TRAVERSE CITY — All 11 seniors got the start for Traverse City West as the Titans took on Big North Conference foe Petoskey at home Tuesday.
Not a bad way to celebrate senior night, and the dominating 8-1 victory over the Northmen was all the sweeter because of it.
“I’m really proud of these guys,” West head coach Matt Griesinger said. “It’s always fun when it’s a really big group. Eleven seniors is incredible, and it’s a group that likes each other — which is the one thing you can’t teach. They like being around each other and a part of the program.”
The Titans’ 2024 senior class includes Trapper Holmes, Leland Lyon, Gradin Osmulski, Jadin Collins, Aidan Orth, Brody Plumstead, Mason Thomas, Caleb Thomas, Lincoln Lockhart, Kallen Ray and Nathaniel Dion.
“I love them all. I love all the senior classes for different reasons, but this is a special group,” Griesinger said.
West (11-1-2, 7-0 Big North) got the scoring started early as Aidan Orth — whose nickname of “Lord Orth” was said over the Titan loudspeakers several more times throughout the night — found the back of the net 1 minute and 46 seconds after the first whistle for the 1-0 lead. Lincoln Lockhart assisted on the score, and the duo would connect again later in the match.
“These guys mean everything,” Orth said of his fellow seniors. “A lot of these guys have been my friends since I was in kindergarten or middle school. I’ve grown up with them. I’ve gone through the program with them. I can’t even put it into words, honestly. They’ve all been with me the whole way, and that means a lot. It’s just a great group of guys.”
To give an idea of how dominant West’s play was throughout the 80 minutes, Petoskey (4-9-2, 3-3-1 Big North) didn’t attempt a shot on goal throughout. The Northmen’s only offense came on a penalty kick in the second half. Other than that, senior keeper Trapper Holmes didn’t have to do much other than watch his Titans play a forceful game of soccer.
The Titans had a few more chances in the first half, cashing in with 12:29 left when Kallen Ray knocked one home on the assist from Orth. West took the 2-0 lead into the break as a steady rain fell throughout the majority of the match.
“This was a game where the training plan from yesterday was an exact replica of what we saw out there today, especially in the second half,” Griesinger said. “I don’t know if 2-0 was a good indicator of the play in the first half, but it definitely showed up on the scoreboard in the second.”
Cruz Lockhart made it 3-0 just over 12 minutes into the second half on the helper from Leland Lyon.
“I feel great. It was a very good team game,” Cruz Lockhart said. “We all connected the ball well, passed it well. I feel we all had a part in this win.”
The victory Tuesday showed the growth the Titans have experienced since the beginning of the season.
“Game one, I feel like we weren’t connecting the ball well. We were just kicking it and running,” Lockhart said. “But now, everybody plays a part, passing and moving. I feel like I can rely on anybody because everybody does their part. It’s just a great team we have.”
The Northmen got on the board with the aforementioned penalty kick that Aarav Gandhi rocketed by Holmes to make it 3-1 two minutes after Lockhart’s goal.
Petoskey’s score only seemed to motivate the Titans as they scored five more goals in the final 25 minutes and nearly picked up the eight-goal mercy victory with seconds left in the game.
Brody Plumstead scored at the 22:20 mark on an assist from Orth. Orth scored his second of the game after a perfect short pass from Lincoln Lockhart three minutes later for the 5-1 advantage. Cruz Lockhart tallied his second goal on a header with the assist going to Plumstead with 11 minutes to play. Orth locked up the hat trick with a missile of a goal 90 seconds later to make it 7-1 on the assist from Gradin Osmulski, and the final goal went to Ray from Plumstead with 4:31 left in the game.
“The patterns that we saw in the final third were really good,” Griesinger said. “Lincoln’s assist that he set down on top of the 18 for Aidan’s goal was straight out of training yesterday. It’s not often you get to script something like that and the plan is carried out.”
The Northmen close their season with three more road games at Alpena, Cadillac and Traverse City Central. Petoskey next plays Thursday against the Wildcats.
The Titans have three BNC games remaining on their schedule as they host Cadillac on Thursday, battle crosstown rival Traverse City Central on the road Tuesday and close out conference action with a home tilt against Gaylord on Oct. 3.
“We just have to keep going,” Orth said. “If we want to win the BNC, we just have to handle business every time. We can’t let off the pedal. If we let off the pedal, something could happen. Last year in Petoskey and the year before in Alpena, we let off the pedal a little bit and gave up a tie and a loss and then we had to fight for it more. We just have to finish out strong and keep that same mindset going into the playoffs.”
West is on the hunt for its 15th consecutive Big North Conference championship, but Griesinger said that cannot be the focus at this time.
“The critical piece is that it is one championship game at a time. Thursday is Cadillac. We can’t clinch the Big North. We can’t win the Big North. We can’t win the district. We can’t win the region, but we can try to win that championship game,” Griesinger said. “The challenge, especially as the season winds down, is getting the guys to buy into the fact that it’s still one game at a time and each game is a championship game.”