Fall sports in full swing at OVHS

Halfway through the first grading period at Owen Valley High School, fall sports are hopping and busier than ever. Here are some highlights from the Patriot teams.

Girls' GolfThe Owen Valley girls' golf team is now 7-4 on the season, highlighted by wins over North Putnam (twice), Cloverdale, Mitchell, South Vermillion and Sullivan. OV's lowest team score so far this season is a 212 for nine holes.

Led by senior Jenna Harris, the Lady Patriots earned fifth place out of 11 teams at the recent Western Indiana Conference (WIC) match. Harris earned all-conference honors by placing third overall with an outstanding 83 for 18 holes. So far this season, Harris had led OV with a low score of 39 for nine holes, followed by Lola James with a 51, Liv Stogsdill 53, Maria Hartman 61, Lillian James 63 and first-year golfer Sadie Neff with a 68.

The Lady Patriots have just a few regular season matches left before they compete in post-season play. OV will compete in the Bloomington North sectional at Cascades Golf Course on September 19. Other teams in the sectional include Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Brown County, Columbus East, Columbus North, Edgewood, Edinburgh, Indian Creek and Martinsville.

Boy's TennisThe Owen Valley boys' tennis team is off to a good start so far this season with a record of 4-1 and 2-0 in the WIC. The biggest wins to date are over West Vigo and Edgewood.

The three singles' players each have a record of 4-1, including number one singles Rhet Heckman, number two singles Caleb Bixler and number three singles Kolton Jackson. The number one doubles team of Kage Brown and Drew Kristoff are sitting with a record of 3-2 while the number two doubles team of Carlos Trevino and Cason Robertson have a record of 2-3. According to coach Trent Heckman, the Patriots are also getting strong junior varsity play from Cooper King, Kaden Hamilton and Michael Hensley.

The team is boasting outstanding numbers this year with a roster of 17 players and one manager, including four seniors, six juniors, two sophomores and four freshmen.

"I like the way we have practiced and I can see improvement," Coach Heckman said. "We have to continue to improve. We are a veteran and very experienced team and our goals are a WIC title and sectional championship."

The Patriots have seven full matches left in the regular season and are set to finish a lightning delayed contest as well. Sectional play will be held the week of September 27.

Girls' SoccerThe Lady Patriot girls' soccer team has started off the season with a record of 1-3-1, one win, one tie and three losses.

"Our first game of the season was a 3-1 win away at North Putnam. Senior Anna Martin and newcomer Olivia Brinkmeier both lead the team with two goals," OV head coach Justin Rowe said. "I would like to highlight the performances of our center defenders, Beau Woodruff, and Kiera (Kit-Kat) Kelley to start the season. They both have played exceptionally on the defensive end. Freshmen Kaylee Deckard, Katie Padgett, and Victoria Simmerman have all made an immediate impact on the varsity team, and they represent an exciting future for Owen Valley Girls soccer!"

Seven matches remain for the OV girls' soccer team in the regular season. Post-season play is set for the week of October 3.

Boys's SoccerThe Owen Valley boys' soccer team had a great outing recently, picking up their first win of the season against the Mitchell Bluejackets.

"Coming from behind at 0-2 at the 20-minute mark, we were able to tie it up by halftime and then sweep the second half, 3-0, for a victory of 5-2," OV boys' soccer coach Matt Lowers said. "Connor Heaslet-Wardlaw scored three, and Robert Wheeler and Austin Manuel secured one each. I'm proud of the team's progress thus far, they have been working extremely hard and we have made measurable gains every single match. We finally found our stride Tuesday night and hope to continue that momentum."

OV has seven matches left in the regular season and will compete in sectional play the week of October 3.

Girls' Cross CountryThe Lady Patriot cross country team has competed in four meets thus far this year, finishing second at the Bloomfield Invitational and Chad Smith Invitational and third at the Mustang Invitational at Edgewood.

“I'm very proud of the progress all the girls have made so far this season. Everyone has improved so much since our first meet at Lavern (Gibson)'" OV girls' cross country coach Corbin Wrightsman said. "I’m looking forward to continued improvement and more strong finishes starting Tuesday at the Clay City Invite.“

The Lady Patriots have posted great times so far this season, including Lily Smith with a season low of 22:44, Madi Kay a 24:04, Mallory Owen 24:51, Madyson Whicker 25:12, Allison Anderson 26:21, and Natalie Bagnoche-Peterson 30:16.

OV is scheduled to compete in seven more meets prior to sectional competition on October 8.

Boys' Cross CountryThe Owen Valley boys' cross country team has been a bit shorthanded at times this season, only able to score as a team in two meets. The Patriots placed third at the Chad Smith Invitational and sixth at the Mustang Invitational out of 15 teams.

"We have had teally great performances by Tucker (McCarty) all season so far. He has been our consistent number one runner with his times being significantly better than last season," OV boys' cross country coach Chad Smith explained. "Tristan Calvin has really come on the last two meets and is starting to put up more consistent times. I knew I would get alot out of Tristan and Tucker but the real surprise is Maddox (Reuter). He has taken off an incredible amount of time in his first three races. He is going to be right up there with the leaders soon. Jesse (Durnil) and Kaden (Shaw) just had their best performances of the year last night at Edgewood so I am very happy with the progress. Things are going in the right direction."

Owen Valley has seven meets remaining in the regular season and is slated to run in sectionals on October 8.

VolleyballThe Lady Patriot volleyball team has endured a tough start to the 2022 season with a record of 1-6.

"The game we won against West Vigo is definitely a highlight," first-year head coach Bethany Kay said. "We played as a team and really fought hard to win all three sets. Volleyball is the ultimate team sport and that night they came together as a team like they haven’t before. We continue to put in the work to grow and succeed as a team."

Owen Valley will have 14 contests remaining with sectional play taking place the week of October 11.

This article originally appeared on Evening World: Fall sports in full swing at OVHS