Athletes shine at season’s middle

We’re halfway there.

It’s always hard to believe how quickly this point comes, especially in the short fall and spring sports seasons.

While the winter sports season stretches from early November to at least early March — four months — the fall and spring sports campaigns are over in about two months. So, even though it seems like school began just a few days ago, the season is about half over.

We’re less than two weeks away from tournament draws for boys and girls soccer, and boys tennis. (That’s not to mention that the Indiana girls golf sectional tournaments are this weekend, though that sport gets a head start of a couple of weeks on all the others.)

With half a season gone, it seems like a good time to take a look at who has shined on local squads thus far. That list includes a couple of duos, with a trio in between.

The Stuber brothers

South Adams High School graduated the quarterback who led them during their outstanding 2016 season. The Starfires’ top returning running back was lost to injury prior to the season.

Enter the Stuber brothers, who have been nothing short of spectacular.

Nic, a sophomore, has taken over for Marcus Teeter under center and continues to have the offense humming. He’s completed 67 percent of his pass attempts for 682 yards through four games. He’s tossed 10 touchdowns compared to just a pair of interceptions, and has also added 135 yards on the ground. He’s also been the leader on defense, recording a team-high 29 tackles.

Joe, a senior, has stepped in for the injured Isaiah Baumgartner to power the SAHS rushing attack. He’s averaging more than 8.5 yards per carry for a total of 384. He’s also found his way to the end zone eight times. On the defensive side of the ball, he’s added 15 tackles.



The Stubers are two of the key reasons South Adams (4-0) is undefeated and ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Class 1A poll.

Triple threat

Fort Recovery’s volleyball team (7-1) is off to its best start in about a decade, and that success is led by a trio of strong attackers along the front line.

Senior Carley Stone has been the consistent No. 1 threat, leading the team in kills in six of its eight matches. The most recent of those came Monday night in a 25-15, 25-11, 25-16 blowout of Franklin Monroe that kept the Division IV No. 6 Indians unbeaten against non-Midwest Athletic Conference opponents. She has 84 kills on the season — her top effort was 17 in a victory over Jay County — and has reached double digits five times.

But Stone isn’t the only major threat the Tribe brings, as Cassy Martin and Paige Jutte have given the team a varied attack. Martin, who has 58 kills on the season, took the reins during a pair of matches Sept. 2 at St. Marys Memorial, recording a team-best 14 kills. Jutte led the way with nine kills in Fort Recovery’s victory over Arcanum, and she reached double figures for the first time this season with 10 Monday.

The more legitimate threats a team has up front, the more dangerous it is, and Stone, Martin and Jutte have proven the Indians have the weapons to be a contender in the MAC and the Division IV tournament.

Two for 20?

The Jay County girls soccer program has seen its greatest success in the last five years, having won sectional titles in 2013 and 2014 as well as Allen County Athletic Conference championships three years in a row.

The Patriots have had some good scoring threats. But never have they fielded a duo that has produced like Lucy Laux and Kendra Muhlenkamp have so far this season.

The senior and junior, respectively, are on the verge of giving JCHS a pair of 20-goal scorers.

Laux, the leading scorer last season, leads the Patriots (7-1) with 17 goals to go along with her team-best eight assists. She recorded three consecutive hat tricks against Heritage, Burris and Woodlan and had multiple goals in each of the first seven games of the season.

Muhlenkamp has exploded onto the scene this season, trailing Laux by just one with 16 goals. She had hat tricks in each of those same three consecutive games — the effort included four goals in the 10-1 blowout of Woodlan — and is also second to Laux with four assists.

With two players who have proven their ability to find the back of the net at any time, the Patriots have their sights set on the third sectional title in school history.