We run this show - all Fayette final in soccer

Starr’s Mill’s Stuart Pope (16) celebrates after scoring the decisive kick in the AAAA semifinal against McIntosh. Photo/Bryan McDermott/photosbymcd.com

When the brackets were released for the AAAA boys and girls state soccer playoffs, area soccer fans hoped that it would end up like this. With several teams ranked in the top 10 in both Class AAAA and the state, it seemed only right that the battle for the state title would be decided among teams from the county. After four playoff games with more than their fair share of drama, so it is. McIntosh’s boys will host Starr’s Mill at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Whitewater will host the Starr’s Mill girls on Saturday at 6 p.m.

McIntosh’s boys, ranked number one in Class AAAA, number three in the state and number seven in the nation in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America rankings, will host Starr’s Mill, ranked second in Class AAAA and sixth in the state. The Chiefs are 21-1 this season and the Panthers are 18-3-1. McIntosh won 4-1 when these two teams faced off on Apr. 1 in the Battle for the Troops. Dating back to 2004, McIntosh leads the series 4-2-1, but any fan of these two teams can tell you a game between these two teams is special. The players on both of these squads have grown up on the soccer fields together, often playing on the same club teams or on the opposite sides from a very young age. It is a friendly rivalry, but one that gets heated when the whistle blows and the game begins.

The Chiefs have won 10 in a row since a 1-0 loss to Whitewater on Mar. 26. Starr’s Mill has gone 8-1 since the loss to McIntosh and has posted two consecutive 1-0 shutouts against ranked opponents to make the final. Starr’s Mill has scored 69 goals this season and allowed 21 and McIntosh has scored 101 and allowed 11.

Neither team is a stranger to the drama of a state championship game. McIntosh has won three state titles - 1992, 2000 and 2007. They lost the state final to Marist last year 2-1. Starr’s Mill won a state title in 2000 in Class AAA and was the Class AAAAA runner-up in 2004 after falling to Brookwood 1-0.

Whitewater (18-2-1) is ranked number one in AAAA and third in the state. They are 4-0-1 since a 3-2 loss to Walton, the top ranked team in the state. The Lady Wildcats have 16 shutouts on the season, scoring 109 goals and allowing nine. Starr’s Mill, which had 14 shutouts this year, has scored 120 goals and allowed 12. Starr’s Mill (20-2), ranked second in AAAA and fourth in the state, has won 13 games in a row since a 3-0 loss at Whitewater. They have defeated seven teams ranked in the top 10 of their classifications in that span and recorded eight shutouts, including three straight.

Whitewater in the state final for the third time in the last four seasons. They won it all over Starr’s Mill in 2007 and lost at Marist last year. Starr’s Mill won state titles back to back in 1999 and 2000 in Class AAA, tied Pope in the final in 2002 and won a title in Class AAAAA in 2006.