Grant Powell started the postseason with a hat trick on Saturday (Oct. 9) as the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team turned back visiting Georgetown-Ridge Farm 7-1 in a Class 1A IHSA regional quarterfinal match.

In addition to his three goals, Powell had one assist.  Reef Pacot had two goals and two assists.

Also netting goals for the Comets were Joe Lashuay and Dylan Diaz.

Oakwood/Salt Fork led 4-0 at halftime.

Other assists were by Saul Carillo, Diaz, Powell and Zane Trimmell.

Goalkeeper Josh Ruch turned back six shots.

The Comets held a 26-9 edge on total shots.

On Thursday (Oct. 7), the two seniors on the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team combined for the Comets’ first goal as the team whipped Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin 5-1 on Senior Night.

Carlie Thompson set up Lashuay for the opening goal.

Lashuay scored again before halftime as did teammates Powell, Macen Phillips and Pacot.

Jacob Taflinger and Carillo also had assists.

Oakwood/Salt Fork held a 24-5 edge in total shots.

Ruch had two saves.

Lightning forced the match to be called 15 minutes into the second half.

Oakwood/Salt Fork is 17-7 with a seven-match winning streak. The sixth-seeded Comets will return to action in the semifinals on Tuesday (Oct. 12) in the semifinals at St. Thomas More against the top-seeded host Sabers.

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Powell leads the Comets this season and in the all-time record category with 19 assists this season, and 30 assists over his career.

He broke both records on Oct. 2 when Oakwood defeated Judah Christian. Powell added a hat trick (3 goals) in the 8-1 triumph. Powell’s first hat trick of the 2021 season came in a 4-3 loss against Monticello on Aug. 30.

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Freshmen Ethan Merritt and Macen Phillips each scored two goals on Wednesday (Oct. 6) as the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team shut out Tolono Unity, 7-0, at home.

Other goal-scorers for the Comets, with one apiece, were Robby Wright, Reef Pacot and Dylan Diaz.

Grant Powell contributed three assists, adding to his season (19) and career (30) school-record totals. Pacot had two assists.

Oakwood/Salt Fork held a 3-0 lead at halftime, and outshot Unity, 33-2. Freshman Saul Carillo had one save for the Comets.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (15-7) returns to action on Thursday (Oct 7) in its regular-season home finale against Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.

The Comets have won their last five matches and have allowed one total goal in those matches.

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Oakwood/Salt Fork recorded its sixth shutout of the soccer season, blanking Iroquois West 5-0 on Tuesday (Sept. 28) in Gilman.

Grant Powell hit two goals and added one assist in the win.

Joe Lashuay, Brody Taflinger and Reef Pacot all netted one goal. Pacot and Lashuay also notched one assist.

The Comets led, 3-0, at halftime.

Josh Ruch registered 12 saves, one off of his season’s best.

On Thursday (Sept. 23), the Comets dropped a 3-1 decision at Hoopeston Area. Powell hit the team’s lone goal, with an assist to Saul Carillo. Ruch had three saves.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (11-7) returns to action on Thursday (Sept. 30) at home against Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

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Dylan Diaz scored a season-high four goals on Thursday (Sept. 9) as Oakwood/Salt Fork ran its soccer winning streak to four matches with a 7-2 triumph at home over Rantoul.

Diaz notched two goals in each half.

Oakwood/Salt Fork led 3-1 at intermission.

Macen Phillips and Joe Lashuay also hit goals for the Comets.

Saul Carrillo and Brody Taflinger each ended with two assists.

Josh Ruch collected two keeper saves.

Oakwood/Salt Fork went 2-2 in the two-day Cornjerker Classic, in Hoopeston, which ended on Saturday (Sept 11).

The Comets opened with an 8-0 win over Clifton Central, then fell to Bloomington Central Catholic, 2-1, before rebounding to whip Hoopeston Area, 4-2. In their tourney finale, Oakwood/SF was shut out by Monticello, 4-0, in the third-place match.

Lashuay and Cooper Myers each netted two goals against Clifton. Also getting in on the scoring action were Diaz, Phillips, Carrillo and Reef Pacot.

Diaz and Pacot had assists as did Carlie Thompson, Ty Smoot and Grant Powell.

Ruch produced three saves.

Against BCC, the lone Comet goal was courtesy of Diaz, assisted by Lashuay. Ruch had 10 saves.

Against Hoopeston, Powell had two goals and one assist. Other goals were by Pacot and Phillips. Ruch collected five saves.

Despite the shutout loss to Monticello, Oakwood/SF has outscored its opponents 52-23 thus far this season.

Ruch had seven saves against the Sages.

Through 13 matches, six Oakwood/Salt Fork players have hit at least five goals, led by Powell with 12. Four players have at least five assists, led by Powell with 10.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (8-5) returns to action on Tuesday (Sept. 14) at Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin.

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Oakwood/Salt Fork recorded its third consecutive shutout on Tuesday (Sept. 7), holding Georgetown-Ridge Farm/Westville scoreless in a 3-0 win in Georgetown.

Junior Grant Powell produced a hat trick for Oakwood/SF. His goals were assisted by Reef Pacot and Brody Taflinger.

Josh Ruch had two saves.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (5-3) returns to action on Thursday (Sept. 9) at home against Rantoul.

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Despite a hat trick by junior Grant Powell, Oakwood/Salt Fork dropped its second one-goal decision of the season on Monday (Aug. 30), losing 4-3 at home to Monticello.

Powell’s goals were assisted by Zane Trimmell, Reef Pacot and Joe Lashuay.

Monticello led 4-1 at intermission.

Goalkeeper Josh Ruch had four saves.

On Tuesday (Aug 31), Powell’s first-half tally was the lone score for the Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team, which suffered a 3-1 setback at home against Hoopeston Area.

Lashuay assisted on the score that cut the Oakwood/Salt Fork deficit to 2-1 at halftime.

Ruch recorded seven saves.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (2-3) returns to action on Thursday (Sept. 2) at home against Iroquois West.

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Junior Grant Powell scored three first-half goals and added three second-half assists on Thursday (Aug. 26) as Oakwood overpowered Watseka 11-3 in a soccer match on the Warriors’ pitch.

Powell totaled four assists.

Also scoring multiple goals for the Comets was Brody Taflinger with two.

Reef Pacot had three first-half assists and had four second-half saves when he played in goal.

Other Oakwood scorers were Saul Carillo, Macen Phillips, Joe Lashuay, Ty Smoot, Dylan Diaz and Tucker Pesek. Phillips also had an assist.

The Comets bombarded Watseka with 36 shots.

Josh Ruch had one save.

Oakwood/Salt Fork (2-1) returns to action on Monday (Aug. 30) at home against Monticello.

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Oakwood lost its season-opening football game on Friday when Watseka scored a tie-breaking touchdown in the final two minutes at home to claim a 28-21 triumph.

Colby Smiley rushed for 239 yards on 29 carries for the Comets. He scored two touchdowns, each pulling Oakwood into a tie.

Quarterback Rhett Harrison completed 4 of 10 passes for 96 yards, including a 68-yard score to Jack Carey.

Caleb Lashuay kicked the extra-point conversion after each TD.

Defensively, the team leaders were Caide Borden (12 tackles) and Bryce Harrison (11 tackles).

Oakwood returns to action on Friday at home against Warrensburg-Latham (1-0).

Soccer

Colin Merritt and Brady Tevebaugh each scored two goals on Thursday as the Comets topped Unity 6-1.

Caleb Lashuay scored the first goal of the match, on an assist by Tevebaugh.

Sam Howie hit a goal that lifted the Comets into a 2-0 halftime lead. Grant Powell assisted Howie.

Other second-half goals were assisted by Caleb Lashuay and Joe Lashuay.

Overall, Oakwood had 14 shots on goal, while Unity had six. Comets’ goalkeeper Chris Winkler had five saves.

Oakwood (2-0-1) returns to action today at home (Oakwood Grade School) against Monticello.

Girls’ cross-country

Oakwood finished eighth in the 14-school Saber Corn Classic, on Saturday at St. Thomas More.

The Comets’ top placer was Grace Davis, who was 34th in a field of 96 competitors. Her 3-mile time was 21 minutes, 27.1 seconds.

Other team leaders were Mackenzie Russell (42nd in 22:40.2), Ally Morris (56th in 24:03.5), Katie Fritz (64th in 24:56.8) and Cassie Fugate (77th in 27:31.8).

Oakwood returns to action on Saturday at Chrisman’s Cowchip Classic.

Boys’ cross-country

The Comets had two runners who participated in the Saber Corn Classic, on Saturday at St. Thomas More.

Ethan Brewer was 103rd with a 3-mile time of 21 minutes, 47.0 seconds. Teammate Bryce Tucker was 110th in 24:11.1.

Oakwood, which didn’t have enough runners to be scored as a team, returns to action on Saturday at Chrisman’s Cowchip Classic.

Volleyball

Oakwood senior Katelyn Young was chosen for the Cissna Park Timberwolf All-tournament Team after helping the Comets to the title in the third-place pool.

In the season’s first week, Oakwood played seven matches, winning four.

On Saturday, the team dispatched Cissna Park (25-17, 25-23) and Fisher (25-11, 25-12).

Oakwood totaled 18 kills and 14 assists against Cissna Park, and 16 kills and 12 assists against Fisher.

On Thursday, in a non-tournament match, Rantoul topped the Comets 25-19, 25-8. The Comets were limited to nine kills.

On Wednesday, Oakwood rallied to beat Watseka 15-25, 25-23, 15-3. In that match, Young and Alyssa Romito combined for 39 kills. Young collected five blocks.

“The whole team brought the energy,” coach Lynn Anderson said.

Oakwood returns to action on Tuesday for its home-opener, against Heritage. The Comets’ lineup includes two seniors, one freshman and, Anderson said, “five with just one year (experience) under their belt.”

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The Oakwood/Salt Fork soccer team hasn’t allowed a goal in its first two matches.

The Comets opened the season at home on Monday, battling to a 0-0 draw against St. Joseph-Ogden. Goalkeeper Chris Winkler had seven saves.

On Tuesday, the team went on the road and shut out Watseka 5-0. Five squad members scored goals and four had assists.

Sam Howie and Colin Merritt each had a goal and an assist.

Also scoring goals were Brady Tevebaugh, Joe Lashuay and Grant Powell.

Other assists were credited to Reef Pacot and Carlie Thompson.

Winkler had one save.

Oakwood/Salt Fork returns to action today against Unity in a match to be played at the Oakwood Grade School.

Boys’ golf

Oakwood placed second in a three-school meet on Tuesday at Harrison Park, in Danville.

Logen Hoshauer led the Comets with a 41. He was the individual runner-up.

Other top scores for Oakwood were a 48 by Reed Sperry, a 60 by Travis Goodner and a 63 by Joie Sollers.

Watseka won the meet with a composite of 185. Oakwood had 212 and Westville finished with a score of 232.

The Comets return to action on Monday against Tuscola at Iron Horse Golf Course.

Volleyball

The Comets played on the road and dropped consecutive two-set matches, losing on Monday at LeRoy 25-15, 25-17. Kaitlyn Young had two kills for the Comets.

On Tuesday, Oakwood lost to Kankakee, 25-20, 25-23, in a first-round match of Cissna Park’s Timberwolf Tip-Off.

The Comets return to action tonight at Rantoul.

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