Boys' and girls' team honors are part of this story -
By Cort Reynolds
DELPHOS - Bluffton won the boys and girls soccer Northwest Conference Player and Coach of the Year awards at the recent league meeting in voting conducted by the coaches.
Lady Pirate senior Kayla White was voted the 2019 Northwest Conference Player of the Year by the coaches.
Bluffton girls soccer mentor Jared Byers was selected NWC Coach of the Year in voting by his peers.
Pirate senior Matt Daws edged junior teammate Jon Schriner in a close vote to win 2019 Northwest Conference boys Player of the Year honors in the balloting.
Steve Smucker of Bluffton won his fifth straight NWC Coach of the Year award after leading the Pirates to a fifth consecutive league title. Bluffton (12-2-2) went 5-0 in the NWC to extend their league win streak to 25 matches.
White also won the girls NWC POY award in 2017. Last yearís league player of the year, senior Kelsey Shafer of Spencerville, finished second in the balloting.
Bluffton junior Laykin Garmatter and sophomore Reagan Mittendorf joined White on the first team All-NWC squad.
Junior Olivia Setzer and seniors Brinkley Garmatter and Sophia Smucker were all voted second team all-league.
Pirate senior Olivia Burner was named honorable mention all-conference.
The Bluffton girls (9-6-1) finished 5-1 in the league, second to 13-3 Spencerville (6-0).
Boys' NWC honors
Daws, Schriner and junior Simon Derstine of the boys champion Pirates were all named first team all-league.
Sophomore Jude Spallinger, junior Asher Antrim, junior keeper Nic Essinger and junior Tayton Kleman of Bluffton were all named second team All-NWC.
Pirate juniors Colin Oglesbee, Josh Mehaffie and Eli Lemley were voted honorable mention all-league. Seniors Andrew Heldman and Jayden Mays also made HM All-NWC.
Attached is the entire NWC list -
