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The Jenkins boys soccer team flipped the script on Calvary Day after the Cavaliers had flipped it on the host Warriors on Tuesday night.

Jenkins hadn't trailed in a game all season in sprinting to a 7-0 record, including 4-0 in Region 3-3A. The Warriors' winning margins were 10 goals (three times), eight, four, three, and one.

Calvary Day, meanwhile, established a program best since 2021 by winning four consecutive region games.

The feat is all the more impressive because the Cavaliers trailed in each of those games -- by as many as three goals in one instance -- and rallied to win three times in regulation and once in overtime, each by one goal.

"It's one of those odd things," said David Koebler, in his first season as Calvary Day's head coach. "In 28 years of coaching, I've never been in a scenario where you're down goals for four straight games and come back to win. I've never experienced that. It's hard, real hard."

Tuesday's matchup between two unbeaten region foes was going to be hard-fought and intense, and it lived up to expectations. The twist came when the Cavaliers started fast to go up by two goals, only for Jenkins to be the club digging out of a hole.

The Warriors tied the match by halftime, then scored the only goal of the second half for a 3-2 victory to improve to 8-0, 5-0 in the region.

"I think they played great," Jenkins coach Moses Green said of his squad. "I think we were kind of lazy, lethargic, to start the game off. It's what brought us down. I felt they did great fighting to get back to get the win."

Calvary standout Carter Batts, a junior forward, broke the scoreless tie with a rocket that found the left side of the net at 24:19 in the first half.

The Cavaliers (4-3, 4-1 region) made it 2-0 less than two minutes later, at the 23:02 mark, when junior Anson Greer pounced on a misplayed clearing kick and deposited it in the net.

Koebler said after the game that he has talked with the team for about two weeks about getting off to faster starts, even through the winning streak. But there was still a lot of soccer to play.

"Calvary has a great team," Green said afterward. "They played us very well. I think it was a great matchup. They figured us out. Those long balls, sending everything on our side of the pitch and they stayed on our side of the pitch most of the game."

The Warriors' speedy senior forward Ahmed Abdalla had been trying to complete runs down the left side to create scoring chances. Abdalla did just that by beating a defender and sprinting to open space, lining up a shot as he raced toward the backline and threading a tight angle past senior goalkeeper Drew Cail, guarding the near post and into the net by the far post. Abdalla's goal cut the deficit in half with 19:40 on the clock.

Abdalla had a more straight-on opportunity at the 13:34 mark, but with defenders marking him, he drilled a powerful shot high over the crossbar.

Calvary put a lot of pressure on the Jenkins defense and goalie Liam McDaniel with a flurry around the 7-minute mark. The initial shot hit the crossbar, the second shot was blocked in heavy traffic up front, and the third attempt, a bicycle kick, found McDaniel's grasp.

The Warriors got the equalizer with 44 seconds left before halftime on a similar play to their first goal. This time, however, when Abdalla dashed deep down the left side, he had a teammate for a centering pass. Louis Fuchu, a junior, slipped the bouncing ball inside the right post for 2-2.

Koebler knows Abdalla from working with him in club soccer.

"He's a good kid," Koebler said. "He's a monster of a player who is definitely (helping) transition this program from two or three years of losing seasons to an amazing season that they're having now."

The two goalies, McDaniel and Cail, kept scoring to a near-minimum in the second half, with stellar play highlighted by sure-handed saves and taking the right line in defending the goal while under attack.

"(Cail) made three amazing one-handed saves that kept us in the game, which were great," Koebler said. "He was distributing the ball really well for us."

Green said McDaniel, a senior, has greatly improved since last season.

"He worked hard over the summer, worked hard to start the season off," Green said. "We trust him, so that's why we played him in the big games like this."

Jenkins netted the only goal of the second half after Calvin Wallace sent a line drive from the left side that Cail blocked, but defenders failed to clear. Senior Eric Baquedano, in the right place at the right time, knocked the ball home for the 3-2 difference.

In crediting the entire team for the win, Green made special mention of junior midfielder Joshua Woodley for his play and leadership, especially when the Warriors were down 2-0.

"(Woodley) doesn't show up on the stats, but he does all the little things," Green said. "He shows up, he puts everybody in the right place. He leads the team. He keeps them up."

Green, in his second year as the head coach, works with assistant Samuel James, who is the technical coach. Green noted that the Warriors won just one game two seasons ago and half a dozen last season in the two school years that the GHSA classified Jenkins as a 5A school.

This school year, Jenkins moved to Class 3A, and teams in sports such as football, flag football, and girls' basketball had exceptional seasons.

"We've got a lot of talent," said Green, noting that last season's progress "catapulted" the Warriors to their strong start. "They're just learning now they have the ability to compete with everybody else."

Koebler said the Warriors had dominated opponents this season as they have exceeded expectations, so the Cavaliers knew the battle for the Region 3-3A lead would be tough.

"They've been perfect up to this point," he said. "They were going to be very difficult to play against. We're not happy with the result, but we're happy with our play."

PHOTO: Courtesy Jenkins High senior Miles Gha

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