SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
Friday night’s homecoming game at Eggerss Stadium will feature a pair of teams that are looking to resume their winning ways.
After a 35-21 loss at Wapakoneta last Friday, Van Wert enters the game 4-2 (3-2 WBL). The Cougars have dropped two of the last three games, with the other loss coming to Celina, 49-28, in Week No. 4. Sandwiched between the losses is a 61-28 win over Defiance. Despite last Friday’s loss, Van Wert head coach Keith Recker was able to find some positives.
“Last week we created five explosive plays on offense, which is right where we want to be with the number of plays we ran against Wapak,” Recker said. “We also didn’t have any fumble or interception turnovers, which is another big positive.”
Wapakoneta was able to slow the Cougar running game, forcing Zach Crummey to take to the air often. The junior quarterback officially completed 35-of-49 passes for 434 yards and two touchdowns, a 56-yarder to Micah Cowan and a 48-yard toss to Keaten Welch.
“He is making some big time throws and really showing off what he is capable of doing at quarterback,” Recker said. “He is much more accurate on deep throws, his timing is very good, and he was able to put the ball in some tight spots, specifically a really nice quick throw to Cohen (Bragg) last week right down the seam. You don’t throw for over 400 yards without being able to make a lot of different throws and Zach can make all of them.
After a 2-0 start, the St. Marys Memorial Roughriders (3-3, 3-2 WBL) have lost three of four games. It’s fair to note the three losses came to the undefeated WBL co-leaders, Celina and Ottawa-Glandorf, and to rapidly improving Wapakoneta.
“3-3 is obviously not where we wanted to be, but our guys are playing hard and finding ways to get better,” St. Marys Memorial head coach Bo Frye said. “We’ve given up too many big plays on defense so that’s something we’re working hard to fix. We have to tackle better and eliminate those big plays.”
The Roughriders suffered a big blow defensively with the injury loss of linebacker Taylor Compton, an All-Ohioan last season. Compton (6-1, 210 senior) had 27 tackles this season, including 22 in the first two games alone.
“Anytime you lose an all-state linebacker and team captain like Taylor Compton, there are going to be some growing pains,” Frye said. “We have guys working every day to step up and take over that role. On top of that, the WBL has been on an upswing, which has made things even more challenging.”
(more…)POSTED: 09/29/26 at 8:27 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
CONVOY — It’s well known that the Crestview Knights have played a challenging schedule this fall. The Knights (1-6, 1-2 NWC) have lost six games to teams with a combined record of 23-7.
This week, Crestview will face 3-3 (0-3 NWC) Delphos Jefferson, a team that has greatly improved from last season.
After an 0-3 start, the Knights made some changes to the lineup and inserted some younger players on the field. Head coach Cole Harting says despite a 1-2 record since then, he’s pleased with what he’s seen.
“We are gaining a lot of experience from our younger guys,” Harting said. “They have continued to show improvement from week to week and that is what we need to see.”
One of the younger players is freshman quarterback Calin Balliet, who has completed 41-of-59 passes for 281 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions.
Defensively, Harting cited the recent play of defensive lineman Kale Lichtensteiger (6-0, 210 senior) and Denver McDougall (6-5, 220 senior).
“Those guys have done a great job of bringing the energy and have executed their assignments very well,” Harting said.
“Crestview is always a very solid team,” Delphos Jefferson head coach Allan Pohlman said. “They have a big line up front and they play hard. They also have a very promising young quarterback that can hurt you if you are not careful. He has the ability to run and throw. Anytime you deal with a dual threat quarterback, it causes problems for the defense.”
“They are a better football team than what their record says, so we need to be prepared for a good battle Friday night,” he added.
The Wildcats got off to a 3-0 start, including a 21-20 upset of Paulding in Week 3, which remains as the only loss this season by the Panthers. The three wins equaled the number of wins by the program over the past three seasons combined. Since the 3-0 start, Delphos Jefferson has lost three straight, 28-24 to Fort Loramie, 49-7 to Bluffton and 43-6 to Columbus Grove, three teams with a combined record of 15-3.
“It was a tough stretch the last three weeks,” Pohlman said. “We suffered a key injury to Dean Trentman vs. Fort Loramie and that made us have to make some adjustments to personnel on both sides of the ball. We moved Heath Schnipke to running back and moved Gavin Howell to quarterback. We feel very good about having these two guys in their new positions and we saw some great things from both of them.”
(more…)POSTED: 09/29/26 at 8:26 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
Division II district golf
OREGON — Van Wert’s Zach Stoller and Cal Byrum saw their golf season come to an end at the Division II district golf tournament at Maumee Bay State Park Golf Course on Tuesday.
Stoller shot an 88, while Byrum finished with a 105.
Volleyball
Lincolnview 3 Bluffton 0
The Lancers bounced back from Monday’s loss to Paulding with a 25-17, 25-21, 25-22 NWC win over Bluffton on Tuesday. Lincolnview has now won three of its last four matches.
Kara Suever led the way with a 15 digs, a dozen kills and four blocks. Joey-Kate Carey had 12 digs, while Brooklyn Byrne finished with eight digs, six kills and four blocks. Annabel Horstman had six blocks, and Mackynlee Dickinson recorded 35 assists and three aces.
Lincolnview (11-5, 4-1 NWC) will travel to Columbus Grove on Thursday.
Crestview 3 Delphos Jefferson 0
CONVOY — Crestview remains undefeated in the NWC after a 25-23, 25-13, 25-18 win over Delphos Jefferson on Tuesday. Kaci Gregory tallied 15 kills in the win, while Kaylee Owens and Ayla Kreischer had eight and six kills. Nora Perkins had 17 assists and Kenadie Schwartz added 13 assists. Kreischer had 10 digs and Gregory and Schwartz had seven each. Delanie Balliet was 20-of-21 serving with three aces.
Crestview (7-5, 4-0 NWC) will return to action on Thursday at home against Lima Central Catholic.
Parkway 3 Van Wert 0
The top-ranked team in Division VI, Parkway, defeated Van Wert 25-11, 25-8, 25-12 on Tuesday.
Van Wert (1-13) will travel to St. Marys Memorial on Thursday. Parkway (14-1) will host Fort Recovery the same night.
Soccer
Lincolnview 6 Cory-Rawson 1
Roewen Sutton and Jaxton Hammons each scored three goals for Lincolnview and the Lancers posted a 6-1 win over Cory-Rawson on Tuesday. Hammons added two assists, with Sutton, Gavin Priest, Josh Denman, and Aiden Campbell each recording one assist.
“I’m really happy for our kids,” Lincolnview head coach Eli Alvarez said. “We can always go back and find things we need to do better and areas where we need to continue improving, but tonight was a good night for them. More than anything, I’m glad we were able to get a win and celebrate our seniors the right way. Claire (Geier) and Gavin have given a lot of their time and effort to this program, and I’m thankful for everything they’ve done for Lincolnview Soccer. I’m happy they got to enjoy a night like this with their teammates, friends, and families.”
Lincolnview (3-6-1) will host Bluffton on Tuesday.
Ottoville 9 Crestview 0
OTTOVILLE — The Big Green blanked Crestview 9-0 in non-conference girls soccer action on Tuesday. Ella Lamb had 15 saves. Evie Williman had four shots on goal and Emily Foudy had two shots on goal.
Crestview (1-8-1) will host Spencerville on Thursday.
POSTED: 09/29/26 at 8:25 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
Submitted information
COLUMBUS — Week 6 of the 2026 high school football season is in the books.
Football players from all over Ohio put up some amazing performances in the sixth week of the season. Here, the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association compiles the best of the best with the OPSMA High School Football Notebook.
Let’s take a look.
-Through six weeks, it seems apparent that if Wayne Trace senior running back Carter Baumle has a big game, the 4-2 Raiders are winning. In their 4 wins, Baumle has a combined 686 yards and 14 TDs on 51 carries (13.5 ypc) and in the two losses, just 109 yards and zero TDs on 29 totes. The senior’s 217 yards and four rushing scores led a 56-13 week six win over Edgerton.
-Wapakoneta quarterback Daron Houser completed 5 of 8 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown, adding 153 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries in the running game in a 35-13 win over Van Wert. Trent Lisi of Wapakoneta made three catches for 137 yards and a touchdown in a 35-13 win over Van Wert.
-One of the most stunning turnarounds has happened in Ottawa where the 6-0 Ottawa-Glandorf Titans have followed up an 0-10 2024 season where they did not score more than 28 points and lost nine of 10 games by 14 points or more with an unbeaten start to 2026, scoring an average of 39.2 ppg and only one win by fewer than 17 points.
-Oscar Salsburey of Ottawa-Glandorf carried the ball 15 times for 178 yards and two touchdowns in a 46-28 win over St. Marys, keeping the Titans unbeaten.
-Noah Talmadge of Celina ran for 112 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in a 49-14 win over Kenton to bring the Bulldogs record to 6-0.
-Kei Lasenby of Shawnee carried the ball 11 times for 141 yards and a touchdown in a 41-20 win over Defiance.
-Carter Lester of Lima Central Catholic ran for 111 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries in a 42-7 win over Fort Loramie to stay unbeaten.
-Miles McDorman of Allen East had 15 carries for 141 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-0 win over Crestview.
-Parker Lovell of Bluffton ran for 197 yards and four touchdowns on nine carries in a 61 -0 win over Spencerville. Lovell now has 20 touchdowns on the season.
-Shelby’s Michael Shepherd led the Whippets to a 54-0 MOAC football win over River Valley by completing 14-of-16 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns while running for 48 yards and two more scores. Brady Bowman caught seven passes for 90 yards and a TD while Kayden Paz added three catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns and Griffin Yeager had a 55-yard touchdown catch. Gavin Baker ran for 48 yards and a TD and Bowman added six rushing yards and a score for a solid all-around game for the Whippets. Brady McQuillen, Casyn Koch and Trent Rodman all had interceptions on defense in the shutout.
-It’s not often that a 13-carry, 185-yard, five-TD performance could hurt a player’s yards per carry average, but Liberty Center senior Garrison Kruse slightly dropped his gaudy 17.3 ypc average entering Friday (36 carries, 623 yards) with his showing in a 38-6 win at rival Patrick Henry. The all-Ohio Tiger star now has 808 yards and 16 TDs on 49 carries (16.5 ypc) as LC won its 20th straight game and 50th straight regular-season game.-Canton McKinley’s running back Kyelin West put on an amazing performance, scoring four touchdowns to help his team crush Uniontown Green 35-0 in their Federal League matchup. Even more impressive, this is the third game in a row West has scored four touchdowns, showing just how dominant he’s been lately.
-Worthington Kilbourne’s Jackson Szabo continued his outstanding play vs Delaware passing for 330 yards and 3 passing touchdowns, while adding 14 carriers for 96 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns for the 38-7 victory to improve the Wolves to (6-0) on the season.
-After being named Homecoming King, Huntington’s Frankie Hirsch put together a sizzling night throwing for 214 yards with three TDs and ran for 124 yards and another score as Huntington defeated Southeastern 47-24. Gordon Cyrus tallied 122 yards and a touchdown for the Huntsmen while Junior McDonald caught two TD passes and ran for another. Southeastern’s Brayden Burns and Landen Smith accounted for the Panthers’ three touchdowns for 165 yards. Smith broke the Southeastern record for receiving yards, crossing 1,000 for the season. With the win, Huntington keeps pace with Unioto to lead the SVC at 3-0.
-Steubenville Catholic Central quarterback Matty Jones had a career-high four touchdown passes in a 47-24 homecoming night win over Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday night. Daveon Thorn and Rahim Mitchell each had a receiving touchdown and kick return score for the Crusaders. D-lineman Nate Irvin had two sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass bat down on defense.
-Waverly senior quarterback Gunnar Myers passed for six touchdowns in his team’s 49-0 win over the visiting Oak Hill Oaks. Myers was efficient, completing 11-of-14 passes for 279 yards. More than half of his 11 passes went for touchdowns. The leading receiver was senior Trae Perry, who had four receptions for 100 yards and three touchdowns.
-Leipsic improved to 6-0 with a 47-10 win over Ada. Marc Kirkendall completed 17 of 19 passes for 351 yards and four touchdowns. Grady Bryan had six catches for 118 yards and a TD, Marquise Williams added three receptions for 95 yards and a score, and Avery Paris caught four passes for 54 yards and a TD. Aaron Hazelton rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown, while Williams added 55 yards and a score on seven carries. Kirkendall became the school’s career passing leader in Friday’s 47-10 win over Ada. Kirkendall broke Dylan Schroeder’s previous record of 6,929 yards on a 62-yard touchdown pass to Colin Niese in the second quarter. He now has 7,130 career passing yards and 68 touchdowns. Kirkendall has thrown for 1,553 yards and 20 touchdowns this season for 6-0 Leipsic.
(more…)POSTED: 09/29/26 at 2:31 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
This week’s edition of Random Thoughts centers around an impressive feat by a local coach, WBL football standings, a Week No. 8 matchup, a possible GMC title game, Marion Local, Ohio State and a sign the world may be coming to an end.
Champs and honors x2
How many coaches can claim they led two teams in different sports to conference championships and earned Coach of the Year honors in both sports in the same calendar year? Just one that I know of.
Brett Hammons led Lincolnview to an NWC boys basketball championship this past February and he was named NWC Coach of the Year. Now, Hammons has led the Lancer boys golf team to an NWC championship and garnered Coach of the Year honors.
Congratulations to Coach Hammons and the Lancers!
WBL
This surprises me a little. In the Western Buckeye League standings, just three teams have overall winning records, 6-0 Celina, 6-0 Ottawa-Glandorf and 4-2 Van Wert. Three other teams are 3-3 – Shawnee, Wapakoneta and St. Marys Memorial, while the remaining four are under .500.
I’ll say this – Wapakoneta is the best 3-3 team you’ll see this season.
Week No. 8
WBL football fans are peeking ahead to Week No. 9, when Ottawa-Glandorf hosts Celina. On paper, it looks like the WBL championship game and know knows, it very well may be.
However, the week before, the Titans will host Van Wert. Realistically, the Cougars are out of the WBL title race (3-2 WBL), but Van Wert could have a say in who wins the league championship. Plus, let’s not forget that over the last eight seasons, seven of the games between the Cougars and Titans have been close, competitive games, regardless of records.
GMC title game?
The Green Meadows Conference title game could be this Friday night, as Fairview (5-1, 3-0 GMC) hosts defending champion Paulding (5-1, 3-0 GMC).
(more…)POSTED: 09/28/26 at 8:27 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
Members of Lincolnview’s golf team are smiling after winning the NWC tournament at Hidden Creek Golf Club on Monday. As a team, the Lancers shot a 324 and edged Columbus Grove by a single stroke, giving the program back-to-back conference titles. Bosten Bailey and Seth Brant each shot a 87, Jacob Geier had an 81 and Aiden Milligan fired an 87. Bailey and Brant both earned first team All-NWC honors, Geier was named second team All-NWC and Milligan and Marshall Hammons were named honorable mention All-NWC. In addition, head coach Brett Hammons was named Coach of the Year. Photo submitted
POSTED: 09/28/26 at 8:25 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
Girls golf
Custer’s season ends
FINDLAY — Lincolnview’s Grace Custer shot a 111 and finished her high school golf career at the Division II districts at Sycamore Springs Golf Course on Monday.
Volleyball
Crestview 3 Van Wert 0
CONVOY — Crestview improved to 6-5 with a 25-12, 25-8, 25-20 win over Van Wert on Monday.
Crestview’s Delanie Balliet, Nora Perkins, Kaylee Owens and Kinley Crider combined for 14 aces. Kaci Gregory had six kills, Perkins had 11 assists, Balliet had six digs and Alecta Baxter had three blocks.
Van Wert’s statistics were not immediately available.
Van Wert (1-12) will host Division VI No. 1 Parkway tonight, while Crestview will entertain Delphos Jefferson.
Soccer
Allen East 4 Crestview 0
HARROD — The Lady Knights were shut out by Allen East 4-0 on Monday. Evie Williman had five shots on goal for Crestview. Ella Lamb had a shot on goal and seven saves.
Crestview (1-7-1) will play at Ottoville today.
POSTED: 09/28/26 at 8:25 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
Local teams and runners made a strong showing at Saturday’s OhioHealth Van Wert Hospital Cross County Invitational. Just how strong? Two individual champions, a team champion and a team runner-up finish.
Crestview junior Derek Young finished as the individual boys’ champion by spanning the course in 15:45, which broke the school record.
“Derek has been intentional and disciplined since early summer, attacking every workout with purpose and treating each practice as a chance to sharpen himself,” Crestview head coach Randy Grandstaff said. “That commitment has translated into an exceptional start to his junior season, where his intensity, focus, and clear pursuit of his goals have set him apart. Outside of the shortened 4K Troy Twilight Invitational, Derek has yet to face a true test, and his current personal record stands at 950 -5 with only five runners ahead of him coming from larger schools at Troy.”
“His next major challenge arrives at the Coldwater Invitational, where he’ll square off against Versailles standout Jackson Spitzer (14:54), a matchup that promises to be one of the most anticipated head‑to‑head battles of the fall,” Grandstaff continued. “With six weeks of racing still ahead, Derek’s season is poised to become even more exciting as he continues to rise to every opportunity placed in front of him.”
Van Wert had five runners in the top 18, with freshman Oliver Scott leading the way with a sixth place finish (17:09.9), followed by Harrison Sloan (seventh, 17:12.6) and Alex Bauer (11th, 17:17.1). Calvin Byrum finished 14th (17:20.2) and Nate Drerup logged an 18th place finish (17:33.4).
“The boys team was led by Ollie Scott and continues to have a very deep team of runners,” Van Wert head coach Bob Spath said.
That pack of runners allowed the Cougars to win the team title (50 points), while Crestview was the runner-up in the 14-team standings (72 points).
The Knights backed up Young’s win with a tight, disciplined pack. Kale Vining placed 10th in 17:17, Hudson Perrott finished 20th in 17:39, and Andy Heth followed in 22nd with 17:46. Caleb Thomas added a strong 27th place finish in 17:56, with Luke Sawmiller close behind in 29th at 18:08. Levi Hoblet finished in 50th with a time of 18:52, securing Crestview’s runner-up team finish.
Lincolnview finished seventh in the boys’ standings (172 points). The Lancers were led by Aaron Sawyer, who placed 15th overall (17:23). Max Hammons finished 39 (18:31.9) and Zander Coil placed 46th (18:43.2).
On the girls’ side, Lincolnview freshman Maeleigh Evans won the individual championship in 19:43.8, which helped power the Lancers to a third place finish in the team standings (109 points), behind team champion Ottawa-Glandorf (34) and runner-up Van Wert (54).
(more…)POSTED: 09/27/26 at 8:35 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
Volleyball
Paulding 3 Lincolnview 0
PAULDING — Undefeated Paulding improved to 11-0 on the season with a 25-20, 25-13, 28-26 win over Lincolnview on Saturday.
The Lancers were led by Kara Suever, who finished with a 14 kills, 10 digs and three aces. Brooklyn Byrne had 12 digs and eight kills, while Joey-Kate Cary had 11 digs. Makynlee Dickinson recorded 31 assists. Kayde Kuckuck led Paulding with 11 kills, 11 receptions, seven digs and five aces, while Tori Schlatter had 22 receptions and 15 digs. Estie Pease had a team high 28 assists.
Lincolnview (10-5) will host Bluffton on Tuesday.
Soccer
Bath 1 Lincolnview 0
Bath scored the game’s only goal approximately two minutes into the match and that’s all the Wildcats would need, as they defeated host Lincolnview 1-0 on Saturday.
“We have to figure out how to start games better,” Lincolnview head coach Eli Alvarez said. “We gave up a goal two minutes in today and when you do that, you immediately put yourself in a tough position. Credit to Eli Owens in goal. He made some great saves and kept us in the game and gave us a chance.”
“Offensively, we’re still trying to find our identity,” he continued. “We’re waiting for someone to step up and become that consistent threat for us and we have to keep working to figure out where that’s going to come from. Overall, I’m proud of our kids. They battled, stayed in the game, and gave us a chance. We just have to keep getting after it, keep improving, and find ways to turn these close games in our favor.”
The Lancers enjoyed a 2-1, one half junior varsity win over Bath. Ainsley Hoffman and Samuel Clementz each scored a goal and Riley Knepper provided two assists.
Lincolnview (2-6-1) will host Cory-Rawson on Tuesday.
WBL tennis
Shawnee swept the 2026 WBL girls tennis tournament, capturing the top spot at first, second and third singles and first and second doubles, which enabled the Indians to win the team title as well. Wapakoneta was the runner-up and Celina finished third.
Van Wert finished eighth in the team standings.
POSTED: 09/27/26 at 8:34 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
Here are this week’s football broadcast schedules for 99.7FM WKSD and WERT 1220AM/104.3FM. All games will air live.
Friday, October 2
WKSD – Paulding at Fairview – 6:30 p.m. pregame, 7 p.m. kickoff
WERT – St. Marys Memorial at Van Wert – 6:30 p.m. pregame, 7 p.m. kickoff
Saturday, October 3
WKSD and WERT – Ohio State at Iowa – 2 p.m. pregame, 3:30 p.m. kickoff
POSTED: 09/27/26 at 8:33 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
