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By Bill Templeton
Sports Writer

Adriana Rowe has already established herself as one of the state’s most prolific goal-scorers this season as a freshman at Harlan County, and will be a key factor in the Lady Black Bears’ pursuit of a 50th District championship when tournament play opens Saturday at Bell County High School.
Rowe’s 35 goals in her first season of high school soccer is tops among 50th District scorers, but each team playing in this year’s tournament also boasts a high-scoring freshman.
Knox Central’s Miley Olmstead enters district play with a team-high 20 goals. On a team that won just once during the regular season, Olmstead has accounted for an eye-popping 91 percent of the Lady Panthers’ offensive output.
Bell County freshman Jayda Boateng scored a team-high 11 goals during the regular season, while Middlesboro freshman Alysia White has collected 10 goals as part of the Lady Yellow Jackets’ potent offense that has amassed 68 tallies through 13 games.
The action gets under way at Dudley Hilton Field on Log Mountain Saturday at 11 a.m. when Middlesboro faces Knox Central. Harlan County faces Bell at 1 p.m., and the winners will play for the district championship Monday at 6 p.m.
Harlan County will face a team in Bell with whom they split a pair of matches during the regular season. The Lady Bears won, 5-2 at James A. Cawood field, before dropping a close, 3-2 decision on the road.
“Last time we played Bell we were short three starters,” Harlan County coach Hannah Pittman said. “That caused us to have difficulty getting the ball up to our striker, and she just couldn’t get shots to fall a few times, until the very end when it was too late.
“I look for Saturday to be a very different story now that we have Callie Smith, Makenna Dillman and Maddie Burkhart back.”
Plagued by injuries throughout the regular season, Pittman’s youth-laden Lady Bears enter the district tournament with 6-8 record. Rested, and back to full strength, Pittman believes her team has grown this season in the face of adversity.
“I won’t sugar coat things and say this season has been perfect,” Pittman said. “We’ve had a lot of injuries and have taken a lot of losses—a couple of which were very unexpected.
“With that being said, our record doesn’t reflect who we are as a team or what we are capable of achieving during the postseason. Our girls have continued to work hard and persevere through every challenge that’s been thrown their way, and I truly believe they are stronger because of all we’ve had to overcome.”
Pittman also pointed to the growth and development by Rowe during the regular season, and believes her young standout is ready to step up and lead the Lady Black Bears to a district championship.
“You have to consider how much confidence Adriana has developed since (the second Bell game),” Pittman said. “That was just a month into her first varsity season, and she was still shaking off those freshman nerves.
“She’s matured more this season than some players do their entire high school career, and I think that’s something that’s going to be on display throughout the tournament.”

 

District 50 Tournament schedule:

All games at Dudley Hilton Field, Bell County High School

Saturday, October 5

Middlesboro vs. Knox Central, 11 a.m.

Bell County vs. Harlan County, 1 p.m.

Championship Game

Monday, October 7, 6 p.m.