Maverick Peyton found the back of the net inside the opening two minutes, and the Madisonville-North Hopkins Maroons added a pair of first-half goals to repeat as 2nd-Region champions with a 3-1 victory over Henderson County on Thursday at Donley Field.
After recording a hat trick in a semifinal win over UHA, Logan Terry turned provider with assists on the first two Maroon goals. After Peyton opened the scoring, Dru Lile doubled the advantage with 13 minutes played.
Sam Dodds converted a penalty kick after a Henderson County foul on a breakaway, and the Maroons led 3-0 at the halftime break.
Madisonville rattled the crossbar with a header off a throw early in the second frame, but Henderson County answered with sustained pressure that led to a pair of blocked goal-bound shots.
The Maroons began to re-establish control as the half wore on, with a header from close range saved by Colonel goalkeeper Carsen Emmick with 24:30 left.
Freshman midfielder Miles Pryor blasted in a 25-yard free kick off the bottom of the crossbar with just over seven minutes to play, but that was as close as Henderson could get.
Madisonville will host McCracken County on Monday in the first round of the state tournament. The teams tied 1-1 in a regular-season meeting on September 28, with Terry netting off an assist from Dodds to counter a goal by the Mustangs’ Julian Warfield.
