JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The St. Johns Country Day girls soccer team continues to make history.
On Wednesday, the Spartans will try and win their 11th consecutive state championship when they face Shorecrest Prep in the Class 2A title game in DeLand.
Class 2A state championship
Shorecrest Prep (15-3) vs. St. Johns Country Day (18-3-1)
When: Wednesday, 7:05 p.m.
Where: Spec Martin Stadium, DeLand.
Road here: St. Johns CD d. Saint Francis Catholic, 8-0; d. St. Joseph, 8-0; d. Christ’s Church, 8-0; d. Westminster Academy, 8-0; Shorecrest Prep d. Neumann, 9-1; d. Indian Rocks Christian, 3-2; d. First Baptist Academy, 4-0; d. Geneva, 4-1.
Watch it: Can be streamed on Spectrum for cost of $9.99.
Glance: The historic march for the Spartans continues in what should be another championship stacked on the pile. St. Johns is on course to become the most successful program in state history. The Spartans have won 10 consecutive state titles, already a state mark, and are just two championships away from tying St. Thomas Aquinas’ state-leading 15. At its current pace, St. Johns will reach that milestone next February. The Spartans beat Shorecrest in the 2020 championship match. St. Johns has been a wrecking ball in the postseason, beating all four opponents by the same 8-0 scores. The Spartans have surrendered just nine goals all season and have won their last six matches by 8-0s.
Coach speak: “We talk a lot about not being complacent, you know. Nobody cares what you did last year. And championships are like roses. They’re beautiful and two or three days later they die. So, you know, it’s always chasing and it’s it’s fun to chase those championships and to dream about them. And, you know, for us, we’ve been on this blessed run, thanks to God. I have no other reason why it’s happened other than God’s put me in this incredible place to coach and the platform he’s given me has been incredible. I’m just now probably figuring out what my true platform is. It’s not about winning championships. It’s about winning souls and helping these girls prepare for life. It took me a long time to learn that but that’s been the process for me personally. And they’re a great group of kids and I’m blessed to have great, smart kids that want to work. They don’t want to let down the legacy. And so for me, I don’t have to even speak about that.” — Mike Pickett, Spartans’ coach.
Player speak: “I mean, we talk about that almost every day, that you can’t look at the past. You kind of got to be with our own team and it’s a new year. We have no expectations going into this, we just expect ourselves to perform how we should. We never expect just to win and we just got to work and we’re just excited to be here.” — Hannah Lemieux, Spartans midfielder.