The Salem Varsity Boys delivered an electrifying performance in Saturday’s doubleheader at Pinckneyville, walking away with two impressive victories.
In the opener, Salem dominated Pinckneyville in a commanding 3-0 shutout. Calen Veit-Tackitt ignited the offense with the first goal, finishing a great setup from his brother, Zeke Tackitt. Kayne Rhynes followed with a powerful run through the defense to extend the lead, and Veit-Tackitt struck again—this time off a precise assist from Grayson Sears—to seal the win. In goal, Caleb Dice was outstanding, turning away every opportunity to secure the clean sheet.
The momentum carried into the second match, where Salem battled to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Vienna. Zeke Tackitt opened the scoring with a spectacular goal, setting the tone early. Rylan Smith calmly converted a penalty kick to give Salem the lead, and from there, the team locked in defensively. Smith, Esteban Moreno, Kegan Williams, Ethan Petrillo, and Kade Morton anchored a resilient back line, holding strong in a physical contest. In the midfield, Zane Wesselmann, Zeke Tackitt, Kayne Rhynes, and Micah Rollins dictated the pace—breaking up attacks and generating scoring chances to help secure the sweep.
A complete team effort and a statement performance from Salem.
