On Saturday, Oct. 23, the YSHS boys soccer team routed Northeastern 10–0 in a tournament game. From left, Grayson Horn headbutts the ball away as Jason Knemeyer and Eli Eyrich stand at the ready. (Photo by Michael Knemeyer)
Oct. 28, 2021 — Bulldog Sports Round-Up
- Published: October 29, 2021
TOURNAMENT PLAY
Boys soccer advances, volleyball ends
The Yellow Springs boys soccer team will advance to the semi-final game in the district level of post-season tournament play on Saturday, Oct. 30, after winning its first three contests.
The Bulldogs bested Middletown Madison, 16–0, on Tuesday, Oct.19; Northeastern, 10–0, on Saturday, Oct. 23; and Greenview, 4–1, on Tuesday, Oct. 26.
The Yellow Springs squad, which was undefeated through regular season play and seeded at No. 1 among 25 district teams in the post-season tournament, is scheduled to go up against No. 3 seed Mariemont High School at Saturday’s game. The contest is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. at Beavercreek’s Frank Zink Field, at 2660 Dayton-Xenia Road.
The high school volleyball team, which also played a tournament match Tuesday, Oct. 26, saw its tournament run come to an end with a loss to No. 1 seed Fort Loramie. The squad had previously won matches against Ansonia High School on Thursday, Oct. 21, and Franklin Monroe High School on Saturday, Oct. 23.
Girls soccer
The Yellow Springs High School girls soccer team wrapped up its season after a tournament loss to No. 4 seed, Greenon, on Thursday, Oct. 21. Despite the cold, wind and a small crowd mostly made up of parents, the Bulldogs gave their all — as they have every game this season — but in the end were bested 15–0 to the more experienced and undefeated Greenon. The Bulldogs played a strong defensive game and freshman goalkeeper Gema Brizuela had an amazing 35 saves.
Since the beginning of October and the last YS News recap, the Bulldogs faced National Trail, conference champions Dayton Christian, Newton, Ponitz Career Technology Center, and conference opponent Middletown Christian. The two most notable games from the October stretch were the homecoming game against Dayton Christian and the 9–0 senior night win against Ponitz.
Facing Dayton Christian at home after five weeks on the road, the Bulldogs fed off the energy of a sizable home crowd and played its best game of the season, forcing the Warriors to earn their goals, with YS scoring late in the game for a 7–1 result.
After some grueling losses, the win against Ponitz for Senior Night was the spark the team needed to get through the rest of the season. After a slow team start early in the match, junior Halee Sparks came off the bench and scored a quick goal, her first of the season, and then provided an assist to senior captain Tahlia Potter. Potter went on to score four more goals, with assists from senior Carina Basora, and junior Mackenzie Horton. Sparks had three more goals, with assists from Basora and Potter.
The season record of 2–12–1 might indicate an unexciting season, but that was truly not the case. After struggling last year with low numbers, often barely being able to field a full team, the girls team got busy this year recruiting new players. The Bulldogs started the 2021 season with 18 players; five returning, six who hadn’t played in a few years, and seven who had never played soccer before. In spite of their limited experience, the team faced one of the toughest schedules of any Bulldog girls team since at least 2008. This tenacious team faced Division 1 schools such as Xenia and Wayne, as well as several Division II schools, with nine of their 15 games on the road.
Despite many mismatches and several scoreless games, senior captain Tahlia Potter finished the season second in the Metro Buckeye Conference with 15 goals. Freshman Gema Brizuela led the conference with 172 saves in the regular season. Four players were also selected for official Metro Buckeye Conference, or MBC, honors. Potter and Sparks were voted onto the MBC First Team, and senior Myrah Burton earned a spot on the MBC Second Team. Senior Sophia Lawson earned the Sportsmanship Award for Yellow Springs.
In a society that celebrates and glorifies goals and wins, this team found making friends, having fun and working as a unit to be what motivated them. They found small victories and other things to celebrate. In fact, other teams commented on how the Bulldogs never gave up and continued to hold their heads high despite the score. This season’s highlights and memorable moments include goal-line saves from seniors Carina Basora, Myrah Burton, Delia Hallett, Sophia Lawson and Tahlia Potter, junior Halee Sparks and freshwomen Julia Capasso, Tiger Collins and Liliana Herzog; and witnessing newer players such as juniors Carla Harris, Mackenzie Horton and Ahsha Jackson, sophomores Alisha Cowen and Lily Kibblewhite and freshwomen Jane Chambers, Payton Horton and Katie Quigley develop into more confident footballers.
While it was a challenging year, the YSHS girls soccer team has much to look forward to. They will feel the loss of five seniors — Basora, Burton, Hallett, Lawson, and Potter — who brought a range of experience, incredible passion and strong leadership to the team. But the new players are a solid group of girls who have improved rapidly this season. There are also some seasoned players coming up in the next few years, especially thanks to the work of Kevin Matteson, who has been working with middle-school-aged girls, the newly formed U-10 FC Springs girls team, and the YS recreational soccer league. Special thanks also to YSHS girls assistant coach, Sarah Wallis, who is an incredible support to the girls team and soccer in Yellow Springs.
With the continued support of the community, the future is bright for Yellow Springs girls soccer!
—Jonina Kelley, head coach
CROSS-COUNTRY
Bulldogs shine through season’s end
The 35th annual Young’s Cross-Country Invitational took place Tuesday, Oct. 19, at Young’s Jersey Inn, with over 800 high school and junior high runners participating in ideal conditions. The meet was the final season outing for the McKinney Middle School team.
The McKinney boys squad finished 10th out of 22 junior high teams, with a fine season-ending performance. Eighth-grader Ted Horvath finished in fifth place in the field of 145 runners, with a personal best time of 11:43. Seventh-grader Will Oberg capped off a fine season with a season-best time of 13:58 (73rd) and was complemented by fellow seventh-grader Oskar Dennis (14:36). A quartet of Bulldogs led by Kyle Johnston (15:45), Donovan Cooney (17:39), Charlie Carr (18:42) and Jaden Douglass (18:43) were valuable contributors to the total team effort.
The McKinney girls, fresh off of their league championship win the weekend before, put forth a great effort in a field of 93 junior high runners and 25 teams, with seventh-grader Vivi Grushon once again leading the charge with a 24th-place finish in a time of 14:22. Eighth-grader Sasi Drees-Johnson capped off a fine season in a time of 15:17 (35th) as she was followed by twins Hannah Finney (21:24), and Lauren Finney (22:18).
The high school boys, competing in a field of 208 runners, set a bevy of best times with tenth-grader Jack Horvath running a fine time of 20:43 followed by sophomores Malik Booth and Kyle Raymer running identical personal best times of 22:50. Ninth-grader Evan Galarza ran a best ever time of 26:09.
The high school squads then competed Saturday, Oct. 23, in the postseason Division III cross-country meet at Cedarville University, where 28 schools toed the start line. Junior Cheyan Sundell-Turner, competing in the toughest district in the state of Ohio, for the third year in a row qualified for the regionals in a fine time of 19:59 (11th place). Sundell-Turner will run at Troy Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 30, at 9 a.m, vying for a spot at the state meet. Junior Josie DeWine (25:27) and ninth-grader Lydia Lackovich (26:39) capped off a fine season and will be instrumental next season.
The high school boys finished in 23rd place out of 28 schools, with ninth-grader Isaac Lewis running a season best time of 20:05, which was the fastest time of the year by a Bulldog boys runner. Sophomore Jack Horvath ran to a season best time of 20:36, with fellow sophomore Kyle Raymer (23:33) also running a competitive time in the field of 176 runners. Junior Malcolm Blunt capped off a fine season in a time of 26:27 and ninth-grader Evan Galarza ran a determined race in a time of 29:45.
Coach Isabelle Dierauer said the 2021 fall season provided valuable experience for the young Bulldog team, which included no seniors, and that next year promises to be a great one.
—John Gudgel, coach
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