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‘It doesn’t feel real’: Warren completes improbable run to district title

By Jordan Holland 5 min read

LOGAN -- Liam Grosselin scored another clutch goal, Jonah Hollis had another clean performance between the pipes, and the Warren boys soccer team claimed another upset victory to complete an improbable run through the Division III Southeast District tournament.

With Saturday's 1-0 victory over fifth-seeded Fairfield Union, the seventh-seeded Warriors won their first district championship since 2014.

"It doesn’t feel real because it was such a hard start to the season," said Warren head coach Ben Atkinson, whose Warriors were 4-7-3 through 14 matches.

"They didn’t let it define their season. We kind of put it on them -- 'this is your guys’ decisions, how we want to play, how we want to change it and how we want to go forward.' We made them set their own goals and they achieved it."

Warren has since won seven matches in a row, four of those coming in the postseason, including three against better-seeded teams. The Warriors have not allowed a goal in the tournament.

The Falcons put together a relentless attack in the final minutes. Bryce Lepi's shot at the 2:50 mark hit off the crossbar before Shawn Adams cleared it away. Fairfield Union also had a pair of free kicks in the final third, but Warren defended it well both times.

Finally, with 15 seconds left, the Falcons got a corner kick, but Hollis was there to snag it. The senior keeper punted it away as the last few seconds ticked away.

"Just happiness, especially with everybody that was doubting us, man," Hollis said. "From the beginning, nobody thought we could do it. Honestly, we proved them wrong, yes, but that wasn’t our goal -- it was to prove it to ourselves. All glory goes to God."

The heart-pounding end game was set up by another big-time play from Grosselin. The junior scored the game-winning goal with six seconds left against Athens and assisted on Jackson Perdue's game-winner against Gallia Academy. On Saturday, Grosselin's first-half goal was the difference. Kyle Anthony had the assist.

"Liam, you know, it’s just what he does," Atkinson said. "He's all action. Kyle drilled past his player and played a good ball in and Liam just calmly finished it. He's just a kid that couldn't deserve it more."

Grosselin is one of the many Warriors who have battled the injury bug this season.

"Up and down season, especially with injuries -- this whole team, not just me," Grosselin said. "We came through, and it feels amazing, especially doing it for the senior group because they’re something special.

"I came out first half and wasn’t playing that well. Had to come out and clear my head."

Atkinson added, "He was struggling. You could see it, and I pulled him off and I was like, 'Just relax, reset your body, reset your mind, and let me know when you’re ready.' He went back up and literally scored the next five minutes."

Playing with a lead, Warren focused on keeping the pressure dialed up. The Warriors did not want to play conservative and allow Fairfield Union to completely control the possession. With about 15 minutes left in the second half, Warren dropped Anthony to right back to shore up the defense.

"Kyle wanted to go back there and wanted to win the game for his team," Atkinson said. "That was really the only change we did at the end. We didn’t want to just step off, because then we’re letting them have the ball and we’re going to be under more pressure. We still had to put them under pressure and try to work super hard."

At the 14-minute mark, Jonah Short put a shot on frame for FUHS, but Hollis was there for the denial. Anthony, Adams, Branson Barrow, Easton Staats, Ethan Eddy and Isaiah Gandee all played key roles in the shutout.

"During the second half we definitely dropped out a bit, and that helped us a lot," Hollis said. "We played very good defense. Shout out to Shawn. Shawn played great in there."

The Falcons, who eliminated Marietta in the quarterfinals before knocking off top-seeded Jackson in the semis, finished the season at 12-6-2.

"Fairfield Union, they’re really good, really well coached," Atkinson said. "We try to focus on not just the result, but the process of winning, and getting the players to play 100%, 100% of the game. This game is exactly how it should look and exactly what we wanted. They showed it there at the end. They had a million headers. It was crazy, but they fought tooth and nail, and that’s all we could ask from them."

The Warriors are headed to the Sweet 16, where they'll take on either DeSales or Bexley at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Fulton Field in Lancaster.

"This team works hard," Grosselin said. "Come to practice every day, ready to win. This team pulled through. It’s been a while since we last won it. I just want to thank everyone that helped -- fans, teammates, everyone."

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.

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