Jensen Finnegan got a hat trick, Knoxville took control early and defeated Perry to qualify for its 3rd State Tournament in program history as the Panthers downed the Bluejays on Thursday in a class 2A substate 4-1. Two early goals by Knoxville set the tone for the night as Finnegan off of Kaison Wilder got a tally barely a minute into the match, then Ezra Schmidt scored shortly after on a penalty kick. Perry would get within a goal just after halftime but slammed the door shut in the last 5:00 with two more Finnegan goals to close it out. Finnegan told KNIA/KRLS Sports he could not have had a hat trick without his teammates getting him the ball.

Finnegan: “Honestly I have to give the credit to my teammates, I was there for the shot, but they had to feed me the ball, so I get the credit, but my teammates deserve the credit as well.”

Coach Dylan Mick was proud of his guys and how they gutted out a physical match.

Mick: “They boys were up for it. I couldn’t be happier with the way they played, I mean Carson, then Drake, Max, and the rest of that back line then Ezra out there, just made life miserable for a very skilled Perry team.”

Knoxville is now 13–1-3 on the season and will travel to Gilbert to take on the #1 ranked Tigers. The two teams met in a sub state final last year with Gilbert winning. Hear the call on 95.3 KNIA Monday night.