The Tigers went ahead 3-2 on a penalty kick by Warren with five minutes left in the contest. He followed with his second goal two minutes later to put the game out of reach.

“I told them to play their game – aggressive offense and tough defense—and for the most part they did that today,” said Hartselle head coach Reagan Rhone. “We slacked off in the second half but recovered and came back strong to get the win.

“This was a big win for us,” he added. “I hope we can carry the momentum into sectional competition next week.”

In the girls championship contest, Hartselle’s Sarah Horner scored in the 32nd minute in the first half to take a 1-0 lead.

The Lady Red Raiders answered by tying the game on a penalty kick in the 39th minute by Grace Mitchell. A minute later they took a 2-1 lead on a kick by Haley Knoble, with an assist from Audra Reeves. Mitchell scored the third and final goal for the Lady Black Bears in the 53rd minute.

The Lady Tigers (11-5-2) reached the final with wins over Priceville, Decatur, West Morgan and Danville.

“I thought we played better defense in the second half,” said Hartselle girl’s head coach Jeff Roberts. “But we were unable to score when we had opportunities.”