On the road the State: Baseball, soccer named District champs

Harpeth High School’s (HHS) spring sports have had another exceptional run this season, with both the baseball team and the men’s soccer team holding their reigning District Championship titles. 

The baseball team won the District semifinals on April 30, shutting out the Cheatham County Cubs with 13 runs. On May 3, the Indians were set to face Hickman County in the District finals, but the Bulldogs conceded, giving Harpeth a back-to-back District Championship title. 

Junior Preston Merritt was named Tournament MVP. Merritt, seniors Aaron Higgs and Hudson Clark and sophomore Chance Ford were named to the all-district team.  

Last season, the Indians earned their first District Championship title since 2007. 

Harpeth went on to host Regions at The Rock on May 8 and May 10. They lost both of their games, ultimately ending their season early. It was the final game for five of the team’s seniors Clark, Higgs, Charlie Wilson, Luke Summers and Coleman Sparkman. 

Harpeth celebrated their season with a banquet on May 13. MVP was awarded to junior Houston Greer; Offensive Player of the Year was awarded to Merritt; Defensive Player of the Year was awarded to sophomore Hudson Ealy; and Pitcher of the Year was awarded to Clark. 

After a rocky start to the season, the HHS men’s soccer team pulled through with their fourth consecutive District Championship title on May 8. The Indians beat the Cheatham County Cubs with a final score of 2-1. Senior Ethan Gailey scored both goals in the first half of the game. Gailey recently signed his letter of intent to play soccer at Cumberland University next year.

Senior Jacob Montgomery, who is out for the year with an injury, was named District MVP. Tournament MVP was awarded to senior Ethan Hanson. Gailey, senior Armando Esperza and juniors Noah Zerkle and Carson Cannon were named to the all-district team. 

The Indians hosted Regions on May 12 and 15, shutting out McKenzie with a 4-0 win in the semifinal game. Gailey, Esperza, Zerkle and junior Jake Slanaker each scored one goal. The Indians fell to Huntingdon in the final with a score of 2-1, losing their three-year Regional Championship streak. 

They will travel on Saturday, May 16 to Chapel Hill to play Forrest High School. If they pull out a win against the Rockets, the Indians will head to the State Tournament at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro next week. 

The men’s soccer team has made it to the State Tournament the past three years.