(Oldenburg, IN) — For the first time in its 174-year history, Oldenburg Academy is sending a team to an Indiana high school state championship game. The boys soccer team will face defending champion Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian in the Class 1A final Friday at 6 p.m. at Michael Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium at IU Indianapolis.
The Twisters (18-3) have won 17 straight games heading into the biggest match in school history. Standing in their way is an unbeaten Blackhawk Christian team (18-0-2) that has scored 99 goals while allowing just 10 all season.
But Oldenburg head coach Kenny Getz isn’t backing down from the challenge. During Monday’s edition of WRBI’s Coaches Corner, Getz acknowledged the Braves’ talent while pointing out something neither team can know until Friday.
“They haven’t played us,” Getz said. “We haven’t played them.”
Oldenburg earned its trip to Indianapolis with a 1-0 victory over Forest Park in Saturday’s semi-state at Whiteland. Connor Holder scored the game’s only goal with 2:06 remaining in the first half, taking a pass from Adam Weber and chipping the ball over the goalkeeper, who had come off his line.
Holder had used the same move in the previous game. This time, it produced the goal that sent Oldenburg to the state final.
Getz said he was confident his defense could protect the lead.
“I was convinced we were going to win. I said, our defense is not going to let a goal get in.”
Senior goalkeeper Ryan Hautman made six saves to preserve the victory, recording his ninth shutout of the season and his second straight in the postseason. The defensive unit includes Cayden Lieland, Damien Brelage, Ray Walke, and Marcus Bonilla.
Hautman’s journey to the state championship has been a family affair. He followed his older brother, who played goalkeeper for four years, into the position.
“I’ve always wanted to be just like my big brother,” Hautman said.
The senior, who plans to study electrical engineering after graduation, said the season has exceeded even his own expectations.
“I knew this year was going to be special, but I didn’t know it’d be quite this special.”
The road to Friday’s championship game wasn’t always smooth. Oldenburg stood at 1-3 following a shootout loss to Shawe Memorial, a defeat Getz now considers a turning point.
After that game, Getz sat on the tailgate of his pickup truck, reflecting on the loss. A young child approached and told him he had done a great job, a moment that strengthened the coach’s determination to turn the season around.
What followed was a remarkable run. Oldenburg put together six consecutive shutouts, defeated Greensburg at home despite entering as the underdog, and later won its rematch with Shawe.
“They just got the heart of a team that just won’t give up.”
Hautman credits the team’s closeness for helping the Twisters reach this point.
“I think it’s just community, you know, having that team unity. We’re all friends, you know, we all cheer for each other.”
That sense of belonging extends to the coaching staff. Assistant coach Jake Schornick, a Lawrenceburg High School graduate who played soccer at Manchester University, began helping the program late last year and found himself coming back.
“It’s just the family atmosphere,” Schornick said.
He also believes a different perspective has helped the Twisters grow.
“I think the best thing I can bring to Oldenburg at this moment is just a fresh mouth in the program.”
Getz said the school’s administration has supported the program by asking what he needed rather than simply telling him what resources would be available. That support has helped the team make a run no Oldenburg Academy squad has ever made before.
Now comes the toughest opponent yet. Blackhawk Christian, ranked No. 1 in Class 1A, advanced with a 5-0 semi-state victory over Faith Christian. Getz rates the Braves as the second-best team in Indiana, regardless of classification, and eighth nationally.
Schornick said Oldenburg can’t afford to get distracted by those rankings or the size of the occasion.
“We all just need to focus and play each individual 80-minute soccer game.”
There’s also a little extra incentive for the assistant coach. A bet dating back to June calls for Schornick to have his hair shaved off if the Twisters win the state championship.
Hautman would welcome that outcome, and he believes his teammates are capable of delivering it.
“I think we have a real chance at winning.”
Tickets for Friday’s state championship game are $15 through IHSAA Eventlink. Children age 5 and younger are admitted free.
Getz, Hautman, and Schornick discussed the championship run on WRBI’s Coaches Corner on Monday, October 26, with host Rob Lafary.