BARBOURVILLE — Harlan County’s four-year championship run in the 50th District Boys Soccer Tournament came to a halt Wednesday night at Knox Central High School.
After coming up short in two of the previous three years, Middlesboro raced out to a commanding lead by halftime and held off a furious second-half rally by the Black Bears to claim a 5-3 victory.
Fourth-year Middlesboro head coach Jeff Mcclelland breathed a sigh of relief after the physical match, and praised the effort put forth by both teams.
“It feels great,” Mcclelland said after the game. “They play us hard every time we play them and we always seem to come up short. It’s nice to finally get the monkey off my back.
“They’re a great team and they’re well-coached, but we showed up tonight. I have to give it all to the seniors. The team just came together and they played great.”
Middlesboro opened the scoring during the seventh minute of the match on the first of two successful penalty kicks by senior Aiden Larew, who was later named the most valuable player of the 50th District tournament.
The Yellow Jackets struck again several minutes later on a goal by junior Ivan Marino Santa Teresa, who lofted the ball over the head of Harlan County freshman goalkeeper Wesley Greene after a wild scramble in front of the Black Bears net.
Harlan County halved the deficit during the 19th minute of the match on a goal by junior Luther Gross. On the play, Gross dug the ball out of the corner to the right of Middlesboro freshman goalkeeper Elijah Caldwell and drilled it home into the right corner.
The Black Bears misfired high over the net on a direct kick during the 27th minute, before Caldwell made a point-blank save on a shot by sophomore Austin Tye less than two minutes later.
Larew converted on a second penalty kick during the 29th minute, before junior Caiylor Baker made it 4-1 with less than nine minutes remaining before halftime.
The second half featured a scary moment when Harlan County senior defender Ryan Coots collided with a Middlesboro player and required assistance to leave the field. He did not return.
Just over three minutes following Coots’ departure, Harlan County scored on a penalty kick by senior Trevor Farley, and then trimmed the deficit to 4-3 during the 74th minute on a goal by freshman Mason Howard.
On the Howard goal, Tye’s direct kick was just wide of the net, but Howard was there to finish and pull the Black Bears to within striking distance with plenty of time remaining.
But it was not to be.
Middlesboro capped the scoring during the 78th minute. A direct kick by Larew was initially saved by Greene, but freshman Brooklyn Huff collected the rebound and tapped it past Greene to all but the seal the fate of the Black Bears.
Caldwell made three pivotal saves for the Yellow Jackets during the waning seconds of the match, and Middlesboro ran out the clock.
Mcclelland had high praise for both Caldwell and Larew.
“(Caldwell) had a great season and made some key saves right there at the end,” Mcclelland said. “He’s got three more years and he’s going to be a great one.
“(Larew) is a leader and a great kid. I loved coaching him all four years. He was the MVP and I think it was well-deserved.”
Harlan County coach Tommy Key was somber following the game, but noted the youthful Black Bears expect to bounce back from the disappointment of losing in the title match.
“It was a good run, but all runs gotta come to an end so you can start another one,” Key said.
“We had a few injuries and we’re young. We started six freshmen today in key spots. Our youth showed, but I’m proud of them. It will only make them better for the next few years. We’ll be hard to handle next year.”
Key also singled out the valiant effort put forth by Farley, who joined Gross and Tye on the all-50th District Tournament team.
“Trevor Farley gives us everything he’s got every day,” Key said. “He’s played every position on the field, and I took him from a scoring position to put him on defense (Wednesday) because we were lacking. I’m awfully proud of him. He’s selfless and he doesn’t care where he plays. He just wants to do whatever he can to help the team.”
Both Middlesboro (7-6) and Harlan County (8-5) advance to next week’s 13th Region Tournament at South Laurel High School.
“It’s going to be tough, but we’re going to give it our best shot,” Mcclelland said. “We’re going to show up and we’re not going to lay down. We’re going there to compete and we’ll see what happens.”
Four Middlesboro players were selected to the all-50th District Tournament team. Larew was joined by senior teammate Brent Thompson, junior Noah Wakin and sophomore Bryson Heck. Knox Central senior Elijah Davenport and Barbourville senior Clayton Walker also earned selections to the all-district tournament team.

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BARBOURVILLE — Four years ago, the Middlesboro girls soccer team did not compete in the 50th District Tournament because it didn’t have enough players to do so.
Four years later, the Lady Jackets not only have more than enough players, they also have a growing collection of hardware in the school’s trophy case.
Coach Quinton Mason’s Lady Jackets claimed their third consecutive 50th District Tournament championship with a 3-0 win Wednesday night over Bell County to punch their ticket to the 13th Region Tournament next week at South Laurel High School.
And Mason believes his team can make some noise in the next round.
“It’s another district championship, but we have bigger fish to fry,” Mason said. “The statement was made (Tuesday) night (in a 5-0 win over Harlan County) that we have the best defense in the region and I will stick by that until the day I die. This is the best team I’ve ever had, and I’m not ashamed to say that.
“Winning that first regional game, getting that out of the way, and winning the regional title is the next goal. It’s been 20 years.”
The Lady Jackets will enter regional play with an overall record of 14-3-1 and won nine of their 10 games against 13th Region opponents. Their first-round opponent has yet to be announced.
Wednesday night the Lady Jackets got a first-half goal from junior Millie Roberts, and then added goals by sophomore Emily Parsons and senior Addyson Larew during the second half to record their third shutout of the season against Bell County.
Parsons scored her goal on a penalty kick during the 49th minute, while Larew lofted a shot over the head of Bell County junior goalkeeper Ella Pruette during the 55th minute of the match.
“The girls up front don’t care who scores, they just want to score, win the game and move on,” Mason said. “This is a team’s team. It’s not about how many goals can I score, it’s about how many can we score to win the game. That’s what it’s all about and it works that way.
Mason also had high praise for freshman Ella Burchett, whose tenacious defensive effort during the two-day event earned her 50th District Tournament most valuable player honors.
“She steps to every ball and she’s not afraid to go to the ball,” Mason said about Burchett. “She steps when she is supposed to, knows when not to. Defensively, she is very smart and can use left or right foot. She’s a very smart kid.
“She transferred here last year and has been a big surprise for us. She played her tail off (in the district tournament). She keeps us in the game and keeps the ball from getting down there where the other team can score.”
Middlesboro senior goalkeeper Trinity Partin was called on to make just four saves Wednesday, and just five for the two tournament games.
Despite the loss, Bell County head coach Brett Thompson expressed pride in his team’s effort against not only Middlesboro, but throughout the season.
“Our girls, all season long, no matter who we’ve played, they have played whistle to whistle and they do not give up,” Thompson said. “We’ve played some pretty tough opponents and been down in a couple of games with like 10 minutes left and these girls dug down and got the job done.”
Thompson sees a bright future for the Lady Cats, who lose just two seniors from this year’s squad and return a dynamic front line that includes all-tournament team selections Rileigh Sturgill (freshman) and Jayda Boateng (sophomore), along with junior Lyla Scearse and sophomore Kyra Ho.
“We’ve scored more goals than we’ve ever scored this year and set records all over the place,” Thompson added. “All of our attackers are forces to be reckoned with, but it has truly been a team effort. Those girls couldn’t do that if the girls behind them weren’t doing their jobs.”
Pruette was credited with 21 saves in the loss to the Lady Jackets.
By way of their runner-up finish in the 50th District Tournament, the 8-6-1 Lady Cats also advance to next week’s 13th Region Tournament at South Laurel.
“It’s our second trip to regionals,” Thompson said. “I’m proud of them. You couldn’t ask for a better bunch of girls.”
Burchett was joined on the all-50th District Tournament team by three teammates, including Larew, Parsons and junior Morgan Martin. Bell County placed three players on the all-tournament team in a group that featured Sturgill, Boateng and sophomore Hadley Hoskins.
Harlan County freshman Brooklyn Haywood and Knox Central sophomore Miley Olmstead also garnered spots on the all-tournament team.