Sports

In yet another tough bout with a Class D-1 state ranked opponent, the first of four to start the year for the Sutton Mustangs, the Thayer Central Titans used a heavy does of their ground attack to send the Mustangs to 0-2 on the year with a 30-12 win over Sutton, Friday, Sept. 1 in front of the Mustangs home crowd.

Thayer Central opened the scoring with the only score of the opening 12 minutes, coming with 3:56 left to play in the first, as Sam Souerdyke scored from two yards out, and with the added twopoint conversion, led the Titans to an 8-0 lead as time ran out in the opening quarter.

The second period would see the Titans outscore Sutton 14-6.

With 5:42 left in the first half, Souerdyke scored on a six-yard run, but a failed two-point try left Thayer Central with a 14-0 lead.

The Sandy Creek Cougars rematch with the Riverside Chargers Friday, Sept. 1, played in an early afternoon kickoff took on a new look during the 2023 meeting between the Cougars and Chargers.

Last season, Riverside claimed an 81-48 win over the Cougars during the track meet that broke out in the 2022 game Friday afternoon contest was a hot one but so was the Cougars running game as they would total 341 yards on the ground, while toting the ball 35 times.

The Cougars aired it out five times, while completing two pass for 57 yards. As strong as the Cougar offense was, the SC defense held the Chargers to 241 yards of total offense and forced a couple fumbles and an interception with a couple of fourth down stops. The Cougars were headhunters this game with a total of 46 solo tackles and 11 assisted bringing the total to 57 with 16 different Cougars making a tackle.

The Sandy Creek Cougars faced the Sutton Fillies in the Sandy Creek triangular, with the Fillies coming out on top in straight sets 25-18, 25-23 in the first meeting against the Cougars this season.

Fans from both sides and the student section from both sides were very into it. The Fillies would start out on a three nothing lead then a service error by the Fillies would get the Cougars on the board then an ace serve by Emma Fischer would bring the Cougars within one then a long run by a pair of seniors Lily McCroden and Carly Skalka would push the lead further away from the Cougars.

Cougar senior Ella Martin kept the SC girls around with some hard hits and a nicely placed corner shot over the Sutton back row, and senior Lexi Shuck added to the run with an ace.

Then a block by Sutton junior Jacee Haight ended the set, as she had another one in that set, as well as a couple aces.

The three-hour and 29 minute drive north to take on the Santee Indians in the season opening football game for head coach Terry Owens, his staff and players must have been just what the Cardinals wanted, after making the 348 mile round trip excursion to Santee, the Cardinals opened up the 2023 6-Man football season in a big way, gaining a 19-point, 62-43 win over the Indians.

Santee grabbed the upperhand late in the first quarter, scoring with just six seconds remaining on a 74 yard pass play to grab the 6-0 early lead.

But once Harvard worked out the kinks of the three and a half hour drive, the Cardinals offense exploded in the next 20 minutes of game time.

In the second quarter alone, Harvard outscored the Indians 22-6, taking a 22-12 halftime lead.

Lathem Schumm broke the ice on the scoreboard with 5:10 remaining in the second period with a two-yard touchdown to set the game at a 6-6 tie.

Lots of hype and curiosity surrounds the Sandy Creek football program, following the release of a special documentary “A Season of Change,” a feature about the 2022 Cougar run, produced by the 74 Creative production staff at Sandy Creek High School, which seen Sandy Creek end a magical run, finishing with a 6-4 record, gaining their first playoff berth since 2011, and the Cougars’ first playoff win since a a 26-14 win over East Butler in 2003.

The new season, not only brings excitement and anticipation, as the Cougars have started the year with two straight wins, but the district installed a new Daktronics scoreboard to Cougar Stadium.

The first collective sight of the scoreboard was witnessed by hundreds of Cougar fans this past Friday night, Sept. 1, when Sandy Creek hosted the Riverside Chargers in the Cougars’ first home game of the 2023 season.

Following a pair of dominating wins over Fullerton and Cross County in the season opener at Fullerton, the Sutton Fillies hit the road for Centennial High School in Utica for tournament action Saturday, Aug. 26.

The day opened with a dominating win over Lutheran High Northeast of Norfolk, where the Fillies rolled to a 25-13, 25-15 win over the Eagles, before the Patriots of Clarkson-Leigh dashed the hopes of a tournament title with a 25-19, 25-17 win over the Fillies.

In the final two rounds at Centennial, Sutton bounced back to defeat Fairbury 2512, 27-25, before holding off a surging Wilber-Clatonia team in three sets, winning 25-17, 23-25, 25-17 to run their record to 5-1 after week one of the season.

Against the Eagles in round one, Sutton downed 18 kills and recorded five aces in the straight sets sweep over Lutheran High Northeast.

The Sandy Creek Cougars would head a little west of the home grounds of Cougar Stadium to open the 2023 football season, taking on the Blue Hill Bobcats in a weather-related two-day showdown.

The Cougars started out the game strong and never looked back after the first snap of the football. The Cougars relied heavily on the running game with 29 carries for 244 yards rushing. SC also aired it out as the Cougars had 109 passing yards, putting the Cougars at 353 yards of total offense.

The 60-2 eventual win marked the second straight win over the Bobcats in as many years. Over the course of the past two seasons, the Cougars have outscored Blue Hill 130-2, following a 70-0 thrashing of the ‘Cats in 2022.

The Bobcats would start with the ball, before junior Ethan Shaw came up with the tackle on fourth down to stop the Bobcat drive on the Bobcat 35-yard line.

The grand premiere of the highlight film, created by students and advisors of Sandy Creek’s 74 Creative, called “A Season of Change,” which documents the Sandy Creek football teams magical state playoff and entire season run during the 2022 season will premiere at 6:45 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 27, in the Oak Forum area at Sandy Creek High School. The fourpart documentary, directed by Connor Peters and produced by Mason Hinrichs, is said to be just over an hour long.

Following an impressive inagural season as part of the Farmers Valley Football League, the Sutton Mustangs will kickoff their second season on the gridiron with a top three match-up from a year ago.

Sutton will take their talents to Thayer County to open the 2023 season for a Sunday, Aug. 27, matchup with the defending 8-man League champions in Thayer County.

Sutton wrapped up the 2022 season as the third-place team in the 16team 8-man division of the Farmers League. Ravenna would claim the runner-up spot a year ago.

Sutton will then have a pair of back-to-back home games, hosting Nuckolls County on Sunday, Sept.

10, before hosing BDS on Sunday, Sept. 17, with the playoff portion of the season set to get underway on Sunday, Sept. 24, with the final round of the playoffs set for Sunday, Oct. 1.

2023 SUTTON ROSTER

Professional sports teams often note that injuries are part of the game. That notion is never too far from professional athletes’ minds, but it can be a harsh reality for student athletes to confront, especially if they have never before been sidelined by injury.

Though there’s no foolproof way for athletes to avoid injury, student athletes and their families can consider these preventive measures to reduce their risk of being sidelined.

• Use diet to athletes’ advantage. A healthy diet benefits people from all walks of life, and it can be especially beneficial for student athletes.

Precisely what defines a healthy diet depends on variables specific to the athletes, such as age and gender, but Nemours Childrens Health notes that balance is vital for teenage athletes. Avoid cutting back on carbohydrates, which provide fuel for young athletes.