Liberty, Jerome, Davidson, New Albany win OHSAA Division I boys soccer district titles

Olentangy Liberty 2, Olentangy 0

Sophomore Brannon Spencer scored two goals to lead fourth-seeded Liberty past top-seeded Olentangy in a Division I district championship game Oct. 29 at Dublin Jerome.

The Patriots, who improved to 13-4-4, captured their first district title since 2019 and sixth overall.

“It (comes from) hard work at practice,” said Spencer, who has seven goals in the postseason. “That’s where you gain confidence. I was struggling with my club team. I probably had one goal ‒ tops ‒ all (last season). It’s just offseason training and getting the ball in the back of the net and working and working. That’s where it happens. You’ve got to see it go in.”

The Patriots will play Jerome in a regional semifinal Nov. 2 at Westerville Central.

Liberty emerged in a bracket with all four Olentangy programs. The Patriots defeated Orange 1-0 in a district semifinal Oct. 25, and the Braves beat Berlin 3-2 in a shootout that same night. The Patriots also lost to Orange (2-0 on Oct. 11) and Olentangy (1-0 on Oct. 13) in the last week of the regular season.

“It was our best game of the season,” Patriots coach Adam Gatton said. “It’s always nice to get to play a rival a second time after an end-of-the-season loss. It’s a little extra motivation. With all four Olentangy (teams) going in the same bracket, that’s enough motivation right there. I’m just so happy for these guys.”

On the first goal, Aidan Gordon found Spencer on the right post with 25 minutes, 2 seconds left in the first half.

Olentangy, which finished 14-2-3, had a couple of opportunities to tie it late in the first half. Anthony Barton and Luke Hanlon were stopped by diving saves from Liberty goalie Austin Bodem on back-to-back possessions in the 37th minute. Ean Encarnacion also forced Bodem to make a leaping save in the 48th minute.

Bodem replaced starting goalie A.J. Piela, who has been out during the second half of the season with a broken right leg.

The second goal came after Chris Howski passed through the middle and Spencer won a one-on-one with the goalie for his second goal with 10:33 remaining.

“It’s hard to be happy losing,” Braves coach Kyle Hamrick said. “One of the goals we set at the beginning of the season was winning a district title. Everything we’ve done up to this point has led us to this moment. We just didn’t get the ball in the net today. Kudos to Liberty and coach Gatton because that’s the best they’ve played all season. That’s what it took to beat us.”

—Michael Rich

Dublin Jerome 1, DeSales 0

Jackson Hospel scored on an assist from Bryce Zimmer with 8:25 remaining in the first half, and goalie Ethan Woyton turned away several scoring chances in the final 15 minutes as the third-seeded Celtics won their second consecutive district title.

“We knew DeSales had a chance to be our opponent,” Jerome coach Nate Maust said. “We had to get through some games, and we knew this was going to be a really tough game. The regional semifinal and regional final are going to be some of the toughest games we’ve played all year.”

Jerome will play Liberty in a regional semifinal Nov. 2 at Westerville Central, with the winner playing Hilliard Davidson or New Albany in a regional final Nov. 5 at Marysville.

Woyton finished with six saves. Devin Patel recorded three saves for the eighth-seeded Stallions, who finished 12-6-1.

“I thought we had a pretty decent first half,” DeSales coach Domenic Romanelli said. “The first half, they took one shot on goal and they scored. They caught us sleeping on the back side. Good finish on their part. We had opportunities early on and as a coach when those don’t go in, you start scratching your head. I have no emotions right now. Usually, I’m a guy that cries. I can’t because we left it on the field.”

Last season, Jerome lost to Centerville 3-1 in a state semifinal.

“Last season the team came in as underdogs in every game and as we played, it was one of those things where Jerome is here for the tournament,” Maust said. “They’re ready to go; they’re buying in. This group had a more successful season and we’re expected to be the team that moves on and wins, so it’s a battle. This team has responded well, and players have stepped up and made the big plays.”

—Frank DiRenna

Hilliard Davidson 1, Upper Arlington 0

The Wildcats turned back the Golden Bears for the second time this season to win their first district championship since 2015.

Davidson will play New Albany in a regional semifinal Nov. 2 at Hilliard Bradley.

“This title means a lot to the coaching staff and group,” Davidson coach Pat Billman said. “We have always preached this year wanting more, and we achieved that. ... This team is such a joy to be around. They are a resilient bunch.”

Colin Price scored with 8:27 left in the first half, and goalie Dylan Murlin finished with five saves to help lead the 10th-seeded Wildcats, who improved to 13-3-3, in the final played at Marysville.

“It’s an amazing feeling to get the win,” Davidson junior midfielder Wil Baker said. “We have faced so much adversity, but we believed in our core values and we got the job done.”

Fifth-seeded UA finished 11-3-5.

Davidson also defeated the Bears 1-0 on Oct. 11 on its way to earning the OCC-Central Division title.

—Frank DiRenna

New Albany 1, Pickerington North 0

Alex McNichols netted the only goal in the first half, and a stout defensive effort made it stand as the second-seeded Eagles edged the sixth-seeded Panthers at Whitehall.

Kyle Lapper made two saves for New Albany, which improved to 13-1-3 and will play Davidson in a regional semifinal Nov. 2 at Bradley. The Eagles, who recorded their seventh shutout of the season, won their third consecutive district title and fourth in seven seasons.

Sam Scorziell made five saves for North, which finished 15-4-2 and fell short of its first district championship since 2020 and third overall.

—Dave Purpura

Division II

Bexley 3, Granville 2

James McCann scored the decisive goal with 15:22 left in the second half off an assist from Ethan Nguyen as the top-seeded Lions defeated second-seeded Granville at Worthington Christian Middle School.

Bexley (15-3-1) advanced to play Gallipolis Gallia Academy in a regional semifinal Nov. 2 at Logan.

The district championship is the first for Bexley since winning back-to-back titles in 2018-19. The Lions defeated Granville 1-0 on Sept. 20 and lost 1-0 to the Blue Aces last fall in a district semifinal.

“We struggled and did not play our best game, at times playing frantic and a little bit scared,” Bexley coach Jason Goggins said. “We were struggling to communicate and to find open spots.

“We were down 1-0 at half, and I challenged the players if they were ready to end the season. We moved Michael Brenner from forward to a tracking midfielder, and we let John Westman run the top. That seemed to help us, and everyone played together in the second half.”

Brenner and Westman also scored for the Lions, and goalie Drew Martin had 10 saves. Jake King and Jackson Terry scored for the Aces, who finished 11-5-2.

—Scott Hennen

Columbus Academy 5, Bloom-Carroll 4

Charlie Tuckerman scored four goals in leading the fifth-seeded Vikings past the fourth-seeded Bulldogs at Westerville Central.

The Vikings, who last won a district title in 2020, improved to 12-5. Bloom-Carroll finished 12-6-2.

Academy will play Dayton Oakwood in a regional semifinal Nov. 2 at Bellbrook.

—Frank DiRenna

Division III

Grandview Heights 8, Grove City Christian 1

Gunnar Szynal scored two goals as the second-seeded Bobcats won their ninth consecutive district championship with ease against the fourth-seeded Eagles at Westerville North.

The Bobcats (11-7-1) will play Worthington Christian in a regional semifinal Nov. 2 at DeSales.

“Winning nine in a row is something that’s really special,” Grandview coach James Gerdes said. “It’s become something every year that the group of seniors don’t want to break the streak. It’s an incentive for the boys to step up to. It’s great for the continuity of the squad to have that.”

Jayden Brown, Danny Claypool and Graham Nelson all recorded one goal and one assist for the defending state champions, and Blake Fisher, Sev Mahdasian and Leo Marcellana all scored once. Beck James, Teddy Murphy and Blake Yates all had one assist, and goalies Beck Bockbrader and Ryan Livingston-Sanders both recorded one save.

Goalie Luke McCoy had nine saves for the Eagles (14-4-2).

—Scott Hennen

Worthington Christian 3, Berlin Hiland 1

With a victory over the sixth-seeded Hawks at New Albany, the top-seeded Warriors captured their second consecutive district title and 10th in coach Dan Roads' 15 seasons.

Worthington Christian improved to 13-5-2 and will play Grandview in a regional semifinal. Hiland finished 13-7.

Matthew Yoder scored early in the first half to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead, and Baden Wood made it 2-0 early in the second half. Sammy Owusu-Sarfo completed the Warriors' scoring with 10:44 remaining.

“Once we scored that first goal, we kind of took control of the game and were able to score a couple more goals,” Yoder said. “We play Grandview in our next game, so we’re excited for that.”

—Jarrod Ulrey

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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Liberty, Jerome, Davidson, New Albany win district in boys soccer