By Bryan Kress
A common clich'e in football is that if you run the ball and stop the run, you win.
That's exactly what Bluffton did as the defense played their best game of the season, shutting out Paulding and limiting them to 26 yards on the ground, and freshman quarterback Robbie Stratton ran for 3 touchdowns as Bluffton won 21-0.
Paulding started the game with a 77-yard drive but quickly ended with a R.J. Stratton interception. R.J. Stratton also added 4 catches for 58 yards.
Lima Central Catholic senior and team captain, Kelly Ahman, was the unanimous choice of Northwest Conference coaches as the NWC's first Girls Soccer Player of the Year in voting Sunday afternoon at Delphos Jefferson High School.
Ahman's 14 goals, 10 assists, and overall outstanding play led the Thunderbirds to the first ever NWC girls soccer title with a record of 5-0-1.
An attachment at the bottom of this story shows additional NWC stats.
Ann Stechschulte Alyanak, 1997 Bluffton High School graduate and standout female athlete, now of Bellbrook, was the first female to cross the finish line of today's (Oct. 16) Nationwide Insurance Columbus Marathon.
Alyanak came out on top in a time of 2:41:53. Angie Turner of Columbia, Mo., placed second and qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials in 2:45:01. Alyanak had qualified for the Trials at a previous race. Ludmila Stepanova of Russia placed third in 2:46:26.
