The North Adams Lady Devils volleyball program will be looking to continue their dominance of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference in 2025. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Coaches Kirk Bunn and Duncan Hesler will be looking to lead their North Adams boys soccer team on another deep tournament run in 2025. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
North Adams senior golfer Christopher Hall, left, with new head coach Hannum Taylor, right, after this year’s Adams County Cup tournament. (Photo by Tim Daulton)
The North Adams Lady Devils soccer squad will be looking to improve on last season’s disappointing 4-10-3 record. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
VOLLEYBALL
It’s no secret how dominant that Coach Katie Ragan and her North Adams volleyball squad have been in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference. Two consecutive gold ball season plus four more conference wins to begin 2025 have extended the Lady Devils’ SHAC winning streak to 30 matches. The issue has been the postseason for Coach Ragan and her troops and some returning talent plus a tougher schedule should prepare the team better for tournament play.
From the Coach:
“Katelynn Boerger and Aulbrea Meade will both be missed,” said Coach Ragan. “They did a great job for us in the front row and the back row. Everyone asks ‘How will we make up for the hitting?’, but I’m more worried about making up for their contributions in the back row.”
“For the front row, we have moved Emma Pistole from right side to the middle and she has been doing a good job in the early season. The other middle will be freshman Sophia Barlow. Sophia is tall, athletic, and left handed. This is my 23rd year coaching, and I’ve never had a left handed middle player. I’m enjoying the challenge. It is a big jump from eighth grade to varsity. Sophia is doing a great job and improving every day. Her future is very bright.”
“For the back row, Morgan Wheeler is going to play libero,” Ragan explains. “She has done a good job so far this season of covering from sideline to sideline.”
“There is pressure that comes with the SHAC streak. I have four juniors that have never lost a SHAC game. They feel a lot of pressure to keep that streak alive. It’s a good kind of pressure.”
“I have stepped up the schedule,” says Ragan. “We have added Waverly, Zane Trace, and Northwest this year. We also kept strong teams on our schedule like Western Brown, Wheelersburg, Hillsboro, Notre Dame, Minford, and Batavia. I don’t think our non-league record will be as good this year, but I am hoping the strong competition makes us better prepared for the tournament. The Southeast District Division 5 volleyball tournament is one of the toughest district tournaments in any sport in the state. About 90% of the time, a team from our district tournament makes it to the state tournament. Competition is always at a high level.”
“I think our strengths are our experience. I have six girls that will be their third or fourth year playing varsity volleyball. I also think setting will be a strength for us. Natalie Ragan is a senior and started playing setter for us when she was a freshman.”
The 2025 North Adams varsity volleyball roster includes: Seniors Paige Evans, Natalie Ragan and Addison Shupert; Juniors Ava Pistole, Emma Pistole and Elizabeth Raines; Sophomores Keatyn Palmer, Riley Woods and Melanie Wood; Freshman Sophia Barlow
BOYS SOCCER
Head coach Kirk Bunn and assistant DuncanHesler are back in 2025 to lead the North Adams boys soccer squad, looking to again make noise in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference and the Southeast District. The Devils are coming off a 2024 campaign where they went 14-4-2 overall (6-2 SHAC), dropping a tough 2-1 overtime game to Minford in the District Tournament. Perhaps the team is using that loss as motivation for 2025 as they have started this season with five wins in six outings, the only blemish being a 2-0 conference loss to Fayetteville.
The Devils have experience on their side with a roster boasting eight seniors- Preston Call (leading the team in goals this season), Tyler Richendollar, Tristan Young, Dalton Pence, Dylan Mullenix, Colin Tolle, Kaleb Eldridge and last year’s leading goal score Beau Hesler.
The juniors on the roster bringing even more experience include Thaddeus Moore, who will be between the pipes as the team’s new goal keeper, replacing the graduated Jayce Rothwell. Also from the junior class are Jaydon Reckers, Ian Raines, James Work, Breven Sheangshang, Maddox Martin, Jagger Young, Jake Thatcher, and Jackson Harper.
The North Adams roster also includes sophomores Jayce Durbin and Jaxon Baldwin plus freshmen Max Jordan, Leeric Christman, Kyser Swayne and Bronson Dean.
With such a large turnout, the Devils will be able to field a JV team which becomes a huge advantage for future experience on the pitch.
GIRLS SOCCER
For Coach Morgan Hendrickson, 2024 was a season to forget for her North Adams Lady Devils varsity soccer squad. The Lady Devils struggled offensively last season, being shutout nine times on their way to a 4-10-3 overall record. Unfortunately for Coach Hendrickson and her team, the struggles have continued in the early portion of the 2025 season as they were blanked in their first three outings, losses to Hillsboro, Fayetteville and Fairfield, but finally got a pair on the board in a 2-1 win over Georgetown.
From the Coach:
“We did struggle to score last year across the board,” said Coach Hendrickson. “I’m hoping that this year our mindset changes, and we can have that more offensive mentality behind us compared to what we had last year. We are still a young team, but we do have at least one season under our belt for some of these girls and they have already grown tremendously from last season to this season so I am very hopeful that we’re able to put the ball in the back of the net like we need to. The freshman that I gained this year are a strong group physically once they learn the game a little bit more and learn the strategy of soccer, I think that we will really be a force to be reckoned with. In our preseason scrimmages, we outscored our entire team from last year, so that does provide some promising factors looking ahead, but hopefully after that first game, we’re just able to regroup and refocus in and do what we need to do to put ourselves on the scoreboard.”
“I would say our biggest strength this season is the fact that I have a group of solid individuals who are very coachable. I don’t have a standout player that is scoring all the goals or that is the standout on the defensive end, but I have strong players that do their job and do it well across the board. Having this group of girls and them being able to be coached and willing to learn the game and be instructed to know more about the game is a strength. I think that will come through as a season goes on. I would say that one of our weaknesses is that we are still a young team. I have larger group numbers this year compared to what I’ve had in the past, not that I have an abundance of numbers, but I have a lot of young individuals. I do have four seniors this year and a handful of juniors, but the others are underclassmen and they are learning the intense style of play that is varsity soccer.”
“Our goals and expectations for this season are to just play solid soccer all year long and be competitive in everything that we do. Obviously, we’re still in the process of rebuilding our program from losing large athletic senior classes in the years past, but we’re definitely moving in the right direction and I want to see these girls really come into their own and understand that they are the next generation that is going to hold the standard of North Adam soccer. I’m excited to see how they grow and mature throughout the season and how they actually surprise themselves in this season. I think last year was hard for some of them, especially my older group not having the typical season that north Adam soccer is used to, but I think that even now they’re realizing that this group has come a long way and is stronger than last year’s group and we’re really ready to make a statement in the district and in our league and show everybody what North Adams soccer has been about and that you can’t count us out.
“Overall, this season will feel different for many reasons. My assistant, David Shipley, who I’ve had this entire time of coaching and has been my right hand, decided that he was not able to dedicate the full-time to coaching as he’s done in the past and that has been a shift, but it’s been nice to add Ike Wooten back into the North Adams soccer community and just bring him back on as a person on the sidelines with me. I’ve seen him coach for many years but he’s nice to see him shift from boys soccer to girls. We’re excited to see how the season turns out and I’m excited to see how this group of seniors really step up and show what they’re made of. This is my last season coaching at North Adams before I go and get married and move away, but I wanted to go out with this group of seniors. I’ve watched them grow up from when they were Basically toddlers to now being young women and I wanted to see them end their high school career hopefully on a high note. I’m ready to take on this season with them together one last time before handing this over to Coach Wooten.”
CROSS-COUNTRY
Long-time North Adams cross-country head coach Kelly Boerger stepped down before this season and stepping up to take her position will be Casie Reed. Reed will also lead the junior high program and is an accomplished runner herself, so the program should not miss a beat.
From the Coach:
“As we have already had our first meet at Ripley this past Saturday I was pleasantly surprised with my young girls team,” said Coach Reed. “Before practice and before meets I always just ask them to give me their best effort. This was no different Saturday. The first race is always to get the jitters out and have a starting point. From practices and training throughout the summer I noticed that Ellie Armstrong and Jenna Work put in a lot of effort and hard work. Wheeler is naturally talented and has that grit where she can bust out that last 100m to the finish line. As for our key runners, I tell all of our teams that every single one of them is important, especially in a Cross-Country meet. I always ask them to just one or two more before they cross that line. This team has great sportsmanship and is always encouraging each other, which is also taught at practice. ‘Pick Each Other Up’ and ‘Support One Another’. The expectations I have for this team is for them to truly love running and to continue to grow as runners as the season progresses.
Junior High Girls XC Roster: Haylee Wheeler (8), Kendall Geeslin (7), Jenna Work (8), Ellie Armstrong (7), Reagann McAdams (8), Lucy Meade (7), Layla Martin (7), Addison Spiller (8), and Chloe Cox (7)
“To be a competitive team in cross country you have to have five runners, I currently have three junior high boys. With that said, my boys run independently. As stated above the expectations are the same, give me your best effort when you are practicing or racing out in the field. Atley Watters has improved tremendously from last season and he will continue to grow as the season goes on. He puts in the work and always comes to practice with a smile. CJ is a returning runner as well, he also improved this season because of the time and dedication he put into running over the summer. I think he can get down into the low 14’s this season. Jase is a new runner who always gives his best and he will continue to grow as the season goes on.
Junior High Boys XC Roster: Atley Watters (8), CJ Boner (8), and Jase Sandlin (7)
“Every runner is important on a cross-country team and all of these girls are key runners. I think we have a good chance at second in the league. I think with more training and more confidence our girls will be competitive in our league. Trinity Bosko is our upcoming freshman and she is our lead runner right now, she needs to learn to run relaxed and I think things will start flowing for her. Second is Emma Thatcher, my returning junior, she has trained so hard this summer and puts in the extra time, I think she will surprise herself by the end of the season. Ellie Bosko is actually a thrower for our track team and a returning XC runner, I love Ellie and the positive vibes she brings to our team. Alyssa McAdams is our fourth runner and she has trained hard this summer too, with more confidence in herself she could be running in the low 26’s. And Chloe Armstrong was a last minute add-on and I am so glad she joined. She is a spit fire and full of joy, she never complains and always does the workout. Her role on our team is essential because she is our number 5, I am excited to see how she grows as a runner this year.”
High School Girls XC Roster: Trinity Bosko (9), Emma Thatcher (11), Ellie Bosko (10), Alyssa McAdams (10), and Chloe Armstrong (9)
“My high school boys are all returning athletes, I do have to share them with soccer but with more distance training I believe our high school boys team could be competitive. Eros Dunkin is my freshman who has a lot of potential to place high in the league. Ian Raines could potentially place top five in the league. Jake Thatcher is a great athlete who could be top 10 in the league, he has grit and works hard. Cole Watters is a returning athlete who also works hard and completes the workouts without complaining. He could easily be in the top 20 in our league. Maddox Martin is a fantastic kid who works hard and his place on the team is essential like Chloe, I am excited to watch him grow as a runner.
High School Boys XC Roster:Ian Raines (11), Maddox Martin (11) Eros Dunkin (9) Jake Thatcher (11) Cole Watters (11)
“I am excited for this Cross-Country season as it is my first time being high school head coach, I learned so much from Kelly Boeger and I will carry that knowledge to teach these teams and future teams. I love running and racing and that is my goal for each of my runners, to learn to love the sport and do it for life. I am teaching the kids that recovery is key to successful racing and relaxed, mindful running will win them races.”
BOYS GOLF
After being an assistant in past season,s Hannum Taylor steps back into the NAHS boys golf program as the new head coach. Taylor inherits a team that lost significantly to graduation, losing Breestin Schweickart, Connor Young and Caleb DeAtley. The Devils opened 2025 with a second place finish in the Adams County Cup but had the individual champion in senior Christopher Hall and also have a large roster of 13 golfers.
From the Coach:
“I am glad to be back coaching golf at North Adams again this year,” says Coach Taylor. “When I first started as an assistant Connor,Breestin and Caleb had first began their high school careers, they were not good. But through a lot of practice and effort and athleticism they become great players. Their loss was hard having only one returning senior but a very good senior in Christopher Hall.”
“What the three seniors left for the team was work ethic. I am blessed to have a group of 13 boys who are committed to working hard at their game. After a recent morning match in which I had eight participate, I only expected a few to show up for practice that night. Only those who had not played that morning, but they all showed up. The future is bright for NA golf as we continue to build the program. The key for us this year will be the play of our juniors. Chris will shoot a solid score. It will fall to two returning players, Carsyn Raines and Cash Hupp, and one new player, Caleb Brown, to determine the outcome of our season. We face a tough uphill battle to get past districts with Waterford shooting a 312 at the Portsmouth Invitational earlier this year. But we accept the challenge, With only one senior and five boys in the eighth grade planning on playing next year again our future is bright.”
GIRLS GOLF
Brandon Groomsas the head coach of the North Adams girls squad and as of press time, has his team off to a sparkling 10-2 start. The Lady Devils are led by senior Emmy Holt, who has played in back-to-back district tournaments.
From the Coach:
“We’ve played 10 matches so far, with a record of 8-2, with the two losses courtesy of West Union and Piketon, both teams I think can make a deep tournament run,” says Coach Grooms. “It’s been a really fun year so far and the mix of freshmen and upperclassmen has been solid. I can rely on the upperclassmen to lead by example during the matches, and the freshmen really look up to them.”
“I really couldn’t ask for a better group of kids; they listen, they accept coaching, they want to get better, they’re fun to be around, and they’ve gotten quite good at tuning out my dad jokes When you look at girls golf in the SHAC, there’s West Union and there’s everyone else. Marci Nehus has a great program and I have tremendous respect for her and for what West Union has accomplished. We finished a distant second to them in the SHAC and County Cup last year and we just missed qualifying for the district tournament. We have the potential to challenge them for the SHAC, or at least close the gap, and to qualify for districts this year.”
“Of course, that’s easier said than done. Peebles definitely has potential to crash the party and Manchester has a lot of young talent, so there’s no let up, especially for the County Cup. Our senior Emmy Holt has qualified for the district tournament the last two years, so she’s a seasoned veteran at that level, but I think a qualifying spot for the team is well within reach. Of course, with golf, there are no sure things and the fickle nature of the game can seemingly change at a moment’s notice, but regardless, this has been a really fun and successful year so far, and I think we are laying the foundation to hopefully have success for years to come.”
