2021 got off to a soaring start for the Senatobia soccer programs last Monday night.
Facing off against county rival and division foe Independence on the road, the Warriors and Lady Warriors made quick work of the young Wildcats by a pair of 7-0 and 8-1 finals.
Senatobia wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in either contest. Carly Dunigan got the Lady Warriors started with a goal in the first couple of minutes for a 1-0 lead that held until the 19th minute, when Mackenzie Mullen put Senatobia ahead 2-0.
Less than a minute later, McKenzie Pegues knocked in another goal to swell the Senatobia lead to 3-0. After another Dunigan goal, eighth-grader Audrey Pinkston added another score in the 35th minute, helping the Lady Warriors to a comfortable 5-0 advantage at halftime.
Senatobia didn’t have to wait long to force an early end to the contest, as Dunigan and Pinkston scored back-to-back goals in the 52nd and 53rd minutes to take the 7-0 mercy-rule victory.
After playing nearly 20 minutes of solid defense to start the boys’ contest, Independence finally broke in the 24th minute as Luke Melton put Senatobia ahead 1-0. Melton added a second goal in the 37th minute for the Warriors and Koby Rhone quickly followed on a free kick just before the first half expired, handing SHS a 3-0 lead at the break.
Senatobia scored three minutes into the second half to make it a 4-0 lead, but the Wildcats weren’t going away empty-handed and added a goal in the 50th minute to pull within 4-1.
That would be as close as the Wildcats would come however, as Senatobia then provided a swift end to the contest, scoring goals in the 61st, 63rd, 64th and 66th minutes to take an 8-1 final.
With the victories, Senatobia improved to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in division play, while the Warrior boys moved to 2-5 on the season and 1-0 in the division.
In other action:
Jan. 5 – (B) South Panola 3, Independence 2
Ethan Kile provided Independence with one of its two goals but it wasn’t quite enough to take down South Panola in a non-division contest last Tuesday.
Independence dropped to 0-3 on the season with the loss.
