Boys soccer ends at district
The YSHS boys soccer team continued tournament play last week, beating the defending state champions, Springfield Catholic Central 1–0 on Tuesday, Oct. 21, but then falling in the District Championship game, in sudden death, double-overtime, to Sidney Lehman Catholic, 2–1 on Saturday, Oct. 25. The Bulldogs ended their season 13–4–3, and 5–0–0 in the Metro Buckeye Conference.

Last Tuesday the Bulldogs took to the field against the Dayton area’s number-one ranked Division III team, the Springfield Catholic Central Fighting Irish. After a spirited first half, the game remained knotted at 0. With time running out, Yellow Springs won a throw-in deep in the Irish defensive end of the field. Zeke Hardman launched his throw into Central’s penalty box, but the Irish cleared the ball out. With 6.3 seconds on the scoreboard, Jake GunderKline got to the loose ball, spun and shot from 35 yards out past the outstretched fingertips of the diving Irish goalie and into the far-post upper-90 for the goal. The Yellow Springs defense locked down its penalty box in the second half to make the one-goal lead stand up. The win was especially sweet to this year’s seniors, who had never topped Catholic Central in their high school career.

On Saturday, Yellow Springs traveled to Springboro High School to play for the district championship against the Sidney Lehman Catholic Cavaliers. Just over one minute into the match, Yellow Springs was called for a trip just outside the Cavaliers’ penalty box. Lehman Catholic converted the ensuing free kick to take an early 1–0 lead. Six minutes later the ’Dogs leveled the score when a Cavalier’s defensive clear was intercepted by Ramon Bieri. Bieri knocked the ball through Sidney’s defensive line down the left side of the field and sent Alexis Onfroy to goal one-on-one with the goalie. Onfroy sent a screamer past the Cavalier’s netminder from 16 yards out to keep the Bulldog hopes alive.

Neither team could find the nets again in regulation, sending the game into two 15-minute sudden-death overtime periods. The first 15 minutes passed without a score. Just over six minutes into the second overtime period, Sidney Lehman won a throw-in deep in the Yellow Springs defensive end. The throw to the near post was lost in the lights by the Bulldog defense and deflected off the head of a diving Cavalier forward for the winning golden goal.

GunderKlines advance to state
As a team at the Division III Southwest Ohio regional championship meet on Saturday, Oct. 25, the YSHS boys harriers finished sixth with 150 points, just shy of being one of the top four teams who will advance to the state meet. But as individual runners, seniors Jake GunderKline, who finished 11th in 17:04, and Brock GunderKline, who finished 15th in 17:07, were among the top 16 runners whose times earned them a lane at the state meet this Saturday, Nov. 1, at 11 a.m. at Scioto Downs in Columbus.

Russia won the regional team title with 77 points, ahead of St. Henry with 95, New Breman with 117 and Minster with 146, all of which will go on to race in Columbus. Colin Cotton won the individual regional title in 16:23.

Football falls in final contest
In the last game of the 2008 season, the Bulldog football team lost 44–13 to the Upper Scioto Valley Rams on Friday, Oct. 24. 

It took the Bulldogs most of the opening quarter and the horror of being down 13–0 to score their first touchdown on a 40-yard pass from Ryan Newsome to Raphael Allen. The Bulldogs repeated the pattern in the second quarter, allowing two more Ram touchdowns before making one of their own when Newsome decided to run the ball 90 yards to the end zone. But that was the last light shone by the Bulldog team that night.

Allen had six receptions for 80 yards, 13 tackles and one fumble recovery; Newsome had 137 passing yards, two interceptions, five tackles and eight rushes for 93 yards; Joe Fugate had six punts for 192 yards, one for three onside kicks and three tackles; Joey Baily had 16 rushes for 105 yards, 11 tackles and one fumble recovery; and Ian Wimberly had 16 yards receiving.

For tackles, SJ Scott had eight, Devon Freeman seven, Jake Auten six and Sam Morrison five. Cory Daniels, Jamie Kitzmiller, Matt Finn, Levi Amstutz, Jake Fugate, Allen Cox, Jeremy Paul, Matt Rowe and Ernest Johnson each had one to two tackles.

Sign up now for football in 2009

The Yellow Springs High School and McKinney School football program is preparing early for the 2009 season. YSHS and McKinney students interested in playing football are asked to sign up now on the bulletin board across from the high school office. In order to get parents involved, students are also asked to take a football program brochure home to their parents. Parents are encouraged to contact coaches Jay Jones at 532-5111 or Craig McCann at 767-0271 or 319-6019 with questions or concerns.

Last week’s News reported that the football program was in danger of losing its football team in the coming years. It is important to the future of Bulldog football that the team get a commitment from the eighth, ninth, 10th and 11th grade students who wish to be a part of the 2009 squad.

For more information on the football program or other school sports programs, contact YSHS Athletic Director Vince Peters or Principal John Gudgel at 767-7224.

Crickets basketball program to begin

The Crickets basketball program for girls and boys in first–third grade starts Friday, Nov. 7. The program is aimed at providing instruction on basketball fundamentals to prepare kids for recreational or traveling team programs. Hour-long sessions will be held on Fridays through Dec. 19, in the Bryan Community Center gym. Starting times are still being worked out but are expected to be 5:30 or 6 p.m. Interested players can register at the beginning of the first session they attend. There are no registration fees but donations are accepted. T-shirts will be available for purchase. Contact Rich Miller (richmiller1@gmail.com, 767-2049) with any questions.