Tim Grosel never knew a cross from the wing or on a set piece that he couldn't head - often times into the back of the net.
Marietta High's senior co-captain and midfielder possesses great stamina, excellent foot skills, and a hard shot, but when he's "flying" at the goal, that's where he's truly head and shoulders - no pun intended - above everybody else on the pitch.
"Timmy was dominant in the air," said MHS boys' soccer coach Todd Morris.
One of the finest boys' soccer players to ever don the orange and black uniform, the 5-foot-10 Grosel was recently honored as a second-team All-Ohio selection in Division II.
"This is a great honor not only for Tim but for our program," Morris said.
"For Tim, this award is well-earned and well-deserved, and caps off a great four-year high school career."
On the girls' side, Warren's Melissa Dickerson was also a second-team All-Ohio honoree. The Lady Warrior junior midfielder and leading scorer was also an All-District and All-Southeastern Ohio Athletic League (SEOAL) honoree.
Grosel joins an elite group of boys' soccer honorees at MHS. Since 1985, when boys' soccer was first introduced as a varsity sport at the Davis Avenue-based school, there have only been about 11 total first, second and third team all-state picks.
Last year, Grosel's Tiger teammates' Wes Riley and Matt Morrison were named first and second team, respectively. Riley is currently competing on the pitch at Marietta College.
A four-year starter on the pitch, Grosel paced Marietta High in scoring with 14 goals and eight assists. He was also an All-District and All-East Central Ohio League honoree.
"Timmy is such a hard worker and leader," Morris said, "who plays as hard as he can for 80 minutes."
An all-around athlete and three-sport, letterwinning standout at the school, Grosel is currently a member of the J.D. Secrest-coached Tiger basketball squad. And, in the spring, he'll be in center field for the Jim Thrash/Larry Burke-led baseball team.
Also featured on the All-District and All-ECOL teams were Marietta's Cole Hamilton (midfielder), Jacob Hupp (goal-keeper), Brent Huck (striker), and Steven Stollar (midfielder).
Matt Roberts (sweeper) made the All-District squad, while Brennan Uhrig (striker) was an All-ECOL pick.
Hamilton, a senior co-captain, was a soccer star at Wood County Christian School in Williamstown, before transferring to MHS in his sophomore season. The Tigers' playmaker, he had a team-high 16 assists this past fall to tie the school's single-season standard.
Hamilton also had eight goals, including the Tigers' lone score against Waverly in the sectional final.
"Cole has great vision on the field and is very dangerous with the ball at his feet," Morris said. "He worked so hard during training."
Hupp became Marietta's starter between the pipes in his senior season. With good size and quick feet, he recorded 144 saves and was credited with eight clean sheets.
"Jacob had a great season in goal, and really stepped up and made some huge, key saves for us during the year," Morris said.
Uhrig was Marietta's second-leading scorer with 10 goals. He also had five assists. As a freshman, he was a defender, so he can play anywhere on the pitch.
"Brennan has great speed and scored some huge goals for us during conference play," Morris said.
Another clutch MHS offensive player was Huck with eight goals and three assists. This fall, he performed double duty by place kicking for the Marietta Tigers football team on Friday nights.
Stollar, who was credited with two assists on the season, was more of a defensive mid. He usually shadowed an opponent's best offensive player.
Stollar's older brother Chris was a former keeper for the Tigers, now playing for the Marietta College men's soccer team.
Roberts was an unsung senior defensive standout for the Tigers. The talented senior helped make Hupp's job in goal easier.
While Marietta High may have been a newcomer to the ECOL, it was no stranger when it came to winning a boys' soccer conference championship.
Before the Tigers made their debut in the ECOL this fall, they'd clinched numerous SEOAL titles over the years. Not skipping a beat, the orange and black booters won in their first year of competition on the ECOL boys' pitch, going unbeaten in the process with a 6-0-1 mark.
Marietta's lone league blemish was a 0-0 draw at New Philadelphia, which advanced to the Elite 8 in the state tournament before dropping a 5-0 decision to Columbus St. Francis DeSales.
Overall, MHS finished the campaign with an 11-4-2 overall record. The Tigers bowed out of postseason play when they fell 2-1 to Waverly in a sectional final at Don Drumm Stadium on Oct. 22.
The Warren girls exited postseason play when they dropped a 1-0 overtime decision to top-seeded Chillicothe in a district semifinal match at Jackson's Holzer Field.
Dickerson was instrumental in helping the Ekrem Eksi-coached royal blue and white team post an 11-7 record this past fall.
In other girls awards, Marietta senior Paige Grosel, Tim's twin sister, was a first-team All-ECOL honoree, and Katie Miller, a sophomore, was an honorable mention.
Grosel, like her brother, is also an all-around athlete at Marietta High. In track and field, she's a standout pole vaulter.
Oh, yes, she was also the Marietta High homecoming queen this past fall.
On the soccer pitch, the left-footed Grosel can play anywhere. She is particularly dangerous (and spectacular) when she front, body flips throw-ins. There may be no prep soccer player, girl or boy, in the state as effective on this set piece play as she is.
Miller was one of Lady Tigers' top scoring threats. Very fast and always hustling, she's a bright spot for next year's squad.
Miller's father, Mike, formerly coached tennis at MHS. The Jeff Price-coached Marietta girls' soccer team finished with a 6-9-2 record in 2011.
