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By John Lefforge
The Oakwood Lumberjacks entertained the Waynesville Spartans at Mack Hummon Stadium on Friday. The game was billed as the ‘Kroger Game of the Week’ and the Homecoming contest for the Jacks. The Spartans were aware of the Jacks vaulted running attack, but the passing attack proved the demise of the Spartans.
Waynesville took the opening kick and marched down the field into Oakwood territory. The Jacks forced a fourth and long situation that the Spartans were unable to convert. Oakwood began their drive from inside the Jack 30. Chris Hardy went up the middle for a 27 yard gain and into Waynesville territory. The Jacks fumbled twice, recovered both, but were forced to punt. Will Merritt’s punt was downed on the Spartan 16. Plays by Tony Lamb, Joe Lefforge and Zach Smith forced a three and out. The Jacks took over on their 42. Oakwood moved into Waynesville territory with runs by Hardy and AJ Lewis. Passes went to Mitch Jones and Will Merritt as the first quarter ended. Tony Lamb ran for ten, giving the Jacks a first down on the Spartan 11. Hardy swept left for the score and the Jacks were up 7 – 0 with 10:11 left in the half.
The Spartans covered Scott Casebere’s kick on their 15. They drove to the 50, but plays by Ben Scott, John Diefenderfer and Robby Sherk forced another punt. The Jacks began their drive from their 35. Runs by Hardy and Jones moved the ball to the Spartan 16. Lewis found Diefenderfer on a middle screen and John took it to the house. The Jacks were up 14 – 0 with 2:37 left in the half.
The Spartans were forced into another 3 and out, thanks to pressure from Bob Holmes, Lefforge and Evan Murphy as the first half came to an end.
Oakwood drove down the field, but penalties killed the drive. Merritt’s punt was downed inside the Spartan 20. Waynesville passed their way into Oakwood territory, all the way to the Jack 17. The Jacks didn’t give in. Coverage by Hardy, Sherk, Smith and Dief forced Waynesville to turn the ball over on downs.
Lightening struck again as AJ Lewis found Merritt down the right sideline and Will went 80 yards for the score. The Jacks now led 21 – 0 with 4:30 left in the 3rd quarter.
Waynesville never quit and scored twice through the air. Interference penalties proved costly for the Jacks in both Waynesville scores. Waynesville made it even more interesting. The Jacks drove the length of the field, but couldn’t punch it in. The Jacks attempted a short field goal with :35 left in the game. Waynesville took the ball on their 20. Another penalty moved the ball to the 35. The officials had clock issues, giving the Spartans another chance. The Spartans attempted a halfback pass, but Mitch Jones tackled the halfback for a big loss. Officials made another clock mistake and Waynesville took another shot. Coverage by Scott and Sherk closed out the game.
The Lumberjacks controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Michael Cobb, Sam Payne, Bill Dresher, Bob Holmes, Matt Money and Brian Beck pushed the Spartan defense around all night. Will Garner and Jesse Kell worked blocking magic from the wide receiver position. They allowed Hardy to account for 218 yards on the ground. Lewis had time to throw and had his own 200 yard effort through the air.
The defensive line of Matt Money, Tony Lamb, Barrett Doty, Brad Achtermann, Joe Lefforge, Mitch Jones and Bob Holmes filled gaps and applied pressure each play. Lamb had an ankle injury and we hope he is able to return soon.
The Jacks, now 5 – 2 have three huge contests left - Milton-Union, Bellbrook and Franklin. All carry valuable points in the playoff race. The Jacks are eighth in the region and need victories to hold onto a spot.
On Oct. 3, Oakwood traveled to Division II Franklin. Normally a team fields 11 men, but Franklin’s field of play was a 12th man, the worst field of the campaign, a veritable minefield of bumps and divots, difficult for the Jacks’ normal game of midfield control.
Franklin came out hard, and Oakwood found itself vulnerable defensively. Tristan Schnader centered the ball to Addison Wille, who headed a shot over the bar. However, the defense was strong. Colin Pierce snatched the ball several times from the Franklin offense. Mike Neal had a tremendous tackle and steal. Simon Gifford had a key defensive header averting a Franklin counterattack. Schnader made a thundering slide tackle in center midfield to steal the ball. John Harman and Josh Curley also came out strong defensively with Curley distributing the ball under pressure.
Then Oakwood turned the tide. Jesse Sellers’ defensive header began an offensive, ending in a Harman long throw to Scott Casebere, who headed the ball over the goalframe. End to end action saw Franklin’s long thrower using a flip-throw technique, penetrating deep into the Oakwood defense, but it lacked accuracy. On attack again, Schnader threaded a ball to Wille who weaved through the defense, but the shot was saved by the Franklin goalie. One minute later, Sellers found Wille who shot off the defense, but Casebere volleyed the rebound with precision into the far corner netting for the goal. Further penetration continued with runs from John Loftus and Neal, Oakwood’s finest period of domination in the game.
The second half saw Franklin make two dangerous shots against Pierce who made key saves, one at point blank range. At 13 minutes, a penalty kick was awarded to Franklin, for which sources state the foul was minimal, with a possible dive. Tyler Leonard’s shot for Franklin was hard, but Pierce made the diving save.
Oakwood’s offense continued to create chances. Late on, a free kick from Casebere found Schnader, heading the shot over the goalframe. Sellers, now playing striker, harried the Franklin defense. The offensive pressure was backed by the defensive wall of Gifford, Harman and Curley who thwarted counterattacks and fed the offense. The game ended 1-0 for Oakwood, outshooting Franklin 25-20.
On October 5th, Oakwood met Division II’s Valley View Spartans. The Jacks immediately dominated, with few Spartan incursions into Oakwood’s half. At ten minutes, a long, dangerous Harman throw found Wille, who shot hard. The ball was partially stopped but trickled past the Spartan goalkeeper for Nicolo Vezzoso to tap it in for the score. Offensive opportunities continued as both Casebere and Harman crossed the ball to Schnader for header shots on target, but both were batted away by the Spartan goalkeeper. Schnader blazed down the left wing and centered the ball to Andrew Morris, who shot at the six-yard box, but it was blocked by the busy keeper. Another Harman throw hit Wille for the header inside the box, but it went slightly wide. At 35 minutes, Valley View threaded a pass to a striker running on goal, but Pierce came out with the sliding save snatching the ball and upending the onrushing Spartan, airborne on the play. It was the only save in the half as the Oakwood defense of Curley, Neal, Gifford and Harman smothered the Spartans with Gifford, at stopper, fueling the attack with short precision passes. At 39
minutes Casebere blazed down the right to cross the ball to the left side where Wille collected and shot under the goalie for Oakwood’s second goal.
The second half began with Matt Vail starting at stopper, a long-awaited appearance after an injury. He exhibited great touch and several defensive headers thwarting the Spartan attack. Curley, at sweeper, bolstered the defense with his usual aplomb, distributing the ball with his trademark one touch passing under pressure.
Wille then threaded a pass to Schnader, streaming down the left wing for the shot, saved on a dive by the keeper. Several screaming drives down the right by Loftus and Neiger set up further offensive chances. In the final minutes, Morris had a hard shot, missing the post by a yard. As the Spartans counterattacked, Schnader made a 40 yard run from an offensive position to steal the ball in the center of midfield, with Oakwood’s Jonathan Liston, at striker, pressuring the Spartan defense. A late flurry from the Spartans resulted in dodgy play in the Oakwood box with the ball bouncing around unpredictably. Another Valley View counter was stopped by a strong defensive header from Sellers. A minute later, Sellers sent a free kick to the head of Wille, which landed in the Spartan box. A scramble ensued at the goal line, ending in a determined Loftus pushing the ball over the line for the goal.
Five of Pierce’s saves came in the second half, and Scott Harman subbed in at goalie to make one exciting punching save, preserving the shutout, with Oakwood winning 3-0. Next, the Jacks play Eaton at home on Tuesday and finish the season against Bellbrook away on Thursday.
(L-R back row) Kaelyn McQuinn, Stefanie Wagner, Gracie Sherk, Mary Coughlin; (L-R front row) Colleen Judge, Alex Couch, Lisa Harlan, Mary Tellers; Not pictured: Elizabeth Schweizer: Team Statistician.
Oakwood’s varsity field hockey traveled to Cincinnati last Thursday to face undefeated St. Ursula for a loss that is sure to go down in the record books for the Jills defense. With 22 penalty corners and 38 shots on goal against Oakwood, the team held the bulldogs to a 0-0 tie that was forced into sudden death overtime. In a seven-a-side matchup, the Jills held on until the final 15 seconds of overtime when St. Ursula scored following yet another corner penalty. Unbelievable play by goalie Stefanie Wagner and teammates Lauren Sobol, Sarah Maher, Lisa Harlan and Mary Tellers shut down the league’s top scorer and assist maker, Lena Grote.
Overtime was played by Stefanie Wagner, Lauren Sobol, Sarah Maher,
Alex Couch, Mary Tellers and Gracie Sherk. Coach Schafer said, “The effort, aggression and intensity our team showed was unbelievable. I had complete confidence in every player. Our defense anchored the team tonight - Harlan, Wagner, Sobol, Tellers, and Maher played together with such determination. It was a more than unfortunate end to the game in overtime but we will use this a fuel for the fire for the rest of our season!”
And that’s exactly what the Jills did on Saturday in a 5-0 win against Worthington’s Kilbourne High School. Goals were scored by Gracie Sherk; Caroline Hartel; Alex Couch, with an assist by Sarah Maher; Mary Tellers, assisted by Gracie Sherk; and Sarah Maher.
Looking to shake off the tough loss to Saint Ursula, the team started the Kilbourne game with the goal by senior Gracie Sherk in the first minute of the game. The Jills continued to play an aggressive, offensive game scoring three more goals in the first half. Senior Mary Tellers took a break from playing center back and anchored the team as center link in the second half and combined with Gracie Sherk for the only goal of the second half, Tellers’ first.
Senior Night was Monday where parents and teammates honored players for their dedication and hard work. The Jill’s have an intense schedule this week beginning with Summit on Monday (no score available at press), Indian Hill on Tuesday and local rival Fairmont on Wednesday.
 It didn’t seem possible, but last Tuesday night was the last regular season home game for the Oakwood girls soccer team. The seven seniors, Megan Breidenbach, Jilian Ellis, Nici Emke, Sarah Finley, Liz Garner, Elissa Mosman, and Jenny Runkle, were honored, along with their parents, in pre game ceremonies. With all their activities and honors, the most impressive thing about this group was their average G.P.A. - 3.86.
Showing they’ve got more than just brains, the Jills got out of the gate quickly against visiting Franklin. Just 4 1/2 minutes into the game a wide open Brooke Klopsch passed to an even more wide open Rachel Huber, who knocked the ball into the net for a quick 1-0 Oakwood lead. Four minutes later Klopsch got into the scoring column, taking a pass from Megan Breidenbach, maneuvering around a defender, and tapping one in for a 2-0 count. The score stayed at 2-0 until the midway point of the first half when Franklin sophomore.
Leeann Lanzarotta bent a corner kick into the far upper corner of the goal to cut Oakwood’s lead in half. Tory Danis answered for the Jills, getting by the Wildcat goalie and sneaking one in for a 3-1 halftime lead.
Oakwood struck first in the second half, Brooke Klopsch crossing a chest high pass in front of the goal to Elissa Mosman, who bodied it in at the 28:56 mark for a 4-1 lead. Less than a minute later, Franklin’s Lanzarotta arched a 30 yard direct kick over the goalie and into the net to make it 4-2. Coming right back, Liz Garner boomed a long free kick from the defensive end which Olivia Reasoner headed downfield to a streaking Brooke Klopsch, who took it all the way to make the final score 5-2.
Thursday night the girls traveled to Germantown to take on a much improved Valley View team. Oakwood had defeated Valley View in the season opener by a score of 3-0, but the Lady Spartans had shown much improvement during the season, and came into the game sporting a record of 9 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie. Playing on a sloppy field that was as much mud as it was grass, the teams seemed headed to a scoreless first half. With just 3:03 left in the half Valley View was awarded a direct kick from 30 yards out, directly in front of the goal. The Spartan kicker placed it perfectly under the crossbar, and Valley View took the lead. Oakwood struck back, Molly Breidenbach scoring off a nice assist from Brooke Klopsch to make it 1-1 at the half.
The Jills came out strong in the second half, and just 6 minutes in Elissa Mosman scored off an assist from Tory Danis to make it 2-1. The two teams battled evenly for the next 26 minutes, until a hustling Danis beat the Valley View keeper to the ball and hit a left-footed shot into the goal to make it 3-1, Hayley Ward getting the assist. The Spartans answered with 6:32 to go in the game, cutting the lead to one, but sweeper Liz Garner and her defensive cohorts held off the Spartans the rest of the way, Oakwood winning 3-2.
This week Oakwood travels to Eaton Tuesday night. A victory there would give the Jills a shot at sharing the league title with Bellbrook, whom they visit Thursday night at 5:30. The Jills record is now 9 wins, 4 losses, and 1 tie, 9 and 1 in league play.
By Howard Sizek
On Saturday, the Oakwood Cross Country Team made a short drive south to Watts Middle School in Centerville, to run under clear blue skies in the Centerville Stampede.
In the girls varsity race, the Oakwood seven finished eighth. Shannon Hallinan and Nicole Bacas led the Jills finishing thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth. Hannah McCarthy (44th), Hallie Moberg (50th) and Melissa McGill (53rd) were the other varsity scorers for Oakwood. Davina McCarthy and Brittany White also competed for the Jills in the small school race.
In the open race Dani Reese, Julia Sizek, Liz Whalen, Sarah Dietz, Elizabeth Connelly and Kara Hamilton all finished within two seconds of each other in a relaxed run through the spectator lined course.
The varsity boys had another outstanding performance and finished third in the small school division behind Tippecanoe and SWBL rival Bellbrook. Leading the way and finishing under eighteen minutes were Jon Taylor (8th), Peter Hix (11th) and Gabe Svobodny (15th). Marc Skill and Jason Hewer rounded out the scoring finishing thirty-second and thirty-ninth respectively. Chris Wolcott and Scott Slivken were the other varsity runners for the Jacks.
In the open race, which included all divisions and over 300 runners, the Oakwood boys finished seventeenth out of twenty teams. Tory Tomlinson and Will Reese finished 79th and 81st for the Jacks. Michael Wuebker (94th), Andy Myers (118th) and Ben Rodabaugh (121st) were the other scorers for Oakwood. Evan Duffley also ran for the Jacks.
Next Saturday, the Oakwood Cross Country Team travels down I-75 to Monroe to race in the SWBL Cross Country Meet, to be held at Lemon Monroe High School.
The Oakwood Mens’ Junior Varsity soccer team returned to top form after lackluster performances last week which included a 0-0 tie against Milton Union and a 0-2 loss to Bellbrook. The offense received a much needed spark with sophomore Andrew Morris’s return to JV as he led the team to a 3-1 victory over Franklin.
Morris scored his first of two goals 15 minutes into the game on a nice pass from freshman Scott Harman. Five minutes later, Morris put another shot into the net with an assist by Tristan Anstadt. Oakwood took a 2-0 lead into half time. With 14 minutes left in the game, Anthony Weckerling was fouled in the box during a breakaway. Jonny Rudwall perfectly placed the penalty kick for the Jacks’ third goal of the evening.
The defense was stellar and Franklin scored their only goal of the game with less than a minute left, on what may have been their only legitimate shot on the Oakwood goal. The JV Lumberjacks record stands at 8-3-2.
Middle hitter Alisa Kessler (22) towers over the opposition to block a Valley View hit. Anne Murphy (10) provides cover.
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