By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
HATTIESBURG – The Sacred Heart boys literally made short work of Loyd Star Saturday in the quarterfinal round of the Class I soccer playoffs.
The Crusaders peppered the Hornet net early and often in a 7-0 victory that was called after 55 minutes on the MHSAA’s mercy rule that ends a game once the margin reaches seven goals after 50 minutes of play.
Sacred Heart (12-3 overall) stayed on track for a fifth state championship and will host St. Stanislaus on Tuesday in the South State finals at Klein Field. Loyd Star completed its season at 15-7.
“It took a couple of games for them to start trusting and building like that,” said Sacred Heart head coach Romar Smith, who took over the tradition-rich program in the fall after longtime coach Joe Falla Jr. retired from the program he built into a small-school powerhouse.
“But overall, I am very proud of the performance they had tonight.”
The star of the show for the Crusaders was freshman Julian Blalock, who scored four goals and added an assist.
“I came in positive about everything,” said Blaylock. “I thought we moved the ball pretty well. Good passing keeps the momentum going forward for us, to keep the ball moving and keep the play going.”
Although Blaylock is just a freshman, this will be his last season at Sacred Heart. He’s been accepted to attend the Barcelona Soccer Academy in Arizona, where he will attend school and compete on the field with talented players from all over the nation.
Smith has nurtured Blaylock’s talent in his role as assistant coach for the Southern States Soccer Club.
“He’s a special kid,” said Smith. “I remember the first day I saw him at Southern States, and he was raw. Then over the years, training, training and training, and trusting the process. You see the result.”
Blaylock and the Crusaders put on a clinic against Loyd Star, which had no answer for the precision passing and suffocating midfield play that Sacred Heart threw at them.
The Crusaders got their first shot of the game two minutes in, their first shot on goal four minutes in and their first goal in the sixth minute, when Blaylock scored the first of his goals on pass from Elliott Boyette, the first of two assists for the eighth-grader.
Ten minutes later, senior Ashton Ware made it 2-0, sliding in a shot from the left side of the net 10 yards out. Junior Mateo Rouhbakhsh made the pass for the first of his three assists on the play.
Ware’s primary role, though, was as playmaker on the wings, shifting from the right side to the left side in the course of the game.
“I feel like with our main offensive players, Zach Rhynehardt and Julian Blaylock, we’re all three the playmakers,” said Ware. “We kind of connect minds and make plays together.”
Defensively, the Crusaders held the Hornets to just three shots, two of which were marginally on goal, but were easy saves for Sacred Heart senior goalkeeper Mic Galaher.
Sacred Heart kicked into a high gear in the last 12 minutes of the first half, as Blaylock made scored in the 29th minute on another pass from Boyette, who found Blaylock open on the right side of the net 10 yards out.
Freshman Grayson Smith came off the bench late in the period and almost immediately got on the score sheet, burying a shot from point-blank range after a nice feed from Blaylock.
But Blaylock saved his best for the very end of the first half, weaving single-handedly through the Loyd Star defense for an easy goal from six yards out,
“Once I get in that moment, where I just start dribbling, I get really excited,” said Blaylock. “It’s seems like it just flows. So, I just live in the moment and enjoy the moment.”
Rouhbakhsh and Blaylock hooked up for the second time in the 52nd minute, and Rouhbakhsh was the man delivering the pass for senior Zach Rhynehardt to score the game-clinching goal in the 55th minute.
For the game, Sacred Heart had 28 shots, 20 in the first half, and 16 were on goal.
Smith is a former standout at Pearl River Community College, who helped the Wildcats to state championships in both of his seasons in Poplarville. It took some time, but the Crusaders have bought into his style of play.
“He’s new, so it was a big change,” said Ware. “We didn’t know where the program might go, you know, like lose our values. But I feel like our intensity went up once we became more comfortable with Coach Smith.”
Sacred Heart and St. Stanislaus are familiar foes, having met twice already this season in Region 8-I play. The Crusaders swept the Rockachaws, winning both meetings by 3-0 margins.
The past two seasons have been a walk in the wilderness for the Sacred Heart boys as they missed the playoffs in 2021 and 2022.
They were denied a chance to go for a three-peat in 2021 because of Covid-19 restrictions, and were squeezed out of the playoffs last year, finishing third in the region behind St. Stanislaus and St. Patrick.
“I came in with a goal,” said Smith. “First-year coach trying to win a state championship. It’s just always something I’ve dreamed of doing. Hopefully, we can win two more games.”
Photos courtesy of Jesse Johnson
