Boys Soccer: Worthington Christian using familiar formula for success
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
By Jarrod Ulrey
julrey@cbussports.com
Worthington Christian’s Sammy Owusu-Sarfo (center) works on offense against Fairbanks earlier this season. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Playing with confidence would seem to come naturally to Sammy Owusu-Sarfo particularly when considering his background, but the Worthington Christian senior boys soccer player still has to remind himself of its importance at times.
In what proved to be one of their biggest challenges to date, the Warriors fell behind early and didn’t recover during a 2-0 loss to Dayton Christian on Aug. 26.
They haven’t lost since, though, perhaps because of some of the biggest lessons they took from that game.
“We learned not to put our heads down,” Owusu-Sarfo said. “After giving up one goal, everyone put their heads down and we acted like we’d lost the game before it ended. If I have a bad play and put my head down, other guys will put their heads down, so I have to lift my head up since other guys are watching me.”
Another of the many ways Owusu-Sarfo has helped guide Worthington Christian to being the state’s No. 1-ranked team in Division III is with his offensive skills.
The youngest of four brothers to come through the program, with the others being 2018 graduate Penial Owusu-Sarfo, and 2020 twin graduates Jodi and Jeremy Owusu-Sarfo, Sammy has scored 15 goals.
The Warriors are 10-1-3 overall and 3-0-1 in the Central Buckeye League, with their only non-victory in conference action coming Sept. 6 when they tied Columbus Academy at 1.
Their toughest remaining regular-season challenge likely will come Oct. 4 when they travel for a league game against Bexley, which is 9-2-1 overall and 4-0 in the league and is ranked fifth in the Division II state poll.
Worthington Christian’s Eli Funderburke (left) and Fairbanks’ Kaden Procuniar go for the ball Sept. 25. Photo: John Hulkenberg
“We’ve got seven seniors, and a lot of them are experienced with games under their belts,” coach Dan Roads said. “We’re still learning some pretty significant lessons right now and I think we’d all agree that we haven’t played our best game yet. Our guys are still learning how to lead. At the end of the season, we know we’re going to be tested. Grandview and Bexley are two top state-level games.”
After the Warriors won the state title in 2006 under former coach Dwayne Smith, Roads served as interim coach in 2007 and led the program to a state semifinal.
Worthington Christian then was the state runner-up in 2008, won the state title in 2009, was state runner-up again in 2010 and then captured the third state title in program history in 2011 before losing in state semis the next two seasons.
The Warriors haven’t made it back to state since 2013, but they won district titles in 2014, 2017 and each of the last two seasons.
Sammy Owusu-Sarfo, a Pickerington resident who has attended Worthington Christian since he was in first grade, scored all of his team’s goals during a 3-1 victory Sept. 27 over two-time defending state champion Grandview.
The Warriors lost 1-0 to Grandview in a regional semifinal last season when they finished 13-6-2.
“We’re starting to figure it out as a team, and we’re starting to play more team soccer,” said senior center back Sam Blank, who is from Lewis Center and has attended the school since he was in fifth grade. “We started the season as a bunch of juniors who had to step into senior roles, and I think we’re figuring out how to play as a team rather than as selfish individuals. It’s working out and I’m loving what I’m seeing from the back line to the offense.
Worthington Christian’s Michael Shindle eyes the ball against Fairbanks earlier this season. Photo: John Hulkenberg
“Our goal as a team is more than soccer. Obviously we’re a Christian school, so our goal is to let people notice us, and in us, notice Christ. We’ve got a Warrior creed, and it reminds us that it’s bigger than the game on the field. We’ve got seven seniors, we’re all healthy and we all start.”
Worthington Christian, which will learn its postseason draw at the seeding meeting Oct. 8, has a senior at goalie in Ryan Miller and two other seniors on defense in Jonah Lewis and Brady Graham. Lewis played for the Warriors as a freshman but concentrated on other sports the last two years before returning this fall.
The other seniors are Ben Jende (forward) and Caleb Van Dop (midfielder).
Junior Baden Wood (midfielder) and sophomores Ethan Carrel (defender), Grayden Little (midfielder) and Michael Shindle (midfielder) also are among the key players.
Blank has two younger siblings, junior Ethan Blank (defender) and freshman Oliver Blank (defender), also in the program.
“It never gets old,” Roads said. “In so many ways, it’s dynamic and different every year because players change and tactics change. There’s a lot of tradition that’s fun to talk about.
“We had a nightmare at Dayton Christian. It was a great learning experience to go to Dayton and suffer the normal high school challenges that can trap a team. They’re a good team and will be one of the top teams out of the southwest.”
According to Roads, Owusu-Sarfo is a “natural” player and “incredibly gifted.”
Roads pointed to the leadership of Sam Blank and Owusu-Sarfo as being crucial to a strong start that Owusu-Sarfo expects to last deep into the postseason.
“Our outlook is winning a state championship,” Owusu-Sarfo said. “This team has got (a chance). We just have to stay healthy, because last year that didn’t happen. In the tournament, it’s back-to-back-to-back (games), so if we stay healthy and keep our drive, I think we can win it all. As the bigger games come, we play better. We’re coming together more as the season goes on.” v