Scott Nickerson
Elmore Autauga News
The Prattville Lions varsity soccer team headed into Spring Break winning three games in three days to win their division of the Southern Coast Cup in Foley. On day 1, the Lions beat St. George’s 2-1. The Lions shutout Brentwood (TN) on the second day of the tournament, winning 1-0. On the final day, Prattville defeated Wren High School from South Carolina, 4-0.
“Playing three competitive games at the beginning of spring break was very important,” said Prattville Head Coach Trevor Ledkins. “It allowed us to get three matches in before our guys rest and recover for spring break. It also allowed our guys to do a lot of fun team building activities since it was an out of town tournament.”
Junior Austin Ledkins led the attack for Prattville, scoring three goals and adding three assists. Defensive standouts for the three game tournament were Sophomore Center Back Will Cook, Sophomore Right Wing Back Bryson Francis, and Junior Left Wingback John Marshall. The Lions had two clean sheets and only allowed one goal across the three days.
“We were extremely connected in possession during the matches. The players responded well to adversity. They had the determination to win the tournament,” said Coach Ledkins.
The Lions have faced a difficult schedule prior to the Southern Coast Tournament. Prattville’s early season schedule has featured matches against the Class 7A #2 Vestavia Hills, #4 Thompson, and #6 Hoover. The Lions have also faced Homewood, the #1 team in the latest Class 6A poll.
“Playing a strong early season schedule against top ten teams prepared us for the tournament. Our team has improved a lot defensively and only gave up one goal during the tournament. My team has the heart and conditioning to finish games strong,” said Coach Ledkins.
MaxPreps has the Lions’ record at 9-5-3 overall and 2-1 in Class 7A Area 5 play. Prattville has three remaining area matches against Thompson, Tuscaloosa County, and Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa.
“Our remaining goals for the season are to keep our focus on the next practice and the next game and not look ahead. By doing this our goal is to finish 3-0 in our final three area matches. This will allow us in the playoffs and possibles win the area championship,” said Coach Ledkins.
