DALTON, Ga. — Victor Rodriguez feels like he’s living a dream.

The Southeast Whitfield soccer star will lead the Raiders into action tonight (6:30) at home against Lakeside-DeKalb in the GHSA Class AAAA championship match. Southeast, which has lived in the shadow of neighbor soccer power Dalton for years, is making its first appearance in the title match.

Rodriguez and two teammates fulfilled an even bigger dream Wednesday by signing scholarship papers to play college soocer.

Rodriguez, Pedro Almazan and Jorge Gutierrez had a ceremony at the school. Rodriguez and Almazan will attend Young Harris (Ga.) College, while Gutierrez is going to Truett-McConnell in Cleveland, Ga. They are fruits of a program Southeast coach Jamison Griffin put together two years ago to help his Hispanic players continue their education.

“The program is called ‘More Than a Successful Season,’ where we get them ready to go to college,” Griffin said. “We want them to take the initiative for their futures. It means so much for them to see their teammates get scholarships. A lot of them come from tough backgrounds and it’s really difficult for them to get in to college. This way, they see it can be done.”

Rodriguez, a striker for the 18-2 Raiders, wasn’t sure which he was more excited about, the big match or his bright future.

“I’m really excited about both,” he said Thursday before the Raiders’ final practice. “We have the opportunity to be the best, and you don’t get that very often. Signing the scholarship makes all the hard work on the practice field and in the classroom worth it. All the guys (on the team) were excited for all of us. It shows if you keep up your schoolwork, it can happen. It’s been a good week.”

To make it a perfect week, the Raiders will have to find a way to score on the stingy Vikings (19-1-1), who have allowed just seven goals all season. Coach Rick Barb’s team relies heavily on defenders Arthur Roche, Ben Feldman, Jacob Newcomer and Stephen Drescher, along with keeper Nick Arrouqui. Furman University signees Mandu Ndaiye and Alec Kann are the team’s two best offensive players.

The Vikings, according to Griffin, play a similar game to several teams the Raiders have faced in the playoffs in recent seasons.

“They’re very athletic and they like to go very direct with long passes and a lot of high balls,” he said. “They will challenge us in the air. We’ve got to keep the ball on the ground, create some opportunities and finish them.”

Southeast counters with a deep team (26 players are listed on the roster) that Griffin uses to his advantage by keeping fresh players on the field. Rodriguez is the team’s best playmaker, but he gets plenty of help from such as Fernando Villasenor, Eduardo Guerrero, Sammy Torres, Luis Hernandez and Bernabee Rangel.

Griffin learned something this week that will mean more in the end than a state championship.

“I bet I’ve had 50 or so e-mails or calls from parents, players, fans and coaches from teams we’ve played this year telling me what great players and people we have at Southeast. Several coaches have told me they refused to give other teams film or scouting reports on us just because they were rooting for us. Believe me, that’s the best compliment you can get.”