“The summer, you could tell it was going to be a special year — just how locked in, how competitive our guys were,” Monroe coach Billy Gronostaj said. “You’d see the guys at the field all the time, knocking the ball around, excited to be around each other. We were so far ahead in the preseason compared to years past.”
But that early momentum met adversity before the first whistle. In the final preseason tune-up against Middletown, Monroe lost two senior contributors — defender Micah Nation with a torn quad and midfielder Zachary Oborne with a hamstring — within a minute of each other.
The setbacks tested the group’s resolve and Gronostaj’s mantra.
“It’s good until it isn’t,” the coach said. “Then what happens? How do you respond?”
The answer came quickly.
Monroe (11-3-2) fell behind in its opener at Harrison, then flipped the match with two goals in four minutes after halftime to win on the road. The Hornets followed with a loss at Tippecanoe and a loss at home against Oakwood.
Since then, Monroe has gone 10-1-2 heading into its Division III tournament opener at home against Talawanda on Saturday, Oct. 18.
“We really started drilling down on defending,” Gronostaj said. “That was one of our bright spots last year. We returned three of our four starting backs, but we were leaking goals and it was concerning. We just got back to the roots — a mentality that we can’t allow shots.”
The inflection point, Gronostaj said, arrived in the rematch with perennial league foe Bellbrook. That meeting often decides the Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division title race — which in this case, it did.
The Hornets tied the Eagles 1-1 in their first meeting then won 2-0, ultimately securing the SWBL Southwestern Division title for a second straight year for Monroe.
“It’s always a must-win between the two of us,” Gronostaj said. “We changed our game plan and played really well. It was kind of a turning point for us, and we’ve just kept grinding.”
The Hornets’ best 80 minutes may have come outside the league in a season finale against Miamisburg.
“We dominated them — perhaps the best game we played all year,” Gronostaj said. “Very organized defensively, dangerous in the attack, limiting touches, moving the ball. All the things we’ve been preaching — it’s really starting to click.”
Monroe’s defense has stabilized around senior goalkeeper Joe Tarin. Monroe’s offense revolves around the elite play of senior Caden Gronostaj — Billy’s son.
Tarin’s season — and his growth — may be the quiet key. A four-year varsity goalkeeper, Tarin embraced the full-time workload and the responsibility that came with it. He’s logged eight shutouts this season.
“He’s everything you want out of a kid,” Gronostaj said. “He’s our leadership representative. … Getting to start, play every game, every minute — he’s really embraced it and been phenomenal.”
The midfield picture changed dramatically after the August injuries. But those guys have since returned to the lineup. Caden took care of the middle and embraced the challenge.
“He’s contributed on about 29 of our 60 goals in some way,” Billy said of Caden. “He put the team on his shoulders when there was just a glimmer at the beginning. He’s humble, doesn’t want the limelight, but he’s really emerged as a leader.”
Senior defender Brayden Miller, a three-year varsity mainstay, and junior defender Easton Oborne anchor a back line bolstered by freshman Andrew Kolp, first-year varsity defender in junior Owen Daniels-Day, senior forward Zeke Cruz and junior defender Keevan Foster.
Finishing was an offseason worry — “Who the heck is going to score?” — until a freshman helped answer it, Gronostaj noted. Landon Smallwood flashed two-way versatility and top-end pace.
“He reminds me of Joe with his athleticism,” Gronostaj said of Smallwood. “Very quiet, head down, does the work. He was seventh in points across the Southwestern Division behind six seniors. He can play anywhere — I’ve had him outside back, center back, out on the wing. He could go in goal if we needed him.”
The talent is real, but Monroe’s edge may be cultural. Even on free nights, players drift back to the turf.
“They really enjoy each other,” Gronostaj said. “We don’t have egos. Nobody tries to do too much. They love playing for each other and with each other — and it’s showing.”
The second-year head coach, now in his fourth season with the program, said this season has been calmer.
“Last year you don’t know what you don’t know,” Gronostaj said. “This year’s been easier. There wasn’t a lot to rebuild — it was reiterating the culture and building a competitive training environment. We don’t do much fitness during the season. If we train hard enough, we’ll be fit — and maybe reduce injuries. My teams will always compete. If we lose and left everything out there, so be it.”
It’s also bittersweet. Gronostaj has coached several seniors since they were in grade school.
“This is the last go with this group,” the coach said. “It’s been a very special senior class. Their success doesn’t surprise me because of the leaders they are and the people who’ve stepped up.”
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