Eagles shatter record books with undefeated season
Oak Mountain completed the repeat to finish off a dominant season, winning the Class 7A boys soccer state championship on May 14, at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, for the second consecutive season.
The Eagles went up to Huntsville over that weekend and defeated Huntsville in a grueling shootout victory before capping the season off with a 2-1 win over McGill-Toolen in the championship game.
“It was kind of scary, because they definitely weren’t walkover teams,” Oak Mountain head coach Dan DeMasters said.
The semifinal game was deadlocked at 1-1 at halftime, and both teams grinded through the second half and two overtimes without another goal to force a shootout. The Eagles were fortunate enough to win the shootout 5-3 and move on to the final.
In the final, a first-half goal and an add-on early in the second half gave the Eagles a two-goal lead. McGill-Toolen scored late in the contest, but by then, it was too late.
The Eagles finished the season 28-0-2, and left DeMasters searching for words.
“I was stuttering,” DeMasters said of his postgame interviews. “I didn’t have words to describe it. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”
Throughout the season, the Eagles scored 85 total goals, compared to just 13 for their opponents. They pitched 19 shutouts, and tied the school record for the most wins in a season.
“The guys did a really good job of just staying on task,” DeMasters said. “We had some bad games along the way, but they re-focused well. We had a really good class of seniors.”
Oak Mountain has now won six state titles in the last 12 seasons, and has appeared in the state final in each of the last six seasons. Even going through such a historic season, the Eagles were able to remain keyed in on the task at hand.
Of any undefeated talk, DeMasters said, “We really did keep it to the side. That was my job to stop the talking about the records and undefeated and all those sorts of words. If you focus on the things that won’t get you where you want to go, it gets you off task.”
Senior captain Hunter Holstad led the Eagles with 18 goals and 16 assists for the season. Kennedy Davis and Chad Jeter, who scored 10 goals each, joined him on offense. Twin center backs Christian and Chandler Thompson were captains and leaders of the defense. Ryan Dearmon cemented his status as one of the state’s premier goaltenders, allowing 0.21 goals per game in 27 starts.
DeMasters said, “I can’t say enough how proud of I am of this 2016 team. To not only win back-to-back state championships, but also to do it in the fashion in which they did it, it certainly was a season we will never forget.
“They played together and bonded together better than any team I have ever coached and I think this is something that goes over looked when creating a team. Our talent in addition to our team unity, made us unique, and this uniqueness created a special season.”