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ECHS boys’ soccer falls short to Lakeside in OT
No. 7 Kenneth Harn scores on a penalty kick early in the game to put the Rebels up 1-0. (Photos by Gilbert Miller/Effingham Herald.)
Published: Mar 11, 2025, 5:24 PM
By Donald Heath
Special for the Effingham Herald
SPRINGFIELD – An early goal encouraged Effingham County’s soccer players Tuesday night against a squad physically bigger and faster.
The Rebels stayed even through 77 minutes, but Lakeside prevailed in overtime 2-1 in a Region 1-5A North clash.
Adam Pitts squeezed a shot into the top right-hand side of the goal past an ECHS defender and goalie Michael Deien for the game-winner with 2:06 to go in the first 10-minute overtime.
“We went up and I think the mentality became let’s play not to lose instead of playing to win,” ECHS coach Austin Czachowski said. “(The coaches) tried to tell them to give themselves a chance.”
It was the second straight subregion game when the Rebels scored an early goal and ended up losing. ECHS had the early lead against undefeated Evans before falling 5-2.
This time, Michael Otieno was pulled down in the penalty box, resulting in Kenneth Harn’s penalty-kick goal at 37:23 of first half to give the Rebels a 1-0 lead.
Lakeside scored the equalizer on Ethan Kirk’s goal midway through the first half. The Panthers peppered shots at the ECHS goal and held a 13-4 advantage about seven minutes into the second half.
But the Rebels didn’t fold. Deien had a solid second half with four of his seven saves in the 40-minute half and Otieno had a potential scoring run in the final minute of regulation that was stuffed by the Lakeside defense.
In the final minutes of the second overtime, Esteban Reyes corralled a loose ball in the box off a corner kick, but shot over the net in his attempt to tie the match.
ECHS was outshot 20-11, but had its share of scoring chances with an 8-1 edge in corner kicks.
“After the game I told the kids I was proud of them,” Czachowski said. “They fought hard and never gave up. They had an opportunity to win, but that’s the nature of soccer. Keep your heads up.”
Friday, the Rebels lost another tight match, falling on the road to Greenbrier 3-2. The ECHS boys record dropped to 2-5 overall, 0-3 in Region 1-5A play.
No. 23 Marisol Miller tries to kick the ball deep upfield late in the game vs Lady Panthers down 0-4. (Photo by Gilbert Miller/Effingham Herald.)
In the girls' game Tuesday, Lakeside defeated Effingham County 5-0. Three nights later, the Lady Rebels fell to Greenbrier 9-0.
ECHS dropped to 2-5 overall, 0-3 in the subregion.
Friday, ECHS’ boys and girls will host rival South Effingham. The Mustangs (4-2 this season) have dominated the series on the boys side lately, posting a 9-0-2 record against the Rebels in the last eight years.
SEHS’ girls (4-3 this season) have won five of their last six games in the series. The teams split last year with the Rebels winning the first game 1-0 and the Mustangs taking the second game 2-1.
Effingham County Tops South Effingham for Region Softball Title
Ansleigh Giordano Delivers Two Clutch Performances as Rebels Capture First Title Since 2021
Effingham County players sprint from the dugout to celebrate after Cheyenne Hart scores the winning run on Ava Wiley’s sacrifice fly, giving the Rebels a 4-3 walk-off victory over South Effingham to capture the Region 1-5A championship. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)
Donald Heath
Updated: Oct 5, 2025, 12:18 PM
Published: Oct 5, 2025, 3:06 AM
GUYTON, Ga. – Effingham County coach Brad Thompson says pitcher is a special position in softball.
“You have to be able to handle pressure. Maybe that’s why they put a circle around it,” Thompson said.
Thompson put Ansleigh Giordano in the circle Saturday, and the right-hander came through in the Region 1-5A Final Four tournament at South Effingham. She overpowered Glynn Academy with a two-hit shutout in a 4-0 semifinal victory, then came back later in the afternoon to steady herself after a shaky start and beat rival South Effingham 4-3. The win delivered the Rebels’ first region championship since 2021.
With the game on the line, Ava Wiley came through — her sacrifice fly to left sealed the Rebels’ walk-off win and the region crown. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)
Ava Wiley’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning gave ECHS a walk-off victory over the Mustangs and shifted bragging rights back to the Rebels, who won a season-opening matchup with South before losing the rematch about a month later.
By advancing to the finals, both ECHS and SEHS earned home-field advantage in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs, which begin Oct. 13 with a best-of-three series. The Rebels (23-6) will be the No. 1 seed from Region 1. The Mustangs (18-3) are seeded second.
South Effingham catcher Danni Lynn waits for the throw as Cheyenne Hart slides in with the winning run. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)
Giordano shines in the circle
“Last year, we couldn’t get it done. We didn’t show up,” Giordano said. “This time we wanted it more. We’ve been winning, and it feels like we have it figured out. We just have to stay on that path.”
ECHS, ranked third in Class 5A by ScoreAtlanta, extended its winning streak to nine. In preparation for the tournament, Thompson said he gave Giordano some rest last week — and it paid off.
The Augusta University commit responded with more velocity on her fastball and dominated the Red Terrors, who never advanced a runner past second base. Glynn had split two regular-season games with the Rebels.
Against South, Giordano relied on grit. During the first four innings, she surrendered 11 hits but stranded eight runners — six in scoring position.
“This is a gritty bunch of girls,” Thompson said.
That includes their coach. Thompson was struck by a softball in the batting cage the day before and broke his jaw but declined surgery until after Saturday’s games.
Ansleigh Giordano stares in from the mound during the Region 1-5A Final Four, dominating Glynn Academy and South Effingham to lead Effingham County to the region championship. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)
Rebels find ways to score
After falling behind 1-0, ECHS struck for three runs in the second inning, highlighted by Jenny Parker’s daring baserunning. She beat out a squeeze bunt to tie the game and, seeing no one covering second base, never stopped running and turned it into a double.
A wild pitch brought in the Rebels’ second run, and Parker — noticing the pitcher wasn’t covering home — scored from second base for the third.
South tied the game in the third on Cadi Hendry’s two-run single. The Mustangs were hoping for more with the bases loaded and one out, but Giordano pitched out of further trouble. In the fourth inning, South had runners on second and third with one out — and again, Giordano shut the door.
In the seventh, with the game tied 3-3, the Rebels loaded the bases with one out. Wiley lifted a fly ball to left field in foul territory that was caught, but Cheyenne Hart tagged and scored the winning run.
“The third time was our time. We’re happy to beat them again — and beat Glynn Academy again, too,” Wiley said.
Jenny Parker’s daring baserunning pays off as she races from second to score the Rebels’ third run, beating the tag from South Effingham catcher Danni Lynn. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)
Mustangs move on with lessons learned
South finished with 13 hits but went hitless in its final seven chances with runners in scoring position.
“This was a tough loss. We don’t have anybody but ourselves to blame for this one,” Mustangs coach Adam Newland said. “At the same time, we have to move on quickly. We have the playoffs coming up. We have to coach better. We have to play better. We have to focus on next week.”
The fired-up Rebels cheer wildly in the dugout, celebrating their determination and walk-off win over rival South Effingham to capture the Region 1-5A title. (Mark Lastinger / Effingham Herald)
Mustangs cruise past Greenbrier
In the first game, SEHS pounded out 15 hits and run-ruled Greenbrier 12-4 in a game closer than the final score indicated.
South led 6-4 before batting around in a six-run sixth inning. Sydney Minshall, who started the frame with a walk, ended the game when her infield grounder led to an errant throw allowing the Mustangs’ 12th run to score.
All nine SEHS starters had at least one hit. Cheniyah Jackson and Makenzi Polk each had three. Danni Lynn added two hits and two RBIs, Minshall had two hits, and Alyssa Martin doubled and drove in two.
In the Region 1-5A semifinals against Greenbrier, South Effingham’s Cheniyah Jackson rips one of her three hits as the Mustangs’ offense erupts in a 12-4 win. Jackson and Makenzi Polk each had three hits to help send South to the championship game. (Gilbert Miller / Effingham Herald)
Rebels dominate Glynn in semifinal
Effingham County had little trouble in the second game, defeating eighth-ranked Glynn Academy behind Giordano’s gem.
The teams had split two regular-season games, but this time Giordano struck out seven, walked none, and allowed just two hits — one an infield single.
Shelby Zeigler’s two-out, two-run single in the first inning gave the Rebels all the runs they needed.
Hart, who had two hits and two RBIs, added a run-scoring single in the second inning and an RBI double in the fourth.
Giordano did the rest, recording five 1-2-3 innings and never allowing a Glynn baserunner past second base.
The Red Terrors topped Greenbrier 7-0 in the consolation game to earn the region’s No. 3 seed in the state tournament. Greenbrier will be the No. 4 seed.
Shelby Zeigler cracks a two-out, two-run single in the first inning against Glynn Academy in the semifinals, helping the Rebels take an early lead and set the tone for their push toward the championship. (Gilbert Miller / Effingham Herald)
Effingham County's lineup posted in the dugout before the semifinal clash with Glynn Academy. (Gilbert Miller / Effingham Herald)
