The target on South-Doyle’s back? Pay it no mind — the Cherokees don’t.
One year after winning a Class 2A soccer state championship, South-Doyle looks every bit like a team ready for another deep run.
The Cherokees improved to 10-1-2 with a 6-0 win over visiting Alcoa on Thursday, April 17, leaning on consistent pressure, clean buildup play and a defense that kept the Tornadoes off the scoreboard.
It was all part of the plan for a program that doesn’t seem to mind getting every opponent’s best shot.
“It’s been an adjustment,” South-Doyle coach Sam Mitchell said. “We took a tough loss against Halls, but it made us work that much harder. We’re just rolling with the punches. It seems like they’re getting everybody’s best game, but they keep on rising to the challenge. These guys work their tails off.”
Karl Hankenjohann opened the scoring in the fifth minute, taking a through-ball in stride and finishing from 15 yards out for his 17th goal of the season.
“We really focus on going game-to-game,” Hankenjohann said. “Of course, we want to win state again, but first we have to win district games and just try to get better.”
Roger Cruz doubled the lead in the 21st minute, intercepting a pass near the top of the box and drilling a shot past Alcoa goalkeeper Kellen Whedbee. Cameron Harp capped the first-half scoring in the 38th minute, finishing from the left side after a sharp passing sequence with Cruz and Hankenjohann.
“I think our strength is that we can function as a whole, and we can sub a lot,” Hankenjohann said. “It’s not like we have one sub and then nothing’s working.”
“I think sometimes we can pass the ball earlier,” Cruz added. “Sometimes we dribble too much, and we need to work on passing more quickly.”
Alcoa (4-7) showed flashes, particularly in the second half, with chances generated by Leo Santos and Josh Choy. Whedbee kept the Tornadoes in it early with a diving save and several aggressive plays off his line, but South-Doyle’s depth and structure proved too much.
Landon Walker added a fourth goal in the 58th minute, converting off a corner. Harp added his second in the 66th, and Taylor Wilson capped the night with a goal as time expired.
South-Doyle improved to 3-0 in District 5-2A and can clinch a perfect district schedule on Tuesday at Lenoir City (2-1 in the district). That kind of momentum fits a team that hasn’t eased off since winning it all last spring.
“When we lost in 2023,” Mitchell said, “these guys wanted to get right back in there. So coming off a state championship, it wasn’t that much different. They wanted to get back in the weight room and on the field.”
Despite the loss, Alcoa showed fight deep into the second half and embraced the opportunity to test itself against a top program.
“It’s not May yet,” Alcoa coach Andy Byrd said. “This was a great environment tonight, and we learned a lot about ourselves. We played a lot of kids who don’t get many minutes, and they did well, so it’s OK.”
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