For most teams at any level, a core group of key players can only last for so long.
    Club soccer is a bit different as many players can stay on the same deam for upwards of a decade. That was the case for Tormenta FC’s U18 youth program. For years, the team worked to build itself into a formidable power and all of the effort paid off last week as the side claimed a state championship at the Georgia State Cup.
    The Georgia State Cup is the ultimate destination for youth club teams throughout the state. Tormenta advanced through early group rounds to advance to the semifinals and finals, held last weekend at the Lovejoy Soccer Complex in metro Atlanta.
    Tormenta topped UFA Forsyth by a 3-1 count in its opening match before outlasting the Alpharetta Ambush 2-1 to claim its first championship.
    Last season, the club made it to the championship game when the tournament was hosted in Statesboro, falling just short in the final. Settling some unfinished business made things even better this time around.
    “We worked hard and were disappointed last year,” team captain Payne Van Tassell said. “It left a bitter taste in our mouths, but that also made this year that much sweeter.”
    In the final, Tormenta received goals from Trevor Blitchington and Jesus Morales to put them over the top.
    The squad has put up great results over the last few seasons, but the advancing age of team members threatens to break things up as the end of high school - and a possible end to club play — is in the near future.
    So while the promise of another run to the Georgia State Cup was anticipated throuhout the spring, the urgency to capatilize on a trip to the finals was as high as it had ever been.
    “It was awesome to win this for our (high school) seniors,” Van Tassell said. “Guys like Jack Rittmeyer and David Jackson have become brothers to all of us over the years.”
    And while last weekend’s win was a monumental accomplishment for the club, it could easily have even farther reaching implictaions.
    For as long as the Georgia State Cup has existed, it has been almost exclusively an all-Atlanta affair. State Cup playoffs and finals have been held in Statesboro and Columbus throughout the seasons, but the final four teams making it to the last weekend have nearly always featured exclusively metro-Atlanta squads.
    Tormenta’s appearance in the state final last year was an extreme departure from the norm and last week’s win made them the first club based outside of the metro area to stake its claim as best in the state.
    “This was an important win” Van Tassell said. “We already have some guys getting scouted for the next level, but with this win, it will just shed more light on the soccer culture we have in South Georgia.”
    Tormenta’s U18 squad will now keep its season going, advancing to its quadrant of the national tournament to be contested in North Carolina.