Marco Radice-Morras is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Madison Highland Prep for AZPreps365.com

Madison Highland extended its unbeaten run to eight games as star forward Voss Sellers scored a dramatic last-minute winner in double overtime, with the Heat coming out as 2-1 winners versus The Gregory School on Thursday evening at Reach 11 Sports Complex.

Sellers’ late finish took his goal tally to 24 for the season, as he drove forward and fired a shot down the middle of the goal, which the Hawks goalkeeper arguably should have stopped.

“I was a bit surprised to see the ball go into the net, but it was a fantastic feeling to score and win the game,” Sellers said. 

However, the Hawks took the lead in the 12th minute from a corner kick, with captain Edan Winter delivering a dangerous out-swinging ball to the back post, which was headed in from close range by Ken Ngabo. 

The first half was cagey as neither team created many clear-cut chances until the 33rd minute. Seller’s through ball found Josiah Martinez, who slotted the ball beyond the Hawks goalkeeper into the bottom right corner to equalize shortly before halftime. 

The second half saw Madison Highland grow into the game as the Heat retained possession more effectively. Furthermore, the Heat constantly looked like a threat with their counterattack, something which Hawks coach Tim Milner highlighted.

“They were always a huge threat on the break as they had some players up top who were very fast and tricky on the ball,” Milner said.

The Heat continued to threaten as their attacking quartet – Noah Bethell, Josiah Martinez, Daniel Dominguez, and Voss Sellers – all linked up effectively, creating a series of opportunities, but to no avail. 

Despite Madison Highland having 11 shots in the second half, The Gregory School had the best chance of the half with six minutes remaining. Ngabo’s deflected shot led to a goalmouth scramble, which the Heat eventually cleared away to safety.  

Overtime saw both teams battle hard with few clear-cut opportunities presenting themselves. That was until the 19th minute of overtime, when Sellers clinched a vital victory for the Heat, who were ranked No. 4 in the state before the game.

The win highlighted a hard-fought performance as some players fell to their knees as the referee blew his whistle for the end of the game. Heat coach Curtis Watson was immensely proud of his team’s efforts.

“I'm very happy with the team.They worked solidly as a unit, and you can see it in their work ethic,” Watson said. 

Madison Highland (13-3-1, 1-2-1) will host top-ranked Red Rock (11-0, 5-0) on Oct. 17 at 6 p.m.

The Gregory School (10-5, 4-4) will host Patagonia (3-7, 1-5) on Tuesday at 3:45 p.m.