The Chagrin Valley Conference has long been known as one of the most competitive and talent-rich boys’ soccer leagues in Ohio. And this fall, the competition just got tougher.
Rootstown is making the jump from the Portage Trail Conference to the CVC’s Valley Division, adding another layer of intrigue to an already stacked league.
“We don’t know what we’re going to see,” said longtime Rootstown head coach Charley Voth. “We don’t know much about the teams we’re going to see. It sounds like it’s a really, really good conference for soccer and we’re looking forward to it.”
Voth enters his 25th season with an impressive resume: a career record of 248-151-37, three conference titles, four district championships, and one district runner-up finish.
Last fall, the Rovers went 13-8 and captured their fourth district crown.
“We were small and fast, so that really helped us out,” Voth said. “The kids do their homework, and they play summer ball. I have kids that live and breathe to play soccer.”
Despite graduating only five seniors, the Rovers will have to fill a major void left by All-Ohio standout Blake Postlethwait, who tallied 23 goals and nine assists last season. He earned first-team honors across the board—conference, district, county, and state.
Still, the Rovers return a strong, experienced lineup—12 letterwinners in total—and plenty of offensive firepower.
Leading the charge is junior Zach Pastor, who scored 27 goals and added 13 assists last season. He earned first-team All-PTC and all-district honors, and now ranks fifth on the program’s all-time scoring list.
Junior Bryson Scarlett and sophomore Dylan Boland also return after netting seven goals each. Scarlett added 13 assists and earned first-team All-PTC and second-team All-District and All-County honors. Boland chipped in with four assists and earned honorable mention across all three levels.
Seniors Melvin Acosta and Jacob Sturm, along with junior Sam Textor, each contributed three goals, while junior goalkeeper Noah Zager recorded 30 saves and two shutouts.
The rest of the returning cast added a combined seven goals and seven assists—proof of a well-rounded attack.
Voth believes one of the team’s biggest strides has come in goalkeeping.
“Our goalkeeping was a weakness, but a lot of kids grew up,” he said. “In the second half of the season, we were playing really good in goal.”
With a deep junior class and a solid returning core, Rootstown is eager to take on the challenge of a new league and unfamiliar opponents.
“We’re going to play our style,” Voth said. “We’re going to play to our strengths and put up a good defense, and we really like pushing the offense.”
