Oxford’s dream run ends; section titles for swimmers Zaengle, Martin

Girls’ Soccer

Class C Sectional Final

Candor 4, Oxford 1

ENDICOTT – A magical run through the Class C playoffs for underdog Oxford ended Saturday afternoon at Ty Cobb Field in Endicott as defending sectional champion Candor halted the Blackhawks’ bid for a first-ever section title.

Kristen Cleveland scored at 25:22 of the first half, the first of her two goals, and Cleveland set up goals for teammates Kendra Wagstaff and Stephanie Wright.

“We took it one game at a time through the tournament, and we’re happy with the outcome of the last two weeks,” said Oxford sixth-year coach Kathleen Cragle. “We’re disappointed with the final result, but we’re happy to accomplish what we did.”

It was an unlikely pairing of a team that had just two wins through its first 13 games, and a club that was the number one seed in the tournament and defending champions.

Candor was indeed able to move on once again, but it also gave up its first goal of the postseason to a pesky Blackhawks club. Freshman Haley Witchella scored her second goal of the playoffs tallying unassisted with three minutes to play. “This group of girls has set the bar higher, and we’re hoping this carries over to next year,” Cragle said. “We had a lot of support from the community, and we were glad to see a lot of red and black in the stands Saturday.”

Oxford finishes 8-13.

Candor 4, Oxford 1

(Summary)

(3-0 Candor at half)

Kristen Cleveland, 2-2, Stephanie Wright, 1-0, Kendra Wagstaff, 1-0. (O) Haley Witchella, 1-0.

Shots-corners: (C) 20-7, (O) 3-2.

Saves: (C) Laurie Wagstaff, 2. (O) Amanda Nightengale, 12.

Girls’ Swimming

Zaengle wins two titles for Greene

Led by sophomore sensation Helen Zaengle, Greene placed third at the Section IV, Class C meet this past weekend.

Zaengle, a defending sectional champion in the 500 freestyle, repeated as champion in that event timing a 5:37:15, and she added the 200 freestyle to her growing collection of section titles finishing in 2:05.46. “Helen was just outstanding, and I was so pleased with the efforts of our entire team,” said Greene coach Mike Platta.

Senior Lizzy Buhl finished second in the 100 backstroke 1:04.40, and Katie Crowe swam to a second-place finish in the 100 breaststroke to highlight the Trojans’ best individual performances. “The girls all swam to the best of their abilities, and we have a lot of momentum heading into next season,” Platta added.