Any time Cascade and Community meet on the field, both teams and fans alike are going to be delighted to a full-tilt rivalry showdown.

Thursday night’s District 6-A championship was no exception.

Full of drama till the final whistle, it was Cascade who rallied from an early deficit and scored an overtime goal to edge out the Viqueens for the 2-1 win.

“Neither team wanted to lose the game and both teams are extremely tired. We had a couple of chances. Hard fought game. Either team could have won it. I told the girls that if you go out and do the best you can and give your best effort, all you can do is congratulate that team and walk off,” Viqueen coach Chris Brothers said. 

It figures that 80 minutes wouldn’t be enough to determine the winner between the two Bedford County clubs. 

“Both teams gave everything they had. You could see it going into overtime,” Lady Champion coach Wendy Williams said. 

Both squads had multiple scoring opportunities throughout the first half, but neither was able to crack through the opposition defense—until the 32nd minute.

Following a strong showing by the Viqueen freshmen in the 6-A semifinals against Forrest, it was Purple and Gold freshman Alisha Hartsfield who broke the scoreless stalemate, corralled a rebound and fired a shot to the back of the net for the first score of the night. That score held through the remainder of the half and Community carried a 1-0 lead into the second half. 

Cascade entered the second half and was able to set up multiple runs on the Community goal, but it wasn’t until an Abby Harris goal in the 60th minute that evened the score at one apiece.

With both teams becoming visibly exhausted from the number of runs on goal, neither team was able to successfully execute its offense for the remainder of regulation.

And then the drama came.

Community nearly took the lead on a Jemima Ramos shot with under two minutes left in the first overtime, but her shot missed just high of the crossbar, however.

Sarah Woolbright added another shot on goal barely 40 seconds later, but was again denied by Lady Champion goal keeper, Makenna Lamb.

Eventually, it was Cascade who broke the 1-1 stalemate when Caroline Stone bolted down the right flank and fired a cross in front of the goal. 

During the skirmish, Harris, along with Kelsey Shatley were in the mix, battling for possession.

In the end, it was Shatley who fired a shot to Viqueen keeper Carlie Blanton, who came up with the ball, but was beyond the line to gain in the net and Cascade was awarded the go-ahead goal with just nine seconds left in the first overtime. 

“In the second half, they came out and they just wanted it. They just gave it everything they had,” Williams said.

The frantic play continued into the seconds 10-minute overtime period as both teams continued to mount runs on goal, but again, it was a last-second bit of drama that gave the Viqueens a flicker of hope at forcing a tie.

With 1:32 left on the clock, Community was awarded a penalty within the box and junior Addison Brothers lined up what would have been the tying penalty kick.

Her shot was blocked by Lamb, who was able to preserve the one-goal lead and Cascade was able to milk the remainder of the clock to secure the 2-1 victory.

“ She (Lamb) has really stepped in when we’ve needed her. She did an outstanding job,” Williams said.

Both Cascade and Community dominated the season awards for District 6-A.

Earning All-District nods for the Lady Champions were Abby Claire Lamb, Caroline Stone, Rachel Phillips and Kelsey Shatley.

All-District winners for the Viqueens were Addison Brothers, Abby Murrill and Riley Patterson.

For the All-Tournament team, Cascade saw Sophie Ray, Eve Speirs, Audrey Perry and Morgan Housch collect the awards, while Jemima Ramos, Sarah Woolbright and Carly Blanton all were honored for the Viqueens.

Makenna Lamb also was named District Goalkeeper of the Year, while Community’s Zoey Dixon was named as the Offensive Player of the Year for District 6-A. 

For Community, the loss isn’t the end of the road, but sets the Viqueens on a collision course with a familiar opponent—Chattanooga School of Arts and Sciences, who Community defeated 3-1 in the region semifinals a year ago.

“We played this team last year and was able to beat them last year, but I’m sure they’re a little better. We have five returning players that have a lot of experience and our freshmen have come on strong throughout the year. I feel pretty confident. And who knows, this may be a rematch (against Cascade) for the region (championship),” Brothers said. 

Cascade on the other hand will get to host Marion County for their Region 3-A semifinal.

During the District 5-A championship, CSAS defeated Marion County, 9-0. 

“That’s a huge win for the girls. We’ve been talking about what they possibilities were, so we knew if we won we would be at home. So that’s a huge deal for them,” Williams said.

Both region semifinals will be held on Tuesday evening. 

Community 1 0 0 0 — 1

Cascade 1 0 1 0 — 2

First Half

Com —Alisha Hartsfield goal, (32nd minute).

Second Half

Cas — Abby Harris goal, (60th minute). 

Overtime

Cas — Kelsey Shatley goal, Caroline Stone assist, (90th minute).