Tarpley and company before the girls game

Varsity boys kick off area play with comeback win

By Michael Butler

The chips were down, as the old saying goes. Tallassee trailed rival and area foe Elmore County 2-0 with six minutes left to play in Eclectic on Monday night. Not that the defecit was insurmountable, but it was quite the challenge.

The THS varsity boys stepped up in the final moments; however, scoring the tying goal with just over four minutes to go and the go-ahead with 43 seconds remaining for a 3-2 win.

"It's one of those things that's not supposed to happen," said Tallassee head coach Matthew Tarpley, "somebody forgot to tell our guys."

The final two scores were by Ricky Murillo.

"He's been a big difference for us since we moved his position," Tarpley said. "He's starting to shine."

Tallassee improved to 5-4-2 and 1-0 in area play.

"Our boys have developed a certain level of resiliency and perserverence," Tarpley added. "They did not flinch at all. Being down 2-0 at halftime is very disheartening, certainly over there. Hats off to Coach (Josh) Pack. They've got a really good team, but our boys just did not want to lose to Elmore County."

The Tigers celebrate after taking the lead in the final minute Photos by Kyle Thornton

The Panthers reached the Final 4 in Class 5A last season. Although the Tigers got the sweep in the regular season, they failed to reach the playoffs.

"If we had started out 0-1 in the area, it's a big hold to climb out of. Getting that win was huge."

The varsity girls game in Eclectic was won by the homestanding Panthers 2-1. The junior varsity game was a win for Tallassee 4-2.

A couple of key area tests are coming up. The Tigers go to Beauregard on Thursday, March 7 and to Brewbaker Tech a week later.

"If we can make it to spring break 3-0 in the area, we're in really good shape moving forward."

Schedule/Results