'Every game, we've grown': Depth, versatility fuel unbeaten Olentangy boys soccer
To say the Olentangy boys soccer team’s best-laid plans were disrupted early this season is true, but does not tell the story that followed.
The Braves lost their top scorer from a year ago to injury before their first game. Their veteran goalie, who is a Division I college commit, was hurt during the third game and, despite playing the rest of that night, has not returned.
Still, Olentangy is 10-0-2 through 12 games and ranked fifth in this week’s Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association Division I state poll thanks to a factor coach Kyle Hamrick said was lacking a season ago, when the Braves were undefeated until their last regular-season game and lost to Olentangy Liberty in a district final.
“We weren’t deep,” Hamrick said. “With the depth we have and the pieces we added this year, we’ve been able to put it together and at times eke out a close match against a quality opponent.”
Perhaps at no time was that more evident than a game Olentangy did not win.
Trailing Olentangy Berlin 3-1 late on Sept. 14, junior defender Brayden Moore scored twice off set pieces in the final 92 seconds to salvage a 3-3 tie in the OCC-Cardinal opener for both teams. It was a gut check unlike any the Braves have experienced in a season in which they have won five games by two or more goals, but it also was the latest demonstration of their versatility.
Christos Zenios’ six goals and five assists lead four players with 10 or more points. Sawyer Wilbanks has two goals with a team-best 10 assists, and Lucas Brinkman and Brenden Eby have five goals.
Three more players had three goals each, helping to make up for the loss of senior forward Luke Hanlon, whose 18 goals and 12 assists a season ago earned him first-team all-state honors. Hanlon returned for the season’s sixth game, a 6-0 win at Whitehall on Aug. 31, and has seen his playing time increase steadily since.
“I figured I’d be up there as a target player getting some scrappy goals,” said Zenios, a senior forward and first-year varsity player. “That’s my role, to finish some chances. (On) a lot of goals, I’ve played it out to my teammate, get in the box and they play it back through and I can get a tap-in or be in good position.
“As a team, we all had to do our role and step up.”
Senior John Hargett stepped into goal when classmate Liam McClen, a North Carolina-Greensboro commit, was hurt in a 2-2 tie against DeSales on Aug. 22. Hargett’s 6-foot-5 frame gives him a view beyond the defense and up the field.
“My distribution has gotten a lot better,” Hargett said. “I’m mobile. My height gives me some possibilities for more saves. I had to get up (for saves) 10 times against Liberty (in a 2-1 win Sept. 7) and it worked out.”
Parker Johnston, Matt Manivilovski, Moore and Keegan White anchor the defense.
“From the defensive line to the midfield, the midfield to the attack, we’ve come together and we’re more fluid,” said White, a senior and three-year starter. “We’ve been able to shift better together, which has allowed us to cover better, which has led to (fewer) shots and then we get more possession and that translates to more success up front. Every game, we’ve grown. You see different things coming out of each player.”
For all of its recent success — Olentangy is 63-27-14 since Hamrick’s arrival in 2018 — the Braves are seeking their first district championship since 2006 and only the program’s second. They have never advanced to state.
“We’ve put together some quality opportunities and seen glimpses of high-quality play against some really good teams. It’s been cool,” Hamrick said. “We know we’re not peaking yet, and that’s exciting too.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Here's how Olentangy's boys soccer squad has stayed unbeaten
