MaxPreps Soccer Tour of Champions celebrates Brandon High School

The 13th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard passed through Mississippi on Tuesday, Apr. 24 to honor Brandon (Miss.) High School and its girls soccer team for winning a state championship and earning a high national ranking.

Having upended Northwest Rankin 1-0 in the MHSAA Class 6A state championship contest, the 18-2-3 Bulldogs claimed Brandon's first girls state soccer championship since 2012, the school's second girls state soccer title overall and earned the No. 12 ranking in MaxPreps' National Rankings.

MaxPreps and the Mississippi Army National Guard joined forces in celebrating Brandon girls soccer's many accomplishments of 2017-18. MaxPreps representative Ray Dungee recapped the Bulldog state championship season to get the ball rolling. Then, after mentioning that Brandon is just one of 10 girls soccer programs from around the country to receive an invitation to the Tour of Champions, Dungee concluded his portion of the presentation by telling the Bulldogs that they are ranked No. 12 in MaxPreps' National Rankings out of thousands of girls soccer teams nationally.

Staff Sergeant Joshua Seymour of the Mississippi Army National Guard then spoke briefly about commitment to a cause, dedication, teamwork and the pursuit of excellence, all shared character traits of a state championship soccer team and the Army National Guard. The Brandon student body was completely captivated as SSG Seymour presented the Army National Guard national ranking trophy to head coach Jeremy Shortt.

Along with the trophy, which consists of a Minuteman statue and symbolizes the above character traits, Shortt and the Bulldogs received a nationally ranked rafter banner to commemorate their state championship and top 15 national ranking.

For Shortt, the national recognition and national ranking trophy are the perfect ending to a perfect season. He said that hard work beats talent any day, and that this team, while perhaps not the most talented team he has coached, worked the hardest and came together as a family to win the state title.

Congratulations Bulldogs on becoming the best girls soccer team in Mississippi and for earning a No. 12 national ranking! Click here to view the Brandon TOC photo gallery and for more information about the Soccer TOC, please visit the MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.