About the athletes...
"> The Captain
ThisWeek's 2006 Super 12 Boys Soccer Team
Lavric's stingy play in goal led Lions

Thursday, November 23, 2006


ThisWeek Staff Writer

By Karen Carter/ThisWeek

Senior goalkeeper Michael Lavric set a state record for most consecutive shutouts (17) by an individual and helped Gahanna set a state team record for most consecutive shutouts (17). The Lions finished 18-1-1.

Colby Catlett

Brian Cothern

Jordan Fox

Nick Galiardi

Eric Laipple

Matt Mayo

J.T. Murray

Chris Schaffner

Tyler Wall

Konrad Warzycha

Max Weston


About the athletes...

ThisWeek's Super 12 team profiles the top high school boys soccer players -- regardless of position -- in our coverage area. The team was determined by the sports staff and by nominations from area coaches.


Michael Lavric went from sharing time in goal as a sophomore to sharing his individual accomplishments with his teammates as a senior.

The Gahanna Lincoln High School standout allowed seven goals this season and recorded 17 shutouts -- all in a row to set a state record.

"The defense in front of me did a great job all season keeping people out of the box," Lavric said. "If I made the save but didn't collect the ball, they cleaned it out for me."

"That's Michael; he's the first one to give credit to the four guys in front of him for the success he had," coach Dwayne Marshall said. "Michael, as goalie, was in charge of the defense and communication. They were all on the same page for the most part, and played well together. That's a credit to him and to all of them."

Lavric was named player of the Year in the OCC-Central Division and in the district and state in Division I.

The previous state record for consecutive shutouts for an individual was 10, set by Centerville's Mark Friedenmaker in 1985.

The Lions finished 18-1-1 after losing to Kettering Fairmont 4-1 in a Division I regional semifinal. They won their third league title in a row and were first in the final state poll.

Lavric led the team to a 19-2 record as a junior, when the Lions lost to Dublin Jerome 2-1 in a regional championship. They went 14-1-3 in 2004, losing to Worthington Kilbourne 2-1 in a district semifinal.

Lavric shared goalkeeper duties with Nick Spadafore when both were sophomores. Spadafore played football the past two years and was a first-team all-district kicker this season.

"It worked out well for both of us -- me with soccer and him with football," said Lavric, who has not selected where he will attend college, although he has narrowed his current list to Northern Kentucky and Marshall. "Winning all these awards, though it's quite an honor for me and I'm ecstatic about it, is really a reflection of the defense and our whole team as well."

The Lions set a team record for most consecutive shutouts (17), eclipsing the previous record (12) set by Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit in 1982.

Past captains include Big Walnut's Braden Fleak (2005), Worthington Kilbourne's Jeff Rusch (2004), Westerville North's Jeff Lenix (2003), Reynoldsburg's Tony Labudovski (2002), Kilbourne's Chris Wolever (2001), Kilbourne's Dan O'Rourke (2000), Thomas Worthington's Troy Perkins (1999), Thomas' Andy Rutledge (1998) and Kilbourne's Matt Salmon (1997).

Colby Catlett

Hilliard Davidson Jr. MF

Catlett helped lead Davidson to its first league title and first Division I district championship since 1996 as it advanced to a regional final before losing to Kettering Fairmont 2-1 in shootout (4-2 penalty kicks).

Catlett, who was second-team all-state, finished with 12 goals and was named first-team all-district and all-OCC-Buckeye. He scored a goal in the district final to help defeat Upper Arlington 3-2 on Oct. 28.

"Colby is just one of those kids that is the catalyst of the program," coach Terry Smith said. "He is one of the better players in central Ohio.

"He is a sturdy kid on and off the ball. He has learned a lot from the senior class to get to where he is. Colby is now the kind of leader that can carry us to the next level."

Brian Cothern

Big Walnut Sr. MF

Coach Charlie Brodhead believes his team had two of the area's top players in 2005 in forward Braden Fleak and midfielder Brian Cothern, although most of the attention was focused on Fleak.

With Fleak having graduated, Cothern stepped to the forefront this season and finished with 30 goals and eight assists.

The Wright State recruit made first-team all-state in Division II and was named Player of the Year in both the OCC-Capital and the district.

"Last year he played in the shadow of Braden, but we knew what we'd get from Brian," Brodhead said. "He stepped it up and had a really good season.

"He has great control of the ball. He's one of the better skilled players I've coached in my 15 years at Big Walnut."

Jordan Fox

Bexley Sr. F

Bexley won its third Division II regional title in four seasons, and one of the major reasons was the play of Fox at forward.

A first-team all-MSL-Ohio Division and first-team all-district player who started each of the past three seasons, Fox was the Lions' leading scorer with 25 goals for an offense which averaged 5.2 goals.

He scored in a 1-0 double-overtime victory over DeSales on Oct. 28 and scored at least one goal in 17 of Bexley's 22 games.

Fox scored four goals last year as the Lions won the state title. They lost to Kettering Alter 1-0 in overtime in a state semifinal Nov. 7 to finish 18-2-2.

"He just has a great work ethic," coach Jim Daugherty said. "He has some definite natural ability, but the thing he hangs his hat on is that he outworks most people. He's got a knack for scoring."

Nick Galiardi

Gahanna Sr. MF

Galiardi was first-team all-OCC-Central Division, first-team all-district and third-team all-Ohio.

He had nine goals and three assists as the Lions went 19-1-1.

"Nick was our quarterback on the field," coach Dwayne Marshall said. "He has excellent vision and ball skills. He makes up for his lack of speed by being a smart player -- knowing where to be on the field and when, and playing good angles."

Galiardi has been offered a scholarship by Ohio State and has officially committed, although he has not signed his letter of intent yet.

"We rotated our midfielders and Nick really enjoyed being more of a defender," Marshall said. "But he is a solid technical player, a good motivator and a hard worker."

Eric Laipple

Westerville South Sr. D

Laipple didn't enter his senior year expecting to be the OCC-Cardinal Division Player of the Year or to be first-team all-district and third-team all-state.

"I came in expecting to be a leader," he said. "The season I had is kind of surprising since I play defense."

Laipple scored a team-high nine goals -- three on penalty kicks -- and had a team-best seven assists as South went 12-4-3 and played in a district final for the second time in three seasons. South also won its second-consecutive OCC title by going 4-0-1.

"My goal was to help this team win," said Laipple, who scored for the ninth-seeded Wildcats in a 1-0 upset of sixth-seeded Grove City in a district semifinal. "I was always around the ball on set pieces and long throw-ins, moreso than last year."

Laipple scored only one goal as a junior and two as a sophomore.

Matt Mayo

Worthington Kilbourne Sr. F

Despite missing four games with a broken toe, Mayo scored 11 goals as the Wolves finished 12-5-2 after losing to Gahanna 1-0 in a Division I district final Oct. 28.

He scored in a 1-0 win over Upper Arlington on Aug. 29 and had two goals, including the winner, in a 3-2 win over Olentangy Liberty on Oct. 12. He scored tying goals in a 3-all tie with Olentangy on Oct. 10 and a 1-all tie with Westerville South on Sept. 26.

"We're not a team that put up high numbers because our schedule was pretty difficult, but Matt hit some clutch goals," coach Jon Sprunger said. "He's good for at least a goal a game. He was our captain and had a lot of weight on his shoulders to come through for us. And he always did."

Mayo, who in his debut in 2004 scored in a 1-0 win over Westerville North, was first-team all-OCC-Central Division and all-district.

J.T. Murray

Grove City Sr. MF

When asked what gives Murray his competitive edge, Grove City coach Dave Winter said it starts with his passion.

"He absolutely loves to play the game," Winter said. "He's always putting the time in working. All the work he does gives him a lot of confidence out there to accept any challenge. He takes people on with the mindset that I'm better than you and I'm going to beat you."

Murray beat a lot of people on his way to scoring a team-high 20 goals, bringing his career total to 38. He was one of two four-year starters -- along with goalkeeper Tyler Gleason -- who helped change the Greyhounds from a team that went 9-10 in 2003 to one that finished this season 13-3-1.

He was first-team all-OCC-Buckeye and first-team all-district in Division I for the second year in a row.

Chris Schaffner

Westerville Central Sr. F

Schaffner set a school record for goals in a season with 11 and is the program's all-time leading scorer with 17 goals and 24 assists. He was first-team all-OCC-Central and first-team all-district in Division I, as they finished 12-3-3 after losing to Upper Arlington 2-1 in a district semifinal.

"Chris gave us great leadership after we lost nine seniors last season," coach David Pence said. "He's been a great player who has been able to get others involved. His records should stand for a little while."

Schaffner helped the Warhawks improve from 1-11-5 in 2003 to consecutive 12-win seasons, as they were 12-5-2 in 2005 and advanced to a district final before losing to eventual state-semifinalist Dublin Jerome 4-0. He scored the program's first goal during a 10-2 loss to Olentangy Liberty on Aug. 23, 2003.

Tyler Wall

Upper Arlington Sr. MF

Wall, a four-year starter, helped UA reach a Division I district final twice and earn an OCC title.

This season, he was co-Player of the Year in the OCC-Buckeye Division with Hilliard Davidson's Ryan Harmanis. Wall leaves as one of the school's top scorers. He had nine goals this season.

"Tyler in my opinion is one of the best, if not the best, forwards in the state," coach Curt Bixel said. "You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who can cover him, and that was a great asset for us."

Wall was first-team all-league, first-team all-district and second-team all-state.

Seventh-seeded UA finished 10-6-4 overall after a loss in the district title game Oct. 28 to second-seeded Hilliard Davidson 7-6 in a shootout. The Golden Bears upset fourth-seeded Westerville Central 2-1 in a district semifinal Oct. 25.

Konrad Warzycha

Dublin Jerome Sr. MF

Warzycha played a key role as Jerome quickly has established itself as one of the area's top programs.

This season, he finished with 14 goals and nine assists, bringing his career totals to 44 goals and 34 assists. In only its third season, Jerome has a combined record of 46-10-5. The Celtics were Division I state semifinalists last year and this year they reached a regional semifinal before losing to Hilliard Davidson 2-0.

Warzycha shared Player of the Year honors in the OCC-Cardinal Division with Westerville South's Eric Laipple and was first-team all-district.

"Konrad was an extremely integral part of Jerome's soccer program from 2004 to 2006," coach Nate Maust said. "He was a leader on the field, and most of the time single-handedly dictated the flow through the middle of the field."

Max Weston

Worthington Christian Sr. F

During the team's run to the Division III state title, Weston displayed an amazing touch. The district and state Player of the Year set up a goal in a 2-0 win over Berlin Hiland in a regional final and had assists on both goals -- including Bobby Condon's winner in the final second -- to beat Cincinnati Madeira 2-1 in a state semifinal.

Weston, who was one of four players to make a penalty kick in a 1-0 (4-2 in shootout) victory over Wickliffe in the state championship game, finished with 16 goals and 11 assists.

"He became a better passer as the season went on," Smith said. "At times we were trying to get him to pass less. There are some times when we need him to take control. We were telling him to take the ball; we don't want him to pass. We want him to use his skills and get some penetration."

Honorable Mention

George Allen Grandview Sr. MF

Daniel Broidy Bexley Jr. D

Sean Caldwell Watterson Sr. MF

Bobby Condon Worthington Christian Jr. F

Kyle Ferguson Dublin Jerome Sr. MF

Robbie Farquhar Bexley Sr. F

Jeremy Gray DeSales Soph. F

Brent Hale Westerville North Sr. D

Ryan Harmanis Hilliard Davidson Sr. D

Aaron Horton Olentangy Fr. F

Byron Horton Thomas Worthington Sr. MF

Nick Kellogg DeSales Fr. F

Justin Kibler Pickerington North Sr. D

Matt Lavric Gahanna Sr. F

Kody Law Reynoldsburg Sr. MF



February 9, 2010 | Currently:  28° Snow