Lancers enjoy perfect start to season

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

Seven up and seven down – that best describes the start of Lincolnview’s volleyball season.

With victories over Elida, Delphos St. John’s, Van Wert, Wayne Trace, Antwerp, Continental and Ottoville, the Lancers have raced out to a 7-0 record, making them the only undefeated team among Northwest Conference members. Even more impressive is the fact that Lincolnview hasn’t dropped a single set this season, leading head coach JaNahn Evans (13th season, 168-105) to say preparation, experience and team bonding have been big factors in the fast start.

“I don’t ever go into a match expecting a win, but I will make sure we are as prepared as we can possibly be when we step on the court,” Evans said. “I think our biggest strength right now is how well this team is playing together. They have really developed a strong bond and trust in one another and that has been huge for us.”

“They are also doing a much better job of not getting hung up on mistakes,” she added. “Errors are going to happen in volleyball, but they are learning to play the next ball, and that has made a big difference in how we compete.”

Often times it’s a senior-laden team that is a big factor and while the Lancers don’t have many seniors, Evans said the ones they do have on the squad have indeed led the way.

“Our three seniors, Kara Suever (6-2 opposite hitter), Brooklyn Byrne (6-1 middle hitter) and Aubrey Miller (5-2 defensive specialist) have been huge leaders for us,” Evans explained. “Kara and Brooklyn have been two of our leading hitters and have been big offensive and defensive weapons at the net. Aubrey has been an important part of our defense and brings a lot of experience and leadership to the court. Having those seniors leading this team has been really valuable.”

Underclassman on the team have also played a big role and Evans noted the Lancers have contributions coming from a lot of different players, which translates into not having to rely on just one player to win a match.

“Annabel Horstman (5-10 junior middle hitter) has also been one of our leading hitters and has been a big offensive and defensive weapon for us. Ansley Schwab (5-6 outside hitter) and Nora Linton (5-7 outside hitter) are both sophomores and are playing varsity for the first time, and they have really stepped up. They have become important contributors for us and are scoring a lot while also embracing everything that comes with playing at the varsity level. I have been really proud of how confidently they have stepped into those roles. Kara, Brooklyn, Annabel, Ansley, and Nora give us 5 strong attacking options at the net, and they have done a great job playing off of one another and creating different challenges for opposing defenses.”

Random Thoughts: zero losses and more

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

This week’s installment of Random Thoughts centers around perfect records, the biggest upset, Glenville’s new region, the Monday Mailbag and Saturday’s controversial finish.

3-0 vs. 3-0

Just three undefeated teams remain in the Western Buckeye League football standings and two of them will meet Friday night.

Van Wert and Celina will square off at Celina Stadium, with the winner remaining in first place. If we’re being realistic, most people figured Van Wert would be 3-0 entering this game. It was most likely a different story for Celina. A challenging schedule with games against defending Division VII state champion St. Henry, defending WBL champion Wapakoneta and preseason WBL favorite St. Marys Memorial made a 3-0 start somewhat improbable. Throw in the loss of quarterback Parker Wynk to a serious neck injury and it seemed even more improbable. Yet, Celina defied the odds. The Bulldogs are 3-0 by a combined total of six points but the point is they haven’t lost.

One other note – Celina has won three straight against the Cougars.

Check Wednesday’s Sports page for an in-depth game preview.

3-0 vs. 3-0 II

Could the NWC championship game be played in the conference opener? Perhaps, but it appears there are several contenders for the title. Defending NWC champion Columbus Grove (3-0) will host preseason favorite Lima Central Catholic (3-0) Friday night. It should be a dandy.

3-0 and 3-0

They won’t face each other of course, but two teams that have struggled in recent seasons find themselves undefeated after three games.

Delphos Jefferson remained undefeated by beating Paulding 21-20 on Friday, a result that surprised many people. Another tests awaits, as Fort Loramie (2-1) comes to Stadium Park for a Saturay night game.

Meanwhile, the WBL’s third undefeated team, Ottawa-Glandorf, is coming off a 45-7 win over Kenton and the Titans are averaging 46 points per game. By comparison, O-G scored a total of 47 points after three games last year. They’ll head to Wapakoneta this Friday in what could be a very interesting game.

26-0

Coldwater defeated Fort Recovery 35-9 on Friday. Fun fact: Coldwater is 26-0 all time against Fort Recovery in football. You read that correctly, the Cavaliers have never lost to Fort Recovery.

Biggest upset      

What was last Friday’s biggest upset? There are several games to choose from, but I’m going to pick Allen East over Indian Lake. The Mustangs won the game 32-14. The Lakers entered the game average 47 points and Allen East held them well below that.

County CC teams run at CG Invite

VW independent sports

COLUMBUS GROVE — A Crestview Knight runner finished as an individual champion and Van Wert County cross country teams had a good showing at the always tough Columbus Grove Invitational on Saturday.

Crestview’s Derek Young was dominant from the gun, claiming the individual championship in 16:05. Teammates Caleb Thomas and Andy Heth worked together through the race, finishing 15th and 16th, both clocking 17:38. Kale Vining added a 28th place finish in 17:58, while Luke Sawmiller crossed in 40th with 18:32. Levi Hoblet placed 64th in 19:37, and Hunter Waltmire completed the lineup in 97th with a time of 20:46.

As a team, the Knights finished third behind Maplewood and Botkins in the Gray Division.

The Crestview girls used a balanced team effort to finish sixth overall. Minster won the girls’ team championship.

Sophomore Emily Heth once again led the Knights, racing to seventh place in 21:06. Lyda Grace followed with a solid 33rd in 23:34, and Kenzie Harting added a 47th place finish in 24:44. Ava Motycka placed 81st in 26:44, with Marlee Temple close behind in 91st at 27:41. Jetta Merkle rounded out the scoring in 102nd, finishing in 28:27.

The Lincolnview girls finished fourth overall in the Gray Division, with Maeleigh Evans finishing as the individual runner-up (20:13.7). Kassidy Hammons finished 17th (22:00.3),followed by Josie Miller (23rd, 22:37.6), Destiny Breese (43rd, 23:19.5), Moriah Bertsch (70th, 25:45.8) and Deanna Dearing (78th, 26:37).

The Lancer boys finished eighth, with Aaron Sawyer placing 20th (17:51.1), Zander Coil (36th, 18:19), Max Hammons (52nd, 19:11.4), Evan Young (79th, 20:09.4), Hunter Osborne (90th, 20:30), and Jayden Hammons (104th, 21:04.4)

Van Wert finished fourth in the boys and girls Red Division races.

Calvin Byrum was the first finisher for the Cougars placing 15th (17:05.9), followed by Harrison Sloan (21st, 17:19.9), Alex Bauer (25th, 17:29.3), Oliver Scott (26th, 17:30.4), Quintin Parrish (40th, 17:51.7), Nate Drerup (50th, 18:11.4) and Jayden White (65th, 18:24.6). 

The Cougar girls were paced by Noelle Byrum, who finished 13th (20:30.7). She was followed by Symphony Schuerman (17th, 20:37.1), Ruby Dicke (19th (20:43.8), Ava Keuneke (41st, 21:43.3), Jasleen Sharma (47th, 21:47.8), Whitney Holliday (56th, 22:11.6), and Keiley Welch (63rd, 22:25).

West Liberty-Salem won the boys’ team title and Fremont Ross was the girls’ champion.

Complete results can be found here.

On the Air: radio stations WKSD/WERT

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, September 11

WKSD – Paulding at Antwerp, 6:30 p.m. pregame, 7 p.m. kickoff

WERT – Van Wert at Celina, 6:30 p.m. pregame, 7 p.m. kickoff

Saturday, September 12

WKSD and WERT – Ohio St. at Texas, 6 p.m. pregame, 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

Kelly scores five TDs as Cougars win again

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

LIMA — Junior running back Xavier Kelly put on a show and Van Wert took advantage of numerous Bath miscues on Friday night.

After rushing for 111 yards in the first two games combined, Kelly gashed the Wildcat defense for 271 yards and five touchdowns on 21 carries, with three of those touchdowns coming on the fourth quarter as the Cougars pulled away for a 43-20 win, a victory that improved Van Wert’s record to 3-0 (2-0 WBL). 

With the score tied 20-20 early in the fourth, Kelly raced 15 yards to the end zone. Later in the quarter, Keaten Welch tackled Bath quarterback Daniel Cole in the end zone for a safety after a high snap, one of many high snaps in the game. Following the safety kick, Kelly took a handoff and sprinted 81 yards for a score, then added a 3-yard touchdown run with just under four minutes left in the game, giving him 10 rushing touchdowns through three games, plus three more on receptions. 

Kelly also scored on a 1-yard run on the game’s opening possession and added a 68-yard scoring run in the second quarter. Along with 271 yards on the ground, Kelly caught three passes for 32 yards.

“He’s just different,” Van Wert head coach Keith Recker said of Kelly. “He’s just different than the other guys – he’s special and the combination he has with the running toughness, the strength and the speed, it’s almost unmatched and I’m glad he’s on our team.”

“As the game wore on our guys continued to get better and they showed a lot of toughness and grit,” Recker said. “It was awesome by the guys up front.”

While Bath (0-3, 0-2 WBL) was able to move the ball to the tune of 500 total yards, the Wildcats also made some key mistakes that cost them dearly. In the second quarter Bath had the ball first and goal at the Van Wert five, but back-to-back penalties for illegal procedure and holding eventually turned into fourth and 20, with a incomplete pass on fourth down. On that same drive, the Wildcats had to burn two timeouts, which proved to be critical right before halftime.

Baumle leads Raiders by Crestview

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

CONVOY — Wayne Trace’s Carter Baumle scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including two in the span of 90 seconds to help the Raiders end a lengthy losing streak in Convoy.

Friday night’s 35-21 win gave the Raiders their first victory at Crestview since 2008. Crestview dropped to 0-3 for the first time since that same year, 2008.

Baumle snapped a 15-15 tie with a 62-yard sprint with just under eight minutes left in the game but the PAT failed, leaving the margin at 21-15. Crestview’s Evin Brincefield answered with a 2-yard touchdown run less than two minutes later, but a failed PAT meant the game was tied 21-21. With less than five minutes left in the game, Baumle scored on runs of two and 35 yards, with Jensen Beining adding both extra points. Baumle finished with 220 yards on 20 carries.

“Carter is a special player for us,” Wayne Trace head coach Matt Holden said. “His patience in the hole is what makes him so good, along with his cutting ability and of course his top end speed. He’s a very tough kid and a guy we know we can rely on.”

“We tasked the offensive line and him to take control of the game in the second half and you could feel that coming with each possession that we had,” he continued. “He continued to get better as the game went on which is why we were able to put them away at the end. I’m just so proud of our guys. We had a lot of guys step up tonight who probably weren’t planning on playing a ton of minutes and they did a phenomenal job for us.”

Football Friday Scoreboard Week No. 3

VW independent sports

Here are scores of area high school football games played on Friday, September 4.

Blanchard Valley Conference

Ada 41 Arlington 28

Leipsic 51 Riverdale 0

McComb 41 Elmwood 26

Van Buren 28 Pandora-Gilboa 13

Midwest Athletic Conference

Anna 43 Parkway 6

Coldwater 35 Fort Recovery 9

Marion Local 57 Delphos St. John’s 7

Minster 28 New Bremen 21

St. Henry 34 Versailles 21

Northwest Central Conference

Elgin 59 Waynesfield-Goshen 28

North Baltimore 42 Ridgedale 19

Perry 28 Cory-Rawson 14

Ridgemont 21 Hardin-Northern 20

Western Buckeye League

Celina 30 St. Marys Memorial 28

Ottawa-Glandorf 45 Kenton 7

Shawnee 28 Elida 7

Van Wert 43 Bath 20

Wapakoneta 29 Defiance 0

Non-conference

Allen East 32 Indian Lake 14

Antwerp 48 Hilltop 12

Archbold 38 Tinora 7

Ayersville 26 Toledo Christian 20

Beachwood 41 Vanlue 6

Bluffton 52 Toledo Bowsher 12

Columbus Grove 21 Patrick Henry 14

Delphos Jefferson 21 Paulding 20

Edon 50 Hicksville 6

Fairview 32 Bryan 29

Fort Loramie 49 Lehman Catholic 0

Lakota 28 Arcadia 21

Lima Central Catholic 37 Urbana 34

Lima Sr.18 Benjamin Logan 10

Montpelier 33 Edgerton 14

Riverside 35 Spencerville 0

Upper Scioto Valley 14 Cardington-Lincoln 13

Wayne Trace 35 Crestview 21

Elks Lodge holding annual Soccer Shoot

Submitted information

Van Wert Lodge 1197, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks will hold its annual Elks Soccer Shoot on Saturday, September 12 at the Van Wert High School soccer field. Registration will open at 10:30 a.m. and the shoot will start at 11a.m. A parent or guardian must be present during the registration.

The contest is open to both boys and girls and they will compete in four age groups: 7 and under, 8-9 year olds, 10-11 year olds, and 12-13 year olds. Each contestant will kick 15 shots at the goal. Participants can wear their jerseys or shirts of choice, pants or shorts and appropriate footwear. Shin guards and protective gear are not necessary but may be worn.

The winners of the local contest will compete at the Northwest District Soccer Shoot which will be held in Findlay on Saturday, September 26. The district winners will advance to the state contest. The district winners who advance to the state competition will have over-night lodging provided for them and their immediate family by the Ohio Elks Association.

The event will not take place if pouring rain or if there is lightning. The rain date will be Saturday, September 19.

Pigskin Pick’Em: Week No. 3

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

Week No. 3 is here and it doesn’t seem possible. If you’re of a certain age, you remember the season kicking off on Labor Day weekend and if you go back further, it didn’t start until after that. Now, because of the expanded playoffs and a late Labor Day holiday this year, 30 percent of the regular season will be in the books before Labor Day Monday. It’s also the final Friday of non-conference play for teams in the Northwest Conference and the Green Meadows Conference.

Last week was another abysmal week for me, as I went just 16-9 (64 percent), which took my season record to 38-19 (66.7 percent), far below my stated goal of at least 80 percent and easily my worst start in the 10-year history of Pigskin Pick’Em. Here’s hoping this week is better. 25 games are on this week’s Pigskin Pick’Em slate.

Games of the Week

Celina (2-0) at St. Marys Memorial (2-0)

The Battle of Grand Lake. I feel like this should be a permenent Week No. 10 game but that’s just me. As expected, the Roughriders are 2-0 but depending on who you ask, the Bulldogs are a somewhat surprising 2-0, with wins over St. Henry and Wapakoneta. As you know, Celina is operating without the services of quarterback Parker Wynk, who continues to recover from a serious neck injury suffered in Week No. 1. We wish Parker all the best as he continues along the road to recovery. Celina has beaten the defending Division VII state champion St. Henry Redskins and the defending WBL champion Wapakoneta Redskins. Can the Bulldogs beat the preseason favorite Roughriders? Yes it could happen but it would be a tall order. History says St. Marys Memorial wins it – the Roughriders lead the all time series 71-30-6 – and I say they win it again.

The pick: St. Marys Memorial

Delphos Jefferson (2-0) at Paulding (2-0)

Ottawa-Glandorf is a surprise 2-0 team and much closer to home, so is Delphos Jefferson. The Wildcats have recorded wins over Evergreen and Parkway and have only given up 12 total points. Paulding has given up just six points all season and as expected. Does that mean this is going to be a defensive struggle? It could be but I don’t think so. This game will be the biggest challenge of the young season for Jefferson and it will be a springboard into the next three games against Fort Loramie, Bluffton and Columbus Grove. The Wildcats are the underdog here and while everyone likes the underdog, I believe the Panthers will win the battle of the cats.

The picks: Paulding

Indian Lake (2-0) at Allen East (2-0)

Another matchup of 2-0 teams. Surprising? Again, it depends on who you ask. Indian Lake outscored Bath 54-43 in the season opener then shut down Fairbanks last week 40-7. After successful stints at Waynesfield-Goshen and Shawnee, Shane Wireman returned to his alma mater and has Allen East off to a 2-0 start. To me, this is one of the more intriguing games of the night. Do I think the Mustangs have a shot? Absolutely, but I can’t help think this one goes to the Lakers, who are 4-0 against Allen East.

Girls golf: Blue Jays top Wildcats, Lancers

VW independent sports

In a matchup of neighboring schools at the Delphos Country Club, Delphos St. John’s topped Delphos Jefferson and Lincolnview on Wednesday, 175-203-205.

The Blue Jays were led by match medalist Faith Cross, who shot a 39, followed by Megan Kerner (41), Amaya Swick (46), and Madison Habitzel (49). Jefferson was led by Brylee Geary (41), Lanie Warnemont (45). Kinlee Geary (49) and Morra Ryan (68). Eme Renner paced Lincolnview with a 46, followed by Grace Custer (50), Elaina Johns (53), and Sophia Brickner (56).