Marietta head coach Bill Mannix looks on prior to a girls soccer match this season. (Photo by Rebecca Wheeler Photography)

MARIETTA — Two of the best high school soccer coaches in the state of Ohio call Marietta home.

MHS girls head coach Bill Mannix and assistant coach Ben Schenkel received top honors from the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association. Mannix was named the Division III Coach of the Year while Schenkel earned D3 Assistant Coach of the Year honors.

That is an abundance of coaching ability patrolling one sideline, and the results back it up. The Tigers are coming off another highly successful campaign which saw the program claim district, sectional and league championships. It was the third district title in the last four years, the ninth straight sectional crown and the 17th overall conference championship, this one coming in the Twin State League.

“It means a lot for the program,” Mannix said. “When we first started, we weren’t setting out to break records or win awards. We were setting out to play a better brand of soccer at Marietta High School and take it to new heights.”

Marietta, which won a school record 17 matches this fall, lost to Hoban in the regional finals.

Marietta’s Grace Spencer strikes the ball during a girls soccer match this season. (Photo by Rebecca Wheeler Photography)

Since Mannix and Schenkel joined the staff five seasons ago, the Tigers have racked up 73 wins, including 16 in the postseason, and advanced to the Final Four for the first time in school history in 2022.

“It’s the best coaching staff I’ve ever been a part of,” Schenkel said. “I’ve got 27 years of high school coaching experience. I’ve coached under probably seven different head coaches in different sports. I think Bill has the best roadmap of anyone I’ve coached with. He sets high expectations for the girls to follow, and not working toward those expectations is not an option. From an assistant coach perspective, I’ve never worked with a head coach who has valued their assistant coach’s thoughts and opinions as much as Bill does. I’ve never felt more valued as an assistant coach.”

Mannix expressed similar sentiments for Schenkel, who he said is essentially like having a second head coach by his side.

“There’s no way you can put accolades onto what he does,” Mannix said. “He allows us to do so much more. We look at things the same way. We talk about things and make decisions as a group. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to help the team. He could be a head coach at any school he wanted. We work together really well. This honor is well-suited for him. He’s a great coach.”

At the end of the day, coaches can only control so much.

Both Mannix and Schenkel agreed coaching accolades aren’t possible without players who buy in and work hard.

“It’s a testament to our players,” Schenkel said. “Bill and I kind of laid the groundwork in year one on what it was going to take to get to this level, and the players bought in and put in the work.”

Junior Grace Spencer was named first team All-Ohio after a spectacular season on the pitch.

Spencer, who plays midfield and forward, put up a gaudy statline that included 26 goals, 14 assists and 39 shots on goal. Those were all team-highs this season.

“She’s an example of one who puts in the work,” Mannix said. “Whether it’s the offseason, indoors, outdoors, in the weight room or on the practice field. Grace had been a standout soccer player on all her teams. We knew coming in if she put in the work, she could represent Marietta on the state level.”

Spencer was also the D3 Southeast District Player of the Year, TSL Player of the Year and most recently was named to the All-Central Region team.

“A lot of people look at Grace and see her 66 career goals, but what gets overshadowed is her ability to involve other people,” Schenkel said. “She makes other people on the field better. The last two seasons, she led our team in assists. She gets game-planned against because teams know she’s a scoring threat. She realizes ‘Tonight might not be my night to score, so I’m going to get other people the ball.’ Her unselfishness and willingness to adjust her game depending on what’s going on on the field is a huge testament to the player and person she is.”

Joining Spencer as a first team all-district honoree was sophomore Alaina Merrill. Seniors Taylor Addis and Caroline Cortopassi were both second teamers while senior Lauren Elliott and freshman Annalise Spencer were honorable mention picks.

Maura Misel filled a massive hole at goalkeeper left by All-Ohioan Leigha Lauer and put together an impressive freshman season. In 20 games between the pipes, Misel recorded 59 saves and allowed just 20 goals — eight of which occurred to Hoban in the regional final. She registered 10 clean sheets and was named the TSL Goalkeeper of the Year.

“We’re super proud of the team,” Mannix said. “This time of the year, when you have a first team All-Ohio player, they typically get most of the attention from media and things like that. We’re graduating three defensive players that had to bring in a new goalie this year. They did an outstanding job.”

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.