SEYMOUR — As the second half wore on in Saturday’s Class 3A semistate boys soccer match, a long line of dark clouds moved from south to north above Seymour High School.
Once those clouds cleared, there was a rainbow at the end.
While the dark clouds signified a loss to Zionsville and the end of the season for Columbus East, the rainbow represented what a brilliant season it was for the Olympians.
“It was a dream senior season for me,” senior midfielder Eric Stiles said. “Us six (seniors), we wanted to put the work in. We wanted to go as far as we could. The coaches believed in us, and we showed up. They were a tough team. We had an unbelievable season.”
East finished the regular season 12-0-3, its first undefeated regular season in school history, was ranked No. 5 in the state and No. 8 in the Midwest and won the Hoosier Hills Conference championship. The Olympians then won the Floyd Central Sectional and won two games last week in Seymour to capture their first regional title since 2005.
“This is definitely the most fun I’ve ever had,” junior forward Logan Cline said. “This is probably our best season ever. As Eric said earlier, (going undefeated) wasn’t one of our goals going into the season, but to have that makes it so much better. To come here undefeated playing the only other undefeated team in the state was a real test for us. I thought we played the best we could, and in the end, it just wasn’t enough. I really wish we could have had that state championship, but the cards just weren’t in our favor today.”
The regional title came with a hefty price for the Olympians. Their top four players were injured during the regional, and although each returned that night, one of their stars was unable play in the semistate against the No. 1-ranked team in the state and No. 2-ranked squad in the country, according to MaxPreps.
Senior center midfielder Jorge Nieto sustained a fracture in his ankle in the regional. X-rays confirmed the break on Friday, and doctors shut him down for six weeks.
“I can’t explain how tough that was for the boys,” East coach Brad Barber said. “But we talked about controlling what we can control and move on and what’s next, and they did a great job today battling.”
Senior goalkeeper Zach Roberts, who injured his back and hips in the regional, didn’t practice all week until Friday. He gave it his best shot on Saturday.
“I kind of tweaked it a little bit today, but it’s my senior season,” Roberts said. “I’m not trying to go out not playing.”
Stiles, Nieto and Roberts formed a powerful nucleus for East. The Olympians also will miss senior starters Leyton Erfmeier, Gabe Rivera and Thomas Soedel.
“We have a great group of players top to bottom, and we have a lot of talent coming back,” Barber said. “This group of seniors is the best seniors to come through Columbus East, and we’re going to struggle to replace that group of leaders.”
Although frustrated by Saturday’s loss, Roberts is happy with the way the season went.
“This is probably the most outstanding crew to come through Columbus East, and for me to be on it, and for this senior class to take us this far is just phenomenal for us,” Roberts said. “It’s a great feeling to be a part of something like that.”
Stiles agreed.
“I’m just going to miss the camaraderie of the boys on the bus and in the locker room,” Stiles said. “The work we put in practice. Off the field, hanging out together Friday nights, pool sessions, it’s all going to be missed.”
Ted Schultz is sports editor for The Republic. He can be reached at tschultz@threpublic.com or 812-379-5628.
