Bragging rights for soccer

By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
The Morgan County soccer tournament opened Tuesday at Jack Allen Recreation Complex in Decatur with 14 teams vying for the 2010 county championships.
The tournament, hosted by West Morgan, will conclude Saturday with the championships. The girls’ final will be played at 2 p.m., while the boys’ championship will start at approximately 4 p.m.
If Hartselle or Priceville is playing for the championship in either the boys’ or girls’ division, the championship would be moved to a different date to avoid a conflict with proms at the schools.
The Jack Allen playing fields, built in 2006, are among the best playing surfaces in the Southeast. The 11 fields are laser-graded with computerized irrigation systems.
In the girls’ tournament, Decatur, Austin and Danville will play in Pool A, while Brewer, Priceville, Hartselle and West Morgan will be in Pool B.
Decatur’s girls won the 2009 tournament.
Priceville, Decatur, Austin and Brewer will play in Pool A in the boys’ tournament, while Pool B will include Hartselle, Danville and West Morgan.
Austin won the 2009 tournament title with a 4-2 victory over Hartselle in the boys’ championship game.
Mars Hill’s girls and Decatur’s junior varsity team will be included in pool play to equal the amount of games for each team, but there will be no points earned in those matches.
Mars Hill and the Decatur junior varsity will not advance to the semifinals.
The winners and runners-up in pool play will advance to the semifinals Friday. The girls’ semifinals will be played at 5 p.m. concurrently with the boys’ semifinals to follow.
The tournament uses a point system that awards teams for wins and goals scored. A win is worth six points, while teams can earn a point for each goal scored up to three in a game. A tie is worth three points.
A five-day adult tournament pass is $25, while a student five-day pass is $15. Single-day passes are $10 for adults and $8 for students. Children under 6 years of age will be admitted for free.
Sports editor Todd Thompson can be reached at 773-6566 or at todd.thompson@hartselleenquirer.com