Take a bow, Chino Valley, Round Valley and the boys and girls soccer teams of Blue Ridge.

There is nothing small about what those small schools accomplished Saturday at Campo Verde High in Gilbert Saturday afternoon. Division V, the smallest high school soccer division in Arizona, put on shows to remember during the division’s annual state championships games.

First class goals. Final minute drama. Fine defensive performances.

The championships for the girls and boys had it all except encores. We’ll have to wait until next season for that.

The Blue Ridge boys and Round Valley girls lost but did so to programs building dynasties. It took Blue Ridge and Hannah Flodin nearly 71 minutes to finally find an opening in Round Valley’s stifling defense, and they didn’t waste the best scoring opportunity of the game.

It was a different story on the boys side. Blue Ridge’s all-out attack launched a couple of jaw dropping, long range screamers to build a 3-1 first half lead.

But a final second goal in the first half and a second yellow card to the same player changed the complexion of the match in favor of Chino Valley, which rallied to win 4-3.     

The victories allowed Blue Ridge’s girls to four-peat and Chino Valley to three-peat, but their opponents made them earn their latest title belts. Flodin had somebody, mostly Kamee Bell, on her hip throughout Saturday’s match.

But she got free just in time to knock in a pass from Camie Edgington after a corner kick by Sydney Crain with 9:08 remaining in the match.

(Blue Ridge's Hannah Flodin)

“It was probably the most frustrating thing (being man-marked) I’ve ever experienced,” said Flodin, who scored a state high 43 goals this season. “She did it the last game, but I just didn’t let her get in my head.”

Round Valley lost only three games this year, but they were all to Blue Ridge.

Blue Ridge’s defense was just as stingy, as none of Round Valley’s eight shots really threatened to go in. But this was the best match Round Valley played all year, according to their coach.   

“We don’t have any superstars, but we are an excellent team,” Round Valley coach Byrce Burnham said. “We just played beautifully all year.”

The shutout was Blue Ridge’s 13^th of the season, allowing Blue Ridge to complete the program’s first ever undefeated season (23-0).    

“At the end I think it was our fitness and our drive and everything we’ve worked for that pushed us through,” Flodin said.

Despite the two goal first half deficit, Chino Valley actually got off to a good start, scoring before Sasha Hunter, the play-by-play broadcaster for Saturday’s game, finished reading off the starting lineups.

The Man of the Match for Chino Valley, Arturo Gomez, crossed a pass to Jordan Sanchez for the first goal of the game. But from then until 19 seconds remained in the first half, Blue Ridge’s fast paced attack dictated the tempo.

In the 19th minute, Blue Ridge got on the board when midfielder Alberto Marquez connected with Leef Brosemann on the left flank. Brosemann’s then centered a pass to Hunter Linne, who took care of the rest.

Then the fireworks really started for Blue Ridge. The first blast came in the 22^nd minute when defender Ken Forsyth unleashed a rocket from about 35-yards that curled out and then tucked itself just inside the upper left corner of the net.  

One of today's first class goals from Blue Ridge. Chandler coach Sasha Hunter on the call. pic.twitter.com/exilQKipZa

— Jose E. Garcia (@AZPreps365Jose) November 8, 2015

It was only the second goal of the year for Forsyth, which is surprising since his right foot is lethal. Blue Ridge wasn’t done wowing the crowd, however.

About seven minutes later, Marquez stepped back and ripped a free kick from 30 yards that bounced once and then in, setting off another wild celebration by Blue Ridge.

“Those were some of the most beautiful goals that we have scored all year and maybe ever,” Blue Ridge’s fifth-year coach Bryon Crain said. “They were gorgeous.”

But Chino Valley wrinkled up any plans Crain’s boys had of strutting into halftime drenched in momentum.

Gomez, a junior forward, had a hand in every goal Saturday and delivered his most important pass in the first half for Chino Valley with just less than 30 seconds remaining. Elijah Desmond found some room on the left side after receiving Gomez’s pass, which split defenders. Desmond ended his run by crossing to Brian Skinner, who tapped it in.

The next big moment in the match came when Blue Ridge’s starting goalkeeper picked up his second yellow when left flank speedster Tyran Payne was taken down inside the box. That forced Blue Ridge to remove a field player and insert backup goalie Jameson Shaffrey.

About the only thing that Gomez didn’t execute well was the ensuing penalty kick, which Shaffrey easily picked up. But nearly four minutes later Gomez atoned for the weak attempt by scoring off an assist from Skinner to tie it at 3-3. But that’s as close as Chino Valley would get to sniffing another goal for almost the next 30 minutes.

During that timespan, undermanned Blue Ridge held Chino Valley to just four shots.

Marquez, Alejandro Marquez and Broseman and their teammates did all they could to keep Chino Valley from scoring. But Gomez struck a final time after Chino Valley's Fabian Gomez lofted a long pass that Chaffrey wanted to either catch or punch out.

But the ball landed, leaving Gomez with an open net with 6:44 remaining in the match.

“This team is all about brotherhood and family, and we never give up on each other,” Gomez said. “We do have our arguments, but we stick through it and won state again.”

This was the third consecutive year that Chino Valley defeated Blue Ridge in the small school final.

Prior to Chino Valley’s three-year run, Blue Ridge had won four consecutive state championships. Since 1999, Blue Ridge or Chino Valley have won every small school title except for three.

“It’s been three years in a row, us versus them (Blue Ridge),” Crain said. “Maybe we’ll see them again next year.”

And if you do, we hope you play another entertaining, back-and-forth match.