Tanner’s attempt to win back-to-back Class 1A-3A state championships ended on Wednesday.

The No. 4 Rattlers fell behind quickly against third-ranked Westminster-Oak Mountain and never got back on track in a 4-1 semifinal loss at John Hunt Park in Huntsville.

The Knights (18-4-4) scored their first goal at the 3:21 mark of the first half and added another a little more than 12 minutes into the match. Westminster claimed its third goal off a corner kick just before halftime.

Tanner trailed 4-0 late before Justin Moreno’s goal via a penalty kick broke up the shutout.

Despite the tough loss, the Rattlers still put together a quality campaign on the pitch — finishing with an 18-6-1 record. They also won their regular-season area title.

“I’m very proud of this senior group (Oliver Gonzalez, Christiam Vicente, Steven Lopez and Christian Cruz),” Tanner coach Matt Smith said. “They led us back to the Final Four and we will truly miss all four of them. Our three leading scorers (Randy Cortes, Justin Moreno and Cade Dorning) all return next year — as do Carlos Lagunas and Irvin Diaz in our midfield.

“We have a great core coming back and look forward to making a run again next season. We will need production from our main subs (Jonathan Leon, Alex Martinez and Kevin Gutierrez), and we also return two defenders in Rey Leon and Osbaldo Vallarta — both juniors this season.

“We just have to grind some more and put it all together again next season, but I love all my boys and am very proud of them all.”