The OHSAA state soccer championships are rapidly approaching, with Crew Stadium set to host the boys’ and girls’ Division I, II and III title games on November 7 and 8.
An opportunity to see the best that Ohio high school soccer has to offer, fans might even get a chance to see a future member of the Black & Gold raise a trophy in Crew Stadium. After all, that’s exactly what happened in 2009, when then-Gahanna Lincoln High School and current Crew midfielder Wil Trapp captured the Division I boys’ title over St. Ignatius.
Trapp’s Lions were considered underdogs against St. Ignatius, which entered the match having gone 22-0-0 on the season and were the consensus number one ranked high school boys’ soccer team in the country. The Cleveland-based school had to travel to Columbus for the match, where Trapp’s Lions had the crowd on their side in a raucous atmosphere that he’ll never forget. The two teams battled to a scoreless tie deep into overtime, and the match eventually went to penalty kicks.
“I had played numerous games [at Crew Stadium] for the Academy, but never a Final,” said Trapp. “It was unbelievable. Every person in Gahanna was at the game, it felt like. It was rocking. We battled. We knew they were going to be a tough team to play against, and we were all nervous. I think everyone was nervous in Crew Stadium. It was a Friday night, cold, but everyone was feeling good and ready to go. First half was a battle. Second half, they had chances, we had chances and it went into overtime. Our 'keeper came up huge. Ryan Grimme was unbelievable. He saved the first two, we missed our first one and made the rest.”
The clinching spot kick was converted by none other than Trapp himself, who clinched the title with a cooly taken penalty. The inspiration for the kick? It might have been none other than a current Crew Homegrown teammate and a fellow Columbus-area native.
"I went the way that I had been going all year,” said Trapp on the penalty. "It was funny, I was jogging up and [now-Crew defender] Ross Friedman was in the stands. He was kind of behind the goal as I was jogging up, and I think I saw him in the stands. He just smiled at me, right before I took the shot. It was like, 'Oh, here we go.' (laughs)
"But no, I felt good. It was a huge moment, and I knew our team had put so much into it. I just wanted to reward our guys. I stepped up, finished it and once I saw it go in, I just took off. I sprinted three-quarters of the field, just a dead sprint, hurdled the bench and jumped right into our student section. Everyone followed suit. It was a blast.”
Similar to the pride that emanates from Trapp in representing his hometown every weekend at the professional level, winning the title in his home city made the joy of victory that much sweeter. It’s a memory that the midfielder cherishes to this day, both for himself and for his teammates that season.
"The majority of that team were kids that grew up playing together since they were five, six years old. None of them really played Academy or anything like that, but they were such a tight-knit group and I think if you asked them, it would be the greatest sporting event that they've ever been apart of and the best memory in sports they've ever had.
"High school soccer brings a little bit more in terms of your connection with your city, connection with your friends at school and that whole culture. After that game and leading up to that game, you wear your warm-up top to school and people know that there's a soccer game tonight. You get high fives from people in the hallway. It was a huge deal and it's a memory that I wouldn't give up for anything.”
So what advice would Trapp give to this year’s state finalists?
"It's a big moment, but don't let the moment get the best of you. It's still a soccer game. Play your heart out, don't be afraid of anything and just be brave. Have a blast, because it's a memory you'll never forget.”
The matches kick-off at 12:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET on November 7 and 8. Tickets are $8 a piece and parking is $5. In addition, suites are available by contacting the Crew's Premium Sales Department at 614-447-4182. In the meantime, visit
www.ohsaa.org
for more information.
