Before region and state tournaments from the winter sports season had begun, Gilmer High soccer was on the field for seven matches.
The Bobcats posted a 3-1 record with wins over Murray County (3-2), Gordon Central (2-0) and Cherokee (1-0) and a loss to Lanier (2-0).
The Lady Cats were 2-1 with commanding wins over Murray (5-2) and Gordon Central (6-0) and a 2-1 defeat to Lanier.
“We scheduled several games early in the year to try to gain as much experience as possible before region games begin March 4,” Bobcats’ coach Taylor Johnstone explained. “We played Murray on Monday and won, did not play our best but saw some promising things.”
GHS goals versus MCHS at home were netted by Brayner Ortiz, William Zarate and Liam Engel.
Versus Gordon Central, the Cats also battled some unfavorable conditions.
“We played in a monsoon,” said Johnstone. “It was very cold, wet and rainy. The game was moved here due to rain and them having a grass field.”
Engel put GHS on the board 13 minutes into the game. Engel was part of the second goal with a pass to Christian Ambrosio, whose cross was headed home by freshman Ronald Cuz with 20 minutes left in the second half.
Gilmer was also home Thursday in their loss to Lanier.
“We faced a very skilled and organized Lanier team, and despite our best effort we lost, 2-0,” said Johnstone. “Coach Jeff Thurman’s baseball team was there cheering us on, and it was awesome.”
At Class 7A Cherokee, midfielder Jorge Flores continued to be heavily involved in the Bobcats’ success. He was fouled with 8:14 left in the first half, and Ortiz hammered home the penalty. Goalkeeper Talyn Cutris was there to make vital saves to keep CHS off the scoreboard to preserve the win.
The junior varsity Bobcats fell to Cherokee 2-1 on a penalty kick in the final 30 seconds of regulation.
The Lady Cats had plenty of scoring options in their opening week, and four scored against Murray.
Freshman Joei Marshall netted two goals versus the Indians, while Yennifer Lopez, Calli Wise and Angelica Castenada each added one.
Against Gordon Central, three players from Monday’s scoring nucleus struck again, while two more Lady Cats added their name to the state sheet.
Sophia Lykins totaled two goals on the day while Marshall, Castenada and Lopez all scored once more. Gimena Domingo-Tercero also scored for Gilmer in the nonregion shutout.
Marshall continued her impressive first week of varsity action with another goal versus Lanier. However, GHS was unable to even the score versus the Longhorns and suffered their first loss.
“I very proud of the team and their performance so far this season,” said head coach Adam Palmer.
GHS hosted Fannin County at press deadline and will travel to Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe Thursday for games at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.