Two storybook soccer seasons came to a close Sunday, as both Chagrin Falls and Rootstown fell just short of the state’s biggest stage.
At North Royalton, Rootstown dropped a 2–0 decision to Kidron Central Christian in the Division V, Region 17 final. Meanwhile, Chagrin Falls suffered a 2–0 setback to Bay Village in the Division IV, Region 15 final at Streetsboro.
Rootstown’s Resilient Run
The Rovers’ historic season ended just one step shy of the state semifinals, but not before the program reached new heights. Rootstown made its first trip to the Elite Eight since 2017 and captured back-to-back district titles for the first time in school history.
“It takes hard work, and these kids have worked hard for this,” said head coach Charles Voth. “They may not necessarily have the best skill, but we always say we’re the best and hardest working team, and today we just couldn’t sneak (a goal) in.”
Central Christian broke through late in the first half, as Aaron Laird struck in the 35th minute to give the Comets a 1–0 lead. Grayden Miller added another in the 48th to put the match out of reach.
Despite several near misses, the Rovers couldn’t find the back of the net.
“The soccer gods were against us today,” Voth said.
Rootstown senior Ben Smith reflected on what the team accomplished.
“Being a part of this team has been great. A huge credit to (head coach) Charlie Voth, love that guy,” Smith said. “A huge credit to all my teammates, they’re great, and it was a great year.”
Voth credited the team’s work ethic and unity for the deep postseason run.
“It’s the hard work that they’ve put in. They’ve put everything into this (run),” he said. “They love the game of soccer, and that’s what makes it special: the love of the game. They will be there, and we will be back next year.”
With a strong junior class and underclassmen ready to step up, Voth is optimistic about what’s next.
“We’re coming back (to regionals),” he said with a laugh. “We have a great junior class with the freshmen and sophomores, so we’re going to be all right. I’m really proud of the young men, my coaching staff, and everything else. We gave it a good run, just sorry that it ended all of a sudden.”
Rootstown finished the 2025 season as district champions and regional runners-up.
Chagrin Falls Continues to Climb
Over in Streetsboro, Chagrin Falls’ impressive turnaround season came to an end against a tough Bay Village squad.
Oliver Marotta gave the Rockets an early 1–0 lead in the eighth minute, and Jackson Ziemnik added a late goal in the 75th to seal the 2–0 win.
For Chagrin Falls, the loss marked the end of a journey that began with a rebuild just a year ago — when the Tigers won only two games. Now, they close out 2025 as regional runners-up, with a 19–3 record, a Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division championship, and a district title.
“The seniors have been a terrific group of seven young men who are good people on and off the field. They’ve been good leaders, even though they aren’t all captains,” said head coach Brian McKenna. “We have a program where each member can feel included, and what we accomplish on the field is terrific, but overall the experiences they’re having on the field will last a lifetime, and that’s what I’m really proud of.”
After last year’s district runner-up finish and this season’s regional final appearance, McKenna said the goal is clear.
“I hope that our younger players will see that we’ve had success with District finals last year, and Regional finals this year,” he said. “We have a lot of players back, and key players back at that, and there’s no reason why we couldn’t go a step further.”
Nine returning players already have varsity starting experience, and several others gained valuable minutes throughout the postseason.
“With that time they got, they know they need to do some work in the offseason and be ready for next year,” McKenna said.
His message to the team heading into 2026 was simple: build on what’s been started.
“We know that there are certain programs that can have success — we’re one of them, and the team knows it,” McKenna said. “We’re going to be able to get back to work in due time, and the kids know what they’re going to need to do.”
