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Tuesday at Callaway High belonged to two men: coach Hunter Lee and Jayden Williams. The two helped push Callaway boys soccer over the line to a 1-0 region win over Pike County, a team coming off an Elite Eight appearance in 3A last season.

In the absence of head coach Mike Petite, the Cavaliers had assistant coach Hunter Lee, a Callaway graduate himself, step up as head coach and lead the team to one of its biggest victories ever.

It was a cagey match with neither side able to press the advantage for the majority of the game. That was until Rickey Vaughn slid the ball to the feet of Williams, a junior, who found a sliver of a crease in the Pirate defense and let loose a shot that nestled into the net.

“This feeling is like an 11 out of 10,” Williams said. “It really is hard to put into words how I’m feeling right now.”

It looked like Jayden Bailey would be the one to break the deadlock as the junior bossed the midfield and led the Cavaliers with six shots on target. He would not find the back of the net, though his free kick as time expired stung the palms of the Pike County goalkeeper. 

Callaway moved to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in region play. The Cavaliers will be back on the pitch on Friday as they are set to travel to Fayette County to take on the Tigers. 

“This wasn’t just a game, it was a region game and we now look at it as we are 1-0 this season,” Williams said. “It means a lot to come through for this team. 

Williams has grinded his way into a starting spot, going from a reserve as a freshman to a key role player last year to a starter this year. The teams’ love for Williams and Lee showed as they showered Lee in a Gatorade bath and picked up Williams and tossed him as they cheered his name.

“I wasn’t really a fan of being thrown around like that, but I love playing with these guys,” Williams said.