The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Bulldogs’ lofty goals still within reach
The Olmsted Falls boys soccer team is not undefeated, but it still can accomplish many of its season goals, including making the final four. Plus, the boys and girls Top of the Crop.
The Olmsted Falls boys team has had five goals written on a white board since June 1 in front of its training sessions every day, 5. Go undefeated 4. Southwestern Conference title 3. District title 2. Regional title 1. Final four The undefeated mark went out the window after a 1-0 loss to Westlake on Aug. 26, Olmsted Falls’ (15-1-0) only loss of the year. But the Bulldogs have captured the SWC title for the second straight year and everything else is still on the table. After it earned the No. 1 seed in the Division I Elyria district, it might be the best team coach James Walchanowicz, in his 24th season, has ever had.
“I’m pretty pleased with how this season has gone,” Walchanowicz said. “The boys have worked hard and we’ve played against quality teams. To get the record we have is a great achievement. And it’s a great honor to get the No. 1 seed in the district and it’s very, very competitive.”
Senior forward Kevin Lemin, a Gannon commit, has led the way offensively with 24 goals and seven assists, and junior midfielder Rylan Wikle finished with 24 points. Senior fullback Ryan Kolonick and junior midfielder Chase Fernkorn are two of the best in the area, and goalkeeper Shelby Edwards has 40 saves and 14 shutouts. Giving up only two goals all year, the completeness of the Bulldogs is something to behold.
“Kevin has stepped up as a leader on this team,” Walchanowicz said. “Kevin is a very quiet kid and humble. But this year we’ve had a couple players that we’ve been missing here and
there, and he’s stepped up. He took it upon himself to become a team leader and he’s worked on his defensive side of the ball, too.”
Last year, the Bulldogs won the district title before losing in a regional semifinal to Medina, 4-0. But there’s a general sense around the team that the 2017 Bulldogs are better equipped to go further.
“I think this year there is a sense of togetherness,” Walchanowicz said. “It was there last year, but this year they really worked hard for each other. They don’t care who scores or who starts. They have a goal in sight and they clearly want to go far in the tournament.
“I also think last year we felt a tremendous amount of pressure. It’s not that we don’t feel pressure this year, but we’ve been really trying to embrace playing under pressure. We train all the time under pressure and if we can go out on the field and perform under pressure, those are good learning experiences.”
Olmsted Falls opens its tournament play in the sectional final against Elyria or North Olmsted on Oct. 21, and with the top three goals on that whiteboard still in play, the time is now for Walchanowicz’s group.
“We asked them what they wanted to achieve and they let us know,” he added.
“So that’s something back in June they said for themselves, which is I think is important for them, because they need to know what they have to do in training to get themselves to that goal.”
Conference title
The Rocky River boys team won the Great Lakes Conference title on Oct. 9, beating Parma, going 6-0-0 in the conference.
\They scored 43 goals and gave up only three. Senior forward Bryan Kern scored 13 goals in the GLC games and added six assists.
Around the pitch
• Westlake’s Sami Jablonski made ESPN’s top 10 highlights after taking on multiple Amherst defenders for a game-winning goal to clinch the SWC title.
• The Lutheran West girls, the Stripes Division champions in the Patriot Athletic Conference for the first time since 2010, are 8-6-2 and enter the Elyria sectional tournament as the No. 4 seed — led by junior Abriana Rondin. Rondin has 27 goals this year and is the all-time scoring leader in school history with 87 goals. She is second all-time in PAC-12 play with 49 goals, behind Wellington’s Samantha Sparks (53), a mark she could break next season. She is a twotime PAC scoring champion and had a six-goal performance earlier this season in a win over Columbia, a single game school record.
• Statistically, this has been the best regular season for Brookside boys soccer. The most wins (12), least goals against, most goals scored, and senior forward Owen Rozanc broke the single season and career record for goals and assists.
• Avon goalkeeper Dylan Morris finished the season with 13 shutouts, a school record, and averaged 0.25 goals against, another record. Defender Noah Lindon was the team’s most valuable field player, and is one of the area’s top defenders.
• For the second-straight season, Vermilion senior Zack Kelly led the area in points with 35 goals and 14 assists. Lake Ridge’s Madyson Rosado led the girls side with 43 goals and 10 assists.