Marathon ensured legendary boys soccer coach Chip Stewart’s legacy was fully cemented Saturday afternoon, when it officially renamed the soccer field to Stewart Field.
Stewart compiled a record of 451-159-39 in his time as head coach, which spanned from 1988 to 2021. Stewart led Marathon to 19 division titles, 15 IAC championships, 10 sectional championships, nine regional titles, eight state final four appearances, three state championship games and one state title, in 2019.
Stewart was touched by the turnout for the ceremony Saturday.
“It’s enormous,” Stewart said. “This community has always supported the soccer program. When I was coaching I’d tell kids they’re not coming here in September but come October, that sideline is going to packed at sectional time and it usually is. To see some of the faces I haven’t seen in a long time, it’s a tremendous achievement and a tremendous outpouring that I’ll never be able to repay.”
Speaking at the ceremony Saturday was former player Derek Hartman, longtime friend and statistician Alan Diaz, current Marathon boys soccer head coach Aubrey Brown, Marathon school board president Justin Lilly and Marathon Athletic Director Bryan Hoyt.
While Stewart’s crowning achievement came with the 2019 state title win, he believes Marathon had a number of teams worthy of taking the crown over the years.
“I’ll be honest, as much as I love that team, that wasn’t even my best team,” Stewart said. “The numbers fell in the right spot, we played the right people and things just fell into line. We lost three state championship games, twice to private schools. I had some good teams that didn’t even win the section. But that’s soccer. Sometimes the best team doesn’t win in this game. But that’s the beauty and the tragedy of this game.”
Fittingly, the first game played on Stewart Field came shortly after the ceremony, with several of Stewart’s former players taking the field for the Marathon boys soccer alumni game.
