Senior Hayden Thomas leads Clinton to consecutive MHSAA Class 6A soccer championships
Clinton coach Tyler Wade had a feeling he would need Hayden Thomas to step up on Saturday in the MHSAA Class 6A state title game against Brandon. Thomas has been Wade's go-to for penalty kicks in the playoffs, and he was clinical with his penalty against Gulfport in the semifinals.
Thomas went left for his penalty kick against the Admirals. Wade knew the Bulldogs would be aware of that. The duo had a discussion before the title game about a different approach.
"If you get one, just think about going the other way," Wade told Thomas.
Thomas listened and calmly slotted his penalty to the bottom right corner to give Clinton a 1-0 lead at the 42nd minute. The senior finished with two goals as the Arrows claimed back-to-back state championships with a 2-1 victory over Brandon.
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Clinton (20-0-1) completed its undefeated season and has won 35 of its last 44 games. The prospect of going undefeated became realistic for Thomas after starting the season 15-0-1. The Arrows outscored their opponents 57-7 following a 7-0 victory over Murrah on Jan. 10.
The mentality for Clinton to complete the undefeated season was simple.
"Just come in every game ready to play," Thomas said. "Just defending and attacking with our lives. It's amazing."
Thomas struck again in the 68th minute with a shot from 18 yards out, sliding right past the keeper's outstretched hand and inside the post at the bottom left corner. The Arrows were up 2-0 and would escape despite a goal from Brandon's Nigel Jobe in the 69th minute.
"I knew I had to drive at them to have a shot, and it went my way," Thomas said. "It was just amazing. When I scored that, the game was most likely over. I put them away."
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Thomas finished with 12 goals and six assists in 18 games. Brice Nunnery had a team-high 19 goals, but there were stretches where the Arrows needed Thomas to create chances out of nothing. He always seemed to deliver.
"At some point you have to tell your best guy, you've got to make it happen," Wade said. "(Thomas) obviously did that in a massive way. Just drawing attention, finding a corner and finishing the big one there."
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Clinton wins second consecutive MHSAA Class 6A soccer championship
