CHASE FOR THE TROPHY: Boys' 12th Region soccer tournament kicks off Monday

At the end of the 12th Region Tournament last season, it was the West Jessamine Colts that stood atop their competition and hoisted the regional championship high after a 1-0 victory over Somerset. Fast forward a year later, and both of those teams will once again contend for the 12th Region title, as well as (almost) every single team that appeared in the tournament. There very well may be new favorites and a new team celebrating a title this time around though folks.

Boyle County

The Rebels made it to the semifinals last season before falling to Somerset in a classic that went to double overtime. Boyle won a very competitive 45th District Tournament that featured the overall RPI leader in the region in Danville, although the Ads didn't even make it out of the district. More on that in a bit.

Boyle County hasn't lost a single game in either their district or during competition against regional foes, mounting a record of 11-5-2 with their losses coming to Marion County, Woodford County, Elizabethtown, Bryan Station and Covington Catholic. Not a bad list of losses honestly. The offense is balanced, with five players having at least four goals on the season. Senior Alan Wireman has the high mark with 10 goals. Senior Bo Little is 20th in the state with 14 assists on the season. Senior goalkeeper McClain Denney, who is 26th in the state in saves with 160 on the season along with seven shutouts, has been a force in the net.

Lincoln County

After going 3-11-4 last season, the Patriots have turned heads around the region this year with a 10-4-2 record. Oh yeah, and they also eliminated the regional leader in RPI in Danville in the 45th District semis before falling to Boyle County in the finals. Lincoln now heads into the regional tournament for the first time since 2020 with all the confidence in the world.

All of the Patriots four losses were to quality opponents in Boyle (twice), Danville and Taylor County, along with ties against Anderson County and Sayre. With junior Hunter Stafford (18 goals) and senior Zeke Wallin (12 goals) leading their offense, Lincoln is a threat to score at a moment's notice. Freshman goalkeeper Jayden Warmouth has, despite being an underclassman, achieved great success in goal this season, posting three shutouts while only giving up four goals in his absolute worst game.

West Jessamine

The defending regional champions, the Colts come into the dance with a record of 9-8-2, but don't let the losses fool you, as they have dropped games to Central Hardin, Collins, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Woodford County and George Rogers Clark, among others. West Jessamine defeated their crosstown rival East Jessamine 2-0 in the 46th District finals.

Junior Landon Davis is the focal point of their offensive attack, as he has a total of 11 goals this season. The Colts are a very effective team passing the ball, with 12 players recording at least one assist during the year. Juniors Tolan Beaty and Christian Murillo have split time in goal this season for the Colts, and by only allowing a total of 18 goals this season, that is a strength of West Jessamine.

East Jessamine

The runners-up from the 46th District are the Jaguars, and despite having a record of 12-8 last season, have struggled this year with a record of 3-13-1, however one of those wins was against Mercer County to secure their spot in the regional tournament. Both of their wins in the region this year were against Mercer County too.

East Jessamine has struggled to score this season, with only a total of 18 goals throughout their 17 games. Seniors Alex Bueno and Davyd Semenovych each have two goals to lead the Jags. Allowing 65 goals this year, their defense is obviously a weaker aspect of their game, with freshman Juan Moreno and junior Brandon Ponce-Torres splitting time in the back of the net.

Somerset

The Somerset Briar Jumpers, champions of the 47th District, are back for revenge after their controversial loss last season in the regional title game and despite losing several key seniors from that team, this team is potentially even better on offense, as they rank third in the state in team scoring, and that is a very scary prospect for the other teams in the region tournament. Somerset has a 14-4 record heading into the tournament, with only one loss to a regional opponent (that being to Danville in the regional All "A" Final) and the other three losses coming against strong opponents in Bryan Station, Paul Laurence Dunbar and George Rogers Clark.

Senior striker Tyson Absher has been insanely effective on offense this season, racking up a total of 35 goals this season to place him sixth in the state as of this writing. He has the perfect duo to assist him in striking duties as well in senior Andrew Tomlinson, who has 29 goals to place 16th in the state as well as 25 assists, breaking a single season record at Somerset and placing him fourth in the state in that category. Landen Lonesky, also a senior, has once again been a strong suit for the Jumpers in net, totaling 100 saves and five shutouts while allowing just 17 goals.

Pulaski County

Don't let their 9-7-1 record fool you, the Maroons (47th District runners-up) are capable of playing with any team in this region. They were deadlocked in a 0-0 tie at the half of their district title game against the Jumpers before falling 3-0, with Pulaski loosing three times to Somerset and also suffering losses against Madison Southern and Danville.

The defense of the Maroons is stifling, allowing at most three goals in a game over the course of the year. Junior goalkeeper Keegan Keith has been phenomenal this year, totaling 77 saves while also recording four shutouts. That isn't to say their offense isn't strong however. Seniors Julio Morales (14 goals) and Dilan Perez (10 goals) have led Pulaski all year long, and the Maroons could cause quite a few upsets if the offense is performing well.

Wayne County

Prevailing 3-2 after penalty kicks in the 48th District title game, the Wayne County Cardinals have went 11-8-1 this season and have only suffered one loss to a team within the region, with that being 4-3 loss to Lincoln County early in the season. The Cards have definitely earned the nickname "Cardiac Cards" and believe me, the entire team believes they can make a run to the region championship.

Junior Zachary Hesse is the leading goal scorer for the 48th District champs with 15 total for the season, but the Cards also feature 11 (!!) total players that have at least one goal this season, including freshman Tony Tinoco who has 13 goals this season. Junior goalkeeper Reese Jones, the hero from Wayne's penalty kick win in the district title game, has had bad games this season, hence his 35 total goals allowed, but has also posted seven shutouts.

Somerset Christian

The Cougars came so close to securing their second-ever district title in program history, but will have to settle for once again being the runners-up in the 48th District. Somerset Christian has a 7-9-1 record heading into the 12th Region Tournament, but with a close loss to Lincoln County among the losses and a tie against Pulaski County, these Cougars can compete with the best of them.

Although the Cougars feature eight players who have scored at least one goal, seniors Kaden Johnson (eight goals) and Nolan Mattingly (six goals), as well as junior Isaiah Hensley (eight goals) are the main focal points of the offense. Senior goalkeeper Gavin Lewis has been extremely strong in net despite giving up 29 total goals, as he has recorded 92 saves over the course of the season.

Games kick off Monday, with the games being hosted at Boyle County High School, and here is the breakdown of the bracket!

Game 1: Somerset vs East Jessamine at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.

The Jumpers beat the Jaguars 8-0 earlier in the season, and are 4-3 against East Jessamine dating back to 2007.

Game 2: Wayne County vs Lincoln County at 8:30 p.m. on Monday.

The Cardinals lost against the Patriots 4-3 earlier in the season, and are 1-5 against them since 2013.

Game 3: West Jessamine vs Somerset Christian at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

This will be the first ever meeting between the Colts and the Cougars.

Game 4: Boyle County vs Pulaski County at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Rebels and the Maroons did not play during the regular season, but the Rebels have a 6-2 record against Pulaski since 2003 according to KHSAA.

Semifinals: Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Championship Game: Saturday at 6 p.m.

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