Southside-Gadsden senior Camren Thompson absorbed a tackle and crashed to the ground just inside the box late in the first half of Saturday’s Class 6A championship game against Spanish Fort.

As he grabbed his lower leg in apparent agony, officials called a foul.

As the teams lined up for the ensuing penalty kick, it was apparent that Thompson – a UAB signee who scored in a hat trick in each of the Panthers’ four previous playoff wins – couldn’t take it.

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Southside sophomore Cooper Yancey stepped forward and calmly drilled the penalty kick for a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute.

“Cooper Yancey is a phenomenal PK shooter,” Southside coach Randy Vice said. “Camren creates so many opportunities for us.”

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Southside (22-5-1) added a game-clinching goal with about six minutes remaining and earned the school’s first state soccer title with Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Spanish Fort (20-4-4), coached by Jason Bauer, at John Hunt Park in Huntsville.

“After 37 years of coaching, this means everything,” Vice said. “It is a blessing and privilege to coach these young men.”

Thompson, who scored all three goals in Thursday’s 3-2 overtime victory over Gardendale, was named the tournament MVP. “Camren Thompson is probably the best player in the state,” Vice said, “and one of the best players in the nation.”

Spanish Fort, which defeated Southside 4-1 earlier this season, fell one victory shy of winning its first state title.