MONTGOMERY — It took only nine minutes and change for Cole Gerding to make his presence felt Tuesday at the Emory Folmar YMCA Soccer Complex.

The soon-to-be Cullman senior midfielder had not possessed the ball more than a couple of seconds before having a scoring opportunity fall right into his lap in the early moments of the North-South All-Star Soccer Game.

As soon as Gerding found his footing, he let loose a long kick that snuck in the right side of the net, just outside the outstretched hands of the South’s goalkeeper.

The fine goal jumpstarted the North en route to an easy 4-2 victory that improved the team’s overall mark against the South to 11-4-1.

For Gerding, it couldn’t have been any sweeter.

“It was nice to score,” said Gerding, who played in chunks during the contest. “I thought I had some pretty good space, so I let it rip. I’m glad it went in. Overall, it was a cool experience for me. I made some friends and got some prep in for next season.”

St. Bernard’s Benjamin Borths (defender) also participated for the North squad, which was coached by Cullman’s own Casey Harbin. Although the former failed to score, he valued his time ‑- about 40 total minutes -‑ on the pitch with some of the finest players in the state.

“It was an honor just to be on this team,” Borths said. “Cole and Casey are both great people. The atmosphere was out of this world. It was also nice to get the win. It was a good win. We really worked hard the past two days and had fun tonight.”

Benjamin Russell’s Cole Grogan tied the match six minutes after Gerding’s goal, but Tanner’s Jose Medina (two) and Oak Mountain’s Kennedy Davis (one) added pivotal scores down the stretch to extend the North’s lead.

St. Paul’s Noah Harrelson rounded out the scoring for the South with a late goal.

For Harbin, the unique experience of coaching some of the strongest talent inside Alabama — especially for a soccer fiend like himself — was certainly a nice way to spend a weekday.

“It’s eye-opening,” Harbin said. “When you have talent like that, it’s incredible what you can do when you combine it all together. I was impressed with their chemistry. We only had one 90-minute practice session. It was enjoyable being their coach. A real honor for me.”

The last time both Harbin and Gerding were on the same pitch together, the Bearcats took home the Class 6A state title with a 2-1 overtime win against Daphne.

This time around? Much easier on the nerves.

“Way less pressure-packed,” Gerding said with a smile. “Glad we won this one, too, though.”

Harbin was, admittedly, less concerned with the result but did add “Of course, I want the win. I always want to win.”

Instead, he chose to soak up the moment and look closely on his two local standouts.

He walked away — as he knew he would — pleased.

“I thought they both played great,” Harbin said. “Ben was impressive, especially coming from a small school, coming out here and playing with confidence and out of position. Cole was Cole. He’s everything you want in a soccer player. I won’t say I expected that goal, but I’m not surprised it happened.”