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Champs dominate in tourney win over Lions

By RICKEY CLARDY ~ Sports Writer
Posted 5/6/22

The Cascade Champions controlled the ball for most of the 80 minutes of playing time against the Cannon County Lions Thursday and responded with eight goals by five different players as the Champions …

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Champs dominate in tourney win over Lions

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The Cascade Champions controlled the ball for most of the 80 minutes of playing time against the Cannon County Lions Thursday and responded with eight goals by five different players as the Champions shutout the Lions 8-0 in a semifinal game of the District 6-A soccer tournament.
The Champs asserted themselves early on by spending considerable time on the Cannon County end of the field. 
The Lions were true to the test and showed resolve by stopping all Cascade shots in the first 11 minutes to keep the game scoreless.
But the floodgates opened with 28:47 remaining in the first half as Carlos Velasques scored the first goal after a carom off the Lion goalie as the Champs took a 1-0 lead.
It was Drake Hodge leading the way in the scoring department as the Champions increased their lead. 
The senior put Cascade up 4-0 by completing the hat trick in a 19-minute span, including his last goal with just over a minute left.
The Champs completed their first half scoring with five seconds left as Pablo Sola put the ball in the goal off a corner as Cascade took a 5-0 lead into the intermission.
"We did play kind of sloppy at the beginning and that's why we started a little slow, but my boys figured it out," Coach Eduardo Sanchez of the Champions said.                       
With a comfortable lead, the Champions were able to mix and match and give all their players considerable playing time in the second half.
Cascade extended its lead 10 minutes into the half as Hayden Dowell scored off an assist from Sola to put the Champs up 6-0.
Cole West moved from his keeper position to score the final two goals for the Champions.  West scored on an assist from Dowell for his first score and ended with an unassisted goal as the Champs advanced to the district finals.
"We started playing everybody, putting kids in that didn't play in certain positions," Sanchez said. "Especially like Cole. He's our goalkeeper and went in and scored twice."
Cascade will host the District 6-A championship game Monday at 5:30 p.m. and will play the winner of the other semifinal game between Community and Forrest. 
The Champions also clinched a spot in the Region 3-A tournament with their semifinal win.             
                                                          
Cannon Co.  0  0 — 0
Cascade        5  3 — 8
 
First Half
C — Carlos Velasques goal (28:47)
C — Drake Hodge goal (20:32)
C — Hodge goal (9:22)
C — Hodge goal (1:07)
C — Pablo Sola goal (0:05)

Second Half
C — Hayden Dowell goal from Sola (30:20)
C —Cole West goal from Dowell (20:52)
C — West goal (15:17)