The top-seeded Hawks defeated seventh-seeded Jonathan Alder 25-22, 25-16, 25-16 in a district final last Saturday to improve to 19-6.

They will play Cambridge 6 p.m. today in a regional semifinal at Granville. The winner will play in a regional final 2 p.m. Saturday at Granville against Big Walnut or Uhrichsville Claymont.

Hartley lost in the regular season to Big Walnut 25-21, 19-25, 25-12, 25-14 on Aug. 29.

The Hawks did not play Cambridge or Claymont.

"I've had the opportunity to go scout Cambridge, and I like our chances to play on Saturday," coach Max Miller said. "This is one of the reasons I chose to go the direction we did in the tournament. We felt this semifinal wouldn't be as strong as some others. As long as we're healthy and confident, then I think we're playing Saturday."

Hartley is two wins away from advancing to the state tournament for a third consecutive season. Miller thinks his team has the potential to reach state if it continues to play well, particularly in certain aspects.

"You know it depends on our outsides and our ability to serve," Miller said. "We haven't been a good serving team all year long, and if we can change that, I think we make it to state."

Against Jonathan Alder, the Hawks controlled the second game and, after taking a lead in the third game, they never looked back. Outside-hitters Lauren Hughes and Shelby Sagle combined for 14 kills in the third game.

"We didn't think this was going to be a (match) where we ever had a big lead, and they're an emotional team like DeSales," Miller said of Jonathan Alder. "We tend to have a hard time with teams like that, and we had to counter that by being as sharp as we could be."

"It's our fifth district title in a row and it feels really good," Hughes said. "In the third game, we started to separate from them. We knew what we wanted, which was a district title, so we just went after it."

Hartley beat DeSales 25-12, 28-30, 23-25, 25-16, 15-12 in a district semifinal Oct. 29, marking its third win over the Stallions this season. The Hawks beat DeSales in both CCL matches, winning 25-11, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23 on Sept. 17 and 25-8, 25-20, 19-25, 25-15 on Oct. 6.

•The season ended for the boys soccer team last Saturday when it lost to top-seeded DeSales 6-0 in a Division II district final. The Hawks finished 8-5-5 overall and were fifth in the CCL at 1-2-2, behind champion DeSales (5-0).

DeSales, ranked first in the state poll, also beat Hartley in CCL play, 3-0 on Sept. 15.

"We're a young team with only three seniors," coach Chris Kowalski said. "I'm very optimistic for the future. (Playing in a district final) hasn't happened too many times in the history of Hartley soccer. We're making positive strides. We're looking at this as a steppingstone. We're hoping this leaves a bitter taste in our mouths. We're going to grow from this. We're young and, if anything, it's made us hungrier. We're moving in the right direction, and it's an honor to be here."

Hartley advanced to the district final by defeating Jonathan Alder 1-0 in overtime in a semifinal Oct. 27. Arid Lindsey scored 10 minutes into the first overtime off a pass from John Friday, who had dribbled up the sideline and found Lindsey inside the box.

"It was raining the whole game, and it was a very evenly matched game with Jonathan Alder," Kowalski said. "They had a fantastic keeper and a strong defense, so we went into the game expecting a battle. We had a few more shots and scoring opportunities than them, and I was very pleased with our defense."

It was the second consecutive tournament game the Hawks won in overtime, as they defeated Granville 4-3 in the second round Oct. 22. That game also was decided by a goal from Lindsey off a pass from Friday.

•The football team's season ended last Friday, as it lost to Ready 31-21 last Friday in the regular-season finale. The Hawks finished 10th in the Division IV, Region 15 standings, with the top eight teams advancing to the playoffs.

The Hawks led 21-10 at halftime, as Geoffrey Whiteside scored on a 1-yard run and a 23-yard pass from Austin Underwood. Noah Key scored on a 3-yard run for the Hawks' third touchdown of the half.

In the second half, however, Ready outscored the Hawks 21-0 to win the CCL-Gold Division title. Key ran for 121 yards on 14 carries and Whiteside supplied 136 yards on 24 carries.