Brock Dittman didn’t even like soccer. Now he owns Karns City’s saves record and wants to put it out of reach
KARNS CITY — Brock Dittman never figured he’d be playing soccer in junior high.
Now the Karns City junior can’t see himself stopping — mainly because he stops a lot of shots.
Make that a ton of shots.
A third-year starter as the Gremlins goalkeeper, Dittman was honored before Tuesday night’s game against Mercer, a 3-0 loss, at Karns City’s Diehl Stadium for breaking the program’s career saves record. He made 22 stops against DuBois last week to snap the previous mark of 409, set by Josh Grenninger nearly 20 years ago.
Dittman reached 450 career saves with his 11 stops Tuesday night.
“I’m hoping to get a lot more the rest of this year and next year,” Dittman said. “I want to put it (the record) way out there.”
Dittman played football, basketball and baseball growing up but gave up basketball in junior high. He did not venture on to the soccer pitch until eighth grade.
“I was around soccer all the time because my sister (Hunter) played in high school and college,” Dittman said. “But I was never interested in playing the sport. Some of my friends were playing, so I decided to give it a try in eighth grade. I figured if I didn’t like it, I could always give it up.
“I went right to goalkeeper because I couldn’t dribble with my feet well at all. We needed a goalkeeper my freshman year, so I was it.”
He credits Hunter for helping him develop as a soccer player. She played collegiately at Penn State-Behrend.
“A big help,” Dittman said. “She didn’t play goalie, but she knew how to attack goalies. She worked with me on my fundamentals and showed me what to expect.”
Karns City coach R.J. Carson referred to Dittman as “a brick wall back there. He has the best hands of any goalkeeper I’ve seen, and he’s so athletic. I hope he continues to play in college, because he’s good enough for the next level.”
Dittman is one of three KC football players — joining Trevor Rumbaugh and Ethan McElravy — who also play soccer. Dittman plays receiver/defensive back and kicks for the 5-0 Gremlins. He’s also a stellar shortstop in baseball and is a sprinter in track and field.
He joins the football team for practice right after school, then heads to soccer practice afterward. On soccer game nights, he practices football for 90 minutes, goes to the locker room and changes into his soccer gear.
“I’m pretty sore by week’s end, but it’s worth it. It’s a blast playing sports with my buddies,” Dittman said. “My favorite sport is baseball, and that’s what I want to play in college. But I’d love the chance to play soccer in the fall, as well.”
