By R.G. Greene
rgreene@gtowntimes.com
A little discomfort didn't slow down Waccamaw senior forward Justin Blomdahl on Tuesday.
Despite playing with a minor ankle sprain, Blomdahl found the back of the net three times against Ridgeland, helping the Warriors open the Class AA boys soccer playoffs with a 4-0 victory.
"Justin's not going to sit on the bench," Waccamaw coach Ben Schoen said. "This is the playoffs. We know he's going to be in there."
Said Blomdahl, "It was bothering me at the start, but it got better as the game went on. A lot of that was probably adrenaline, we weren't playing well early on."
Ridgeland's defense had much to do with Waccamaw's frustration. Stacking as many six defenders near the goal, the Jaguars (3-9) were able to thwart several Waccamaw scoring opportunities early in the first half.
Gradually though, the Warriors superior attacking skills turned the tide. With Blomdahl and Tyler Staub applying constant pressure, the Warriors (17-4-1) eventually broke through, Blomdahl's goal off a free kick in the final two minutes of the first half proved to be the catalyst in the win.
"That kind of broke the ice," Blomdahl said. "We needed to get something on the board and get started. That goal gave us the lift we needed going into halftime."
A two-time All-State selection, Blomdahl continued his barrage after the break, adding his second goal in the opening minutes of the second half and concluding his evening by scoring on a penalty kick with 29:20 remaining in the contest. A Newberry College signee, Blomdahl now has more than 30 goals this season.
Stuab put the finishing touches on the game, scoring with under 10 minutes left and giving Waccamaw its final margin.
"(Ridgeland) was bunkering five or six guys in close," Blomdahl said. "We haven't seen a lot of that this year. We stayed patient and, eventually, we were able to find some holes."
Said Schoen, "We tend to play better against teams that play a more wide-open type of game. The way they were bunkering in made it tough to get through. We'll probably see more of that as the playoffs continue. We'll have to be ready for it."
The second seed in the Lower State, Waccamaw is scheduled to continue the playoffs on Thursday, hosting the winner of Tuesday's Wade Hampton/Marion game.
"Ridgeland played us tough," Blomdahl said. "When you lose this time of year, you're done. Nobody wants their season to end. This was a good test for us to start the playoffs."
Said Schoen, "This was the first time in recent memory that we played a game in the first round rather than having a bye. I think that will help us as the playoffs continue. You can learn more from a game like this than you can at practice."
ANDREWS 3, DILLON 2: Kenneth Martinez, Juan Santana and Juan Pulido all had goals as Andrews opened the Class AA boys soccer playoffs with a win.
The victory improved the Yellow Jackets record to 11-11 overall this season and they are scheduled to continue the playoffs on Thursday at Bishop England.
Tennis
WACCAMAW 6, ACADEMIC MAGNET 0: The Warriors won their second round match of the Class AA-A playoffs and set up a match with Bishop England in the Lower State championship at 4 p.m. today at the Whipple Road Tennis Center in Mount Pleasant. Waccamaw defeated the Bishops 6-1 earlier this season.
Singles - Wesley Moran (W) def. Jake Engle, 6-0, 6-0; Billy Kenny (W) def. Robert Strange, 6-0, 6-0; Harrison Richmond (W) def. Taylor Jones, 6-0, 6-0; Thomas Ligon (W) def. Adam Zhu, 6-0, 6-0; Josh Richmond (W) def. David Sadler, 6-0, 6-0.
Doubles - H.B. Marshall-Mike Moran (W) def. Devan Keck-Abhay Baliga, 6-2, 6-0.
Records: Waccamaw 18-0, Academic Magnet 6-6.
Prep coaching
Girls basketball coach Mickey Hunter has announced that he will leave Myrtle Beach High for the head coaching job at Wando High in Mt. Pleasant.
Hunter led the Seahawks to the Class AAA state championship game, losing 60-55. They finished 26-3 on the season.
Hunter led the Seahawks to a region championship in all eight seasons he was head coach. He was a boys and girls assistant coach in his first season before taking over the girls program.