Boys Best of the Week: River Valley soccer pulls off three wins

Rob McCurdy, Marion Star
·4 min read
River Valley's Hudson Pollock dribbles the ball during a recent boys soccer match at Buckeye Valley. Pollock scored six goals in three matches last week for the Vikings.
River Valley's Hudson Pollock dribbles the ball during a recent boys soccer match at Buckeye Valley. Pollock scored six goals in three matches last week for the Vikings.

River Valley enjoyed a big turnaround week with its boys soccer program.

The Vikings rolled up three victories to run their record to 8-6 overall as the season enters its final week before the start of the postseason tournament.

RV started the streak by taking a 5-0 halftime lead to blitz Highland and finish with a 6-2 victory. Briley Beckley paced the River Valley push with two goals, while Gabe Douce had a goal and three assists, Christian Knight one goal and two assists, Hudson Pollock a goal and assist and Adri Diaz a goal. J.R. Bates and Carson Walker combined in goal for five saves. Scoring for Highland were Zane Sheets and Caleb Hunter with Darren Styer and Mason Keller getting assists.

The Vikings then posted a 4-0 victory over Crestview with Pollock getting a hat trick and Douce the other goal. Beckley, Knight and Kale Robbins assisted on goals, while Bates managed three saves.

River Valley capped the week by taking a trip to Crew Stadium to face Galion in its Iberia Cup trophy game, winning 3-1. Pollock scored twice to run his goal total for the week to six. Knight scored as well, while Douce, Beckley and Diaz posted assists. Bates saved five shots.

Here are some other highlights over the last week for the area's boys high school sports teams and athletes:

∎ In a 3-1 loss to Johnstown, Hunter scored on a 28-yard free kick for Highland's lone goal.

∎ Mid Ohio Athletic Conference champion Ontario only led Marion Harding 2-0 at halftime before pulling away to a 7-1 soccer win. Harding's Trent Leonard made more than 20 saves, while Jackson Shipley scored on a penalty kick early in the second half to cut the lead to 2-1.

∎ Mount Gilead's cross country squad added to its haul by winning the 20th annual Marion Harding Invitational on Saturday morning. The Indians, ranked No. 2 in the last Division III state coaches poll, scored 80 points to edge Shelby's 90 and Lexington's 92.

Leading MG was Will Baker who ran a 15:55 to end in second place. Right behind in fourth was Parker Bartlett at 16:14 and Reed Supplee in seventh at 16:27. Owen Hershner was next at 28th in 16:59 followed by Aaron Gannon in 39th in 17:15, Cole Hershner in 72nd in 18:03 and Nathan Smith in 92nd in 18:32.

Mount Gilead's Will Baker, left, and Parker Bartlett, right, are part of the lead pack just by the mile marker during Saturday's Marion Harding Cross Country Invitational.
Mount Gilead's Will Baker, left, and Parker Bartlett, right, are part of the lead pack just by the mile marker during Saturday's Marion Harding Cross Country Invitational.

∎ There were 21 teams and 188 runners in the boys race at Harding. Locally, Northmor was sixth, Highland ninth, Pleasant 10th, Elgin 17th, Cardington 18th and the hosts 19th.

Those from the area who took top 50 finishes were Northmor's Ryan Lehman (fifth, 16:15), Northmor's Lucas Weaver (14th, 16:38), Harding's Kade Sutherland (27th, 16:57), Highland's Joel Roberts (30th, 17:01), Highland's Cael Gilmore (32nd, 17:05), Pleasant's Will Lichtenberger (36th, 17:09), Cardington's Aidan Reitmire (41st, 17:21), Pleasant's Caleb Cameron (43rd, 17:26), Elgin's Ethan Marshall (44th, 17:28), Northmor's David Blunk (46th, 17:30), Highland's Hunter Bolton (48th, 17:31).

Complete results can be found at OnTheMarkTiming.com.

∎ Cardington also competed at the Crestline Invitational earlier in the week and finished fifth. Reitmire led the Pirates with a fourth-place finish in 17:33 and was followed by A.J. Brehm in 22nd at 18:54, Brayden Rammelsberg in 30th at 19:40, Brandon Elliott Hughes in 35th at 19:52, Isaac Dela Cruz in 55th at 21:28, Ryan Clinger in 57th at 21:30 and Brayden Lackey in 77th at 23:52.

∎ North Union competed in the Mechanicsburg Invitational and finished third overall. Tyler Huff was third individually in 18:11 and was followed by Mitchell Marlette (13th, 19:38), Traven Reber (21st, 20:32), William Popovich (27th, 21:54) and Max Leavitt (33rd, 22:40).

Coaches and statisticians are encouraged to send their results to the Marion Star's Rob McCurdy at rmccurdy@gannett.com, 419-610-0998, Twitter @McMotorsport and Instagram @rob_mccurdy_star.

VOTE: Marion Star Boys Best of the Week Performer Poll

  • River Valley soccer player Hudson Pollock scored six goals and added an assist in helping the Vikings to a trio of wins.

  • North Union cross country runner Tyler Huff was third in 18:11 at the Mechanicsburg Invitational.

  • Elgin golfer Isaac Dillon shot a 79 to finish eighth at the Division III boys golf district tournament at Turnberry.

  • Mount Gilead cross country runner Will Baker was runner-up out of 188 runners at the Marion Harding Invitational, clocking a 15:55.

  • Northmor cross country runner Ryan Lehman was fifth in 16:15 at the Marion Harding Invitational.

  • Voting continues at MarionStar.com and its app through early Sunday morning.

  • In last week's poll, there were 929 votes with Mount Gilead golfer Steve Street, who shot a 77 to gain a Division III district berth, getting 595 (64 percent) to win it. Other nominees were golfers Emerson Grassbaugh of Highland, Isaac Dillon of Elgin and Grant Bentley of Northmor.

Rob McCurdy, Marion Star and USA Today Network-Ohio
Rob McCurdy, Marion Star and USA Today Network-Ohio

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Boys Best of the Week: River Valley soccer pulls off three wins