Tallassee started 3-4 with a 33-19 scoring edge in those matches. It pales in comparison to the 7-0 start and 64-0 advantage thus far in 2023.

"The boys are really playing well. They've got some big goals. We've done this 7-0 start with four of our starters missing games. That's also a testament to our depth."

Senior Will Blocker has picked up where he left off last season. He broke the single-season school record for goals with 28. He has 13 already this year. Sophomore Irvin Delfin has the team lead in that department with 16 plus eight assists.

"Irvin set Will up for a lot of those goals last year," Tarpley said. "This year, he's come into his own. I'm really excited to see his development."

Yuren Rodriguez, a ninth grader, has nine goals. Senior Jonathon Wright has scored seven goals. Sophomore Rush Wright has five goals and five assists.

Tarpley thinks Tallassee has the components in place to make a playoff run.

"I'm not going to lie and say I've not looked at the brackets. If we take care of our business and we can win our area, it is feasible that we're going to make a trip to Huntsville for the Final Four. Once you get to Huntsville, anything can happen."

Schedule/Results