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	Cardington Pirates High School Athletics

	Joining us this morning on “Sports Saturday” are HS football coaches Robert Mahaney of Shelby, Aaron Brokaw of Clear Fork, Jonathan Mershman of Carey, Adam Indorf of Norwayne, Cody Kelly of Wooster Triway. Plus, pieces from Friday night with Andrew Saris of Lexington, Tylor Nester of Monroeville, Jake Bruner of Colonel Crawford, Andy Colella of Cardington, Arron Eckert of Ontario, Ed Phillips of Seneca East and Jim Sweat of Lucas. “A Few Moments with the E.D.” with Doug Ute as we talk more about HS sports and “NIL”. Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports on the Browns, the World Series, and sports betting, and Kevin Noon, of buckeyehuddle.com, on Ohio State football. The show runs from 10 AM to 1 PM on www.swankonsports.com Click on the listen line at the top of the page for audio.
	Cardington Should be Really Good Cardington, the defending champion in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference, should field another very good softball team this year. In fact, coach Tod Brininger says they might have their best team ever. “I am pretty excited about our team. The coaches and I have been talking about it. Honestly, we got a year stolen in 2020, which was going to be a really good team. We talked about the players we have here and the ones we have coming in and this could be our most talented team ever. We are pretty excited about it. We have a bunch of young kids that could be participating, but we have eight seniors too that have been around the program for four years. It’s an exciting year for us,” said Brininger. Brininger says they will have solid pitching this year with a couple of underclassmen. “We have Genevieve Longsdorf back, who was a first team all-state kid, player of the year in the district and our league as a freshman. So, she is just a sophomore. She has worked hard over the off season. She plays high level travel and she works hard outside of that to get better,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “Then we have a freshman coming in Ari Simpson, who is going to get some time as well. She is a competitor. She is a varsity pitcher as well. We are excited about it.” Offensively, Brininger says they have the lineup that can produce some runs in a variety of ways. “We lost a couple of hitters from last year. We have pretty much returned our top six or seven and we are adding a couple of new ones in there. So, I think we are going to score a ton of runs. We have four or five kids that can hit the ball out at any time. We have some speed. So, we can mix it up and do a couple of different things,” he said. Published 3/18/22 © Swankonsports.com For the latest in local sports Click on our listen line at www.swankonsports.com
	Cardington Expects Bigger Test From Northmor Cardington, the leader in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, plays at Northmor, who shares second place, in a girls’ basketball game of significance on Wednesday night. The Lady Pirates (10-0,6-0), #4 in the Swankonsports.com girls’ basketball coaches poll in the small school division, has won them all so far. Coach Jamie Edwards says to start the season that way is not unexpected. “We have our entire crew back from last year. We have six seniors that were at the top of our rotation last year that had an undefeated regular season and went all of the way to the district championship and lost to Africentric unfortunately. We have all of those kids back. These kids play a year around basketball schedule and they are committed to the game and easy to coach,” he said. Cardington beat Northmor (7-4,4-2) the first time they played (74-27) on December 1. Edwards expects this game to be more competitive. “Well, Lexi Wenger number one. Lex also plays “AAU” for me, so I hope we have her scouted pretty well. We were able to limit her in the first game to single digits, which is a hard task to do to slow her down. She will be on the top of our board in the locker room to try and figure out what we are going to do to slow her down. They are a much improved team since the last time we played them,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “The last game was at our place and they didn’t fair so well. I think we got it to a running clock. They have been playing some great basketball. They almost beat Loudonville. They are changing some things up defensively. So, I am expecting it to be a pretty good game.” Wednesday Edwards thinks they will see a little more full court pressure from Northmor than they did the first time around, but they have to be ready to adapt. “They have added a little more full court pressure. They have gone to a little zone front 2-2-1. They switch up from 2-3 to a 1-2-2. That is what we are expecting them to do, you never know until the ball is tipped in the air. We are preparing for what we think we have seen on film. They have a good coach too and he likes to throw out junk defense, so we are expecting everything. We don’t really know what they are going to run until we get out there,” said Edwards. Published 1/05/22 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source For All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday From 10 to midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1 PM
	Cardington With Some Weapons The Cardington Pirates are going to be a factor in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference football race this year. They pounded Worthington Christian in a scrimmage last Saturday and coach Tod Brininger says they have some kids that can make some big plays on both sides of the ball. “I am pretty happy with where we are at. We are switching thing around a little bit this year just based on our personnel. Our offense is going to be a little more run heavy than it was last year, obviously we threw the ball quite a bit last year. We have a lot of dynamic football players on that side of the ball this year that we are going to try and get the ball to in different ways. So, was pretty thrilled with our offensive output. We did pretty well and could do pretty much what we wanted offensively on Saturday, so that was nice,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “On defense, we are going to fly around and hit people. We don’t have a whole lot of big kids, but we have a lot of quick, fast, strong kids, so we are using them to the best of our ability. Pretty excited about both sides of the ball this year.” Brininger says they go about things a little different at Cardington in terms of preparation and he says they have made that work. “We could get together a little bit over July. Also, we could do two acclimation days prior to the August 1 date, but we have a lot of kids that work and a lot of vacations. We never really had everyone there once in July, so that has made things a little more difficult as we have sped up quite a few things. We are trying to throw a lot of stuff at them. We don’t have normal two a days because we have a lot of kids that have to work, so we have been doing a lot of things at night and expect them to do a lot on their own. I am thrilled with how the kids have reacted. It’s actually pretty exciting that week one we have a scrimmage, a scrimmage against Lucas this Friday and then we are right into the season. They have been working their rear ends off,” said Brininger. Their first game August 20 at Fairbanks in a non-conference game. Centerburg, East Knox, Highland, Northmor… well the whole Knox Morrow Athletic Conference has shown some things in recent years. Brininger says they aren’t backing away from anyone. “I think there were a lot of really good seniors in our league last year that all graduated. I think our junior class is really strong. Some very good leaders in our senior class. As long as we stay healthy I think we can compete with anyone,” he said. Published 8/10/21 © Swankonsports.com Your First Source For All Things Sports “Out of Bounds” every Friday From 10 to midnight “Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1 PM
	Cardington Wins District Title Cardington has made three straight state softball tournament appearances in division III and they are just two steps away from a fourth. Cardington (25-2), #1 in the final Swankonsports.com softball coaches poll in the small school division, beat West Jefferson (2-1) in a division III district final played on their home field on Wednesday afternoon. They will play either Huron or Edison, of the “SBC” Bay, in a regional semifinal next week. Coach Tod Brininger says they got a tremendous performance from a freshman pitcher on Wednesday. “We have a freshman pitcher that is just a stud in Genevieve Longsdorf and she not only pitched a great game overall, but came up in a couple of big spots against West Jeff’s best player, one time with the bases loaded and one time with a runner on second. She struck her out both times. She did a huge job in the circle for us,” he said. In games like this runs can be a premium as they were on Wednesday. Brininger says they found a way to get one across that proved to be the difference and it was baserunning. “We scored our second run on a passed ball. We had a single from Hailee Edgell and Genevieve Longsdorf kind of blooped one down the leftfield line right over the third baseman’s head,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “Hailee did what she was supposed to do, she got all of the way to third on it and the next pitch she scored on a passed ball. Just a great job of baserunning on her part. You have to take whatever you can get in a game like this.” With the impressive run of success for the Lady Pirates, Brininger says it is important to note that there is a lot that is new about this team this spring. “You have to put those expectations out there for them and then they have to work their rear ends off to get it. We have three girls that had played some minutes for us in 2019 on this team. We graduated six seniors last year, five starters, we have a freshman pitcher, a second basemen that hasn’t played in three years. So, it is a whole new group. They have bought into the expectations, they bought into the work, and they are reaping the benefits right now,” said Brininger. Published 5/20/21 © Swankonsports.com For baseball and softball scores Go to our scoreboard at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
	Cardington Must Avoid Turnovers Cardington entertains Northmor in a boys’ basketball game in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference on Friday night. The Pirates (13-4,9-3) are three games behind first place Centerburg in the conference standings. Coach Mark Delaney says they have played well this year, but they need to finish a little better on the offensive end by making shots. “I think the most important things is just finishing. We need to shoot a higher percentage around the rack area. We hope to shoot a little better from the three point line and the free throw line. So, we need to tighten those things up,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, “The second time around it is always a little bit tougher. Everybody knows everybody a little better and games are a little bit tighter. Looking forward to (Friday) and having a home game. We have been on a three game away stretch. Looking forward to getting back in the gym and getting back at it.” Cardington is at Northmor (2-11,1-7) on Friday night. The Pirates won (58-49) at Northmor on December 15. Delaney says the Golden Knights have improved over the last six weeks. “They have been in some tight games. They have been playing better and playing some younger kids. They are a little bit longer and lanky. They have got some shooters. They throw some traps at you and some zone press. They are running their offense a little bit better too. It is going to be a for us. Anytime it is a league game it is going to be a good contest. Looking forward to it,” he said. Delaney says they need to attack the Northmor defense without having a lot of turnovers on Friday. “We have to be able to pass over their length, throw some skip passes, have some quick reversals, try and find the open look, and getting that great shot not the good shot. I think the first time around we turned it over probably the most we have all year. So, attacking those hips, attacking the traps, trying not to throw over the top of athletes, you get in trouble when you try and throw over the top. Just taking care of the basketball and I think we will be okay,” said Delaney. Published 1/29/21 © Swankonsports.com Keep up to the minute on Friday and Saturday night scores Updated every five minutes On our scoreboard at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
	Cardington Meets Highland in “KMAC” Cardington will host Highland in a Knox Morrow Athletic Conference game coming up on Tuesday night. The Pirates (1-1,0-1) lost (72-52) to Fredericktown in “KMAC” play on Friday night, but coach Mark Delaney thought they still showed improvement in a lot of areas. “It’s just fortunate that we are still able to play and continue the season, we are definitely thankful for that. I just think week to week we are just getting better. Fredericktown was just a terrific team on Friday night. Had 1.2 points possession, just a tough team, but sometimes even in losses you are still improving,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “So, that is always a good thing for a coach that you see improvement. Just looking forward to playing another game (Tuesday) against Uncle Mike, “AD” at Highland, shout out to him. It will be fun to compete against him and their new basketball coach, coach (Christian) Toombs.” One of the areas that Delaney says they still need improvement is the way they work together on defense. “Our second level help side has got to get better for us. I think our on ball pressure got better from Pleasant to Fredericktown. We took a lot of transition points away from Fredericktown and that got a lot better. From an offensive standpoint we have to finish around the rim. We focused on a lot of that (Monday),” he said. Now, as far as Highland (0-1) is concerned, they lost to Columbus Horizon Science (60-48) on Monday night, Delaney says they are almost going into the game blind. “I watched last year’s film, but new coach, probably going to have a new system. They haven’t had any scrimmages, they have been quarantined for a while. It will be a tough week for them going Monday-Tuesday. I don’t know a whole lot about them at the moment,” said Delaney. Published 12/08/20 © Swankonsports.com Keep up on the scores Tuesday night On our scoreboard at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
	Cardington Expecting Another Very Good Year Cardington has been among the very best girls’ basketball teams in this part of Ohio for a number of years and this year should no different. They will be gunning for their seventh straight conference title. They are the favorites again in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference. Coach Jamie Edwards says they will be replacing a couple of talented graduates, but he thinks they can do it. “It absolutely could be a good year for us. We lose a lot with Casey Bertke and Hannah Wickline, those were our two seniors that graduated, both all-Ohioians, but actually we have 11 returning letter winners, most of them juniors that have been playing varsity since their freshmen year. So, we have the same goals that we always have to start with let’s focus on a league championship. I think right now we have five in a row league championships since I have been here and I know the team tied for the league championship the year before I arrived, so we have six in a row going for seven. I don’t think it is going to be any different. I think if we do the right things and go injury free, we can make another run toward the regionals if we do it right,” said Edwards. Edwards says they are will not have the height they have had, but they have the kind of players to be successful in another way. “With Casey Bertke you graduated 35 percent of your offense right there in one player, so it will be a different team. The last three or four years you have seen a high-low offense, not a lot of pressing, more of a full court externed zone where we didn’t have to move that much. This year you will see the Lady Pirates getting out and picking up man to man with our speed and size. Our starting lineup this year is five juniors, all with a ton of starting experience and they are all fast and we are not extremely tall, but we are skilled and fast and with high basketball IQ’s. This year we are looking to get up and do a lot more man to man pressing, running and jumping and using that speed instead of relying on the height that has graduated,” he said. COVID-19 has affected every program in every sport in Ohio in some way in 2020. Edwards says they got some additional work in the summer, but this month already has led to some changes in preparation due to quarantine issues within the program. “Early on we used it to our advantage, the day they told us we could get back in the gym once we were cleared by the governor, we practiced three times a week. They took away that 10 day rule we were like we are going to use it, so we showed up Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for regular practice for two hours. Now we didn’t put in plays and things like that, mostly skill development, working as a team, team drills, team bounding, but we did that pretty much until the start of school, so we used every second of that time. So, it started out with positive,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “Now, recently, (Monday) Cardington went on two weeks online learning. There were a few positive cases in the school, so over the last two days we have dealt with some thinner numbers. We had four JV kids quarantined and one varsity kid got quarantined (Tuesday.) None positive with the virus, but through contact tracing they have had to stay home, so they are on a 14 day leave. So, we are adjusting practice plans right now with smaller numbers. We still have a couple of good players on the cross country team that is competing this Saturday in the state. (Wednesday) our volleyball players are due back. (Tuesday) we ran with 12 kids at practice. So, it was a lot different environment for sure, but a lot of different kids are getting reps.” Published 11/04/20 @ Swankonsports.com You can listen to our listen line 24/7 For the latest high school sports news At www.swankonsports.com
	Cardington Faces Explosive East Knox Cardington hosts East Knox on Friday night in a game between two of the four teams a game behind first place Centerburg in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference standings. The Pirates beat Northmor (20-12) last week as they scored the last three touchdowns of the game. Coach Tod Brininger credits his defense with an outstanding game. “Northmor was a great win for us. They have some really good kids, really good players, their fullback or tailback or whatever you want to call him, #6, is just a stud. He is a big, strong kid to bring down. He was difficult to deal with. He got some plays, but we started hitting him pretty good and knocked him off his running game a little bit. We were pretty impressed with our defense Friday night,” he said. East Knox played Centerburg is what turned to be one of the better games in this area last week. Donnell Marshall scored on a 20-yard run to give the Trojans a (35-28) win in double overtime over East Knox. Brininger says they may have graduated a lot of kids from a team that advanced to the state semifinal last year, but East Knox is still very good with a lot of athletes. “We have watched that East Knox-Centerburg game probably four or five times already trying to analyze them, and we have Centerburg next week, so we are back to back with those two teams. The quarterback is another good (Peyton) Letser kid, his brother was the quarterback last year, he can really throw the ball around. They have some really good young athletes,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “They are quick. So, it’s going to be a tall order for us because they are used to success. We are just learning about it, so hopefully we can knock them off their perch a little bit. I think it will be a shootout.” In order to win the game, Brininger says they are going to have to limit the big plays that East Knox gets. “They had all kinds of additional opportunities against Centerburg. If you watch that film, they had their opportunities to really put that game away. Centerburg is a really good team, so we are going to have to be really careful, especially on defensive backfield and our linebackers. They are going to have to really work hard to make sure we limit those big plays. I think there are some opportunities for us to get big plays too. I think there are going to a lot of fireworks on Friday night,” said Brininger. Published 9/15/20 © Swankonsports.com Click the listen line to hear our live shows “Out of Bounds” 10 to midnight on Friday “Sports Saturday” 10 AM to 1 PM on Saturday
	Cardington Hoping to Continue Good Start It is a new era of football for the Cardington Pirates that began with a win and continues with a home game this week against the Danville Blue Devils in Knox Morrow Athletic Conference action. Tod Brininger is the third head coach at Cardington in four years, but he is very familiar with the players and the program at Cardington. “I am the head softball coach at Cardington, but I have been an assistant here with the football team for seven or eight years. On March 13, coach Tim Plumley got a job offer to go back to his alma matter at Bucyrus and had already made plans on the 13 th to let us all know that he was heading back there and that was the day the world kind of shut down for spring sports and all of that stuff. So, after that with the timing of everything it took several months before they really posted the job and started looking at candidates. I talked with my wife, I talked with other coaches, and I thought it was the appropriate thing, the perfect thing to do for me to apply to be the head football coach. Just to help the kids with all of the stuff we are going through, and the rest of the world is going through,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “These seniors especially, this would have been the third new head coach in four years and I didn’t want to have them go through that. It’s tough switching coaches regardless, so I decided to put my name out there. The school board and the athletic director and everyone else was on my side. Didn’t really get named to May or June, but the kids all knew me, so they were excited, I’m excited about it, and it keeps a little continuity in the program and makes things special for all of us.” On opening night last Friday, Cardington whipped Highland (30-14) and Brininger says they looked ready to play. “I think every team last week was nervous about what they would actually look like. We were able to have a scrimmage, which is great, but it wasn’t a game like situation. We played similar to a regular half, but it wasn’t the build up of a couple of different scrimmages. Last week, was kind of a learning experience for all of us. I think every team that played last week. Anytime you can beat Highland it is a wonderful thing at Cardington. Obviously, there is a strong rivalry there. The kids have really been stepping up and they have been stepping up since we were able to get together. We came out and really showed who we are this year and had a lot of excitement even with the delays in regards to the weather. That’s 2020 for us anymore, we are expecting everything to kind of go sideways for us, but we are pretty excited about that win,” said Brininger. Danville absorbed a (41-0) pounding from conference favorite Centerburg last week. Brininger says the Blue Devils are young, but he expects them to be improved this week. “Danville is young, they have a freshman starting quarterback, they have a lot of young guys. Dissecting the film, they actually moved the ball pretty decently on Centerburg. Centerburg is going to be a really good football team and Danville moved the ball a decent amount and has some good defensive players, just Centerburg kind of overwhelmed them. You can tell the experience of Centerburg really put them in a great position in that game. Danville’s athletic, but they are young. They are in the position that we were last year starting freshmen and things along those lines. So, they are in the same spot. I think it will be competitive and a good game,” he said. Published 9/04/20 © Swankonsports.com Keep up to the minute on Friday night scores On our scoreboard at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
	Cardington Matches up With Crestview in Opener Cardington, the preseason choice to win the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference, visits Crestview, of the Firelands Conference, in an opening night non-conference game on Friday night. The Lady Pirates have become one of the more consistent girls’ basketball programs in this part of Ohio. Coach Jamie Edwards says he feels they are prepared for the opener with Crestview. “I think we loaded up with a pretty decent preseason scrimmage schedule. We have played some of the better teams in the area. We had a really good one at Ohio Wesleyan when we got to go up against Worthington Christian, who we had a good battle in the district semis last year. I think at some point this year we might just clash again,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, “We have a lot of teams with different abilities. We tried to schedule some teams with some bigs to try and match up with ours. We tried to schedule some teams like Worthington Christian that has excellent guard play that are going to go on to the next level that are going to give us a different look. So, we tried to do everything we could to help get ready for (Friday) night.” Cardington features some big kids that have real skill too. Edwards says they have a double threat. “Casey Bertke has been first team district 11, All-Central District player, she is a pretty special player. Also was the softball player of the year. She is going on to Cedarville. She is going to play both sports there, basketball and softball. We have Hanna Wickline, who had a great season last year, break out season for us, she is 6’1”, she is one of our team captains along with Casey. We are really looking forward to what she is going to bring this year during her senior season,” he said. Cardington won this game (69-51) last year. Edwards believes Crestview will offer a real challenge to them. “From what I have seen they are man to man. We played them last year in the season opener and that was a good game. I got to see them when they had their preview last week over at Shelby. I got to go watch them a little bit there. It was about what I expected. The (Kathleen) Leeper girl at point guard and a senior, a dynamic guard, pretty good. They have the (Kenedi) Goon girl inside at 6’3”. Really when we step out (Friday) you are going to see two teams with some good guards and some bigs that can guard each other. We almost look like carbon copies of each other when we step out onto the floor,” said Edwards. Published 11/22/19 © Swankonsports.com Check out our scoreboard at www.swankonsportshosting247.com updated every 5 minutes on Friday and Saturday
	Cardington Wins Semifinal and has Revenge on its Mind Cardington scored three times in the first and twice in the second and they topped West Jefferson (5-2) in a division three state semifinal at Firestone Park on Thursday. Now, they get a chance at some revenge as they face Warren Champion for the state title on Saturday morning in Akron. Warren Champion beat Cardington (9-4) in the state title game last spring and the Lady Pirates still have a bad taste in their mouths. On Thursday, coach Tod Brininger says a good start was crucial for them. “We put some pressure on them early in first couple of innings and got our five runs. We would have liked to keep the pressure on them throughout the rest of the game, but it was enough. It was a great victory,” he said. West Jefferson would score twice in the fifth inning to get back in it, but Brininger says there was no panic in his kids. “West Jeff is a really good team. We knew they were going to come at us pretty good. Part of the situation in the early part of the game they had a little bit of nerves going into it having never been there before and we were pretty relaxed,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “Our kids didn’t freak out or anything when they got a couple of hits strung together. Casey (Bertke) is a rock in the circle and the rest of the girls pick her up as well. I went out and talked to them and they were as calm as you can imagine. It was like the first scrimmage of the year. They knew they were going to get out of it.” Bertke went the distance for Cardington, allowing two runs on eight hits, walking three and striking out five. Warren Champion (29-2) beat on Byesville Meadowbrook (10-0) in five innings in the other semifinal Thursday. They had 13 hits and two of them were home runs. Brininger says they know what they are up against, but they are going to come out with some fire in their eyes after last year. “They are an excellent team. They might be the best team in the state at this point. They have put together a couple of really incredible years being two time defending state champions. Our girls wanted them from the minute that game ended last year. We actually still have their lineup card from last year in our scorebook. We never took it out, we left it there as a reminder of what we wanted. I know the girls are crazy excited,” said Brininger. Brininger had some health concerns last season when these two teams played and he says his players are committed to a different result. “With what went on with me and they thought they had more softball to give last year. That game wasn’t what they wanted to end on. We made some mistakes and it didn’t go like we wanted. So, they are definitely looking forward to it. We have been talking about them all year,” he said. Published 5/31/19 © Swankonsports.com Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports Check out our scoreboard at www.swankonsportshosting247.com For all of your tournament scores
	Cardington Back at Firestone Cardington is making a second straight appearance in the division three state tournament and their goal is to bring the trophy home this time. They lost to Wheelersburg (10-1) in the semis last year. On Friday, the Lady Pirates (25-3) play Lore City Buckeye Trail (24-3) in a semifinal game. Coach Tod Brininger says the experience they gained last year should help them on Friday. “We talked to the girls after the regional final game and earlier this week and they say they feel a lot more comfortable this year than they did last year because they have had that experience. So, hopefully it develops into a little longer run for us this year. We are not going to be so anxious and nervous when we get up there because we know what to expect,” he said. Playing in the state softball tournament is unlike playing anywhere else, even the regional. Brininger says they now know what it is all about. “The crowds that show up at Firestone for these semifinal games are unbelievable. You have other teams watching you and you have other fans just hanging out, plus your own community, at least ours, really supports you. I am guessing Buckeye Trail is going to travel well as well, so I think it will be a packed house. Every pitch is cheered or commiserated over and every play is magnified. It is definitely a different experience for us and one we have been to, so if definitely helps the kids that have been there,” said Brininger. Buckeye Trail beat Wheelersburg (4-3) in eight innings in a regional semi and then beat Byesville Meadowbrook (10-0) in the final. Brininger says they are lead by their pitching and defense. “I know they have a pretty good pitcher. They have a lot of seniors. They have had a heck of a run. They knocked off Wheelersburg, who was the number two team in the state, in a regional semifinal. Wheelersburg always puts out great teams,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “They have a number of kids that can hit home runs. Their pitcher is what everything revolves around. She has a little bit of a unique motion that we are going to have to contend with, but they are a very solid team up and down the order. They play pretty good defense. I saw a couple of plays by their leftfielder and centerfielder where they ran down balls that was pretty impressive.” Published 5/31/18 © Swankonsports.com Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports Check out our scoreboard at www.swankonsportshosting247.com for the latest softball scores
	Cardington Plays Well When the Pressure is on Cardington, the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference champion, faces Galion, of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, in the softball division three regional semifinals at Findlay High School on Wednesday evening. The Lady Pirates have been one of the best programs in North Central Ohio in recent years and coach Tod Brininger says they have high expectations and so far they have been able to accomplish those. “The expectations with our kids have built over the last several years. We have been taking it step by step and the girls have been leading us this year, the seniors and the junior class. They have great expectations and we some really good sophomores mixed in. Casey Bertke, our pitcher, is a stud. Kierson George and Baylee Adams are studs and they support our seniors in Rylie Partlow and Brooklyn Whitt, and Ally Moore. They are just a bunch of really good players and they work extremely hard. We talked to them about our expectations at the beginning of the year. Their expectations are the same to get back to where we were last year,” said Brininger. Cardington (22-3) beat Utica (7-6) in eight innings on Friday to win the district title. Brininger says his kids have responded well to adversity this spring. “We have had a couple of games this year that have been full of pain and agony for us it seems like. We have had a lot of adversity. We went up to Danville a couple of weeks ago and we had to win the game to win the league. We were in the top of the tenth tied. Another team in our league who was hoping we would lose was there cheering against us. We ended up playing four more innings and ended up winning it in the top of the 13 th inning with a couple of big hits,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “The kids were smiling, they enjoy it. We try to put as much pressure on them in practice as we possibly can with the drills we do. There is always a cost of something if you don’t succeed. We challenge each other in the weight room and everyday in practice. I give all of the credit to them for enjoying the adversity and not running from it.” Cardington advanced to the state semifinals last year before losing to Wheelersburg. Galion (16-6) emerged from a tough district, beating Crestview (4-1) last Thursday. Brininger says they have great respect for the Lady Tigers and they know they are going to have to play well. “Galion is a very good team. We played them last year and kind of beat up on them a little bit, but this year you can tell they are greatly improved. They are well coached. These kids have bought in to what he is trying to teach them I think. They improved greatly from last year to this year. We talked about them Friday night and we talked about them again (Monday) night. We are definitely not over confident with them. We know what they can do. We know they have gotten better over the last couple of weeks since we played them. So, we are just going to have to be on their “A” game to knock them off. It should be a heck of a game,” he said. Published 5/22/18 © Swankonsports.com Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports Check out of scoreboard at www.swankonsportshosting247.com for the latest softball scores
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