By Cort Reynolds
ADA - The host Ada girls soccer team broke up a scoreless tie late and held off a last-minute Delphos Jefferson attempt to edge the Wildcats 1-0 in a defensive Northwest Conference match Wednesday evening.
The win stopped a six-match winless streak, upping the Lady Bulldog record to 3-9-1 overall and 2-3-1 in NWC play. DJ fell to 0-12 and 0-4 in league action with the loss.
The teams played to a scoreless tie in the first half and throughout most of the second half.
"We controlled the ball for almost all of the first half, but it ended up tied 0-0," said Bulldog head coach Doug Poling.
By Cort Reynolds
ADA - The host Ada volleyball team battled but lost in four sets to scrappy Paulding in a Northwest Conference match on Volley for the Cure night Tuesday.
The Lady Bulldogs dropped to 8-11 overall and 1-5 in the NWC with the 25-22, 21-25, 25-23, 25-19 defeat. The Panthers improved to 11-8 and 4-3 in the NWC with the win on an unseasonably hot evening.
"I feel like Paulding played a cleaner game than us," offered Ada head coach Kyleigh Tabor. "Their back row was more solid. They just had more runs than us, and our defense was not as solid as usual."
By Cort Reynolds
ADA - After running up 120 points in its last two games, the high-powered Ada football team travels to face tough and improving Spencerville Friday in week six.
The two-time defending NWC champion Bearcats defeated previously unbeaten Allen East 21-7 in week five at Harrod. They have won two in a row and are 3-2 overall (2-0 NWC).
Spencerville is 1-1 at home while the Bulldogs are 2-1 on the road. The Bearcats beat Perry 35-16 in their opener, then lost 21-6 to Parkway and at tough LCC 41-27. They then downed Paulding 44-20 in their league lidlifter.
By Cort Reynolds
KALIDA - The Ada cross country team ran at the Kalida Wildcat Invitational meet Saturday.
The Bulldog boys finished 20th in the 23-team meet. Ottawa-Glandorf (53 points) out-distanced Elyria Catholic (104) for the team title. St. Marys finished third with 127 points. Allen East ended up 17th.
Bulldog senior Hunter Wells ended up 136th in a field of 216 runners to register the top Ada finish.
The average Ada time over the 3.1-mile course was 23:23.4.
Matt Krese of Elyria Catholic won the individual race with a time of 16:53.4.
The Ohio Northern football team put on an offensive showcase, featuring a plethora of big plays, its first home game of the 2019 season Saturday at Dial-Roberson Stadium.
The Polar Bears downed Otterbein 45-35 to improve to 2-2 on the season and 2-1 in Ohio Athletic Conference play.
"I thought it was a really solid performance," ONU head coach Dean Paul said. "We knew Otterbein was going to be a good test. After a disappointing loss last week, it was important for us to have a good week of practice and come out strong against a quality team, and we did that."
From competing on his sister's U5 team as a three-year old to now where he suits up for the Polar Bears as a team captain, soccer has been a constant in Sternasty's life.
But for the Ohio Northern senior, soccer is more than just a sport in which he has excelled. It's a daily release from the rigors of college courses, a physical activity that demands the best of him and an arena that has given him lifelong friends and memories.
