Pearl tops Oxford in 5A North Half match

An early lead and another valiant effort wasn’t enough to lift the Oxford Chargers past the Pearl Pirates in the Class 5A North Half title match Thursday at Pearl. Despite jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first half on a goal from Lucian Duchaine, the seven-time state champion Pirates found a way to rally in the second half to post a 3-1 win and advance to Saturday’s 5A state title match.

OHS coach Jamie Perkins said he was proud of the way his team competed less than a week after defeating Callaway in a marathon match that was finally decided on penalty kicks. (February 4, 2011, Page 6A)