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Arcanum wins WOAC girls golf championship; Tri-Village’s Lyla Brewer takes individual title, Player of the Year

Photos and story by Jim Freeman

GREENVILLE — Arcanum used a balanced team effort to capture the Western Ohio Athletic Conference girls golf championship Thursday at Turtle Creek Golf Course, holding off Tri-Village by eight strokes.

The Trojans finished the 18-hole championship with a team score of 402, while Tri-Village finished second at 410. National Trail placed third with a 501.

While Arcanum took home the team championship, Tri-Village sophomore Lyla Brewer turned in the best individual round of the day, shooting an 87 to claim the WOAC individual championship.

Lyla Brewer of Tri Village shoots an 87 en route to victory and another WOAC golfer of the year honor

Brewer finished nine strokes ahead of the rest of the field and was also recognized as the WOAC Player of the Year, an honor she earned for the second consecutive season.

Arcanum answered Brewer’s individual performance with depth throughout its lineup.

Junior Brooklynne Eley led the Trojans with a 96, finishing second individually, while sophomore Sadie Waldo was just one stroke behind with a 97 to take third.

Senior Adalyn Paul added a 103 and junior Ella Warren shot 106. Those four scores combined for Arcanum’s championship total of 402.

Junior Brynn Byers finished with a 109, while sophomore Jean Joslyn-Pitman shot 139.

Tri-Village sophomore Taytum Gray finished fourth individually with a 100. Brewer and Gray gave the Patriots two of the top four individual finishers, but Arcanum’s balance proved to be the difference in the team competition.

The season-long WOAC points standings also illustrate the depth Arcanum carried throughout the year.

Brewer finished atop the individual standings with 162 points, followed by Gray with 144. Arcanum then occupied the next four positions, with Paul third at 140, Waldo fourth at 136, Eley fifth at 131.5 and Byers sixth at 122.5.

Arcanum finished first in the final conference team standings, followed by Tri-Village, National Trail, Ansonia and Franklin Monroe.

The conference also recognized Arcanum’s Jessie Warner and Franklin Monroe’s Tiffany Stebbins as WOAC Co-Coaches of the Year.

There was another aspect of Thursday’s championship that couldn’t be found on a scorecard.

Throughout the day at Turtle Creek, golfers from different schools could be seen talking and laughing together, encouraging one another and congratulating competitors after good shots. It was evident in both the boys and girls competitions.

It was refreshing to see. From youth athletics to the professional ranks, sports provide plenty of examples of trash talking and poor sportsmanship. What was on display at Turtle Creek was something different.

These golfers wanted to win. Conference championships and individual honors were at stake. But that didn’t prevent them from appreciating a great shot by someone wearing another school’s colors.

Competition doesn’t require animosity. Athletes can compete hard, want desperately to win, and still respect their opponents and recognize good play when they see it.

On Thursday, the student-athletes of the WOAC gave the conference something beyond scores and championships to be proud of — a pretty good example of how competition should look.

For Arcanum, the day ended with a WOAC championship trophy. For Brewer, it ended with an individual championship and Player of the Year honors.

And for the WOAC as a whole, the championship provided plenty to be proud of beyond the numbers written on the scorecards.

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Welcome to the WOAC Cross Country Apparel site!

This store will close to new orders on Tuesday Sept. 29, 2026 at MIDNIGHT.  ALL orders will be processed, printed, and Shipped AFTER the close of this store, ALL SALES AT THIS POINT ARE FINAL.

ALL ORDERS WILL SHIP BY APPROX Wednesday, Oct.. 7, VIA USPS.  PLEASE NOTE: Order emails and credit card charges will show ALLEY CAT DESIGNS, not WOAC.

If you have any questions regarding your order please contact Tony Augspurger at [email protected] 

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https://woac-jh-v-ball26.alleycatstore.com/

Welcome to the WOAC JH Girls Volleyball Apparel site!

This store will close to new orders on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026 at MIDNIGHT.  ALL orders will be processed, printed, and Shipped AFTER the close of this store, ALL SALES AT THIS POINT ARE FINAL.

ALL ORDERS WILL SHIP BY APPROX Wednesday, Oct. 7, VIA USPS. PLEASE NOTE: Order emails and credit card charges will show ALLEY CAT DESIGNS, not WOAC.

If you have any questions regarding your order please contact Tony Augspurger: [email protected]   

Nottingham’s service runs keep Arcanum unbeaten in WOAC play

Story and photos by Jim Freeman

ARCANUM — Preble Shawnee scored the first two points Tuesday night, but Arcanum quickly took control.

Junior Gabrielle Nottingham served 18 consecutive points to close the first set, setting the tone for the Trojans’ 25–5, 25–4, 25–8 sweep of the Arrows. The victory kept Arcanum unbeaten in Western Ohio Athletic Conference play at 4–0 and improved its overall record to 9–1.

Arcanum coach Jacie Holman said before the match that games against struggling opponents can make her nervous because her team might overlook them. The Trojans showed no sign of doing that Tuesday.

After Preble Shawnee’s early lead, Arcanum moved ahead 7–5. Nottingham then went to the service line and stayed there for the rest of the opening set, serving points eight through 25.

“She’s a strong server,” Holman said. “She’s probably one of our strongest players.”

Nottingham was already among the conference leaders in other parts of the game. Entering the match, she ranked fourth in the WOAC with 83 kills and second with 22 blocks.

Her serving continued to trouble the Arrows in the second set. Nottingham served six straight points as Arcanum built a 15–2 lead. Sophomore Harlow Etherington then served the final seven points of the set, finishing a 25–4 victory.

Preble Shawnee stayed closer early in the third, trailing 8–5 before Nottingham produced another long turn at the service line. She served nine consecutive points to stretch Arcanum’s lead to 17–5. The Trojans went on to close out the match 25–8.

The scorebook shows Arcanum scored 33 points during Nottingham’s service turns across the three sets. Those points include rallies won while she served; they are not an ace total.

Preble Shawnee came into the match after playing two five-set contests in four days. The Arrows won the first two sets against Stivers on Saturday before falling, then rallied from a two-set deficit against Madison on Monday before losing in the fifth.

Arcanum gave them little chance to mount another comeback Tuesday. The Trojans outscored the Arrows 75–17 and answered Holman’s pregame concern with a focused performance from start to finish. Preble Shawnee fell to 3–8 overall and 0–4 in conference play.

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Newton Rallies Past Twin Valley South, Takes Sole Possession of WOAC Lead

(Newton's Emma Fisher played a key role in the Indians win over Twin Valley South)

By Eddie Mowen Jr.

WEST ALEXANDRIA — Newton emerged from a battle of Western Ohio Athletic Conference unbeatens with sole possession of first place.
 
The Indians rallied from an early deficit to defeat host Twin Valley South 2-1 on Thursday, Sept. 10, handing the Panthers their first loss of the season.
 
Both teams entered the match unbeaten in conference play. Newton came in 4-0 in the WOAC and 5-1 overall, while Twin Valley South was 3-0 in the conference and 4-0 overall.
 
South struck first when freshman Adelyn Burkett scored off a corner kick with 34:22 remaining in the first half. Josey Butler assisted on the goal.
 
Newton answered less than 12 minutes later. Freshman Emma Fisher found the net with 22:50 remaining in the opening half, sending the teams into the break tied at 1.
 
The score remained deadlocked deep into the second half before sophomore Bentley Hess delivered the deciding goal with 9:25 remaining, giving Newton a 2-1 advantage.
 
Newton coach Madison Tebics said her team settled into the match after a tentative start and eventually began controlling play.
 
“We were playing very timid and kind of kickball at the beginning,” Tebics said. “Once we slowed down and controlled the entire game, I think we completely took over and played our game, calmed our nerves down a little bit, settled in, and then got the dub.”
 
(Newton's Bentley Hess scored the game-winning goal for the Indians against Twin Valley South)
 
Tebics said the matchup carried added pressure because the teams were running neck-and-neck in the conference standings.
 
“Just being able to tune that out and still get the win and still stay mentally and physically strong, it was a great win,” she said.
 
She also praised Hess for the effort that produced the game-winner.
 
“Bentley, out of anybody, is going to put her body on the line,” Tebics said. “When there’s a ball, you can expect Bentley’s foot to get on it. For her to get that touch in there and just misdirect it, she completely put her body on the line for that goal.”
 
Twin Valley South coach Chad Newport credited his team for continuing to battle despite the loss.
“Our girls worked really hard and left it all on the field tonight,” Newport said. “A few things didn’t go our way, but that didn’t stop our team’s fight till the end.”
 
Newport singled out Burkett and freshman Emma Owen for their performances, noting Burkett’s work in the midfield and Owen’s play along the back line. He also credited Butler for the pass that helped set up Burkett’s goal.
 
“Unfortunately, Newton just had our number tonight,” Newport said.
 
(Twin Valley South's Adelyn Burkett scored the Panthers lone goal)
 
South goalkeeper Grace Childers recorded 10 saves in the loss.
 
With the victory, Newton improved to 6-1 overall and 5-0 in the WOAC, putting the Indians alone atop the conference standings at the midway point of the league schedule. Newton is scheduled to visit Botkins on Tuesday before hosting National Trail on Thursday to begin the second half of WOAC play.
 
Tebics said the Indians know there is still plenty of work ahead with every WOAC opponent appearing twice on the schedule.
 
“We have to obviously take this game into consideration and celebrate it for a little bit, and then plan for the next game ahead because we’ve got to stay on top,” she said. “I think every single person played phenomenal tonight. It was a great team win overall.”