Falcon Fest Invitational Soccer Tournament to give pre-season action

HUNTSVILLE – These dull days of winter will energize when state-ranked teams take to the fields in the Falcon Fest Invitational Soccer Tournament.

St. John Paul II Catholic High School or JPII, in partnership with Huntsville Sports Commission, is hosting the annual Falcon Fest Soccer Tournament on Feb. 18-19. Games on Feb. 18 are scheduled from noon until 9 p.m.; on Feb. 19, the soccer action will start at 8 a.m. and end at 8 p.m.

The turf fields at Merrimack Soccer Complex will be the site for all games in the tournament. The complex’s address is 3501 Triana Blvd. in Huntsville. For more information, call 256-883-3903 or visit huntsvillefc.org/HFC.

In addition, a beverage truck and two food trucks will be open at the tournament site.

Fans attending the Falcon Fest will have the opportunity to watch some of the best pre-season soccer action in the state, according to tournament organizer Sam Bennett. Bennett works as JPII’s Head Coach.

“The tournament will showcase 12 varsity teams ranked in the top 15 in their class and 10 teams ranked in their class’ top 10. With 31 teams (boys and girls) competing at the varsity and junior varsity levels, the weekend will be action-packed,” Bennett said.

“This tournament is going to be a very high-energy, highly competitive event. Multiple teams taking the field on Friday and Saturday have stellar programs. This event will test these athletes’ skills,” Bennett said.

The girls’ varsity brackets will include many local teams, including Randolph School and Madison County, Bob Jones, Grissom, Sparkman and Florence high schools. The boys’ bracket will feature teams from Buckhorn, Shelby County, Helena and Sparkman high schools.

The trophy ceremonies will immediately follow the championship games at each level. Officials with JPII and Huntsville Sports Commission will present the awards.

Tickets cost $10 for one day or $15 for the weekend. To purchase tickets online, visit jp2falcons.org and click the “Athletics” dropdown menu. Then, click the “Tickets” dropdown menu and scroll to the Falcon Fest one-day or weekend tickets.

St. John Paul II Catholic High School’s address 7301 Old Madison Pike NW in Huntsville. For more information, call 256-430-1760, ext. 150, or visit jp2falcons.org.