Boys Soccer: 2025 State Runners-Up

The Crusaders boys soccer team reached the biggest game of Indiana high school soccer, vying for a state championship on Halloween night at the Michael A. Carroll stadium at IU Indianapolis.

Both teams in the championship were making their first appearance in the State Finals.

Although the Scecina boys came up short against Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian, 3-0, the game marked the end of a remarkable Crusaders season, a record-setting performance of passion by senior goalie Dreik Marin- Ballesteros, and capped off by a Crusader, Carter Hartman, winning the prestigious mental attitude award.

“It was a fantastic year,” said head coach Quinn Cloghessy, “and although it hurts that we did not end the season the way we planned, I know in 5, 10, 15 years etc., this team will be in a room somewhere talking about how special this was.”

Special indeed. In the championship matchup, Marin- Ballesteros recorded 14 saves, a Class A state-finals record. That kept the game scoreless through the 50 th minute.

“I gave them all my 100%,” Marin-Ballesteros told The Indianapolis Star. “I know we fell short, but I’m really proud of these boys. At the end of the day, you know, we all made it.”

The special season followed an 8-11 season in 2024 when the team won the Sectional championship. This year’s team knew it had the capability to make the run they did, said Cloghessy. The team scored 107 goals and had only 27 goals scored against them. Two members made the All-City Team (Marin-Ballesteros & Roman Romo).

Other honors include:

  • Three members on All-Conference Tean (Adrian
    Romo, Alejandro Calzada-Cano, Miguel Ferrer Mir)
  • One on the Indiana Soccer Coaches’  2 nd  Team All-
    District (Marin-Ballesteros).
  • Three members on the Indiana Soccer Coaches’
    Association Academic All-State Team (Ben
    Gonzalez-Esparza, Ben Gaudreau, Carter Hartman).

Cloghessy also noted how the team made Scecina history. “We were the first team to win back-to-back Sectional titles in eight years, first Regional title in nine years, first Semi-State championship win, and the first Scecina appearance in the state championship for soccer.”