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The Callaway boys soccer team won a penalty shootout 6-5 (1-1 after the end of overtime) to book their spot in the Sweet 16 on Monday. It was a strange game with all but the final 11 minutes of overtime being played on Friday before inclement weather rolled in and forced the game to be delayed.

“That was a really good team that executed their game plan really well, and it came down to fine margins,” Callaway coach Mike Petite said. “I don’t think we executed some of the stuff we were trying to do. It was a battle every time the ref blew his whistle to play.” 

With the penalty kick shootout tied at 4-4, captain Christian Cook placed the ball on the penalty spot with a chance to win the match for the Cavaliers. The senior delivered, sliding the ball past the keeper to ensure it was not his final game in red and black.

“I was a little nervous walking up, but once I put the ball on the penalty spot, I knew that it was going in,” Cook said, flashing a grin.

When Cook’s shot slipped past the goalkeeper’s glove and nestled in the net, a part ensued on the field. Players, the baseball team, and the student section formed a giant huddle in the corner as the entire city of Hogansville let out a cheer.

“The fans, the baseball team, the student section, the girls’ team, everybody decided to come over and make some noise, and that gave us the confidence we needed,” goalkeeper Brayden Morris said. 

The Cavaliers opened the scoring with 18 minutes left in the first half when Jaylen Williams took a shot that was saved and then followed up on the rebound to dispatch the ball into the back of the net. 

“He is a worker, and you can see how much he cares about this team and how much his team cares about him,” Petite said. “He was a part-time player last year, started a lot for us this year, and then maybe he kind of got overtaken, but he never put his head down.”

It looked like the Bulldogs would tie the game just two minutes later, but an acrobatic save from  Morris kept the Callaway lead intact.

Hart County eventually tied the game up with just six minutes left in the first half. 

Callaway would come close to retaking the lead late in the first half with a couple of chances, but could not find a goal.

The second half was largely a stalemate with the Bulldogs having the best chance with nine minutes left in regulation, but their goal was called back for an offside call.

The final quality chance on Friday would come when Jayden Bailey put a shot over the crossbar just before the game was called off due to the weather. 

“I think Jayden had a phenomenal game for us,” Assistant coach Hunter Lee said. “Tyler Lewis was also very good for us in the back.”

The second half of overtime was largely a stalemate as neither team could get much traction with just 11:07 minutes in the game. 

“We felt like we had the momentum on Friday, and we really felt like we were going to find a goal before the end of the game,” Morris said. “It’s not normal, but you just have to keep a level head and stay composed.”

One of the reasons Callaway could not break down the Hart County defense was the absence of leading goal scorer Rickey Vaughn. The junior missed Friday with an illness, but was able to play the final 11 minutes of the game on Monday and scored in the penalty shootout. 

Callaway will now travel to Crisp County on Friday with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line. The Cavaliers have made the state quarterfinals just once in their program history.