Sumter High's Birchfield facilitates offense on way to Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week

The Sumter High boys soccer team finished the regular season with its best stretch of play this spring, going 4-1 during the last two weeks. Their lone loss was to Blythewood, who lost just one game all year back in February. During that stretch, the Gamecocks have poured in 23 goals in regulation. In the middle of all that scoring is sophomore forward Jacob Birchfield.

The sophomore chipped in on four goals during a week of games against East Clarendon, Lower Richland and Blythewood, dishing out three assists while finding the back of the net once. He followed that up with another assist against Ridge View on Tuesday while also connecting on a penalty kick as SHS pulled out a critical region victory. When the Gamecocks closed their regular season on Thursday, Birchfield added another dime to the ledger as SHS fought to keep their playoff hopes alive. His performance earned him recognition as the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week.

"It means a lot to me," Birchfield said of the support of the Sumter High community. "It's just incredible to be in this situation and have this opportunity. It's incredible to be able to wear this badge and come to this school and have the teammates and coaches that I have."

Sumter High head coach Travis Disher has been impressed by the way Birchfield continues to step up to keep the Gamecock offense in rhythm.

"Jacob just sees the field really well; he just sees these runs people are making," Disher said. "Another part of it is that he wants to see his teammates do well. It's not just that he wants to do well, he wants the team to do well, so he'll play that extra pass or play that extra ball over. The way he sees the field, he sees those runs and he's willing to play that ball and he has the skill and ability to play that ball, which is why he's getting so many assists. He's put it all together."

After a cold stretch in the middle of the season that left the Gamecocks on the wrong side of a few close games, Birchfield and his teammates wanted to make sure they could end the regular season on the right foot as they jockey for playoff positioning.

"We tried to come together and compete at our best and just kind of challenge each other to be the best that we can," Birchfield said of the team's mindset during this homestretch. "Especially at practice, just trying to stay focused and work together and be mentally and physically challenged by our coach. We're trying to go into games with a need to win this, and we've tried to stay focused and tried to have that mindset to win throughout the game."

The SHS offense has really clicked during the last two weeks of the regular season, which Birchfield credits to their team chemistry.

"Being able to play with these guys means a lot to me. We've been connecting throughout the season, and it really helps us come into these games focused with a mindset of winning," he said. "We've connected through every part of the field, and we've seen the results in our games."

Sumter High's two-week run started with blowout wins against smaller programs, beating East Clarendon 6-0 and Lower Richland 8-0. Sometimes you just need to see the ball find the back of the net to prove that you can keep doing it. That's been the case for the Gamecocks during the last two weeks.

"That confidence booster is just amazing," Birchfield said.

The most chaotic game of the stretch was a big win over Ridge View on Tuesday in penalty kicks. The Gamecocks jumped ahead 2-0 but let Ridge View back into the game, forcing overtime. After both teams got out to a hot start in PKs, Birchfield was one of four Gamecocks to connect on his attempt to win the shootout 4-2 after regulation ended in a 3-3 tie.

"We came out in the first half, and we showed that we knew what we were doing. We dominated the first half, then got some unlucky goals (against us), but we didn't give up," Birchfield said. "We stayed together, and we were able to come away with the win."

Sumter High's lone loss in the stretch was almost as impressive as each of the wins. They were able to hold a Blythewood team that has been unstoppable this season to just one goal. It was an excellent sign of their growth this spring.

"Blythewood is a very great team, and we came in knowing it would be a crucial match and they would be working us the entire game," Birchfield said. "We knew we needed to be physical and mentally ready for this game. We lost 1-0, but we definitely gave it our full effort. Playing against one of the best teams in the state means a lot to us, especially keeping them at 1-0 is incredible."

Sumter High has been on the brink of a run like this throughout the spring. Just before the win over East Clarendon, SHS had a tough 3-2 loss to Lugoff-Elgin and a 1-0 loss to West Florence in back-to-back games. Finding ways to flip those games would've done wonders for their standing in the region. They had a similar loss in PKs to West Florence earlier in the season. Now, they're learning how to win those tight games.

"We've had a bunch of close games this season where one little mistake will cause us to lose a game. We've been playing well, but now towards the end of the season, we're playing good and figuring out how to actually win these games," Disher said. "As the season goes on, the team is starting to play more together and more connected. They know their roles, know what they're supposed to do and playing as a team. They've really glued together as a team here at the end, and it's looked really good."

As the Gamecocks wait to see if they have a spot in the SCHSL 5A-DI postseason - which should be finalized this weekend - Birchfield is proud of the way he grew with his teammates this spring.

"It's been so important, especially working with my teammates and trying to create a bigger bond with each other," Birchfield said. "I'm just glad we were able to improve throughout the season, especially with our coach mentally and physically challenging us. It's just been a great experience throughout the season."