TGN Athlete of the Fall: Owen Roeder
Nov. 30—A state runner-up in his senior season, Owen Roeder has been named The Goshen News Athlete of the Fall for the 2023 season.
Roeder, who played quarterback on NorthWood's Class 4A runner-up team this fall, led the state in passing yards this season with just under 3,500 yards. Throwing for 40 touchdowns as well, Roeder used his feet for 569 yards on the ground and rushing for 12 more scores.
Part of Roeder's success was the talent around him this season. Playing with multiple Division I skill-position players, Roeder had several choices to be confident in when throwing the ball. Even with the talent the Panthers had, the ball still needed to get there, and Roeder did that very well.
The senior took what was given, but also adjusted his game when need be. Falling short of 200 yards rushing in the semi-state battle against Leo, the pass-first signal caller adapted to a hole in the Lions defense. For that, and his several other performances this season, Roeder earned the top award for the fall season.
Runner-up: Jacoby Reinhardt
Bethany Christian, junior, boys soccer
Finishing second in the voting was Bethany Christian's goalkeeper Jacoby Reinhardt.
Reinhardt was one of several players to help lead the Bruins to their first-ever state title. Bethany finished with a record of 16-4-2 and Reinhardt was a big reason why.
The junior made 81 saves in net and recorded nine shutouts for the season. Maybe the more important stat was his four shootout victories. Bethany never lost a shootout this season, winning three during the postseason run with Reinhardt anchoring down in net to make his teammates job a bit easier.
Also nominated: Claire Payne
NorthWood, junior, volleyball
Claire Payne was the second NorthWood athlete on this list and finished third in the voting. The junior was stout on the volleyball court this season. Sending yet another team to the semi-state round, NorthWood was a different team with Payne's presence.
Her .401 hit percentage helped her total 348 kills and her length contributed to 76 blocks. With her size upfront, opponents had to respect the attacking potential she held and also work around the defensive reach near the net.
The Panthers also had an assortment of strong complimentary players, but Payne stood out from the field.
GN-Reg6.jpg
Northridge sophomore Dakotah Moore crosses the finish line in second place at Saturday's New Prairie cross country regional.
Branden Beachy — The Goshen News
Also nominated: Dakotah Moore
Northridge, sophomore, girls cross country
Dakotah Moore finished fourth in the voting after another impressive cross country season from the Raiders.
Moore made her way down to the state meet where she broke the Northridge 5K record with a blistering time of 18:27. Her progress in year two in Middlebury showed off her talent and that's why she led the way ever since the season began and into the sectional round where she took first as well.
IMG_2459.JPG
Northridge sophomore Alex Reschly watches her ball through the air following a drive on hole 3 at Noble Hawk Golf Links in Kendallville during the IHSAA girls golf regional round Friday morning.
Matt Lucas — The Goshen News
Also nominated: Alex Reschly
Northridge, sophomore, girls golf
The second Northridge player to be nominated, Alex Reschly put together a strong second year in Middlebury.
Not only did the Raiders make their first team appearance at the state finals, but Reschly was one of the main catalysts in a group that all had shining moments.
Shooting from the second spot, Reschly rarely was out of the race for the top spot each match. She finished first in the sectional round after a tiebreaking shootout and powered the team to the state round in her second season.
AME05739.jpg
{span}Westview senior Karly Miller (19) trips up Canterbury junior Gabriella Dixon, right, during the second half of Saturday afternoon's girls 1A Semi-State at Chesterton High School in Chesterton.{/span}
Nathaniel Labhart — The Goshen News
Also nominated: Karly Miller
Westview, senior, girl soccer
Scoring a total of 82 points this season, Westview senior Karly Miller was a force on the Warriors semi-state team this season.
Her 35 goals and 12 assists made her the opponent's number one target each game. Still, Miller pushed through and found holes to place shots and would work through defenses to score unassisted. In a career that has been a bright one, Miller put up a senior show her final year.
IMG_1883.JPG
Goshen No. 1 singles player Pi Wellington serves the ball during the second round of the NLC boys tennis tournament in Mishawaka Thursday afternoon.
Photos by Matt Lucas — The Goshen News
Also nominated: Pi Wellington
Goshen, senior, boys tennis
Pi Wellington earned the spot for boys tennis even though the talent in the area was widespread.
Wellington, Goshen's No. 1 singles player, raced through matches against regular season opponents. His shining spot on the season was when he avenged an earlier defeat to Penn's Chris Chen in the regional title match. That match, which the RedHawks won 3-2, needed Wellington to fight back and get as strong of a playoff victory as they could get. Goshen would fall in the semi-state round.
GN-Reg1.jpg
Westview Sophomore Noah Bontrager crosses the finish line in 5th place at the New Prairie Regional Saturday morning.
Branden Beachy — The Goshen News
Also nominated: Noah Bontrager
Westview, sophomore, boys cross country
Rounding out the scoring was Noah Bontrager for Westview.
The second-year runner paced the area for most of the season and it showed in the postseason.
Finishing first in a photo-finish sectional round at Ox Bow, Bontrager finished 13th in a crowded field at state, marking him as one of the best underclassman runners in the state.
Reach Matt Lucas at 574-533-2151, ext. 240325, or at matt.lucas@goshennews.com.