Grady Kinsey's Record-Breaking Performance Fuels Indian Valley's Unbeaten Streak

The numbers posted by junior tailback Grady Kinsey in the last two weeks would make for a good season for some. How about 688 yards and nine touchdowns. In two weeks. Those numbers came as Indian Valley took on back-to-back previously unbeaten Inter-Valley Conference opponents on the road. We’ll get to the season numbers in a minute. Kinsey, a 5-9 junior tailback carried the ball 26 times for 363 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-27 win at Ridgewood. That came seven days after the Braves beat Garaway 40-35 at Sugarcreek when Kinsey had 325 yards and four touchdowns. Now for the big numbers. On the season, Kinsey has 165 carries for 2,115 yards with 30 touchdowns, according to numbers posted on MaxPreps.com, which has him listed as the No. 1 back in the nation. This is through eight games. The Braves still have IVC games against Tusky Valley and Claymont remaining. His game against Ridgewood, helped Kinsey break the school season rushing record of 2,017 yards set by Caden Hostetler. “I always thought it was cool that he ran for 2,017 yards in 2017,” Kinsey said, speaking of the previous record. “I was just starting to pay attention to football back then and those guys finished 10-0. They were my heroes.” Indian Valley got on the board early and often. On the team’s first possession, Ryker Williams hit a wide open Jaxon Burcher on a fourth-down pass for the game’s first score and the Braves’ next possession lasted just one play as Kinsey split the line and raced 88 yards for a touchdown. Kinsey added scoring runs of 4 and 10 yards in the first half as the Braves built a 28-0 lead. At least a part of Kinsey’s credit goes to a strong offensive line for Indian Valley. “We’re young and, at certain positions, we’re small,” the junior tailback pointed out. “As far as guard, center, guard, each kid is maybe 170 or 180 pounds but they come off the ball very well and they’re very physical and they’re smart, that’s one of the biggest things. “We run a whole lot of different run concepts and it really impresses me how those young guys and smaller guys hold their own to drive our offense over the edge so we can score 40 points, seems like every game.” It doesn’t just seem that way. The Braves have topped the 40-point mark in every game this season. They scored 51 in the season opener against Akron Ellet and then put up 62 at Meadowbrook. On the season, the offense is averaging just over 46 points per game. “Those guys are my best friends,” Kinsey said of the linemen. “You probably see me on the sideline hugging those guys. These are guys I’ve grown up with forever, so we’re always on the same page.” “We practice a lot together, so I’m sure that has something to do with it,” Indian Valley coach Matt Lancaster said of his team’s offensive cohesiveness. “We think that offensive line is a pretty good group. They’re not the biggest, but they get after it and it doesn’t hurt to have the group we have in the backfield.” ON TOP Indian Valley’s win, coupled with the rest of Friday night’s action, leaves the Braves as the lone unbeaten team in the Inter-Valley Conference. In the South Division, both Garaway and Ridgewood sit at 7-1. The two will face off in Week 10. In the North Division, Malvern knocked off Newcomerstown, so both teams are at 7-1 heading down the stretch.

The Mount Union Women's basketball team is led by senior captains Hailey Haywood, Ali Hudik, and Dae Dae Nash. The seniors are ready to take on their last season as a Purple Raider and go out with a bang. The Raiders had an overall record of 10-16 in the 2023-2024 season and hope to improve their record this season. “Staying consistent with taking care of our bodies and continuing to support and strengthen our chemistry,” is what Hudik said will contribute to the team's success this upcoming season. This team is eager to make it into the playoffs and bring home an OAC Championship this year. “My goals for the team are to be over .500 and make it past the first round of playoffs,” said Hudik. During the 2023-2024 season, Elizabeth Mason was named freshman of the year. Dae Dae Nash was recognized with Honorable Mention All-OAC. With returning talent and new additions the team is ready for a successful season. “My goal for the team is to be the 2024-2025 OAC Champions,” said Haywood. Entering their final seasons as Raiders, Haywood and Hudik are ready to make the most of it. Haywood said, “In my final season I am most looking forward to stepping on the court each time with my teammates while making more memories as a Raider off the court.” A final season of any collegiate sport is a time to leave it all out there and make the most memories with your teammates. “I am looking forward to finalizing my basketball career with my closest friends and creating more memories. I also look forward to watching my teammates grow on and off the court, especially those who are facing adversity,” said Hudik. Haywood and Hudik are leaders on and off the court and will leave a lasting impact on the Mount Union Women's Basketball program. Haywood leaves a final statement to future Mount Union Basketball players: “Enjoy every moment you can on and off the court. You’ll never be in the same moment as you are now, cherish every day!” Hudik also wants future Raiders to know: “Make the most of each day. Don’t focus on comparing yourself to someone else. Your role is not who you are and it does not define you, it is what your team needs of you to win and is not a limitation” The Raiders home opener will be on November 9th, 2024 in Timken Gymnasium at 5p.m. Come cheer on Haywood, Hudik, and the rest of the women's basketball team this season!  Image taken from Mt Union Athletic Website, https://athletics.mountunion.edu/sports/womens-basketball

Image Caption: Indian Valley coach Matt Lancaster shared the hugs following the Braves’ win at Garaway last Friday night. Photo by Jacque Peters It was everything a high school game was supposed to be. Two undefeated teams, a beautiful evening and an absolutely full-to-capacity, standing-room-only crowd. And throw in some incredible individual performances and a real shootout. That comes close to describing last Friday’s Indian Valley at Garaway football game. Close. Junior tailback Grady Kinsey rushed for 325 yards and scored four times in a 40-35 shootout won by the Braves. The Braves twice had a two touchdown lead in the second half, but didn’t ice the game until Kinsey recovered an onside kick with 55 seconds left. “That was a great high school football game,” said Indian Valley coach Matt Lancaster, whose team improved to 7-0. “I’m so proud of our kids.” Garaway led 21-20 at halftime, but Kinsey and quarterback Ryker Williams had touchdown runs in the third quarter to put Indian Valley on top 34-21 after three quarters. The Pirates scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but Kinsey scored again at 2:42 to stretch the lead to 40-28. Garaway got a final touchdown with 55 seconds on the clock, but the Braves recovered the onside kick to finish things off. “A lot of that was grit,” Lancaster said of the win. “It takes resolve to be able to do that. The bottom line is that we just came out one score on top.” Senior quarterback Brady Geibel had a big game for the Pirates. He passed for three touchdowns and ran for another as the teams traded scores throughout the game. The Pirates took an early lead on a long touchdown pass. The Braves put on a solid drive, but lost the ball on a fumble at the 11. “We weren’t ready to panic,” Lancaster pointed out. “We knew that seven points wasn’t going to win the game.” Sophomore Carsen Hostetler made sure of that when he intercepted a pass and returned it for a score that helped put the Braves on top 8-7. In all, Indian Valley rushed for 351 yards and picked up 27 first downs. Garaway sits at 6-1 and lost at home for the first time since October of 2020. The Pirates return to action next week at Tusky Valley. NO REST The Braves won another wild game – remember, they won a 45-41 shootout against Dover three weeks ago – but they’re not getting a break. Coming up on Friday is another trip to another undefeated opponent. Friday night, the Braves travel to West Lafayette to take on 7-0 Ridgewood. The Generals beat Sandy Valley 35-9 last week and have a defense that has given up just 25 points on the season.

The Raiders are excited to welcome back alumni and welcome Raider families this upcoming weekend. Mount Union was founded in 1846, back then it was just Mount Union College. Today it is now the University of Mount Union. For years, students have called Mount Union home, created lifelong friendships, and made memories to last a lifetime. Alumni and Family weekend will be a time to bring past Raiders, and new Raider families together for a weekend of celebrations. Teams and organizations will welcome back their own Raiders with celebrations of their own. Many teams and organizations will have tailgates around 11a.m on Saturday, October 12th. Following the tailgate will be a Mount Union football game where the Raiders will take on Wilmington at 1:30p.m at Kehres Stadium. The Raiders look to continue their 2024 win streak and bring home their fifth win this year this upcoming weekend. A full list of alumni weekend and family weekend events can be found at: https://www.mountunion.edu/giving/engagement/alumni-weekend-homecoming-and-family-day  It will be a great weekend to come to Mount Union as there will be events for all ages! Come on out to support the Raider football team at 1:30p.m at Kehres Stadium, and the men's soccer team at 7:00p.m at Kehres stadium where they will also take on Wilmington!

The high school football season has moved past the halfway point and things are going to be very interesting from here in. With four games to go, three of the five teams in the Inter-Valley Conference South Division are still unbeaten. The big matchup this week will see 6-0 Indian Valley traveling to Sugarcreek to face 6-0 Garaway. Both are coming off impressive wins. Indian Valley knocked off Sandy Valley 42-14 last week, while Garaway posted a 38-0 win at Claymont last Friday. Both teams have the ability to score big. The Braves are averaging over 48 points per game, with a high of 62 points scored in Week 2 at Meadowbrook. Garaway is scoring 35 points per game. The Pirates’ average got a big boost in the first two weeks when they won a pair of games by a combined score of 97-0. Indian Valley has impressive wins over John Glenn (41-26) and Dover (45-41). The Pirates scored a 14-13 win over Youngstown Mooney in Week 4 and then knocked off previously unbeaten Malvern 41-8 the following week. It’s going to be interesting from here out in the South Division. The Braves play Ridgewood in Week 7, while the Generals and the Pirates don’t play until Week 10. If you can’t make it to the game at Sugarcreek, catch it on the Big Time Sports YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/@BigTimeSportsOH Cable replay times are Friday at 11 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. IVC NORTH Newcomerstown has run the table through the first part of the season. The Trojans sit at 6-0 and are prepared to host Tuscarawas Central Catholic this week. The Saints had to call off last week, but are prepared to return to action Friday night. “Our numbers are down and we’ve talked to the IVC,” said AD Mike Sweet. “They know we’re on a week-to-week basis.” Sweet said the team had a high of 17 players this season, but due to injuries, etc., they’ll take a squad of 13 to Newcomerstown. The Saints were scheduled to play Buckeye Trail last week, but had to cancel. Buckeye Trail ended up playing Conotton Valley, which also had an opening last week. “That worked out about as well as it could,” Sweet noted. MARK THE DATES It’s not too early to look ahead to basketball season. The Tuscarawas County Sports Hall of Fame will be hosting a pair of events to welcome the new season. On Monday, Nov. 4 will be the High School Basketball Preview Night for girls’ basketball, featuring coaches from all nine county teams to talk about their upcoming season. The same will be held for the boys’ season on Monday, Nov. 11. Both events will be held at the Tuscarawas County Senior Center in Dover. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with a meal beginning at 6.  Tickets are $25 each and are available for purchase at the Dover Public Library or online at: www.eventbrite.com.

The University of Mount Union Men's Golf team has had a successful fall with young talent contributing to the success of the team. Sophomore Brian Myers is a stand out golfer receiving OAC Golfer of the Week twice this fall season. This young golfer continues to shine, setting career low records and finishing first at events. “I played well all summer, so it feels good to continue playing well into my sophomore season. I had big expectations for this year, and I am holding myself to them so far,” said Myers. He won first at the Mount Union Invitational with a score of 137, (66-71) which led him to finish first overall at the tournament. Myers notes how individual success cannot happen without the surrounding team, “I have a lot of confidence in myself. This confidence helps me continue to play well in each tournament I tee it up in. Our team has a great practice schedule that allows us to get better each day, and be prepared for our tournaments on the weekend. Also, our team is very close, so we can keep practices and tournaments fun and take pressure off of each other.”  The Raiders have one more fall tournament, the OAC Preview this upcoming Saturday, October 5th and Sunday, October 6th. Myers is eager to play his best game; “I am looking forward to competing against the other teams in the OAC. This tournament is a good chance to see the course again, and give the freshman a chance to learn it before the OAC tournament in the spring. I also look forward to giving myself a chance to win the tournament on Sunday,” stated Myers. Heading into the OAC Preview, the Raiders are ready to compete and place high at the event. This upcoming weekend will be the last weekend the Raiders compete this fall. They will compete again in the spring, and are ready to train during the off season to come back better than ever. With young talent on the team the future looks bright for the Raiders golf team. “My goals for the spring include two tournament wins, and also an OAC individual win. Our team goals are at least one win, and an improvement in scores from the fall. The team has a chance to be great in a year or two, so improvement is important each semester,” said Myers. The Raiders travel down to West Lafayette, Ohio to compete against other schools in the OAC. Be sure to check the scores, root on Myers, and the golf team as they wrap up their fall season!

Image Caption: Newcomerstown coach Dirk Gadd talks with his team following last Friday’s win at Claymont Here are a few tidbits from Newcomerstown’s 43-8 win over Claymont last Friday in Uhrichsville: – The Trojans’ fast start on the night echoed the team’s fast start on the season. Now 5-0, Newcomerstown is blistering opponents. They are averaging over 41 points per game on the season. It took Newcomerstown one offensive play to score a touchdown, covering more than 60 yards on a run by Brody Brickles. – Newcomerstown’s defense isn’t doing bad either. Claymont’s second-quarter touchdown Friday night was just the third touchdown Newcomerstown has given up this year. Through five games, Newcomerstown has outscored the opposition 209-21. – Claymont’s touchdown, a 1-yard run by Braylon Muehlen, followed by a conversion run by Dre’Vonn Searcy made the score 14-8 in the second quarter and could have changed the momentum, but Newcomerstown held up. “We haven’t had many people stuff one in on us like that and I was interested in seeing how we’d respond,” said Newcomerstown coach Dirk Gadd. “It was nice to see how we bounced back.” Dominic Singer closed out the half with a 61 yard run to make the score 27-8 at halftime. Singer had two more touchdowns in the second half. A safety and a long touchdown pass closed things out. “We’re a little dinged up right now,” Gadd added. “But football is supposed to be hard. This game is tough on everybody.” – Claymont fell to 0-5 with the loss, but it was nice to see a good crowd out to support the Mustangs. Claymont lists just six seniors on its roster, meaning there was a young team on the field much of the night. Claymont stays in the IVC next week, hosting unbeaten Garaway and plays three of its final four games at home. “Claymont is a strong team. This was a good test for us,” Gadd said. Newcomerstown plays at East Canton. GET THE NOMINATIONS IN The Tuscarawas County Sports Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for the Class of 2026. Nominations are due by August, 2025. To submit an entry, go to: https://www.doverlibrary.org/tcshof-2/ and download a PDF of the nomination form. Information on the first two Hall of Fame classes can be found at the Dover Library website as well.

The University of Mount Union is a division three school that tends to be recognized as a sports school, as a third of the students that attend the university are athletes. Division is nothing but a number. Raiders are ready to compete and fight for every game, match, set, and meet. The Purple Raiders continue to shine in a majority of sports. As fall sports begin to enter conference play, we can only assume that success is right around the corner for many of the fall sport teams. Saturday, September 21, the Raiders football team took on John Caroll in their home opener, and took down the Blue Streaks with a final score of 37-31. The football team starts off their season with a two game win streak. The women's volleyball team has a current winning record of 9-4, and looks to start conference play at the beginning of October. The men's soccer team also has a winning record of 5-3. The women's soccer team had a big win on Saturday, defeating Dennison with a score of 2-1. The men’s and women's cross country teams swept OAC weekly awards with senior Alex Reese and graduate student Gianini Venuto winning runners of the week this past week. The men’s and women's golf teams have also had OAC weekly awards with sophomore Brian Myers and graduate student Jocelyn Troyer being honored in recent weeks. The men’s and women's tennis teams look forward to taking on Ashland University this upcoming Saturday, September 28th.  The Mount Union standard is to win, and the 2024 fall sports teams are doing just that. Be sure to come out and support all of our Raiders for their hard work and dedication to their teams!

Jocelyn Troyer is a graduate student on the Women's Golf Team. There is no doubt Troyer is a standout golfer with success to back it up. After the first weekend of competition in fall of 2024, Troyer was named OAC Womens Golfer of the Week. “Being named golfer of the week so early in the season is both humbling and rewarding. It validates all of the time I spend practicing and reminds me that hard work pays off,” said Troyer. The Raiders finished second at the Kyle Campbell memorial tournament this past weekend while Troyer finished first with an impressive total score of 151 after two rounds. Troyer has played golf for a number of years. Over the course of time, it is only natural that we as humans grow our minds. It is no different for Troyer who has changed her mental approach to the game of golf over her years of experience. “As I have developed and matured as a golfer, my mental approach to a round of golf has undergone a total transformation. When I am on the golf course my thoughts are on the shot I am about to hit, and nothing but that. I have realized that it is important that I focus on the present rather than dwell on what happened on a previous hole.” stated Troyer. As she is in her last collegiate season, Troyer is ready to soak in every moment; “My individual goal for the remainder of the season is to have fun. Throughout the past two years, I have played my best golf when I am relaxed and having fun. Playing well is always an amazing feeling, but since it is my last year I am trying to soak in the collegiate golf experiences and make some great memories with an awesome group of teammates.” In spring of 2024, Troyer tied for first in the OAC Tournament with a total score of 302. To be successful as a team, individuals must be on their best game and step up when their team needs it the most. “I think team success and individual success go hand in hand. I personally feel that in order to succeed as a team, each individual golfer needs to play with confidence and have fun. I know that in order for my team to succeed I have to step up and play the golf that I know I am capable of. I also know that my teammates have my back and are able to produce great scores when I am not on my A game,” stated Troyer. Tragically, Mount Union golf coach Bill Kirkwood passed away in early September of 2024. Kirkwood loved the game, and had great success as a coach at Mount Union helping the women's team make it to nationals three years in a row. Troyer is one of many golfers that had the opportunity to be coached by Kirkwood. “I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Coach Kirkwood for the opportunity to be a part of the Mount Union women’s golf team. Coach Kirkwood’s belief in my golf game helped me reconnect with the game I grew to love in high school. His patience, calm demeanor, and unwavering belief in my abilities helped reignite my passion for the game of golf,” said Troyer reflecting on her time being coached by Kirkwood. The Raiders are now led by head coach Jenna Lisic. “I also appreciate that Coach Lisic helps me keep a positive attitude on the course. She has the unique ability to make me laugh in the middle of a round when things don’t seem all that funny. Thank you to Coach Kirkwood and Coach Lisic for making the game of golf fun and helping me remember how much I love the game of golf,” expressed Troyer. Troyer and the rest of the Raiders look forward to a successful season in honor of Bill Kirkwood, and to remember the love of the game just how Kirkwood loved the game. Photo taken by Michelle Fedor