Blackman soccer team battle tested entering postseason

Tournament time is when teams are tested with several big games squeezed into a short amount of time.

Blackman High's soccer team is already well prepared for that.

The Blaze were thrown to the fire at the end of the regular season, having to play five District 7-AAA games in about a week and a half prior to the league tournament.

So far, so good for the Blaze.

Not only did Blackman cruise through the final regular-season stretch to capture the regular-season title, the success carried over into the district tournament.

"I think so," said Blackman coach Bill Vice on the late-season stretch preparing his team for the postseason. "We lost to Oakland and La Vergne and then had a bunch of games (to play). We said, 'Let's see what we can do.'

"We were dedicated to finishing first. That kept us sharp."

Blackman won four and tied one to close out the district slate during that tough stretch; it then captured two wins in the district tournament after receiving a bye.

"I think it made us sharper," said Blackman sophomore defender J.C. Conn, who scored the team's lone goal in a 1-0 win over Oakland in the tournament finals. "We were all working hard."

Blackman will play host to either Franklin County or Tullahoma (the 8-AAA finals was played Friday) Tuesday evening at 7 in the Region 4-AAA semifinals. The winner will secure a sectional berth and play the winner of Oakland-Franklin Co./Tullahoma in the finals Thursday.

Playing each league team twice, plus some weather cancellations, is what made the home stretch so challenging for Blackman, which finished 8-2-2 in 7-AAA.

"We knew we had a chance for first when we played Riverdale in the last (regular-season) game," Vice said. "We had to come and play them again in the tournament. Winning back-to-back games against the same team is tough, but we knew that would get us to the region."

The district was very balanced, particularly the upper half of the bracket. The wins necessary for Blackman to leapfrog teams such as Riverdale, Oakland and Smyrna weren't easy, but likely built fortitude along the way.

"We had a lot of adrenaline," said Blackman senior forward Matthew Jobe, who was named district Offensive MVP. "We knew what we needed to do, to come together as a team."

The battle-tested Blaze are now setting their sights on reaching Spring Fling.

"It's really just talent and teamwork," Jobe said. "If we hadn't played as a team, we wouldn't have gotten this far."

Added Conn, "It's a passion. We have a bunch of players who want it and love each other."

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.