Hendersonville Standard
HENDERSONVILLE WEATHER

Commando soccer wins two at Gallatin




Cade Good keeps control with his feet as he moves the ball into Heritage territory on SaturdayDon McPeak

Cade Good keeps control with his feet as he moves the ball into Heritage territory on SaturdayDon McPeak

GALLATIN – The Hendersonville Commandos moved to 5-0 to start the season Friday and Saturday afternoon at Gallatin High School, defeating White House and White House Heritage by a combined score of 9-2.

The Commandos bested White House on Friday night 4-2 before taking down White House Heritage on Saturday 5-0. 

“These are two local teams that traditionally do a great job, they are well coached and both teams do different things in each game that really prepares us for the season,” Hendersonville coach Russ Plummer said. “I have so much respect for coach Kirby (White House Heritage) and coach Lamberth (White House) we really enjoy these matches each year.” 

Going into the games for Plummer and his team the two matches were much bigger than the scoreboard.

“We told the kids more important than anything including the score is how we play,” he said. “We had moments in each game where we played well and I think on Saturday we had more good moments than we did bad moments.” 

The 5-0 start to the season is the best start for the Commando soccer teams since HHS started the 2011 season 6-0. 

“I think more important than the 5-0 start is we’ve had really good moments, more so than we’ve had bad moments the first five games,” he said. “We’ve been in different situations, had different levels of competition, different formations and we are getting to where we are playing the best we can be and the is important as we move forward with each game in our season.”

The Commandos will put their undefeated record to the test this weekend when they travel to Gatlinburg to compete in the annual Smoky Mountain Cup. 

Hendersonville will play three games in three days against Sprayberry out of Georgia, Sevier County and Cleveland. 

“We just want to see improvement from our guys,” he said of the trip. “Whether that is practice or a game situation. Three games in three days, we see what we got. It is a whole different element, not being at your house every night you try and put yourself in different situations and tough situations so that when tournament time comes are around it is a little bit more comfortable and not near as hectic as it could be.

“This is also a good opportunity for our team to bond and our families to bond as well. We are excited to incorporate the families as much as we can.” 

Plummer has been around the block a time or two when it comes to coaching and says there are a few things that stay the same with each passing season.

“You always want to be very disciplined on and off the field,” he said. “You have to pay attention to detail and really, those two things go hand in hand.”

Hendersonville has received a ton of praise so far this season with many on the outside thinking this team is good of not only to make it to Murfreesboro but to compete for the AAA state championship. 

“That is a very flattering statement but it doesn’t guarantee us anything,” he said. “As a coach and a program, the outside noise cannot be greater than what I put on myself. We try to limit the outside noise and make sure we have a group in the locker room that is on the same page and has the same goals; we are still a work in progress.” 

Hendersonville will put their goals to the test not only this weekend but the following weekend at the Bearden Tournament. 

Leave a Reply