‘Magic’ for FHS at HVA
Head coach Jessie Stephens’ biggest rival, Farragut, came to Hardin Valley Academy and squeaked by her Hawks 1-0 on a goal in the 74th minute Friday night, April 16.
As for FHS senior standout forwards Timi Omitaomu, the goal scorer, and Jake Lowe, who assisted, “There’s just not a better duo,” she said. “They’re very dangerous.”
Lowe’s diagonal pass of roughly 30 yards found an open Omitaomu, who headed in the eventual game-winner from 10 yards out with 6:30 left.
“Jake and Timi can create magic together,” Ads head coach Bradley Culbreth said.
While Farragut entered the week with a 7-1-2 record, the Hawks’ record stood at 6-2-1.
On the other end of the pitch drawing Stephens’ praise, “Max (Kaplan) their goalkeeper, we knew coming in he’s a stud — you can’t get stuff past him,” she said.
To score on goal on the senior keeper, “You’ve got to be very disciplined,” the Hawks coach added. “But he stood his ground well tonight. We made him work a few times.”
It was the “tight game we expected,” Culbreth said. “They had chances, we had chances.
“But our kids kept fighting,” he added. “This was an effort for 80 minutes — it was for them, too. The effort was there.”
Even in defeat, “I really can’t complain about how my boys played,” Stephens said. “It was a great challenge for us — and we out-shot them” in shots-on-goal. “… I wish we could have finished a couple” and scored.
As for strategy, “I tried to play my numbers. I sacrificed the midfield at times,” Culbreth said. “They are very, very talented. They were a lot better than I anticipated, and she’s done a great job with them.
“We would get out of position at times, but would recover, which shows the team maturing together,” he added.
“The recovery and the effort and organization was what got us where we are tonight.”
As the Admirals’ first-year head coach, “There’s not full trust there because the relationship is still growing, but they’re giving me the effort I need to play to our talents, no question,” Culbreth said.
“Each game we’re learning. I’m still mixing and matching things, trying to find out who these kids are and how they respond in good situations, bad situations,” he added. “They’re learning me like I’m learning them.
“But it’s going in the right direction. We’ve still got a long way to go. We’ll find out where we go in May.”
As for the Hawks, “If we can do what we need to do the rest of the season, and they do what they need to do the rest of the season, we’ll get a shot at them again,” Stephens said.
