After battling each other on the pitch three times this past fall, Marietta High's Brent Huck and Warren's Nick Koch are now on the same team: the All-Ohio team.
Recently, Huck and Koch each was named a second-team all-stater in Ohio Division 2 boys soccer.
In girls' Division 2 soccer, Warren's Melissa Dickerson was a second-team All-Ohio honoree for the second straight year.
"Happy and proud of Brent (Huck) for receiving this honor as a junior," said MHS head coach Todd Morris, who guided the Tigers to an 11-4-3 record this past season. "This is not only a testament to Brent and how hard he works but for our program in general."
Huck became the 14th Marietta boys' soccer player to be voted All-Ohio, and only the third junior (Eric Brockmeier - 2000, Alan Porter - 2004) to be so honored.
As a junior co-captain, Huck led MHS with 9 goals and 3 assists, and helped his team claim a second consecutive East Central Ohio League championship before bowing out in the sectional final to the eventual district champion Warren Warriors 2-1 in overtime.
Looking back at some of Huck's 2012 highlights, he scored the lone goal in Marietta's 1-0 triumph over Warren at Don Drumm Stadium early in the season.
He also had a hat trick in the Tigers' 3-2 win over Granville.
"Brent scored goals when they mattered the most this past season," Morris said.
A knee injury in Marietta's regular season finale made Huck's participation in the sectional tournament uncertain. But as gametime approached, he decided to play and donned a brace.
With Huck scoring one goal and assisting on another, the Tigers rallied to defeat visiting Athens 2-1 in an opening round match.
"He provided some great moments for us this year on the field, and provided great leadership, topped off with his gutsy performance against Athens in the tournament," Morris said. "His will to compete and work hard to improve are very admirable traits. He is a joy to coach and work with and I look forward to one more year with him."
A three-year letter winner, Huck played an integral part in Marietta's 17-2-2 season as a freshman, scoring six goals and dishing out two assists as Marietta ended its run in the Southeastern Ohio Athletic League with a championship. The Tigers then won a district title and advanced to the Sweet 16 before losing to Columbus Bishop Watterson 1-0 in two overtimes.
As a sophomore, Huck scored eight goals and had three assists as Marietta posted an 11-4-2 mark.
"It is always nice to see guys rewarded for the hard work and dedication that they put into their sport," Morris said. "Brent works hard year round. Soccer is his passion."
Soccer is also Koch's and Dickerson's passion.
Koch, a two-time SEOAL Player of the Year, was instrumental in helping the Andrew Johnson-coached Warren Warriors repeat as district champions this past season.
The senior standout was the team's second-leading scorer with 11 goals as the royal blue and white booters went 14-3-4 overall (5-1-2 SEOAL).
The Warren boys exited tournament play after falling 3-0 to Bexley in a regional semifinal at Logan.
Dickerson, also a SEOAL Player of the Year, helped the Ekrem Eksi-led Lady Warriors to their first-ever SEOAL championship (5-0-1) and a 4-1 district semifinal win over Unioto.
Dickerson, a senior, was the the team leader in scoring with 19 goals and 17 assists as the Warren girls posted a 12-2-5 overall record.
The Lady Warriors bowed out of tourney play when they dropped a 3-2 overtime decision to Hillsboro in the district final.
