JCHS boys soccer gets 1st win

HARTFORD CITY — Alex Dunn racked up three goals Thursday to lead the Jay County High School boys soccer team to its first win of the season, 5-2 over the host Blackford Bruins.
The Patriots, who had dropped their first six games of the year, got on the board when Colton McCombs scored less than 15 minutes into the game. Just 1:03 later McCombs assists on Dunn’s first goal, and Dunn scored again with 16:36 remaining in the first half for a 3-0 lead.
The potential blowout turned into a close game when Blackford scored twice in a span of just 24 seconds late in the first half. However, JCHS bounced back when Dunn scored his third goal less than three minutes into the second half on an assist from Colton Bartlett.
Dylan Swingley capped off the scoring for the Patriots, who racked up 11 shots on goal, off assists from Dunn and McCombs with 22:09 remaining.
Dillon Ainsworth finished with four saves.

Denney shoots 38
Abby Denney’s best score of her career was not quite enough to lift the Patriot girls golf team as it fell 185-188 to the visiting Delta Eagles.
Denney got off to a blazing start at Portland Golf Club with pars on the first and third holes and a birdie on the 113-yard, par-3 second. Her first bogey came on No. 4, and she came back with pars on the next two holes to sit at even-par through six on the way to a career-best 38.
The senior, who had shot 39 several times during her career, earned medalist honors by six strokes. The top score for Delta was a 44 from Kati Holdren.
Cara Garringer opened with three straight pars as she followed Denney with a 46 for the Patriots (9-3), who put up their second-best team score of the year. Macey Gerber had two pars and five bogeys in her round of 47, and Whitney Gray completed the team score with a 57.
Alysia Fennig shot 60, and Brittany Stevens finished at 61.

Bears top spikers
The Jay County volleyball team got off to a good start Thursday but couldn’t keep the momentum going in a 21-25, 25-20, 25-13, 25-14 loss to the visiting Monroe Central Golden Bears.
Tanner Martin had 16 assists and six service points for the Patriots, who gave up an 8-2 run as the second game got away and trailed throughout the third and fourth. Hannah Ainsworth scored 17 points, Alyssa Rigby had 15 digs and Mariah Murphy finished with seven kills.
Randa Gillespie added eight digs, and Mariah Hornaday had five kills.
The junior varsity squad lost 25-23, 25-21 to the Golden Bears. Sam Homan finished with four kills and two blocks, and Abbi Dunlavy had 10 service points.

Newsome runs wild
DUNKIRK — Phillip Newsome destroyed the Union City Westside defense Thursday, leading the West Jay Middle School seventh grade football team to a 36-0 victory. The eighth graders also won, 16-14.
Newsome ran the ball 18 times for 236 yards and five touchdowns for the seventh grade Eagles (2-1). He scored on two 40-yard runs as well as runs of 23, 4 and 35 yards.
Bryce Bantz ran 11 times for 92 yards, including a 55-yard TD run, for the eighth grade team (3-0). James Williams added a 7-yard scoring run and a pair of 2-point conversions.

WJ spikers split
DUNKIRK — The West Jay eighth grade volleyball team scored a 25-5, 25-21 victory over Union City Westside Thursday while the seventh graders lost 25-12, 25-23.
Tyrah Westlake led the eighth graders with 16 service points, including seven aces. Baleigh Wiemer added eight points.
Emily Jobe had six points for the seventh grade squad. Logan Miller and Emilie Walter added three points and two aces apiece.[[In-content Ad]]