DARKE COUNTY – Two athletes who continued their great seasons by leading their teams to victories are this week’s Daily Advocate athletes of the week.
This week’s Daily Advocate athletes of the week are Arcanum football player Daniel Coats and Versailles volleyball player Elizabeth Ording.
Last week Ording helped lead Versailles to a win against Midwest Athletic Conference foe St. Henry, who entered the match ranked third in the state by the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association. She led the Tigers with 11 kills and eight blocks in the four-set victory.
“She has definitely been one of our go-to hitters and has led us in kills almost every game,” Versailles volleyball coach Kenzie Bruggeman said.
The Versailles junior has 217 kills this season, which is the third most in Darke County. She’s sixth in the county with 54 blocks.
“She’s gotten a lot smarter, realizing what shots she can make and how dynamic she can be,” Bruggeman said.
Bruggeman credited Ording’s hard work plus her ability to work well with her teammates for the strong season she has had.
“She’s a hard worker, and that started all the way back in the spring,” Bruggeman said.
The success of Ording and her teammates has led to the Lady Tigers being ranked 10th in the state by the OHSVCA.
“Liz and her success is definitely a big part of that,” Bruggeman said.
Last week Coats helped lead Arcanum to a 39-16 Cross County Conference victory at Tri-County North. In the game he had 141 yards on 19 carries.
“He has great big play potential with his ability to see the open field and his ability to make would-be tacklers miss,” Arcanum football coach Jason Schondelmyer said.
This season Coats is second in Darke County with 554 rushing yards. He’s also made 30 tackles on defense and returned five punts for touchdowns.
“Daniel is a workhorse for us in all phases of the game,” Schondelmyer said.
The Arcanum senior has been a great leader for the Trojans throughout the entire season.
“He is captain of our football team who possesses a team-first mentality,” Schondelmyer said. “Very coachable and leads by example at practice.”
