Triway football edges Tuslaw; Waynedale, Norwayne golfers advance to districts

Forgive Triway football coach Cody Kelly and his players if they feel like the Principals Athletic Conference is a modern-day version of the OK Corral. Getting everyone’s best shot or just some creative shots, whatever one calls it, the Titans have been getting it.

“I am happy to get the W,” Kelly said. “I told the kids early in the year the PAC is loaded. Every week is going to be a battle. There are no easy games. It’s why we scheduled a tough nonconference schedule to prepare us for it.”

On Sept. 19 they made the trip to Massillon to play Tuslaw, and there is no doubt the Mustangs have improved in leaps and bounds from last year. In the end it took an interception by Olley Krupp to snuff out a late Tuslaw rally and seal a 21-14 win.

“Tuslaw did some amazing things out there. They showed some stuff we haven’t seen, and they hit us in the mouth in that first half,” Kelly said. “I was glad the bounce-back and response that we’d been talking about all week showed up. Response, that was our message all week. We got hit in the mouth the week before, and we wanted to show some effort, and we did.”

The weekend before, Northwest dealt the Titans a tough 32-29 setback.

“It's hard to get wins,” Kelly said, “no matter who you're playing. We’ll take the win and move on to next week."

In the win over Tuslaw, playmakers Bruin Flinner, Brandt Clippinger and Luke Starr all scored touchdowns as Starr found Flinner and Clippinger for scoring strikes. Starr then punched home the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter before Krupp snared the back-breaking interception.

“Bruin has been a mainstay for us all season,” Kelly said. “We got Olley back after missing a few games. Luke is always making the right reads, making plays, and sometimes he pulls some stuff out of a hat and makes plays when they aren’t called for. He is a competitor.”

The Mustangs were led by Ethan Haer with a scoring run as he finished with 47 yards on the ground.

Toughness of a champion

The mark of a champion isn’t always shown in how one responds when the going is good, but how one handles adversity — case in point, the Waynedale golf team on Sept. 22 at The Elms in a Division II Northeast Sectional battle.

“It felt like we just arrived. It sure wasn’t pretty,” Golden Bears coach Melinda Budd said. “We had a few mental errors and picked up some unnecessary strokes.”

Still, Waynedale won the sectional with a score of 321 and advanced to districts. Jordan Miller fired a team-low and 5-over-par 77, highlighted by an eagle on the par-five 13th hole, two birdies and 10 pars. Cameron Miller and Hank Miller both fired matching 80s, and Cooper Miller rounded out the team score with an 84.

“We didn't have anyone hanging their heads despite our day,” Budd said. “We continued with a good attitude, continued to fight, and that’s what I am most proud of.”

Orrville (326) and Tuslaw (334) both advanced as well. Jacob Ott led the Red Riders with a 75, and the Mustangs were paced by Elijah Cockrill and Nick Lytle with a 78 and 79, respectively.

Back to districts

A year ago Norwayne senior Kylie Hostettler earned her first trip to districts with a fourth-place finish and an 89. Fast forward to Sept. 22 and the senior earned a return ticket with a 91 and finished in a three-way tie for sixth at The Pines in a Div. II Northeast Sectional. Her clutch performance continues her strong play over the past couple of years and puts her among the area’s best, like Northwestern legends Ally St. Clair and Kylee Purdy.

“After last year Kylie really wanted another shot at the district tournament,” Norwayne coach Joe Chaffin said. “She’s worked incredibly hard over the past year and is so deserving of this.”

Hostettler fired pars on three holes, put together a 45 on the front nine and added a 46 on the back nine. More importantly, she finished her day with some flair as she parred two of her last four holes and gave her coach, her dad and herself something to smile about.

“She is always smiling,” Chaffin said. “She’s so easy to coach. I do my best to keep things light and always try to challenge her. She embraces that. She is truly a joy to be around, and Matt (Hostettler, her father) has done such a great job with her game over the years. They work so well together. It’s truly a group and family effort with Kylie. Nobody deserves it more.”