OTTUMWA — Next stop, Hoover.

Final destination — state tournament.

The Ottumwa boys soccer team said goodbye to the Walsh Soccer Complex in resounding fashion on Friday night against Fairfield with a 11-0 manhandling on Senior Night.

All 19 seniors on head coach David Schwent’s upstart Ottumwa squad went out in style for the last time on their home playing surface.

Now comes the fun part.

The road map for the Bulldogs will now begin to get a lot more rocky.

Gone are the low valleys and mild peaks that Schwent and his 10-1 Bulldogs have managed to careen, maneuver around and claim the most wins in school history.

It’s time for the ascent into higher elevation — mainly the rough and jagged mountain tops that fill out any peak.

Schwent has this to say about folks wondering what is in store when Ottumwa plays for its first ever CIML Metro crown versus three-time defending Metro champ Des Moines Hoover on Monday.

“I would say expect more. This is the beginning, not the end. I know it’s the end of the season, but this is a jumping off point for our program into competing with the big boys,” said Schwent, in just his first year as head coach at OHS.

It’s been a smooth ride so far, but Ottumwa plays its two toughest matches of the season in the next week. Ottumwa ends the season at Hoover and plays at Muscatine in the first round of Class 2A Substate 8 action against a very solid Muscatine squad. Ottumwa won its first postseason match ever last season and has only had competitive soccer on the prep level for five seasons.

“What better way to find out what you need to fix in the first round of substate than to play Hoover,” said Schwent, who stated both teams are similar in terms of talent and strength.

Ottumwa piled on the points once again in the second half with eight balls that hit the back on the net in the second half. Ottumwa scored all six of its goals in the second half in a Metro win at home versus Des Moines North Thursday night.

Schwent talked about his team’s historic season and what might not be that much of a shock to him, but might be for people residing outside of Wapello County.

“This year was a surprise for everybody, to see us come out and take charge of an entire season,” said Schwent. “I know coming in I was telling the guys, ‘look, this is the year for us’. I don’t know if even everybody in Ottumwa realized that this is a 10-1, 11-1, 12-1 type of season. I didn’t expect to go undefeated, but that was real close to happening too.”