JEFFERSONVILLE - It’s a longstanding rivalry and though they inhabit different classes and will never play each other in the postseason, Sullivan West and Eldred have had some fierce set to’s over the years.

Both teams have had their halcyon days and each has reached the holy grail of a Section IX title. While Sullivan West has just one such crown in girls soccer, Eldred has a cluster of them, and even reached the state semifinals before losing to eventual champion Wheatland-Chili. Eldred is in Class D and there are fewer teams in that array in Section 9 and indeed across the state than are in Class C, the framework that Sullivan West competes in. In head-to-head battles, the teams have taken turns over the years in evincing their relative superiority over the other.

It’s a new year, and Eldred, comprised of a number of players who will most likely demonstrate their prowess on the softball diamond this spring, is being coached by a former Lady Yellowjacket standout, none other than Jordan Lepes. Sullivan West is a team looking to have its best season in recent years. Coach Anthony Durkin, assisted by Mike Ellmauer (now retired) and Samantha Scott, has a nucleus of tough, skilled players. On the growth continuum, they are further along than their neighboring rivals this year.

Conditioning would factor into Sullivan West’s 5-2 victory, a come-from-behind one at that, as they trailed 1-0 early on a goal by Bryn Greenfield just 13:07 into the game.

Four minutes later, Sullivan West senior Grace Boyd angled a corner kick into the net to tie the game at one apiece. As the first half wound down, sophomore Violla Shami took a rebound off the crossbar and banked it home.

The Westies led 2-1 at the break. For her part, Lepes continuously urged her team to get to the 50/50 balls much quicker. “They’re beating you to every ball,” she called. Even by the end of the first half, Eldred players were showing signs of fatigue.

With 31:38 to go in the game, Boyd struck again on an unassisted goal. Eldred closed the gap with a strike off a corner kick deftly sent across by Jailyn Labuda and punched in by Annie Davis. It was now 3-2. The teams battled hard in the midfield in a game that was becoming increasingly physical, as Eldred-SW games are often wont to do.

A one-goal lead is dramatic, as thoughts of a late tie and possible overtime began to suggest themselves, but that bubble burst with Shami’s second goal of the day. It was a high arcing ball that sailed over the head of Eldred keeper Lily Gonzalez and came to reside in the left-hand corner of the net, making it 4-2.

The clock now read 13:11 to go, and for the second time in a week, Shami got the hat trick, with just 40 seconds remaining in the game to ice the 5-2 non-league victory.

With Sullivan West starting keeper Riley Ernst not in attendance, Abby Parucki took up the mantle and notched five saves on the day. Gonzalez had five saves as well. Sullivan West had 33 shots, of which, 19 were on goal. They marshaled seven corner kicks. Eldred, often driven back into their own defensive third, had only ten shots with seven on goal. They also had seven corner kicks. Eldred has tied Chester 3-3 in their game under Lepes’ watch. This loss moved their record to 0-1-1.

Sullivan West improved to 5-1 (1-1 league). Coach Durkin was pleased wth the outcome. “We started off a bit rough, but it was good to come from behind. We played much better as the game went along.” Sullivan West traveled to Chester for a non-league game while Eldred prepared to head to Tri-Valley for another non-league clash.

Besides Eldred, there is only Chapel Field in other Class D teams in Section 9 this year. Eldred will likely be the Section 9 Class D champion. Sullivan West will no doubt make it to Sectionals where they aspire to repeat their 2016 triumph and take home a Class C crown.