John Bruce, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by Holzer Health System.
THE PLAINS — As the public address announcer at Joe Burrow Stadium was counting down the final seconds of regulation in a Division III district quarterfinal match between Athens and Warren, it looked like the game was destined for extra time.
However, Warren’s Liam Grosselin echoed the great Lee Corso and said, Not so fast!”
The junior raced towards the back post, where a perfect cross from Grady Mitchem was waiting. Grosselin beat his defender and calmly slotted the ball inside of the far post with a right-footed shot, setting off a celebration that Grosselin capped off with a back flip.
“We just had a fortunate event and our team just built it together and we scored. Then I like to hit a backflip after I score, but I was a little tired and didn’t hit it fully,” the humble Grosselin said. “But it was a pretty sweet moment.”
The Bulldogs only had six seconds remaining on the clock to attempt a counter, but the kickoff went wide of the goal and over the endline to send the Warriors (8-7-3) to next week’s district semifinal.
The shutout was the second consecutive clean sheet for Warren goalkeeper Jonah Hollis and the Warriors, and their sixth of the season. In the early minutes, when the Bulldogs were dominating, it didn’t seem like a shutout would be possible.
Throughout the first half, Athens used Theo Smucker on the wing and the duo of A.J. Harris and Noah Stroh to continuously pressure the Warriors’ back line.
However, Hollis made multiple outstanding saves to keep the Bulldogs (10-5-3) off of the scoreboard early and often in the half. Once Hollis proved his mettle, his defense of Ethan Eddy, Isaiah Gandee, Ocean Evans and Branson Barrow kept the Bulldogs on the wings and out of the goal box, maintaining the shutout.
“It was a pretty big momentum shift with Jonah just saving everything and giving us a chance back there,” Grosselin said of the Warriors’ senior keeper. “I mean, he pretty much saved us [early] and we put our trust in him and he puts his trust in us. We just came down and executed.”
Another key advantage that the Warriors had in the contest was their ability to stay level-headed throughout a very physical match.
Each side displayed different levels of physicality, with the Warriors being shown multiple yellow cards for their aggressiveness. But, it would be the Bulldogs who lost their heads, picking up a second yellow to a player with just under 20 minutes left on the clock, leading to a red card and dismissal.
Once the Warriors had a one-man advantage on the pitch, the entire tide of the game changed. Gabe Gandee, Jackson Perdue, Kyle Anthony, Grosselin and Mitchem picked up the attack, leading to more scoring chances for the blue and white.
Athens showed some top-tier defense as Matthew Pigman and Carter Boeninger kept the Warrior attack at bay, along with goalkeeper Enzo Servedio making a pair of saves to keep the game scoreless late.
The constant attack did finally break through, though, with Gandee playing the ball back to Mitchem in the closing seconds, setting up the heroics for Grosselin on the backside run.
“It was amazing, I had never seen that out of my team,” Hollis said of the game-winning goal. “And it’s beautiful. I love seeing it. I love seeing them perform.”
If this all feels like deja vu, it is because the district semifinals will have a very similar feeling to 2025. Jackson and Fairfield Union will meet in the opposite semifinal, just as they did last fall, while the Warriors will clash with Gallia Academy, as they did last season.
This time, the Warriors want to rewrite the script, looking to avenge last season’s 1-0 defeat.
“In trainings, we’ve got to get to 110 percent, especially since last year they knocked us off in this next round,” Grosselin said of the upcoming matchup. “We just want our revenge and I think we can do it because we have a great team, great attitude and we like to work hard.”
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