Norwalk secures another 10-win season

NORWALK — Playing at the Norwalk Soccer Complex for the first time this season, the NHS boys soccer team picked up its 10th win of the season with Monday's 4-1 win over Old Fort in Sandusky Bay Conference action. Elliot Gahring scored three times to net a hat trick for Norwalk, while Johan Ramos added the fourth goal. Jack Pittenger, Conor Nickle and Ramos had assists, while Abe Linder made five saves. The Truckers are 10-5 overall and 9-1 in the SBC. They trail Perkins (13-0-2, 9-0-1) and Edison (15-0-1, 9-0-1) in the league standings entering Wednesday's SBC finale against the Pirates at 7 p.m. at Contractors Stadium. The Chargers travel to Vermilion (9-6, 7-3) on Wednesday in their finale. With Monday's win, 2025 marks the 23rd time in the 34-year history of the boys program that it reached 10 wins in a season. It's the second straight under head coach Chris Schnell, who is also in his second season at Norwalk. Past coaches have included Kurt Dreier (1992-97), Bob Cowman (1998-2004), Paul Lamb (2005-15), Jon Kijowski (2016-20), and Wes Sellers (2021-23). GIRLS SOCCER Edison 7, Sandusky 0 MILAN — The Chargers scored five times in the first half of Monday's SBC win over the visiting Blue Streaks. For Edison (4-10-2, 4-5-1), Sophie Baker scored twice and also had an assist, while Kellyn Ritchie had a goal and assisted on three others. Becca Houser, Joy Jordan and Julia Johnson each had one goal, while Ella Rogers made three saves for the shutout. VOLLEYBALL Willard 3, W. Reserve 1 WILLARD — The Crimson Flashes improved to 16-3 overall with a four-set win over Western Reserve Monday night in a non-conference match. Willard posted scores of 25-16, 18-25, 25-11, and 25-20. "We definitely came out flat tonight and then sprinkled in some moments of greatness," Willard head coach Ashley Bond said. "We lost our ball control, and that totally changes what we can do offensively. "Western was extremely scrappy-- so credit to them for how hard they played." Leah Weiss paced the Crimson Flashes with 15 kills, 14 digs, and served 18-for-20 with 11 points and two aces. Camryn Wiers had 14 kills, 18 digs and 13 assists, while Natalie Slone had six kills, 15 digs, and was 11-for-13 serving with six points and two aces. Also for Willard, Emelia Tallman had 17 assists and was 13-for-15 serving with seven points. Alexis Rettig was 14-for-14 serving with eight points and two aces, and also had 17 digs. Teagan Schaffer served 22-for-22 with 16 points and three aces. For Western (11-9), Drew Clemons had 11 kills and Stella Blake had six. Jamie Muenz finished with 21 assists and served eight points, while Emma Hammond also had eight points and Makayla Case had 26 digs. The Roughriders host Plymouth and Crestview in a pair of Firelands Conference matches on Tuesday and Thursday to end the regular season. Meanwhile, the Crimson Flashes entertain Edison Tuesday and Margaretta on Thursday with a chance to clinch a second straight SBC Bay Division title before competing in the Northern 10 Conference beginning next season. JUNIOR HIGH NMS teams beat Perkins NORWALK — The Norwalk Middle School seventh and eighth-grade volleyball teams each defeated visiting Perkins in three sets Monday in SBC Lake action. The eighth-grade team posted scores of 25-12, 14-25, and 25-21. Kalli Oates served seven aces, followed by Stella Kipp with five, and Brynn Sellers, Laney Schlotterer and Lilli Kipp with two each. Lilli Kipp had seven kills, followed by Oates (5), Kalli Oates with 5, Londynn Clifton (4), and Schlotterer (2). Stella Kipp and Sellters helped set and control the defense, while Mia Helton had three digs. "I am extremely proud of these girls and the way they played together to come out with a win at home after we lost at Perkins earlier in the season," head coach Kaci Oates said. The seventh-grade team also flipped a three-set loss at Perkins with a three-set win Monday with scores of 23-25, 25-19, and 25-18. The team improved to 13-2 with the win. Kara Russ, Lexi Schmidt, Kayla Naseman, Kendall Khaledi, and Adelinn Sitterly led the team in serving. At the net, Sitterly, Russ, Schmidt, and Ella Ames led the charge, set by assists from Naseman and Addie Hance. The teams take on the Bellevue beginning at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday before the league tournament set for Saturday.