September 17, 2020 – 7:00pm
By Perry Swack – ST Reporter
Undefeated rivals set to face off in an early rematch of last season’s region title
game
The last four 14 th District and 4 th Region championships have been won by either South Warren
or Warren Central. In 2016 and 2018, the Spartans took home the titles, while in 2017 and 2019,
the Dragons wore the crown. However, last season was the first time the two stalwarts faced off
with the region championship on the line. The Dragons – of course – won the game, knocking
off the Spartans 2-1. Both teams return a plethora of talent in 2020. The condensed schedule will
give all squads across the state of Kentucky less time to figure out their best rotations. However,
if history is to repeat itself, we can expect to see at least one of these teams back on top of the 4 th
Region next month.
2019 Meetings
The Dragons dropped both regular season matches with the Spartans, before knocking off South
in both the 14 th District and 4 th Region finales.
October 17, 2019 – Warren Central 2, South Warren 1 (4 th Region Championship)
October 9, 2019 – Warren Central 2 @ South Warren 0 (14 th District Championship)
September 14, 2019 – South Warren 3 @ Warren Central 2
September 12, 2019 – Warren Central 0 @ South Warren 1
Players to Watch
For Warren Central, senior forward Ahmed Delic is always a threat to score when he has the
ball. After leading the Dragons in 2019 with 26 goals and 15 assists, the talisman has tallied only
one goal and one assist through the season’s first three games. Senior defender Kenan Gagulic
also is a player to watch as he leads the vaunted backline for the Dragons. He was named to the
All-Region Tournament Team year ago, and he has scored two goals in the early going of 2020.
South Warren features nine seniors on its roster this season, most notably forward Eldin Velic
and midfielder Anthony Cano. Velic racked up 28 goals in 2019, while Cano assisted on 22
goals to lead the Spartans. Junior forward Kiram Mujic is also a player to keep an eye on after
scoring 19 goals himself a season ago.
Preview and Prediction
The latest Maher Rankings have Warren Central at #7 in the state of Kentucky with South
Warren right behind them at #12. South Warren has yet to concede in two matches, matching 3-0
victories over both North Hardin and #39 Greenwood. Central has faced arguably a slightly
tougher schedule, defeating #34 Lafayette (2-1), Greenwood (1-0), and district foe Warren East
(6-0). The Dragons are at home for the first time all season and will look to kick off their home
campaign with a win over their biggest rival. South hopes to come into Central’s home and steal
a win, just as it did a season ago.
I expect an extremely tight match Thursday night. In a back-and-forth affair, I think the full 80
minutes won’t be enough. After full-time, the score will be tied 1-1. However, thanks to a district
rule implemented about 5-6 years ago, every district game must decide a winner (for district
tournament seeding purposes). Therefore, I think Central will knock off South 4-2 in penalty
kicks to take the first meeting between the class of the 4 th Region.
