In the first “Battle of the Wildcats”, Richmond Hill hosted Valdosta on Friday night and would beat them decisively, with a score of 5-1. This was also Richmond Hill’s first home game of the 2024 season.

“This is a big deal,” head coach Steve Peterson said. “This is our first region win of the year. The region games are the ones that truly matter. They decide where you will land in the playoffs, so to get this one, this is great.”

Junior wingback Nick Krull was Peterson’s player of the game. He finished with 2 assists in the game and was a difference maker in the evening, playing with great time and space.

“We did not really get the start that we wanted to,” Peterson said. “We came out slow, but at the half, all of that changed. Our captains took over and told the team that they were better than they were playing, and we showed that in the second half.”

Cooper Allen was another game-changer. He would finish with 2 goals on the night. Allen is known to be an evasive playmaker and is able to finish--one of Peterson’s three keys for winning--and he makes people pay for it when he is on his game.

“I was pleased with the communication and teamwork tonight,” Peterson said. “We did a great job of talking and that helped us get the win. These guys did great working with one another playing in time, space and with teamwork. They put it all together out there.”

The ‘Hustle Award’ went to goalkeeper Grant Reeder. In addition to playing Keeper, he also got some playing time at striker, and was able to score a goal from there. 

“Reeder is a fantastic sweeper goalie,” Peterson said. “He plays the field well. He is a first rate finisher that does not miss shots often. He has an excellent mind for the game as well.

“This was such a huge win for us. We have to take the momentum as we go forward. All of these guys have heart, and that is what it takes to win. You have to want it and they do. They trust and believe in one another and operate in the nanoseconds of the game. Our keys this year are “Finish”, “Passion” and “Possession”. It is hard to finish, but we did that today. We want to have the passion to leave it all on the field. We want to have possession of the ball and keep it while playing smart. We did those things tonight and got the win.”

Richmond Hill will host River Ridge on February 24. Kickoff for the girls’ match will be at 2pm. The boys’ game will be at 4pm.