WEST UNION HIGH SCHOOL- FALL SPORTS 2025

By Mark Carpenter

People’s Defender

VOLLEYBALL

Head coach Kiersten Rowe returns for her fourth season as the helm for the West Union High School volleyball program. This year, the Lady Dragons have 28 girls in the program, allowing them to field JV and freshman squads. The start of the year has been rough for the Lady Dragons with a 1-5 start but Coach Rowe is hoping that a conference win over Eastern Brown on August 28 will flip the script.

From the Coach:

“Last year, we graduated two seniors, so most of the team has returned again this year. I’m really excited about what we will bring back this season. This year, we have six seniors on the roster, and I’m looking forward to the experience and leadership they’ll bring to the floor. Having that many upperclassmen is going to be huge for us.”

“As a team, we’re still working through some of the kinks, but I think our experience is really going to play in our favor. One of our biggest strengths is that we have a group of players who know the game and are capable of stepping up when needed. If we can get everyone on the same page and continue building chemistry, we can be a tough team to face. Our biggest challenge right now is just getting everyone together consistently at practice and putting all the pieces together, but I believe once we do, we’ll really hit our stride.”

“My goal and expectation for this season is that we come together as a team and see just how much potential we truly have. I believe this group can be unstoppable if we buy in and play to our strengths. The SHAC is always competitive, but I feel like we should have a great season both in the conference and overall. We have the talent and leadership to compete, and I’m really excited to see how things go once everything clicks.”

“Overall, this is a great group, and I couldn’t ask for a better team. Once we get everything together and put in some good practices with everyone there, I’m confident we’ll be able to put it all together and win some matches.”.

BOYS SOCCER

Coach Silas Mills returns as the head coach of the West Union boys soccer team, coming off of two of the better seasons in school history, going 8-8-2 in 2023 and then slipping a bit but still going 7-9-1 in 2024. Now, Mills brings his 2025 squad to the table, looking to make even more improvements as the program continues to make great strides.

From the Coach:

“This year’s team has completely bought in. We had the best summer numbers we’ve seen in years, consistently bringing out 12–15 players. What stood out most was how the boys pushed one another in workouts. They’ve formed a close-knit group with one thing in common: the desire to compete.”

“In past years, we’ve struggled to balance offense and defense. This season, we have several very offensive-minded players, and we’re encouraging others to step up defensively. Replacing last year’s senior defenders hasn’t been easy, as we miss their maturity and understanding of the game. But I believe this group is capable of great things, and with steady hard work, we’ll get there.”

“Our expectation is simple: to compete. If we lose, it will be because the other team was better that day—not because we gave in. We’re young, so mistakes will happen, but with every game and practice we’ll grow, fix those issues, and keep moving forward.”

“At West Union, we’ve worked hard to bring excitement to the sport. Soccer continues to grow the closer you get to the city, where kids are playing club year-round. Out here, we’re at a disadvantage—our facilities aren’t as polished, and our numbers are smaller. As coaches, we not only teach the game, but we also have to build excitement and convince kids to give soccer a try. Thankfully, once they come out, they get hooked.”

“This year, we have a full 17-man roster. With the girls’ team being cancelled due to low numbers, we may pick up a few more players. The youth side is also growing, with several large age groups moving up in the next few years. Dedicated youth coaches, like Kevin Hunter and myself, have worked hard to build the program from the SAY soccer level and Chaz Mack, Pete Jordan and several others have helped in continuing that program to prepare our future players, which is really exciting. Consistent excitement and fundamental training are the keys, and while we’d love to see more kids in club soccer, we know how difficult and expensive that can be in our area.”

“Looking at the SHAC, the teams with long-standing programs and larger rosters will still be tough to beat. Having 30+ kids to pick from and a JV schedule gives those schools a big advantage. Just being able to scrimmage 11 vs. 11 every practice makes a world of difference in player development. I hope those teams appreciate what they have.”

“As for us, I can’t predict exactly where we’ll finish this season. What I do know is this: this group has been an absolute pleasure to coach. They show up, they work hard, they have great attitudes, and they’re learning what it takes to win. They recognize mistakes and ask how to fix them—that’s huge for growth. We’re also working hard on the mental side of the game: staying focused after a mistake, keeping composure when emotions run high, and following through with the game plan. Our upperclassmen have stepped up in leadership roles to guide the younger players through those moments.”

“This year’s seniors—Brylee Mills, Logan Caldwell, and Owen Yeager—have grown tremendously in the sport, and I expect great things from them. Choosing captains was difficult, so I named four, based not only on skill but also on the leadership they’ve shown over the summer. Many are new to leadership, so we’ve discussed what it means to truly set the tone for a team. They won’t be perfect, but by the time they finish their careers, they’ll have developed leadership skills they can carry into the next stage of life.”

GIRLS/BOYS CROSS-COUNTRY

Big things are expected from this year’s West Union cross-country young girls squad, who already have a championship day this season, winning the Ripley Invitational on a very tough course and being favorites in the SHAC and the district. Coach Donnie McCarty handled both the girls and boys coaching duties and hopes that his boys team will also make the jump up to contednign status.

From the Coach:

“One of our goals is always to make it as far into the postseason as possible, and getting there means setting smaller, personal goals each week as the season progresses,” says Coach McCarty. “We have some of our top high school runners back this year. Four of our top five high school girls from last season: Ella Shupert, Stella Rhonemus, Lydia Armstrong, and Emma Crawford. We have a couple freshmen that have some potential, but it is still pretty early to see how they will transition over into running in high school.”

“For the high school boys, we have Andrew Daley back healthy this year (he was out most of last season) and we have Jayce Campbell and Logan Caldwell back from our top five last year. Just like on the girls team, we have a couple of freshmen that have some serious potential; we’ll see how the season progresses for them. Our season has started well with a first place finish for the high school girls and a thirrd place finish for the high school boys at the Ripley invitational. Our junior high numbers are low, but I think we will have a full boys team by the next race, and they are already showing a lot of potential at practice.”

BOYS GOLF

The dynasty of success that Hall of Fame coach Carl Schneider has built with the West Union golf program is something to respect and admire and he is back this year with another boys team that he is looking forward to seeing their growth as the 2025 season progresses.

From the Coach:

” We lost Zach Shoemaker to graduation last year, but we have four players that will be interchangeable for this season year: Tegan Knox – Senior; AJ Cooper – Senior; Landon McIntosh – Junior; and Sam Griffis – Sophomore.”

“After moving up to Division 2 last year year the road is a little harder for us to get out to state against those bigger schools.”

“We finished fourth at District last year and the top two schools move on to state. We have a good chance once again this year to move on to the state tournament. When I have all myplayers available and healthy, we have played well in many big tournaments.”

GIRLS GOLF

What do you do for an encore after the most successful girls golf season in school history? That is the dilemma facing West Union girls golf coach Marci Nehus after her 2024 squad made a historic run that took them to the OHSAA state tournament.

From the Coach:

“After such a historic season, the goal is to keep moving forward with that momentum,” says Coach Nehus. “That means developing our younger players, refining the little things that can make the difference in close matches, and striving to win the big tournaments again this year, and hopefully make it to state again.”

“I feel like I have a pretty solid top five players. All my players in my top five don’t have one certain spot. They’re all pretty close with one another and could play any spot for me. This is helpful for being able to support one another and have some depth on the team.”

“I have been surprised by several on my team. I have two seniors, Nina McCann and Emmy Stapleton, who are very consistent and dependable for matches. Eva DeMint is a junior, and she has improved tremendously over the years. Sophomores, Raeghan Rothwell and Piper Stapleton are also consistently in the top five and have shown much improvement from last year and have stepped up to the plate this year. I also have Kelsey Mack and Payton Grooms who are newer but are both eager to learn and showing much growth.”

“Our goal this year is to continue to have individual improvement, do well in state-level competitions, develop our players, and show steady growth throughout the whole team.I am very excited for this year. I have such a great group of girls who want to do well. They support one another and want to succeed. I also have my dad, Carl Schneider, as my assistant this year. I’m excited to work alongside with im, learn from him, and most importantly, have a fun season!”