Western Albemarle’s Sam Wheeler was sick Monday, and whatever he was suffering drained the senior to the point of exhaustion.
So Wheeler did the smart thing.
“I got a lot of sleep last night,” Wheeler said. “I went to bed pretty early.”
It paid off in a huge way as the senior was a difference maker for the Warriors against Atlee in the South Zone semifinal. The Warriors held on for a 8-4 victory over Atlee Tuesday night, earning a state final four berth with the win. Wheeler finished with a team high five ground balls and came up with a number of key turnovers to help seal the win for the Warriors.
“His ability to intercept passes and read — he’s really intelligent, he’s a smart player,” said Western coach Alex Whitten. “He doubled really well, he throws hard checks — he’s just really fun to watch.”
Western built a 3-0 lead before halftime with a Herculean defensive effort and a possession-oriented offensive attack in the first half. Carter Elliot put the Warriors on the board early with a goal in the first quarter. The Warriors, who’ve struggled at times with shot selection and shooting execution on offense this year, couldn’t pull away, leaving Atlee in striking distance.
“Carter Elliot stings two pipes Burks hits a pipe and we told these guys we need to put the ball in certain spots — I feel like that game could’ve been 8-0 at the end of the first half,” Whitten said. “We’re not getting those insurance goals to give us the defense a little bit of breathing room.”
The goals were spread throughout the offense, with a solid spurt putting Western up 6-1 in the third quarter. From there, Western held on tight and picked up the win.
“This game last year we lost so this is (my) first time going to states and it’s really exciting,” Elliott said.
Elliot finished with two goals for the Warrirs while Justin Haws and Dylan Curry had a goal and two assists each. Sumner Corbett checked in with a goal and an assist.
Carson Franklin finished with nine saves for Western.
Western will lock up with Albemarle High in the South Zone final Thursday. The Warriors have also earned a state semifinal berth that’ll be played Tuesday.
