Lions on top: Pridgen's pass, Arostegui's winner deliver Christian Heritage state title
May 2—POWDER SPRINGS — If you would have asked Marco Arostegui when he was in the sixth grade if Christian Heritage School would even make a state tournament, he'd say you were crazy.
Six seasons later, he's hoisting a trophy with a Lion logo on his chest.
Christian Heritage defeated Georgia Military College Prep 2-1 in Tuesday night's Class A Division II State Championship at McEachern High School in Powder Springs. The title is the Lions' first state championship since joining the Georgia High School Association in 2012. Arostegui, a senior, was involved in both Lions scoring plays — and knows the effort it took to reach the top of DII.
"It feels really nice because when I was in sixth grade, we couldn't even think of going to state," Arostegui said. "As a sixth-grader, I would go out and play with the high school team. It felt really good because I had spent so much time, and now it feels like it paid off with all of the work we put in."
In a match of momentum shifts, the difference was a game-winning header by Arostegui. After a Georgia Military foul, senior striker Peter Pridgen sent a free kick from 40 yards out into the box. Arostegui went up for a header, redirecting it as it found the back of the net. Christian Heritage head coach Rachel Boyd noted the impact Arostegui had on the match.
"Marco, he has so much talent, has so much passion and zeal," Boyd said. "When we can get him the ball, he's so strong, so technical, he's one of the best on the field. That was our goal tonight — get him the ball so he can draw a foul, the other team get beat by him or hold it and create opportunities for us — and that's exactly what happened. He did his job."
It wasn't all Lions, however. Georgia Military controlled the first ten minutes of the match, pushing the Lions' lines back and scoring the first goal. Freshman midfielder Tommy Carty found the net from 14 yards out, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
"We didn't really know what Georgia Military was going to look like," Boyd said. "We knew they were strong, but we went in with a little more conservative mentality where we put a few people back. We realized we had to move Marco up because he's strong on the ball. Right when we made the change, that's when he got the header and scored."
The Lions settled into the game, finding the back of the net in the 15th minute and controlling the half's final 20 minutes. Arostegui headed in a game-tying goal off a right-to-left cross. The goal sparked the Lions offense, which went on to unleash 16 shots in the half, six of which found were on goal.
"They scored early, which is something we weren't expecting," Arostegui said. "We expected to come out strong. But we've been in (those) situations, especially in the Final Four just a few days ago. We knew we had to change something up. (Coach) Boyd switched us up, and it worked out for the best."
Ultimately, the Lions outshot the Bulldogs 24-10, forcing seven corners and 10 fouls by the Bulldogs. At times, the match was chippy, and each team was booked with a yellow card once.
The state championship caps a 13-1-3 season for the Lions.
As the buzzer sounded and time expired, Christian Heritage students and fans spilled from the seats, jumping fences and rushing stairwells to greet the team. It's been a common occurrence after Lion victories in the postseason and one that Boyd says exemplifies the close-knit spirit of the school. She is thankful for that spirit, along with the opportunity to work with her team.
"We just have such pride in our CHS community," Boyd said. "There were hundreds of people here tonight, and to get to celebrate with all of them was the sweetest. These boys — my desire as their coach and mentor is to see them be successful. This whole season was about that. I'm just so proud of them and so excited that they get to experience this.
"We've been on the other end so many times for so many years, and we get to taste this sweet victory. There's nothing like it — they'll get to experience this for the rest of their lives."
With the Lions' win, all six boys soccer programs in Whitfield County have won GHSA state championships, and each team has done it since 2018. Christian Heritage won a state title in the Tennessee Association of Christian Schools before joining the GHSA.
Southeast Whitfield and The Dalton Academy won last season. Dalton and Coahulla Creek won in 2021, and Northwest Whitfield won most recently in 2018.
Dalton and Coahulla Creek have a chance to give the county three state titles this season. Creek plays Oconee County in the 3A state championship game at 7:30 tonight in Macon, while Dalton plays Midtown in the 5A championship game Thursday night at 7:30 in Duluth.
