Setting a standard: Westerville Central boys soccer’s historic season led by players
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
By Michael Rich
mrichnotwealthy@gmail.com
The Westerville Central boys soccer team played great team defense in front of goalkeeper Bryan Ramirez (gold jersey) to help beat New Albany, 1-0, for the regional crown Sunday at Big Walnut. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Just a little more than 24 hours after knocking off reigning Division II state champion and league rival New Albany, the Westerville Central boys soccer team was already looking forward to its next challenge.
The Warhawks congregated in a classroom Nov. 3 to watch game film to prepare for a state semifinal matchup against Kings Mills Kings Nov. 5 at London.
The winner plays Avon or Brecksville-Broadview Heights Nov. 9 at Historic Crew Stadium.
Winning a regional championship 1-0 over league rival New Albany Nov. 2 at Big Walnut was certainly special. But the next round is historic.
Out of the last four remaining teams, only Broadview Heights has ever hoisted a state championship trophy, doing so three times, but not since 1993. So, regardless of what happens from here on out, it’ll either be unprecedented or a long time coming.
When the OHSAA split into five divisions before the 2024 season, it was to give programs like Westerville Central, on the cusp, a chance to hoist hardware at the end of the year. The Warhawks had won four district championships in Division I but had never made it past the regional semifinal round since the school opened in 2003.
In the last two seasons, they’ve added two more district titles in Division II, a regional crown and their first appearance in the state tournament.
Westerville Central’s Hudson Rose (8) defends against New Albany’s Londen Sears during the Warhawks’ 1-0 regional final win Sunday at Big Walnut. Photo: Kevin Rouch
“I feel like every year we can compete for a state championship,” First-year coach Hunter Robertson said. “But to do that, we have to get to the level that New Albany is at. (That) is a standard that you set at practice in the preseason and that you try to get to in every single game.
“Can we get to that level so that our program can have this sustained success (where) we can always get back to that? And last year was the first time we made it to the regional final. The goal was to get past that this year.”
If the results were determined on paper or among pundits, the Warhawks would be discussing offseason plans, not preparing for a matchup against the Knights.
Central, which is 14-4-3 overall, defeated New Albany a little more than three weeks after the Eagles took it to them. New Albany defeated Central 6-0 Sept. 9 on its way to an OCC-Ohio Division championship, while the Warhawks finished fourth at 2-3.
“We went into the (first) game with a lot of energy,” senior midfielder Hudson Rose said. “I don’t think the score was how the game really went. We left some chances out on the board, but we knew. We knew that (the score didn’t reflect) the way we actually played. But we knew that we could still stick with them.”
The Warhawks showed that in the regional final. Forward Maddox Keifer got by the defense early and scored across his body to the left with 31:49 remaining in the first half.
Keifer, a junior forward, was one of 15 players to score a goal this season for the Warhawks. He led the way with 11 goals and an assist and was followed by senior midfielder Breydyn Folds with nine goals and nine assists.
Westerville Central midfielder Iliya Kitaev maneuvers between New Albany defenders during the Warhawks’ regional final victory at Big Walnut Sunday. Photo: Kevin Rouch
But it was the defense that stood tall against a New Albany offense that put the pressure on the rest of the way. Goalie Bryan Ramirez recorded his 10th shutout of the season. Hejduk and classmates Jake Nelson and Gavin Reardon anchored the back line while Rose, junior Illiya Kitaev and senior Jake Alloway helped control the defensive midfield.
“We switched our formation a little bit (from the first time we played), and our coaches came up with a great game plan,” senior defender Coasten Hejduk said. “And as a team, we were willing to put everything on the line. We were going to leave everything out on that field, no matter what the result was.”
Robertson has been through just about everything someone can with a program. He played for his predecessor, Dave Pence, before graduating in 2014. After his playing career at Ohio State, Robertson returned as an assistant under Pence, who ran the program since its inception.
On Nov. 3, Robertson got the game film going and then stepped out of the room and into the commons area at Central. Already he feels comfortable leaving things in the hands of his 11 seniors.
Robertson believes in having the players take the lead. After all, they’re the ones that have to execute on the field.
“They’re instructed right now to watch for like 20 minutes, come up with their own ideas, and then (the coaches will) bring ours,” he said. “Because I want them to mentally reengage. If we don’t continue to play the way that we should be playing, what we just did was for nothing, essentially.
“We’ve been climbing this mountain to get to the peak. Yeah, we probably climbed the most difficult part, but the team still needs to keep climbing.”
The Westerville Central Warhawks added a regional championship trophy Sunday, beating New Albany, 1-0, at Big Walnut. Next up: Kings Mills Kings on Nov. 5 at London. Photo: Kevin Rouch