It’s not so much how you start but how you finish that
counts. The Lady Dukes took that credo to heart on the tennis courts.
Girls tennis
Marlington may have launched their 2025 campaign with a loss to Northeast
Tennis Conference rival Canton South, but then turned it around against Triway
with a victory.
First, the glass half-empty. The Wildcats, who are the
two-time defending NET champs and haven’t lost a conference match since the
2022 season, visited the Lady Dukes on August 12 and came away with a 4-1 win.
The one bright spot for Marlington came in the form of No. 2 singles player
Ember McCarty, who notched a 6-4, 6-3 victory over her opponent.
Perhaps it was the home cooking? Because the Lady
Dukes hit the road 48 hours later and defeated Triway 3-2 to even their record
on the season. McCarty, the lone victor against Canton South, did her thing
again. Winning must be infectious because at first doubles, Laney Cross and
Myla Christian recorded a victory, as did Lia Foith and Victoria Byder in
second doubles.
Boys soccer
In boys soccer, the Dukes got their season going with
a non-conference home victory over Lake Center Christian. Marlington jumped out
to an imposing 3-0 lead in the first half then coasted to the 3-1 win.
TJ Guess, Iden Tate and Tommy Miller each pocketed a
goal, two of them coming from Logan Smith’s assists, while Talon Cyders also
registered an assist. Manning the net, Brock Swisher picked up one save on goal
for the Dukes (1-0).
For the Tigers (0-1), Israel Young scored their lone
goal off an assist from Trevor Hayberg. Goalkeeper Oliver Baker defended 12
shots on goal in the loss.
Fall sports
In addition to soccer and tennis, the Dukes have a
vaunted history in both volleyball and cross country. In volleyball, the Lady
Dukes are coming off a spectacular season in which they finished with a
sparkling 27-2 record and a flawless 10-0 mark in the Eastern Buckeye
Conference (EBC).
True, Marlington lost three seniors to graduation, but
the Lady Dukes’ cupboard is certainly not bare considering the return of senior
three-year letter winners Giana Bogunovich, Cali Young, and Amiiah Sickles.
And with coach Stephanie Tortola at the helm, look for Marlington to again be
at or near the top of the EBC standings.
In cross country, the Dukes are in unfamiliar territory, according to boys
coach Melissa Graham-Perkins. Having experienced a run of sustained
success – including three state titles, Graham-Perkins said, “We are young and
it has been some time since we haven’t had experienced upper classman.”
Still, Marlington should be
competitive as there are a handful of young runners who should grow into their
abilities as the season progresses. On the girls’ side of the ledger, it’s a
different matter entirely as the Lady Dukes only lost one senior and have state
qualifier and All-Ohio runner Irelyn Johnson returning.
Marlington will have depth
and should see some good pack running. Still, the obstacle in the EBC will be
Minerva, acknowledges Graham-Perkins.
“Extremely tough league with the
defending state champion as part of our league,” she said. “But we will work
hard to earn our position in the league and in postseason running.”
