October 6, 2015 at 5:36 p.m.
Success awaits Patriot squads
Rays of Insight
Who’s ready for a trip to Yorktown?
Or Monroeville.
Or Muncie.
Perhaps all three?
The tournament atmosphere has been around for a little while, first with local golf teams and then last week with Jay County High School hosting the boys tennis sectional.
But the busiest week of the fall tournament season begins tonight when the Patriot girls soccer team plays Delta in the Class 2A sectional semifinal at Yorktown Sports Park and the volleyball team opens the Allen County Athletic Conference tournament at Heritage.
The JCHS boys soccer team will then travel to Yorktown on Wednesday for its sectional semifinal against Muncie Central.
The volleyball tournament continues Thursday in Monroeville. Then Saturday begins with the cross country teams running in sectional meets at Muncie Sports-Plex and, if all goes well, both soccer teams playing for championships in Yorktown.
Let’s take a look at each sport and the keys to a successful week.
Boys soccer
If the Patriots are to defend their 2014 sectional title, they will first need to avenge their season-opening loss.
Jay County was shut out by Muncie Central in its first game of the season on the way to opening 1-3. Its season has been up and down since then — four consecutive wins followed by three straight losses — but back-to-back victories to end the season have resulted in an above-.500 record at 7-6.
The Bearcats cruised past the other two sectional squads with wins of 4-1 over Yorktown and 6-0 over Delta, so it seems JCHS is in the best position to deny them the title. The Patriots’ defense will have to be stingy to do so, as Muncie Central has not been shut out all season and has been limited to one goal just twice.
Cross country
After having their streak of eight straight sectional titles snapped last year with a fifth-place finish, the Patriot girls are hoping to climb back into contention.
Reclaiming the crown will be tough. Defending champion Randolph Southern returns four of its top five runners from last season, and JCHS trailed 2014 runner-up Delta by 63 points two weeks ago on the sectional course at Muncie SportsPlex.
Megan Wellman leads the Patriots and will be a favorite to claim the individual title after winning both the Yorktown Invitational and the Delta Invitational.
Jay County’s boys are hoping for their first regional berth in decades after falling 12 points short with a sixth-place sectional finish last season. (The top five teams and top 10 individuals from non-advancing teams move on to the regional.) The Patriots, paced by Travis Barton and Alex LeMaster, will have to be at their best across the board in order to move on as a group.
Volleyball
The JCHS spikers are hoping to take home their second ACAC title in as many weeks after winning the regular-season championship Thursday with a four-game victory over Heritage.
The Patriots won 23 matches a year ago, but walked away without any trophies after falling to Leo in the ACAC tournament semifinal and Homestead in the sectional opener. This season, they went undefeated during the conference regular season, losing the first game against both Adams Central and Heritage before rallying to take three straight.
While some teams rely on one player at the net, coach Fred Medler has a roster full of capable attackers. That versatility has been key, and makes JCHS the favorite to sweep the ACAC crowns this season.
Girls soccer
Three in a row.
The sectional hat trick has been the Patriots’ goal since long before the season started, but it won’t be an easy one to attain.
In order to even reach the title game, Jay County will have to get past a Delta team it tied 3-3 just two weeks ago. And if it is able to survive the semifinal, its likely championship opponent is a Yorktown squad it lost to 2-1 Sept. 24. (Senior midfielder Emma Laux missed most of both of those games with an injury, but has since returned to the lineup.)
So what will it take bring home another title?
As was noted with the boys team above, defense and goalkeeping are likely to be key. Tournament games tend to be hard-fought and low-scoring, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see at least one game come down to a penalty-kick shootout.
The good news for the Patriots is that they’ve lost to Yorktown in each of the previous two regular seasons before coming back to edge the Tigers 1-0 with the tournament title on the line.
This group of girls is healthy and hungry for another championship. I wouldn’t bet against them.
Or Monroeville.
Or Muncie.
Perhaps all three?
The tournament atmosphere has been around for a little while, first with local golf teams and then last week with Jay County High School hosting the boys tennis sectional.
But the busiest week of the fall tournament season begins tonight when the Patriot girls soccer team plays Delta in the Class 2A sectional semifinal at Yorktown Sports Park and the volleyball team opens the Allen County Athletic Conference tournament at Heritage.
The JCHS boys soccer team will then travel to Yorktown on Wednesday for its sectional semifinal against Muncie Central.
The volleyball tournament continues Thursday in Monroeville. Then Saturday begins with the cross country teams running in sectional meets at Muncie Sports-Plex and, if all goes well, both soccer teams playing for championships in Yorktown.
Let’s take a look at each sport and the keys to a successful week.
Boys soccer
If the Patriots are to defend their 2014 sectional title, they will first need to avenge their season-opening loss.
Jay County was shut out by Muncie Central in its first game of the season on the way to opening 1-3. Its season has been up and down since then — four consecutive wins followed by three straight losses — but back-to-back victories to end the season have resulted in an above-.500 record at 7-6.
The Bearcats cruised past the other two sectional squads with wins of 4-1 over Yorktown and 6-0 over Delta, so it seems JCHS is in the best position to deny them the title. The Patriots’ defense will have to be stingy to do so, as Muncie Central has not been shut out all season and has been limited to one goal just twice.
Cross country
After having their streak of eight straight sectional titles snapped last year with a fifth-place finish, the Patriot girls are hoping to climb back into contention.
Reclaiming the crown will be tough. Defending champion Randolph Southern returns four of its top five runners from last season, and JCHS trailed 2014 runner-up Delta by 63 points two weeks ago on the sectional course at Muncie SportsPlex.
Megan Wellman leads the Patriots and will be a favorite to claim the individual title after winning both the Yorktown Invitational and the Delta Invitational.
Jay County’s boys are hoping for their first regional berth in decades after falling 12 points short with a sixth-place sectional finish last season. (The top five teams and top 10 individuals from non-advancing teams move on to the regional.) The Patriots, paced by Travis Barton and Alex LeMaster, will have to be at their best across the board in order to move on as a group.
Volleyball
The JCHS spikers are hoping to take home their second ACAC title in as many weeks after winning the regular-season championship Thursday with a four-game victory over Heritage.
The Patriots won 23 matches a year ago, but walked away without any trophies after falling to Leo in the ACAC tournament semifinal and Homestead in the sectional opener. This season, they went undefeated during the conference regular season, losing the first game against both Adams Central and Heritage before rallying to take three straight.
While some teams rely on one player at the net, coach Fred Medler has a roster full of capable attackers. That versatility has been key, and makes JCHS the favorite to sweep the ACAC crowns this season.
Girls soccer
Three in a row.
The sectional hat trick has been the Patriots’ goal since long before the season started, but it won’t be an easy one to attain.
In order to even reach the title game, Jay County will have to get past a Delta team it tied 3-3 just two weeks ago. And if it is able to survive the semifinal, its likely championship opponent is a Yorktown squad it lost to 2-1 Sept. 24. (Senior midfielder Emma Laux missed most of both of those games with an injury, but has since returned to the lineup.)
So what will it take bring home another title?
As was noted with the boys team above, defense and goalkeeping are likely to be key. Tournament games tend to be hard-fought and low-scoring, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see at least one game come down to a penalty-kick shootout.
The good news for the Patriots is that they’ve lost to Yorktown in each of the previous two regular seasons before coming back to edge the Tigers 1-0 with the tournament title on the line.
This group of girls is healthy and hungry for another championship. I wouldn’t bet against them.
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