North Carolina High School Sports
In the closest of championship matches, Shelby outlasted a feisty Greene Central team, edging the Rams in penalty kicks 5-3. Golden Lions goalkeeper Eli Wilbanks managed to keep Greene Central off the scoreboard in 110 minutes of regulation and overtime periods, making nine saves on his way to being named the 2A Men’s Soccer State Championship Match MVP. Greene Central had more of the high-quality scoring opportunities in regulation as the Rams outshot Shelby 25-15 in the match, putting nine of those 25 on frame. Despite the best efforts of Ariel Nunez and Nathan Drake, the Rams couldn’t break through the Shelby defense. Nunez and Drake combined for 14 shots and caused headaches in the Shelby back line with their technical prowess, but the Rams never were able to find the quality strike needed to solve Wilbanks. Shelby likewise had brilliant spurts of play from Greg Arce and Dylan Steeves but were consistently thwarted by the organized back four of Greene Central. Rams’ defenders Miguel Lopez-Berrios and Ernesto Rubio shut down attacks on the flanks and Shelby struggled to piece together any attacks at the center of the Greene Central defense. After a scoreless draw through 120 minutes, the match headed to penalty kicks. Shelby netted the opening kick of the shootout, while Greene Central’s Enrique Lopez-Lemus sent the Rams’ first kick off of the crossbar and out. It was the only miss of the shootout for either team, as in the fifth round of the shootout Cade Ledbetter drilled a ball into the right side of the net to claim Shelby’s third State Championship in program history Greene Central finished the season 25-2-0. The Rams won the Eastern Plains 2A Conference with a perfect 12-0-0 record. The Rams won their first Eastern Regional Championship and appeared in the program’s first State Championship Match. Shelby wrapped up the year 23-1-2. The Golden Lions were the champions of the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A at 12-0-0. The Lions won the Western Regional Championship for the fourth time in school history and appeared in the State Finals for the first time since three-straight finals appearances from 2008-2010. The NCHSAA is committed to promoting good sportsmanship and has partnered with NC Farm Bureau to recognize two student-athletes from each state championship who have demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship throughout the year. The winners of the 2021 2A Men’s Soccer NC Farm Bureau Sportsmanship Awards were Eli Wilbanks from Shelby and Jose Morquecho from Greene Central.
Team championship histories are available exclusively to Varsity NC subscribers.