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The last two undefeated teams in WOAC will clash Friday night in Camden the winner clinches at least a share of the league title with one week to go.  (Dale Barger photo)

As predicted in the pre-season preview the WOAC football championship title is coming down to the final two weeks with two bigs games on tap this Friday.  7-1 Arcanum vs 6-2 Ansonia and 8-0 Preble Shawnee ranked #10 in AP DV poll vs 8-0 Tri-Village ranked #5 in AP DVI poll.

Ansonia at Arcanum Preview


Arcanum hasn't beat Ansonia since 2019 just before the WOAC started and will put their
7-0 record on the line against the 6-2 Tigers. (Dale Barger photo)

The Trojans need a win over the Tigers to have an outside shot for at least a share of a title with another big match-up the following Friday at Tri-Village should the Patriots win on Friday.

An Arcanum win helps move them up to a better position in DV Region 20 post season playoffs. Currently 9th, only the top 12 teams in each region make the playoffs.  Ansonia needs a win to improve their standing for valuable computer points in DVII Region 28 and is in the 7th spot.

Both Arcanum and Ansonia like to run the football, but the Trojans have shown the ability to pass the ball a bit more.

Arcanum has rushed for 2178 yards as a team led by junior running back Matt Macy with 1258 yards and 16 TDs.  Arcanum has passed the ball for 946 yards between two quarterbacks.  Bishop Cartwright 569 yards, 5 TDs and Weston Schmidt 377 yards and 5 TDs.  Freshman Raysean Miles is the top target with 26 catches for 452 yards, 4 TDs and Talone Stone with 18 catches for 229 yards and 4 TDs.

Ansonia has rushed for 2677 yards as a team and is led by a couple of junior running backs, Jacob Schmitmeyer has 963 yards, 17 TDs and  Lander Shives 588 yards and 6 TDs.

Offensively the Trojans score 37.5 ppg and is giving up 13.5.  The Tigers are scoring 40.3 ppg and giving up just 15.9.

In the first four years of the WOAC Ansonia leads the series 3-1 with Arcanum winning the first year of the league.


Ansonia enters the game with Arcanum with a 6-2 record and a win over Arcanum would make it 4 wins in a row. (Dale Barger photo)

Tri-Village at Preble Shawnee Preview

Preble Shawnee holds the edge in this match-up 3-1 and a win over the Patriots almost assures them of an outright league title.  (Dale Barger photo)

On paper this match-up looks to be a good one, in the last four matchups the two teams have scored 108 points each, however, the Arrows lead the series 3-1.  Each team has won a league championship with Preble Shawnee winning the inaugural season and Tri-Village won the following year.

The winner of this game will clinch at least a share of the title with one more league game to play in week 10.  Both are also a lock for the post season with the winner likely ensured a top 4 or better seeding for the playoffs.

Preble Shawnee plays in DV Region 20 and currently is in 6th place while Tri-Village DVI Region 24 is in 4th place.  

Tri-Village currently leads the state in offensive scoring at 58 ppg, Preble Shawnee is scoring 47 ppg.  Defensively the Patriots have given up 7.4 ppg and the Arrows 12.9 ppg.

Tri-Village quarterback Trey Sagester leads the league with 1678 passing yards, 26 TDs and has rushed for 5.  His favorite target has been junior wideout Griffin Richards,  who leads the league with 38 receptions for 881 yards and 14 TDs.  Noah Finkbine and Kingston Shaffer each have 4 TD receptions as well.

The Patriots feature three running backs with sophomore Staley Colston running for 542 yards, 9 TDs, sophomore Colt Camacho 329 yards, 7 TDs and senior Noah Finkbine 321 yards and 5 TDs.

Defensively the Patriots are led by Noah Finkbine with a league leading 100 tackles from the safety position followed by Landen Moore with 78 tackles.

Preble Shawnee senior QB Brody Morton can throw the ball but is an electrifying runner and even more dangerous with his feet.  Morton has thrown for 1031 yards, 15 TDs and has run the ball for 967 yards and 18 TDs and is the team’s leading rusher.

Morton’s favorite receiver is senior Caleb Blankenship who has 31 catches for 597 yards and 8 TDs.  Senior Zarrin Walton has 16 catches for 223 yards and 3 TDs.  Sophomore running back Ethan Mauler has rushed for 441 yards and has 5 TDs on the ground.

Defensively Mauler leads the way with 50 tackles, Klayton Taylor, Cooper Shrout and Gavin Finch all have 37 tackles each.

Both teams score the ball well and are led by experienced senior quarterbacks, good receivers and the ability to run the football.  The line play in this one will be crucial with Shawnee senior Cooper Shrout leading the Arrows and Patriots junior Dominic Black who has  several DI college offers including Maryland and Rutgers for Tri-Village.  Whoever controls the line of scrimmage in this one gives their team the edge.

This game is shaping up as one you don’t want to miss and if you can’t be in attendance Friday night the game can be watched on TKDS https://www.tkdssports.tv or stream it on the Roku App.

Tri-Village has playmakers but will they be physical enough up front?  A win over Arrows would give them big computer points for the post season. (Dale Barger photo)
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The Tri-County North volleyball team lost a late night game at Newton to Houston Wednesday night in straight sets concluding their season. (Dale Barger photo)

Tournament volleyball started this week and so far 9 of 12 WOAC teams saw action with Ansonia, Arcanum, Mississinawa Valley and Twin Valley South moving on. Three teams have yet to play and that is Bradford vs Ft. Loramie today, with Preble Shawnee vs Versailles and Dixie vs Dayton Christian being played on Saturday. Franklin Monroe, National Trail, Tri-County North and Tri-Village seasons have ended.

Ansonia wins in straight sets over Tri-Village

Camryn Winner of Ansonia slams one home in win over Tri-Village. (Blosser photo)

ARCANUM – Third time was the charm for the Ansonia Lady Tigers in their 3rd game with Tri-Village this year.  They came out strong and never looked back, sweeping the Tri-Village Lady Patriots 3-0 in the opening round of the OHSAA girls’ volleyball tournament.

“I told the girls all week that we’re going to have to earn every point,” said Ansonia first-year head coach Lexi Custenborder. “We’re going to have to come out and play strong and play our best. We did a great job coming out and starting strong.”

Ansonia entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed with a 12-10 record, while Tri-Village came in as the No. 7 seed at 11-11. Despite losing both regular-season meetings to the Patriots in straight sets, the Lady Tigers flipped the script when it mattered most.

Ansonia opened the night with an 8-1 lead before Tri-Village rallied with six unanswered points to close within one, 8-7. The Lady Tigers responded with an 8-4 run to take control at 16-7 and later closed out the set 25-21.

“Autumn Best is only a sophomore, so she’s still learning,” said Custenborder. “They were blocking her pretty hard in that first set, but she made adjustments and got her kills and blocks.”

The second set saw early ties the. Last at 6-6 before the Tigers pulled ahead 10-6 and extended the lead to 15-10. Tri-Village answered with a 6-2 run to close within one at 17-16 and tied the game at 20-20, prompting a timeout from Custenborder. Out of the break, Ansonia regained momentum and edged out a 25-23 win to take a 2-0 match lead.

“I thought we did a pretty good job coming out strong, but we would get down and let them score a few points,” Custenborder said. “Our biggest goal was, if we lose a point—and that’s going to happen—to get that next one back. We finished strong.”

She also praised senior Camryn Winner, noting, “Camryn has been a stud for us in the last half of the season. She’s stepped into her role.”

Ansonia roared out to a 15-3 advantage in the third set, but Tri-Village mounted a fierce comeback, using a 16-6 run to cut the deficit to 21-19. The Lady Tigers regrouped, scoring four straight to close out the set 25-19 and seal the sweep.

“That frustrated me,” admitted Custenborder. “I was getting a little upset with them, but they finished strong. We need to stay high the whole game, can’t let up, and can’t get comfortable.”

Despite the loss, Tri-Village first-year head coach Alaine Kirby expressed pride in her team’s effort and accomplishments.

“It’s definitely not how we wanted to go out,” Kirby said. “It’s hard, especially after we beat them twice this year. My girls—it’s not the team I normally see. Saturday, we were hot and on fire against Fort Recovery. But everyone has their time, and today just wasn’t ours.”

Ansonia advances to face the Fairlawn Lady Jets, who defeated Newton 3-1, on Tuesday, October 21, at Arcanum High School. First serve is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Arcanum Sweeps National Trail

Kamryn Beisner set new Ace record in tournament win over National Trail. (Blosser photo)

ARCANUM - Arcanum left no doubt in their OHSAA Division VI first-round matchup win over WOAC foe National Trail Lady Blazers 3-0, 25-7, 25-11, and 25-4.

“We’re not playing like we’re friends with anyone — at this point it’s business,” said Coach Jacie Holman, recently named WOAC Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season. “I told these girls there’s no guarantee for tomorrow. We’re not messing around because we know if we let someone get in, that’s a mental game, and we’re not allowing that. We’re going to put the game away and keep it under control.”

Arcanum came out firing, opening the first set with an 8-3 lead before using a 7-0 run to extend it to 15-3. The Lady Trojans closed the set on another 7-0 surge, taking the opener 25-7.

National Trail’s lone spark came early in the second set, jumping ahead 3-0 and 4-1 before Arcanum answered with a 10-0 run to take command at 11-4. The Trojans cruised from there for a 25-11 win and a 2-0 match lead.

The third set was all Arcanum, as the Lady Trojans stormed out to leads of 6-0, 9-1, and 19-4 before closing with six straight points to seal the sweep, 25-4. The final set was highlighted by Kamryn Beisner’s record-setting 64th service ace, setting a new Arcanum single-season record.

Trojans senior Grace Psczulkoski goes strong to the net for an Arcanum spike in tournament win over Lady Blazers. (Gaylen Blosser photo)

“Kam got exactly 64 tonight, so I am extremely proud of her,” Holman said. “We’ve had huge accomplishments as a team and as individuals — Grace Fry getting 1,000 assists, Kam breaking the ace record — and that’s been our motto all year: ‘Better You, Better Us.’ We’re implementing that every match, and the best is yet to come.”

Holman said the team has embraced the challenge of wearing the No. 1 seed target.
“We wanted the conference again, and when we got that No. 1 seed, we knew we just made the target bigger,” she said. “But these girls love those challenges. They want to prove we have what it takes. Sometimes I wish they’d relax and enjoy it more, but I love that they know when they step on the court, it’s time to work.”

Leeper drills a Lady Trojans kill in opening round tournament win over National Trail. (Gaylen Blosser photo)

Holman added that she’s kept her team focused by minimizing pressure talk.
“I told the girls this year it’s kind of that unspoken pressure,” she said. “We’re not going to talk about it much. We’ll just show why we deserve that spot by how we play.”

With the win, Arcanum advances to face No. 10 seed Twin Valley South — 3-0 winners over Legacy Christian — on Tuesday, October 21 at 7 p.m. at Arcanum-Butler High School.

Newton Falls to Fairlawn

Senior Estie Rapp closes out a successful career as a Newton Indian. (Blosser photo)

ARCANUM – The Newton Lady Indians fell 3-1 to the Fairlawn Lady Jets in the opening round of the OHSAA volleyball tournament, but the effort and growth shown by the young Newton squad left plenty for head coach Danita Rapp to celebrate.

“We talked in the locker room about coming out holding our heads high because we have accomplished so much this year,” Rapp said after the match. “I only had three returning varsity players out of 11 this year. When you have eight first-year players, a lot of sophomores, it was a big growing season for us.”

Fairlawn jumped to an early 10-5 lead in the opening set before Newton rallied to tie things at 16-16. The Lady Jets responded with a 9-2 run to close the set 25-18 and take a 1-0 advantage.

Newton came out strong in Set 2, leading 17-12 before Fairlawn battled back to tie it 19-19. The Lady Indians regrouped, scoring three unanswered points enroute to a 25-20 win to even the match at one set apiece.

The third set was a back-and-forth battle, with Newton holding an early 6-2 edge and later a 16-15 lead. But Fairlawn surged with six straight points to take control and claim a 25-19 win for a 2-1 match lead.

Newton led 16-13 in the fourth set before Fairlawn fought back to go ahead 19-17. The teams traded points to 21-21, but the Lady Jets closed it out 25-22 to win the match and advance in tournament play.

“My girls gave everything they had tonight,” Rapp said. “Losing is never what you want to end on, but they played their hearts out with tenacity. We’re leaving with some pretty big goals for the future, and I’m expecting big things from them.”

The match marked the final appearance for three Newton seniors — No. 5 Estie Rapp, No. 7 Aubrey Stetzel, and No. 18 Candace Shellenberger — each praised by their coach for leadership and heart.

“Estie Rapp did a great job leading,” said Rapp. “We relied heavily on her for offense. She worked to develop a complete attack and kept her composure no matter the situation.”

“Aubrey Stetzel, our setter, did a phenomenal job running the offense and encouraging her teammates. She hustled every play and became a consistent server and leader.”

“Candace Shellenberger was a quiet but steady leader as our serving specialist,” Rapp added. “She gave her role everything she had and brought valuable support to our team.”

“I have all the confidence that they’re going to make a big impact in their community,” Rapp concluded. “All three are involved in so much beyond volleyball — always giving, always participating — and that’s pretty special.”

Newton concludes their season with a 10-13 overall record and 7-4 in the WOAC.

Franklin Monroe loses heartbreaker to Northeastern

Franklin Monroe team huddles were fun early on but the stakes got higher as the game went along.  The Jets fell in 5 sets to end their season. (Dale Barger photo)

PLEASANT HILL – Its was an aerial battle between the Jets of Franklin Monroe and Northeastern.  FM was flying high after the first two sets before the Jets of Northeastern engaged them in a dogfight the rest of the way. Northeastern won the next two sets sending the game to a tie breaker that would go all the way to the wire but in the end Northeastern out maneuvered Franklin Monroe winning the decisive final set 15-13 to move on in the tournament.

Franklin Monroe played an exciting brand of volleyball in the first two sets.  In set one with the score tied at 7-7 Franklin Monroe began to pull away.  They served the ball well, set the ball and hit it well going on to a 25-20 win. 

In the second set FM took command early and seemed to click in all phases on their way to a 25-14 win.

“Momentum was big for us in the first and second set, we were connecting on all cylinders, our hitters and setters were connecting getting passes where we needed them to be,” coach Ashley Day commented.

The girls were having fun, lots of smiles, celebration coming from the student section and little dances from the reserves on the bench. It appeared they were well on their way to a three-set sweep.

But Northeastern was about to steal the momentum away from Franklin Monroe after jumping out to an 11-1 third set lead, all of sudden nothing was going right for Franklin Monroe, and everything was going in favor of their opponent.

After having 9 aces in the first two sets, communication was lacking, service errors appeared, the passing was not spot on and hitting fell off as Northeastern rolled on to a 25-16 third set win.

Getting the momentum back is hard once it goes away and Franklin Monroe being a young team with just two seniors Alivia Addis and Katie Waller tried to steer the team back on track only to fall 25-18 in the fourth set.

The game went to a tie-breaking 5th set and it would be a nail biter.

In the fifth set FM got down 8-4 but was able to slowly chip away drawing to 9-8 only to see Northeastern expand their lead back to 13-8 before Alivia Addis put one down to stop their run at 13-9.


Senior Alivia Addis gets a big point and came up big many times throughout the game but the Jets fell short losing the final set 15-13. (Dale Barger photo)

Junior Jaylin Swiger then toed the line going to work with her service as they rallied to tie the game at 13-13 prompting a Northeastern timeout. 

Northeastern was able to break serve after the timeout going up 14-13 and with their best server at the line finished out the game for a 15-13 win.

“The ending was hard, the girls were really working hard and they wanted this, but we just fell a little short,” coach Day said.

Coach Day also talked about the last game for Alivia Addis and Katie Waller.

“Those girls mean the world to me. It's going to be hard to see them go next year. They were great leaders on the floor for me this year, they made points happen when we needed them. And they're just wonderful girls all the way around,” Day praised.

It was a tough way to go out but for Franklin Monroe it’s something they can build on for next year.  The Jets conclude their season with a 5-17 record overall and 4-7 in the WOAC.

“These girls work hard all year and got better, so I'm confident for next season that we'll be a force to reckon with,” Day concluded.


Franklin Monroe senior Katie Waller gets a big dig, the senior played her last game with a heartbreaking loss in tournament to Northeastern. (Dale Barger photo)
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Mississinawa Valley coach Taylor Rawlings discusses strategy during a timeout.  The Hawks won their first tournament game since joining the WOAC. (Dale Barger photo)

KETTERING – The Mississinawa Valley volleyball team defeated Jackson Center in straight sets in the first round of the OHSAA DVII North 2 Sectional. It marks the first post season win for the Blackhawks since the WOAC started in 2021.

Mississinawa Valley’s serving game was on fire and maybe aided a bit by a little sleight of hand magic in the first set scoring 5 times where the ball hit the top of the net and dropped down for a point.  But that doesn’t take away from the hot start and service from seniors Danika Neargarder and Cora Hoggatt as the Blackhawks opened up 10-2 lead.  They then had leads of 14-4, 16-7 and 19-10 before the Tigers clawed back to 20-16.  Mississinawa was able to close out the first game strong winning it 25-17.

Makenna Hoggatt takes aim with her jump serve.
(Dale Barger photo)

In the second set the Hawks had leads of 4-1, 8-4 and 10-5 before Jackson Center found their groove.  The Tigers got hot at the line serving and more aggressive with their offense going on a 7-0 run to go in front 12-10 prompting a timeout by coach Taylor Rawlings. 

“We didn’t really focus a lot on the being down so much as what we needed to do and just playing the game one point at a time,” Rawlings would say in the timeout. 

Jackson Center would score the next point to go up 13-10, then MV finally broke the 8-point run on senior Allyson Waymire’s slam over the middle.  Senior Makenna Hoggatt then got a couple of jump serves to go down to regain the lead 16-13 before JC broke her serve.


Allison Waymire slams home a point to break the 8-0 run by Jackson Center.
(Dale Barger photo)

Back-to-back points at the net from Waymire and junior Gretchen Rodeheffer extended the lead to 18-14 … but the Tigers roared back again to tie it up at 18.

Mississinawa freshman Ella Livingston 3 straight serves led to points before the Tigers broke her for a 21-19 lead.  Set two could have gone either way but the Blackhawks were just a bit stronger at the net ... set-up beautifully by Danika Neargarder, to win it 25-22.

Mississinawa had pretty much taken the wind out of the Tigers and would win the final set fairly easy 25-16 for the straight set win and first tournament victory for seniors Danika Neargarder, Makenna and Cora Hoggatt and Allyson Waymire.

“I’m so proud of this team they had a really good season and to win a tournament game for this team means a lot and I couldn’t be happier for our seniors,” coach Rawlings stated.

In her first season as the coach Rawlings team would go 18-4, 10-1 in the WOAC and now moves to 19-4 with their win over Jackson Center.

“I know their (JC) record coming in was just 7-15 but they play in a very tough conference and they have hall-of-fame coach Kim Metz (who I just love) and has won a state championship so you know you have to play well and focused to get a win,” Rawlings explained.

#5 seed Mississinawa will play #2 seed Covington (18-5) in the district semi-final game.  The Buccs beat Miami Valley and is riding a 7-game win streak, the two will play Monday, October 20th, 7pm at Kettering Fairmont High School.


Cora Hoggatt who was the WOAC Player of the year uses her left hand to score a point. (Dale Barger photo)
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CAMDEN - The Western Ohio Athletic Conference announces the boys soccer all-conference teams and final league standings. 

The Preble Shawnee boys soccer team won their first ever  league championship in school history breaking Dixie’s three consecutive championships.  The Arrows went 7-0-1 in the conference this year.

Here are the Final League Standings

Preble Shawnee            7-0-1
Dixie                               4-2-2
Newton                          4-3-1    
Franklin Monroe            2-4-2
Twin Valley South         0-8-0

Photo provided by Champine Photography

League Champion Preble Shawnee coach Jason Lucy after 10 years of coaching and first league title would be named the WOAC Coach of the Year. 

Preble Shawnee’s  Ethan Fields was be named the WOAC Boys Soccer Conference Player of the Year. 

Ethan has been a standout player for the Arrows since his sophomore year.  He had 29 goals his sophomore season, 13 as a junior and so far has 32 year and is the career leader with 74 so far as Preble Shawnee prepares for post season play.

Fields has also had 10 assists this year and 32 in his career.


Photo provided by Champine Photography

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-Conference

Evan Marker                      Dixie
Noah Gentry                      Dixie
Aiden Hammand           Dixie
David Reed                         Franklin Monroe
Evanston Hemphill     Newton
Brensen Skinner            Newton
Carson Resides              Newton
Ethan Fields                      Preble Shawnee
Colton Schroeder         Preble Shawnee
Luke Cross                         Twin Valley South

Second Team All-Conference

Keagen Wells                   Dixie
Brayden Doty                    Dixie
Evan Addis                          Franklin Monroe
Aidan Yang                          Franklin Monroe
Isaiah Nance                    Newton
Trent Geise                         Preble Shawnee
Country Ford                    Preble Shawnee
Alex Schatzle                    Preble Shawnee
Logan Hershon               Twin Valley South

Special Mention All-Conference

Logan Williams               Dixie
Hannah Wolf                    Franklin Monroe
Chase Wackler               Newton
Donald Clark                    Preble Shawnee
Max Woodgeard            Twin Valley South

Congratulations to champion Preble Shawnee and to all athletes earning all-conference honors.
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ARCANUM - The Western Ohio Athletic Conference announces their all-conference teams and final league standings.  The Arcanum Volleyball team would go undefeated and win their third straight conference championship. 

Here are the Final League Standings

Arcanum                              11-0
Mississinawa Valley   10-1
Ansonia                        8-3
Tri-Village                     8-3
Dixie                              7-4
Newton                         7-4
Twin Valley South        5-6
Franklin Monroe           4-7
Bradford                        3-8
Tri-County North          2-9
National Trail                 1-10
Preble Shawnee            0-11

League Champion Arcanum coach Jacie Holman would be named the WOAC Coach of the Year.  It was her 3rd straight matching the three league championships.

Mississinawa Valley’s Cora Hoggatt would be named the WOAC Volleyball Conference Player of the Year.  Cora has been a standout player for the Blackhawks with a solid all-around game adept with her jump serve (62 aces) leading the WOAC.  Kills on the front line (205) 5th in WOAC and ability to distribute balls all over the court with 573 digs and 2nd in the league passing.

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-Conference

Olivia Schmitmeyer                      Ansonia
Kamryn Beisner                            Arcanum
Grace Fry                                       Arcanum
Caroline Long                                Arcanum
Chloe Hocker                                 Bradford
Kendyl Hypes                                 Dixie
Cora Hoggatt                                 Mississinawa Valley
Makenna Hoggatt                          Mississinawa Valley
Estie Rapp                                       Newton
Sallie Montgomery                         Preble Shawnee
Mylee Bierly                                    Tri-Village
Gabby Kirby                                    Tri-Village
Lainey Mercer                                 Twin Valley South

Second Team All-Conference

Lydia Hahn                                     Ansonia
Cameron Garbig                            Arcanum
Grace Psczulkoski                         Arcanum
Teegan Miller                                  Dixie
Reagan Flora                                  Franklin Monroe
Danika Neargarder                        Mississinawa Valley
Allyson Waymire                            Mississinawa Valley
Haydn Davies                                 National Trail
Mya Denlinger                                Newton
Paityn Davidson                             Tri-County North
Zoe Ayette                                      Tri-Village
Danika Caldwell                              Twin Valley South

Special Mention All-Conference

Lillian Kaiser                                     Ansonia
Avery Leeper                                    Arcanum
Addysen Mills                                   Bradford
Jacie Hartmier                                  Dixie
Brooklyn Miller                                  Franklin Monroe
Gretchen Rodeheffer                       Mississinawa Valley
Eva Swartsell                                    National Trail
Aubrey Stetzel                                  Newton
Macy Price                                         Preble Shawnee
Kiley Adkins                                       Tri-County North
Heidi Bell                                            Tri-Village
Brylii Day                                            Twin Valley South

Congratulations to champion Arcanum Trojans and to all athletes earning all-conference honors.
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