Lanett tops Troup County amidst flurry of scoring
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE LAFAYETTE SUN
LANETT — Leonel Martinez’s brace and a swarming defensive effort powered Lanett High School to a convincing 4-1 victory over Troup County High School (Georgia) at Morgan-Washburn Stadium on April 6.
The victory moved the Panthers to 3-2 on the season, while the Tigers were forced to regroup after falling to 8-9.
LHS head coach Brandon Smith said he was pleased with his team’s effort, especially on the heels of spring break and limited opportunities to practice. It was a complete team effort that saw the majority of Panthers go the distance without being substituted out.
“They beat us 1-0 the first go around when we played there, so we already had a chip on our shoulder coming into today,” Smith said. “It says a lot about the guys and the type of people they are. They didn’t have that much time to practice and condition, and they played two 35-minute halves. Some [players] didn’t even come out, even though Troup [County] brought a few extra players this time.”
Crucial to the Panthers’ success was forward Leonel Martinez, who scored the game’s first and last goal. As the regular season rapidly reaches its conclusion, he said his team will use the confidence boost from the victory to push forward and finish strong.
“I’m very happy. We wanted to win, and that’s what we did,” Martinez said through a translator. “We’re going to win everything that we can and play together as a team.”
With 16:40 remaining in the first half, Leonel Martinez got on the end of a long ball over his shoulder and lifted a delicate chip over the goalkeeper to put LHS ahead 1-0.
Martinez’s goal ensured LHS remained only a goal ahead until 10 minutes into the second half, when Eusebio Martinez managed to hip-thrust the ball into the goal after TCHS failed to clear the cut-back pass in the box.
With the Panthers’ lead now 2-0, TCHS cut the deficit in half less than three minutes later when Randi Rivas pounced on a loose ball in the box amid a scramble that LHS could not contain, making it 2-1.
The Panthers restored their two-goal cushion almost immediately. Just under two minutes after Rivas’s goal, Darwin Medin Ortiz curled a gorgeous left-footed shot from just outside the box into the upper left corner to make it 3-1.
Leonel Martinez sealed the 4-1 final result with 4:49 left, collecting the ball and beating both the goalkeeper and the defense by finishing from a tight angle at close range near the right post.
LHS will face Valley High School on Friday, April 10, at 4:30 p.m. EST at Valley’s Ram Stadium.
