Maumee High School Soccer Update

Wagener Breaks Record As Panthers Continue Unbeaten Streak

BY JEREMY SCHNEIDER | MIRROR SPORTS — The race for the Northern Buckeye Conference boys soccer title is coming down to the wire, with Maumee and Lake the last two teams with a chance at claiming the crown.

The Panthers continued their tear through the season last week, beating Eastwood, 6-0, in a NBC game and Wauseon, 1-0, in a non-league match.

Maumee entered this week with a 12-0-1 record overall and a 5-0 mark in the conference. The Panthers have won nine straight games with a shutout.

Blake Wagener scored three goals against the Eagles for his 10th hat trick of the season and added another against Wauseon, giving him a school-record 39 goals this season.

Jackson Kain, Jaxson Greenlese and Noah Preciado also scored against Eastwood, which didn’t get a shot on goal. Frankie Folger and Austin Dwyer each had two assists.

Before facing the Eagles, Maumee honored its nine seniors – Kain, Dwyer, Roen Miller, Nate Byers, Caeden Light, Corvion Kelly, Brody Hawk, Kaysen Jones and Taylor Lewis.

Wauseon came into Saturday’s game with one loss and ranked ninth in the Northwest Ohio coaches poll, but the fourth-ranked Panthers got a goal from Wagener just before halftime.

Maumee outshot the Indians, 24-2.

The Panthers next face Division I power Bowling Green this week and Central Catholic over the weekend.

After that, it’s a season-ending showdown with Lake (10-3-1, 3-0-1 NBC) that could decide the league champion. The Panthers host the Flyers at Kazmaier Stadium on Thursday, October 12.

Maumee Girls Climb Back Into NBC Title Picture

BY JEREMY SCHNEIDER | MIRROR SPORTS — Eastwood had won the last five outright Northern Buckeye Conference girls soccer titles, so the Eagles rightly have been the squad every other NBC team measured itself against.

That is, until Maumee joined the league.

The Panthers took down the host Eagles in a 4-3 decision last week, handing Eastwood its first league loss of the year and vaulting Maumee back into the NBC championship conversation.

The Panthers ended the week with a 4-1 NBC record, trailing only Oak Harbor (4-0) in the league standings. Eastwood and the Rockets each play two more NBC games, including a season-ending matchup at Eastwood on October 12.

For MHS coach Jeremiah McNutt, the key to the win was his squad’s fast start – Maumee scored twice in the first nine minutes of the game.

“This allowed us to play our game, team defense,” he said. “We were also able to respond to their hard attacks and maintain our composure.”

Two days later, Maumee honored its senior class before taking on Wauseon at Kazmaier Stadium. The Panthers seniors are Courtney Becker, Cait Smalley, Addison Bertsch, Ava Leonard and Julia Findling.

Maumee lost the non-league matchup, 1-0.

Findling leads the Panthers in goals and points, while Leonard is second in goals and Smalley second in assists. Maumee has 10 players who have contributed to the scoresheet with a goal or an assist this season.

“As a coach, I measure the team success by how many players have at least one point at the end of the season,” McNutt said. “In years past, the more players with a point, the more success your program has.

“So, yes, with almost half of the team having at least one point it makes other teams think about everyone, especially because we do not have one or two players getting all the points. You cannot set your game plan on just one player.”

Maumee travels to Central Catholic on Saturday in a non-league matchup, and the Panthers close the regular season next Thursday at Lake.