Columbian
Going to Tweak
Tiffin Columbian has had some ups and downs this year, but Friday
night they get a chance to play for an outright title in the Lake Division
of the Sandusky Bay Conference as they host Sandusky Perkins.
They put themselves in that position by belting Clyde (49-20) in a
division game last week.
Coach Judd Lutz says they were able to play a very good overall game
against the Fliers. “I thought
we played really good complementary football in all three phases and for the
majority of the game, for a bulk of four quarters, which was really good to
see. We've definitely done some
really good things for portions of games.
Definitely had our fair shares of adversity and self inflicted wounds
for portions of games as well. So,
finding a way to get it done really from beginning to end during the
duration was really big,” he said.
Columbian (5-4,3-0) is at Perkins (6-3,3-0), #5 in the
Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, on
Friday. Perkins won their fifth
straight game by hammering Huron (41-6) in a crossover game in the “SBC”
last week.
Lutz says Perkins is very good team that is now at full strength.
“They're a very, very talented team with some outstanding players
and obviously they put a good win streak together.
We knew they were going to have a really strong roster heading into
this season and that's proved right. They've
experienced some adversity early on too missing some guys, but now getting
them back it's been a big difference with what they're able to do and them
executing it the last several weeks and it shows up on tape. They're
a very, very good team and we're going to have to play our best game to date
in order to have a chance,” said Lutz.
Lutz says Perkins probably has some advantages in terms of personnel
at some spots and they are going to need to find a way to deal with those
things. “You have got continue
to lean on your strengths and not have a fear of making some tweaks and some
changes when you're probably feel like you’re inferior roster wise at
several position groups,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon,
“They're definitely probably stronger at several position groups than us.
So, strategies definitely have got to come into play and calculated
risks and stuff like that, but at the same point you can't just try to
completely reinvent the wheel or else you kids are going to be guessing and
not being able to do anything well. So,
it's a little bit of everything and that's why you play the games obviously
and you roll the balls out there.”
Published 10/21/25
© Swankonsports.com
Your first source for all things sports
“Out of Bounds” Fridays 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Has to Get off the Mat
Tiffin Columbian will be at home for Clyde Friday night in a game in
Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
The Tornadoes (4-2,2-0) share first place in the division with
Sandusky Perkins, who they play them next week.
They lost (21-14) to Bellevue in a crossover game last week.
Coach Judd Lutz says they didn’t execute well enough.
“We got off to a hot start and then cooled off.
They got a lot of momentum in the second half with a couple plays and
we just couldn't capitalize on a couple of things that were there.
We just couldn't execute properly and create much momentum of any
kind,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “They found a
way to get it done and we did not. So,
very disappointed in the result for sure.
We have got to correct some stuff and get back off the mat is what
we've been kind of preaching all week.”
Clyde (3-5,1-1) smoked Sandusky (40-7) in a division game last week
for their second win a row.
Lutz says the
Fliers are hitting their stride. “They're
starting to find out what they're good at.
They're executing at a high level on both sides of the ball.
Making some changes and tweaks and seeing them evolve throughout the
season. They're playing some of
the best football right now. They're
well balanced and good on special teams as well.
So, we have to be very good in all three phases too,” said Lutz.
Lutz says this is game that will come down to a couple of plays.
“Turnovers are big. Any
swing of field position where you can capitalize on a big play.
Obviously, turning an explosive play into a scoring play is going to
be huge and not giving up explosive plays.
So, a lot of games like this boil down to four or five and you hope
to make those four or five and not allow them to do so,” he said.
Published 10/16/25
© Swankonsports.com
Your first source for all things sports
“Out of Bounds” Fridays 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Tiffin
Faces Really Good Bellevue Defense
Tiffin Columbian hosts Bellevue in an “SBC” crossover game on
Friday night.
The Tornadoes (4-3) won their second straight Lake Division game when
they downed Norwalk (21-16) on Friday.
Coach Judd Lutz was pretty pleased with what he saw.
“We did some really good things.
Kind of started out hot and then kind of cooled.
Kudos to them they did a good job kind of containing our offense
making us earn things. We played
really well on defense despite a couple plays and they took advantage of
them with some big plays and scores. So,
I felt like we did a lot of things really good, but at the same point it was
a very close game on scoreboard and took our very best efforts at the end to
get it done. So, proud in a lot
of ways to find a way to win, but at the same point things to fix moving
forward,” said Lutz.
Logan Gooding passed for a couple of TD’s in the win.
Bellevue (4-3) beat Huron (28-14) in a Bay Division game last week.
They have a new coach in Alex Shepherd and Lutz says he can see his
imprint on the team. “Definitely
some wrinkles and some changes schematically on offense from year’s past a
little bit. They have got some
familiarity kind of with the same offensive coordinator and it's a little
bit of a blend of some stuff they've done in the past with the new head
coach and everything too,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening,
“You can see he's got his handprints on things and some of the new stuff
and some wrinkles. It's nice
having them kind of down the road and into the season as opposed to early in
the season where might have a lot more question marks. So,
we feel like we have a pretty good feel on them and what they want to do and
who their good players are, but at the same point we have got to execute and
get it done on Friday.”
Lutz says Bellevue plays outstanding defense and they will have to
execute well to get some points. “Their
playing very good on defense. I
think they have some really good pieces on all three levels.
Up front, at the linebacker play and then also in the secondary and
they've made plays at all three levels.
So, it's going to take a very good effort for us offensively to find
the scoreboard and come out on top,” he said.
Published 10/08/25
© Swankonsports.com
Your first source for all things sports
“Out of Bounds” Fridays 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Has to be Ready
Tiffin Columbian plays another Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division
game on the road this week as they play at Norwalk against the Truckers on
Friday night.
They edged Sandusky (28-20) last week in their division opener.
Coach Judd Lutz says there was some good and some bad.
“You find a way to get into the win column.
Never be super disappointed in that, but a lot of stuff to fix.
I felt like we executed at a high level on a lot of regards, but had
a couple blunders at some bad times and gave up some points on the
scoreboard. So, found a way to
get it done which good teams have to do, but at the same point have got a
lot of things to fix and sure up and execute better if we want to beat good
teams and continue to get in the win column,” he said.
Columbian (3-3,1-0) is at Norwalk (2-4,0-0) on Friday.
The Truckers got fourth quarter 97-yard kick return from Gabe Bellemy
and beat Vermilion (14-9) in a crossover last week.
Lutz says Norwalk can make things difficult on them.
“They do a lot of things that are that are tough to defend and
tough to execute against. Obviously,
they found a way to beat a really good Vermilion team last week on their
home turf. Made some key plays
and that kind of bottled up Vermilion’s offense and held them to a low
scoring game and made a play on special teams.
They did enough on offense and defense to keep them in the game and
did good things and kind of played their game.
So, it's going to be important for us to get off the field when we
get a chance on third downs on defense.
Then you have got to score when you get the red zone and execute on
offense too with what they may give you kind of on each play,” said Lutz.
Up front Norwalk does some different things and Lutz says they have
to be able to defend those things. “They
do some different blocking schemes that you don’t see.
We saw some similarities in (Medina) Buckeye earlier when we played
them this year. So, there's
going to be some similarities to how we defend some things but also a lot of
different stuff too,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon,
“That's kind of what makes them unique.
They're getting better and better at executing their offense as the
year goes and so we have got to be able to be ready to defend probably their
best game of the season is how we have to play it.
They’re playing good football right now.
We're going to get the best version of them and so obviously we have
to be prepared to be the best version of us.”
Published 9/30/25
© Swankonsports.com
You first source for all things sports
“Out of Bounds” Fridays 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Important
Game for Tiffin
Tiffin Columbian plays on the road at Sandusky in their opener in
play in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
In game the needed pretty badly, the Tornadoes (2-3,0-0) rallied to
beat Huron (16-13) in a crossover game in the “SBC” last Friday.
Coach Judd Lutz says they had to dig down deep.
“We were at that point, not only in the season, but also in the
game. You're down 13-0 at the
half. Did some good things in
the first half, but just found ourselves empty on the scoreboard.
Did some good things on defense, but gave up two drives and made a
couple of mistakes. A big game
we felt like we had to win for a number of reasons,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “One reason the points and playoff
reasons if we want to have a postseason.
We just feel like we're a much better version of a football team than
we played in the first half and our record dictates.
So, came out and responded really well and I thought played two
really good quarters in all three phases.”
Sandusky (1-4,0-0) is coming off a (44-6) shellacking from Vermilion
in a crossover last week.
Lutz says the Blue Streaks do have some players that can make plays.
“I think they show highlight worthy stuff when they're all moving
in the same direction and execute the play well and they're really tough to
execute against. Have some ample
athletes and big bodies to move the ball on offense and stuff to the run and
then stop the pass on defense. They
just lack some consistency and I hope they don't find it obviously this
week. We got to take advantage
of any mistakes they do make, but also when they do execute things bottle
them up or just do our job better than they do their jobs on offense,”
said Lutz.
Lutz says winning that first division game is crucial.
“You definitely don't want to lose the first one because then you
need help from somebody and you don't want to you know lose control of it
and control your own destiny as they say.
So, getting off to a hot start is important not only in the
conference, but just in the game in general.
That’s been something we're stressing with our kids.
Getting off the bus, they're going to be excited playing a home game,
we're going to be on the road again and have got to come out from the
rip,” he said.
Published 9/25/25
© Swankonsports.com
You first source for all things sports
“Out of Bounds” Fridays 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Faces Explosive Huron
Tiffin Columbian hosts Huron in another of those crossovers in the
Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
In was a tough week four for the Tornadoes last week as they were
bludgeoned (81-7) by defending state champion Columbus Bishop Watterson.
Coach Judd Lutz says it was not a good night.
“They obviously have now put together a very, very good roster and
sadly we did not play our best and they played very well.
That's not good when you're on the road after a long road trip and do
that against the very good opponent. So,
we have got to shake those things off very quickly and get back to the
drawing board on some things, but also just execute better on a lot of
things,” said Lutz.
Columbian (1-3) entertains Huron (2-2) on Friday night.
The Tigers blew out Ridgedale (56-7) last week in a non-conference
game.
Lutz says they are very explosive.
“They're a very, very good offensive team and have been very
opportunistic on the offensive side. I
think they're probably kicking themselves a little bit if they play better
on defense in a couple of situations they're probably undefeated,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening this week, “They're anxious
obviously to get in the win column and continue some of the offensive
success and fix some other things on defense.
So, we're going to have our hands full for sure if we want to get in
the win column ourselves.”
Huron quarterback Landon Hohler leads the “SBC” Bay in passing
categories, including 1,180 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Lutz says he makes the Tigers go.
“He’s very good. He
makes a ton of the throws all over the field.
He's a great runner, great scrambler, extends plays, plays defense.
I think one of their better players on defense as well, punts, you
know he's obviously a coach’s son so you know he's seen a lot of football,
played a lot of football and he definitely pops off the tape and a whole lot
of ways. He's a big reason why
they're scoring so many points for sure,” said Lutz.
Published 9/19/25
© Swankonsports.com
Follow our scoreboard for
Constant updates on Friday nights
At www.swankonsportshosting247.com
Your first source for all things sports
Tiffin
Has to Grind
Tiffin Columbian takes its act to Columbus Bishop Watterson on Friday
night for a non-conference game.
The Eagles are the defending division III state champions.
Last week, they came up a little short in losing (35-30) to Medina
Buckeye.
Coach Judd Lutz says they didn’t quite play well enough.
“We go into an unfamiliar opponent.
They jumped out on us early and I'm really proud of the way our kids
fought back. We had some chances
late to actually come away with the victory and take the lead, but just
didn't make a couple key plays at a couple key times.
Loved the fight and hate the result and that was the message.
You have got to flush it. Those
are some deep cuts and deep wounds and the reward is going on the road again
playing a pretty good team. The
reigning state champs in Bishop Watterson.
They have a great team again this year.
You have got to find a way to find some success and that's we're
going to try to do,” he said.
Lutz says they need to find a way to get over the top.
“Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser.
It's kind of our mantra. We
do not like to come up on the short end.
I tell the kids that I don't schedule games that I know we're going
to lose. I schedule games I
believe that we're going to be competitive and can fight through.
Sometimes you schedule those several years out.
It's going to be a tough one this week.
We had a bad taste in our mouth from last week and we find ourselves
playing a really, really good team on the road at their place.
We've got to try to find some way to find success.
They're a really, really good and we know that, but at the same time
when we're playing well we feel like we can play with anybody.
So, it's going to be a great battle and we're going to put our best
foot forward,” said Lutz.
Columbian (1-2) is at Watterson (3-0) on Friday night.
The Eagles beat division I Westerville North (38-0) last week.
Lutz says they are just tough to move the ball against.
“They are just really good starting with their defense.
They play 11 guys out there. They
have four down defensive lineman that are really long linebacker type guys.
They’re 6’2”, 6’3” really just trying to get knocked back
on the offensive line. They
twist a lot and create gaps and create messes and our good tacklers.
There isn’t a kid out there that's not a good tackler and they run
to the ball. Behind them they
have really good linebackers that know where they fit in behind those four
guys. They can really run to the
ball and are excellent tacklers and don't stay blocked,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “Between their two safeties and
corners they understand leverage and keep everything kind of in front of
them. They don't want to give up
explosive plays. They're going
to make you have kind of dink and dunk drive down the field offensively and
not give up a big play and force you to execute at a high level.
That’s tough in high school football but obviously we got to be up
to the challenge.”
Lutz says on offense Watterson is the complete package.
“Offensively, they have got five big offensive linemen up front.
They want to establish the run with a tough couple running backs, a
tight end. They got a couple
former Ohio State Buckeyes kids at quarterback and wide receiver.
They can really throw it, catch it and do some things after they
catch it. So, you can't commit
yourself too much to the run or else you give up the pass, but also vice
versa. You have to account for
the run game in the box too. It's
going to be a tough haul, but I loved the way our kids practiced this week
and their going to put themselves in a good position,” said Lutz.
Published 9/11/25
© Swankonsports.com
You first source for all things sports
“Out of Bounds” Fridays 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
to Face Tough Medina Buckeye
Tiffin Columbian takes to the road to play Medina Buckeye in a
non-conference game on Friday night.
Last week, the Tornadoes dominated Mansfield Senior (45-12) in a
non-league game.
Coach Judd Lutz feels they made a jump from week one.
“We played pretty good defensively.
We gave up two explosive plays, breakdowns. We
have got to sure those up, but for the most part played really well
defensively. Offensively, really
complemented things as well. Capitalizing
on some short fields, some special team stuff.
So, really all in all three phases there's some good stuff, which is
obviously a good sign of things moving forward,” said Lutz.
Lutz says they have to continue to get better.
“A different opponent, different scheme, but you’ve got to start
with fixing you and addressing those things and I felt like we did that in
some areas. The season always is
evolving and combination of winning is always changing.
So, this week it's much different test with a different team and what
they do and what we need to do against them and in order to be successful,
so it's exciting,” he said.
Columbian (1-1) is at Medina Buckeye (2-0) on Friday.
The Bucks beat Amherst Steele (21-13) last week.
Lutz says Buckeye wants to be a power team and on defense they are
really good. “They’re a
really good team that wins a lot of games that has really put some good
seasons together recently. They
are in our region. We played
them two years ago in the late playoff game and had a good game against
them. They're tough.
What they do schematically kind of reminds you of kind of a late 90s
early 2000s team. A quarterback
under center, fullback, tailback, tight end,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Monday afternoon, “It makes kind of the rough and tough football guys
really excited. At the same
point, when you're going against it you have got to stop it.
So, they can kind of get in and out of that stuff offensively.
They have got a really good quarterback who can throw it and has a
number of targets to get the ball to. Defensively, they really get after it.
They are able to blitz from space, they run to the ball really well,
get off blocks well, tackle at the point of attack and also on the
perimeter. So, it's going to be
a great test I think with two good football teams.”
Published 9/02/25
© Swankonsports.com
You first source for all things sports
“Out of Bounds” Fridays 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Tiffin
Has to do Things Better
Tiffin Columbian hosts Mansfeld Senior in non-conference play on
Friday night.
The Tornadoes lost a close one (13-9) at Fremont Ross in their
opener.
Coach Judd Lutz says they didn’t execute quite good enough to get a
win in the game. “We did a lot
of things really well and we did a lot of things poorly, I wouldn't say
terribly poorly, but just not good enough to beat a good team.
You have got to capitalize on the opportunities you have got. I
feel like we had plenty of chances and didn't do that.
Played good enough to win, but obviously didn't make enough plays in
winning time to get it done. So,
we have got a bad taste in our mouth and trying to get it out,” said Lutz.
Lutz says the players have come out this week in practice eager to
get better at what they are doing. “I
think urgency has definitely been there and it's been there before too.
Sometimes you can use a loss to motivate a little bit more.
We have a heightened sense of importance of doing things the right
way knowing that you have experienced a loss and a setback the week prior,
but it always needs to be that way even in a win.
The kids have bounced back, they're hungry, coaches are as well and
so far so good,” he said.
Mansfield Senior also lost last week (38-7) to Hilliard Davidson.
However, Lutz says the Tygers have playmakers on both sides of the
ball. “Offensively, they have
got some potential for explosiveness. They
showed that in a scrimmage and their week one game,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “The quarterback can really move
with his feet and he's got a very strong arm to make any of the throws on
the field. Defensively, they
have definitely got some playmakers, we call them game wreckers at all three
levels. Up front, linebacker,
and in the secondary. So, we
have got to put it together a good plan and execute the plan to perfection
in order to come away with the win.”
Published 8/28/25
© Swankonsports.com
You first source for all things sports
“Out of Bounds” Fridays 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Ready to be Tested
Tiffin Columbian will be up at Fremont Ross to get the season started
on Friday night in non-conference play.
Coach Judd Lutz says the Tornadoes have some talent, but the first
test comes Friday night. “We
had a long time assistant of ours, who finally retired from teaching and
coaching and stepped away, spoke to our team at our Thursday night meal.
He gave a little speech with the theme that life is like a box
chocolates, you kind of never know what you're going to get, the Forrest
Gump theme, and that's all true in a lot of ways for your first Friday night
with your team every year. You
have an idea what you're biting into, but you never really know until the
lights come on and they start performing.
So, you don't want a bunch of question marks, but there's always
going to be some. You hope you
get a good result,” said Lutz.
The Tornadoes had a down year last year at (4-7) and Lutz says they
want to turn it around and that starts on Friday night.
“We have got some kids with experience coming back.
They got a bad taste in their mouth with kind of the season we had
last year. It's not up to our
expectations and our standards by any means for our program.
So, they've had a really good offseason, they're hungry, but at the
same point we have got to put it together and we can't wait around and
figure it out. We have got a
couple of really good teams right off the get go on the schedule.
Week one against a really good Fremont Ross team.
You can't kind of figure things out as it goes you have got to figure
it out very quickly and find a way to be successful or you're going to be on
that bad side of it,” he said.
Columbian won last year (27-11).
Lutz says this is a series with great tradition and it should be a
good matchup. “It's a good
rivalry. We know each other
very, very well having led off week one now for I think now almost, not ten
years I think COVID year we have breakouts and we didn't open up with them,
but eight or nine years now in the last 10.
So, there's definitely a feel of familiarity between the programs.
Both cities take football very seriously and a lot of traditions and
a lot of ways. I know coach
(Chad) Long really well and his staff and they know us really well in a lot
of ways. So, it makes for a
great build up week one,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night,
“They have got a great team returning.
They have got some really good players coming back and then stepping
up now as first year starters that they're excited about, and they should
be. So, we're going to kind of
see what happens when the rubber meets the road.”
Published 8/22/25
© Swankonsports.com
You first source for all things sports
“Out of Bounds” Fridays 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Moving Forward
Tiffin Columbian looks like they have the building blocks for a solid
team this year on the football field.
They were kind of young and inexperienced last year, which resulted
in a (4-7) record, which is un-Tiffin like.
Coach Judd Lutz says thy are going to have a lot more experience this
season. “We return a good
amount. Last year, we were in a
situation where we did play a good amount of young guys, which is good for
this year not necessarily great for the previous year with some things.
You don't want to play too many young guys.
You want filter them in. Usually,
we are a program that shouldn't play whole lot of sophomores but last year a
large amount of them got a good taste of football as well as some
juniors,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “So, we feel
like we have a lot of guys returning at all three levels offensively and
defensively. Up front and then
at the backs and receivers on offense and at the linebacker core and also on
the secondary on defense. So,
bits and pieces kind of everywhere of experience, good experience, and
that's good, that's a good sign. You
not only want to just pick up where they left off but also make gains.
I feel like we have so far and so far in the preseason relatively
good, but we also haven’t won a single game yet, so a lot in front of us
still.”
When it comes to improvement on the field, Lutz says they are always
preaching to be assignment sound. “We
have to be assignment sound. We're
a program where we want to, especially in the early preseason, if we have a
kid who we feel has potential at all to be a varsity football player we're
trying to get them varsity type reps in practice, which means the pace is
very up tempo. The number of
plays are up tempo. Playing
against as much like skill as you can. We
never want to run scout teams that are just be completely inferior or run
through our defense and not get a good look.
So, we try to get some good on good action and compare things apples
to apples,” he said.
Tiffin hosts Galion in a scrimmage on Friday night.
They open the season at Fremont Ross on August 22.
Lutz says in the preseason you want to try and build depth on your
football team. “We have got to
get good in being assignment sound. You
get some blown assignments when you're mixing in a lot of guys.
Getting you know a lot of reps kind of equally divided up in the
preseason and you have got to start securing those things because you're
obviously not doing that in a typical game necessarily and throughout the
season. You are kind of rotating
lesser guys at several spots. So,
when you kind of get into that you want to get more and more assignment
sound at those things. You also
have got to have the next guys ready to go and know what they're doing too.
So, building that depth is important.
Assignment sound I would say and not beating us that's the big thing
we're preaching. We have got to
make them, whoever they are week to week beat us, not us beat us,” said
Lutz.
Published 8/13/25
© Swankonsports.com
You first source for all things sports
“Out of Bounds” Fridays 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Shocks Defiance
Tiffin Columbian played the role of David Thursday and they shutout
highly touted Defiance (6-0) in a division III sectional final in Defiance.
Coach Nick Weber says it feels great.
“It was a really, really big win for us obviously.
We've been playing good baseball last couple weeks after a rough
start to the season. So, this is
really, really good to kind of come out and play the game of baseball we
know how to play. We had the
ball bounce our way (Thursday), which that’s the game of baseball you need
the help, but we're pretty excited about this one,” he said.
Weber says they told the kids the pressure was on Defiance.
“We were just talking about hey the pressure is on them the
pressure is not on us. We can go
play free. We can go be
ourselves and just play together and have fun playing the game of baseball
against one of the best teams in the state at a beautiful facility in
Defiance. We're just going to go
have fun. Go play the game like
we’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
So, the kids really bought into that message and really had some fun
and really, really and played together all night and you can see it with the
final,” said Weber.
It was another tremendous performance by pitcher Isiaih Tilse, or
really just his normal performance, according to Weber.
“He was incredible. He
did what he normally does right. I
think he's thrown every big game that we've ever been in the last three
years, so anytime we have him on the mountain we're very confident, very
comfortable with it knowing that we're going to get a chance to win it and
he did his part,” he said.
Offensively, Weber says they took advantage of their opportunities.
“On Tuesday night, we struggled to kind of find that key hit and
found it in the sixth inning and put some runs across on Tuesday.
We were frustrated offensively. (Thursday)
night we had opportunities and we took advantage of them,” he told
Swankonsports.com after the win, “The message was that's the game.
Don’t get to frustrated. You
never know what the opportunity is going to come up and the opportunity when
you're going to be able to produce. So,
our guys did really, really well at the plate.
That's obviously a really top arm and we hung in there and battled
and fouled some pitches off that we needed and put the ball in play when we
had to.”
Published 5/23/25
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Working on Development
Tiffin Columbian has got a young squad with some potential this
season as they get ready for the high school baseball season, which begins
in about 10 days.
Coach Nick Weber says they have a lot of young kids competing for
spots. “We've got a lot of
young guys in a lot of different spots that are learning every day.
We are improving and that's the bright side of watching these guys
grow and take charge. I’m
excited and looking forward to it. We
have some key pieces coming back as well on the mound.
We should be pretty decent on the mound here.
It's exciting to see these young guys step up and have the
opportunity,” said Weber.
Weber says likely they will rely on their pitching this year.
“We're very fortunate to have a handful of guys that we could throw
out there any given time and any situation and know that they're going to be
productive and get the outs we need. When
you're lacking maybe on the offensive side or the defensive side it's nice
to have that as your horse that kind of gets you where you need to go,” he
said.
The Tornadoes are scheduled to begin the season on March 31 at
Ashland in non-conference play. Their
first Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division game is at Perkins on April 9.
Weber says scrimmages are going to be important for them this spring.
“We do live pitching, or live at bats, throughout the week, but you
only can do certain amount with the arms that you have.
It's just nice to see a different color jersey for a change.
It's nice to see somebody new that you hadn't seen,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “When you have got a young team
that you graduated a lot you need these guys that have that opportunity so
you can see who can be where and what they can do and just go out and play
and compete. That's the thing is
to get these guys to compete.”
Published 3/20/25
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Tiffin
Prepared to Challenge Sandusky
Tiffin Columbian gets another chance to play Sandusky, this time in a
division III sectional final at the “Big House” in Sandusky.
They hope for a better results this time around having lost (72-69)
January 3 at Sandusky and (75-57) on February 7 in Tiffin.
Coach Ryan Fretz says there won’t be any secrets between the two
squads. “There's a lot both
teams know about each other, so I would imagine both squads have to go deep
in their bag of tricks to try to out coach the other one.
We feel that we're prepared to go against Sandusky at their place on
Thursday,” he said.
Fretz says you might want to try some new things against a familiar
opponent, but you don’t want to become something your are not.
“You toe the line there a little bit, but we always stress to our
guys we don't want to be somebody that we haven't been the whole year.
You want to be yourself, you want to be what got us here,” he told
Swankonsports.com Tuesday night, “We just want to be that, but better.
We've played Sandusky close at their place and at our place it was a
five point game with just over a minute ago.
We ended up turning the ball at the end.”
The Streaks beat Ashland (71-53) in a regular season game at Ashland
on Tuesday night.
Tiffin Columbian (10-12) is at Sandusky (14-7), #5 in the
Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball coaches poll in the large school
division, on Thursday.
Fretz says they continue to improve as a team and he hopes they are
able to prove that on Thursday. “I
think we're better. I know we've
definitely put the time in, but it'll only count on Thursday night. I
know we're mentally prepared, we’re physically prepared.
We have got one more day of practice to get ready for a tough
Sandusky team, but I think we're at our best when we need to be at our
best,” said Fretz.
Published 2/19/25
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Has to be More Sound
Tiffin Columbian wraps up its regular season on Friday night as they
host the Norwalk Truckers in a game in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference.
Last Friday, they lost (75-57) to Sandusky, the Lake Division
champion.
Coach Ryan Fretz says they allowed the Blue Streaks to take them out
of their game. “Sandusky does
a good job of putting you in pressure situations.
I think we were playing against two opponents on Friday night at
times. You're playing against
Sandusky and then at times we were playing against ourselves.
Kind of psyched ourselves out. I
felt we had a bunch of open shots that we missed.
We got good looks against them, but they're pressure always lingers
right there and I think that got into our head a little bit and we missed
some easy ones there at the beginning of the game,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “It's a testament to the Sandusky
pressure defense. We dug
ourselves a hole. We kept it
close at halftime, down five with about two minutes to go in the fourth
quarter. Again, we did a pretty
good job of getting in our own way on Friday night and having to play
against ourselves and Sandusky didn't do us any favors.”
Tiffin also plays Sandusky in its first tournament game next week.
The Tornadoes (9-12,4-5) play at home against Norwalk (7-13,1-8) on
Friday night.
Columbian won the first game (52-44) on January 10.
Fretz says both teams are better now.
“It was a good game at their place. I
think they're playing better than the last time we played them.
They're playing some more guys. They're
playing every game to win. They've
been close with a number of games in our league that we've also played close
games with. So, I expect a tough
game against Norwalk in our place. Both
teams are playing better than what they were playing the first time we
played at their place. We don't
expect things to be easy, they never are against Norwalk.
They're well coached, they're fundamentally sound and they're always
prepared for you,” said Fretz.
Fretz says they are more concerned that they are fundamentally sound
in their execution. “I think
our guys we're focusing on us in practice.
We have still got some things we have got to get better at, so we
don't beat ourselves. I think if
we put ourselves in a good position, we'll only be playing against Norwalk
this Friday as opposed to Norwalk and ourselves,” he said.
Published 2/11/25
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Has a Chance
Tiffin Columbian faces two tough games this week as they are at home
for Anthony Wayne in a non-conference game on Wednesday night and host
Sandusky in an “SBC” Lake Division game on Friday night.
They had a four game winning streak snapped by Bellevue (52-48) in a
division game on Saturday night.
Coach Ryan Fretz says their chances to win.
“It was a good game. We
got off to a slow start. Bellevue
is a really good defensive team. We
had to make some adjustments along the way and change some things up and we
did. We got ourselves back into
the game. Took the lead a
handful of times. We had
opportunities at the end just couldn't get it done there.
Bellevue was able to score when they needed to and get the stops when
they needed to and knocked down their free throws.
So, it was much closer the second time around playing them at home
we're a much better team. It
also shows us that we still have some things to work on our season
continues,” he said.
Columbian (9-10,4-4) hosts Anthony Wayne (12-4) out of the Northern
Lakes League on Wednesday.
Fretz says the Generals will be one of the biggest teams they face
all year. “They have some tall
guys across the board, some 6’4”, 6’5” maybe 6’7”.
I mean a true post player inside that can body people around.
They have got a handful of quick guards, guys that can shoot it.
So, they might be one of the biggest teams we play all year.
They've got a lot of weapons. If
you focus on their shooting they're going to pound it inside.
If you take away their shots, they can drive by you.
We have got to be able to get hands up on shooters, got to be able to
play the drive, but at the same time they are really good at rebounding the
basketball, whether that's on the offensive or defensive end.
So, it might be a little tougher for us to get some shots off, but as
long as we're moving the basketball the way we should I think we'll be able
to compete and should be able to give them our best shot,” said Fretz.
When it comes to Sandusky (11-6,7-1), #4 in the Swankonsports.com
boys’ basketball coaches poll in the large school division, on Friday, it
will b a different game.
The Blue Streaks beat Tiffin (72-69) on January 3.
Fretz says they remember that game.
“We were close with them for most of the game.
We gave up one 13-0 run and that's the way the Streaks play
basketball. As long as we can do
our best at limiting the runs and don't give them live ball turnovers and
easy buckets at the other end of the floor, I think we give ourselves a
chance,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “Sandusky is
quick. They're going to come at
you with pressure. They can
shoot the ball from outside. I
think we still have a little bitter taste in our mouth from the game at
their place last time. We knew
we were close, but we were still growing and I think we've grown more since
then to the point where it'll be another good game at Columbian on Friday
night.”
Published 2/05/25
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Tiffin
Becoming a Team
Tiffin Columbian is going to play Sandusky Perkins for the second
time in less than a week this time at home on Wednesday night in play in the
Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division.
The Tornadoes (8-9,3-3), after beating Perkins (71-68) last Thursday
and adding a (52-45) non-conference win over Bowling Green on Saturday, have
won five of their last six games.
Coach Ryan Fretz says they are developing good team chemistry.
“Just putting things together, filling roles, accepting roles and
coming together as a unit and playing for each other you know.
Our boys are pretty tight unit as it is already and now they're
putting the putting the team first and putting others first and it's
starting to show,” he said.
Fretz this game on Wednesday was originally scheduled for much early
in the season. “It's a makeup
game from football. You have got
to find an agreed upon time you know to be able to make up that game.
This was a good day for both Perkins and us.
Now granted it ended up being a week after we played them before, but
we want to get the games we in. We
don't want to try to play four games a week.
Perkins had to reschedule a number of their games.
We rescheduled a couple of ours at the beginning of the season,”
said Fretz.
Fretz says getting ready for a game like this is a little bit
different because they just played the Pirates (10-6,3-3).
“Going into a game where you just played a team last week not much
scouting has to go into because you just did most of the scouting.
Now, you get a lot more out of film study.
You can go in there and look at film and you can get some direct
correlation into the next game. It
means a lot more because you don't have to wait maybe a month or a month and
half until you play a league team again,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Tuesday evening, “There's been a little bit of that.
You have the focus of the boys in practice as well because it was a
pretty close game. We had to
handle the ball and take care of business at the end.
There was some excitement in that game and the boys excited to play
another round with Perkins again at our place.”
Published 1/29/25
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
to Face Athletic Perkins
Tiffin Columbian plays at Sandusky Perkins in a game in the Lake
Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Thursday.
They are at Bowling Green for a non-conference game on Saturday,
They edged Clyde (65-62) in a division game last Friday.
Coach Ryan Fretz says their play was not exceptional, but it was
pretty good. “It was a good
win. We didn't play our best
basketball, but we played better than what we have so far this year.
We put four quarters together and that's what we have been looking to
do. Clyde's pretty good at
creating live ball turnovers and scoring off of those and I thought you know
our guards and our big guys did a better job of taking care of the
basketball, which gave us more opportunities to get shots.
Instead of scoring 56 points like we did the first time we were able
to put up 65 and then limit their easy buckets going the other way.
So, it wasn't a perfect game by any means, but it was a game where we
had to fight it out and hit some shots and do what we needed to do down the
stretch to get the win,” said Fretz.
Columbian (5-9,2-3) is at Perkins (9-5,3-2) on Thursday.
Th Pirates share second place in the division with Bellevue.
They beat Norwalk (73-34) in a division game last Friday.
Fretz says they can do a lot of things.
“They're pretty deep and they're pretty athletic.
They've got a lot of guys from their state runner up football team.
There's some height there, there's experience, so it’s nothing easy
to prepare for when you're in practice.
They'll pressure us a little bit.
Coach (Eric) Kochendoerfer has got them playing some pretty good
physical defense both in the full court and in the half court,” he told
Swankosports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “I think offensively they're a
freight train. They're going to
come at you. They really
transition out and really look to push the pace.
They have got a handful of guards that can drive the ball, but a
number of shooters that they put on the three-point line that are tough to
find and tough to guard. Then
you add Tim Boales on the inside that can post up, set screens and set ball
screens and rebound.”
Fretz says it will be a test for them.
“They're a tough guard for us.
That doesn't mean we're not going to be prepared and we haven't been
practicing for it. We're
definitely going to have a test for us (Thursday), but we're looking forward
to heading to Perkins and giving it our best shot,” he said.
Published 1/23/25
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Tiffin
Looking for Better Flow
Tiffin Columbian has a pre-Christmas week filled with games as they
at home for Toledo Waite on Wednesday, at Bellevue for a Lake Division game
on Friday and hosting Findlay on Saturday.
They were taken to the woodshed by Genoa (80-41) on Saturday.
Coach Ryan Fretz says they were not ready to play.
“Genoa came in incredibly prepared and we didn't come out mentally
prepared and focused. We made a
game of it for about the first five minutes.
Genoa’s got a nice guy inside, they've got the shooters outside and
they did a great job of exposing our inexperience on both ends of the floor
and took it to us and they didn't stop.
So, hats off to Genoa,” he said.
Fretz says they had two really good days of practice this week.
“The bright side of that was Monday practice we got a lot out of
it. We came together, got
focused, sat down and figured out what we as a team need to continue to work
on and get better. We are trying
to play a little too much one-on-one basketball and trying to be a little
too robotic. There's things that
we can do better and just play the game of basketball and putting our
teammates first and our team first. The
last two days of practice it's shown on the floor.
We've been playing a little freer, been a little better and looking
forward to getting that product on the floor (Wednesday) night against
Waite,” said Fretz.
Columbian (1-3) entertains Toledo Waite (1-5) on Wednesday.
The Indians are coming off a (74-55) setback to Toledo Bowsher.
Fretz says they have a squad capable of making plays.
“They are as athletic as can be.
They've got a couple of good players around the perimeter on the
outside and a decent rebounder inside. We've
got to be able to guard our gaps and protect the paint when we're on defense
and definitely box out their big man,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Tuesday evening, “On the offensive end of the floor, we have got to be
able to kind of expose their gambling. They
like to gamble, they like to get up in you and they like to turn you over
and they can pressure you, but at the same time I think if we handle the
ball with poise and we run what we're supposed to run that we should be able
to score against them and put ourselves in good position.”
When it comes to Bellevue, Fretz knows that’s going to be a big
challenge. “It would be nice
to get off to a 1-0 start in that league, but I mean we have got to focus on
Waite. We know Bellevue is
hanging there and we have got to go to their place.
They're playing extremely well right now.
They played really close with Sandusky.
Hung with them the whole way and did a number to Clyde.
Bellevue is showing to the rest of our league that they are a team to
be reckoned with. They're well
coached, they have got some experienced guys out there on the floor even
though they lost some last year. They
are playing really well. We get
one day to prep for them, so we're going to have to come in to practice on
Thursday mentally focused, but we have got to take care of Waite first,”
said Fretz.
Published 12/18/24
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Has to be Good on Defense
Tiffin Columbian tries to get in the win column on Tuesday night as
they are over at Huron in one of those “SBC” crossovers.
Last week, they lost two close ones to Holland Springfield (56-49)
and Upper Sandusky (68-62) in non-conference play.
Coach Ryan Fretz says they just couldn’t get over the last hurdle.
“We were in it, but didn't win either of them.
The one thing we've been consistent at during scrimmage season and so
far in the beginning of this game season here is we've been consistent at
being pretty inconsistent. I
mean we've had moments of looking like a district basketball team and other
moments that you could see our inexperience showing,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “Both games were up and down.
Kind of what you would expect for a team that doesn't have a lot of
varsity experience out there on the floor once again the game like situation
in the jerseys and under the lights. We
were down double digits in both of those games and had come back to take the
lead against Springfield and cut a 16 point deficit down to two points
against Upper Sandusky in the fourth quarter just couldn't get over the top
and couldn't manage to get the win. Something
like this young and inexperienced team is going to continue working on day
in and day out.”
Huron (2-0) won both their games last week in beating Sandusky St.
Mary’s (50-34) and Galion (55-51) also in non-league action.
Fretz says the Tigers have a very good inside, outside combination.
“They're pretty good. Well
coached, Toby (Miller) does a great job there with them.
A lot of guys back that I'm familiar with from last year.
They have got McNulty there in the middle of that can do a lot of
damage to the interior of any defense and really quick guard in the McDonald
kid that that plays outside. It's
really tough to keep him in front of you because of his quickness.
If we can keep the ball out of the paint whether it's with McDonald
driving or McNulty posting up I think it gives us our ourselves a chance to
be there in the end,” said Fretz.
Fretz says to have a chance they have execute well on both ends.
“We have to control our controllables and that's you know executing
on the offensive end of the floor and remaining consistent and taking care
of the little things on the defensive end,” he said.
Published 12/10/24
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Defense
the Key for Tiffin
Tiffin Columbian is banking on the fact that they can play
outstanding defense this year and that will lead to success.
Coach Ryan Fretz, in his first year as the Tornadoes head coach after
a number of years at rival Clyde, says he has gotten a great deal of by in
from the players. “I'm happy
with the effort, happy with the buy in, happy with the culture around our
boys and just extremely happy to be coaching at my alma mater.
The boys are having fun, we're getting after it and it's been a good
couple of weeks so far. We got
our football players back about a week and a half ago and we've been getting
after it, so no complaints in that category.
A lot of happiness going around in the “TC” gym,” he said.
Fretz says in the preseason they have been putting in a lot of work
on the defensive end of the floor. “Well,
I can tell you right now we're putting a huge emphasis on defense.
There's a lot of things that we're breaking down defensively.
We're kind of challenging the boys and getting them out of their
comfort zones a little bit. Breaking
it down to just two on two, one on one things, some four on four stuff that
is going to help them get better and see the big picture on why we do things
the way we do things defensively. Then
helping them understand that a great defense can lead to great options and a
good offense as well, so that's been our main focus,” said Fretz.
Fretz says the return three kids with varsity experience and a
variety of skills. “We've got
a handful of guys back. Zach
Strawberry that's a 6’4” forward. He’s
really athletic, can play extremely well for us at like on the forward/guard
position, but block shots and be a shot changer inside.
He’ll be a senior for us this year,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Monday evening, “Logan Gooding is coming back.
He lettered for us last year. He's
a guard that has put in a lot of work over the summer.
He can handle the ball for us, can finish nice around the rim and
knock it down from outside. We
have got Mitch Stephey, also is a forward that's coming back for us that can
get it done down in the post and guard guys out around the perimeter for us.
So, three letter winners back and then a handful of guys that are
going to fill other roles for us. If
we can get that defensive focus taken care of it'll lead to offense for us
and hopefully help us get the job done.”
Published 11/19/24
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Tiffin Columbian takes to the road to meet Cleveland Benedictine in a
division III first round playoff game on Friday night.
The game will be played at Brooklyn High School, Benedictine’s home
field.
Last week, the Tornadoes lost (42-7) Sandusky Perkins, the outright
winner of the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
Coach Judd Lutz says they did some good things last Friday.
“They were explosive early. I
think they scored on three big plays in the first five touches in the game,
which obviously is not the way you want to start the game.
To be honest after those three scores we really battled.
I was proud of the team for responding.
Forcing a turnover and forcing several punts defensively and really
contained them. They made some
big place because they have got an outstanding receiver who's going to play
collegiately next year and we had trouble with him,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “As far as the effort and the
execution went we showed a lot of growth and a lot of young guys who can
continue to get thrown in there and are trending in the right direction late
in the season, which is what you want. The
kids are still hungry to learn and get better and that’s a sign of good
football in the future for the young guys, but we're trying to prolong this
season as much as possible for our seniors and do something special this
year.”
Tiffin (4-6) is at Benedictine (8-2) on Friday night.
The Bengals hammered Akron St. Vincent/St. Mary (39-8) last week.
Lutz says they will feature a balanced attack on offense.
“They’ve got an outstanding running back, a quarterback that is
really efficient and a big offensive line, so they want to run the ball
efficiently throughout the game. They
also have some big play capabilities on the outside with some really good
speed down the field that you have got to be wary of.
You can't get too focused in and eyes in the backfield that's going
to run right by you or make a catch and make a guy miss and another off to
the races. They're an
outstanding team right now offensively,” said Lutz.
Tiffin Columbian is aggressive on defense and Lutz says so is
Benedictine. “Defensively,
they are very aggressive, but also can play some base and are really good at
all three levels. It's a very
active defensive line and linebackers with some blitzes and they got some
athletes in the perimeter who can really match up and play some zero and
cover one, they do play a little bit of zone, but for the most but they're
kind of a pressure package and their going to force your hand offensively.
So, we have got to be efficient offensively when we run it as well as
pass it and make those plays when we have the opportunity to do so,” he
said.
Published 11/01/24
© Swankonsports.com
Follow our scoreboard Friday night
For constant updates beginning with the kick
Tiffin
Has to Do a lot of Things
Tiffin Columbian is looking to boost itself into the playoffs as they
travel to Sandusky Perkins to take on the Pirates in a game in the Lake
Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
Perkins can claim an outright title in the Lake Division with a win.
Tiffin stands in 14th place in its division III region.
Last week, Columbian belted Norwalk (47-20) in a division game.
Coach Judd Lutz says they got thinks going early.
“We played good complementary football.
Established a really good running game early and often took advantage
of some explosive plays. I
thought played really good defense against them and did some good things in
the kicking game too. So,
overall pleased, but still lots to fix and a lot to address here moving on
here in late season play,” he said.
Mason Seitz ran for 257 yards and six TD’s on Norwalk.
Lutz says there is no question that this is a step up in competition.
“They're an outstanding team. They
have been the class of our conference for the last couple of years, us and
them battling out a little bit with some good teams.
They've taken no dip obviously and are playing really good football
with a lot of experience. They
had a bunch of kids back from the last two years.
A couple of three-year starters even I think a couple of four year
starters that are going on to play collegiately and play at the next level,
but before they do they have got things they want to accomplish.
They have got a really, really good team with very few holes, if any,
and it's going to take our very, very best and probably some good bounces
our way too,” said Lutz.
Tiffin Columbian (4-5,1-2) plays at Perkins (8-1,3-0), #1 in the
Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, on
Friday night. Perkins thrashed
Sandusky (37-0) last week to get a share of the division title.
It was their sixth shutout of the season.
Lutz says they are just good all over.
“You have to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the
ball. They're really good on
defense up front in the box. They
are super aggressive, but have the skill to run with you on the perimeter.
So, you got to block them where you are and then probably run through
one or two arms tackles. You
have got to be able to break some tackles at the point of attack because on
the other end of it there are some explosive plays,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “Defensively, it's a tall task.
They have the ability to run it and probably pound the ball, but also
get the ball in the perimeter quickly. Then
also get the ball down the field. They
have tremendous speed on the outside and up the middle.
So, it's going to be a tall task.
A lot to ask of our kids, easier said than done, but love how our
team has practiced last several weeks, love the preparation we've put in,
now you just got to go out and reap the benefits on Friday night.”
Published 10/23/24
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Must be Ready to Adapt
Tiffin Columbian will entertain Norwalk in a game in the Lake
Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
The Tornadoes beat Bellevue (28-14) in a crossover game last week.
Coach Judd Lutz says they did a lot of good things, especially in the
first half. “I thought
offensively we were explosive early and did some really good things.
I thought we played some pretty good complementary football in
swinging the field and making them drive the field long distances really
every drive except for two. Defensively,
came up big on some fourth down stops and that was really the difference.
So, we have got to put it together and obviously have that translate
to this week,” he said.
Lutz says they hope to be able to take some momentum form last week
into the game with Norwalk on Friday. “Winning
just tastes better than losing, there's no way around it.
It's good to get that bad taste out of our mouth and create some
momentum and now we have got to build on it.
We have played a lot of young guys last couple weeks and they will
continue to play and continue to evolve.
Kind of put them in positions to make plays and be successful against
whoever we're playing. Norwalk
is a worthy opponent and has some great players on that side of the ball
that we have to account for and take care of or else they're going to find
more success than we do,” said Lutz.
Columbian (3-5,0-2) is at Norwalk (2-6,0-2) on Friday night.
The Truckers were blanked (49-0) by Perkins last week.
The Truckers have not scored since week four of the season.
Lutz says they expect the unexpected from Norwalk.
“They've had a couple games, a couple key guys, I think playmakers
for them on the offensive side have been out and that shows by their scores
you know struggling to really create explosive plays.
Get some consistent positive plays to stay in front of the sticks
make. They're playing kind of
behind the sticks too often is what they're probably thinking,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “We're expecting them to play
their best football late in the season.
They've kind of had now some consistency as far as who is playing out
there the last couple weeks a little bit, so we have got to prepare for that
offensively and defensively. They
do a pretty good job defensively and keeping you guessing on the number of
blitzes and kind of attacking each opponent a little bit differently.
So, we can forecast it, but we really won't know until you know the
first couple of drives happen on our offense and what they're going to do
and kind of what their game plan is. So,
it's definitely a big week of game prep and have to have tremendous amount
of focus.”
Published 10/16/24
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Tiffin
and Bellevue Similar
Two traditional powers, Tiffin Columbian and Bellevue, play in a
Sandusky Bay Conference crossover game at Bellevue on Friday night.
It probably feels like a broken record, but again last week Columbian
played a very good team tough for a half, but didn’t play well in the
second half. They lost (33-14)
to Clyde in a Lake Division game.
Coach Judd Lutz says they didn’t make enough plays.
“We played two pretty good quarters of football in the first half.
Played really well defensively. We
some big stops, gave them a short field a couple of times and managed to
hold them really to three points, but then gave up a punt block that was
returned touchdown and kind of a back breaker.
Still kept it to 10-7 in the first half and then just couldn't get it
going offensively in the second half. They made a couple of big plays at key
times and kind of separated late. Our
kids played hard just again we're on the wrong side of the scoreboard,” he
said.
Tiffin (2-5) is at Bellevue (2-5) on Friday night.
The Redmen lost (19-7) to Huron in a Bay Division game last week.
Lutz says these teams are a lot alike.
“Similar in a lot of ways to us.
Two teams who have got similar records and have played good football
against really good football teams. Not
all 2-5 teams in the State of Ohio are the same by any means and created
equal. I think that's kind of
what we are. We're two good
football teams who played really talented teams, played them tough, but just
haven't been able to find a number of wins we probably could have. So,
both teams playing a lot of young guys who now at this point this season
have a lot of experience underneath their belt, but they're still young.
We need them to play up and I think you're going to find a really,
really competitive and good game that's we're forecasting,” said Lutz.
Lutz says Bellevue is going to try and do what they always have done.
“Coach (Ed) Nasonti didn’t become a bad football coach overnight
and obviously he's been doing a great job for a number of years.
They're going to lean on their strengths and what they do year in and
year out. There's a lot of
similarities schematically in what they're asking their kids to do and then
they're really good at it. They
take care of the football when they're carrying it.
They're going to put it in their best athlete’s hands as many times
they can and that’s their quarterback right now,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “He's got some young, good talent
around him. Then they play
really well defensively. You
look at their scores. They've
held a lot of good teams under their averages and have had some low scoring
games. Just haven't been able to
really be explosive and put up some points up at times on offense.
We see the same thing from them a year in year out.
They see the same thing from us year in and year out in a lot of
ways. When we play each other
it's competitive and the rivalry aspect of it.
We're going to know each other a lot what they like to do and you
have got to find a way to still impose your will at times and then have a
couple wrinkles ready as well.”
Published 10/11/24
© Swankonsports.com
Follow our scoreboard Friday night
For constant updates beginning with the kick
Still
Boils Down to Execution for Tiffin
Tiffin Columbian is still trying to find itself as they travel to
Clyde on Friday night for a game in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference.
They gave up 34 straight points last week in losing (41-13) to
Sandusky in their division opener.
Coach Judd Lutz says they still have to clean a lot of things up.
“Another situation back-to-back weeks we played good enough to win
and played bad enough to lose. Obviously,
got some things to fix. Tackling
has been an issue now couple weeks on defense specifically that has been
addressed over and over will continue to be stressed and needed to improve.
Just holistically doing things better on special teams, doing things
better in the run game, pass game, doing things better in pass defense.
We need to improve in all facets.
I think the effort is there. I
think players are doing the correct assignments as far as heading in the
right direction, but you have to finish.
We have got to make the catch when it's there, got to make the tackle
when you're there, got to make the throw when it's there and they know that.
I think there's some frustration by knowing that, but we're going to
keep plugging along because we have got a lot in front of us to play for
still and that's the intention,” said Lutz.
Columbian (2-4,0-1) is at Clyde (4-2,0-1), #4 in the
Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, on
Friday night. The Fliers lost
(28-7) to unbeaten Perkins last week.
Lutz says they are very good on both sides of the ball.
“Clyde is very, very good. We
are in similar situation to them. Last
year, they were kind of banged up the middle of the year, losing some very
key players that were a little bit younger and so having to plug in the next
best guys who were underclassmen. So,
now they got those guys back from last year, they've gotten some key
experience as well as being pretty healthy,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Wednesday afternoon, “They've done some really good things on both sides
of the ball. They are 4-2 for a
reason with their two losses coming to pretty dang good teams.
So, they're playing at a really high level both sides of the field.
Have guys who can break it open on both sides as far as offense and
defense with some team speed and also mix with some really good size up
front too. So, they're a very,
very good team and it's going to take our best effort to be in the game.”
Lutz says this is an important game for both teams.
“If we want any chance at a playoff berth and extend our streak we
have got to find a way to beat a good team and they're a very good team.
It would be a huge win for us. They're
looking to get back on the momentum after losing against a good team and get
that bad taste out of their mouth as well from a loss last week.
So, a big game for both of us for sure and I think they know that and
we definitely know that,” he said.
Published 10/03/24
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Looking to Realize Potential
Tiffin Columbian may be at a crossroads of their season as they host
Sandusky in their first game in the in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference on Friday night.
They collapsed in the second half last week and lost (38-20) to Huron
in a “SBC” crossover.
Coach Judd Lutz says execution was the issue.
“We were down a couple of guys and then had had some further
injuries early in the game that really made us pretty thin at some spots.
I thought our kids played really hard and came out and executed in a
lot of ways early and often, but they made some good adjustments.
We made some adjustments, but didn’t execute them in all three
phases. We gave up a big play in
special teams, a big play on defense on a trick play and just couldn't get
on the right side of it. Then
pressed at the end to try to come back couldn't get it done.
So, it's a real bitter taste and felt like one got away against a
good team. At the same point, we
have got a lot ahead of us. So,
we have got to right the ship. It's
going to start one day at a time and then one opponent at a time.
We have got Sandusky coming to town, who’s going to be a formidable
opponent and has some great players. We
have got to put together a good week if we want to have a chance to win,”
said Lutz.
Lutz says this is an important week for his team.
He says they have to get better and more consistent.
“We have got to get back to our strengths and lean on those.
Some of the gaps that we we've kind of had thus far.
Close those gaps and make them an area of strength as opposed to an
area of weakness. Some of that
is the schemes, some of that is maybe who's doing it, but a lot of times
it's just doing it better. We
have showed kids multiple plays throughout the course of several games that
are there to be made and we have got to make them,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “Coaches can only put them in
positions to make plays and we want them to make plays.
We want them to have success. So,
we're not going to ask him to do anything they can't.
Only what they can do. We
feel like we got a group of guys who are talented and can get it done and
need to get it done for their sake, for our sake and all the work they put
into it. We have got a lot in
front of us, lots to play for thus far and fighting for a lot of things and
that's what I expect to see on Friday.”
Columbian (2-3,0-0) plays at home against Sandusky (2-3,0-0) on
Friday night. The Blue Streaks
have won their last two, including beating Vermilion (36-20) last week.
Lutz says they have some playmakers.
“They made some changes at the quarterback position.
They have some tremendous athletes on the perimeter offensively and
defensively. They're playing
really at a high level defensively in a lot of ways and being very
opportunistic and special teams as well.
Getting some things going offensively and being explosive at times.
So, we have got to play sound football, we have got to lean on our
strengths, take away some of theirs as much as possible and find a way to
get on the winning side. The
combination of winning changes week to week and this is definitely a unique
challenge this week with a lot of things that they do and what we're trying
to do against it. It's going to
be fun to see if we can get it executed,” he said.
Published 9/24/24
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Tiffin
Has to Find a Way
Tiffin Columbian makes the road trip to Huron for one of those
“SBC” crossovers on Friday night.
They were hammered by one of the best division III teams in the state
in Columbus Bishop Watterson (51-7) last week.
Coach Judd Lutz says it was a bad combination.
Watterson is very good and they didn’t execute well.
“Bishop Watterson is very good and we did not play good and they
did. We have to execute better,
we have got to get better effort, we have got to coach it better and learn
it better. When you play good
teams early you're going to expose yourself to yourself and hopefully to
some future opponents too. You
have got to be aware of that,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday
evening, “We have got some experienced guys, we have got some young guys
still trying to right the ship and play good football here obviously at key
points in the season. We're
hoping to do that. I feel like
we have talent, feel like we have guys and coaching staff to do it, but now
it's got to show on Friday nights.”
Lutz says they can’t just forget about last week.
They have to learn from it. “You
want to learn from any experience. Hopefully,
it's finding ways to win against good teams.
That's what our belief is, but at the same point you better learn. You
better learn somehow, some way. We've
definitely got a lot to learn from here the first couple weeks.
What's reflected in practice hopefully is what you're going to see on
Fridays. I'm really pleased with
how we've practiced, but like I said it's got to show on Friday and we'll
see. Every week's a different
battle combination of winning, so always changing and I think our kids are
up for it though,” said Lutz.
Columbian (2-2) is at Huron (3-1) this week.
The Tigers belted Dayton Dunbar (49-14) last Saturday afternoon.
Lutz says Huron doesn’t have a lot of players, but they have a lot
of good ones. “They are very
good. You put on the tape they
have got great players. They
have a good quarterback, they have several good receivers, who can all catch
the ball and block for each other on the perimeter.
They have got good size up front.
There's no small guy on the roster.
Some big guys who carry the ball. They don't have a tremendous amount
of depth, which makes sense based on their enrollment numbers on the roster
and everything. What they do
have is really good. We have got
to be ready a fourth quarter game and also find a way to get it done,” he
said.
Published 9/20/24
© Swankonsports.com
Follow our scoreboard Friday night
For constant updates beginning with the kick
Columbian
Has to be Really Good, not Perfect
Tiffin Columbian
plays as good a schedule as any team in North Central Ohio and that
continues this week as they host Columbus Bishop Watterson on Friday night
in non-conference action.
They destroyed
East Cleveland Shaw (56-0) last week and coach Judd Lutz sats they got a lot
of kids into the game. “It was
a good way to right the ship and have success.
A lot of guys experience their firsts when it comes to varsity
football. We were two games into
the season against two good opponents and had a lot of young guys
participating in different ways, so they had to wait a little bit.
In week three, I think we had a guy who had his first varsity
touchdown catch, a guy had his first interception and varsity touchdown,
another guy had a fumble recovery for a touchdown in his first varsity
action and then another guy his first rushing touchdown.
So, you feel really good for those guys getting to reap the rewards
after a big offseason of work and everything.
It was good to get the losing taste out of your mouth, get the
winning taste, but now back at trying to keep it rolling against a really,
really good opponent coming to our place this week,” said Lutz.
Tiffin (2-1)
plays at home against Watterson (3-0) on Friday.
The Eagles blasted Westerville North (41-6) last week.
Lutz says they
have very good players all over the field.
“They are really good top to bottom with their whole roster.
You don't have any holes, even in the kicking game they're really,
really solid and why they made it to the state championship last year in
Division III and probably feel like they have a roster to do something
similar this year because they return a great deal of contributors from last
year's team. So, it's going to
take our best effort. It doesn't
take a herculean effort, but just everyone doing their job best they can and
doing all the little things right when called upon.
So, they definitely pop off the film in a lot of ways with some good
size and good speed. Overall,
there's just really, really solid team with no holes and I think that's why
they've been really successful here last several years,” he said.
Watterson has
only given up one score this year. Lutz
says to have success against them you must have consistent execution.
“Just playing mistake free football you know they capitalize on
mistakes. They capitalize on
negative plays getting behind the sticks and having to throw the ball into
their coverage and exotic looks kind of upfront with their four defensive
lineman and usually bringing a linebacker or two with twists.
They play a lot of athletic guys on that side of the ball that can
really run,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “When you
get behind the sticks at all and get into position where you're throwing it
for sure they can pin their ears back and go get it and everyone else can
have eyes on the quarterback and drop in areas and close quickly.
So, I think just staying on schedule offensively.
Catching it when it's thrown to us, throw it to us accurately, get
the running game going, so at least it's a consistent threat.
Just doing all the little things right really.”
Published 9/12/24
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Tiffin
Wants Back on the Beam
Tiffin Columbian will be a home Friday night to entertain East
Cleveland Shaw in a non-conference game.
They suffered a (42-0) loss to Chardon last week.
However, coach Judd Lutz says they didn’t play as poorly as that
sounds. “We went over and had
plenty of opportunities. We put
on the film and even in the game it was frustrating because of some mistakes
where if we capitalize on some things that are right there for us we feel
like it's a much, much closer game and we got some momentum with a young
team and we just didn't do that. I
didn't feel like we got bullied, out physicaled, necessarily, just didn't
fit things up perfectly. If we
didn’t make some catches down the field we needed to make necessarily, a
couple turnovers, a special teams team blunder and all of the sudden you're
fighting and clawing from behind. So,
lots to work on, that's even in a win, but obviously motivated coming off a
loss and righting in the ship and getting back to work,” he said.
Lutz says he likes what he sees in practice this week.
“It’s been a great week. I
really feel like our kids are process driven, our coaches are process
driven, and we talk about not always being product based.
You hope that you have great days Monday through Thursday and they're
highly competitive and build in some adversity with some success but also
put your kids in a tough spot too to see how they respond.
You hope it shows up on Friday. I
thought we had a great week of practice really last week, just didn't reap
the rewards of it, but that doesn't mean you flush everything and change a
bunch of stuff. You have got to
make tweaks and you have got to sure up some areas and some things where
maybe you were exposed and you’re not doing well enough yet and have got
to continue growing. So far,
this week, early in the week, I do like the way we are bouncing back.
The focus has been there and intensity has been there, we have just
got to continue to execute and continue to become a better team every
day,” said Lutz.
Columbian (1-1) is at home for Shaw (0-2) on Friday.
The Cardinals have only scored twice this season so far.
Lutz says they have the ability break a big one.
“They're a new opponent. A
lot of newness to it. They have
a new coaching staff going over there. Doing
some research, it’s a coach who brought a group of coaches with him, so I
think they have a good language base with what they want to do.
They have played two tough teams to start things off and haven’t
reaped the rewards success yet, but definitely have some athletes and some
guys who can really make some highlights offensively and defensively,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “They run to the ball well
defensively. They're very
active, they don't stay blocked long. You
have got to take advantage of maybe guys being out of position a little bit
and get off the ball and gap schemes and zone schemes.
Then defensively, they have got some really special kids on the
perimeter. Running backs that if
they get space and room they're going to make a great play.
So, really have to not give them the space, not getting the room and
tackle when you have the chance to tackle, gang tackle and get there.
So, I think it's a great opportunity for us to grow from last week to
get back in front of our home crowd and get this bad taste out of our
mouth.”
Published 9/04/24
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Excited to Play Chardon
Tiffin Columbian makes the trip east of Cleveland on Friday night
face the Chardon Hilltoppers in a non-conference football game.
In their opener, the Tornadoes rallied in the second half to beat
Fremont Ross (27-11) last Friday.
Coach Judd Lutz says there were able to get more accustomed with
varsity football as the game wore on. “We're
playing a lot of inexperienced guys, some even young guys according to age
and we expected some early jitters for sure and definitely showed, but I
thought we did some good things in the first half, just didn't capitalize on
a couple chances against a team who returned some good talent, was really
big and had great size. I
thought we made some great adjustments at halftime and gave some really good
effort, played really hard in the third and fourth quarter, and made some
big plays when it mattered and found a way to get it done,” said Lutz.
Lutz says they got win one, but they must improve as a football team.
“You don't want to stay the same.
Now you have got a little experience and hopefully it's a good one
and I think that's what our guys definitely got.
They got some good experience and some success, which is always a
good thing too. It helps with
the buy in, trust factor for sure when things go your way and you can make
some things happen. I think
it’s going to bode well here down the road, but at the same point a whole
new opponent, a whole new challenge here week two to keep the ball
rolling,” he said.
Chardon smoked Timber Creek, Florida, (29-7) in their first game.
The Hilltoppers have made the playoffs 21 times and were state champs
back to back in 2020 and 2021.
Lutz says this is a storied program.
“Chardon's really been the class of our division, outside some of
the private schools, here for the last five years. It's
a big public school that if you don’t know anything about them, they’ve
run the same offense for 40 plus years from the youth league up.
So, they know what they do really well.
They execute at a high level with great effort and physicality.
Their coach is a hardnosed guy and it shows in their play,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “Defensively, they run to the ball,
they're really fast, super aggressive. They
have got a big sized team. They
have got enough to play really two platoon on both sides of the ball and so
they can stay fresh and really get after it.
So, I’m really impressed obviously with the season they had last
year, made a deep playoff run to the final four run.
I think those are similar goals that they have again this year, so it
should be a good heavyweight battle between two good programs.”
Published 8/30/24
© Swankonsports.com
Follow our scoreboard Friday night
For constant updates beginning with the kick
Tiffin
to Face Physical Fremont Ross
Tiffin Columbian is going to be inexperienced in some places as they
kickoff the football season at home Friday night against Fremont Ross Little
Giants in non-conference play.
Coach Judd Lutz says just have to be as ready as you can be on week
one. “You definitely have as
much as you can get in in the allotted time and as much as you feel
necessary, but there's always stuff that you haven't repped as much as you
probably like to and those situational things.
You just have got to get going at some point.
It's here now and you have got to be ready for it and hopefully hit
the ground running,” he said.
Columbian was (11-3) last year losing in the division III regional
final. A media panel chose the
Tornadoes to be third in a five team “SBC” Lake this year.
They smoked Fremont Ross (41-14) last season.
However, Lutz says this year they will face a Little Giant team that
has shown a lot of good things. “They
return a very good team from last year that had some success at some key
spots. I think when you return a
quarterback and a good right receiver and some starters on the offensive and
defensive line and some linebackers there's some comfort level there having
some returning starters and experience coming back and that's what they do.
They found a lot of success in their first two scrimmages. I
think we're playing really good football right now.
They are very physical on both sides of the ball defensively and
offensively. So, you have to be
up for the challenge to play that brand of football or else you’re going
to have a long night,” said Lutz.
Lutz says on week one you have to be able to adapt.
“I think every year you watch some week one games against teams and
then you look back later in the season and you have teams who go on to have
great years who maybe played poorly in the first game and maybe lose to
inferior opponent and vice versa maybe and an inferior opponent knocks off a
really good team early, but doesn't go and have a good year,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “You could start off hot and have
some success afterwards. Week
one high school football when you have you know 14, 15, 16 year old kids out
there possibly being contributors anything can happen.
You have got to expect anything to happen, so you try to prepare for
everything, but obviously you can't prepare for everything, you just prepare
for the likelihood of several things.”
Published 8/21/24
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Will be Different, but Good
Tiffin Columbian has become one of the more consistent football teams
in this part of the State of Ohio and it is going to be interesting to see
if they can do that again this fall.
Coach Judd Lutz says they have a long way to go yet.
“We're definitely not a finished product yet and I'd be probably
more concerned if it looked like we were.
We’ve got a lot of new guys that are going to be contributing a
lot. A big senior class of
contributors last year to replace and so a lot of guys going to get their
first taste of varsity football, which is very exciting.
We’ve tweaked some things this offseason and prepare for that.
We are always evolving and changing what we do every single year, but
at the same point try to be consistent with some stuff.
So far, the kids have worked really, really hard.
I cannot say enough about that. They
have put themselves in position to compete for jobs individually and then
obviously grow together as a team. So,
happy with the progress right now, but obviously we got a ways to go before
we find the best version of us for sure,” he said.
Lutz says it is a different year and that means they have to be
different too to continue to be successful.
“I think all great coaches do that in different ways.
We have a language for it. I
graduated from Mount Union and I pretty much learned the terminology
formations are players, formations, plays, it all starts with your players.
What can they do offensively, defensively, and special teams.
Then that should drive the formations, the sets, the ways you line up
really. Then obviously that
dictates the plays that should be run and you don't want to go backwards.
You don't want to fall in love with plays and formations if you don't
have the players,” he told Swanknsports.com on Thursday afternoon,
“Every year obviously our players change.
You're going to graduate a third of your team on average.
Have a new third coming in that might be able to contribute.
So, that's exciting and every year we try to keep as much consistency
as possible and train up those kids that are going to be contributors in the
future to know that stuff and be successful at it.
The same point every year, we kind of tweak what we do based on who
we have. So far, it's worked
pretty well, but every year is a new challenge.”
Lutz says with a week to go before they open the season against
Fremont Ross next Friday they are still working on being to consistent in
their execution. “For us it is
consistency. We have a lot of
guys competing for a lot of jobs and so we've increased the amount of reps
that we've run offensively and defensively throughout camp knowing that you
can't run something only a handful of times and expect guys who have only
maybe done it once, twice or three times to master it. So,
our volume has gone up, but we're still far away from mastery and
consistency. So, we've seen a
number of guys do things at a high level and do things really, really well,
but then we've also seen mistakes. Some
things that we have got to sure up and be more consistent right.
The message oftentimes is only in coaching do we make you do
something until you can't get it wrong as opposed to other places where you
kind of do it until you get it right and then you move.
We're kind of opposite. So,
just consistency and that's going to come with time.
The same time, we don't have a whole lot of time to figure it out
either with that next week games going and the degree of opponents that we
face throughout the course of this season we don't have a whole lot of time
to figure it out, but that's exciting,” said Lutz.
Published 8/16/24
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source for All Things Sports
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Columbian
Keeps its Share
Tiffin
Columbian keeps a share of the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division lead
after a (4-0) win over Clyde on Monday evening.
Isaiah Tilse won his fifth game of the season and the Tornadoes
(10-8,6-2) are tied for first place with Perkins.
Tiffin plays Norwalk on Wednesday and Clyde again on Friday in league
games.
Coach Nick Weber says it was a big win for them.
“It keeps us alive in the race for first place here.
It allows us to control our own destiny remaining of the week.
Last week was a very long week for us.
We got beat by two very good teams in Perkins and Bellevue last week.
So, to come back out on Monday and kind of regroup and set the tone
for the rest of the week is a good thing for us,” said Weber.
Weber says they have been telling the kids it’s one game at a time.
“Our message to the kids after Friday was one bite at a time.
We still control everything in front of us and not look ahead to
Wednesday. We're not looking
ahead to Friday. We just take
one bite at time and keep moving forward and keep playing the game the right
way,” he said.
Again Monday, Tilse was in command, according to Weber.
“Isaiah won for us again (Monday) night.
He went seven innings and had 13 strikeouts and pitched very, very
well around the zone, kept them off balance and gave us a shot.
We played defense behind him and made the routine plays that we
needed to make,” he said.
Tilse ha an ERA of 0.36 this season.
He has struck 83 in 37 and two thirds innings.
Weber says they were able to strike early against Clyde.
“When Isaiah is on four runs is a very comfortable lead for me and
I'm usually not comfortable. We
jumped out 3-0 in the first inning and we're able to get one in the second
on a Jamison Woessner home run that put us up 4-0,” he told
Swankonsports.com after the win, “That's all Isaiah needed.
Isaiah can take a deep breath seeing he's got some support.
He was able to do what he did and shut them down for the rest of the
game.”
Published 4/30/24
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Tilse
No Hits Bellevue
Isaiah Tilse fired a no hitter with 16 strikeouts and Tiffin
Columbian edged Bellevue (2-1) Wednesday in a game in the Lake Division of
the Sandusky Bay Conference.
The Tornadoes lead the division standings.
Tilse had a very similar effort last Friday in beating Sandusky
Perkins.
Coach Nick Weber says he was brilliant.
“Isaiah was on the mound for us again (Wednesday).
He went to distance on a no hitter with 16 strikeouts.
Just kind of doing what he's been doing lately and just pounding the
zone and keep getting outs and keep putting us in positions to win,” he
told Swankonsports.com after the win, “When our offense is not 100% quite
there yet to put up a bunch of runs. As
a coach it's give you confidence when one or two runs and you know that hey
that could be enough for us to get a victory.”
Weber says anytime Tilse is on the mound, the whole team feels very
confident. “Then I think that
our kids know that as well. If
they could scrap out a couple of runs here to give him just enough breathing
room so he doesn't feel like he has to be perfect every pitch and relaxes
him and it relaxes us as a whole. So,
our kids believe too behind him,” he said.
Tilse has struck out 50 in just 20 and two thirds innings this year.
He has not allowed an earned run this spring.
Taieb Al-Zakawani doubled and scored on a squeezed bunt in the fourth
for the Tornadoes (6-3,3-0). In
the fifth, Bryce Roggow walked, stole second and scored on a hit by Braylen
Auble.
Weber says They didn’t hit a lot, but they made some clutch plays.
“I mean we got our first one on a leadoff double, a sac bunt to
move him to third and we squeezed him home.
To get second one, we got a leadoff double and then thrown out at
third, with a really good catcher behind the plate in Dennings.
With two outs with have a senior in Bryce Roggow give us an eight
pitch walk, he finds a way to steal second and then we have another senior
who gives us an eight pitch at bat hits a single to left field to give us a
run, which is obviously all we needed,” said Weber.
Tiffin
Gets Huron in Extra Innings
Tiffin Columbian outlasted Huron (4-2) in a non-conference game, or
“SBC” crossover, played at Sports Force Park in Sandusky on a cloudy
Monday evening.
Huron led (2-0), but the Tornadoes scored twice in the top of the
sixth, the trying run scoring on a sac fly by Johnny Bremyer.
Then in the eighth, Columbian took the lead when Braylon Auble
bunted, the Tigers misplayed the ball, and Bryce Roggow scored from first.
Auble then scored on a wild pitch.
Coach Nick Weber says they had to be relentless.
“It was one of those days that the ball wasn't carrying well at
all. I thought we had some balls
that that we're going to find a gap and they hung up, but on a cold day out
there at the lake coming off the water like that we just we had to keep
finding ways. The first three
innings we had guys in scoring position and just couldn't break through.
We kind of keep telling the kids they were relentless and keep
fighting through and then in the sixth inning we were able to get
through,” said Weber.
Columbian (3-1) has played some pretty good baseball over the first
week of the season. Weber is
pleased. “I’m pretty happy
with where we are right now. We
went to Findlay and beat a very tough Findlay team.
Then the very next night we were over at Fremont and beat a very good
Fremont team,” he told Swankonsports.com after the win, “We're very
happy with where we are. The
bats are still a little bit sleeping, but we’re starting to wake up a
little bit. We're happy to get
off of this start,” he said.
The Tornadoes are supposed to play Wednesday at Sandusky in their
opener in the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division.
Weber believes they can be in the division race.
“I think we will be able to compete.
The Lake Division is extremely tough no matter where you are and who
you're playing. It’s always
been tough and it's going to continue to be tough. Trying
to beat each team twice is very hard to do.
There are a lot of good coaches and a lot of good baseball players in
the Lake Division. So, it's
challenging no matter what, but I think we keep doing what we’re doing
take care of what we do I think we have a good shot,” he said.
Published 4/02/24
© Swankonsports.com
Tornadoes
Gotta Make Plays
Tiffin Columbian gets a chance at revenge on Tuesday night as they
travel to Sandusky Perkins to meet the Pirates in a division II sectional
semifinal.
Perkins just beat them (49-44) in a game in the Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
Coach Travis Kinn says it was another game this year they had a
really good chance to win and didn’t.
“We had our opportunities. We
feel like we let one get away Friday and we just have to be a little bit
mentally sharper, especially to start the game and make sure we don't lose
certain guys and let them get clean looks from three.
Even then late in the game, we had our chances, just didn't quite
make enough plays. So,
hopefully, Tuesday night, the third time will be a charm and we get a little
revenge back to their place,” said Kinn.
Columbian (9-13) has had five games this season they have lost by
seven points or less, including (51-50) at Perkins on January 22.
Kinn says there is no need for schematic changes, they just have to
execute better. “I don't think
there's a lot of wholesale changes. Obviously,
both teams know each other pretty well, playing twice a year in the league.
We see them playing a handful of times beyond that through scouting
and stuff,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “We have just
got to find a way to make a few more plays, make a few more shots, be a
little more mentally focused defensively. I
think we had some flashes from time to time where we missed the rotation,
where we didn't switch aggressively and anticipate like we need to.”
Kinn says they have to be more consistent and win those 50/50 plays.
“When you look back over the course of the game that's close
there's nine, 10, 12, 15 plays that you feel like if they the other way
you're in a lot better position to win,” he said.
Published 2/27/24
© Swankonsports.com
Don’t miss a special “Out of Bounds”
This Saturday night 10 PM to 11 PM
Your
First Source for All Things Sports
Winning
the Goal for Columbian
Tiffin Columbian is at home against Sandusky Perkins in a game in the
Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
The two schools meet again on Tuesday night in a first round
tournament game in division II at Perkins.
In their first game, Perkins won (51-50) at the horn on January 22.
Coach Travis Kinn says if the Tornadoes play well, they can win it.
“As long as we can play well and do some of the things that we've
really been working on in practice, rebound the ball, we can guard the ball,
we'll have a chance. Perkins is
playing really well right now. I
don't know how many of their last games they won, but they're on quite the
streak and they're playing good basketball.
We feel like we let one slip away at their place.
It'll be senior night for our three seniors and that brings an array
of emotions for a variety of people, so hopefully we'll be focused and
dialed in and ready to go,” said Kinn.
Columbian (9-12,4-5) entertains Perkins (14-7,5-4) on Friday night.
The Pirates have won their last six games.
Kinn says they do a lot of good things on both ends of the floor.
“They're really balanced scoring the ball.
They have got guys that can shoot it, they have got guys that can
play inside, they get out in transition and they run some good sets.
They do a little bit of everything offensively.
Defensively, they have got length, they have got size, they rebound
the ball and they control the glass. They're
just a really sound fundamentally well coached team.
So, they do a little bit of everything well, so we need a lot to
prepare for this week and then into Tuesday next week in the tournament.
I think it's important for us to play with confidence and play with a
little bit of a chip on our shoulder,” he said.
Kinn says just because they play them again in four days, they are
not going to hold anything back on Friday.
“It's a weird situation to play somebody in the regular season and
turn around four days later and play them in the tournament.
We've been putting things in towards the end of the year that we want
to have ready for the tournament. How
much we use those and don't use those this Friday, that'll kind of be a feel
of the game depending on how the night's going,” he told Swankonsports.com
on Thursday afternoon, “We want to get a win on Friday first and foremost
and then we want to win Tuesday as well, but we think Friday is important
for our guys. So, we'll do
whatever we need to pull it out and do whatever is necessary to try to get
it done.”
Published 2/23/24
© Swankonsports.com
Don’t miss a special “Out of Bounds”
This Saturday night 10 PM to 11 PM
Your
First Source for All Things Sports
Tiffin
Getting Swager Back
Tiffin Columbian heads for Clyde on Friday night for a game in the
Lake Division of the Sandusky Conference.
They meet an outstanding Findlay team on Saturday night.
They broke a seven game losing streak with a (56-54) win over Norwalk
on Friday night in division play.
Coach Travis Kinn says they were able to hold on for the win this
time. “We made enough plays
down the stretch. It was kind of
back and forth game. We had
probably a six, seven point lead with a couple minutes to go and they made
some threes late. Fortunately,
we were able to kind of beat the clock so to speak in that situation.
So, our guys been battling through some adversity and it felt good to
be on the right side of a close game for once,” said Kinn.
Kinn says they hope that win helps give them their confidence back.
“Hopefully it helps the guys get their swagger back a little bit.
We were winning a lot of close games early in the year.
We had just a losing stretch and just kept finding new ways to lose,
so hopefully we can get back on track,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian (9-10,4-4) plays at Clyde (5-15,1-7) in a division
game on Friday night. Clyde has
won three of its last five and one of those losses came last Friday (81-73)
to division winner Sandusky.
The Tornadoes won the first game (87-84) on January 4.
Kinn says the Fliers can score and that makes them scary.
“They have a lot of guys that can score the ball.
It's always a tough place to play when you play on the floor.
They got a lot of guys to shoot the ball and anytime teams kind of
live and die by the three that scares you a little bit.
You want to take away those looks and not let guys get in a rhythm
early. I think it will be
important to get off to a good start and kind of contain their shooters and
their scores,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “We know
that they want to play fast. Offensively,
we don't mind doing that that. Game
planning wise, we want to try to slow them down and make them run a little
half court offense if possible too. We
had a hard time doing that the first game. I
think it was 87-84. There
wasn’t a whole lot of defense played on either end, so hopefully we can be
a little bit better in that aspect.”
Published 2/13/2024
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Tiffin
Has to Rebound Well
Tiffin Columbian plays at home against Norwalk Friday night in a game
in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
After an overtime loss (59-55) to Anthony Wayne on Tuesday night, the
Tornadoes have lost their last seven.
However, coach Travis Kinn says their attitude remains solid.
“It's been a bit of a rough month for us.
So, hopefully these last couple weeks of the regular season we can
kind of right the ship and make a little bit of a tournament run.
Lots of credit to our guys. They
are still buying in, they're still working hard, they're still approaching
things with the right attitude, which is tough to do as an adult you know
head coach, let alone a 16, 17-year-old.
So, a lot of props to them. We
are just one play away, one night we play 30 minutes, the next night we play
29 minutes. We have got to put
it together for a full 32, so Friday would be a good opportunity to do
that,” said Kinn.
Columbian (8-10,3-4) hosts Norwalk (11-7,3-4) on Friday night in a
division game. Tiffin beat
Norwalk (55-42) on December 22.
Kinn says the Truckers do a lot of things well.
“The second time through league is always tough.
From an offensive standpoint, seems like we'll know everything about
them and they know everything about us.
There's not going to be a lot of secrets or surprises.
It's just going to come down to who executes better, who plays a
little better, who makes a few more shots, rebounds the ball better and
takes care of the ball more,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday
evening, “There's not a lot probably they don't know about us and we
understand that, so it's just a matter of making plays and finding a way to
make plays for 32 minutes. They're
strong, they're physical, they rebound the ball well, they take care of
well, they hit timely shots. When
they make timely shots on offense, they can be a tough out.
So, they're playing pretty good basketball and it will be a great
test for us.”
Kinn says to be successful they are going to have to compete on the
boards. “They're really big,
they're really physical. The
(Ben) Rothhaar kid, but they also have (Mason) Gamble and a few other guys
inside they can really get up and go after the ball.
The (Dalton) Chapin kid can rebound the ball, pretty much everybody
on their roster and that's something they really kind of make their bread
and butter. We watched a little
bit of the first time through and I think at one point second quarter they
had like 17 shots to our seven or something like that.
So, it's definitely a concern, it's definitely something we have got
to be disciplined with and execute,” he said.
Published 2/09/24
© Swankonsports.com
Our scoreboard updated every five minutes
On
Friday night at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
Columbian
Has to Get Back to the Basics
Tiffin Columbian plays at Bellevue in a game in the Sandusky Bay
Conference Lake Division on Friday night.
They are at Oregon Clay for a non-league game on Saturday.
They lost last Thursday (76-62) to division leader Sandusky and then
(57-49) to Bowling Green in a non-conference game on Saturday.
The Tornadoes have lost four in row, all to good teams, but coach
Travis Kinn says they have to get back to what they were doing earlier.
“We just have got to regroup and get back to the basics.
I think we've gotten away from some of the things the make us
successful early in the year. I
don't think we're doing a great job of keeping the ball one side of the
floor defensively, rebounding, free throws, pushing the ball in the
offensive end and trying to get timely transition baskets.
I thought that was something we really stressed early in the year.
My fault, I allowed us to get away from that a little bit.
So, we have just got to get back to doing what we thought we wanted
to do at the beginning of the year and really focus on us and make sure that
we're doing the things that you know we think we need to do to be a
successful basketball team,” said Kinn.
Columbian (8-7,3-3) is at Bellevue (12-3,3-3), #4 in the
Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball poll in the large school division, on
Friday night. The Redmen are
coming off a (53-48) win at Willard on Saturday night.
Kinn says Bellevue is tough to score on.
“They are playing really well right now.
They have got a lot of long, athletic kids.
We know that defensively they can really get after it and give us
problems. So, we're going to
have to find ways to manufacture points.
With their size, we're going to have to find a way to be consistent
on the glass and not give up second and third opportunities and then we have
got to guard. We have got to
guard the way that we've been coached to do.
So, we have got to see things, we have got to switch out early and be
sure that we keep the ball in front of us,” he said.
Tiffin won the first meeting (48-39) on December 16.
Kinn says with Bellevue’s length it is hard to get open shots.
“They're really disciplined in how they guard and they kind of pack
it in and force you to hit perimeter jumpers.
With their length, those perimeter jumpers are not open jumpers,
they're contested,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “We
have got to find a way to manufacture some points offensively because they
can really lock down and guard teams. They
have got a lot of interchangeable pieces.
The Martins twins defensively give them some flexibility with things,
but they have got some other quick guys that can guard and score the ball as
well. So, they're really
complete team, that's why they have the record that they have.”
Published 1/30/2024
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Tiffin
has to Board
Tiffin Columbian entertains Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division
leader Sandusky in a division game on Thursday night.
On Monday night, they fell (51-50) to Perkins in a division game that
the Pirates won at the buzzer.
Coach Travis Kinn says they just didn’t make enough plays.
“I thought we played well in spurts.
We didn't put together enough of 32 minutes to win.
We did some things better on the rebounding side then we've done in
games of late before that, but just didn't make enough plays down the
stretch. Credit to Perkins for
making those plays when they counted. I
thought the thing that really hurt us is, the end of the game we made some
mistakes missing free throws and things like that, but there was a stretch
to start third quarter where they want a 7-0 run just based on some effort
plays that I thought really kind of hurt us,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Wednesday evening, “We kind of regrouped after a timeout made our run to
answer that, but spotting a team six, seven points out of the half is never
ideal. So, props to them.
We have got to get better. Another
thing I love about our guys is they don't feel sorry for themselves and they
understand that nobody else will either.”
Columbian (8-5,3-2) lost to Sandusky (10-1,5-0), #3 in the
Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball coaches poll in the large school
division, (66-63) on January 13 at Sandusky in another game they could have
won.
Kinn says his kids always have the right attitude.
“It'll be a battle, it'll be 32 minutes, it'll be a fun game.
Again, I give a lot of props to our guys for their demeanor and their
approach even after some tough losses here of late.
They step on the floor they expect to win.
When you have a team that thinks that way, when you have a collective
group of guys working together and playing for each other you always have a
chance,” he said.
To get the win this time, Kinn says they have to continue to handle
the ball and they must rebound better.
“We'll have to make some plays.
We'll have to rebound a little better than we did the first time
against them. I thought we did a
really nice job taking care of the basketball and not turning it over and
our turnovers did not lead to easy transition points for them very often as
well and that's key against them. They're
very good at turning turnovers into points quickly. So, we did a good job
with that first time. We have
got to do a little bit better and we do a lot better job on the rebounding
side of things give ourselves a chance,” said Kinn.
Published 1/24/2024
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Columbian
Needs to Bounce Back
After a tough loss last week, Tiffin Columbian needs to get back on
the beam as they travel to Sandusky Perkins for a game in the Lake Division
of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
They fell out of a share of the lead in the division when they lost
(66-63) to Sandusky last Saturday night.
Coach Travis Kinn says that was a game they should have won.
“We let one get away. We
were up five with about two minutes to go and we got loose with our
defensive assignments, getting back, boxing out, we just didn't do a good
enough job the last two minutes of that game.
So, props to Sandusky for playing 32 minutes.
It is what it is. I was
really proud of how our guys battled and more so how are guys prepared all
week in practice and thought they were laser focused and hopefully that will
continue going into Perkins,” said Kinn.
Kinn says his kids want to get back on the floor to get that bad
taste out of their mouths. “I
think our guys are eager. It
feels like forever ago even though it's only been less than a week, but our
guys are eager to get out there and compete again doing what they love to
do,” he said.
Columbian (8-4,3-1) plays at Perkins (5-5,1-3) on Friday night.
The Pirates beat Clyde (58-38) last Friday in a division game.
They added a (62-43) win over Port Clinton on Saturday.
They have won five of their last seven.
Kinn says they are starting to play pretty well.
“They’ve got some great size, they have got a lot of good
athletes. They have kind of hit
their stride a little bit getting a late start after football, we know what
that can be like and the toll it takes on guys bodies at times,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “I think they're really hitting
their stride. I think they have
got a good balance offensively. The
(Joey) Deiderich kid does a good job running the show for them, kind of
balances getting everybody theirs, as well as scoring the basketball.
Again, their size and their length present problems.”
Published 1/19/24
© Swankonsports.com
Our scoreboard updated every five minutes
On
Friday night at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
Tiffin
Must Contain Sandusky Explosiveness
Tiffin Columbian shares the lead in the Lake Division of the Sandusky
Bay Conference with Sandusky and they travel there on Saturday night.
On Tuesday night, the Tornadoes smoked Rossford (61-35) in a non
league game.
It was a win, but coach Travis Kinn says they didn’t play that
well. “I don't think it was
the cleanest game that we played. Our
guys competed at a high level just you know some sloppiness on early weekday
game that hopefully we worked out of our system for Saturday.
I think we made some mistakes on the offensive end with the ball that
will have to be a lot sharper on when Sandusky pressures us on Saturday.
So, our guys realize that, they understand that, they can see it on
the film and hopefully learn from it on Saturday,” he said.
Columbian (8-3,3-0) is at Sandusky (8-2,3-0), #2 in the
Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball coaches poll in the large school
division on Saturday night. The
Blue Streaks beat Willard (66-64) in a crossover game on Tuesday night.
Kinn says the Streaks have offensive balance, they rebound, and they
cause a lot turnovers. “They're
balanced, they have got a lot of guys that can score the ball.
They have got a lot of guys to shoot the ball.
It seems like every time you watch a game or a different tape, they
have got a different guy who's kind of the leader on the offensive end, so I
think their balance is tough to prepare for,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Wednesday evening, “We need to handle their pressure and I think
rebounding. They're really good
on the offensive glass and they probably don't get enough credit for that
because everybody knows them for their pressure.
So, it's a fine line between going to the offensive glass yourself
and making sure somebody's back so that you can get their transition points.
So, that's something we'll have to navigate carefully.”
Kinn says it will be important for them to limit Sandusky’s runs.
“You really have got to minimize their runs.
I think that's what's made them so good the last couple years is when
a typical team might go on a 6-0 run for Sandusky it’s 10-0.
If a typical team goes on an 8-2 run for Sandusky it's 13-4 or
something like that. So, we have
really got to minimize when they get rolling and dialed in and focused and
then obviously try to maximize our runs when they're not putting up points
on the board. It's kind of a
rollercoaster ride with them when they're playing well they're playing
really well and you pop in the tape and you know it pops your eyes you can
see it. The things that they do well they do really well, so we're going to
have to really try to minimize that,” said Kinn.
Published 1/11/2024
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Defense
the Key for Columbian
Tiffin Columbian returns to play in the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake
Division on Thursday night when they host Clyde.
They are at home for unbeaten Willard in a non-conference game on
Saturday.
Last week, they played a couple of games in Columbus in beating
Worthington Christian (56-53) on Thursday and losing to Bexley (44-42) on
Friday.
Coach Travis Kinn liked what he saw from his kids last week.
“I thought for the most part we played pretty solid, we'll take it.
We would have liked to get both games, but I think we just had one
too many offensive miscues in that second game.
We had a chance to win, just couldn't find a way to get it done and
that's the way the ball bounces sometimes.
So, overall good experience for our guys beyond just the game of
basketball, but making memories with each other becoming teammates and
friends and things like that. So,
overall very good experience,” he said.
Columbian (6-2,2-0) shares the lead in the division with Sandusky.
Clyde (2-6,0-2) is coming off a weekend which included an overtime
win (94-85) over Millbury Lake on Friday and (63-41) loss to Colonel
Crawford on Saturday.
Kinn says the Fliers are very dangerous on offense.
“They have the (Brayden) Olson kid averaging close to 25, but then
they have got two, three almost four guys in double figures that after that.
So, they get up they push it and they’ll score points.
We feel like we've defended pretty well here the last couple weeks,
so it'll be a good test for us to see if we're where we're we think we are
and where we need to be,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon,
“We'll still try to push on the offensive end and embrace that and get as
many transition points as we can but we'll have to know where guys are
around the perimeter for sure. They
have a lot of guys that can shoot the ball and shoot it well.”
Willard (8-0), #4 in the Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball coaches
poll in the large school division, shares the Bay Division lead with
Margaretta.
Kinn says they are going to have to be really good on defense again.
“They're tough, Dawson is just so smooth and always under control
and never really rattled. He
does a really good job of getting to his spots and getting kind of what he
wants with his size at the point guard position.
He can really dictate how the offense goes and run things through
him. I've also been impressed
with Cam Robinson and he's really added to his game from last year averaging
almost 20 himself. They got some
other guys that can shoot it as well. Obviously,
those two guys are their one, two punch and we'll have to be really good
defensively to give ourselves a chance,” said Kinn.
Published 1/03/2024
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Defense
Must be Better for Tiffin
Tiffin Columbian makes a trip to the state capital this week for
games against Worthington Christian on Thursday and Bexley on Saturday.
They lost their first game of the season on Saturday night when Upper
Sandusky beat them (65-55) in a non-conference game.
Coach Travis Kinn says they have to play better defense.
“I thought Upper came in and played really well.
Made a lot of shots. We
just have got to be a little bit better defensively, more consistent
defensively. I think that's the
most points we've allowed all season. In
order for us to be successful, we know it might not always be pretty, but we
have got to guard and we got to guard a little bit better if we want to get
back on the right track,” he said.
Kinn says sometimes after a loss it can be easier to get the kids
attention. “I think it's a
little bit easier for kids to learn from a loss.
As coaches and adults, we can evaluate tape and see where we need to
get better and see where we're good and where we're not good, but sometimes
it doesn't really hit home with kids until it doesn't go your way.
So, I think we can learn a lot and get better. Quite
frankly even our five wins we haven't played our best basketball in a
majority of those games. So, a
little bit humbling experience for everybody involved.
We'll continue to go to work and see how we can improve each day,”
said Kinn.
Kinn says he has a connection to both coaches he will face and both
games will be a challenge. “It
should be a fun experience. Worthington
Christian’s coach and I were college teammates Heidelberg, so it will be a
fun experience going down and seeing him.
There’re a really good division III program.
They have got a 6’6” post player, who's from the player of the
year in their league I think twice already.
They have a really good left-handed point guard who can shoot it from
the perimeter and they have some guys that can pressure you.
So, they're pretty well-rounded basketball team,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “Bexley you know as well-rounded
also with a bunch of guys who shoot a lot of threes.
So, on any given night, obviously, they can put up a good amount of
points. Todd Phillips, their
head coach is a guy that kind of got me in the coaching.
So, again there's a connection there and it'll be a fun trip for our
guys. It’ll be important to
make sure that we learn from that mistake on Saturday and make sure that
we're a little more consistent defensively and hope to have a chance to
compete in both games.”
Published 12/27/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Columbian
Wants to Push Pace
Tiffin Columbian takes its act to Norwalk to lock horns with the
Truckers in a game in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on
Friday night.
They beat Toledo Waite (72-47) in a non-league game on Tuesday night.
Coach Travis Kinn says after a slow start they were able to get
things going. “I didn't think
we played great first quarter. I
thought after that we were a lot more sharp, a lot more focused.
We missed some open shots early and I think that got us to us a
little bit and our demeanor wasn't great.
Fortunately, we will be able to turn around the second quarter and
kind of put things away in the second half.
So, it's good to get a win and now a quick turn around on Friday with
Norwalk,” he said.
The win marked Kinn’s 100th coaching win.
Tiffin (4-0,1-0) plays at Norwalk (3-2,1-0) on Friday night.
The Truckers also won their first division game in beating (58-46)
last Friday.
Kinn says the Truckers are really good on defense.
“They play hard, they compete well.
They have got a lot of guys, they can pound the ball inside, they
have got some guards that can handle it and shoot it.
Defensively, they're just really good and they mix things up,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “We'll have to find a way to
manufacture some points in the half court.
They can really sit down and keep you out of the lane.
They rebound the ball very, very well with a couple bigs.
So, we'll have to be really tight on our box outs.
We'll have to continue to push the pace and continue to find whatever
guy is the hot hand.”
Kinn says what they really want to do is get out and run the floor
and get some easy looks in transition. “They
sit down and they are really sound defensively in the half court, so on
their big floor the problem is we can't leak out start running until we get
the rebound because there's such a good offensive rebounding team as well.
So, we'll have to secure the rebound and hopefully we can run our
transition and get easy baskets. If
not, we'll have to really execute in the half court and really be patient
until they breakdown because they're very sound, very disciplined in the
half court,” says Kinn.
Published 12/22/23
© Swankonsports.com
Our scoreboard updated every five minutes
On
Friday night at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
Columbian
Looking for Consistency
Tiffin Columbian entertains Bellevue in play in the Lake Division of
the Sandusky Bay Conference on Saturday night.
After getting a late start to their season, the Tornadoes beat
Fremont Ross (53-50) and Huron (53-52), but coach Travis Kinn says their
execution has to be much improved. “We'll
take them anyway we can get them. I
don’t think we are playing our best basketball yet.
We have got a lot of things that we have to sharpen up and improve
on, but finding ways to win we're not playing our best.
Hopefully that can be a good sign when we start putting together a
full 32 minutes,” he said.
Kinn says they must rebound better and they have to do a much better
job of running their offense consistently starting this weekend.
“I think rebounding is a key, especially with Bellevue coming up.
Their size, their length and they have a lot of big kids, they have a
lot of guys that crash the glass really well.
So, we're going to do a much better job limiting second shots.
Defensively, we got to sharpen a few things up on our rotations and being in
the right spots,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon,
“Offensively, I think we're yet to put a game together where everybody's
on the same page on a consistent basis.
It might be one guy just in the wrong spot or one guy running a
different play than what was called. Just
making sure that all five guys on the floor on the same page and know what's
going on. So, we're getting
there, but we need to sharpen up before Saturday that's for sure.”
Bellevue (3-0) pounded Galion (67-35) on Tuesday night in a
non-conference game.
Kinn says they are hard to score on.
“They can do so many things defensively their length and their size
and all those guys that have size are quick too.
So, we're going to be much sharper with our half court offense, like
I mentioned. We're going to have
to make sure that we rebound the ball and don't give them easy baskets.
They've gotten out and pressured teams and we're going to be able to
handle pressure as well. So,
that'll be really good test for us,” said Kinn.
Published 12/14/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Columbian
Ready for TCC
Tiffin Columbian faces unbeaten Toledo Central Catholic in a regional
final in division III on Friday night at Clyde High School.
The Tornadoes (11-2) blanked Medina Buckeye (35-0) in a semifinal
last week.
Coach Judd Lutz says they are playing their best football right now.
“We're training in the right direction and that's something we
pride ourselves on is constantly you know trying to evolve, try new things
if we feel like there's an area of weakness or something we need to work on
and we want to play our best football at the end of the year. It
felt like we played a really good game holistically last week.
We're far from perfect. We
had two turnovers in the first half, which we have not done in quite some
time on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense consistently got
stops and got off the field and that was good to see.
That's not something we've done you know enough this season, but we
feel like that side of the ball is starting to come around here the last
couple weeks with some small changes making a big impact,” he said.
TCC (12-0) hammered Mansfeld Senior (41-10) last week in their
quarterfinal. They have scored
no fewer than 28 points in any game this season and they have scored at last
six times in their last six games. They
have three shutouts this season and another three games when they have
allowed on one score.
Lutz says the Fighting Irish have no weaknesses.
“It's an excellent conglomerate of talent.
They have great players on both sides of the ball and on special
teams and they have tremendous amount of depth at a lot of those positions.
So, there's no person or thing you can just key on and even if you
really try to its hard to get done. For
example, they're outstanding rushing team.
They have a big physical offensive line, that’s sound.
They have got two backs that run in different ways that are both
outstanding and a quarterback who could run as well. So,
it's easier said than done to just say we have got to stop the run and if we
do that we're going to be successful,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Tuesday afternoon, “It's really hard to do when they're really, really
good at it and have really good players to do it.
So, on offensive side of the ball they've been tremendous at imposing
their will on most teams, but also have the speed and athleticism to be
explosive on the perimeter. Defensively,
same thing they can sit in some base defense and stop teams, but also get
after it and pressure the quarterback and make negative plays in the run
game. So, it's going to be an
outstanding effort on our part to get it done.”
The Irish won the division II state title last season and then
dropped to division III this year.
Most football fans would call TCC the favorite in this game, but Lutz
says they are going to go in and play with confidence.
“Not that we circled this match up because it was a long time
coming, but we anticipated having a good team this year and people you know
when they dropped down into our region had some people talking to me about,
man what a matchup that would be or man that would be a tough game, but I
knew it would it'd be a long way down the road and we both have to win a lot
of games for that matchup to occur, but here we are.
So, it's definitely a great team, but we feel like we've been
prepared. No offense to the
opponents they played, they played an outstanding schedule as well, but we
played three teams who are in the elite eight and still playing right now,
two in our division and one in division IV. So,
we're no stranger to resistance and playing really good teams, so it's
another one of those challenges and I think our kids are up for it, I know
our coaches are,” said Lutz.
Published 11/15/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Tiffin
to Face Physical Medina Buckeye
Tiffin Columbian faces Medina Buckeye in a division III regional
semifinal on Friday night at Bellevue High School.
They advanced with a (55-35) win over Ontario last week.
Coach Judd Lutz says the three straight scores they got to start the
game were crucial for them. “I
think we're starting the game out getting up to a 20-0 lead.
We knew that we had a really good team we were going against and they
were going to battle back and they did.
It was right there as a two score, three score game looking forward
the whole time. Our offense did
a great job get momentum back every time they went down and maybe got a
score, I think we would respond with one ourselves darn near every time.
The defense got enough stops and made things hard on them.
We did a lot of things really well.
They have got great playmakers and they got loose a couple times.
We found a way to get a win and that really is all that matters at
this point in the game.”
Running back Damien Brockington scored six touchdowns for the
Tornadoes.
Columbian (10-2) plays Medina Buckeye (10-2) on Friday.
The Bucks beat Norton (49-47) last week.
Lutz says they are physical and kind of play and old fashion kind of
football. “They are a really
interesting team in that they change personnel a good amount.
They play with tight ends and fullbacks a great deal, which as a
former fullback myself, is very endearing to see.
They play a style of play that's really in your face physical at the
point of attack, which you don't always see kind of at our level of high
school and size, a lot teams are spread oriented and play with two backs or
tight end a little bit, but not nearly as much as they've shown,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “It's physical at the point of
attack on offense and then that kind of mirrors itself on defense.
They’re really good at what they do, sound, and play some base, but
also can get after it was blitzing. It's
going to be a great game and they're playing really, really good football
right now and have some great players and they're riding some really good
momentum.”
Lutz says they are going to be physical too and play with the proper
technique when they meet Buckeye on Friday.
“Pad level is going to be key, creating and generating some
knockback on both sides of the ball with your feet and pad level.
At this point, you're not putting in a great amount of leg strength
to all of a sudden get super strong. Hopefully,
you have done a lot of work in the weight room up to this point to get
yourself in position to do that. Pad
level is going to be key, continuing to move your feet, drive your feet when
you're a stalemate kind of situation and creating some angles when you have
it. Getting off those blocks or
sustaining those blocks is going to be key in the trenches and I think
really going to play a crucial role in this game,” he said.
Published 11/07/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Columbian
Has to be Balanced
Tiffin Columbian hosts Ontario in a division III regional
quarterfinal on Friday night.
The Tornadoes (9-2), runner-up in the Lake Division of the Sandusky
Bay Conference, belted Ashland (49-21) in their playoff opener last week.
Columbian seized a big early lead and coach Judd Lutz says they
played well on both sides of the ball. “We
had some success early. Offensively,
really moved the ball well, found ways to score early and often and
defensively you know didn't give up big plays, kept everything in front of
us from the most part and then made some key stops on third down and got the
ball back to our offense and kept the momentum and found ourselves on the
better side of at it the end,” he said.
Ontario (10-1), co-champ of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, beat
Lutheran West (31-22) in their first round game.
Lutz says they have a lot of weapons on offense.
“You probably need to start the conversation with them on offense.
They have scored a lot of points consistently every game all season
long. No one's really been able
to neutralize them or find the ability to keep out of the end zone
consistently. A lot of that has
to do with a great offensive line, good running back play, guys in the
perimeter making plays, but obviously a really, really good quarterback,”
he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “He can throw it, he can
run it and if you don't contain him, you're going to have a long night.
So, offensively they've scored a bunch of points, but then I don't
think their defense gets enough credit. I
think they're really good in a lot of ways on defense.
Being sound and stout against the run, but also limiting some big
plays in the pass game for the most part throughout the season.
So, that's why they've obviously found ways to win 10 games.”
Columbian has more than 2,000 yards both running and passing this
year and Lutz says they have to maintain that balance against Ontario.
“I think stay balanced. This
time of year with weather changing, it sounds like it's going to be a dry
Friday and the elements not crazy bad where you have to just milk and run
the ball or something crazy. So,
I think staying balanced being able to have success running the ball to open
up the pass game and vice versa. Probably
have some early success passing a little bit in order to open up some runs.
So, kind of remaining balance throughout the course of the game is
going to be important so that they can't just pin the ears back defensively
come out after the quarterback and do some of those things,” he said.
When it comes to defending Ontario quarterback Bodpeg Miller, Lutz
says they have to show him a lot of looks.
“I think you have got to have a plan and then several plans.
You can't just do one thing or else you know a good offensive play
caller is going to figure out what you're doing consistently and then attack
a weakness. You have to account
for the quarterback and how you do that whether it's rushing with really
good pass lanes, whether it's spying him with different guys, or a guy or a
group of guys. It's easy to just
say you spy this quarterback, but if that kid ain't fast enough to get him
then you're just wasting somebody. So,
there's not many people fast enough to just spy him one-on-one in my
opinion. You have got to have
good integrity and some pass rush lanes or flush him to a certain area and
get a guy there ready for him in some aspects.
He's a great player, he's going to make plays, you just hope to limit
them and make sure that they're not for points,” said Lutz.
Published 11/02/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Columbian
Has to Find Some Room
Tiffin Columbian will be at home for the Ashland Arrows on Friday
night in a first round playoff game in division III.
Columbian (8-2), #5 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, lost (55-28) to Sandusky Perkins in the
championship game in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
Coach Judd Lutz says they didn’t take advantage of their
opportunities on either side of the ball.
“I thought we had a great week of preparation.
We knew we had a great team and a great challenge in front of us
needing to make plays at winning time and we didn't do that to be honest
with you. We had more than our
fair chances on third down and fourth down, but our defense couldn't get off
the field and credit to them for executing.
Then offensively, we did a lot of things right, had opportunities
where we executed and scored points and a handful that we didn't.
So, you know frustrated by some of that, but at the same point win or
lose, you have got turn the page really quickly to the playoff picture and
so that's we're excited about next,” said Lutz.
Ashland (5-5) fell (24-14) to Lexington in an Ohio Cardinal
Conference game on Friday night.
Lutz says the Arrows are outstanding on defense and that has shown in
a (14-6) loss to Mansfeld Senior, a (20-6) loss to West Holmes and (34-0)
win over Wooster. “I see a
really talented team. They're
outstanding on defense and that kind of shows itself in a lot of their
results very rarely getting you know manhandled and that side of the ball.
They have been able to keep scores close.
Not all 5-5 teams are equal and that is definitely the case with
these guys. They are very, very
good team and have a lot of weapons on offense and when they're good they're
really good,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “We have to be
prepared for them playing at a high level and not dependent on them not
executing. We have got to make
things happen in order to find a way to win and excited for the
challenge.”
Lutz says to make explosive plays against Ashland they have to look
for cut back lanes that could be available.
“I think it's taking advantage of some space when it is there.
Like against most teams really blocking at the point of attack,
denying them and sometimes taking advantage of some leverage when it is
there. At times, they're really,
really fast and when you're really, really fast you can over pursue at
times, so there's some possibilities for some cutbacks or seams on some
sides of things. So, you have
got to break some tackles at the point of attack, you got to block them in
space and make those things happen,” he said.
Published 10/25/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Tiffin
Has to be Very Sound
Tiffin Columbian hosts Sandusky Perkins in the division championship
game in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
To the winner goes the outright title.
Coach Judd Lutz says there are the games you live for.
“You want to be playing in big games late in the season, regular
season, postseason and this is exactly that.
It’s for all the marbles for league title, league championship
outright and last game of the season and setting yourself up for the
postseason thereafter and seeding and everything, so yeah it's an awesome
opportunity,” he said.
Columbian (8-1,3-0), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, hosts Perkins (8-0,3-0), #1 in that poll,
on Friday night. Perkins is
coming off a (31-14) win over Sandusky in division play last week.
Lutz says the Pirates have great versatility and a lot of weapons on
offense. “There are really no
weaknesses. They're really good
up front. Everything starts up
front usually with a team and that's the case with these guys they're
excellent up front and they're front five and pass protection, run blocking
and they’re just very, very sound and have great ability and tenacity.
Then they have got a quarterback who is mobile and can extend plays
with his feet, can run when he wants to or needs to and he's got strong
enough arm to make all the throws. He's
been very accurate, he's got weapons really everywhere in the perimeter and
they can stretch vertically, just flat out run and do a great job of running
good routes, getting open and yards after the catch is huge for them too,”
he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “It can't be just like stay
over the top and don't get beat deep because they'll turn on short throw
into a big one really quick. Then
an outstanding running back. He
runs really, really hard, very fast, and can catch the ball as well.
So, really no weakness and so you have got to play great team defense
and be assignment sound and tackle in space and tackle up front and they're
going to strain you in a lot of different ways.”
The Perkins defense often gets overshadowed, but Lutz says they are
very talented and very good tacklers. “They're
extremely physical up front in their front four.
They have two linebackers who are very athletic, very physical,
tackle, very well, they don't miss many tackles in general as a defense.
They have got a bunch of really, really outstanding athletes that are
hybrid players that can play man to man, can play some zone, can play the
run and can play the pass. They've
done an outstanding job of accumulating some talent and putting together a
really good team and they're playing confident and they should be, they’re
playing really good football,” said Lutz.
Published 10/18/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Tiffin
Must Take Norwalk Seriously
Tiffin Columbian shares first place in the Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference with Perkins and plays them next week.
Friday night, they are at Norwalk to meet the Truckers.
They won their fourth in a row with a (43-12) win over Bellevue in a
crossover game last week.
Coach Judd Lutz says they did a good job.
“I thought we did a great job taking care of the football on
offense. We did a great job
creating a couple turnovers on defense and neutralizing some of the things
that they do really well. We
kind of made them go to their second, third options I felt like on a couple
of things. We were able to keep
them out of the end zone handful of times.
Really played you know three pretty good phases of football on
offense, defense, and special teams,” he said.
Perkins overwhelmed the Truckers (3-5,0-2) in Lake Division play
(52-3) on Friday night.
Lutz says they are kind of hard to figure out.
“You'll see different things on film.
They've played several really different offenses.
So, looking at their defense and things that they've tried to do
defensively to stop those offenses are all kind of different.
So, they're kind of searching for that right recipe and so it makes
it tough to prepare for and to try to anticipate who they think we are like
maybe. So, trying to give our
offense a good look on scout defense, or challenge defense, to prepare them
for the angles and where the numbers might be or may not be,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “The same thing offensively, they
kind of break out and put some wrinkles on different things each week and
highlight a different player. They
have got two really good ones when the balls in their hand.
When their quarterback is playing well and taking care of the
football, they have got a much better chance.
So, we have got to really stop those key playmakers if we want to
neutralize them defensively.”
They play Perkins for perhaps all of the marbles next week.
This could be a trap game, but Lutz says they won’t let that
happen, they’ll be ready. “I
don't anticipate that happening just knowing our team, knowing our coaches
and how we prepare obviously respecting everybody we go against.
We don't look past anybody and it's championship week.
That’s what the message has been really since week one of Lake
play. Every week is a
championship week because you can't afford to lose one in the conference and
you have got to stay ahead of the game.
Right now, we're in the hunt, we put ourselves in position to hunt,
to be in that position and so it's another championship week.
We're taking them very seriously.
They have got great players that we've seen for a number of years
with great football under their belt. So,
I've been there, I've been searching for victories late in the season.
I know how hard that staff is probably working over there, so we have
got to put ourselves in position obviously to match that and surpass it.”
Published 10/10/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Tiffin
Has to Match Bellevue Intensity
Tiffin Columbian takes on longtime rival Bellevue in a Sandusky Bay
Conference Crossover game on Friday night.
They rocked Clyde (49-14) in a Lake Division game last Friday
afternoon.
Coach Judd Lutz says they came out firing last week.
“I thought we executed at a high level.
We were explosive in a lot of ways early and often on offense, which
was great, and the defense definitely fed off of that momentum and was able
to get some trip quick trips off the field and a couple turnovers and those
turned into quick points. So
very, very happy with the production and the execution, but enjoyed it for a
little bit and then back to work and have got to try to repeat it all over
again,” he said.
The Tornadoes (6-1), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, is plus six in the turnover margin this
year and Lutz says that means momentum.
“Especially where they occur in the other teams territory those are
big, big momentum getters or are losers and then you have got to do
something with it if you get them and you have got to make a great play or
great several plays if you give it up. So,
they're just that you can literally turn over some of the momentum you may
have had or didn't have it all and just continues to pile against you when
it comes to a turnover. So, you
have got to avoid them and you got to figure out a way to hopefully create
them,” he said.
Bellevue (3-4) has lost its last three, including (37-18) to Huron in
a Bay Division game last week.
Lutz says injuries aside, Bellevue is always going to be tough to
beat. “They have been banged
up. I'm not sure who they'll get
back and in what capacity for us necessarily and what those details are in
some of those injuries. What you
see on film is what you see every single year out of these guys would just a
well coached team that executes at a high level and usually plays and leads
into their strengths offensively and defensively, doesn't miss align and
beat themselves,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “You
have got to earn it and you have got to beat them.
So, seeing more of that this year.
Obviously, they've had to deal with the next man up mentality in a
lot of ways. So, guys maybe
didn't you know get reps certain weeks or you know the amount of offseason
reps as others now are thrust into a key position.
We're going to see their best shot.
It's a big game for them. They
are very well coached, coach (Ed) Nasonti does a great job coming up with a
plan every week against somebody. So,
we have got to be ready to go and match that and surpass that intensity and
execution on our part.”
Published 10/06/23
© Swankonsports.com
Our scoreboard updated every five minutes
On
Friday night at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
Columbian
Has to be Really Good
Tiffin Columbian continues action in the Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday afternoon as they host Clyde.
The game is slated to start at 4:30 and will be followed by a matchup
between Tiffin Calvert and Margaretta.
With about 2:00 left last Friday, Columbian recovered a muffed
Sandusky punt and Damien Brokington would convert that into a score a couple
of plays later and the Tornadoes held off Sandusky (42-35) in a division
game. The Blue Streaks would
drive inside the Tiffin 20, but came away empty in the final seconds.
Coach Judd Lutz says it these tough division games, you just have to
find a way. “It was a tough
game on the road in our first conference game so everyone's going to be
excited about. Obviously, going
into a conference game on the road is always going to be a tough battle no
matter who it is because the conference is deep and very, very good.
We found a way to come away with the victory, so we'll take it and
move on to the next one,” he said.
Columbian (5-1,1-0), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, hosts Clyde (4-2,0-1) this week.
They were throttled by unbeaten Perkins (31-7) last week.
Lutz describes this as a typical Clyde team that always plays to its
strengths. “They're again a
typical Clyde team in a lot of ways. They
are big up front in certain spots, really good, understand what they do well
offensively and defensively and try to play into their strengths,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “They don't make mistakes and they
make earn anything you get. We're
expecting a four quarter, really tough game from them.
We have got to do everything right to move the ball and find ways to
get points and then be really sound on the defensive side if we want to keep
them contained.”
Lutz says Clyde will stretch their defense and they will have to be
in top form. “They run the
ball downhill in a lot of ways and attack you on the edges with certain
things as well. They are
traditional program with a ton of pride in what they do and how they do it
and that shows up on film every single year,” he said on Monday.
Published 9/26/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Columbian
Has to Limit Big Plays
Tiffin Columbian opens play in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference on Friday night as they visit Sandusky to meet the Blue Streaks.
They won a crossover in beating Huron (31-17) last week.
Coach Judd Lutz says they played well.
“A very good opponent, a lot of tradition with their program and
won a lot of games for a long time. They
have some great players on their team and saw it in person and they lived up
to it. We found a way to get in
the win column and I thought we played really well in all three phases at
times, which is really good, but obviously things always work on,” he
said.
Darrien Brockington had another big game for the Tornadoes.
Lutz says he does a lot of things for them in all facets of the game.
“He had a pretty good night at the office. I
think he ran for 170 some, hit another, I think, 50 or 60 receiving and had
two interceptions and three tackles on defense along with three touchdowns.
So, another pretty good night at the office of work for that young
man. He's our returning
all-state running back and we're pretty blessed to have him excel in special
teams and defensively as well as offensively.
He is a great player, scholarship football player, that is going to
play at the next level for somebody and they're going to love having him,”
said Lutz.
Brockington tops the division with 787 yards rushing and 12 TD’s.
Columbian (4-1,0-0), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, is at Sandusky (3-2,0-0) on Friday night.
The Streaks outscored Vermilion (62-28) last week.
Lutz says they can make big plays.
“They're getting the ball rolling really. I
think finding themselves offensively and what they're good at and what is
their strong suit. They're
running some of their outside zone really well.
The quarterback play has gotten better as the seasons gone on for
them and finding the right athletes to get the ball too and they're very
balanced and they're getting the ball to the perimeter and it's showing
obviously with the amount of points that they're scoring,” he said.
Lutz says the have to win the battle of the big plays on Friday
night. “I think we need to
limit the big plays in their run game. Schematically
they do some good things to find leverage in space and create some angles.
So, when we are at a slight disadvantage, which is hopefully not too
often, but when we are we have get it down to small chunks and not the big
gashes and limit the big plays in the run game and then keep the ball in
front of us in the pass game, can't get let them behind us with some of
their speed or else they're going to get on the scoreboard really
quickly,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “Offensively,
kind of similar they've shown some blitzing and stunting and created some
big plays defensively, a lot of fumbles, so they're definitely a ball
hawking defense and creating turnovers.
So, we have got to take care of it when we have it.
When we get in the red area, we have got to score touchdowns.”
Published 9/21/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Tiffin
Needs Better Effort and Execution
Tiffin Columbian will attempt to bounce back this week as they host
the Huron Tigers in a non-conference, or “SBC” crossover if you prefer,
on Friday night.
They were demolished (33-14) by Columbus Bishop Watterson last Friday
night.
Coach Judd Lutz says the Tornadoes (3-1), #3 in the Swankonsports.com
football coaches poll in the large school division, didn’t play well at
all. “We did really two things
really poorly and that was execute and have low energy and enthusiasm and
obviously when you don't give great effort and you execute on low level you
have very little chance of winning the football game.
It's weird how those things usually coincide.
When you give lower effort, you usually don’t execute at a higher
level and then you give better effort and then you execute at a higher
level. So, we did not do that
and our opponent did and we found way in trouble early and never really dug
out of our hole. So, have got to
regroup and circle the wagons and get back to work,” said Lutz.
Lutz hopes the loss teaches the players a lot and they benefit from
it. “You try to build in
adversity in practice and usually you incur adversity in games as long as
you're playing a tougher schedule, which we definitely have.
I always prefer to learn those lessons through wins, but when you
play really tough schedule weeks one through ten against great teams, you're
going to learn a lot about yourself. You
just hope to do it, hopefully do it in some wins.
We usually find out a lot about ourselves through every game and it
just depends on how you respond and come back at it.
We've done a really good job my tenure here doing that and that's
definitely the plan,” he said.
Huron (3-1) beat Riverview Gabriel Richard of Michigan (38-31) last
week scoring in the final minutes to do it.
Lutz says the Tigers have talent at every level.
“They have some size up front on both sides of the ball.
They tackle well, really run to the ball on defense, have guys at all
three levels that you've got to make sure you get a hat on and account for
or else they can you know have playmaking ability,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Sunday evening, “Offensively, a quarterback who's
throwing it really accurate at times and has multiple guys he can throw it
to. Then their run game they
have a good handful of offensive lineman up front they can really blow you
off the ball and also pull and do some stuff in gap schemes and also in zone
schemes. So, we have got to be
ready to play because they're going to come to our place and I’m sure have
an edge and an attitude about them. So,
we obviously have got to do the same.”
Published 9/11/2023
© Swankonsports.com
Join us this week at the
Bellville Street Fair
Come say hi at our booth
Columbian
Needs Explosive Plays
Tiffin Columbian continues its tough schedule as they travel to
capital city to meet the Columbus Bishop Watterson Eagles in a
non-conference game.
For the second week in row, they were involved in a shootout as they
outscored River Valley (56-45) in a non-conference game.
Coach Judd Lutz says they were outstanding at times and also pretty
bad too. “We did some things
really, really well at times and we did some really boneheaded things at
times. I think they're a good
team. They got really into a
good flow offensively with what they were doing and we just didn't tackle
well in space, didn't execute at a high level like we demand and that led to
some points. So, we have got to
correct that right away,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening,
“We had to flip the switch from one opponent that I think threw the ball
three times and then flipped it to them who I think maybe ran it maybe three
on purpose, obviously quarterback scramble for a bunch.
We have got a good taste of what hopefully it will take to try to
stop the run and what it will take to try to stop the pass.
Now, we have got a team that is very balanced this week, so it's
going to be a great opportunity to see the growth hopefully we've had on
both ends of the of that defensively and then offensively have got to
continue to execute at a high level.”
Columbian (3-0), #3 in the first Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, play Watterson (3-0), coming off a
(24-21) win over Parma Padua.
Lutz says the Eagles are very balanced on offense and also
outstanding on defense. “They
are very, very good. What jumps
off the tape is their kids play really hard.
They don’t have a lot of two way players on the depth chart, which
means you don’t have a ton of kids playing a ton of plays, so they should
play hard. Offensively, they
have two big, thick tackles, long and tall, and the a little more athletic
inside at the center and guard spots. Quarterback
is very athletic and can run it a little bit and extend plays, but doesn't
want to throw the ball down the field. He
has some very good receivers on the perimeter as well as a really good tight
end that can block and at the point of attack and space as well and a hard
running tailback. So, they're very balanced on offense.
Then defensively, they're very athletic.
They're not huge at any spot as far as you know monster defensive
tackle or end, but they have just got four really good lineman that really
look like linebackers and then some linebackers who looked h part and
safeties that look like linebackers,” said Lutz.
Lutz believes the story will be told by who makes the explosive
plays. “We have got to limit
the explosive plays on defense and have got to make them on offense.
We have got to try to make them one-dimensional by hopefully stopping
the run consistently and then attack the pass game on the perimeter a little
bit. Offensively, we have got to continue to stay balanced so they can't tee
off and pass rush at times on us. So,
we have got to be able to run the ball effectively and then throw the ball
down field if we get the opportunity too. They
have shown the ability to make some plays in the special teams game, we’ve
done some really great things in the special teams game. So, in close
matchups with two good teams you have got to be sound in those and maybe try
to gain a possession here or there if at all possible,” he said.
Published 9/08/23
© Swankonsports.com
Our scoreboard updated every five minutes
On
Friday night at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
Columbian
Wants to Confuse River Valley
Tiffin Columbian takes its act to River Valley to challenge the
Vikings in a non-conference game on Friday night.
The Tornadoes (2-0) got a thrilling (50-49) win over Chardon last
week. Braydan Roggow found Brady
Gooding with a two-point conversion with :21 left in the game.
Coach Judd Lutz says they still have things to improve, especially on
defense. “Some things,
obviously, not really pleased giving up 49 points and a lot of those in the
second half. You want to learn
lessons, there's always going to be lessons to learn, it's much more
enjoyable to learn after a win than a loss for the most part, but you have
got to correct some things too. They're
an anomaly opponent in a lot of ways defensively in what you're trying to do
to stop them. So, you have got
to turn the page relatively quickly and get on to the next task because the
combination of winning is always changing and that combination is a whole
lot different this week with what River Valley brings to the table
offensively,” said Lutz.
Roggow has seven TD passes in two games.
River Valley (1-1) hammered Mansfield Madison (42-0) in their week
two game.
Lutz says Vikings quarterback Chase Ebert (371 yards passing through
two games) is the real deal. “Their
quarterback played at a high level. He
ran around really well and created time scrambling, but also chunks of yards
running it and has I think a really balanced receivers corps.
It's hard to tell here through the first two weeks maybe if there is
a go to receiver or not. I think
he's spreading it around really well so far through two games.
So, that requires you to defend the width of the field if they're in
their four or five wide stuff. Offensively
a really good quarterback if they're hot and playing really well it could be
a long night,” he said.
Lutz says they need to get pressure on Ebert without giving him run
lanes, he also has over 200 yards rushing and three scores.
“You put on the tape and that's what he's done kind of over and
over the first two games first against Ashland then against Madison week
two. Coming up with a good game
plan to keep him in the pocket and get him down most importantly.
It's not necessarily terrible thing and gets out of the pocket you
just have got to get him down,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday
evening, “Just like you can rush wildly upfield and try to keep him in the
pocket all sudden that pocket gets really bigger and he just starts up the
field vertically. So, it's kind
of a balance and have got to throw a couple of different things at them I
think in order to have some success.”
Published 8/29/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Tiffin
Has Big Test
Tiffin Columbian Friday night hosts one of the top programs in the
state as the Chardon Hilltoppers come calling for a non-conference game with
the Tornadoes.
Chardon has won a state title in two of the last three years.
Last week, Columbian beat Fremont Ross (41-14) in their opener.
Coach Judd Lutz says they did some good things, but they have some
things that need fixed too. “We
definitely did some things well. You
can't have success against a good team unless you do some things well and we
did, but obviously usually from week one against the tough opponent there is
always things to fix. So, we
have plenty we had to address and take care, but at the same point flip the
switch pretty quickly after those adjustments and then get ready for a
really, really good opponent at our place,” he said.
This not the first time Columbian has played Chardon, they lost to
them in the state semifinal in 2020.
Lutz says they are a team that is used to winning.
“Our encounter with them first time, I think the only time, we've
ever played in the history of the two programs is back in 2020.
We met up with state semifinals and they had a great team back then.
They went on to win the state championship in 2020 and then won it
again in ’21, went undefeated both those years and then lost last year to
Canfield, who went on to win the state championship.
So, they have got a great thing going.
They have an alumni there that is their head coach, who was a great
player in high school and in college and obviously is doing some great
things with his community and their school.
They're another great team that they have had in the past, which
starts with great players that are physical, fast and know what they're
doing. When you put on the tape,
that's what they do on both sides of the ball,” said Lutz.
Chardon won that playoff game (47-7) three years ago.
Lutz says the Hilltoppers will pound the football at you with great
execution. “They are a run
first team with the ability to throw it.
When we first played them back in 2020 we heard about them running
the same offense clear down to their biddy programs and they've done that
for the last 42 years. They line
up in some wing-t type formations, but in my opinion they're not a wing-t
team,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “They are a jet
sweep, iso, power counter team and they're just doing it from some of these
wing-t formations and motions. They're not pulling their guards and doing a
bunch of misdirection necessarily. They
just out man you at the point of attack with speed and angles and then
toughness. That's really what
they bring to the table and offense and they've been doing it for a long
time with some really good players and a really good scheme for them that
fits their program.”
Published 8/23/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Columbian
Expects Battle With Fremont Ross
Tiffin Columbian and Fremont Ross will lock horns on Friday night in
a non-conference clash at Fremont.
Tornadoes coach Judd Lutz says they have had a pretty good preseason.
“We return a good amount of experience in a lot of ways, but also
breaking in some new guys that will probably be fulfilling some starting
roles and love the preparation this offseason they put in and then preseason
camp and whatnot. Obviously, the
work and everything has been done, but you also have to refine and put
together a game plan the week and week out for everybody.
So far we like what we see, but at the same point everybody's going
to be a great challenge,” he said.
Ross smoked Tiffin (34-14) last season, one of only two regular
season losses for the Tornadoes.
Lutz says the Little Giants will be very good again.
“We know each other really well.
We're playing each other for you know a good handful of years now non
conference and typically game one, so it’s a really good rivalry between
two good communities who think highly of their football teams and value
their football programs. I know
coach (Chad) Long really well, head coach over there now for a while, we're
friends and he was my coach actually when I was in high school. So,
great deal of respect for each other,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Wednesday night, “This year's team is no different.
They're very tough, return some you know key players in spots and
moving some kids around. Really
all you get is two scrimmage tapes and nobody really shows much on tape in
scrimmages. You're kind of just
doing some base stuff. So,
you're trying to evaluate what you really could do or would do more than
what you necessarily see and so we expect really good battle and a really
good team obviously out of them again.”
Lutz says in game adjustments will be really important for them in
this game on Friday night. “It’s
going to be you know quick adjustments and your plan changes.
You can't plan for everything, but you also have to have an idea of
what you would do in a number of different situations and scenarios and
changes and everything. So, you
want your kids to play fast and cut it loose, but at the same point kind of
change and adapt as the game goes or as things kind of reveal themselves at
the same time. So, it always
makes for an interesting week one. There's
the old cliché week one brings surprises and you hope you're not surprised
in a bad way, you hope they're good surprises in a lot of ways, but for the
most part sometimes you get some surprises and hopefully on the better end
of it,” said Lutz.
Published 8/17/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Tiffin
Columbian Taking Steps
Tiffin Columbian, the runner-up in the Lake Division of the Sandusky
Bay Conference last season, comes out this year eager to fight for that
division title.
Coach Judd Lutz says the players are learning some things.
“I like how the squad we have is taking shape.
We return a great deal of amount of kids with some varsity experience
and some kids who have had some great off seasons and are looking to
contribute and have grown in a lot of ways.
So, kids buying into different roles and those coming into shape
obviously over the next couple scrimmages is going to be important.
You get the chance to compete a little bit in some seven on seven
stuff, it's not real football, but at least taste of it and see how kids
react and so far I'm seeing a lot of good things in a lot of ways,” said
Lutz.
Columbian has had five straight winning seasons and that builds
confidence, but Lutz says they also remember 2017.
“We had some presentations and lessons throughout our summer months
and everything and something we talked about was we're not that distant from
an 0-10 season and a lot of these kids have no idea what we're talking
about. We talked about that a
lot of the coaches do and building the program up and all that they've ever
kind of seen or experienced has been success,” he told Swankonsports.com
on Thursday afternoon, “We've been in some tough places too as far as the
coaching staff and we have no intention of going back and we kind of relay
that to them. Those guys who
have built the bridges and put the time in over and over and over to build
the tradition take a lot of pride in that too, so no one's expectations are
higher than our own and we like it that way.”
Tiffin opens the season with Fremont Ross on August 18.
Lutz says one thing they are trying to do is build some depth with
the football team. “Not that
I'm trying to be arrogant and say there's no weakness on our team.
There are some places we're trying to add some depth you know and get
some varsity contributors. Plan
B, plan C in place to figure those things out.
We feel like we've won some football games in a lot of ways.
We don't feel too one-dimensional on either side of the ball, which
is awesome. We hope we can keep
it that way, but we have a really tough schedule too, so it's going to be a
great challenge,” he said.
Published 8/04/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” every Friday night 10 to
midnight
“Sports Saturday” every week 10 AM to 1
PM
Your
First Source for Everything Sports
Columbian
Wants to Push the Pace
Tiffin Columbian, the runner-up in the Lake Division of the Sandusky
Bay Conference, plays Toledo St. John’s in a division I tournament game to
be played Friday night at Toledo Start High School.
Coach Travis Kinn says the tournament is always full of emotion.
“It's a fun time of the year, it's an emotional time of year, and
it's when teams hopefully are playing their best basketball. You
get to see two teams playing a high level and sometimes it's unfortunate
when you see two teams playing well and one team’s season has to end, but
as a fan of the game that's what you want to see,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian (18-4), #5 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, challenges Toledo St.
John’s (14-9) on Friday night. The
Titans beat Toledo Waite (82-34) on Tuesday in a semifinal.
Kinn says they have a special player in C.J. Hornbeak and some
perimeter shooting too. “They
have got CJ Hornbeak, who's an outstanding player, does a lot for them,
scores the ball, handles the ball, defends well, and he really scores on all
three levels. They have got a
couple blue collar kids inside that just work tails off and finish off the
rim and get a lot of dump offs and stuff in the post.
Then they have got a kid that who can really shoot it outside in
Jaylen Murphy, number 12. He
really does a good job of spacing the floor for them,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “They have got a lot of pieces.
We think we're a high caliber opponent and it should be a great test
and a great game. Their history
and their program that they've had over the last 20, 30 years in Northwest
Ohio is kind of the the definition of where teams want to be, so we’re
excited about it.”
Kinn says they have got to be able to rebound the ball and they have
to push the tempo. “I think we
really have got to guard those two guys that I mentioned in Hornbeak and
they're shooter Murphy to make sure they don’t get any easy looks and
rebounding will be a really big key as well.
We don’t finish the possession until we get the rebound and then
once we get the rebound we can do what we do best and that’s push the ball
in transition. So, you have got
to take care of the ball, you have got to do all those little things, sounds
cliché, but rebounding the basketball and just knowing personnel and
tendencies and getting as many stops as you can on those two guys
especially,” said Kinn.
Published 2/24/23
© Swankonsports.com
There will be a special “Out of Bounds”
Saturday from 10 to 11 PM
First Source for All Things Sports
Columbian
in a Good Grove
Tiffin Columbian has been playing some good basketball lately as they
are heading into a matchup Friday night at home against Clyde in the Lake
Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
They beat Findlay, a team they may see again in the division I
tournament, (56-49) in a non-conference game on Saturday night.
Coach Travis Kinn says they got off to a good start and then made
some plays in at the end of the game to win it.
“I thought we played well. I
think our guys were really engaged defensively again and we shot the ball
well in the first half and were able to build a little bit of a lead.
They made some adjustments at halftime and made a good run in the
third quarter, like you figured they would, and we were fortunate enough to
make enough plays down the stretch to hang on,” he said.
Tiffin has won its last seven games and Kinn credits their play on
the defensive end of the floor. “I
think we kind of found our identity a little bit and I've been really
pleased with our guys attention to detail on the defensive end.
We lost a couple there mid season, I think we lost two out of three,
and everybody thought the world was ending.
Obviously, this season could have went two ways,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “We stay disciplined and the guys
were able to stay focused on what we need to accomplish and they kept the
willingness to get better and learn new things and we've been able to do
that. So, it's been a good
little run, but we still have some things we need to improve in.
We need to be more consistent rebounding the basketball.
Clyde has been scoring a ton of points of late, so we really have got
to stay engaged at that defensive end and take away catch and shoot threes
and really help our teammates out on the drive.”
Tiffin Columbian (17-4,8-3), #4 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, plays at home against
Clyde (4-17,2-9) on Friday night. The
Fliers lost (74-65) to Bellevue in a division game last Friday.
Tiffin won the first meeting (66-35) on January 5.
Kinn says this is a team that shoots the ball well from the
perimeter. “We have to just
get out on guys and take away some of their rhythm threes.
They have got a lot of guys that our shooting the ball well right
now. (Brayden) Olson is a kid
that is putting up a ton of points. I
think it's really, really important we use our size advantage to control the
glass and limit them to one shot and then get our opportunity to go out and
run and push the ball on the offensive end,” said Kinn.
Published 2/14/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We
are Your First Source for Everything Sports
Tiffin
Columbian Plays Improved Vermilion
Tiffin Columbian continues to prepare for the division I postseason
tournament as they at home against Vermilion in a Sandusky Bay Conference
Lake Division game on Friday and Findlay in a non-conference game on
Saturday.
Last week, the got a big win on Friday night at Bellevue (67-55) in a
division game.
Coach Travis Kinn says they played a big fourth quarter.
“It was a great win for us. I
think Bellevue is a really high level opponent and we were down a little
bit, actually down eight at the end of the third quarter. We
had the ball and we got a big and one from Brady Gooding and then Logan (Beaston)
came out and hit three threes to start the fourth quarter and before you
know we were up four or five and kind of controlled the game from there.
I thought we did a nice job once we got the lead of you know
maintaining our composure and kind of really being selective on the shots
that we wanted to get. We really
kind of controlled things from there in the fourth quarter,” said Kinn.
Tiffin Columbian (15-4,7-3), #5 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, plays at home against
Vermilion (5-14,2-8) on Friday night. The
Sailors lost (49-46) to Norwalk in a division game on Friday night.
Columbian won the first meeting (50-31) on December 28.
Kinn says the Sailors shoot the ball pretty well.
“They've been playing some good basketball. I
know they haven't got a lot of wins the last few weeks, but they just lost
to Norwalk by three, who obviously knocked us off, they took Bellevue to
overtime and we just mentioned is a high level opponent,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “They have got some guys that
can score the ball and they shoot a lot of threes when they get hot it
creates some problems. It is
important for us to defend the way that we've been preaching and the way
that we've been working the last couple weeks and hopefully continue to show
some growth and some improvement in that area.”
Tiffin plays at home against Findlay (13-6), a team they may also see
in the tournament, on Saturday night.
Kinn says it will be a good test.
“They're kind of the standard in this area where we're located as
far as you know big schools and high level basketball.
I think they have got five or six losses this year, but they're all
to teams that are top 15 in their division.
They play a really tough schedule and they got some high level
athletes that do a great job executing stuff on the offensive end.
They're really sound defensively and don't make a lot of mistakes.
So, it would be a good test for us. The
way our bracket shook out if them and us are both fortunate enough to win
the first game we'll have a chance to meet again.
So, hopefully it'll be a little preview of what's to come down the
road,” he said.
Published 2/09/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We
are Your First Source for Everything Sports
Tiffin
Has to Make Clutch Plays
Tiffin Columbian plays at Bellevue in a matchup between two of the
better teams in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday
night.
Right now, Columbian trails Lake Division leader Sandusky by two
games, Bellevue is back by one.
Last week, the Tornadoes beat Sandusky Perkins (61-45) on Thursday in
a division game and then beat Anthony Wayne (64-63) in a non-conference game
on Saturday.
Coach Tavis Kinn says those wins were because of good defense.
“I was pleased you know with the result obviously, it was the first
time we had won two games in a week and a while,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “I thought we really started to
get back to defending on a really consistent basis in spurts.
There's still some things we have got to clean up, but we're
continuing to improve and continuing to get better and that's the goal this
time of the year.”
Tiffin Columbian (13-4,6-3) plays at Bellevue (12-4,7-2) on Friday
night. The Redmen earned a
division win (68-64) in overtime over Vermilion last Thursday, but they lost
(46-45) to Willard on Saturday.
Kinn says they Redmen have great balance on their squad.
“They are really balanced. I
think they have six guys averaging seven points or more.
They have got a lot of guys that are capable scorers and they defend
really well. They're really well
prepared, they scout well, they'll know your sets and things like that.
So, it’s surely going to come down to which team on the floor can a
couple plays down the end and down the stretch when it really matters the
most,” said Kinn.
Bellevue won the first game between the two, (54-51) at Columbian
back on January 7.
When you have two good teams like this, Kinn says it going to come
down to players making plays at clutch times, not some sort of strategy.
“This time of year playing teams the second time through.
Everybody has a lot of film and you're familiar with your opponents,
it’s just finding ways to make a play down the stretch,” he said.
Published 2/02/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We
are Your First Source for Everything Sports
Columbian
Trying to Improve
Tiffin Columbian, now two games back in the tough Lake Division of
the Sandusky Bay Conference, plays at home against Sandusky Perkins in a
division game on Thursday night.
In a game that was close for two and a half quarters, Sandusky, the
division leader, blew out Tiffin (84-61) in a division game last Friday.
Coach Travis Kinn says the Blue Streaks are just so explosive.
“I think Sandusky came out of that half and shot the ball really
well, rebounded the ball really well, and went on one of their patented runs
that they are very successful at. It
took a close game to a double digit game to a 15 point game in the blink of
an eye. So, credit to them for
doing that, but we'll be ready to go on Thursday,” he said.
The Tornadoes are now in a position where they are going to need a
lot of help if they are to get a piece of that division title.
Kinn says they are trying to make sure they are peaking at the right
time. “I think mathematically
is still alive, but at this point you probably know that's a slim
possibility,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “As far
as us what we want to accomplish winning the league title is always up there
along with winning the district title, so it's kind of more focus on just
getting better, finding ways that we can compete in our district and try to
win a few tournament games.”
Tiffin Columbian (11-4,5-3) hosts Perkins (10-4,4-4) on Thursday
night. The Pirates are coming
off a (69-67) win over Norwalk in division play last Friday.
In the first meeting between the teams Columbian won (64-53) on
December 17.
Kinn says Perkins has good depth and they attempt to create a lot of
chaos, which they will have to handle. “They
do a lot of things well. They
pressure the basketball, they trap all over the place, half court, full
court, and really create a lot of chaos.
They have got a lot of guys that can shoot it, they got a lot of guys
that can rebound the ball, they're really balanced scoring.
They have almost four or five guys in double figures, or really close
to it, a couple guys at nine, point guard at eight, so they're incredibly
balanced, they share the ball well, they move the ball well, and defensively
they just create chaos and they're all over the place,” said Kinn.
Published 1/26/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We
are Your First Source for Everything Sports
Tornadoes
Have to Handle Sandusky Pressure
Tiffin Columbian, a game back in the Lake Division of the Sandusky
Bay Conference, is at Sandusky, the conference leader, on Friday night in a
huge game in the division.
Until last week it was Tiffin that was a Lake Division leader, but
they lost (54-51) to Bellevue and (52-34) to Norwalk.
Coach Travis Kinn says they just have to play together and believe in
themselves more. “I think it's
just having confidence in ourselves, believe in ourselves, believing each
other, playing with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder that maybe we
lost there for a while and knowing that we're still pretty good basketball
team when we play connected and we play together and do what we're supposed
to do. So, just believe in
ourselves. We understand it's
going to be a big game for us Friday night on the road, hostile crowd.
It should be a fun atmosphere. We're looking forward to it,” said
Kinn.
Columbian (10-3,5-2) plays at Sandusky (11-1,7-1), #1 in the
Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball coaches poll in the large school
division, on Friday night. The
Blue Streaks are coming off a (73-34) walloping of Vermilion on Friday night
in division play.
Kinn says the Streaks really pressure the ball well and they score in
transition. “They are really
good in transition. They can
turn you over and when they do, they turn it into points in a hurry.
In their last few games they scored in the 70s, 90s, put up 100 on
the big floor Quicken Loans Arena a while back.
They can definitely turn you over and score quickly.
So, taking care of the basketball is the main priority and if we do
that, we believe we give ourselves a chance to win,” he said.
The Tornadoes beat Sandusky (58-53) on December 15.
Kinn says they can’t let the turnovers cluster against Sandusky.
“Just not letting one mistake become two, three or four mistakes.
Mistakes are going to happen. There
are no perfect games in basketball. The
only thing you can do when a mistake happens is make sure it doesn't happen
again. So, having that short
term memory and being able to forget about things that don't go our way and
move quickly on to the next play because we know that the pace is going to
be up and down and there are going to be a lot of possessions,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “We don't have a lot of time to
sulk when we make a mistake and feel sorry about it.
So, just like I said being able to take care of the basketball.
We think we can get good looks. We
still want to run in transition when the opportunities is there as well.
It should be a fun atmosphere.”
Published 1/17/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We
are Your First Source for Everything Sports
Columbian
Plays Physical Norwalk
Tiffin Columbian, now in a three way tie for first place in the Lake
Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference, is back at it in division play at
Norwalk on Tuesday night.
The Tornadoes (9-2,5-1), #5 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, shares first with
Bellevue and Sandusky.
Bellevue knocked Tiffin out of sole possession of the lead in the
division when they beat the Tornadoes (54-51) at Columbian on Saturday
night.
Coach Travis Kinn says they were not disciplined enough on defense.
“It was a great game on both ends.
I thought both teams competed at a high level.
On our perspective, I think it just comes down to a little more
discipline, a little more focus and being consistent for 32 minutes.
They shot 10 of 15 from three and a lot of those were looks that we
should have taken away. Whether
that's being late on switches or not rotating quick enough or being in the
wrong position on the trap. Just
being immensely focused, mentally engaged, and disciplined enough to know
what you're supposed to do and when you're supposed to do it, so we don't
have those breakdowns and give open looks,” said Kinn.
With another game on Tuesday night, Kinn says it doesn’t give much
time for pouting. “There is
not a lot of time to worry about how we feel.
It's back to work, back to preparing for Norwalk.
They played us really tough first game of the year for us on our
floor. I'm sure they're thinking
that they let one slip away, so we have got to be ready to go,” he said.
Norwalk (4-7,1-5) broke a six game losing skid with a (60-47) win
over a good Port Clinton team on Saturday night.
In this first meeting of the season with Tiffin, the Tornadoes won
(50-49) on December 2.
Kinn says Norwalk is balanced and they a solid rebounding team.
“I think they're really balanced scoring the ball.
They're really disciplined on offense like to kind of work the clock
and get you out of position and wait for you to make mistakes.
So, that discipline that I talked about earlier with us has got to be
something that we're willing to do and prepared to do for a full 32
minutes,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “They have got
four guys, if not in double figures, really close to double figures, and
they're really good on the offensive glass.
They have got a handful of guys that go to the offensive glass
routinely. The (Ben) Rothhaar
kid inside is averaging almost a double double.
So, we'll have to be really sharp with our mental toughness and our
physical toughness making sure we get good block outs and finish possessions
with the rebound.”
Published 1/10/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Tiffin
Tries to Protect Lake Division Lead
Tiffin Columbian is in first place in the Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference an they play two division games this week as they
are at Clyde on Thursday night and at home for Bellevue on Saturday.
Last week, they smoked Vermilion (50-31) in a division game and edged
Bexley (45-44) in a non conference game.
Coach Travis Kinn says they did a nice job executing in both games.
“Two good wins. Going
on a road trip and over Christmas break is always a concern with kids.
I thought our guys really showed up ready to play on Wednesday night.
Thought we did a nice job of executing our stuff.
We're able to convert transition a little bit for some turnovers and
make the most of them. Thursday
you know an early afternoon start with Bexley. They're
really well coached team fundamentally defensively and were able to slow the
game down and kind of make it a half court game and fortunately we were able
to get one more stop at end of the game again,” said Kinn.
Columbian (8-1,4-0), #3 in the Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball
coaches poll in the large school division, is at Clyde (1-8,0-4) on Thursday
night. The Fliers lost (57-32)
to Bellevue in a division game last week.
Kinn says they are dangerous because of their ability to make the
three point shot. “They have
got a lot of guards and they have got a lot of guys can handle the
basketball. They shoot a ton of
threes. They shoot way more
threes than we do and we feel like we get up a good amount.
We have got to be ready to guard the ball, got to be ready to know
when to help and know when not to help and make sure we limit their catch
and shoot opportunities for sure,” he said.
Bellevue (6-2,3-1) plays Norwalk on Thursday before coming to Tiffin
on Saturday for a game that was originally scheduled for December 23.
Kinn says that game has a lot of big game potential.
“They're playing really well right now.
They've had some success. I
know they dropped a couple early in the season and I don't think they've
lost since then. They'll be
ready to play and we understand that's a big game and every time we take the
floor we want it to be a championship game style effort and championship
game style focus on our own end,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday
afternoon, “We have got to make sure we take care of business Thursday
first going over to Clyde, but then no doubt Bellevue will be a tough out.
They're really good defensive team.
They got a lot of guys that can guard a variety of positions, so
we'll have to be really sharp in our half court execution if it became gets
slowed down.”
Published 1/05/23
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Tiffin
Has to Play Better
Tiffin Columbian, the leader in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference, takes to the road to play at Vermilion in a division game on
Wednesday night.
They host Bexley in a non-league game on Thursday.
They lost their first game of the season last Tuesday when they lost
(61-51) at Bowling Green.
Coach Travis Kinn says they have to have a more consistent effort.
“We have to show up on a consistent basis and make sure that we
compete at a high level and make sure we're on the same page and we're all
moving in the same direction. When
that doesn't happen any given night, that’s why you play the game, any
team can win. I don't think we
played our best game, but credit to Bowing Green for taking advantage of the
opportunities that we gave them,” he said.
He says it is important not only to win, but to play well on
Wednesday night. “I think we
want to play well and anytime we step on the floor we want to play well.
I thought it was really important for us to have a couple good days
of practice before we got some weather and had a few days off for
Christmas,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “I thought
(Monday) was really important to get back at it after a few days off and
really compete in the high level get a little bit healthier.
I thought guys showed up and we're ready to go (Monday).
So, we're trending in the right direction.
We just have got to make sure we show up on game night.”
Tiffin Columbian (6-1,3-0), #3 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, takes its act to
Vermilion (4-5,2-2) on Wednesday night.
The Sailors beat Norwalk (63-60) in a division game last Thursday.
Kinn says that is always a tough trip to make and the Sailors are a
very good perimeter shooting team. “They
play hard. They compete at a
high level. Going up there over
Christmas break is always a tough place to play.
It's a long road trip. Their
guys play free, their guys play loose, they shoot a lot of threes.
We have really got to cover it and guard.
That sounds cliché, but we have got to guard the basketball, we have
got to rebound the basketball and if we can do those things then I'll give
us a better opportunity,” said Kinn.
Published 12/27/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Rebounding
a Key for Tiffin
Tiffin Columbian is playing some excellent basketball right now as
they lead the standings in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
They play at Bowling Green in a non-conference game on Tuesday and
then host Bellevue in a Lake Division game on Friday.
They edged Sandusky (58-53) in a big division game last Thursday and
beat Perkins (64-53) in division play on Saturday afternoon.
Coach Travis Kinn says they are excited by their play.
“Definitely a good week. Two
good league wins. Anytime you
can get two wins in our league it's great, especially playing at Perkins,
that’s tough place to play and as we know Sandusky is a is a very talented
team as well. So, that was a
home game that obviously was a good one to get.
We're excited about how the weekend went and now the focus turns to
Tuesday against Bowling Green,” he said.
Kinn says right now they are making a lot of good decisions with the
basketball. “I think our guys
do a great job but just making the right basketball play.
One guy doesn't score for us a lot Isaac Garcia he's just been doing
a great job. He came out against
pressure this weekend I think he had maybe three turnovers combined the two
games against Perkins and Sandusky,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday
afternoon, “Him along with Logan Beaston obviously handling a lot of the
ball and doing a lot of the press break responsibilities.
I think that's been really helpful for our balanced scoring as it
allows guys on the wing just to do what they do best in scoring the
basketball.”
Columbian takes to the road to the face Bowling Green (2-3) on
Tuesday night.
Kinn says the Bobcats have size and shooters.
“They have to big kid in the middle, big 6’8” kid, who plays
inside and out, talented player, he can really rebound the ball well, he can
score from the three-point line, and he can score from the block.
Their guard come off a ton of ball screens.
We have to really guard the three-point line.
We have to guard ball screens and we have to rebound,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian (6-0,3-0), #2 in the Swankonports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, plays host to Bellevue
(4-3,2-1) in a key Lake Division game on Friday night.
Kinn says they are balanced and it’s going to be a tough test for
them. “They have got some
talented guards in the Ray brothers obviously the Martin twins are
exceptional athletes and do a lot of good things.
They're really balanced too. They
have got Cody Lindsey and Logan Hartley, those two guys are both average
about 10 a game, so with those guys they got almost five guys in double
figures. They're really balanced
team. They handle the ball well
and they rebound the ball well also. We
will have to be really, really disciplined in what we do defensively and
make sure we finish the possession with a rebound,” said Kinn.
Published 12/20/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Transition
Points Crucial for Columbian
Tiffin Columbian hosts Sandusky in a key early season game in the
Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division on Thursday night.
Last week, the Tornadoes won a pair of non-conference games in
beating Upper Sandusky (72-36) and Fremont Ross (76-43) to remain undefeated
through four games.
Coach Travis Kinn says they played tremendous defense.
“I thought our guys did a really nice job of executing our game
plan defensively of really taking both teams out of their offensive rhythm.
I think both teams are very capable of scoring some points if you let
them run their stuff and do what they want and our guys did an outstanding
job of taking that away,” he said.
Columbian (4-0,1-0), #3 in the Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball
coaches poll in the large school division, is at home for Sandusky
(4-0,2-0), #2 in our poll, on Thursday.
Kinn says they must play very good transition defense.
“They have three guys averaging 17 or more a game, so anytime you
get three guys averaging close to 20 you are going to have your work cut out
for you. They do a good job in
transition. They get a lot of
fast break points, so we are going to have to be really disciplined in those
areas in making sure that we still offensive rebound, but also making sure
we know where guys are and we get back and stop those fast break
opportunities, “ he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “I
think the best way we can help our defense is to be efficient on the
offensive end and make sure we put the ball in the basket, so we can get our
defense set and limit those transition opportunities.”
The Tornadoes are a team that likes to score quickly too, but Kinn
says they have to be smart about it. “We
still want to play in transition and play in space and take advantage of
those opportunities. We just
have to be efficient when we do it. We
have to make sure that when we don’t run that we run good offense, get a
basket, and avoid turnovers. That
is really when Sandusky thrives is when they can turn you over.
They are really good at converting those turnovers to points
quickly,” said Kinn.
Kinn says this a big game for them, especially at home.
“Hopefully, we are fortunate to come out on top.
It’s a long season, but anytime you play a league game, especially
at home, you want to come out on top,” he said.
Published 12/14/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Tiffin
Columbian Needs to be Sharper
Tiffin Columbian takes a break from play in the Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference to face Upper Sandusky on Thursday and Fremont Ross
on Saturday in a pair of non-conference games.
They beat Norwalk (50-49) in division game and Willard (55-49) in a
crossover game last week.
Coach Travis Kinn hopes they execute better than they did last week.
“Especially with no conference game this week it is a little
different. Sometimes with a
conference game on a Friday and a non-league on Saturday there is a little
less prep time for a non-league game because of the prep time on the
conference game. With us having
two non-league games we have had ample prep time. I think we are prepared
and hopefully we can execute things a little shaper than we did last
week,” said Kinn.
Columbian (2-0) plays at Upper Sandusky (0-3) on Thursday night.
The Rams are off to uncharacteristic start after a (62-51) loss to
Wynford in “N10” action last Saturday.
Kinn says the Rams have been missing some players, but they are still
dangerous due to their perimeter shooting ability.
“They have had some guys out that last couple of games, so they
were a little shorthanded. They
shoot a lot of threes. That is
always a concern when a team shoots a high volume of threes.
You have to make sure you get out and take that away.
They are playing a little more zone than they have in year’s
past,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “We have to make
sure we are aware where the openings are and where we need to be. Screening
an area rather than just screening a guy, a guy in that area.
Just some things that we will have to be sharp with.”
Fremont Ross (1-0) smoked Toledo Waite (79-35) in their only game so
far this season.
Kinn says they will force them to handle pressure.
“They like to pressure the ball.
They like to get out and run and jump and they will trap you from
behind. They have an outstanding
guard in Ayden Carter, who is scholarship basketball player and a high level
athlete. We have to really work
to contain him. He is another
guy that is going to be hard to shut down.
We have to make his points be as inefficient as we can,” he said.
Published 12/08/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Tiffin
Columbian Outlasts Willard
Tiffin Columbian outscored Willard (16-11) in the fourth quarter and
beat the Flashes (54-49) in an “SBC” crossover, or non-conference game,
at Robert L. Haas Gym, on Saturday night.
The Flashes held an (11-7) lead after the first quarter, but Tiffin
took a (12-11) lead with 6:44 left in the half on a Bryce Roggow basket.
Three lead changes and a tie led a Columbian (23-19) lead at
halftime. The tempo was quicker
in the third quarter with the Tornadoes taking as much as a six point lead
on a Logan Beaston hoop with 2:50 remaining in the third, but the Flashes
wouldn’t go way closing to within one three times, the last after a
Braydon Thompson layup with :30 left in the quarter to make it (39-38)
Tiffin after three.
Willard again cut it two one (42-41) with 7:01 remaining when Max
Dawson converted. They would
never be that close again as Dawson’s field goal was the only make for the
Flashes in the 5:20 of the final quarter.
The lead was to grow to many as eight (52-44) with 1:02 left after a
Isaac Garcia free throw.
Columbian coach Travis Kinn felt his players turned it up a notch on
defense. “We gave away some
offensive rebounds in the third and kind of throughout the first half.
We finally buckled down the fourth quarter and got enough stops to
make a little bit of a run. That
allowed us to play in transition a little bit.
It a little easier to score the ball when their defense isn’t
set,” he said.
Willard had three three pointers in the first four minutes of the
game, two by Dawson and another by Cam Robinson and built and (11-3) lead
3:41 left in the first quarter, but Dawson’s three with 6:44 to go in the
third quarter was the last perimeter shot they would make.
Flashes coach Joe Bedingfield says they fell in love with the
perimeter shot and didn’t get it inside enough.
“The second quarter was bad for us.
I thought we got off to a good start.
We had some guys that shot the ball well early and then we kind of
went away from going inside, which happens when you shoot some early threes.
We fell in love with that early.
Tired legs, or whatever you call it.
Both teams played (Friday) night and I don’t think Tiffin shot it
that well either,” he told Swankonsports.com after the game, “In the
second half, they got out in transition a little bit more.
We were trying to go zone on misses because they are a tough
transition team and we didn’t so a good job of actually getting into our
zone. We had guys confused.
We have a lack of experience with double weekends and we had some new
guys in there. Things didn’t
go our way.”
Beaston, Tiffin’s leading scorer was held to 14 points, well below
his average, but Kinn says he got other players involved.
“He missed a couple of shots early (Saturday) night.
He is not playing up to the standard he has set for himself and I
think we understand that. Fortunately,
we had some other guys step up. He
still led us in other ways in getting guys organized, getting guys in the
right spots and making sure guys understand defensive assignments.
(Friday) night we had Zach Shawberry step up.
(Saturday) night, I thought Isaac Garcia hit a big three for us that
gave us a little bit of cushion right in front of our bench.
We got some offensive rebounds. Bryce
Roggow got some buckets late. We
had four guys in double figures, so it was anybody out there could score the
ball for us,” said Kinn.
Bryce Roggow led the Tornadoes with 15.
Garcia added 12 and Brayden Roggow had 10.
Willard looked tired in the fourth quarter and Bedingfield says they
did kind of run out of gas. “We
are still plugging a JV kid or two in there when we can.
They have to know what is going on when we put them in there.
We have to get used to it. We
talk to the kids about no excuses, you still have to play.
You have to fight though fatigue.
Both teams really made some fatigue mistakes that were
uncharacteristic. I think we
made a few more. I made a few
mistakes with some defensive changes and left some guys open and credit
them, they made shots. Garcia,
Newlove and Shawberry a little bit more and we were slow rotating backside
when we did those things. Credit
them they were hitting the shots,” said Bedingfield.
Willard did not have much balance in the scoring column.
Dawson had 27 and Cam Robinson had 19, but only two other players
scored.
Kinn says he felt they made Dawson work for his points, led by the
defensive play of Garcia. “He
was matched up on Dawson for much of the night.
He had whatever he had, but he really had to work for them.
The first six he had, he got loose in transition and made two open
threes, but other than that I thought Isaac (Garcia) and Zach (Shawberry)
and Jack Newlove did a really good job of making him earn his points and
take away some of his efficiency and try and wear him down through the
course of the game,” he said.
Published 12/03/22
© Swankonsports.com
Columbian
Opens With Physical Norwalk
Tiffin Columbian plays at home against Norwalk in a Sandusky Bay
Conference Lake Division game on Friday night.
It’s their first game of the season.
Coach Travis Kinn says they have kicking at the door to get started
and now it is finally here. “I think we are eager to get in a game
situation. We have had some
scrimmages and that is a close as we can get without playing a game in a
live setting. They are ready to
get rolling. I think we have had
a pretty good preseason despite it being condensed.
I am happy with our progress and guys are really buying into things
we are trying to do. We are
excited to see how things go on Friday night,” he said.
Kinn believes they have a lot of kids that can score and have the
mindset to understand that collectively they have to do whatever they can so
the team wins. “I think they
are a really coachable group right now that really buying into roles.
I think everybody kind of knows their pecking order and where they
fall and what they need to be good at for us to be successful.
I think that has led to some really good chemistry in the locker
room. As far as on the floor, I
think we have a lot of guys that can score the ball.
I think we have some length and athleticism that we can use on the
defensive end of the floor it is just understanding where to be, when to be
there and how to rotate. Those
little, small things that really make the big difference in the game,”
said Kinn.
Norwalk (1-0) rallied past Ashland (48-45) I their first game last
Friday.
Kinn says this is a physical bunch they will be playing.
“They are a physical team. They
some big, strong, long and athletic kids.
They really try and bully you here and there around the basket.
They had a heck of comeback Friday night against Ashland.
They really got things rolling the second half,” he told
Swnakonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “So, they do some good things on
both sides of the floor and it will be a really good test for us.
It is going to be tough to open up with a league game.
Hopefully, we aren’t sloppy like a lot of first games are.
We will have to try and fight through some of that adversity and our
guys should be ready to roll.”
Published 11/30/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Columbian
a Mix
Tiffin Columbian returns some talent from a team that lost in the
district final last year, but they also will have some players that are new
to the varsity level.
Coach Travis Kinn says have a pretty good mix of players.
“I think we bring back some talented kids.
We are also going to have some guys playing varsity basketball on a
consistent basis for the first time in losing five seniors.
We are really confident in the group we have coming back.
As far as expectations for ourself, it is just to be the best version
of ourselves every single time we step on the floor whether that is a game
or a practice we want to play to the best of our ability,” said Kinn.
Kinn says right now they are just trying to figure out who should be
on the court and who plays well together.
“As I said we bring back talented kids, but we also graduated four
starters. We are trying to find
the right puzzle pieces and how they fit.
Who can start the game and who can finish the game and who can play
this role. I think that is a
work in progress,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “With
where we are at so far with just a few days of practice, I am pleased with
our guys’ effort. It is just
doing that on a consistent basis leading up to game.”
Columbian doesn’t play next week.
Their first game will be at home with Norwalk in the Lake Division of
the Sandusky Bay Conference on December 2.
Still, it doesn’t give them a long time to get ready.
Kinn says one benefit is his kids are pretty much gym rats.
“We had a couple of good days last week on Friday and Saturday, a
couple of scrimmages this week and a couple next week and then roll it out
and see what happens. Our guys
are committed enough to routinely get in the gym in the off season.
Even our football guys are in the gym shooting in the fall.
So, I think that will pay huge dividends for us going forward,
especially with a shortened preseason,” said Kinn.
Published 11/15/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Columbian
Plays Tough Padua
Tiffin Columbian entertains Parma Padua on Friday night in a division
III regional quarterfinal.
In their playoff opener the Tornadoes (9-2) blasted Rocky River
(41-7) last Friday.
Coach Judd Lutz says they made some big plays early in the game.
“Last week was a really good start to things.
We started on defense and we got a three and out, got a decent punt
return into a short field and then the offensive capitalized pretty quickly,
I think it was a three, four play drive to get in the end zone and make it
7-0 right off the rip. It was
kind of the same with a couple of other drives, all in the first quarter.
I think we only ran 10 to 12 plays in the first quarter and we were
already up 21-0. We got a
turnover late in our end zone. We
kind kept the pedal to the metal. So,
it was a really good complementary game on both sides of the ball and
special teams too,” said Lutz.
Padua (6-5) downed Medina Buckeye (35-7) in a first round game.
Lutz calls the Bruins talented on both sides of the ball.
“They have a very talented roster.
They have big guys up front on both sides of the ball, has speed in
the secondary on defense and on the perimeter on offense and the running
back position and they have a big sized quarterback,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “They are able to score a lot of
points and they are able to limit you on defense and play some really good
ball there. So, we have a really
good team coming to town. It’s
playoff football, so the margin for error is really thin.
We need to play well to find a way to win.”
Lutz says they want to take away for Padua run game and on offense,
make some big plays. “We have
to make them one dimensional. We
have to shut down their run game. When
they get their run game going, they are really tough to beat.
So, we have to really neutralize that if at all possible.
We have to win the explosive play battle.
We have to make some explosive plays on offense and not give them up
on defense at the same point. We
feel like if we do those couple things, we have a really good chance,” he
said.
Published 11/04/22
© Swankonsports.com
Score updates every 5 minutes on Friday night
On our scoreboard at
Columbian
Takes on Underrated Rocky River
Tiffin Columbian, the runner-up in the tough Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference, is at home for Rocky River in a first round playoff
game in division III on Friday night.
Last week, after losing the Lake Division championship game to
Perkins (31-14) the week before, came back to hammer Norwalk (41-0) in a
division game on Friday.
Coach Judd Lutz says the start of the game was key for them.
“I thought we came out early and set the tone in a good way
starting on defense. We were
able to get a quick three and out. The
offense made a quick turnaround as far as scoring on a short field.
The defense got another, I think, four and out at that point and good
field position and turned into points again.
It was kind of an onslaught both offensively and defensively in the
first half. Happy with our kids
playing with a great deal of passion and sense of urgency and the results
speak for themselves. We have to
turn the page pretty quickly and get ready for the next opponent,” said
Lutz.
Columbian (8-2), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in
the large school division, hosts Rocky River (4-6) on Friday.
The Pirates are coming off a (34-7) loss to Valley Forge on Friday.
Lutz says the Pirates are better than their record indicates.
“When you see a record of 4-6, you think it is probably a below
average team, but you look at the quality of opponents they have played and
how they have played them and they have a good team.
They have played some really good teams really tough.
They have some guys we consider game changers, game wreckers, at a
couple of key positions, tight end, defensive end, they are really good.
We feel like the offensive and defensive line, that is where really
good football teams have a good heartbeat, and they have some of those
tools,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “They have
obviously found a way to lose some games, but that doesn't matter now,
it’s playoffs. Everybody is
going to put their chips in the center of the table every Friday and only
one is coming away with the pot. So,
we have to have a good sense of urgency from the get go and get ready for a
four quarter game because it’s playoff time.”
Lutz says Rocky River in terms of players and approach is kind of a
combination of some teams they have played.
“My wife asked me that question earlier this week, are they
comparable to anybody? They are
kind of a mix of Sandusky with some good size and some athletes.
Also, Springfield, at a couple of positions, big tight ends,
quarterbacks that are athletic and can run around and throw it.
They are kind of like this team in this sense and this team in that
sense. At the same time, you
have to look at game plans and put it together specifically for them and who
you have to do it. It’s going
to be a challenge and we are excited for the opportunity,” he said.
Published 10/28/22
© Swankonsports.com
Score updates every 5 minutes on Friday night
On our scoreboard at
Columbian
Has to Bounce Back
Tiffin Columbian no longer controls its own density when it comes to
the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
They finish the regular season at home against the Norwalk Truckers
in a division game on Friday night.
Last week, in the battle of co-leaders they lost (31-14) to Sandusky
Perkins. Tiffin needs Perkins to
lose to Sandusky on Friday night to share the title.
Coach Judd Lutz says it boils down to a lack of execution.
“We are disappointed by the outcome.
Pleased with the effort, we knew the effort was there, but really
poor execution in a lot of ways. We
just didn’t get it done in a handful of plays that determined the outcome.
It is what it is and you have to flip it and get ready to go for the
next one. We have a big game at
home finally against a league foe and it looks like playoff games to follow.
We have to right the ship and get on good standing and the only way
to do that is find a way to win,” he said.
Columbian still leads the standings in division III, region 10.
Lutz says they can’t over analyze things or feel sorry for
themselves, they have to get back on track and now.
“Obviously, you want to win your conference and accomplish things
and win championships, do some special things and send your seniors out
right. We lost that opportunity
to be in control of that last week, which was really disappointing after a
pretty good run, but at the same point we have a lot ahead of us and can
still do some really special things,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday
night, “That is all going to be determined by how we respond and whether
not we can flush it and move on from it.
We really feel we have that kind of group and we anticipate doing
just that.”
Columbian (7-2,3-1), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, is at home for Norwalk (0-9,0-4) on
Friday night. The Truckers
played well in a (35-28) loss to Clyde last Friday.
Lutz says they have to contain Truckers running back Jarren Mclendon,
who leads the division in rushing yards with 1,336.
“They are playing really hard.
They have some great players over there led by a really good running
back. A guy who that has all
three tools when you look at really good running backs size, speed and
mobility. He carries those
things and does some really special things.
He does some really special things on a couple of plays every game.
We hope to gang tackle him and get him down and kind of crowd him and
not give up the big one,” said Lutz.
Published 10/18/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Columbian
to Battle Perkins for Piece of the Title
Tiffin Columbian plays at Perkins on Friday night in a game in which
the winner will earn no less than a share of the title in the Lake Division
of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
It is one the biggest games in the state.
Columbian (7-1,3-0), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the small school division, outlasted Bellevue (33-27) last Friday to
remain unbeaten in the division.
Coach Judd Lutz says they had to battle.
“It is always tough to find a way to win on the road at a rival
school like B-town. A great
team, a great head coach, they play hard.
We didn’t do ourselves any favors, the ball didn’t bounce our way
early and found ourselves in a little bit of a hole, but dug out quickly.
It was back and forth really throughout the game.
I loved the adversity that our kids experienced and battled through
and found a way to get a win and that is the main thing at this time of
year. Now, it’s move on and
try and do it again,” he said.
Perkins (7-1,3-0), #3 in our poll, outlasted winless Norwalk (21-19)
last week.
Lutz says their offense is led by an outstanding quarterback in Logan
Lesch, who has thrown for 1,940 yards and 21 touchdowns, both division
highs. “They have a great
group. Very balanced as far as a
group with size and speed. They
have skilled kids that can really run. They have great ball skills.
They have a great quarterback, he is a dual threat kid, he can throw
it really well and extend plays with his legs to throw it, but also just run
it, and pick up chunks with his legs scrambling too,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “You have to corral him to corral the
offense. They are also big up
front. They can really move you.
You have to run around them or find a way to penetrate them.
If you kind of just sit back, they are going to pick you apart.”
Lutz says on defense they are aggressive and play a lot of man-to-man
in the defensive backfield. “Defensively,
same thing. They play an in your
face style of defense for the most part.
We call it man-to-man or one free or zero.
It forces you to be very timely in your passing routes and hopefully,
keep them honest by running the ball too.
It’s tough because they can commit the whole “D-line” and
linebackers to stopping the run sometimes.
They have had a lot of success to far.
They have found a way to win against a really good schedule.
It’s going to be a good one,” he said.
There will be a lot of eyes on this one and Lutz says they have told
the plays this is the kind of game you want to play in.
“That is the message to our kids, embrace the opportunity.
We talk about it being a rare air this time of year to being playing
important games, so breath it in and enjoy it and fly around and have fun.
You put in a ton of work for games like this and put yourself in
position to do things that that are pretty special.
We call it a t-shirt week, a chance to win a league championship
t-shirt and represent your school and community.
It comes down to blocking and tackling, catching the ball when it’s
in your area and hanging on to it when you have got it.
We are really excited for the opportunity and have to find a way to
win a tough road game for third straight week.
It’s the “SBC Lake” and that what we expect,” said Lutz.
Published 10/14/22
© Swankonsports.com
Score updates every 5 minutes on Friday night
On our scoreboard at
Columbian
Takes on Very Good Bellevue
Tiffin Columbian, a co-leader in the Lake Division of the Sandusky
Bay Conference, takes its act to rival Bellevue on Friday night.
The Tornadoes (6-1,2-0), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, pulled away from Clyde in the second half
last week and beat the Fliers (35-7) in a division game.
Coach Judd Lutz says they found a way to win.
“It was a great game with two great programs.
We had to go over to Clyde in their backyard and find a way to get it
done. It was a 6-7 game with
them winning after two quarters. We
came out and got a score the first drive of the second half, but even then
traded blows a little bit until we went up two scores and then we got some
late, but it was a close game. They
had a fumble going into the end zone that turned into our ball at the
20-yard line late in the game that would have made it a one score game and a
huge momentum swing. Anytime you
find a way to get it done against a good “SBC Lake” school with a lot of
tradition you are happy, but we are ready to move on,” said Lutz.
Bellevue (5-2,1-1), #5 in our poll, fell to Sandusky Perkins (21-6)
last week in a division game.
Lutz says Bellevue is very good at running the ball and very good at
stopping the run. “Another
traditional Ed Nasonti lead team. Coach
Nasonti is the godfather for a reason and he has bult another great team in
his long program history. They
pride themselves in running the football and stopping the run.
They are not going to beat themselves in anyway.
You are going to have to earn it if you want to go into their
backyard and find a way to win. He
has a great team putting his team in position to be successful.
They are finding a way to get it done week in and week out against
some really good competition. They
are coming off a loss, so you know they are going to be hungry,” said
Lutz.
Bellevue is second in the division in stopping the run.
Columbian tops that list.
Bellevue quarterback Jax Lapata is third in the division in rushing
yards with 710 and eight touchdowns.
Lutz says to be successful against Bellevue, you have to stop the
quarterback run. “They have
found a recipe it sounds like dating back to when Jalen Santoro was their
quarterback, but a dual threat that ran maybe a little more than he threw it
and put some pieces around that to be successful through the air.
That is kind of what I have experienced being back here in what is
year seven as the head coach and facing them.
It has been about the same thing ever year, a quarterback that can
and will run it over and over until you stop it, but also capable in the
throw game too. That is their
recipe for success and they have found a really good one,” he said.
Published 10/06/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Columbian
Expects Test From Clyde
Tiffin Columbian, a winner of five in a row, will play at Clyde on
Friday night in a game in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
In their division opener last week, the Tornadoes thrashed Sandusky
(41-6) last Friday. Damien
Brockington, who leads the division in rushing yards, ran for 137 against
the Blue Streaks. He has scored
17 touchdowns this season, a division high.
Tiffin leads the Lake Division in rushing yards.
Coach Judd Lutz says there were in top form last week.
“We did a lot of things well. The
outcome kind of shows that. There
are things to work on and thing to get better at.
We missed a couple of opportunities here and there on both sides of
the ball, but all and all a pretty good week, pretty good game, but we have
to turn the page and get ready for the next one,” he said.
Columbian (5-1,1-0) travels to Clyde (4-2,0-1) on Friday night.
The Fliers lost (24-13) to Sandusky Perkins last Friday.
The Fliers give up less than four yards per rush this season.
Lutz says Clyde is a consistent football program and their team this
year is consistent to what they have always brought to the table.
“They are a really good team, great program, always really well
coached, tough kids, tough community. In
order to beat them you have to play well and be on the top of your game.
So far this year it looks the same.
They have tough kids out there competing at a high level, executing
at a high level. We have to find
a way to go on the road to their place and get it done, which is never an
easy task,” said Lutz.
Lutz says Clyde always plays them well and they expect they are going
to get the Fliers best effort on Friday night.
“That comes down to taking a lot of pride in what they do.
They regroup and get back to the drawing board quickly and closing
the gap on some things they didn’t do well last week that they have to
shore up and solidify to have success this week,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “So, when you take a look at the
film and who they are right now and what they have done well and haven’t
done well you can’t necessarily bank on them continuing to preform poorly
in some things. You have to
anticipate that they are going to be better there, so you need to account
for that and find a way to have some success.”
Published 9/29/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Columbian
Faces Speedy Sandusky
Tiffin Columbian, on a four game winning streak, plays at home
against the Sandusky Blue Streaks in the opener for both schools in the Lake
Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
Last week, the Tornadoes (4-1), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football
coaches poll in the large school division, blew out Toledo Waite (62-8) in a
non-league game.
Coach Judd Lutz says they had the right attitude going into the game.
“They had shown some things on film that they were successful at
and probably working on. Really
proud of our guys. We kind of
got on them early and often and had some things go our way and found the end
zone pretty frequently relatively quickly and had some explosive plays and
really put the pedal to the metal for the most part and did some good
things,” he said.
The Lake Division has earned the reputation of being the best
football conference we cover.
Lutz says every week is a war. “There
are no easy ones. Everybody
knows each other pretty well and that is why I think you have some good
battles and tough games. It’s
a tough league to win in for a lot of reasons.
A lot of pride in the communities, a lot of really good coaching
staffs spread around. This week
is no different with a new coach at Sandusky, but he is no stranger to the
community. They are doing things
the right way in building a program. They
have done some really good things already.
They are a pretty good team that we have to be ready for,” said
Lutz.
Sandusky (2-3) comes in off of a (42-14) loss to Akron St.
Vincent/St. Mary last week. They
have lost three a row, Fremont Ross (42-21) and Parma Padua (42-35), but
Lutz says they are athletic and they are going to concentrate on stopping
the Columbian run game, the best in the Lake Division so far this season.
“They played some really good teams the last three weeks and had
some things not go their way necessarily, but have also done some really
good things on film too against those good teams.
They have some speed in a handful of spots on offense and defense.
They have some guys that are really dynamic with the ball in their
hands,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “We just can’t
symbolize that speed in practice. We
have to figure out how fast it is and contain it early in the game
defensively. Offensively, we
figure they are going to have a lot of guys in an around the football.
We have to be able to block them at the point and still rattle off
some positive runs and get the pass game going if needed too.
We feel pretty good about that.”
Published 9/20/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Columbian
not Mailing it in
Tiffin Columbian fresh off a big win last week heads for Toledo on
Friday night for a non-conference matchup against the Waite Indians.
In a thrilling win last Friday, Brayden Roggow found Brady Goodring
for a late score and then Roggow picked one off in the end zone to preserve
a (40-37) win over Columbus Bishop Watterson.
Coach Judd Lutz says there were definitely some things to build on.
“There were a lot of good things when we take a look at the film
and some stuff we need to sure up and fix and get better at, but you want to
do all of those things while also finding a way to win.
That’s a sign of good team. We
found a way to win and we are happy for our fans and our community and
coaching staff. Now, we have to
turn the page and keep the momentum up into a good week of practice and this
week,” he said.
Columbian (3-1), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in
the large school division, travels to Toledo Waite (0-4) and losers (48-12)
Brunswick last week.
Lutz says the Indians have athletes on both sides of the football.
“You put on the tape and they play some good teams and have
battled. They have some good
athletes. They haven’t been
able to find a way to win yet and we don’t want it to happen against us.
We are going to their place and they are going to be excited to play.
They have done some things well against good teams.
They have some explosiveness on offense for sure.
We need to be able to contain and corral or they are going to make
some big plays and possibly score some points,” he told Swankonsports.com
on Tuesday afternoon, “We have to make sure we are sound in what we do and
then the same thing offensively against some guys that will absolutely smack
you in the face if you don’t block them and get hands on them.
They do some different things that we have to account for or it is
going to lead to negative plays, which we can’t have.”
The Tornadoes begin play in the rugged Sandusky Bay Conference Lake
Division next week, but Lutz is not concerned they will take this week off.
“I say that because of the character of the coaching staff and the
character of the kids we have. They
are hungry. They want to go out
and they want to play hard and play well and that’s what it starts with.
We don’t look past anybody. Everybody
is worthy of our respect, attention, and it is no different this week.
Just the attention to detail and try and get better and be the best
version of this team. Teams
change, the weather changes, the referees change, but we have to be
consistent in how we prepare and hopefully play our best football week to
week and throughout the season. That
is what we are after,” said Lutz.
Published 9/14/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Run
Game Big For Columbian
Tiffin Columbian faces a challenge this week as they host the
Columbus Bishop Watterson Eagles in a non-conference game on Friday night.
Last week, Brayden Roggow, the Tiffin quarterback, threw for 240
yards and five scores in a (64-28) win over River Valley in non-conference
play.
Coach Judd Lutz says they got a lot of things done.
“We evaluated the tape going into it and felt like we could take
advantage of a couple of things offensively.
It is a chess match back and forth.
I felt like we could get the run game going a couple ways and we did.
They had to commit some extra guys to the box and try and neutralize
that. Our next move was to try
and take advantage of throwing it different ways and I think we did a good
job of doing that. So, we were
able to score relatively consistently and also quickly,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “Defense got some stops.
It was a situation where they are really good offense and could also
score points quickly, so we had to keep the pedal down because we are
worried about one team and that’s us most importantly.
We wanted to make sure we take care of business.
We executed and did some good things.”
Columbian (2-1), #5 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in
the large school division, has Bishop Watterson (3-0) here on week four.
Watterson beat Bishop Ready (28-7) last week.
Lutz says they are physical and like to run the ball.
“They are a good team that has beaten some good teams, bigger sized
schools. They are really stingy
on defense consistently here over the last couple of years.
They really pop off the tape, they are big and physical.
They run to the ball really well.
They do the simple things that aren’t so simple really, really
well. Offensively, they have a
good sized “O-line”. I think
one kid has a couple of division one offers.
I think he is committed to Toledo or looking there.
He is 6’6”, 6’7” a little over 300 pounds.
They want to establish the run and they kind of build it from there.
They have been really successful so far doing it.
It is going to be good, got play well,” he said.
Lutz says Friday night they have to be able to run the ball against
Watterson when that is the call to make.
“We have to be successful running the ball when they know we are
going to run it. Sometimes in
those situations, short down situations where they think we are probably
going to run it and we do in fact run it, we have to be efficient and
successful. We have to make some
explosive plays when we are there on offense.
Defensively, we have to make them one handed.
Lean on their running game, it has been pretty good to them.
We have to be able to stuff the run when it matters and make them go
to the air. Then get ready to
make the adjustments doing that. We
have to find a way to win the turnover battle.
Take it from them a couple of times and don’t give it to them,”
said Lutz.
Published 9/08/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Tiffin
Getting Closer
Tiffin Columbian plays at home Friday night in a non-conference game
against the River Valley Vikings of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference.
They are coming off a (46-17) win over Holland Springfield on week
two.
Coach Judd Lutz feels the Tornadoes (1-1) got better in their
execution. “We did a lot of
things really well on week two, not that we did a lot of things poorly on
week one, but we made some critical errors and mistakes.
It was a different opponent as well and different things that you had
to be better at to find a way to win. I
thought we cleaned up some of those things and executed in a high level in a
lot of ways too and found ourselves on the right side of the win column on
week two,” he said.
The Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division is as good a football
conference as there is in North Central Ohio and Lutz says the Tornadoes
have to get a lot better. “There
are a couple of things coverage wise that we need to get a little better in
our details. I won’t go into
some of those details and bore the listeners, but get contact with some
receivers and getting leverage in the right way.
Small things that make a big difference,” he told Swankonsports.com
on Tuesday afternoon, “Defensive line wise keeps our heads out of some
blocks and create some separation even when we are creating some knock back.
Offensive line wise continue to develop those next guys up.
I thought we had some guys in there early that did some good things,
but also made some critical errors in a couple of other areas and they have
to be varsity ready. Some good
things for sure, but always stuff to work on.”
River Valley (2-0) is coming off a (44-28) victory over Mansfield
Madison last week.
Lutz says the Vikings are going to spread you out on offense and have
a very active defense. “They
are a formable opponent and really good in a lot of things that they do.
Probably led by their quarterback in a lot of ways.
A guy that is very physical, big and strong and athletic and can
throw it really well too. They
spread you out for the most part on offense.
Defensively, they do some different things up front.
They have an active “D-line” and one really good inside
linebacker complemented by another kid that is really fast on the inside
that you have to get hats on or they are going to be in the backside really
quickly and create some problems. They
have our attention and we have to play well to find a way to win,” said
Lutz.
Published 8/31/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Columbian
Going Back to Work
Tiffin Columbian got smoked in their opener and they know they are
going have to have a lot better outing on Friday if they are going to beat
Holland Springfield in a non-conference road game.
Fremont Ross came to Tiffin and beat the Tornadoes (34-14) last
Friday.
Coach Judd Lutz says the Little Giants are a very good team and they
did what he calls a lot of bonehead things.
“We needed to play a good game and execute at high level and
ultimately we didn’t. We did a
lot of good things, but they are a really good team.
We have to take care of the ball.
We had four turnovers and one costs us six points.
They picked up a fumble and went the other way.
A couple of big plays that if they go the other way it might have
been a closer game,” he told Swankonsports.com on Sunday evening,
“Ultimately, you look at the film and see a lot of good things, but a lot
of the bonehead things too that were self-inflicted and they made some
plays, they are a very good team too, so you have to tip your cap to them
and get better. You have to have
a huge jump from week one to week two and that is what we are looking
for.”
Tiffin allowed 388 total yards, 245 on the ground, and they turned it
over four times while forcing only one.
Even in the loss Lutz saw a lot of good things and knows they will
work hard to get better. “I
saw it Friday. They were put up
against the ropes time and time again. You
find out a lot about the character of individuals on the team and then
collectively and they fought off the ropes time and time again and continued
to make plays and give themselves a chance to get back in the game.
At the end of the game, and Saturday morning.
It they come in with a pouty attitude or are they ready to work and
our hungry. We really didn’t
have any pouters. I was not
surprised, they were ready to get back on the band wagon and get rid of this
really bad taste,” he said.
Holland Springfield lost (40-21) to Sandusky, also out of the
“SBC” Lake last Friday. They
ran for only 15 yards and less than 150 yards of total offense against the
Blue Streaks.
Lutz says they will be a different kind of challenge.
“They are a really good team. They
do a couple of things that are different from Fremont and pose a different
challenge. They have a different
structure than Fremont and really we are little bit multiple on defense so
in camp we arere able to throw some different things at our offense, but not
exactly what they do. It is
going to be a good challenge. They
are also a two platoon team. They
have 11 guys on offense and 11 different guys on defense and they are always
fresh. So, we have to be able to
match that energy when they have with a bunch of fresh guys out there when
we have a couple of guys going both ways in one way, shape or form probably.
That is going to be a challenge in itself too,” said Lutz.
Published 8/22/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
You can click out scoreboard link at
www.swankonsportshosting247.com
for all the weekend scores
Columbian
Needs to be Aggressive
Tiffin Columbian gets its first task of the varsity football on
Friday night at home against Fremont Ross in a non-conference game.
Coach Judd Lutz says they have improved as they have moved through
the preseason. “We shored some
things up from even the first scrimmage going into the second a little bit,
saw some improvement in areas. Obviously,
some things from that second scrimmage that we are going to have to continue
to work on. Every opponent
presents a new battle and a new area of emphasis.
We have a big week to get ready for a really good opponent while also
continuing to try to be the best version of ourselves for the remainder of
the season,” said Lutz.
Two years ago, Tiffin made the final four in the division III and
last year lost by three (28-25) to eventual final four team West Holmes.
Lutz says they have great potential again this year.
“We can be pretty special, but it is going to be up to them and the
coaches to continue to mesh together and chasing that.
I love the strides that we have made, the off season that we had, the
preseason that we have had thus far, and now it is time to show up.
We have a chance to be really good and that’s all we ask for and
that is what I think we’ve got right now,” he said.
Fremont Ross was (8-4) last year.
Lutz says the Little Giants can be very good too and they have some
playmakers. “They love
themselves too. They like where
they are at and they should. They
have some really good guys coming back from a good team last year,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “Some kids that are very
talented and have a lot of excitement about them.
We are just lucky to be able to throw a team out there against
them.”
Ross won last year’s game in come from behind fashion (37-36) in
the first game of 2021.
Lutz says they have to be aggressive, yet smart to win.
“We have to limit their explosive plays, play smart with turnovers,
we have to be aggressive, but at the same point we can’t give them the
ball. If you win the turnover
battle and the explosive play battle you have a really good chance of
winning. So, that’s what we
want to do,” said Lutz.
Published 8/16/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Columbian
Adjusting
Tiffin Columbian, like every other team in Ohio, is into it’s
second week of preseason camp preparing for a regular season that begins in
less than two weeks.
The Tornadoes open on August 19 at home against Fremont Ross.
There first action against another opponent came last weekend against
Anthony Wayne.
Coach Judd Lutz says it was good to get their feet wet.
“It was a good physical scrimmage.
Anthony Wayne has another good team coming back, they do have some
new starters, but big and physical up front on both sides of the ball.
They are really good at what they do.
So, it was a good test to see where we were in the trenches a little
bit and work on some timing on the perimeter.
We got a lot out of it and got some good film, some of our guys on
tape in order to evaluate them. We
are looking to get better from it,” he said.
Lutz says the pace of the game may have been too much for some of the
players. “Sometimes your eyes
will lie to you whether it is offensively or defensively.
You do something even if it is in full speed in practice over and
over and over, but sometimes when the lights come on and the game speeds up
a little bit you go back to whatever the default is for you.
We talk a lot about eye discipline, looking at the right thing and
acting accordingly, doing your assignment,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Tuesday evening, “You have to get back to the basics sometimes when the
bullets are flying. The bright
lights are reveling some of that work in the dark.
We did a good job of it in a lot of places, but some guys with their
first taste of varsity speed football kind of got lazy with their eyes.
We have to show them how to correct that on the film.”
He says they have to get better when they take on Galion in their
second scrimmage this weekend. “With
certain positions and groups and guys, maybe going from that sophomore year
to the junior year or even junior to senior year.
They definitely feel that growth from that year, but also from that
first game speed with an opponent in a scrimmage, it’s just different.
You want to make practice more intense and as fast as possible, but
the adrenaline is just different against somebody else.
You want to see growth from that first scrimmage to the next one and
then the next one to the first week and throughout the season,” he said.
Published 8/10/22
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” after Friday night games
10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” each week 10 AM to 1 PM
We are Your First Source for Everything
Sports
Fundamentals
Key in Columbian Win over Defiance
Tiffin Columbian used great pitching and timely hitting to beat
Defiance (1-0) in a division II regional semifinal played on Thursday
afternoon at Carter Park in Bowling Green.
Senior Carson Mellott threw the shutout and had the only RBI hit of
the game for the Tornadoes, who play Akron Hoban Friday, again at Carter
Park, in the regional final. Hoban
beat Sandusky Perkins (8-0) on Thursday.
Coach Curt Mellott says it was just a great baseball game.
“It was such a great game on both sides.
Both teams had phenomenal pitching, phenomenal defense, some diving
plays, some balls that we thought might get to the gap were caught.
We had they one big, timely hit when we needed it and were able to
close the door at the end. All
of the credit goes to the kids, they were just amazing,” he said.
Mellott says Carson was outstanding again and he had great defense
behind him. “We were just able
to stay ahead in counts for the most part.
We had a little bit traffic on the base paths, but Carson was able to
pick off two runners, might have had a third if we would have gotten the
throw down at second base. That
kind of helped alleviate some of their run game, which is something they
have always relied heavily on. We
fielded the bunts when we needed to and just made routine plays,” said
Mellott.
Defiance has been ranked number one in the state in the statewide
coaches poll and they are a team that likes to be aggressive.
Mellott says they were able to take advantage of that.
“We had a lot of discussion leading into this.
Just talking about what they like to do in terms of the run game.
We know Defiance in playing them for a number of years during my
coaching career. Just how they
can take advantage of you by seeding you up.
Like clockwork, the first guy that gets on base, he goes on the first
move and we have him picked off. That
kind of set the tone for us that we know what is coming,” he told
Swankonsports.com after the win, “So, a couple of times later when they
tried that, we picked two runners back to back.
We threw behind a guy from the outfield and got a big one and got a
few out there. Those little
things that Defiance typically does we took advantage of.
I felt our guys where just a half step ahead.
Thank goodness we were able to take care of some of those mistakes
and capitalize on the defensive end.”
They only run of the game came in the fourth inning and Mellott says
again it was fundamentals that were a factor.
“We got that because of things we really preach.
Gunther Kissell, our leadoff hitter, on a 1-2 pitch, wears one on his
shoulder. Bryce Roggow comes up
and lays done a beautiful bunt that we thought might me a hit down the third
base line and their third baseman had a great play on the run.
With two strikes, Carson Mellott drives one off the right center wall
to make it 1-0. It kind of give
us the steading factor that okay we have a lead now let’s finish this
off,” said Mellott.
Published 6/03/22
© 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
Columbian
Wins the “SBC” Lake
Tiffin Columbian is the outright champion of the Sandusky Bay
Conference Lake Division after a (4-1) victory over Norwalk on Thursday
evening in Tiffin.
Coach Curt Mellott, back in charge of the Tiffin program after two
years at Heidelberg, says they are thankful for all this season has been so
far, especially Thursday night. “It
was so enjoyable (Thursday) night. What
a great group of kids, a great group of seniors.
We are just so appreciative of everything that has come our way.
Just so thankful for everything,” he said.
Columbian ace Carson Mellott went the distance allowing only five
hits, striking out five and walking none.
Coach Mellott says his senior son was efficient against the Truckers.
“Carson Mellott went out and had his typical game that he typically
does. The only difference I
would says is we were not high in the strikeout totals, so kept his pitch
count down, so that was a good thing. We
just played solid defense and got some timely hitting.
Just a credit to the kids to persevere and finish things off
(Thursday) night the right way,” said Mellott.
It was a clean game as both teams only had one error.
Norwalk (14-7,8-4), #4 in the Swankonsports.com baseball coaches poll
in the large school division, scored first on a RBI single by Griffin
Peiples in the second. Tiffin
took a (2-1) in the fourth when they scored on a groundout and wild pitch by
Norwalk starter Buddy Baker.
Mellott says the clutch hit for them came in the sixth and form an
somewhat unexpected source. “We
talked about how that just really changes momentum.
For us (Thursday) night in the bottom of the sixth inning.
A senior who has not played since his senior year Preston Keckler
came through with a huge hit to get to RBI to make it 4-1.
He was just grinding his at bat and found a way to line a single to
right field and scored two guys. Really
proud of him and just all of the kids for their effort,” said Mellott.
Keckler got the hit off reliever Kelton Chapin, who had just taken to
the mound with two Tornadoes on base.
Columbian (17-4,9-2), #2 in our poll, is the top seed in division II
in the Bluffton District and Mellott likes their position.
“We are really excited for the tournament.
We love our draw. We love
where we at with opportunity to play at home.
Having our one go next Friday and then hopefully things go our way
and be able to come back and throw the one again right way in the
district,” he told Swanknsports.com after the win, “We just like the way
things have set up for us. The
kids have been there, there is some experience.
Those things just kind of play into each other and create the
snowball than can roll downhill right now.”
Published 5/13/22
© 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
Tiffin
Columbian Takes Command in Lake Division
Tiffin Columbian beat Bellevue (1-0) on Thursday and took a two game
lead in the tough Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
They lead Bellevue, Norwalk, Sandusky Perkins and Clyde by two games.
Again, it was a tremendous performance by starter Carson Mellott as
he outdueled Tyler Ray in an outstanding pitcher’s duel.
Coach Curt Mellott says the Tornadoes just battled.
“That is out team motto for the year, find a way and we definitely
did. Carson (Mellott) was
definitely great (Thursday) night. He
gets 12 strikeouts. He scattered
four hits. Tyler Ray for them
was phenomenal too. He only gave
up two hits. We put a lot of
balls in play and loaded the bases several times, we just couldn’t get
that big hit when we needed it. We
still found a way. It was a
great ballgame, a clean ballgame. Just
well played on both sides,” he said.
Mellott says the winning run came on a bases loaded walk.
He says he was prepared to try a squeeze, but he didn’t have to.
“Our run came on a walk of all things.
I was getting ready to call a squeeze potentially, we had not done
that all year, I thought maybe that was the time, had to get something on
the board to get the lead, it was one of the very few times he helped us
out. He threw ball four and we
got a free run there. Credit the
pitchers, we were just trying to get something on the board for Carson,”
he said.
Columbian (13-2,6-1), #1 in the Swankonsports.com baseball coaches
poll in the large school division, has a little breathing room in the
standings, but Mallott says with Norwalk, Perkins and Bellevue again all
left to play, nothing is for certain. “We
have some room. We talked on
Wednesday when we played Vermilion, we felt like we were kind of coming out
of ourselves and worrying about things that was out of our control.
What our record is, what other people think about us in rankings,
what our batting average is. We
talked (Thursday) about just trying to maintain the standards, playing for
each other, finding ways to represent ourselves as quality individuals and
let the scoreboard take care of itself,” he told Swankonsports.com after
the win, “I felt (Thursday) the kids just embodied that in the way they
played. They didn’t let a
mistake here or there get to them. They
just kept grinding with great at bats. Like
I said, a lot of balls were put in play productively, we just couldn’t
find the hole. There was
phenomenal pitching and defense.”
Published 4/29/22
© 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
Columbian
Maintains Division Lead
Tiffin Columbian retained a one game lead over Clyde and Bellevue in
the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division by outscoring Vermilion (13-6)
Tuesday night in Tiffin.
Columbian (12-2,5-1),#1 in the Swankonsports.com baseball coaches
poll in the large school division, plays Bellevue on Thursday in an
important game for both.
Coach Curt Mellott says Wednesday they swung the bats pretty well.
“Our bats did a nice job all game collectively.
We had some good swings and even the outs were pretty hard.
I am really happy with where we are trending offensively.
We just made a lot of good contact.
We took advantage of some situations as well, from some defensive
mistakes, to score some extra runs,” said Mellott.
Mellott says fundamentally they talk about going to the plate with a
plan in mind and that is especially important with two strikes.
“For us we continually talk about having quality at bats.
Wanting to really drive the baseball bare minimum with two strikes
and put it in play, so they have to do something with it,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “We understand strikeouts occur, but
we really value on base percentage over about anything besides runs scored.
Those two are kind of our big parameters for us offensively.”
It is a very close race, as predicted in the Lake Division, Norwalk
beat Perkins (5-0) on Wednesday, and they both trail by two games.
Mellott says they have to keep their noses to the grindstone.
“This week we have three very tough league games.
We have Bellevue coming up (Thursday), we have Sandusky on Friday and
we are going to flip right around and play Sandusky again early next week.
It just keeps coming and coming and everybody is gunning for you for
those obvious reasons. You have
to be ready to play each and every day,” he said.
Published 4/28/22
© 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
Columbian
Beats Vermilion; Stays in First
Bryce Roggow allowed only one unearned run on three hits in going all
seven innings in leading Tiffin Columbian to a (6-1) victory over Vermilion
in a Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division game played Wednesday evening at
Sports Force Park in Sandusky.
That keeps the Tornadoes in a share of first place in the Lake
Division with Perkins, who beat Norwalk (6-0) on Wednesday.
Coach Curt Mellott called it an important win for his team.
“It was important for us. This
was a red letter game for us in a couple of ways.
These guys all lost to Vermilion three times last year.
It has been a long wait to get them again.
We were proud of our efforts (Wednesday) night in some pretty tough
conditions up on the bay at Sports Force Park, but in the end the bats came
alive,” he said.
The game was tied (1-1) after three, but the Tornadoes put singe runs
on the board in the fourth and fifth and then hung up three in the seventh.
Braden Roggow, Bryce’s twin brother, went three for four at the
plate with a triple and three RBI. David
Auble added three hits for Tiffin.
Mellott says it was a game where they had to show some patience.
“We talked to the kids after the game about how baseball came be
one of the most humbling sports you can be a part of.
Even what you are doing everything right, it doesn’t look right in
the box score and about the value of being persistent and believing in the
process,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “We had a hitter
(Wednesday) night in David Auble, who has really done everything right all
year and he goes three for four finally and the work starts to pay off.
It’s important for us to understand that the game is humbling,
number one, it’s hard, number two, and sometimes we just have to go with
what is given to us and just go with it.”
Bryce had eight strikeouts on the evening.
Mellott says he had all of his pitches working.
“Bryce Roggow had a phenomenal game (Wednesday) night.
The conditions to start with weren’t the best.
It started the hail in the second inning just a little bit and that
cold breeze, but he threw multiple pitches for strikes.
He had his change up going and found his slider late, both his
fastballs, the two and four seamer, were working pretty well.
He was pretty dominate for most of the game and just really proud of
his efforts,” said Mellott.
Published 4/21/22
© 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
Tiffin
Moves into First
Tiffin Columbian moved into a share of first place with Sandusky
Perkins in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference by shutting out
the Pirates (3-0) Tuesday night behind senior Carson Mellott.
After a (5-3) loss to Clyde on Friday, the Tornadoes (6-1,2-1), #4 in
the Swankonsports.com baseball coaches poll in the large school division,
handed Perkins (6-1,3-1), #1 in our poll, their first loss of the season.
Coach Curt Mellott they were solid in all aspects of the game.
“It was a huge win for us. We
played very well top to bottom. We
pitched it very well. We were
clean on defense, had no errors, and had timely hitting for maybe the first
time all year. It was really
good for us to get this one at home,” he said.
Carson Mellott is now (3-0, 1.47 ERA) on the year.
Coach Mellott says he was on point and they played some outstanding
defense behind him. “Carson
went seven strong and only gave up four hits, and of those hits, only one
left the infield, the others were just some bleeders here and there, no
walks. Defensively, we were
clean (Tuesday) night and played exceptionally well.
We turned a double play on Luke Walton, which I didn’t know was
humanly possible. That was
really good on our part. Just
really proud of our kids effort, just how they dug in and found a way,”
said Mellott.
Columbian also got some things going on offense.
Mellott says they made some adjustments to their lineup and that
seemed to work. “We shook the
lineup up a little bit. We have
kind of been going with a pretty stagnant lineup, even going back to what
they did last year. We moved
some guys around a little bit and that kind of brought some life to the
lineup and it just really showed through,” he told Swankonsports.com after
the win, “Brayden Tucker has a big night.
He had a couple of hits. He
was in the two hole and we moved him down to the six hole.
He looked really good. Taleb
Al-Zakwani has kind of been all over the place for us as a sophomore.
He hit out of the eight hole and helped us score our first run on an
error, but hit the ball hard and then got a big hit latter.
All in all, our kids did a really nice job at the plate and made some
adjustments. I think we are
really close offensively.”
Published 4/13/22
© 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
Columbian
With Big Win at Norwalk
Carson Mellott held Norwalk scoreless over the last six innings and
Bryce Roggow had three RBI and Tiffin Columbian edged Norwalk (4-2) in a big
early season matchup in the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division on Tuesday
evening at Norwalk.
Coach Curt Mellott says it was a quality win over a very good team
for them. “We had two highly
talented, highly competitive teams out there (Tuesday) night.
Veteran teams that battled all of the way to the end.
Really happy to earn a victory over a great Norwalk team,” said
Mellott.
Carson Mellott gave up one earned run on five hits while striking out
eight and walking nobody. He is
dad he got into a grove. “We
had really good pitching. That
really solidified the game for us. We
felt really good coming in. We
started the game with a couple of hiccups so to speak.
Once we locked in, we felt good where Carson (Mellott) was at and
were he was going,” said Mellott.
Coach Mellott says anytime they give the ball to Carson they feel
they have a chance to win. “It
is something that we feel really good about.
We feel every time he has the ball, we have a great chance to do
well. He keeps showing it time
and time again. We are really
proud of his efforts,” he said.
Norwalk (2-1,0-1) got on the board twice in the first inning as Sam
Battles go on base via an error, Eli Obringer singled him home and he scored
on an RBI double by Ian Minor. But,
that was it for the Truckers.
Coach Wes Douglas says they gave up too many free passes.
“I thought both teams competed hard.
After we scored two in the first Mellott settled in, got stronger and
didn’t walk a batter. We
walked nine and I think it caught up with us,” he said.
Columbian (4-0,1-0) scored two in fourth and added the deciding two
runs in the sixth.
Mellott says got some clutch hits.
“That’s our motto this year, just find a way.
We had some key at bats. We
had a lot of traffic early on. Finally,
Bryce Roggow got a big hit to bring in a couple of runs and an even bigger
hit to break the tie at 3-2. A
key hit and run at the end that might have went 25 feet in a first an third
situation gave us that fourth run,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday
night, “Those little things and just finding ways to get a hit and get
things done against a really good opponent makes us feel good, but we have
to be ready for the next day now.”
Published 4/06/22
© 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
It’s
Rebounding and Avoiding Turnovers for Tiffin
Tiffin Columbian meets Toledo Central Catholic in a division II
district final on Saturday night at Millbury Lake High School.
The winner gets a ticket to the regional tournament.
Columbian (19-5) avenged two losses to Sandusky in “SBC” Lake
play with a (53-50) win over the Blue Steaks Wednesday night in a semifinal.
Coach Travis Kinn says they were pretty much outstanding for most of
the game. “I thought we really
played well for 29 of the 32 minutes. I
thought we really out played them. We
got a little sloppy there midway through the first half.
I think with about two minutes to go we were a little gassed, but we
were able to do enough to hang on,” he said.
Beating Sandusky, Kinn says, gives them an injection of confidence.
“I think our guys are feeling pretty good obviously.
Losing the league to Sandusky was not something we wanted to go
through during the regular season. I
think that made us a little bit stronger and a little more motivated and we
really made sure we were determined to do whatever it took to win.
Hopefully, that mindset and approach will continue,” said Kinn.
Toledo Central Catholic (20-5) beat Port Clinton of the “SBC” Bay
(50-29) on Wednesday night to advance.
Kinn says they have an outstanding player in Chico Johnson and
players that complement him. “They
can do a lot of different things. They
can win games scoring a bunch of points.
They can win low scoring games. Chico
Johnson is one of the best players in Northwest Ohio.
He is a tremendous talent. He
can do a lot of things on the offensive end.
He is long and athletic,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday
afternoon, “They have some really nice complementary pieces.
They have a point guard to get them in stuff, they can shoot the
basketball, they have two 6’6” kids inside.
It’s the total package. We
will have to play really well.”
Kinn says for them it is a couple basketball axioms rebounding and
ballhandling. “I think it
comes down similar to Wednesday as far as keeping it simple.
We have got to rebound the basketball, we have to be really, really
sharp in that area. Force them
to tough, contested jumpers and finish the possession with a rebound.
On the offensive end we have to take care of the basketball.
We are a pretty efficient shooting team, so we have to give ourselves
opportunities to score points,” said Kinn.
Published 3/04/22
© Swankonsports.com
On Friday and Saturday night log onto our
scoreboard
At www.swankonsportshosting247.com
For constant score updates
Columbian
has to Avoid Live Turnovers
Tiffin Columbian takes on Sandusky for a third time this season in a
battle between Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division teams on Wednesday
night at Millbury Lake High School.
Logan Beason had 26 points and Columbian (18-5) beat Rossford (63-48)
for a sectional title last Friday in a game played Genoa High School.
Coach Travis Kinn says it was defense that led to the win for them.
“I thought the second half especially defensively we were really
good. We really focused on
taking away some of their shooters. We
didn’t do as good a job in the first half as we would have liked to, but
in the second half we challenged some guys defensively,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “Logan (Beaston) has a huge night
for us, first half and second half, scoring the ball.
The second half we had some guys, like Bryce Burns step up on the
offensive end too and really help us out a little bit.”
Sandusky (18-4) won the Lake Division title by beating Tiffin
Columbian twice during the regular season.
They won (64-62) on December 16 and (82-68) January 21.
Kinn says Sandusky makes you handle the ball.
“They are going to know us inside and out.
We are going to know them inside and out.
They are going to try and get up and down and pressure you and force
turnovers and we will have to be tight with the basketball and it kind of
goes back to being fundamentally sound when you first start learning the
game. You have to take care of
the ball and rebound the ball. As
cliché as that sounds, those are the two big keys that will give us a
chance to win,” he said.
Kinn adds they have to play smart basketball.
He says they are going to have turnovers, but they can’t have a
bunch of live ones. “I think
just being sharp with our passes. Sandusky
does a really good job of rotating and trapping.
What looks open may not be open because there is a guy rotating
there. So, just being a little
more patient when we get the ball in a trap situation, not panicking, there
are no good turnovers, but a dead ball turnover is much better than a live
turnover that leads to a layup. Especially,
the second time around we had a lot of turnovers that led to direct points
for them,” said Kinn.
Published 3/01/22
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source For All Things Sports
There will be a special Saturday night
edition of
“Out of Bounds” this week 10 PM to 11 PM
To cover tournament basketball
Columbian
Wants to Use Speed
Tiffin Columbian plays Rossford in a division II sectional final on
Friday nigh at Genoa High School.
Columbian is the third seed and Rossford, the fourth seed, jumped in
their bracket, which is very uncommon.
Tornadoes coach Travis Kinn says their kids are aware of that fact.
“That is probably not something typical that you see all of the
time. If their coaches think
that is the best way for them to get out of district, who am I to decide
what is best for their group of guys. As
far as our guys go, no matter who we play we are going to prepare the same
and make sure we are ready to compete at a high level,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “Hopefully it will be a little
extra motivation for some of our players.
As far as a coaching staff the game plan is pretty typical.
It is the time of the season when it is win or go home.
It doesn’t matter who you are playing, you have to be ready to
go.”
Columbian (17-5) finished in second place in the Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference while Rossford (17-6) was runner up in Northern
Buckeye Conference and crushed Toledo Woodward (70-45) in a sectional
semifinal.
Kinn says the Bulldogs will be bigger than them.
“They have some guys that can shoot the ball.
They have a lot of good guards that can handle it and score it.
The (Derek) Vorst kid is 6’8”, 6’9”.
He is a load inside. So,
they have a true five man. You
don’t see many of those these days. We
were fortunate to play a couple of teams that have some guys that play with
their back to the basket. Hopefully,
we have seen that enough to be able to handle that defensively and know how
we want to approach that,” said Kinn.
Kinn says one of the keys for them will be to keep the ball out of
the low post. “We want to
force it out. Force him to catch
it at eight, ten feet instead of three or four feet.
Especially, with their size advantage with him that will put us in a
bad situation. Hopefully, we can
do enough on the perimeter to make it a tough entry pass,” he said.
Kinn says they want make Rossford guard them on the open floor.
“We are not real big as far as our five man goes, but if we can get
out and run and use our speed and quickness.
It is one of those classic speed versus size matchups and hopefully
we will be on the winning end of it,” he said.
Published 2/25/22
© Swankonsports.com
On Friday and Saturday night log onto our
scoreboard
At www.swankonsportshosting247.com
For constant score updates
Tiffin
Columbian Not Defending
Tiffin Columbian has some work to do as hey close the regular season
with Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division games at home against Bellevue on
Tuesday and at Clyde on Thursday.
Last weekend, they got past Vermilion (58-46) in a division game on
Friday, but were drilled by Findlay (80-42) in a non-league game on
Saturday.
Coach Travis Kinn says they were not doing the job on defense on
either night. “It was not our
best weekend of basketball to say the least.
I think both nights we were very unaware defensively and gave up a
lot of open looks and did not do a good job of seeing our man off the ball
and that led to a lot of open threes on Saturday night and some easy layups
on Friday night. So, we need to
improve vastly in that area and we need to do it immediately with a game
(Tuesday) against Bellevue,” said Kinn.
Columbian (15-5,7-3), #4 in the Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball
coaches poll in the large school division, plays at home against Bellevue
(11-9,5-5) on Tuesday night. The
Redmen beat Clyde (66-49) in a Lake Division game last Friday, but they lost
to South Central (58-41) in a non-conference game on Saturday.
Kinn says they are team that can beat you in different ways.
“They do a lot of things on both ends of the floor.
They are a team that is very adaptive can win games in a varsity of
ways. They have scored some in
the 60’s and they have won games in the 40’s.
They are able to play different ways.
We have to make sure we take care of the basketball and just be aware
defensively so that we don’t give up open looks.
If we do, it will be a long night again Tuesday night,” he said.
Columbian won the first game (67-57) on December 22.
Tiffin visits Clyde (12-9,8-3) on Thursday night in what could be a
battle for second place in the division.
The Tornadoes won the first game (82-68) on January 6.
Kinn says again it boils down to defense for them.
“They are tough out. They
do a lot of things defensively and they have guards that can handle the
ball. They do a really good job
of getting those guards in an isolation situation where they are going
downhill towards the rim and they are really good at either getting to the
rim our kicking out for open threes. When
they are able to get going and play loose they can do a lot of things
offensively,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “So, not to
sound like a broken record again we are going to have to be ready to play at
the defensive end if we want a chance to compete on Thursday night.”
Published 2/15/22
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source For All Things Sports
There will be a special Saturday night
edition of
“Out of Bounds” this week 10 PM to 11 PM
To cover tournament basketball
Tiffin
Continues Stretch Drive
Tiffin Columbian, who got the third seed in their division II
district, have two road tests this week as they play at Vermilion in a
Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division game on Friday and at Findlay in a
non-conference game on Saturday.
They are coming off an (88-64) win at Kenton in a non-conference game
last Saturday.
Coach Travis Kinn says they got good movement on the offensive end.
“We played really well on the offensive end.
We shot the ball well and moved the ball really well.
We had close to 30 assists that night.
We played with good pace. We
did a good job pushing the ball up the floor and getting some east
baskets,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian (14-4,6-3), #4 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, is at Vermilion
(2-17,0-10) on Friday night.
They beat the Sailors (81-41) on December 29.
However, Kinn says this is a diffident game.
“At this time of the season you can take scores and throw them out
the window, especially the second time through the league.
Everyone has film on everyone and they try and dictate and take away
certain things. We will want to
play with tempo like we do at times, that’s when we are at our best,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “I would anticipate them
wanting to play a little slower game. They
have some big kids on the inside. Rebounding
is always a concern when you play Vermilion.
So, we will have to make sure we are sharp in those areas.”
Findlay (13-5) has beaten some outstanding teams, including Ottawa-Glandorf,
this year.
Kinn says this will be a nice pre tournament test for them.
“It gives us what we are looking for as far as it is a quality
opponent and a tournament style atmosphere.
They are going to be a physical team.
They have great guard play. They
have a varsity of bigs that come in off the bench.
So, we will really have to be ready to go just to give ourselves a
chance to compete,” he said.
Published 2/09/22
© 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
Columbian
Needs to Play Defense
Tiffin Columbian is one the most talented basketball teams around and
they are working to be at their peak for here at the end of the regular
season and heading into the tournament.
They host Bellevue in a Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division game on
Friday night and travel to Kenton for a non-league game on Saturday.
After win over Perkins (64-47) in a division game last Thursday and
(59-49) over Anthony Wayne in a non-conference game on Saturday the
Tornadoes have won their last three.
Coach Travis Kinn says they are finding a grove.
“We have played better as of late.
We went through a rough patch where we lost a few games there.
The guys have responded well. We
started to focus on some little things that we have to learn from and it has
paid dividends for us,” he said.
Columbian (13-4,6-3) plays host to Bellevue (9-8,4-5) on Friday.
Bellevue is coming off a week where they beat Vermilion (35-26) on
Thursday in a division play and Willard (60-55) in a crossover on Saturday.
Kinn says the Redmen find ways to score.
“They will be well prepared. They
run some good stuff on the offensive end.
Athletically they have some guys that can get after it.
They try and speed you up a little bit and create turnovers and
scoring opportunities,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon,
“They have a big kid inside, so we will have to rebound and take care of
the ball. We will have to do
some of those little things we have been focusing on as of late.”
The Tornadoes won the first meeting (67-57) on December 22.
Kin talks mostly defense when he outlines keys for a win on Friday.
“If we can take care of the basketball and guard with a sense of
urgency and not give them clean rhythm looks at threes and keep them out of
the paint. Don’t let them get
deep touches in the paint then we will give ourselves a good opportunity to
win,” said Kinn.
Published 2/03/22
© 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
Columbian
Trying to Improve
Tiffin Columbian, now three games back in the Sandusky Bay Conference
Lake Division, plays at division game on Thursday night at Perkins against
the Pirates.
They also play Saturday afternoon at Anthony Wayne in non-conference
play.
They fell three games back after losing (82-68) to first place
Sandusky last Friday.
Coach Travis Kinn says they didn’t play well Friday.
“Friday just wasn’t our night for whatever reason.
We didn’t show up and play like we are capable.
Obviously, that hurt us as far as the league standing goes.
The guys were able to be resilient Saturday and get a good win
against a good Lexington team,” he said.
Columbian beat Lexington (58-52) in a non-conference game.
Kinn says they are focusing on improvement an letting the chips fall
where they may as far as they Lake Division goes.
“I think our focus just goes bask to getting better every day and
try and prepare for that tournament. Mathematically
it is still possible and if it happens great and if it doesn’t we are not
counting on it at this point. We
would love for it to still be a possibility, but we also understand the
position that we are in, a situation that we put ourselves in,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “The focus is to just have a
good day at practice every day that we are there and enjoy the moment,
embrace the moment, and play our tails off and continue to get better.”
The Tornadoes (11-4,5-3), #5 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, plays at Perkins
(3-9,2-6) on Thursday. Perkins
beat Norwalk (48-39) in a Lake Division game last Friday.
Kinn says they are playing with a lot of energy.
“They are playing well. They
just beat Norwalk on Norwalk’s home floor.
They are playing some young guys.
They are playing a little bit different maybe because they have some
younger guys. They play with a
lot of enthusiasm and a lot of energy, so we have to be ready to play.
Perkins is never and easy place to play regardless of record,
standings, all of that stuff. It
is one of the tougher gyms in the “SBC” to paly in, so we will have to
come ready to go,” said Kinn.
Published 1/27/22
© 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
Columbian
Must Win
There is no way around it, the Tiffin Columbian Tornadoes are in a
must win situation when they host the Sandusky Blue Streaks in a game in the
Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
They trail the Streaks by two in the conference standings and a loss
means no title this year.
They put themselves in that position with a (56-55) loss to Norwalk
last Tuesday in a Lake Division game. They
also lost a crossover to Willard (59-53) on Saturday.
They did rally to beat small school power Fort Loramie (59-54) in a
tournament on Sunday.
Coach Travis Kinn hopes the win Sunday gets them back on track.
“We delt with a little bit of adversity this week and I think that
is going to make us better in the long run.
I was really proud of the way our guys handled themselves on Sunday.
We had a good meeting, had a long bus ride, a long day for us.
Fort Loramie is a very good program down there.
They have done a lot of good things and had a lot of success.
We were very fortunate to come away with a win.
I think we approached things the right way on Sunday,” said Kinn.
Tiffin Columbian (10-3,5-2), #5 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, is at home for
Sandusky (11-3,7-0), #4 in the poll, on Friday night.
The Blue Streaks hammered Perkins (73-51) in division game on Tuesday
night.
Kinn says the Streaks will pressure you and they hurt them the last
time on the offensive glass. “They
get after you defensively. They
are all over. They can guard,
they get up and pressure you. They
really try and speed things up, force some turnovers and get teams to play
faster than what they are comfortable playing.
They are really good on the offensive glass,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “I think we gave up 15 or 18
offensive rebounds the last time we played them, so obviously that is an
area of concern. We just have to
guard the basketball and keep it in front of us, rebound, and take care of
the basketball.”
Sandusky win the first meeting (64-62) on December 16.
Kinn says there is no question a win is a must.
“We want to stay in the race as long as we can and give ourselves a
chance. They have no losses yet
and we are sitting at two, so a win puts us a game behind them and gives us
an opportunity. We know that we
need some help. They have what
we want right now. Hopefully, we
will come out Friday and try and take back a little bit,” he said.
Columbian host Lexington (10-4), of the Ohio Cardinal Conference, on
Saturday night in a non-league game.
Kinn says that game will make them better.
“They are another good program.
They have had a lot of success this year.
I know they had a tough weekend too.
I think they dropped two to Ashland and Colonel Crawford.
Ashland and Crawford and two really good schools.
This is why we picked them up several years ago.
We weren’t able to play them last year due to COVID protocols, so
we are looking forward to the challenge.
They have some big kids inside that we will have to matchup with.
I should be a good non-conference game and that’s why you schedule
these teams,” said Kinn.
Published 1/19/22
© 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
Columbian
Must Play Good Defense
Tiffin Columbian, in second place in the Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference, plays host to Norwalk on Tuesday night in a
division game.
They play Willard in an interesting crossover on Saturday.
Last Thursday, they downed Clyde (82-68) in a division game to remain
a game behind Sandusky.
Coach Travis Kinn says they were able to buckle down on defense in
the second half. “I think
after the first half it was tied at 31.
They gave us all we could handle.
We had to deal with a little adversity and challenge ourselves
individually in the second half to come out and be a little better and a
little bit more efficient,” he told Swankonsports.com on Sunday afternoon,
“Fortunately, we were able to do that and get enough stops near the end.
Logan (Beaston) came out and hit big shots for us to begin the third
quarter. He went on a 9-0 run
himself. I think what really
enabled us to do that was we started getting stops at the defensive end.”
Beaston leads the Lake Division in scoring (20.1 ppg) and teammate
Bryce Burns is second (16.6 ppg) this year.
In their first meeting this year, Columbian (9-1,5-1), #2 in the
Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball coaches poll in the large school
division, took lead in the fourth quarter and went on to beat Norwalk
(57-52) back on December 9.
Kinn says Truckers (6-5,3-2) will play great defense and will try and
limit the possessions. “They
are going to be really sound defensively.
They are going to slow the game down and make it difficult for us to
score. They are pretty
methodical in their sets. We are
going to have to make sure we are in the right position defensively that way
we can get some stops,” said Kinn.
Norwalk will want to run a lot of sets and Kinn says they want to get
the ball inside. “A lot of
them result in trying to get the ball inside to (Ian) Minor and some of the
other guys that they have. Hopefully,
we will be able to take some of those options away and give them trouble,”
he said.
Tiffin averages 73 points a game and Kinn says their goal is to play
sound defense and get out on the fast break.
“I think it’s just important that we mix things up a little bit
defensively. Regardless of what
we do defensively I think its important for us as individuals to play to the
best of our ability and play engaged on the defensive end.
Ultimately any way we can get stops we are good enough in transition
that will speed up the tempo of the game,” said Kinn.
Published 1/10/22
© 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
Columbian
Plays Fast Paced Clyde
Tiffin Columbian hosts Clyde in a game between teams with one league
loss in Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division action on Thursday night.
They both trail Sandusky by a game.
Last Wednesday, the Tornadoes (8-1,4-1), #2 in the Swankonsports.com
boys’ basketball coaches poll in the large school division, overwhelmed
Vermilion (81-41) in a division game.
Once they got rolling, coach Travis Kinn says they played pretty
well. “I thought we defended
well, especially after the first couple of minutes we cleaned up some issues
rebounding the ball, which kind of let them have a few extra possessions
early. Once we were able to take
away that and limit them to one possession, we were able to find some more
success,” he said.
Clyde (4-5,2-1) lost to Rossford (66-64) and beat Toledo St. Francis
(51-30) in the Rossford Holiday tournament last week.
Kinn says the Fliers are athletic and they are good shooters.
“I think they are better than their record indicates that they are.
They have played some tough teams.
They just played Rossford, who is going to be one of the better teams
in our district and took them down to the wire.
Had an early lead on them in the first half.
They can really shoot and score the ball when they get rolling.
They want to play fast, just like we do on the offensive end,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “It’s important that we get
them slowed down and keep the ball in front of us because they like to drive
and kick. They either get to the
rim or they will kick out for those open threes.
We have to make sure we take that away and guard the basketball.”
Kinn says they want to get baskets in transition, while limiting the
ones that Clyde can get. “It’s
kind of the same way of them looking at us.
They are going to try and slow us down offensively a little bit.
It will be an interesting matchup.
It will be a good test. Fortunately
for us it as home. I know they
will be ready to play as will we, so it will be a good game,” he said.
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
Columbian
Looking for Good Start
Tiffin Columbian is part of the only Sandusky Bay Conference Lake
Division game on Wednesday night as they host the Vermilion Sailors.
After losing the week before to Sandusky (64-62) in a division game,
the Tornadoes went to Bellevue and beat the Redmen (67-57) last Wednesday.
Coach Travis Kinn says they did enough good things to win.
“It’s a tough place to play.
They had some kids really step up and make some shots as did we.
I don’t think we finished as well around the rim as we normally do
or are capable of. I thought
early we were not quite as sharp defensively,” he told Swankonsports.com
on Tuesday afternoon, “We made some adjustments and we were fortunate
enough to get enough stops and come away with the a win.”
Tiffin Columbian (7-1,3-1), #4 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, entertains Vermilion
(0-8,0-4) on Wednesday. The
Sailors fell to Norwalk (40-32) in a Lake Division game last Wednesday.
Kinn says they are physical. “They
are a strong, physical basketball team.
They are going to try and come in and beat us up a little bit and
kind of slow the game down. I
think it is important to play our game one possession at a time and not
worry about the score. Just do
our job on each possession at both ends,” said Kinn.
The Tornadoes, on the other hand, average more points than any school
in this area, so it will be a tempo game.
Kinn says they want to get out of the gate strong.
“Being over Christmas break you are kind out of routine and that is
always a concern. Fortunately
for us we are at home. I think
our kids tend to play a little more focused, a little more dialed in at
home. So, hopefully we will come
out right away and do what we are supposed to do and let things take care of
themselves,” he said.
Published 12/29/21
Your First Source for All Things Sports
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” this week will air
On Wednesday night 10 to midnight
Columbian
Refocused
Tiffin Columbian lost for the first time this season last week and
they must make sure they are back in gear as they travel to Bellevue on
Wednesday night for another game in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference.
After losing (64-62) at Sandusky on Thursday night in Lake Division
action, the Tornadoes rallied to blow out Perkins (71-44) on Saturday night.
Coach Travis Kinn says they learned for the lost to Sandusky.
“I thought we bounced back pretty well on Saturday.
Anytime you lose, that is not something you expect to happen.
It kind of refocuses everybody top to bottom.
Hopefully, we will be better for it going forward,” said Kinn.
He adds they have to keep working to get better.
“I think it is just the combination of little things and making
sure guys understand that we are never as good or as bad as we think we are.
It is really important that we keep showing up every day and getting
better in all aspects of the game,” he said.
Columbian (6-1,2-1), #5 in the Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball
coaches poll in the large school division, plays at Bellevue (3-3,2-1) on
Wednesday. The Redmen are coming
off a (45-16) stuffing of Vermilion on Saturday night.
Kinn says the Redmen have some players inside and out.
“They have a couple of good guards that score the ball.
They have a 6’6”, 6’7” kid on the inside,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “They do a nice job of running a
lot of sets and getting good looks for their guys and controlling who takes
what shots. You have to be ready
to defend and disrupt their timing on those sets.”
Bellevue is a old style gym with a different shooting background and
Kinn says it can be tough on visiting teams.
“It has always been a tough place for us to play.
They usually have a pretty good crowd that will get on you.
It’s just a tough place to play.
They come prepared and they will be ready to go.
Their guys are highly motivated as are ours, so it should be a good
test for us,” said Kinn.
Published 12/21/21
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” this week will air
On Wednesday night 10 to midnight
Your First Source for All Things Sports
Tiffin
Columbian Scoring the Ball
Tiffin Columbian is playing excellent basketball and they face two
games in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference this week as play
at Sandusky on Thursday and host Perkins on Saturday.
They beat Fremont Ross (84-69) in a non-conference game on Saturday.
Coach Travis Kinn says they passed and shot the ball very well.
“I thought we played pretty well and efficiently on the offensive
end. Our effective field goal
percentage, twos and threes, was really, really good.
We need to be a little sharper taking care of the ball, had some
unforced turnovers, but other than that offensively, we played really
well,” he said.
Bryce Burns (21.0 ppg) and Logan Beaston (18.4ppg) are the top two
scorers in the Lake Division this year, but Kinn says they have other guys
that can score too. “We are
pretty balanced, obviously, we have Burns and Beaston leading the way in our
scoring on the season, but overall we are pretty close to four or five guys
in double figures about every night so far,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Monday afternoon, “We have a high number of assists each night.
Those guys that lead us in scoring are also some of our best
playmakers passing the ball. It’s
just making sure we make the right basketball play and the kids continue to
do so.”
Columbian averages 20 assists per game.
The Tornadoes (5-0,1-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, play at Sandusky
(2-2,2-0) on Friday night. The
Blue Streaks blasted Vermilion (61-29) in a division game last Friday.
Kinn says they will get after them right from the tip.
“They will be ready to play. Coach
(DeMar) Moore has those guys playing hard.
I know they lost two non conference games early against Columbus
Africentric and Ashland, two really good non league tests for them.
They will get after us, they will pressure us.
He really wants to get back to what Sandusky has been in the past.
I am confident that he will be able to do that and we have to make
sure we take care of the basketball and keep being efficient on the
offensive end,” said Kinn.
Kinn also believes the boards on going to be key to this game.
“We did a really good job on Fremont Ross in the second half
controlling the glass. They were
really one shot and done and that really helped us not only maintain our
lead, but extend our lead because we could get those stops and play in
transition, so that will be a big key for us.
I was pleased with our effort in that aspect on Saturday.
We will just have to maintain that,” he said.
Published 12/14/21
© 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
Columbian
With Big Challenge From Fremont Ross
Tiffin Columbian has a week off from play in the Lake Division this
week. They play at home against
Fremont Ross in a non-conference game on Saturday night.
Tuesday night, the downed Fostoria (65-53), also in a non-conference
game.
Coach Travis Kinn says it wasn’t their best performance, but they
found a way. “It’s a tough
place to play. Fostoria is an
athletic team with some size and they shoot a lot of threes.
I don’t think we played our best basketball and saying that to find
a way to get a road win without playing your best basketball is I think a
sign of being a good team. We
will have to fix some things and make sure we play our best Saturday, but to
get a win on the road without playing your best I think is a good sign,”
said Kinn.
Kinn says their focus has to be better.
He says Tuesday night there were too many self inflicted wounds.
“Just kind of our mental focus.
I think we just lost focus at times throughout the game.
There we a lot of unforced errors on our end.
I don’t think it was anything schematically that Fostoria did,”
he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “There were times we
just dropped the ball, dribbled off our foot, missed an open guy that we
don’t normally miss. Just
being focused, being aware, being ready to go and treat every game like it
is the biggest game of the year.”
Tiffin Columbian (4-0) is at home for Fremont Ross (1-2) on Saturday
night. Ross just beat Sandusky
Perkins (75-58) on Tuesday night.
Kinn says the Little Giants are going to be athletic.
“They are fast, they are long, and they shoot a ton of threes.
They get up and down the floor. We
have seen a couple of films on them where they just a get out and run.
They had some guys out early in the year, but they are getting
healthier now. So, it will be a
big one for us. It will be a
good test. It has been a long,
long time since we have been able to beat them.
I don’t think we have beaten Fremont Ross since 2009-2010.
So, we will have to be ready to go,” said Kinn.
Published 12/09/21
© Swankonsports.com
On Thursday night log onto our scoreboard
At www.swankonsportshosting247.com
For final scores
Your First Source for All Things Sports
Columbian
Must be Disciplined
Tiffin Columbian plays at Norwalk in a Sandusky Bay Conference Lake
Division game between the schools that shared the division title last season
on Friday night.
Columbian poured in the points in their first two games last week in
beating Bowling Green (81-71) and Upper Sandusky (84-49) to start the
season.
Coach Travis Kinn says they were very good, but not perfect by any
means. “We were pleased with
the results. To get two wins on
the opening weekend is great, but we realize we were fortunate to do that.
The focus is on Norwalk and continuing to get better each day in
practice,” he said.
Kinn says they still need to be more fundamental on defense.
“Just knowing when to help defensively and knowing when not to
help. When to trap, when not to
trap. Making sure our rotations
out of our traps are correct, so we can be as efficient as possible,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “Offensively, putting up
the points we did opening week there is not a lot to critique there as far
as the end results goes. Just
being more efficient in our cuts and more disciplined in what we are trying
to do.”
Norwalk (0-1) lost their opener to (75-57) to Ashland last week.
Kinn says they can not let this be a low possession grind it out kind
of game. “We are going to have
to be more disciplined in what we do. They
are a hardnosed physical basketball team.
They play incredibly hard. They
are very disciplined defensively. They
really protect the paint. They
are going to want to slow it down and play in the 40’s and we want to play
in the 70’s and 80’s. So, we
are going to have to dictate tempo and really try and push the pace a little
bit,” said Kinn.
Norwalk has the reputation of being outstanding on defense.
Kinn says his kids must be sharp in their execution.
“That is something they have been known for a little bit.
Coach (Seve) Gray does a great job of game planning.
They will probably have some junk defenses for us.
It’s important that we are ready and on the offensive end are
disciplined and sharpen a few things up a little bit,” he said.
Published 12/02/21
© 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
Columbian
Starts with Two
Tiffin Columbian has a double weekend here on the first weekend of
the season, both games are at home, as they host Bowling Green on Friday and
Upper Sandusky on Saturday.
With last year the way it was with a limited number of fans in the
stands, coach Travis Kinn says this weekend is going to be a different
experience for a lot of the players. “We
have had a good week of practice so far and we are looking forward to the
opportunity on Friday and Saturday. It
is certainly going to be a little bit different,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “There are going to be real people in the
stands for the first time in almost two years with the restrictions last
year. It is going to be full
capacity. It will be a different
environment and a different feeling for guys.
There are going to be some mistakes and some growing pains, but
hopefully if we play hard, we can play through those mistakes.”
Bowling Green comes in on Friday and Kinn says bring a lot of
challenges with them with the ability to apply pressure and they have a
quality a big kid. “They have
a new coach. They pressure a
little bit. The have a big kid
that moved in from St. John’s, who is about 6’8” that is a tough
matchup for us. So, we will have
to handle the ball and finish possessions and make sure we are ready to
go,” he said.
Upper Sandusky has been one of the better programs in the area and
they are going to be good again this season.
Kinn says they Rams are the Rams with pressure and perimeter
shooting. “Personnel changes
for them from year to year, but as far as what they do and how they do it,
it is pretty standard. Coach
(Jeff) Winslow does a great job with them.
They are going to play fast and shoot a lot of threes.
The big kid Beamer inside is a concern.
We are going to have be really ready to handle pressure and it should
be a fun, fast paced game,” said Kinn.
Published 11/25/21
© 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
Columbian
With High Expectations
Tiffin Columbian, the co-champion of the Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference, is one of the division favorites again this season,
which begins next week.
Coach Travis Kinn says they have a lot of good players and they have
a competitive nature. “We play
hard and we defend. We are able
to score the ball on the offensive end as we bring back a bulk of guys.
We have a really, really competitive group, which has made for a lot
of good practices, so that is an exciting thing to see.
They guys really want to compete whether it is another team or each
other every time they step on the floor, they are ready to go,” said Kinn.
Basketball players that were involved in an incident of vandalism in
October and were punished by being suspended for the remainder of the
football season will be available for basketball season.
Kinn says they have high expectations.
“I think the great thing about that is our guys have higher
expectations of themselves than anybody can have of them.
I think when we really play together and we know we have those high
expectations and we embrace that our guys don’t seem to be timid or shy
away from that,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “We
know there is a target on our back bringing a lot of guys back from last
year. It’s great to see them
really embrace that and they really compete in practice.
But if we don’t show up any given night somebody can get us and
they are doing everything they can to make sure that isn’t going to
happen.”
The Tornadoes have a pair of games next weekend to open the season.
They host Bowling Green on Friday and Upper Sandusky on Saturday,
both are in non-conference play.
Kinn says he wants his team to be better at a lot of things on
defense, at least more consistent in their execution.
“Just consistency on the defensive end.
There are times when we really do a good job and there are times when
we are kind of brain dead. Closing
out with a high hand, pressuring the ball, making sure we are in the right
position and we are moving every time the ball moves.
Just a lot of little things we just need to be consistent with those
things,” he said.
Published 11/18/21
© 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
Columbian
Meets Explosive West Holmes
Tiffin Columbian, of the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference, travels to unbeaten West Holmes, champion of the Ohio Cardinal
Conference in a division III regional quarterfinal on Friday night.
They hammered Cloverleaf (48-14) in their playoff opener last week.
Kesean Jackson had another big game for the Tornadoes at running
back.
Coach Judd Lutz says with the personnel changes they have
concentrated more on running the football.
“I wouldn’t say rebuilding necessarily just tweaking and
emphasizing some things we do. Not
a change in philosophy a tremendous amount, but just leaning more heavily on
certain things or aspects of the team where it’s strengths are right now
because they have changed. I
think the kids have done a great job responding to it and have executed it
pretty well here for the last two weeks,” he said.
Columbian (7-4) is at West Holmes (11-0) on Friday night.
The Knights took Sylvania Southview to the woodshed (60-14) last
week.
Lutz says they are really talented all over the field on both sides
of the ball. “They are really
talented. Anytime you run the
table and go undefeated throughout a season you probably have a pretty good
team and that is exactly what I see when I look at the film,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “A lot of speed and athletic guys
on offense and defense, guys that can run with the ball really well, a good
quarterback on offense and good guys on defense to neutralize some really
good teams and also score some significant points against really good teams,
so we are going to have our hands full to find a way to win.”
Tiffin beat West Holmes (34-24) in a playoff game last year.
West Holmes has the “OCC’s” leading passer in Noah Clark, but
this year they also have an outstanding running back too in Sam
Williams-Dixon. “I don’t
know where the kid came from. We
were glancing at our roster from last year and don’t think we saw his
number on anything like that, maybe he was in a different number.
You put on the tape and he is really good when you put the ball in
his hands and is playing really on defense at free safety.
You better account for him on offense and defense if you want to have
a chance at all. They have some
great players around both of those guys, but they are definitely a key to a
lot of their wins,” he said.
Points come in bunches for the Knights and Lutz says they can’t let
that happen on Friday night. “They
score in bunches. I think in one
game they scored 37 points, but hey only ran 35 plays, so that is a sign of
being pretty explosive on offense and they definitely are.
You have to keep a thumb on them and keep it on them for the whole
time. Just giving up two or
three plays here or there might result in two or three touchdowns.
That is going to be a great challenge for our defense to get off the
field, to stop them, you have to force turnovers, force punts, and that is
going to be really important for us to have success.
We don’t want it to turn into a track meet by any means,” said
Lutz.
Published 11/02/21
© Swankonsports.com
A special edition of “Out of Bounds”
Will air Saturday 10 PM to midnight
“Your First Source for All Things Sports”
Columbian
Still Putting Thing Back Together
Tiffin Columbian, of the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference, entertains Cloverleaf in a division III first round game on
Friday night.
Missing a lot of their top line players, the Tornadoes (6-4) went on
to beat Norwalk (44-7) in a division game last Friday.
Coach Judd Lutz was proud of what they were able to put together and
perform last week. “It was a
little bit of an interesting week, a hectic week, an emotional week, lots of
feelings, but I was really proud of our team, coaching staff and players
putting together a plan, executing that plan, getting it done in practice
and then in the game and playing with a lot of energy and fight and beating
a good Norwalk team, who record wise was really impressive looking, but
played a pretty good schedule and some close losses against some very good
teams. So, they had are
undivided attention. Proud of
our kids with the way they thought and this new team that we are kind of
forming with a lot of changes, so excited for the opportunity,” he said.
Eight players were suspended last week for the remainder of the
season due to some vandalism involving teachers homes in the Columbian
district and the Tornadoes really had to rebuild their team and gameplan on
the run.
Lutz says this week has been a little easier.
“Didn’t know all of the changes were coming and the ripple effect
until Tuesday morning officially, so were able to make some very quick
changes on the fly entering Tuesday practice and then a little Tuesday night
gameplanning stuff and changing things a little bit into Wednesday, Thursday
and then Friday. The fact that
we have that under our belt and the weekend to think about things and how
our team has changed heading into the new opponent I feel a little bit more
prepared I would say with what we can do in order to be a good football
team,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “So, excited
for the changes, excited for the new guys to step up who have maybe been
behind the scenes a little bit more and maybe had a little less impact on
Friday night games as far as in front of fans and friends.
It’s a great challenge to our culture and the depth that we have
built for those guys to step up and reap some of the rewards.”
After leading the Lake Division in passing yards over the first nine
weeks of the season, running back Kesean Jackson ran for 183 yards and two
scores last week against Norwalk. Senior
Luc Busdeker made his first start ever at quarterback and completed 6 of 13
passes for 120 yards in the win.
Cloverleaf (4-5) comes in having won two straight games in beating
Maysville (45-14) and Akron Coventry (38-17) last week.
Lutz says this is a physical run team.
“We don’t have obviously all of their games on tape, we have
three of them, we exchanged, they have our last three and we have their last
three. They got hot those last
three and won two of them and did very well.
They are physical at the point of attack.
They have two kids that they can hand the ball off to.
They are different style running backs, both physical, but one is a
big bruiser and one has a little more quickness to him, and they have some
athletes on the perimeter that they can throw it to that are really electric
and one of them is their running back. They
have some big guys up front looking at the height and weight on their roster
that they have listed. Defensively,
they have a different style, kind of a 3-4, but really they have five guys
up there with two linebackers and put their safeties and cornerbacks on
islands. I think they are really
determined to stop the run. It
is going to be a great challenge for us,” said Lutz.
Published 10/28/21
© Swankonsports.com
A special edition of “Out of Bounds”
Will air Saturday 10 PM to midnight
“Your First Source for All Things Sports”
Columbian
Plays Underrated Norwalk
Tiffin Columbian, right now in possession of a home game in the first
round of the division III playoffs, plays at Norwalk on Friday night in a
Lake Division game in the Sandusky Bay Conference.
They helped their cause last week when they smoked Sandusky Perkins
(52-24) in a Lake Division game.
Coach Judd Lutz says their executed well on both sides of the ball.
“We did a lot of things really well.
It was a tight game throughout. We
were lucky to get some short fields and some scores at the end as we kind of
tried to kill the clock and punch some in and they were taking some risks.
We executed a high level in a lot of ways.
I thought we neutralized a really good running back, played some good
defense, were pretty explosive on offense at times and found ways to get in
the end zone. So, we played some
good football against a good team, which is what you want to do late in the
year,” said Lutz.
Quarterback Brayden Roggow threw six TD passes in the win last week.
He has 21 for the season.
Lutz says they did some things on defense that they don’t normally
do in order to contain Perkins running back Collin Nemitz, the leading
rusher in the division. “We
threw a couple of different things at him.
Didn’t blitz a whole lot but had a lot of eyes on him and were
really focused on our perimeter run fits and gaps.
I thought our guys did a great job all week of preparing for it and
then executed at a really high level and had some good results,” he said.
Columbian (5-4,2-2) plays at Norwalk (1-8,0-4) in the Lake Division
on Friday night. The Truckers
gave up 34 points in the first half and lost (41-14) to Clyde last week.
Lutz says they are not looking at Norwalk’s record, but rather the
level of play they see on film. “They
are a good team. The record
doesn’t always speak to the talent a team has, the grit they may have.
That is definitely true with these guys.
Throw the record out the door because they are playing competitive
football against every team they have played.
They can’t execute a couple of things down the stretch.
They had some really untimely turnovers, which are costly against
good teams. They have done some
really good things against good teams,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Sunday evening, “Obviously, we hope they don’t find their stride too
much and do something crazy against us, but we can’t bet on it.
We have to make sure we come ready to play with an edge and a great
attitude and execute at a really high level because they are capable of
being a very good football team. We
expect that with it being an “SBC” Lake game.
So, it’s going to take our best to get the job done.”
Plus, Lutz says they need to build on what they did last week as they
get ready for the playoffs. “You
want to trend in the right direction in what looks to a playoff berth for us
and feeling good about things, but also continuing to sharpen things and get
a little bit better and feel confident about some things you are doing
heading into hopefully what will be a great stretch.
After this it is one game at a time, but we have a lot of work to do
this week to prepare for Norwalk first,” he said.
Published 10/18/21
© 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
Columbian
Meets Talented Perkins
Tiffin Columbian, though not mathematically eliminated from the Lake
Division race, is likely looking toward the division III playoffs, as they
host Perkins in a Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division game on Friday
night.
Right now, they are seventh in division III, region 10 and would host
a playoff game if they can maintain or improve that spot.
Last week, the Tornadoes (4-4,1-2) were blown out by division leading
Bellevue (42-12) on Friday night.
Coach Judd Lutz says they got handled in trenches.
“Loved the effort of our kids for the most part.
Just didn’t execute really well.
We were the nail, sadly, many times when we needed to be the hammer.
They were big and physical up front and imposed their will in a lot
of ways. We did not handle that
well and need to moving forward. The
score got out of hand a little bit because we were trying to win the
game,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “When we kick
onside kicks or go for it on fourth down when you are backed up to give
yourself a chance to maybe to cut the deficit and get into the game a little
bit and it can get away from you really quick by giving them a short field
and some easy touchdowns late. They
are a great team, taking nothing away from them whatsoever.
I did tell our kids put the score on me but take to heart the loss
and we need to respond a little better going forward.”
Lutz says they have to refocus and be ready to play a very good
Perkins team. “We have no time
to wipe our tears and blow our noses because a really good Perkins team is
coming to town with a tremendous running back and good offense and defense.
Coach (Jalen) Santoro is doing a good job in his short time there, so
they ae going to be hungry. They
are 6-2 for a reason and really good. So,
we have to have a great week of preparation to get ready for them,” said
Lutz.
Perkins (6-2,2-1) belted Norwalk (35-7) last week.
Collin Nemitz is the leading rusher in the Lake Division.
He ran for 301 yards and four TD’s last week against Norwalk and
has 1,530 yards and 17 scores for the season.
Lutz says he has sprinter’s speed.
“He can really move and really run.
He has shown the ability to break some tackles and make some moves on
the second level to get free and obviously, not a lot of people are catching
him from behind. We have to
contain him for sure in order to have success on defense.
We have to play really good,” he said.
Published 10/12/21
© Swankonsports.com
For the latest in local sports
Go to the listen line at the top of the page
Columbian
in Must Win Situation
Tiffin Columbian, a game back in the “SBC” Lake, faces division
leader Bellevue in a home game on Friday night.
With only five games in the division this is a must win for the
Tornadoes.
They lost a heartbreaker (42-39) to Clyde in division play last week.
Coach Judd Lutz says they played well, but not well enough.
“We obviously did some good things, but did enough bad things to
find ourselves in the loss column and have got to improve.
It wasn’t terribly executed game, but we lost to a pretty good
team, who made more plays that we did. Kudos
to Clyde. We have to turn the
page quickly because we have a great team from across town coming at us to
give us their best, so we will be hungry and ready to go,” he said.
Columbian (4-3,1-1) hosts Bellevue (6-1,2-0), #2 in the
Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, on
Friday night. Bellevue blanked
Sandusky Perkins (26-0) last week.
Lutz says Bellevue has playmakers and they are really good in the
trenches. “They are extremely
physical up front. I think their offensive and defensive line in the
heartbeat of their team. They
have a lot of talent up there. They
can get after the passer and stuff the run really well defensively.
Offensively, they don’t miss many assignments and drive you off the
ball. It’s hard to create
negative plays and it is hard to stop them at the line of scrimmage,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “They are going to run it
and create an advantage with their quarterback, but they also have a couple
of running backs to give it to with different skills with a little more
speed or a little more physicality. So,
it is going to be a tough out for sure.”
Lutz says they want to force some one on one matchup if they can, but
that’s not easy against Bellevue. “They
don’t play a lot of man to man defense, they play a lot of zone and
don’t want to give up the big play, keep the ball in front of them.
Make you throw into tight windows and drop guys under routes a lot of
times. They are really physical
up front with their defensive line and create a lot of pressure just rushing
those four guys, which creates an advantage because you don’t have to use
guys in coverage. You try and
create matchups with alignment, assignments or wrinkles, but at the same
point you are going to have to win a lot of one on one matchups at some
point to be successful,” said Lutz.
Lutz says there is no beating around the bush, this is a game they
have to win to get a piece of that Lake Division title.
“To have a chance to have a division title and win the conference
we have to win this game. We
can’t lose it and probably have a chance.
That importance is there and also playoff seeding and getting into
the playoffs, a lot of points on the line to put ourselves in a good
situation with a win as well. There
is a lot on the line for sure,” he said.
Published 10/07/21
© Swankonsports.com
For the latest in local sports
Go to the listen line at the top of the page
Columbian
Has to be Patient
In a key matchup in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference,
Tiffin Columbian plays host to the Clyde Flyers on Friday night.
Columbian (4-2,1-0) belted Sandusky (40-13) in their first division
game last week, their third straight win.
Coach Judd Lutz says it was a tougher game than the score indicates.
“Every game within conference play is a tough game with familiar
foes and atmospheres. So, it was
a tough game, we expected it. We
were able to pull away a little bit and get away with a win.
They are not easy, so we enjoyed it for a little bit and then turned
the page relatively quickly and get ready for the next challenge,” he
said.
Clyde (4-2,0-1) lost a heartbreaker to Perkins (21-20) last Friday.
After scoring with :11 left, the Fliers went for two and didn’t
make it.
Lutz says Clyde has playmakers on both sides of the ball.
“It’s another really, really good Clyde team, they are tough kids
notoriously. They have a great
mix of size and speed and athleticism and that is what you see on tape. A
really stout defense with playmakers at different levels.
They have guys up front you have to account for, in the linebacker
corps, and on the back end. They
have a couple of key playmakers at all of those levels on defense that we
have to account for and make sure we get hats on and block,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “Offensively, they are very multiple.
They can spread you out with their speed, athleticism and their
quarterback has a great arm and is really good with his feet, but they can
also go big on you and bring an extra lineman or two and try and pound it
down your throat a little bit. It’s
tough preparation of both ends to get ready for a really good game.”
The Tornadoes lead the division in passing and total offense this
season, but Clyde is second in total defense, just behind Columbian.
Lutz says they have to be patient to move the ball against a very
good Clyde defense. “You have
to be able to be patient and take what there is when they give it to you,
which isn’t a whole lot. Sometimes
there are things and you have to take it and it may not be in big chunks,
but you have to be patient. There
will be times when maybe they will be a little more aggressive and you can
get the ball down the field or have some angles maybe to get an explosive
play and you have to take advantage of it because it isn’t going to be too
often. They run at the ball
really, really well and they don’t stay blocked and that’s the sign of a
good defense. That is why they
are tough to score against every year and this year is no different,” said
Lutz.
Published 9/30/21
© Swankonsports.com
On Friday nights log onto our scoreboard
At www.swankonsportshosting247.com
For constant score updates
Your First Source for All Things Sports
Columbian
Plays Very Good Sandusky
It’s the beginning of a five week grind in the Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night as Tiffin Columbian is at Sandusky
to battle the Blue Streaks.
Again, this is likely the toughest conference, or in this case
division, in North Central Ohio.
Last week, Tiffin Columbian beat Mansfield Senior (40-27) in a
non-conference game.
Two of the Tyger touchdowns came on interception returns and
Columbian coach Judd Lutz says his defense played very well.
“I think our defense really preformed well.
It was a contributing effort from a lot of guys.
I thought we did a good job rotating some guys in and staying fresh
on that side of the ball. Continuing
to rush the passer. They got in
a spread, throw first, kind of mentality a little bit, getting it out to
their really good athletes. We
did a good job of rushing the passer and keeping them contained as much as
we could and getting them down and creating some negative plays and a couple
of turnovers,” said Lutz.
Tiffin Columbian (3-2,0-0) plays at Sandusky (2-3,0-0) on Friday
night. The Streaks are coming
off a (43-9) loss to Akron St. Vincent/St. Mary last Friday.
Lutz says Sandusky, despite a three game losing streak, is really
good. “They have played some
very good, quality opponents. You
have to look at the film and the stuff that they have done well and the
things they have struggled at that they are probably going to address and
try and fix. You can’t read
into the record by any means. We
know they are a very good team with a lot of tradition.
They have some great players over there and good coaches.
They have our complete attention.
We will have to have a good game plan to beat them,” he said.
Sandusky has allowed less than 20 points in three of its five games
and Lutz says they don’t make mistakes on defense.
“They are really sound on defense.
They don’t misalign, they know their responsibilities based on
their position and they play fast. They
don’t mix it up to awful a lot,” he told Swankonsports.com on Sunday
evening, “They can blitz from numerous spots, but not as much as you see
from some teams that can really vary their stuff and move around.
They really coach fundamental, sound, alignment, assignment, react.
They turn them loose and play fast and that’s what you see when you
put them on film.”
With really six pretty good teams in the division again this year,
Lutz says every week will be a tough game.
“Every week is a championship week from here on out.
There is a playoff mentality for sure, a lot of playoff points to be
had anytime you are able to knock off any of the remaining five teams on our
schedule within our conference. So,
it’s a big opportunity every single week.
There are no off weeks from here on out for sure, not that there were
any the first five. Everybody
knows everybody pretty well, so you are going to get each other’s best.
It’s going to be great and very challenging,” said Lutz.
Published 9/20/21
© 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
Columbian
Plays a Fast Mansfield Senior
Tiffin Columbian plays at home against Mansfield Senior is one of the
more interesting matchups on the high school football schedule on Friday
night.
The Tornadoes (2-2) are coming off a (40-10) pasting of the Mayfield
Wildcats last week.
Coach Judd Lutz says they played well as a team.
“It is hard to say if it was our best, but I think we did some good
things at good times and definitely did some things in the second half
consistently. Played some pretty
good complementary football in the second half specifically.
Very proud of the effort, usually am, but very proud of the execution
down the stretch,” he said.
Mansfield Senior (3-1), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, lost (20-17) to West Holmes in Ohio
Cardinal Conference game last week.
Lutz says he respects the Tyger program and they have great speed and
a very good defense. “They are
an outstanding team. Coach
Bradley does a great job with them over there only two years removed from a
state championship game appearance and that shows.
They are very talented, a lot of speed on the field.
Very good defense, I think they hang their hat on their defense and
their ability to make big plays on defense with tackles for loss and
sacks,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “Then
offensively they are getting better. They
can spread you out and run it a little bit, but they are going to get the
ball out to their athletes in space and do so with some good schemes.
It is going to be a great challenge to see how far we have grown so
far this year.”
Lutz says the Tygers are aggressive on defense and they have the kind
of personnel to play that way. “I
would say they are aggressive. Sometimes
that means blitzing, sometimes that means the coverages they play and really
reading the quarterbacks eyes in the secondary.
Maybe not respecting a team’s speed over the top or something like
that, but knowing they have the speed to get back if needed.
Then definitely in the blitz game and bringing their really athletic
linebackers to create some havoc in the backfield and their defensive line
is athletic too. They have a
scheme that matches up with their kids for sure,” said Lutz.
Published 9/15/21
© Swankonsports.com
On Friday nights log onto our scoreboard
At www.swankonsportshosting247.com
For constant score updates
Your First Source for All Things Sports
Columbian
Defense has to Rise to the Occasion
Tiffin Columbian continues its tough non-conference schedule Friday
night as they host traditional power Mayfield.
They took one on the chin last week, when Avon Lake beat the
Tornadoes (1-2) by a score of (31-14) in Tiffin.
Coach Judd Lutz says their offense made key mistakes and their
defense did not adapt to the scheme the Shoremen were running.
“There were definitely some good things and some things that needed
to get worked on. I thought the
offense played really well early, but we shot ourselves in the foot a couple
times with some drops, some fumbles, after moving the ball and just not
taking advantage of some stuff that was there.
You have to capitalize against a good team,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Labor Day, “They did a good job of really changing up
game plans. Their starting
quarterback was out early in the week, so they went with their backup, which
is really just one of their good athletes and went into a QB zone read
scheme and it took us by surprise and we had to make some adjustments.
We weren’t good enough on defense, at least not good enough the get
the ball back for our offense, and play good complementary football
consistently. We have a lot to
work on and we have done so early in this week as we get ready or a really
good opponent in Mayfield.”
Mayfield (0-3) lost (28-20) to Nordonia last week, after losses to
Akron Buchtel (21-9) week one and Massillon Jackson (35-20) on week two.
Lutz says this is a football school.
“It is a new opponent for us. I
have never played against them, coached against them or anything.
When the matchup looked like it was coming to fruition, did some
research on them. When you start
looking through the years and how they have done, they have been really,
really good and consistent. Talking
to some coaches that have played in their conference or non-conference year
in and year out all say the same thing, that they are really well coached.
I think their former head coach is now an assistant.
There is a lot of consistency on their staff.
You put on the tape and see that they were a little bit of a younger
team at the beginning of the year, made a couple of mistakes here and there,
but every week they have gotten better.
They have given three good teams everything they can handle and have
suffered some close losses. We
are going to have our hands full with another big school that is notoriously
really good and a lot of pride in what they do.
It is going to be a big week to see how we respond,” said Lutz.
On offense, the Wildcats are going to feature the spread, but Lutz
says they have to be ready for surprises too.
“For the most part kind of spread, but they also have some new
wrinkles every week, unbalanced formations and stuff to create an advantage
in the numbers game for the run game. We
are going to have to play really disciplined football and make sure we
adjust defensively to neutralize their running game and be really good on
that side of the football,” he said.
Published 9/07/21
© 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
Columbian
Must Compete up Front
Tiffin Columbian hosts Avon Lake in what shapes up as an interesting
non-conference football game on Friday night.
The Tornadoes (1-1) got back on the winning track after losing in the
final seconds on week one to hammer Sylvania Southview (56-0) last week,
that was also the halftime score.
Coach Judd Lutz was happy with their execution.
“I thought our kids made some corrections to the previous game.
Some things we have worked on in a short week of prep for a new
opponent. I thought we executed
the game plan at a pretty high level for them specifically and made some
steps forward to become a better team. Hopefully,
use some of that momentum this week,” he said.
Avon Lake has made 21 playoff appearances and won a state title in
2004.
This year the Shoremen (2-0) have won both of their games in beating
Strongsville (24-10) and Brecksville (41-14) in their first two games.
Lutz says they have great tradition and this year they can do a lot
of things on offense. “You put
on the tape and you see a really good football team in all three facets.
The are big and physical on both sides of the ball up front.
They have good skilled kids on the outside and in the middle on both
sides on offense and defense. There
is a reason they have been really good.
They have a lot of pride in what they do.
They play with a high intensity and great effort and take pride in
their off season and weight programs,” he told Swankonsports.com on Sunday
evening, “I am a little familiar with the program over there and the type
of football that they play and the type of culture coach (Matt) Kostelnik,
their head coach, has built. They
have had that for a long, long time dating back to coach (Tom) DeLuca, a
hall of fame coach, during his reign. It
is going to be a great opportunity to play a really great team and we are
excited for that.”
In order to be successful on Friday night, Lutz says they need to
control the point of attack and the run game.
“We have to be able to battle up front and win up front at least
bat par. It is going to be tough
sledding, maybe run the ball a little bit, hopefully we can be effective and
impose our will at times. Then
also stop their run game. They
kind of want to run it to set up the pass.
They have also just shown the ability to drop back and throw it
around too. It is like most
games you have to create turnovers, not give it up.
You have to be effective on third down an try and be explosive and
not give up explosive plays. Hopefully,
we will do that,” said Lutz.
Published 8/30/21
© Swankonsports.com
On Friday nights log onto our scoreboard
At www.swankonsportshosting247.com
For constant score updates
Your First Source for All Things Sports
Columbian
Trying to Bounce Back
Tiffin Columbian lost a tough one last week and now they are
preparing for a different opponent than they thought they were going to have
on week two.
The Tornadoes host Sylvania Southview in a non-conference game on
Friday night in their home opener.
Last week, they had a 21-point lead with 11:00 to play in the game,
but Fremont Ross rallied to beat then (37-36) last Friday, converting a
two-point conversion in the waning seconds.
Coach Judd Lutz says they just made too many mistakes to beat a good
team. “We did a lot of things
really well, but also did a lot of things really poorly.
Kudos to them and credit goes to their coaches and players they
executed a good game plan and some really good things.
We did some good things that are sign of a good team, but we also did
some really boneheaded things and made a lot of losing plays.
You can’t make losing plays against a good team or you will give
them momentum and let them come back and even give away one.
I’m not necessarily saying we gave away one, but it kind of feels
what way with the momentum we had going at one point.
There is only one thing to do at that’s regroup and move on to week
two,” he said.
Ross quarterback Kadin Holmes had 412 total yards against Tiffin.
Lutz says it has been a crazy week, but he feels the players have
been focused. “It has been a
hot week. You would love to iron
out all of those mistakes and get a lot of things fixed. Luckily,
we have been able to get on the field and work on those mistakes even with
this heat index and advisory and it being extremely hot.
It has been a stressful week having a new opponent at the last minute
and ironing out those details during practice on Monday.
Touching base with my athletic director and got the word just before
heading out to practice on Monday that we wouldn’t be playing the previous
opponent and that we would be looking for a game.
For us, Monday is a big fix us day anyway,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “We are going to fix whatever mistakes we
would have made the previous week having that priority first before we start
prepping for anybody new. So,
that was really emphasized on practice on Monday taking care of us first.
Once we got word right after practice that we would have a new
opponent game planning began that night.
Our kids have done a good job flushing and moving on and also being
hungry with what is a bad taste in their month from a week one loss.”
Southview beat Toledo Rogers (28-18) last week.
They became open this week when they game with Toledo Waite was
canceled.
Lutz says the Cougars do some different things on both sides of the
ball. “They are coming off a
good win for them week one. They
have some good athletes. They
run to the ball well on defense. Have
some good size on both sides of the ball.
It is kind of different with the defense they play.
We saw a lot of different defenses last year, but this is kind of a
different defense. It’s a 3-3
stack defense, so they can go with two high safeties or one high safety.
There is a lot of blitzing and twisting up front at times, so we have
to be able to handle that. Then
offensively, they show the ability to spread it out, but also go quarterback
under center and go into some tight end, fullback, tailback formations,
which isn’t really prevalent in football right now around here.
So, it is going to be a good challenge and hopefully we can adapt and
put together a good game plan,” said Lutz.
Published 8/26/21
© 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
Columbian
Faces Potentially Explosive Fremont Ross
Tiffin Columbian kicks off the 2021 high school football season on
the road at Fremont Ross in non-conference play on Friday night.
Coach Judd Lutz says he believes they are game ready although there
is always a little anxiousness on week one.
“We better be that was the plan going into it.
Due to working June and July and knowing ahead of time working a week
ahead of schedule compared to a normal summer and make sure you timed up
everything so you were ready to go week one.
I think are kids are a ready as they can be for that first opening
week. There is always a lot of
anxiousness and excitement all wrapped into one.
We are excited to see the product of some work and at the same time
know that we will have to turn the page to week two soon after,” he said.
Lutz says the Little Giants have some big play guys on their team and
some beef up front. “They
return a really good team from last year.
A lot of excitement on the offensive side, scored a lot points
against some good teams. They
return some of their key playmakers with their quarterback and a couple of
wide receivers, some skilled guys, and some big offensive linemen, one with
a division one offer to Cincinnati I believe and some guys around him.
Offensively, they are going to be a very big challenge for our
defense,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, “Defensively, they have
some tremendous speed and size and that shows on defense for sure when you
look at the tape of their scrimmages and how they ran to the ball.
So, it’s going to be a great test and a great gauge to see where we
are at right now as far as the season goes.”
When it comes to defending Fremont Ross, Lutz says it a challenge
because they can do so many different things.
“Every week is a little different challenge.
We start with players first. Who
are their playmakers and guys they want to get the ball to and how do they
want to get the ball to them? Are
they oriented run or pass? Can
their quarterback run and throw? They
really have the capabilities of a little bit of everything.
I think they can ground and pound you if they want to with size up
front. They also have some speed
and athleticism as well as a dual threat quarterback that can spread you out
and pose some threats. You
always want to limit big plays and create big plays on defense and there are
a number of ways you can do it. I
like our game plan so far, but we will have to be able to pivot and slightly
change it if needed on Friday night,” said Lutz.
Published 8/20/21
© 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
Columbian
Good, Needs to be Better
Last fall, Tiffin Columbian’s football team got farther than any
Tornado team has advancing to the division III state semifinals.
This season they want to be able to build on that and it begins on
August 20th on the road at Fremont Ross.
With a (9-2) record last year, the Tornadoes were outstanding, but
coach Judd Lutz says they must keep looking ahead.
“We had a great season last year, but with good years you graduate
some great players and we did that, but also we are really lucky to return a
great group of returning letter winners and contributors.
We have some guys that I feel we can fill in some holes and
definitely have some high expectations heading into a really good season,”
he said.
Lutz says really it is all about working hard to get the desired
results. “It is different that
last year with the ability to see guys a little bit earlier and a lot of
excitement coming off a great year, but at the same point knowing we have to
get back to the grind and back to work.
It was a great June and we are wrapping up July right now and heading
into August and I like how the team has come together and progressed so far,
but still we need to make a lot of strides,” said Lutz.
This summer the OHSAA allowed coaches unlimited contact and Lutz says
that allowed them to do some different things in different ways.
“I was really happy to see that come to fruition for a number of
reasons. Specifically, for us we
have a number of multi sport kids. Thankfully
we have had some great athletic programs last year.
Our basketball program did an outstanding job, our baseball team had
a deep run. We have a lot of
kids that do multi sports during the summer.
We used to do camp days, what we call practice and we didn’t have
so many of them in the summer time, but with it limited we had to try and
avoid all of those things and it was not possible,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “So, with the ability to be able to roll the
balls out a little more often we didn’t do any more than usual as far as
time goes and I wanted to make sure our players knew that and our coaches
knew that. At the same point
sprinkling a little bit of offense and defense a little earlier in the
summertime was a lot more helpful when we did have those camp days and hit
the ground running a little more. So,
I thought it was a tremendous benefit for us, but we aren’t going to do
more just because we can. We had
to be really intelligent about that and I thought your coaches did a good
job.”
Published 7/28/21
© Swankonsports.com
Your First Source For All Things Sports
Columbian
Plays Athletic Sandusky
Tiffin Columbian plays another fellow member of the Lake Division of
the Sandusky Bay Conference on Wednesday night when they meet Sandusky in a
division II district semifinal at Millbury Lake High School.
Last Friday, they beat Clyde, also of the Lake Division, (56-52) in a
sectional final in Tiffin.
Coach Travis Kinn says it might have been a little closer than they
wanted, but they have become pretty good at winning close games.
“It was a little closer probably than we would have liked.
That has kind of been a theme for us throughout the year we have done
really good job of winning some close games.
We have been in every game we have played and we have been fortunate
enough to pull them out. Friday
was another example of that. So,
we did enough to advance and at this time of year that is all you can ask
for,” he said.
Columbian (19-4), the co-champ of the Lake Division, spilt their two
games this year with Sandusky (10-7) during the regular season, each winning
at home. The Tornadoes prevailed
(73-62) on December 11 and the Blue Streaks (61-57) on January 15.
Kinn says Sandusky will pressure them with athletes and they have a
solid big guy too. “They are
obviously a solid squad. I
don’t think they have played as many games as some other teams.
With their scheduling they have had to cancel a few I know.
They get after it defensively. They
are athletic, they will get up and pressure the ball, they will push the
ball up the floor in transition,” he told Swankonsports.com, “They have
a big kid Davion Henry that is an all league, all district player, that gave
us fits both times we played them. We
need to be shaper on him and a few other areas as well.
They are another quality opponent and we are looking forward to the
challenge.”
Sandusky likes to get up in you and Kinn says they must be ready to
handle that physical play in the tournament.
“It is something we have addressed and we have worked.
Offensively, we think if we can take care of the ball we will be in
good shape and defensively contain our man and keep him in front of us.
We will see if the officials let it be a little more physical this
time of year or not, that’s to be determined.
I think Friday against Clyde was a really physical game for us and I
thought our guys handled it really well,” said Kinn.
Published 3/03/21
© Swankonsports.com
Get all of the tournament scores right here
Tiffin
Columbian and Clyde Collide Again
Tiffin Columbian and Clyde, both members of the Lake Division of the
Sandusky Bay Conference, play for the third time this season, this time in
the division II sectional final at Tiffin on Friday night.
A district berth awaits the winner, who will play Sandusky or
Perkins, two other teams out of the Lake Division, at Millbury Lake in the
districts next week.
Columbian (18-4), #4 in the final Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, won both of the
regular seasons games (63-44) at Tiffin on January 2 and (81-74) at Clyde on
February 12.
Tiffin coach Travis Kinn says they know each other pretty well.
“I think we are both pretty familiar with each other.
It seems like yesterday, but it was two weeks ago, the second to the
last week of the season, that we played.
We will be familiar to each other there is no doubt about that.
We will have to come ready to go,” he said.
The Fliers beat Toledo Woodward (85-63) in a semifinal game played on
Tuesday night.
Kinn says Clyde (10-9), who has won five of its last six, has
excelled at an up tempo pace, something they like as well.
“They have really hit their stride late in the season.
They have figured some things out and they obviously like to push the
ball,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, “They have a lot of guards
that can not only get to the basket, but shoot from the perimeter as well.
Tempo is something we always embrace, but we also understand on the
defensive end we might want to slow them down a little bit and take them out
of their rhythm.”
This has the makings of a pretty good game, especially based on that
game two weeks ago, and in close games Kinn says you have to have kids make
plays, which they have done a solid job with this year.
“With both teams being as familiar with each other as we are going
to be we can game plan and strategize and do all we want, but when that gets
taken away it is going to be up to the kid to make plays and make reads and
make decisions. We have been
fortunate that our kids have done an outstanding job making the right play
most of the time throughout the season.
Hopefully, that will continue,” said Kinn.
Published 2/26/02
© Swankonsports.com
There will be a special tournament edition
Of “Out of Bounds” this Saturday
From 10 PM to 11 PM
On Swankonsports.com
Columbian
Goes for its Share
Norwalk already has a piece of the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake
Division title and Tiffin Columbian can earn a share if they win at Norwalk
on Friday night.
The Tornadoes gave themselves a chance by beating Clyde (81-74) in a
division game last Friday.
Coach Travis Kinn says that was an important win.
“We were able to sneak away with a road win at Clyde last week.
It was a good test for us, a good challenge.
It has put us in position with an opportunity to win a share of the
league. Hopefully, we will be
fortunate to take care of business this Friday was well,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian (17-4,9-2), #4 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, plays at Norwalk
(14-7,10-1) on Friday night. The
Truckers grabbed their share with a (56-53) win overtime at Perkins last
Saturday. They also beat South
Central (42-41) in a non-league game on Wednesday night.
Kinn says the Truckers don’t hurt themselves.
“They are really sound defensively.
They don’t make a lot of mistakes to beat themselves.
They are so fundamentally prepared, both on the offensive and
defensive end. They really limit
mistakes at both ends of the floor. They
force you to make plays to beat them, they don’t beat themselves and I
think that has been a strength of theirs as long as Steve has been there,”
said Kinn.
Tiffin Columbian starters Logan Beaston and LJ Reaves are first team
all-district selections as is Garrett Chapin and Will Gehlhausen of Norwalk.
Beaston hit a game winner at the buzzer to beat Norwalk (58-57) on
January 22.
Kinn says Chapin is dangerous anywhere on the floor.
“He is a tough matchup. He
can go inside and out. He can
score the ball down on the block, he can catch the ball on the perimeter and
finish at the rim, and he has a nice touch with his jumper from midrange and
from three. He is definitely a
tough guard. He is obviously a
focal point of what we want to take away and hopefully we will be fortunate
enough to do that,” he said.
Kinn says they must avoid turnovers against the tough Norwalk defense
and get out in transition. “We
have to do a good job of limiting mistakes, both on the offensive and
defensive end. I know that
sounds obvious. We have been
sloppy with the ball at times down the stretch of the season.
We are really efficient at the offensive end when we don’t turn the
ball over, so taking care of the basketball will be key,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “In regards to the defensive end, Will
Gehlhausen is an outstanding point guard for them as well, another all
district player, he does a lot and gets them organized.
They have a lot of guys that can play.
Those are the two names that pop out at you.
We will have to be strong on the glass and finish possessions, so we
can get out and control the tempo.”
Published 2/18/21
© 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
Columbian
Needs to Beat Clyde
Tiffin Columbian trails Norwalk by a game in the standings in the
Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference and they play the Truckers next
week, but first they play at Clyde on Friday night.
The Fliers have won four their last five.
Last Friday, Columbian beat Vermilion (62-54) in a division game an
added a non-conference win over Kenton (64-51) on Saturday.
Coach Travis Kinn says they did what they had to last week.
“We were able to pull out some close ones last weekend, both on
Friday and Saturday. We made
enough plays down to stretch to put us in position to get the job done.
So, that was encouraging,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian (16-3,8-2), #4 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, visits Clyde (7-8,5-4)
on Friday. The Fliers beat
Bellevue (87-58) last Friday and Perkins (57-56) on Saturday, both in
division games.
Kinn says Clyde is playing very good basketball right now.
“They are playing really well.
They just knocked off Perkins, who has bad red hot and playing really
well. Got a good win against
Bellevue on their home floor. The
thing about Clyde is they play incredibly hard.
They play with a lot of emotion and a lot of energy and a lot of
excitement, especially on their home floor.
So, it is going to be a battle for us, a great test, a great
opportunity,” said Kinn.
Columbian won the first game between the two (63-44) on January 2.
Kinn says they have been getting down the floor better lately and he
says they get good shots. “They
have really been pushing the pace a lot more recently against Perkins,
against Bellevue. They have been
running and trapping a little bit, against Norwalk they pressured the ball
quite a bit, so we anticipate some of that.
They have some different pressures that they use,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “Offensively, they do a great job
getting the ball ahead early. They
really like to push the ball up the sideline and initiate their offense and
get guys open opportunities from three.
They shoot a lot of threes, they just broke a school record with 14
last week, so that is something to be concerned about and make sure we are
aware of.”
Tiffin is at home for division I Findlay (11-3) on Saturday night and
Kinn says that game is good tournament prep.
“We are excited about that opportunity.
They are a great program in Northwest Ohio.
They are traditionally very, very successful.
They play in one of the best leagues in this area for basketball.
So, having the opportunity to play a team that brings all of the
challenges they bring will be great preparation for us going forward.
We have a big one first to take care of on Friday night and then we
will worry about Saturday. Excited
about both games this weekend,” he said.
Published 2/12/21
© Swankonsports.com
Keep up to the minute on Friday and Saturday
night scores
Updated every five minutes
On our scoreboard at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
Columbian
Knows What They Have to do
Tiffin Columbian has fallen out of a share of the lead in the Lake
Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference and they know they likely can’t
lose any more division games and claim part of the title.
They process beings Friday night at home against Vermilion.
Tuesday night, they lost a tough one (65-63) to Sandusky Perkins.
Coach Travis Kinn says the ball didn’t bounce their way and Perkins
deserved the win. “It was a
weird night for us, not our best game on either end of the floor I don’t
think. A lot of credit to
Perkins, they played their hearts out and they played outstanding
basketball. Bottom line is we
didn’t play well enough to win. I
think there were a lot of little bounces, a lot of little plays throughout
the game that could have went differently that would have given us an
outcome that we would have preferred. Again,
hats off to Perkins to come in and find a way to get it done,” said Kinn.
Columbian now trails Norwalk by a game in the division standings, but
they play at Norwalk on February 19.
Kinn says they understand what they need to do.
“The great thing is we still control our destiny a little bit to
clinch a share of the league as long as we can take care of business.
The good thing about it is every night we take the floor in league
play is a championship game for us and we look at as a must win and an
opportunity to get closer to our goals every time we take the floor,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “We have had two really good
days of practice and I think we have learned some things.
We reflected on some things and we will be better going forward.”
Columbian (14-3,7-2), #3 in the Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball
coaches poll in the large school division, hosts Vermilion (6-9,1-7) in a
division game Friday night. The
Sailors have lost four of their last five, including (61-46) to Perkins on
Wednesday.
Tiffin won the first game between the two (53-33) on December 30.
Kinn says it will be a physical game.
“They are a tough nosed basketball team.
They are physical, they like to get the ball inside, they like to use
their body and their ability to the get the ball to the basket and finish
around the rim. They shoot a lot
of threes, so they are a well rounded club.
Their record is not inducive of how good a team they are, just like
Perkins. That is something you
always stress with kids. We have
to show up and be ready to go,” he said.
Published 2/05/21
© Swankonsports.com
Keep up to the minute on Friday and Saturday
night scores
Updated every five minutes
On our scoreboard at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
Columbian
Plays Dangerous Bellevue
Tiffin Columbian, back in a share of first place in the Lake Division
of the Sandusky Bay Conference, plays at Bellevue in a division game on
Thursday night.
They host Anthony Wayne in a non-conference game on Saturday night.
Last week, the Tornadoes beat Toledo Start (57-52), Norwalk at the
horn (58-57) to move back into a share and Marion Harding (68-61) on
Saturday night.
Coach Travis Kinn says they were good wins and they did it together.
“It was a great week as far as the results go.
To get three wins against three opponents like that is definitely
satisfying. I think the best
thing about the week too was there were points in each game when we were
down. There were points in each
game where our cohesiveness was tested and our confidence in one another
that we really had to fight and battle in all three of those games,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “Getting into late January and
February you want to be tested and we were fortunate to come away with three
wins, but in doing so there are still some things we can learn and grow from
which is really good.”
Logan Beatson (15.8 ppg) drilled a three pointer to beat Norwalk on
Friday night on a pass from LJ Reaves (13.8 ppg) at the buzzer, but Bryce
Burns (11.9 ppg), Cyrus Burden (10.2) and Jaden Myers (7.5 ppg) all capable
scorers.
Kinn says they are very good when they pass the ball and are
unselfish. “When we can play
as a unit and the ball moves, we have a lot of kids that can score the ball.
All five of our starters scored in double figures Saturday night
against Marion Harding, which you don’t see a lot of in high school
basketball. A lot of teams have
marquee guys that teams key in on an try and take those guys away.
We are fortunate to have a variety of guys that can score the ball.
So, when that ball moves we are much tough to guard,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian (12-2,6-1), #3 in the Swankonsports.com boys’
basketball coaches poll in the large school division, is at Bellevue
(2-7,1-4) on Thursday night. The
Redmen won Monday night in beating Edison (63-40) in a crossover game in the
“SBC”.
Kinn says the
Redmen are tough to guard and their gym in kind of a different set up.
“They have some guards that can score the ball.
They run some really good stuff to get those guys in positions to be
successful. They have been
playing really well. They got
their first win against Perkins, but the week before they played Sandusky in
a three point game as well, who just handed us a league loss not too long
ago. They are playing good
basketball, so they are going to be fired up and ready to go.
It is always a tough venue to play in over there.
Being one of their first games back they are going to take advantage
of every opportunity they have and be excited about it,” said Kinn.
Published 1/26/21
© 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
Tiffin
Columbian Can Get a Share of Lead
Tiffin Columbian is a game behind Norwalk in the race for the top
spot in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference and they host the
Truckers on Friday night.
They fell out of a share with a (61-57) loss to Sandusky in a
division game last Friday. However,
they followed that up with a quality win over Willard (78-68) on Saturday
and beat Toledo Start (57-52) on Tuesday, both in non-conference play.
Coach Travis Kinn says it was good to get back on the beam.
“It’s always great, it feels good winning ballgames, a lot of
credit to our kids on Saturday night coming out ready to go against Willard,
that was a big bounce back win for us. Got
off to a little bit of a slow start Tuesday, we were able to make some
adjustments, play a little bit more our pace and our style and it really
went in our favor on Tuesday night,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Thursday, “We have played two games here recently that we have played
pretty well in, but you are never as good as you think you are after win and
you never as bad as you think you are after a loss either.”
Columbian (10-2,5-1), #4 in the Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball
poll in the large school division, hosts Norwalk (8-5,6-0), a winner of six
straight, including a (67-45) non-conference win over Madison on Tuesday
night.
Kinn says the Truckers are very strong on defense and they are patent
on offense. “They will be very
well prepared. They play
outstanding half court defense. They
do a really good job of taking away teams first and second options.
Offensively they shoot a very high percentage around the basket.
They are incredibly efficient. They
are very patient. They are one
of those set oriented teams that like to really get what they want and kind
of control the game that way,” said Kinn.
This likely will be a tempo game.
Kinn says they want it to be a track meet.
“We want to play fast and we want to get out and get as many
possession as we can and that is usually when we are at our best,” said
Kinn.
There is a lot riding on the game, Kinn says they want that top spot.
“It will be a great test for us.
It will be a great test for both teams.
Both teams will be ready to go. Obviously,
they have something we want and that’s first place in the Lake Division,
so hopefully it goes in our favor,” he said.
Published 1/22/21
© Swankonsports.com
Keep up to the minute on Friday and Saturday
night scores
Updated every five minutes
On our scoreboard at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
Columbian
With Two More Challenges
Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division co-leader Tiffin Columbian
travels to Sandusky on Friday night for a division game and then to Willard
for a contest with the Bay Division co-leader Flashes on Saturday.
They have won all of their games but one this year, but coach Travis
Kinn says you are always on the outlook for things like fatigue that can
strike a team in January. “As
coaches we always think about all of the potential things.
Our guys played well on Friday night.
They were able to have two days off on Saturday and Sunday.
We had a good practice (Monday).
It is definitely something you are concerned with as a coach.
You start to shorten practices maybe if that is a concern.
We are excited that we have an opportunity Friday and Saturday to go
play two games against really good teams,” said Kinn.
Columbian (8-1,5-0), #4 in the Swankonsports.com boys’ basketball
coaches poll in the large school division, is at Sandusky (4-3,3-3) on
Friday night. The Blue Streaks
edged Bellevue (56-53) last Saturday and Vermilion (64-56) on Tuesday night.
Kinn says they have some weapons on offense.
“They have some young guards, but they are talented.
They have won two in a row now. They
lost a close game to Norwalk a couple of weeks ago.
Norwalk is one of the top teams in our league, so we know their
ability,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “Daylen Green
for them is a kid that can score at will.
The big kid inside Henry has been playing really well and we
struggled to match up with him a little bit the first time, so we will have
to be sharper in that area.”
Green leads the Blue Streaks in scoring (12.8 ppg) and he leads the
division in steals this year.
In their first meeting on December 11 Columbian won (72-63) and Kinn
says they are going to tweak their game plan a little bit.
“There are definitely going to be some adjustments made on both
ends. They will try to counter
some things that were successful for us and we will try to counter some
things that hurt us a little bit and be better in those areas.
It will be a great test for us. I
know our guys are really excited about the weekend.
We are going to play two and see if we can make the most of both of
them,” he said.
Willard (8-3), #3 in our small school poll, owns a six game winning
streak. Kinn says they are
physical and want to play fast. “They
like to play fast and they score a lot of points.
There is not a 6’6” kid inside, but they have a lot of 6’1”,
6’3” guys that are physical and know how to use their bodies well.
It will be a great game for us. We
are looking forward to it,” said Kinn.
Published 1/13/21
© 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
Columbian
Continues to Excel
Tiffin Columbian shares the lead in the Lake Division of the Sandusky
Bay Conference with Norwalk and they meet on Saturday night in Tiffin.
They also play a non-league game against Bowling Green on Friday
night.
The Tornadoes beat Clyde (63-44) on Saturday night in a division
game.
Coach Travis Kinn says they were a little sloppy, but they were able
to do some things too. “It was
been a while since we have beat Clyde, they have been a thorn in our side.
They have kind of had our number the last few years.
Big credit to our guys coming out ready to play.
We had five turnovers in the first quarter and we were still able to
jump out to an early lead. There
are some frustrating things when you have that many turnovers in the first
quarter, but to be able to play well enough to still have a lead despite
that is definitely encouraging. Logan
(Beaston) had the first eight points of the game for us.
We went on an 8-0 run to start things and we just kind kept rolling
from there,” said Kinn.
Beaston, a sophomore, is second in the division in scoring at (17.8
ppg) this season.
Kinn says he thought they came through the holidays pretty well.
“I am not sure what is normal these days.
It is 2021 now and I am still trying to figure out what is normal and
what is not. We played three
games in five days last week, as well as Clyde did, and probably a lot of
other teams. Just really pleased
with our guy’s focus and attention to detail over the break and obviously
that is something you always worry about when you are out of a routine,
especially with kids. They have
shown that they are willing to have attention to detail and little things
and it has paid off big for us,” he said.
Columbian plays at Bowling Green (2-5) on Friday night.
Kinn says they want to get the tempo moving against the Bobcats.
“They have two bigs and they run a lot of stuff to get those two
guys the ball. They have an all
league point guard back on their team that does a good job getting them into
their stuff. They have a couple
of kids that can shoot it on the perimeter.
They play a little bit of a shower tempo then we like to play, so we
will try and push pace a little bit and try and make it a more up tempo
game,” he said.
Tiffin (7-1,5-0) plays at home against Norwalk (5-5,4-0) on Saturday
night. Kinn says there will be a
lot riding on this game. “I
think us and Norwalk are the two teams left in the league that don’t have
a league loss, so to say it’s a big one is an obvious statement.
They will be very well prepared.
Coach (Steve) Gray does an outstanding job with those guys running
their stuff and executing their sets. Garrett
Chapin is an all-league player that is back that will require some attention
from us. So, it will be a great
opportunity for our guys,” he said.
Published 1/05/21
© 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
Tiffin
Columbian With Two in the Lake Division
Tiffin Columbian, the division co-leader, plays at Vermilion on
Wednesday and at home against Clyde in Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division
games this week.
Last week, they downed Bellevue (73-61) in a division game.
They came out Monday and beat Upper Sandusky (69-67) in an
outstanding non-conference game.
Coach Travis Kinn says Monday was a valuable win for them.
“It was a really good win for us.
I have been told that the first time we have won their floor in 10
years. We know it has been seven
years since we have beaten them. That
is just a credit to their program over there.
You know, our guys made a lot of plays down the stretch and I give
all of the credit in the world to them, especially one of our sophomores in
Logan Beaston. He was
outstanding late and we put the ball in his hands and let him go to work a
little bit,” said Kinn.
Beaston had 27 points in the win over Upper and Kinn says he
possesses all of the elements of a very good player.
“He has an incredible basketball I.Q.
He gets a lot of attention for his shooting ability, but I think his
ability to pass the basketball and his ability to get his teammates in the
right spots and on the same page and just understand the flow of the game is
outstanding,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian (5-1,3-0) is at Vermilion (4-3,1-2) on Wednesday
night. The Sailors lost a
division game (54-37) to Norwalk last week.
Kinn says they have some physical players and they can shoot it too.
“They are big, they are physical, they play really, really hard.
They shoot a lot of threes and they have two very physical kids on
the inside that they try and get the ball to a lot.
So, we will have to come ready to play after a long bus ride,” he
said.
Clyde (3-2,2-0) comes calling on Saturday night.
Kinn says that is always a tough game for them.
“They have kind of been a thorn in our side the last few years.
They always game plan and prepare very well.
We are playing a little bit faster this year, so it should be a fun
game to watch and hopefully we can come out on top this time,” Kinn told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday.
Published 12/30/20
© Swankonsports.com
Click the listen line to hear our live shows
There will be a special edition of
“Out of Bounds” Wednesday night 10 to
midnight
Columbian
Wants to Bounce Back
Tiffin Columbian, in a share if first place in the Lake Division of
the Sandusky Bay Conference, is at home for Bellevue in a division game on
Wednesday night.
They lost for the first time this season on Saturday night when
Fremont Ross beat them (83-78) in a non-conference game.
Coach Travis Kinn says they had some breakdowns on defense they have
to fix. “Hats off to Ross,
they shot the ball incredibly well. They
were able to get in the lane and create some problems for us defensively,
but our guys are eager and highly motivated and competitive,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “If it was up to them, we would have been
out there the next day playing a game, so they are looking forward to it and
it will be a good challenge for us.”
On Wednesday night, the Tornadoes (3-1,2-0) return to action in the
Lake Division against Bellevue (0-3,0-1) one of their most longtime rivals.
Kinn says when you play Bellevue, who are going to see a lot of
offensive sets. “They do a
great job of really running a lot of sets, similar to Perkins last week.
They run some good stuff and get their perimeter guys good looks.
They have got some good guard play.
Some of their young kids that played last year are really playing
well, so it will be really important that we keep those perimeter guys
contained,” he said.
Kinn says to defend these kids of sets successfully you must be
disciplined. “A lot of the
stuff they run has an initial look that they want to get that we need to
take away and there is a second of third option as they run though it a
little bit continuity wise. I
think it is important for us to be disciplined and that is an area that we
struggled in on Saturday. We
hope to be better in that area on Wednesday,” said Kinn.
Published 12/23/20
© Swankonsports.com
Click the listen line to hear our live shows
There will be a special edition of
“Out of Bounds” Wednesday night 10 to
midnight
Columbian
Faces Perkins
Tiffin Columbian takes its act on the road Thursday night as they
travel to Sandusky Perkins to face the Pirates on a Lake Division game in
the Sandusky Bay Conference.
The Tornadoes opened division play by downing Sandusky (73-62) last
Friday night.
They scored 28 points in the first quarter of the game and coach
Travis Kin says that early spurt was key, but they must start finishing
games better. “I thought our
guys did a really good job of coming out with a sense of urgency from the
start. I thought our defensive
rotations where really good and that led to some transition points for us.
Our guys just do an outstanding job of getting ball up quick and try
to come at teams all of the time,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday
evening, “We want to take the next step here sometime soon and start
putting teams away. Credit
Sandusky for battling back and making it a competitive game.”
Columbian (2-0,1-0) plays at Perkins (0-3,0-1) on Thursday night.
The Pirates lost twice last weekend, falling to Norwalk (55-43) on
Friday in a division game and (61-38) to Willard in a cross over game on
Saturday.
Kinn says Perkins has one of the best players in the “SBC” and
they are team that pounds you with set pieces.
“They return an elite player in Sam Siegel, who does a lot for
them. He is an outstanding
athlete and an outstanding basketball player.
Coach (Scott) McVeigh does a great job in getting them prepared and
organized. They run a lot of
good sets and get a lot of good looks off of those.
So, we are really going to concentrate in disrupting their timing and
take away some of those sets. Continue
to push the tempo like we like to do,” said Kinn.
The Columbian coach says Perkins will be disciplined and they have to
do some things to pick up the pace. “They
run a lot of good sets. They get
a lot of good looks. We think we
can do some things to counter those and we will definitely have to execute
that. They are just a really
disciplined team. They never try
and do too much. They play
within themselves and we will really have to be on top of our game,” he
said.
Published 12/16/20
© 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
Columbian
Meets Sandusky in Lake Opener
Tiffin Columbian has the kind of talent to be a big factor in the
Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference this year and we begin to find
out if they are a contender when they host Sandusky, the defending champion,
on Friday night.
That is if COVID-19 doesn’t throw up one it’s roadblocks, which
has led to the postponement of all of the Blue Streaks games so far this
year.
Columbian (1-0,0-0) beat Genoa (61-52) in a non-conference game last
Saturday.
Coach Travis Kinn says his players came out of the gate last week in
full stride. “I thought our
guys came out early with a tremendous amount of energy, excitement,
enthusiasm and we were really engaged at the defensive end creating some
turnovers and using our length and I felt that led to some easy baskets.
I think the first game is a lot of stuff that needs figured out,
especially this season with all of the COVID protocols.
I don’t know if that wore on us a little bit it or it was
conditioning being the first game, but I think we got slowed down a little
bit in the second and third quarter and that allowed Genoa to get back in
the game. Overall, just an
outstanding effort by our guys and I thought it was a great start to the
season,” said Kinn.
When it comes to improvement, Kinn says he wants them to run the
floor more effectively to get better shots and be more consistent on
defense. “I think just little
things. We want to play fast, so
one thing that we want to be better at is just getting the ball out quickly
whether we get scored on on a made basket or we get a defensive rebound we
want to push the ball early with the pass and see what options open up for
us. That’s a fine line for 16
and 17 year old kids the difference from playing fast and shooting quickly,
so kind of walking that fine line and getting them to understand that is one
thing on the offensive end that we have really tried to hammer home,” he
told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “Defensively, just the
consistency and I think that is a constant battle with any year with any
team you want to see your team be consistent on the defensive end and that
has been a big point of emphasis.”
Sandusky has had a great deal of success as of late and Kinn says
even with inexperience at the varsity level this season they are going to
have a lot to say about the Lake Division.
“They graduated a lot. They
have had a tremendous run and I really think that run is going to continue
for them. They have some really
talented young guards that can score the ball and get in the lane and handle
the ball on the perimeter. They
are a little bit of a mystery from the aspect that they are a little young.
I think a couple are sophomores and a couple are juniors that really
standout on film. So, they
really haven’t proven themselves at the varsity level yet, but just
knowing the program that they have there they are definitely talented kids
and we are going to do our best to contain them the best we can,” he said.
Published 12/10/20
© 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
Columbian
Takes on Unbeaten Chardon in State Semifinal
Tiffin Columbian, runner-up in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference, meets Chardon in the division III state semifinals at Brunswick
High School on Friday night.
The Tornadoes (9-1) beat Parma Heights Hold Name (17-14) to earn the
school’s first ever regional title last week.
It was the third straight week that they put they game away in the
fourth quarter.
Coach Judd Lutz says this team has done in different ways, but it
seems they just have the ability to come up big when they have to the most.
“We have continued to find ways to win and do good things in all
three phases of the game. Obviously,
you can hang your hat on great preparation by coaches and everything like
that and also by the kids, but some of it is just them going out and making
great plays too. So, kudos to
the kids and players showing a great amount of grit and fight in all facets
of the game so far,” he said.
Whether it has been blocked kicks, fumble recoveries, interception
returns, big pass plays or whatever, Lutz says they have kids that have the
talent and the will to make the big play.
“We have some tremendous team speed and kids that are also really
unselfish. In order to return
kicks or punts for considerable yards or even points you have to have people
willing to throw key blocks and have guys back there that are pretty special
with the ball in their hands. Same
thing when you are blocking a field goal or a punt and doing that is a group
of people deciding to impact the game by doing something special.
Time and time again we have come up big and done that,” said Lutz.
It seems really hard to believe, but Chardon (10-0) hasn’t really
been challenged this year through 10 games.
Their closest game was a (35-21) victory of Mayfield in the regular
season and their tightest game in the playoffs was a (31-0) win over New
Philadelphia in the regional semis.
Lutz says the Hilltoppers have been highly regarded all season and
they deserve that without any question.
“I think they are the number one ranked team in the state in
division III right now and have been at or near the top of the rankings all
year. I don’t necessarily hold
a lot on that, sometimes it can be inflated for whatever reason, but they
are definitely worthy of that ranking,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Wednesday night, “You throw on the film and they have great speed with
their skilled guys mixed with size. They
execute at a really high level on both sides of the ball.
They have some special players going on to play collegiately at some
places. I think they are very
senior dominated team, they have 25, 26 seniors and a lot of them play.
They have a good amount of depth on both sides of the ball, so it is
going to be a great challenge for our team.”
Chardon is a run based offense out of the wing-T formation, but Lutz
says this is not a traditional wing-T team.
“They are a wing-T offense, but they don’t necessarily if you are
familiar with the wing-T it is lost of times guys going everywhere every
which way in the backfield, your guards are pulling a lot, your offensive
line is drive block and down blocking and guys are pulling around and stuff.
They don’t do a whole lot of that with their offensive line, they
kind of just use their three guys in the backfield, skilled guys, to go
every which direction and kind of block for each other.
So, it is wing-Tesk, but with their own little twist on it with their
strength of physicality up front with some speed around it,” said Lutz.
Published 11/12/20
© 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
Columbian
Looks for First Regional Championship
Tiffin Columbian plays at home against Parma Heights Holy Name in a
division III regional title game on Friday night.
A win would produce the first regional football title in the 120
years of Columbian football.
They beat West Holmes (34-24) in a regional semifinal last Friday
night at home to advance.
Coach Judd Lutz says they found a way to win the game in the end.
“It was a great back and forth game with momentum changing sides.
In the end we made a couple of play the get the momentum back on our
side to finish the game out and find a way to get in the winner’s
column,” he said.
The Tornadoes (8-1) blocked a punt and added a short TD run to put
the game away in the late going last week.
Holy Name (7-1) beat Ashland (17-14) in their regional semi at
Ashland last week, kicking a field goal with just three seconds left to
provide the winning margin.
Lutz calls them solid all over the field.
“They are a really solid team offensively and defensively and
special teams. They don’t
score a ton of points, they don’t give up a ton of points.
They are kind of an old school type of team that stays pretty
balanced offensively. They run
the ball I think first with the quarterback and the running back and then
kind of set up the pass. They
have very capable wide receivers and a very good tight end too,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “Defensively, they are just really
sound and really tough up front first. I
think their defensive line and linebacker corps is really solid and that
helps them in the backend with good pressure on the quarterback and stopping
the run game with those front six guys, so it’s going to be a tough
battle.”
Last season, Holy Name beat a favored Columbian (14-7) in Tiffin in a
regional quarterfinal ending the season for the Tornadoes.
Lutz says they certainly want a different result, but he says last
year is not something the coaching staff is using to motivate the players.
“I wouldn’t say it is any added motivation.
This is a regional final game, a big game for us.
Since 1901 when Columbian football started, we have only been in this
position four other times and come up empty.
It has very little affect on this year.
We have a bitter taste in our mouths a little from last year, but
really we are two different teams from last year at this point.
Just both trying to find a way to advance and keep our season alive
for one more week,” he said.
When speaking of keys to a win, Lutz says they have to be consistent
and take advantage of opportunities that are given them.
“If we can limit their run game and make them throw the ball and
still get after their quarterback with our front four to five, I feel pretty
good about it on defense. Then
offensively we have got to be patient. They
don’t give up a lot of big plays. You
have to take what is there and find a way to be explosive in the run game
and the pass game when it is there and take advantage of it and hit our open
guys and get yards after the catch in order to put points on the board,”
said Lutz.
Published 11/04/20
@ Swankonsports.com
You can listen to our listen line 24/7
For the latest high school sports news
Big
Plays a Big Factor for Tiffin Columbian
Tiffin Columbian, of the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference, hosts West Holmes, of the Ohio Cardinal Conference, in a
division III regional semifinal on Friday night.
Last week, the Tornadoes (7-1) made miraculous comeback to beat
Richfield Revere (28-21) in a quarterfinal game.
They scored twice in succession to tie the score after trailing
(21-7) with just over six minutes to play, convert on fourth and long twice,
and then recovered the ball when Revere fumbled a squib kick and scored with
less than 30 seconds to win the game.
Coach Judd Lutz says the comeback was great, but they would rather
not go through that again. “We
don’t plan on being in that situation too often and need to do it.
I thought we did a lot of really good things in the game.
We had a couple of untimely turnovers.
The defense continued to play great, but they were able to find the
end zone on a pick six, on a short field once, and at midfield when they
scored on one explosive play they we did give up.
The offense was moving the ball, but just shooting ourselves in the
foot with the lack of execution or a turnover that was really untimely.
Hopefully, we are not in that position again and it doesn’t take
that, but at the same time it is one for the memory banks for sure,” said
Lutz.
West Holmes (7-2) beat Parma Padua (29-22) in a quarterfinal last
week. Their only losses this
year come to a pair of one loss teams in Wooster (38-14) and New
Philadelphia (37-15) and the Knights carry a four game winning streak.
Lutz says this is a very good team that stives for balance on
offense, but they may throw the ball more Friday due to injury.
“They are a very solid team across the board.
They have a really big quarterback, he is like 6’4”, 215 pounds
and can really throw and has a strong arm and a ton of weapons around him.
They want to stay balanced I think with their run game and their pass
game, but they did I believe possibly lose their running back the last game,
at least he went out and did not return,” he told Swankonsports.com on
Wednesday night, “We are planning on him being in there, but if not they
might be throwing it even more then what they have shown on film.
We have to be ready for a spread attack more than last week when it
was run first behind a big offensive line.
It will be another great challenge for our defense to contain a
really good offense. Another
challenge for our offense to find a way to put the ball in the end zone
against a really sound defense.”
When it comes to keys to a win, Lutz says they can’t allow the
Knights to have big plays and when they have it they must be able to get
first downs and keep the ball in their hands.
“I think not giving up explosive plays and making some on offense.
We chart that, we take that very seriously.
We have to be able to tackle them when they do catch it an hopefully
they are not running after the catch. I
think negative plays could play a huge role.
If we could create some negative plays with sacks and quarterback
hurries I feel pretty good about our defense, if not it could be a long
night. Offensively, we have to
take care of the ball. We
can’t give them the ball. We
have to make them earn it if we are going to give it to them in any way,
shape, or form. We have to convert on third down.
We have to stay on the field. If
we are able to do that, I feel good about our chances,” said Lutz.
Published 10/29/20
© Swankonsports.com
Keep up to the minute on Friday and Saturday
night scores
Updated every five minutes beginning at
kickoff
On our scoreboard at www.swankonsportshosting247.com
Plus, again this week there will be a special
Saturday night
Edition of “Out of Bounds” between 10 and
midnight
Columbian
Takes on Physical Revere in Regional Quarterfinal
Tiffin Columbian will host Richfield Revere in a regional
quarterfinal game in division III on Friday night.
Columbian (6-1), #4 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in
the large school division, hammered Norton (45-13) in a second round game
last Friday.
Coach Judd Lutz feels they came out with some intensity and kept
putting the pressure on Norton. “I
thought our kids played with great intensity, really urgent.
There were times we could have got frustrated, could have slowed down
and taken a step back, but I thought every kid kept the pedal down and
played with tremendous urgency when they were out there.
They executed at a really high level when we put in the film for even
having a week off. Obviously,
there is stuff to fix. You are
going to make mistakes when you are playing at a high level with a lot of
speed or trying to at least, but at the same point do a lot of things pretty
well,” he said.
Tiffin has put together three outstanding regular seasons in a row,
sharing the “SBC” Lake Division title last year and finishing second
this year, but last week was their first playoff win since 2013, losing to
Holy Name last year and Lexington the year before in regional quarterfinals.
Lutz says it’s time to take it to another level.
“That is the direction we want to take the program.
I am not going to be bashful or shy about it we are trying to build
one of the most dynamic programs in the state, that’s the goal, and a long
term goal for sure. Obviously,
we have to have a great week, this week and prepare for a very good opponent
in Revere. Continue to stack
good days on good days and wins postseason wise on each other.
You can only do that one day at a time,” said Lutz.
Revere (4-2) blanked Medina Buckeye (27-0) in their second round game
last week. It was their third
shutout this season.
Lutz says the Minutemen are physical on offense and very stingy on
defense. “They are a physical
team. They have some big guys up
front on the line. They have a
young man going to Ohio State, who definitely pops off the screen, not just
with his size, but plays with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and an edge.
He gets off the ball on both sides and throws guys around.
He is not just a big body out there, he is also very dynamic and has
great foot work and can be a game wrecker if you allow him to be.
They have some great players around him, it is not a one man band.
They seem to fall into what there niche the last couple of weeks,
which has been the power run game on offense and take their shots when they
are there,” he told Swankonsports.com on Sunday evening, “They are
playing really good defense. They
play a couple of different coverages, really keep you guessing, bring some
different blitzes at times. It
is really hard to pinpoint when they will do what they will do and they have
had a lot of success doing it they have only given up just over a touchdown
a game. It is going to be a
great challenge to go out and hopefully get a win.”
Lake Division champion Bellevue is the only team to have beaten the
Tornadoes this year and that came (20-13) a month ago.
Lutz says Revere compares to them a little bit, but there are a lot
of differences too. “I would
say there is a little similarity there, they are really physical on the
offensive end of it. They want
to run the ball first and everything comes off of that.
They should, they have some size up front.
They don’t run the quarterback as much as the arch rival “B”
team does. Defensively, the
Redmen were more of a base defense. You
know where they were going to be and what they were going to do. but execute
at a really high level, these guys you have an idea, but really it’s like
one of four or five things at any time.
So, you have a good idea of what they do, but at the same time it
could be one of five things and it changes your responsibilities a little
bit. You can’t go in with a
crazy organic game plan and expect to execute at a high level against
something like that, we’ll see,” said Lutz.
Published 10/19/20
@ Swankonsports.com
You can listen to our listen line 24/7
For the latest high school sports news
At www.swankonsports.com
Tiffin
Columbian Opens Playoffs Against Norton
Tiffin Columbian, the runner up in the Lake Division of the Sandusky
Bay Conference, entertains Norton in a second round playoff game in division
III on Friday night.
Columbian (5-1), #4 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in
the large school division, being the top seed in region 10 was afforded a
bye, which they took last week.
Coach Judd Lutz says they took advantage of the opportunity and had a
good week of practice. “It was
an excellent week to really be reflective and look at some stuff that we
have done well up to this point and some things that we need to do better
moving forward. Also, give some
guys a chance to catch their breath and heal up some bumps and bruises and
get a little healthy before hopefully a good playoff run,” he told
Swankonsports.com on Monday, “It was good, it was really good.
I thought out coaching staff did a great job of having a great week
of preparation and our kids had a really great week of taking it serious and
continuing to get better.”
Norton (2-5) beat Sandusky, also of the Lake Division, (21-20) in a
first round game last week. The
Panthers have not beaten a team that has win let this year.
Lutz says they will have some confidence coming into the game.
“They had a big win last week.
They played Sandusky really well, an opponent we are familiar with.
They jump off the page with a couple of key players at positions for
them. We have to play well to
find a way to get a win. We
can’ just walk in there and expect them to lay down.
They are going to have a lot of pride in what they do and be excited
to play us I would imagine. We
have had a great Monday so far and looking forward to a great Tuesday,” he
said.
Can it be an advantage watching them play Sandusky, a team the
Tornadoes have already played? Lutz
won’t commit to that. He does
say that the run game for both sides is going to be important.
“Obviously, they are going to want to attack us and do some things
different to us then they did against Sandusky.
They are a team that looked really good last week and did some really
good things. We have to find a
way to neutralize their playmakers and reset the line of scrimmage.
They have a pretty good run game they get going sometimes.
They have a lot of kids near the box on defense, so they can pose
some difficulty in getting the run game going for us.
So, it’s going to be a good challenge,” said Lutz.
Published 10/13/20
© 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
Second
Place Teams in Lake Division Matchup
Tiffin Columbian hosts Norwalk in an important game in the Lake
Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
The two schools share second place in the division a game behind
Bellevue. The Redmen play Clyde
on Friday night. A Bellevue win
gives them an undisrupted division title, a loss to Clyde, and the winner of
the Columbian versus Norwalk games shares the trophy.
The Tornadoes (4-1,3-1), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, beat Perkins (42-7) last Friday in a
division game.
Coach Judd Lutz says they were able to get their offense back in gear
after a loss to Bellevue (20-13) the week before.
“We had kind of tough go of it on offense for two weeks finding a
way to score points. I thought
we did some good things for two weeks, but couldn’t score points in the
fashion that we feel we can and need to and we really got back to the
drawing board a little bit. We
did some pretty good things against a really good Sandusky Perkins team. I
thought our defense played really well containing some great players on
their team. Just glad to get
back in the winner’s column,” he said.
Tiffin running back Keason Jackson ran for a 267 yards and four
scores last week against Perkins.
Norwalk (3-2,3-1) had a big fourth quarter last week and beat Clyde
(30-14) in a division game to win their third game in a row.
Lutz says the Tuckers have shown a lot of improvement this year.
“Coach Fox has them playing at a really high level.
You put on the tape and watch them play early in the season and you
see certain things they are probably trying to figure out themselves a
little bit, maybe still figuring on their personnel and the best fit for
those guys. I wouldn’t say
it’s sloppy, it was just like us, if you put us on early in the season,
they have come a long, long way,” he told Swankonsports.com on Sunday
night, “They are a really good team playing at a high level.
They had a big win last week versus Clyde.
Their only loss in the division is week two against a really good
Redmen team like we had. So,
they are playing really good, probably feeling pretty good about themselves.
It has been a pretty good week 10 rivalry the last couple of years,
being a meaningful game between the two of us, and it’s another one for
sure this year.”
Norwalk quarterback Garrett Chapin is one of the better quarterbacks
around and Truckers kicker Garrison Smith might be the best kicker in Ohio,
he kicked three field goals last week, including a school record 54-yarder.
Lutz says Norwalk has a lot of weapons, including Smith.
“Chapin is a big kid. He
has been a three year starter I think for them, has a great arm, they are
running him a little bit more this year.
He is not afraid to take off a little bit on you.
He is a good athlete in space. They
have several weapons, they have an outstanding receiver and another good one
in the slot we feel. Their
defense is playing good football as well.
Not often do you think a weapon is a kicker, but holy smokes that kid
is special. He is like a deep
shooter from three in basketball who walks in the gyn he is open, when they
cross midfield they are in field goal range.
So, we are going to have to play really well,” said Lutz.
Published 9/28/20
© 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
Columbian
Must Have Win
Tiffin Columbian shared the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division
title last season and to do that again they have to win their next two,
beginning with a visit to Sandusky Perkins on Friday night.
The Tornadoes (3-1,2-1), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches
poll in the large school division, fell a game behind Bellevue when the
Redmen beat them (20-13) in division game last Friday.
Coach Judd Lutz says they couldn’t put any drives together in the
second half and their defense couldn’t get off the field.
“We didn’t execute at a really high level.
Especially, in the second half is where we really struggled.
Kudos to them they had a really good game plan. They
out executed us when it came to their game plan versus us.
They really ran the ball methodically and wore down our defense a
little bit and did a great job getting off the field on defense and limited
us to very few plays in the second half and few possessions and they made
the most of theirs. So, proud of
the effort our kids had, but we have to execute better if we want to be a
really good football team moving forward,” said Lutz.
Lutz says they have to tighten up their execution right away.
“There are a lot of little things for sure.
A lot of times when you win and you make mistakes you either brush
them aside or brush them under the rug because the of the results.
You can’t be results driven and we try not to be.
We always focus on getting better.
Hopefully, a loss will put you back in perspective, refocus and
rejuvenate and reenergize and hopefully be a better team coming out of it.
Hopefully, that is the result and response this team has,” he said.
Perkins (1-3,0-3) lost at Norwalk (38-28) in a division game last
week.
Lutz says the Pirates have some athletes that can put on the field.
“They are a really good team. They
are athletic offensively, probably led by their quarterback who is a really
good thrower of the ball, but can also really run around had hurt you with
his feet. He has some really
great targets and running backs around him.
A big offensive line. They
have shown spurts of being really, really good against good defenses,” he
told Swamkonsports.com on Monday night, “Defensively, they are really
physical and a good front four and good linebackers and also some athletes
on the perimeter. They have not
struggled by any means. They
have lost some good games against really good teams.
So, they are definitely a worthy opponent.
We have to turn the page on last week and get better really quick to
find a way to get a “W” on Friday.”
Published 9/22/20
© 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
Co-Leaders
Columbian and Bellevue Lock Horns
In the biggest game so far in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay
Conference this year, co-leaders Tiffin Columbian and Bellevue square off on
Friday night at Bellevue.
The winner takes first place to itself with two weeks left.
Logan Beaston found Maddox Simcoe for a touchdown with more than
eight minutes left least week and the Tornadoes (3-0,2-0) were able to force
a punt and run out the clock for a (19-16) win over the Fliers.
Coach Judd Lutz called it a quality win.
“Definitely a great opponent in Clyde.
They are defending division IV state champs for a reason.
Always well coached tough minded kids and a good coaching staff.
They gave us a really, really good game.
We had to play a really, really game and we played really, really
well. We weren’t perfect, but
neither were they, but we found a way to get it done when it counted,” he
said.
Beaston, one two Columbian quarterbacks that play a lot, threw for
200 yards and two scores.
Bellevue (3-0,2-0) beat Perkins (28-14) as quarterback Keegan Ray ran
for 302 yards and four touchdowns for the Redmen.
Lutz says that Bellevue is very solid on both sides of the ball and
can do a lot of things on offense. “It’s
another Ed Nasonti coached team that is really sound in the Redmen.
They are not going to give up explosive plays on defense.
They have some really good players up front and in the secondary.
They are just going to do what they do and that’s play really,
really sound football and make you out execute them at a really high level.
Offensively, they have beat teams in a couple of different ways,”
he told Swankonsports.com on Sunday night, “They have thrown it to their
athletes on the perimeter a little bit.
The running backs have accumulated some yards and their quarterback
has accumulated some significant yards.
Last week, I think he carried the ball 44 times for over 300 yards
against Perkins. That is kind of
who they are if you can’t stop the quarterback run game it is going to be
a long night. They are going to
be patient with it and that’s what they did.
So, we have to play a really good game and find a way to get over
there and get a tough win.”
Ray also completed a touchdown pass late in the game to Nate Davis to
beat Oak Harbor (14-7) on week one.
Defensively, he says they have come up with a way to contain Ray and
that will not be easy because he is so physical.
“They scheme up some really good things to keep hits off of him
behind the line of scrimmage. They
are very rarely behind the chains. They
have positive plays working ahead of the chains.
Obviously, it’s a kid that doesn’t mind delivering the hits and
getting hit, so getting him uncomfortable is going to be tough.
So, when we get a chance, we have to get him down, that’s the
biggest thing. He’s physical,
he is not real elusive necessarily, but he sets up his blocks well, has
great vision. He is patient at
times but can accelerate and hit that extra gear and run you over.
When we are there and have a chance to get him down, we have to get
him down. We have to be sound in
blocking and tackling and get off blocks defensively,” said Lutz.
Published 9/14/20
© 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
Tiffin Columbian Meets Balanced Clyde
Tiffin Columbian makes the trip to Clyde to face the Fliers in an interesting game in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
Both won their division openers last week.
Columbian pounded Sandusky (41-14) in their game.
Coach Judd Lutz feels they showed improvement. “We wanted to focus on a couple of things in particular and get a little better. I thought our kids did many of those things a lot better. At the same time, different opponent, different threats. Sandusky did some good things against us that we need to sure up and play better and do on a more consistent basis if we want to get where we want to get to, bit I thought our kids made a good leap from week one to week two as far as improvement goes and we have to continue to build on it,” said Lutz.
Clyde handled Perkins (41-20) last Friday.
Lutz impressed with their balance on offense. “I have probably said before Clyde is Clyde. They have a great coaching staff, great continuity, tough community, and a great program for a reason. They do the little things the right way and it makes the big things go well for them for the most part. Obliviously a very good opponent, a very good team that is playing really well. They are little different than they were last year offensively,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, “They are throwing it a little bit more and having success, they are explosive throwing the ball down the field right now. So, we are going to have to do some really good things in the back end to make sure they are not successful. They dabble in pounding the football and establishing the running game too. It is going to be quite the task.”
Clyde quarterback Jaden Cook threw for 315 yards and two scores last week against Perkins.
Lutz says a key to winning is slowing him down. “They made a bunch of big plays over the top with some speed on the outside. They will get the quarterback out of the pocket to buy some time and he drops them right in on the money. We have to do our best to either cover them or get to the quarterback or hopefully both, so they don’t have that type of success,” he said.
Tiffin is known to blitz quite a bit, but Lutz says they are going to have to mix up what they do against the Fliers. “We try and do that a number of different ways. Some guys you play more coverage and they kind of get uncomfortable when you take away their first read. So, if you take away their first receiver, they get uncomfortable that way. Others you have to get there, get home and get a hand in their face or knock them to the ground for them to fell uncomfortable. So, we try and do a little bit of both depending on the opponent. One of the big things we do on defense is make that guy under center is a little uncomfortable to be successful,” said Lutz.
Published 9/11/20
© Swankonsports.com
Keep up to the minute on Friday night scores
Updated every five minutes beginning at kickoff
On our scoreboard at
www.swankonsportshosting247.comRun Game Big For Tiffin Columbian
Tiffin Columbian hosts Sandusky in a game in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
The Tornadoes are coming off a (31-7) win over Port Clinton in a crossover game last Friday.
They got a couple scores early and then they were able to contain the Redskins. Coach Judd Lutz says they found some things out about their team. “I thought our kids came out and got off to a pretty good start, got into a little bit of a lull and complacent, but I also have to give credit to Port Clinton. They had a really good offensive line that kind of slowed things because they don’t have a tremendously deep team, but the guys they do have are very good, very solid. So, they were able to stay on the field offensively and keep our offense off the field and put some drives together. They definitely tested us physically,” he said.
Meanwhile, Edison beat Sandusky (28-13) in their cross over game.
Lutz says the Blue Streaks are a mix of experience and youth, but they still have some playmakers on the field. “They have some experience back at a number of positions. The quarterback, the head coach’s son, is going to be a student of the game, very heady, and the coach is going to put him in a good position to be successful. They have some good athletes around him. They have some big, tall wide receivers on both sides, some kids in the slot that can definitely make plays. I thought last week they were starting a lot of new offensive linemen and you could tell they just weren’t jelling too much early. Edison did some good things,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “They had trouble getting off the field defensively, Edison with that triple option really got hot early and did some really good stuff. I think we are going to find a really inspired, motivated Sandusky team coming to our place that is going to be really hungry for their first win.”
Tiffin Columbian shared the Lake Division title with Norwalk last year.
Sandusky handed Columbian their only loss in the division last year (33-26) and get the win this time, Lutz says they have to control the line of scrimmage and the run game. “We have to contain them, they have a lot of speed in the backfield. They have two to three capable guys who can run the ball. They have big play receivers on the outside. It is going to be big to play on the other side of the line of scrimmage, knock them back and create some tackles for loss and then get off the field on third down. They have a lot of speed on the perimeter and we are not a pound it, triple option team like Edison by any means, but we have to establish a run game and if we can do that a lot of the other stuff is going to be off of that. So, it really starts with stopping the run and being able to run the ball,” said Lutz.
Published 9/03/20
© 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
Tiffin Columbian Opens Against Port Clinton
It’s Tiffin Columbian and Port Clinton in a Sandusky Bay Conference crossover game on Friday night in Tiffin.
The coaches are very good friends, but they still want beat each other on the field.
Columbian coach Judd Lutz says they have been waiting to play football for a long time and now Friday is almost here. “I don’t know if there is a new energy necessarily because I think our kids have been really excited for quite some time. I thought we got really excited when we got word we would be able to get a scrimmage in and to be able to see somebody else and do some things against somebody else for a change. You go against one another for so long and you kind of figure out who are the players and what they are good at and have an idea of how they are going to play, but ultimately just waiting to see them compete against somebody else. So, once we were able to do that and do some good things and then it was a countdown to week one, which we were hoping for for a long time and now we are here already,” he said.
Last week, the Tornadoes got their first taste of real football and Lutz says they liked it. “I was very pleased with a lot of the small things. It was our first taste of full contact. We were kind of different this year in that when they gave us the go ahead for full contact we still even backed off. We don’t want to bang each other too much and hurt a shoulder or tweak something if you don’t have to. It’s that fine balance of being physical enough in practice so you are prepared for a game and having too much friendly fire. We were anxious to see how we would react tackling to the ground and blocking to the whistle and maybe even blocking someone to the ground. I thought the kids responded very well in the scrimmage. We have to sure some things up though. To be better you have to make great growth from your scrimmages to your first game, from week one to week two and every week thereafter,” said Lutz.
Lutz says he knows a lot about the Port Clinton coach, but not that much about there team heading into Friday night. “It is tough to say because they didn’t scrimmage and we didn’t exchange any film. I feel blessed that the coach over there is a good friend of mine and also a Columbian grad, Beau Carmon. He lives up there and has a great place on the lake and a boat. My wife and my kids were up there a couple of times this summer just to visit with him and trade ideas and talked football a little bit while kids played in the sand out near the water and the wives hung out and it was really awesome. At that time, we had no intention of playing one another. We were maybe going to get together for a scrimmage if we could. Then all of this happened. As good friends you would hate for the other to take a loss,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “We were talking on the phone leading up to this week. Just being honest with one another about what we are going to do and what we have. Just trying to give each other the benefit of the doubt putting a game plan together so kids are safe and have a chance to be successful and leave it all out there. At the same point there is a lot of unknown for both of us. It will be exciting, I know they are breaking in some new kids, but they return a very good offensive line. Historically the gave a very good, aggressive defense. They are breaking in a new quarterback, but it seems like they really like the kid. We are excited because we are kind of doing the same breaking in a lot of new kids getting some of their first varsity experience.”
Published 8/27/20
© 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
Columbian Looking Good
Tiffin Columbian, part of the powerhouse Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference, is preparing for the start of the high school football season, hopefully, in two and half weeks, and looking pretty good in doing it.
Last Friday, the OHSAA announced a plan that would include a six week regular season and then playoffs for everyone week seven.
Columbian coach Judd Lutz says the plan was a bit of a surprise, but they are going to work with it. “They put a little plan together. It came slightly out of nowhere. There were a lot of rumors flying around over the last month about what the season could look like. With not a lot of heads up it was a pretty big change as far as the schedule goes and how things postseason wise would work. You hope and pray this is kind of a step forward to get a season in and get some games in here, so the hopes are there. We are going to proceed with it,” he said.
The “SBC” plan now calls to start the season with a crossover game followed by the five games with division opponents. Lutz says they start with Port Clinton on the last week of August. “It starts with a great “SBC” crossover with us an Port Clinton. I know coach (Beau) Carmon over there really well. I was visiting with him twice this summer, got the families together, he is a “TC” alum. We stay well connected. We usually scrimmage every year, so we have a good relationship and bonce ideas off one another. It’s kind of bittersweet to play, but looking forward to the opportunity. Then get into the grind of the “SBC” Lake. Very excited to see how the Lake will shake out when it is all said and done and be able to hopefully crown a champ then get into the postseason and see what happens,” said Lutz.
As far as preparing for the season, Lutz says they have great potential, but they must continue to get better day by day. “I think we have a great team. I hate throwing around the word potential because I was told long ago, and it’s stayed with me, potential really means you haven’t done anything yet. You have the ability to, but haven’t. This team has potential. We have the ability to do some really special things and I honestly believe that, but that the same point they can’t stay the same. We are pretty good right now for being in mid-August, but we can’t just stay the same,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “So, everyday going out and trying to get a little better in one way shape or form position wise and each group wise and each unit and continue to progress. It has looked a lot different compared to last year for sure with how we are doing things, minimizing some time, minimizing some contact, the lack of scrimmages, you hope the play won’t be too sloppy. At the same point it is probably going to be a given it’s going to happen. Just excited for the opportunity to hopefully get out there.”
Published 8/12/20
© 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
Columbian Hosts Holy Name on Friday
Tiffin Columbian, the co-champ of the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference, plays at home against Parma Heights Holy Name on Friday night in a first round playoff game in division III.
Tiffin earned a co-title by beating Norwalk (29-14) last week in a Lake Division game. They share the title with the Truckers.
Coach Judd Lutz says played one of their best games of the season. “I thought we played really, really well. Went against a really good team in their backyard. We preformed pretty well and executed a pretty good game plan. Very excited to culminate a pretty good regular season with a win and a share of our conference title, that’s always a big goal of ours. Now, turn the page a look forward to making a big postseason run,” said Lutz.
With only one loss this year, Lutz feels they have been pretty consistent in their improvement from week to week. “We have seen continued improvement in practice and just become more consistent with a lot of the stuff. Continuing to develop depth at lot of the positions. Definitely feel like we are continuing to take strides forward and improving and playing our best football,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian (9-1), #2 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, plays host to Holy Name (8-2) on the season. The Green Wave beat Fairview (42-7) last week in their last regular season game.
Lutz says they are solid all over the place. “They are a very well coached team. I don’t know a ton about their history, just a little bit. They have a tremendous amount of good football players on their team across the board, very few weaknesses. So, it is going to be tough, tough sledding. They have some guys on the offensive side of the ball. A key guy is their quarterback for sure, but he has some guys he hands it off to and guys on the outside,” he told Swankpnsports.com on Wednesday, “Defensively, just really sound. The defensive line, linebacker corps is pretty solid. The secondary doesn’t give up many big plays at all. They are really sound schematically in what they do. They don’t take a ton of risks necessarily and when they do they are strategic and they don’t guess wrong too often. So, it is going to take our best effort.”
Lutz says they didn’t have to look very far the see an offense that is very much like the one run by Holy Name. “They kind of remind us of ourselves a little bit with formations and some of the things we do they are very similar. They probably run the quarterback a little bit more than we do. With what they do schematically offensively there are a lot of similarities, which is nice for us scout team wise and trying to give a look. Defensively, we have faced a lot of similar kind of defenses, but nothing identical to them, but some similarities with parts of different teams that we have told our kids about over the last couple of weeks that they can recall and kind of base some stuff off of,” he said.
Published 11/07/19
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” airs Friday 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” airs from 10 AM to 1 PM
Listen on your PC, your phone or your vehicle audio system
It’s a Showdown in the Lake Division
The game of the year in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference is Friday night as Tiffin Columbian make its way to Norwalk.
Right now, The Truckers lead Columbian by a game and the formula is simple. A Norwalk win and they win the title outright. If the Tornadoes come up with the victory it will be a shared title again this year. Last season, Tiffin beat Norwalk (41-20) at home on the final week and earned a share of the title with Clyde.
Last week, Columbian was able to put itself in position with a (47-21) win over Sandusky Perkins.
Even with Norwalk coming up, coach Judd Lutz felt they had good focus. “I thought we had a great week of preparation. They had a couple of really good players and a really good team that we had to be ready for and make sure we took care of business. I was very pleased with our week of development, focus, and execution on Friday night,” he said.
The Tornadoes have already clinched a division III playoff game for the season year in a row.
Tiffin Columbian (8-1,3-1), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, plays at Norwalk (8-1,4-0), #1 in our poll, on Friday night. The Truckers are coming off a thrilling (41-40) overtime win over Clyde for their eighth straight victory.
Lutz says the Truckers have the whole package, including exceptional special teams play. “They are really good at all three phases. In special teams, they have a kid that is a kicker that has made field goals on the season I think 53 yards, a couple 40 yarders, he is a great kickoff guy, they are rarely giving up explosive returns, you are usually starting around the 20 yard line and stuff. Offensively, they have got guys on the offensive line who are very good, they have an outstanding running back and quarterback duo. The quarterback is a big kid with a big arm and he has some weapons on the perimeter. They play some really good team offense. Their wide receivers block really well at the point of attack and away from the football. There are no plays off for those guys,” he told Swankonsports.com on Sunday evening, “Defensively, they are playing really well as a unit. They have some defensive linemen and linebackers that are outstanding. Those guys in the middle are two of the top linebackers in the “SBC” and in the area. Then guys on the perimeter who are really good at what they do. So, it is going to take our best effort and we are going to have to execute at a very high level to have a chance.”
Norwalk as the division’s leading rusher in Evan Stumpf and a very good passing quarterback in Garrett Chapin. Lutz says it is kind of like pick your poison. “They show the capability of running it obviously with the two really good running backs, one more of a fullback, a big guy, bruiser, and the other is an outstanding running back with breakaway speed, has really good vision, reads his blocks, sets them up. They also have a top five wide receiver in the “SBC” as well. If you try and focus on taking away one thing too much they will expose you in the other. We are going to have to play some great team defense for sure,” said Lutz.
Norwalk also pursues the football very well on defense. Lutz says you must take care of all of the levels of their defense if you are going to move the ball. “You have to take care of the down linemen first, but if you focus too much on the down linemen and their middle linebackers and also their outside linebackers and safety coming down will kill you. If you leave those down linemen too quickly, if you try and climb up, leaving a guy maybe unblocked or just one on one, that is a tough duty as well. You are going to have to execute at a high level to move the ball. We are going to start with a really good Monday and try and get that done,” he said.
Published 10/28/19
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” airs Friday 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” airs from 10 AM to 1 PM
Listen on your PC, your phone or your vehicle audio system
Columbian Focused on Good Perkins Team
Tiffin Columbian shares second place in the rugged Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference with Sandusky a game behind Norwalk and they host Sandusky Perkins on Friday night.
Last week, they kicked a fourth quarter field goal and beat Bellevue (16-14) in another good one in the division. All of Tiffin’s division games have been decided by a touchdown or less.
Coach Judd Lutz feels they played well as a team against Bellevue. “I’m very proud of the effort with all of our kids. I felt we played some good complementary football. Only to score 16 points I am a little disappointed about that. Really proud of how the defense played. The offense played well, moved the ball, and made some great plays, just couldn’t find the end zone. Played well on the special teams as well. Obviously, very pleased with the result,” said Lutz.
Tiffin Columbian (7-1,2-1), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, plays at home against Sandusky Perkins (3-5,0-3) on Friday night. Perkins lost (45-6) to Norwalk last week.
Lutz says they have some solid players at all of the positions on both sides of the football. “They have done some really good things. They have some really good players on the offensive side of the ball. When you put on the film an watch you can’t help but notice a couple of their big guys up front really getting on people and moving some people. Their running back is a tremendous athlete and runs really hard and has some good speed,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “Then on the defensive side I feel like they have some playmakers on all three levels. A couple of D-linemen, linebackers, and also some guys in the secondary that you have to be aware of. Obviously, we have to give it our best effort and put together a good game plan.”
The Tornadoes have a potentially huge game with Norwalk on week 10 where a win could give them a least a part of the division title. However, Lutz cautions that game does not mean nearly as much if they don’t win this week. “We have kind of talked about that just a little bit, but really I think the players see how focused we are as a staff and the kids are focused on getting things done first against a really good Perkins team before looking ahead and doing anything beyond that,” he said.
Published 10/24/19
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” airs Friday 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” airs from 10 AM to 1 PM
Listen on your PC, your phone or your vehicle audio system
Tiffin Columbian Battles Bellevue
Tiffin Columbian is at home Friday night for Bellevue in game featuring two teams in second place a game back in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
In likely the most exciting game in North Central Ohio last Friday. Chase Frankhouser found L.J. Reaves for a score with :17 seconds left to give Columbian a (49-42) win over Clyde in a division game.
Coach Judd Lutz says it was just a fantastic game. “It was a great game back and forth between two very good football teams. We found a way to get it done down the stretch and all of the credit to our coaches and kids. Kudos to Clyde also for making a tremendous amount of plays during the game too and making it a great game,” he said.
Frankhouser has had some injury problems during his career, but Lutz says he is just a tremendous player. “We are lucky to have him on our team for sure and lucky to continue to write a great story this season and wrap up the end of this thing a really great high school career. Really blessed to be part of it,” he said.
Frankhouser threw five TD passes last week and ran for another.
Tiffin Columbian (6-1,1-1), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, hosts Bellevue (5-2,1-1) on Friday night. Bellevue drilled Perkins (35-10) last week.
Lutz says this is another example of an outstanding Bellevue football team and one that is good all over the field. “Like another other really good “B” team throughout the years they are extraordinarily tough up front offensive line wise, defensive line, running back, quarterback, secondary, linebackers. Just a bunch of really well coached, tough kids. You can tell they do their job and take their job very serious and more times than not they get it done,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “If they are asked to take on a blocker with one shoulder, that’s what they are going to do and they are going to make the ball go a certain direction. They are extremely well coaches and kudos to coach Nasonti and his crew as always. It is the type of kid that they produce pretty consistently. We are definitely going to have to bring it Friday night to have a chance.”
Bellevue’s offense has been pretty good too. Lutz says they are versatile in what they can do. “They have one receiver in particular that pops off the film. He is a really, really tall kid. I think he is about 6’5” and runs really well. A good basketball player. He goes up and gets the ball pretty well and is pretty fast for how tall he is. Then they have a good quarterback that runs that offense really well, running it, but also throwing it. They are pretty well balanced. Similar to us in a lot if fashions with what they do and how they do it. So, you are going to have to play great team defense in order to get them off the field,” said Lutz.
Published 10/16/19
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” airs Friday 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” airs from 10 AM to 1 PM
Listen on your PC, your phone or your vehicle audio system
Tornadoes Can’t Let Clyde Eat the Clock
Tiffin Columbian lost a tough one to Sandusky last week and they need to find a way to beat Clyde in order to stay in the race in the very tough Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
They host the Fliers on Friday night.
The Tornadoes lost for the first time this year (33-26) to Sandusky in the road in their division opener last Friday.
Costly turnovers hurt them last week, but coach Judd Lutz says the Blue Streaks made some plays too. “We definitely didn’t do ourselves any favors when it came to playing a good team and putting together some mistakes that helped them out for sure, but they are a good team and they also made a lot of plays. We were in position to win the game at the end, but couldn’t close the gap. You can’t do that against a good team obviously. So, looking forward to getting better and moving past that hopefully and getting on the right side of things,” said Lutz.
After their first loss, Lutz says they players have responded well in practice this week. “It has been a good week. I was pretty confident the kids would bounce back and want to get back at it and respond the right way and they have for sure. The only way to get the bad taste of losing out of your mouth is to get on the other side of it. Everyday has been one day at a time, one play at a time, one rep at a time in order to get better. Very happy with the production that we have had so far this week,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian (5-1,0-1), #5 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, entertains Clyde (5-1,1-0) on Friday night. The Fliers blasted Perkins (38-7) last week for their fifth win in a row.
Lutz says the Clyde offense is balanced and it very dangerous too. “It is just another really good Clyde football team. They do the small things really well. Extremely well coached. They have a couple of really good athletes on the perimeter and up front they are very good, very sound in what they do schematically. They make you earn everything you get on offense,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “Offensively, they are going to pound it out on the ground, but also be really explosive in the pass game. If you key on any one thing they are going to take advantage of it. They do a lot of things really well like any traditional Clyde team from what we have seen the last several years.”
In order to contain Clyde, Lutz says you have to put them in down and distance situations where they don’t want to be. “You have to try and make negative plays when you have the chance. You have to tackle well. You have to get off blocks. If they are able to ground and pound you and stay ahead of the chains and keep it in second and medium or third and short you are going to be in for a long night. We have to produce some negative plays or some zero yard plays when we have the chance to. We have to be really good on third down. We have to get off the field when given the chance to on third and medium. If we can do that we feel like we have a pretty good chance,” said Lutz.
Published 10/10/19
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” airs Friday 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” airs from 10 AM to 1 PM
Listen on your PC, your phone or your vehicle audio system
Tiffin Columbian Goes to Battle Against Sandusky
Tiffin Columbian got a piece of the Lake Division title in the Sandusky Bay Conference last season and they begin defense of that title on Friday night at Cedar Point Field in Sandusky against the Blue Streaks.
The Tornadoes (5-0,0-0), #2 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, have won all of their games so far, but coach Judd Lutz knows they can still get better as a team. “Obviously, happy with the outcome, happy with the effort, happy with the preparation that has gone into the season thus far. Perfection kind of runs big in a lot of our coaches blood and there are areas that we are always trying to improve on and making it like breathing. That is kind of our motto with some stuff we want to make it like breathing. We just want to do it so monotonously and be successful at it. Very happy with the position we are in right now, but know we have a lot of big ones coming up,” he said.
Sandusky is led by Terion Stewart, their tremendous running back, and Lutz says he is the focal point of what they do on offense. “He is very powerful, very explosive, he is an all around really, really good running back and athlete and so definitely you have to know where he is and be able to tackle him when you get an opportunity to. For the most part you better have a second, third and maybe fourth guy in there and ready to go because don’t depend on your buddy that is first to get him down by himself. Not hating on any of our players or anything like that, that is just truly how good he is,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “They have a lot of other guys that are really successful. They are trying to figure out their quarterback situation. Their offensive line is really good. They have a couple of really good wide receivers on the perimeter. You have to play really great team defense, but obviously he is the focal point on the offensive side for sure.”
Sandusky (4-1,0-0), #4 in our poll, lost for the first time this season to Mansfield Senior (21-14) last week. They played for the second week in a row without starting quarterback Shonsai Aaron.
Lutz knows how that feels. “You never root against an opponent or a young kid with something like that, so your heart goes out to him for sure and their team. They are going to rally behind the next guy. We were in a similar situation last year. We lost our starting quarterback. Luckily, we were able to get him back at the end. It happened this week last year losing our guy. We know how that tastes and how hard it is, but whoever they plug in there I’m sure the offense is going to suit them it order for him to be successful and them to be successful,” he said.
Sandusky’s offense has been so prolific that their defense can go unnoticed. Lutz says they are pretty sound and pretty athletic on that side of the ball too. “They are really good spearheaded by four really good defensive linemen. They have an impressive linebacking corps with kids that can run really well, athletic as well. They have played a couple of different corners at one spot. The consistency they have had in the secondary has been pretty good. They make a lot of plays in space when needed and have a lot of team speed. There are a couple of kids we really have to take care of and know where they are and have a plan to either go away from them or attack them a certain way purposely and intently. I like our plan for sure, but I think their defense doesn’t get enough credit and does some really good stuff,” said Lutz.
Published 10/02/19
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” airs Friday 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” airs from 10 AM to 1 PM
Listen on your PC, your phone or your vehicle audio system
Columbian Defense Doing the Job
Tiffin Columbian really hasn’t been challenged this season and they will try to make it five in a row as they head for Vermilion and a cross over game in the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
The built a six touchdown lead in the first half last week and went on to
smack around Toledo Start (48-0) in a non-conference game.
Coach Judd Lutz says they followed the plan. “We got off to a fast start.
Got some great stops on defense and put together a couple of quick drives an
some very explosive drives and an early special teams touchdown with a punt
return. Really got the ball rolling quickly and played pretty well in all
three facets of the game,” he said.
The Tiffin defense has only allowed three scores in four games this year. Lutz says for them speed burns. “We have a lot of great players. We play a good amount of players. I think team speed is definitely one of our strengths at all positions at all levels up front, the linebacking position, and also in the secondary. Still evolving and getting to be pretty good tacklers. Still missing more tackles than we would like to, but sometimes that comes with how fast you are and how fast you run to the ball. A lot of teams might out angle us or maybe have a gap open here or there because of scheme, but those close up pretty quickly when you play with a good relentlessness and team speed and that is what we are doing right now,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “We play a lot of different offenses. Some spread style offenses, some wide open style offenses, also some teams that want to line up and run the football and we have done a good job of minimizing explosive plays against them all so far. The schedule is going to pick up here shortly and we need to be up to the challenge.”
Tiffin Columbian (4-0), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, plays at Vermilion (0-4,) a (49-7) loser to Sandusky Perkins of the Lake Division last week.
Lutz says they have to be focused and they have sort of a score the settle. “They are a little bit down and they will be honest when they tell you that. They are playing a lot of young guys, juniors and sophomores and everything. We respect them as an opponent. We are going to give them our best. We are preparing for them just like any other varsity team. Just a couple of short years ago over at their place they were able to edge us out early in the season. Some of that is kind of still bitter in some of our coach’s mouths and we want to get back there and kind of flip it around hopefully,” he said.
Published 9/24/19
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” airs Friday 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” airs from 10 AM to 1 PM
Listen on your PC, your phone or your vehicle audio system
Columbian Tries to Make it Four Straight
Tiffin Columbian continues to play excellent football as we head into week four of the high school football season.
They play at home against the Toledo Start Spartans in a non-conference game on Friday night.
Last week, due to lightning delays, their game with Ashland wasn’t over until after midnight.
The Tornadoes won (31-7) and coach Judd Lutz says they were ready to play and executed like they needed to do. “That was our first game in getting our quarterback back in Chase Frankhouser full go. Moved some parts around a little bit with Nick Koerper, who was our quarterback for the previous two weeks, going back to his home at slot receiver. So, obviously some movement around there. Defensively, not much change, but it was a different challenge with a team like Ashland, spread style, and wide open style, and making sure to keep things in check. So, really proud of the way we battled,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “A lot of different challenges, obviously, a very worthy opponent, some newness for us on offense and a significant weather break. Looking at the outcome pretty proud of that. There were a lot of mistakes and things we need to clean up as well like when you come out of most games. Happy with the result, but definitely need to shore up some stuff.”
Columbian (3-0), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, plays host to Toledo Start, who lost (42-12) to Clyde, another team out of the Lake Division last week.
Lutz says they know what the Spartans are all about. “We have seen Toledo Start now. I think my first year back here three plus years now we scrimmaged them and then they were on the schedule the next three years. So, they are becoming a familiar opponent. We are very familiar with what they bring to the table,” he said.
Start definitely has big play potential and Lutz says they are going to have to play well. “Looking at them on the field they are very coached. They have some great athletes on both sides of the ball. Some big kids that we really have to take care of or else we could be in for a long night and be in some trouble. So, we are excited for the challenge and pretty happy with the week of preparation so far,” said Lutz.
Published 9/18/19
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” airs Friday 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” airs from 10 AM to 1 PM
Listen on your PC, your phone or your vehicle audio system
Columbian Must Tackle in Open Space
Tiffin Columbian takes to the road on Friday night for a visit to Ashland and a non-conference meeting with the Arrows.
It was another big second half for the Tornadoes (2-0) last Friday as they waxed Toledo Waite (41-6) on week two.
Coach Judd Lutz says they made some big plays. “We were able to jump out to a pretty good start. We had an explosive play right off the get go able forced an early turnover and score. They played hard and had some really good players. Offensively, they had a couple of quarterbacks that were good athletes that could extend some drives and kept our defense on the field for a while. It was a close game, we scored on an explosive play right before halftime to get the momentum back after kind of a second quarter lull and the were lucky enough to pull away in the second half. So, it was a good test and a good week to get better heading into a big game this week against Ashland,” said Lutz.
Ashland (0-2) lost (28-14) to Clyde, another team out of the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference last week.
Lutz says don’t be fooled by the Arrows record. “They had a tough loss week one against on film what I thought was a very impressive Uniontown Lake team, who had an outstanding running back and a very stout defense. They turn around and go to Clyde and lose a close game. Both of those teams played really, really well and had good game plans against Ashland. They are kind of spearheaded by their quarterback. Their offense is notorious, and they are definitely good on that side of the ball and they are very capable on defense. We are going to have to play a very good game in order to be in the game in the fourth quarter,” he said.
Ashland continues to feature the empty backfield, five wide out kind of look that they are known for under new coach Sean Seder.
Lutz says they have to keep the wraps on quarterback Mitch Heilman and his assortment of receivers. “When you play them early in the season like we are it is probably going to be a dry night and warm and we are going to be running around a whole lot. We have to be able to rotate some bodies on the offensive line to continue to come after their quarterback and use a lot of energy. Their quarterback is an outstanding player. He is accurate with the football and extends plays and makes something out of nothing. We have to keep him in check and all of the weapons around him,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “They force you to play in space and if you don’t make a tackle right there when you have the chance you better run to the football and make sure you are relentless in your pursuit or else they can have some big plays really quick just by how much they spread you out. We are going to have to have a good game plan and execute it.”
Published 9/11/19
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” airs Friday 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” airs from 10 AM to 1 PM
Listen on your PC, your phone or your vehicle audio system
Columbian Plays Athletic Toledo Waite
Tiffin Columbian plays in its home opener on Friday night as they host the Indians of Toledo Waite in a non-conference game.
A big second half led to a (35-7) win at Fremont Ross last Friday. The Tornadoes won the second half three scores to none.
Coach Judd Lutz feels they did a good job of responding. “It was a tough fought game throughout the entire game. We were able to break away in the second half with some scores, but overall they were a very good team and a great test for us and played pretty well. Proud of our kids for rebounding and playing a very good second half schematically and also conditioning wise. So, pretty pleased coming out of it, but definitely have to get better heading into week two,” he said.
Despite a four touchdown win, Lutz knows they still have things to work on as it relates to both sides of the ball. “Making a couple of reads at the quarterback spot. Nick Koerper did some pretty good things delivering the ball on time to the right guy, but he knows he missed a couple early in the game. Defensively we played really well actually, but missed a couple of assignments that costs us really. The long touchdown run we were not sound up front and kind of gave them that one, that was kind of frustrating. Besides that continuing the emphasize the stuff we did do well, running to the football, getting off blocks, playing with great relentless pursuit,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “We have to shore some things up on the perimeter defensively and also interior blocking assignments and who we had and also how we are going to block them and attack them. Shored those up a little at halftime. We also have a “fix us” period on Monday that needs to impact the season moving forward and I thought we did a pretty good job there.”
Waite lost on opening night, losing (22-6) to Northview in their first game of the season.
Lutz says they play a lot of man to man defense in their secondary and on offense they have the skill to make big plays. “They are a pretty well coached team. They play to their strengths. They have some pretty good athletes defensively on the perimeter, who can really guard you, so therefore they can load the box a little bit to stop the run and make you throw the ball into tight windows and make sure you are really assignment sound on the inside if you are going to run the ball. Most of the time you might not have the numbers, so you are either going to have to make a guy miss or break some tackles to have some positive yards. Offensively, they spread you out and do a good job getting the ball to their athletes. They played a good amount of kids at different positions, so look to have some pretty good depth at those spots too, so you can’t really key in on one or two guys, which challenges you to play great team defense and be sound in what you do,” said Lutz.
Published 9/05/19
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” airs Friday 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” airs from 10 AM to 1 PM
Listen on your PC, your phone or your vehicle audio system
Columbian Starts at Fremont Ross
Tiffin Columbian tangles with Fremont Ross on Friday night in the renewal of a backyard rivalry between traditional football powers.
The Tornadoes are the defending Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division co-champions.
They bring a lot of talent back, but coach Judd Lutz says they are working in some new guys too. “We return some key players in some spots that make you feel a little bit comfortable, but we still have some changes at several spots and that is the case with us for sure. You are always anxious for week one to get those jitters out and see what you have within your team in the three facets on offense, defense, and special teams. There is definitely a comfort level in some regards, but probably just as anxious as ever to get started,” he said.
Fremont Ross has some players too. Lutz says they have some studs on the defensive line, some athletes at skilled positions on offense, and a freshman at quarterback. “They have some great athletes on both sides of the ball. We feel like their key playmakers are a couple of their defensive linemen that are going on to play collegiately big time. We have to know where they are and take care of them schematically,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “Offensively, they are starting a freshmen quarterback, but we can tell based on some scrimmage tape he has a strong arm and is a good athlete. When you are playing a freshman quarterback he must be pretty special because you don’t do that very often in varsity football, especially at a place like Fremont Ross. He is surrounded by a good set of athletes and we have to know where they are and account for them as well.”
With a freshman at quarterback you want to get some pressure on him in his first game, but Lutz says that is really their goal in every game they play. “Every game plan is a little bit different, but on defense what we like to do is play a lot of athletes on the field, be aggressive at times, and play a lot of speed and take advantage of that team speed that we have and keeping the quarterback guessing, making quick decisions, and feel like they are under pressure when maybe they are not, but obviously try to get home and get to him when you have a chance. That is definitely the goal every week with whoever we are playing,” said Lutz.
Published 8/29/19
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” airs Friday 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” airs from 10 AM to 1 PM
Listen on your PC, your phone or your vehicle audio system
Columbian Ready for the Next Step
Tiffin Columbian appeared in the high school football playoffs for the first time in five years in 2018 and shared the title in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference last fall.
The Lake Division might be the toughest title to win in North Central Ohio with the Tornadoes, Clyde, Norwalk, Sandusky, Bellevue, as pretty strong candidates.
Coach Judd Lutz, a Columbian grad, has led that renaissance in Tiffin as the Tornadoes head coach.
He says their mindset has to be on getting better. “I continue to see improvement day to day. We had our camp days throughout the summer and workouts and now we are getting into here shortly some padded practices that will separate some stuff obviously. Put the pads on and see who wants to be physical and who maybe shies away from that. Pleased so far with the development. Looking forward to getting a little better every day,” he said.
This week, players will put on pads for the first time since last fall. Lutz says it is time to find out if especially their younger kids are ready for the physicalness of football. “You can only do so much in helmets and shorts. At some point you have to see who wants to be physical and get on blocks and stay on them and get off blocks and play with great leverage. You do everything in practice to develop that, but sometimes, but with some kids you really have to pull it out of them. We have a good idea with what we have got with the older guys, but those younger guys I am always anxious to see who wants to elevate their play when the pads come on,” said Lutz.
With the tough schedule that Columbian faces, including Fremont Ross and Ashland in non-conference play, Lutz says they have to be committed to being better in all aspects of the game. “We had a good year last year and we return a good amount of kids from that team, but we have to continue to take the next step. We have to improve and our players know that, they want that and the staff wants that. We don’t want to take any steps backward, we want to continue to do the right things. Do the things that got us in the situations that we had last year, but also be ready to take the next step when it comes,” said Lutz.
Published 8/06/19
© Swankonsports.com
“Out of Bounds” airs Friday 10 to midnight
“Sports Saturday” airs from 10 AM to 1 PM
Listen on your PC, your phone or your vehicle audio system
Tiffin Outscores Ashland
Tiffin Columbian scored five times in the second and four times in the fourth inning and went on to bury Ashland (12-5) in a non-conference baseball game played Thursday evening in Tiffin.
Carson Mellott, the son of the coach, started the game and went four innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits. Jaden Myers finished up giving up two earned runs and striking out five over three innings of work.
Coach Curt Mellott says it a very good team effort. “We had what I would consider a complete game. Going into (Thursday) night we knew we were definitely going to get a lot of usage our of our entire lineup and give some guys some time in various positions. It was a total team effort and a total team win, just really proud of the boys,” he said.
Tandon Lemmon and Gunter Kissell both had two hits for the Tornadoes. Mellott and Gabe Reyes both had two runs batted in for Tiffin.
Coach Mellott says they did a lot of things well at the plate, on the mound and in the field against Ashland. “We swung the bats well, we played small ball really well and really pitched it well (Thursday) night too. They have some imposing athletes and imposing players,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “Just proud of how we went after it. Threw a lot of first pitch strikes and kept them off balance. Top that off with moving the ball with bunts and hit and runs and running bases well. Just a great game in general.”
Cade McQuate had three hits and three RBI for the Arrows on Thursday.
Tiffin started the season with a young team, but Mellott says they have matured a lot already this spring. “(Wednesday) night at Sandusky we had that very talk that our freshmen are no longer freshmen and our sophomores are no longer sophomores. It is the halfway point. We are who we are and we need to keep capitalizing and keep moving forward,” said Mellott.
Published 4/19/19
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Sports Saturday” airs live every week from 10 AM to 1 PM
Click on the listen line at the top of the home page for audio
Norwalk Stay in Front in Lake Division
Click here to listen to an interview with coach Wes Douglas
Sophomore Thomas Gfell pitched a complete game four hitter and Norwalk came through with some clutch, two out hits, and the Truckers downed Tiffin Columbian (6-1) on Wednesday to stay in first place in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.
They play at Sandusky Perkins on Friday, the Pirates share first in the division.
Coach Wes Douglas likes the way the Truckers are playing. “I think that is our sixth win in a row. We are sitting at 4-0 in the “SBC” and we have a big game at Perkins on Friday,” he said.
Columbian loaded the bases against Gfell in the first inning on a hit, an error and a walk, but he was able to get out of it by getting Griffin Bunting to ground out. He then retired 12 of the next 13 hitters he faced.
Douglas says he was able to get into a grove. “It was only his third varsity start. He came in to close the Sandusky game two nights ago and got rocked. We were just trying to give him a little bit of work and he got smoked and it almost felt like we lost the game, but we won 10-6. For him to come back and pitch like that (Wednesday) night that was huge for his confidence and our confidence in him,” he told Swankonsports.com after the game, “He was ahead of hitters and mixing his off speed stuff pretty well and fielded his position. That was pitch 99 right there because we were about ready to get a new arm in there just on pitch count.”
The Tornadoes weren’t able to handle Norwalk’s small ball game very well. The Truckers stole three bases and had three sacrifice bunts. Tiffin had four errors. “All in all, I think that is kind of the story of (Wednesday.) They had some clutch hits number one, but number two sometimes we had chances to get out of innings and we threw the baseball around too much. With a good program like Wes has it is hard to do that and win,” said Columbian coach Wes Mellott.
Norwalk (9-2,4-0), #5 in the Swankonsports.com baseball coaches poll in the large school division, got two out, two run singles in the first and second innings from a pair of freshmen in Ian Minor and Eli Obringer.
Douglas says his kids got clutch hits. “I know the first four freshman Ian Minor and freshman Eli Obringer had two out two run singles. I think Battles double down the line was also one and the error by the third baseman they threw away were all with two outs. Those are heartbreakers for the other team and they are energizers for your dugout. I can’t say enough about what we are getting from all 13 guys in our dugout and our coaches. We are feeling pretty confident and looking forward to Friday,” said Douglas.
Sam Battles scored on a two out throwing error in the fourth to make it (5-0) and Leighton Battles doubled in a run with two down in the fifth to stretch the lead to (6-0) Truckers.
Tiffin scored in the top of the sixth on a Truckers throwing error.
Douglas says they like to put pressure on the opponent and they were able to do that on Wednesday. “Curt Mellott, the Tiffin Coach, has been there 18 years and I think this is about our 40 th game against each other. We both kind of coach the same way. We both like small ball, we both like to put pressure on the defense. If I have a lead it is a lot easier for us to do than when we are playing from behind. He got me on a pitchout there and they threw Nate (Adelman) out at second. That is our style of ball. Anybody that plays against us knows that is what we like to do. Our guys are buying into it and making it work,” said Douglas.
Published 4/11/19
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
Check out our scoreboard at
www.swankonsportshosting247.comAlso, don’t forget out 24/7 listen line for the latest in local sports
Columbian Blasts Clyde
Tiffin Columbian won its second straight game in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference as they pounded Clyde (12-3) on Monday afternoon on the road.
Coach Curt Mellott was pretty happy with the win. “Things came together really well for us (Monday) night in all phases of the game. It was a really nice ballgame through and through,” he said.
Mellott says they got hits all through the lineup as well and got some clutch hits too. “We had quite a few guys with multiple hit nights and it was just good to see our guys get going at the plate offensively and run the bases well. A lot of timely two out hits as well, which really helped out.” Said Mellott.
Columbian is a young team this spring and Mellott hopes they can continue to get better as the season continues into late April and May. “That is definitely the hope. We are young in a lot of areas, but as we go here we are gaining experience with what we can and can not do,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “Most importantly learning how to compete at this level.”
Published 4/09/19
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Sports Saturday” airs live every week from 10 AM to 1 PM
Click on the listen line at the top of the home page for audio
Columbian Pounds Sandusky
Tiffin Columbian earned its first win in Lake Division play on Thursday as they took it to the Sandusky Blue Streaks (10-3) in a game played on a blustery day in Tiffin.
Coach Curt Mellott liked the Tornadoes approach to the game. “It was a tough day, it was very cold outside. The elements weren’t in anybody’s favor (Thursday,) but to our kid’s credit I really thought the energy level from (Wednesday) to (Thursday) was a 180. We came with some passion and played the game the right way and came out with a win,” he said.
Columbian had lost (13-2) to Perkins in a Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division game on Wednesday and Mellott was very pleased they were able to leave that game behind them and get after the Blue Streaks. “That is the beauty of baseball because you do have to rebound quickly and if you rest on your laurels either because of successes or still lamenting over your failures then it is just going to be a tough next day. We have a very young group and I am really proud of the fact they were able to turn the page and come out with great enthusiasm and just put a team away early and play the game the right way,” said Mellott.
Tiffin (2-3,1-1) has some youth on its roster this season and when that is the case Mellott says there are always some growing pains, especially early in the high school baseball season. “There is a lot of growing up that happen the first week, week and half, of the season. The speed of the game. Just the way things are happening comes really fast. It is a double edged sword, you are learning as you go, but then you are also trying to slow the game down enough so they can understand and still play at the speed needed to be successful,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “We kind of had a conversation (Wednesday) night with the Perkins loss, okay we kind of flooded them with information now we have to back off and just get back to doing the little things right and that approach I think really helped us (Thursday) night.”
Published 4/05/19
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Out of Bounds” airs live every Friday from 10 PM to midnight
Click on the listen line at the top of the home page for Audio
Columbian Tangles With Lexington
Tiffin Columbian, the co-champion of the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division, plays at home against Lexington, the runner-up in Ohio Cardinal Conference, in a regional quarterfinal game in division three on Friday night.
The Tornadoes (8-2), #2 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, have won their last three games, including beating Norwalk (41-20) last Friday. The Truckers like two other schools, Clyde and Sandusky, are also in the division three playoffs.
Coach Judd Lutz says they have been doing a lot of good things. “We feel like we are playing really good football here the last several weeks. We continue to do some really good things on offense and defense and the kicking game. We continue to improve on some small things. Getting healthy in some spots even, which is great at this point in the year. You always want to look at some small things and how you can make them better. That is a great attribute to this team right now,” said Lutz.
Columbian has also battled some adversity this year as they have played without starting QB Chase Frankhauser. He saw some limited action last week and Lutz says he will be on the field this week too. “We were able to get Chase back a little bit last week. We should have him in a similar fashion this week, getting him more and more time in there. He did really good last week. We expected it. He was like a coach off the field and part of all of the game plans,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “He was able to do some stuff even through the injury. So, he wasn’t a bump on the log or anything like that. He did some really, really good things in his first action in a while.”
Lexington caught fire in the second half of the season and has produced five straight wins and six in their last seven. They beat Canton South (35-6) last week as Cade Stover ran for 239 yards.
Lutz says this a team that is peaking. “They come in winning five straight games, beating a couple of really good teams. Not many common opponents between the two of us. I think the only team that we have face that they have faced is Ashland and they gave us a very good game early this year, so we know how good of a team they were. They are playing really well here late, so they feel good about themselves as well in a similar fashion to us. We have to be ready to play really well on Friday,” he said.
When it comes to Stover, Lutz echoes the comments of other coaches, they have to know where he is at all times, containing him has been another story. “There is a reason he is a big time player. He sticks out on the film for sure and he sticks out I’m sure in person physically with his size and speed. So, we have to know where he is and account for him. Obviously, he is just one guy and there are 10 others we have to worry about as well. We have to account for more than just him they are a very good team around him. He is a very good player and we want to know where he is in order to have some success,” said Lutz.
Published 10/31/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Out of Bounds” airs live every week from 10 AM to 1 PM
Click on the listen line at the top of the home page for audio
Tiffin Columbian and Norwalk in Huge Game
Tiffin Columbian hosts Norwalk in a critical game for both sides in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.
The schools are tied for second in the division a game behind Clyde. The winner would share the division title if Bellevue beats Clyde on Friday night.
Columbian beat Sandusky Perkins (33-14) last week in a Lake Division game.
Coach Judd Lutz says they were able to get things going after a slow start. “We battled through a little adversity. We gave up an early score right off the bat. They did a good job of executing on their first drive by going down and scoring. We responded really well with a touchdown of our own and then got into a little better rhythm defensively. Offensively, moved the ball pretty well in the first half, but couldn’t score much. We really go it going in the second half and played some really good football,” said Lutz.
Lutz says they drove the ball in the first half, but didn’t score. He says when you move it you have to cash in. “You want to have confidence and make positive plays and move the ball, but ultimately you want to score. Sometimes you want to be explosive and that comes with some play calling and some with execution and having really good players. We were doing a little bit of everything in the second half. We made some explosive plays and some longer plays, but also we moved the ball methodically a couple of times. So, it was good to be sort of all around on offense,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian (7-2,3-1), #5 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, is at Norwalk (7-2,3-1), #2 in our poll, on Friday night. Norwalk lost a tough one to Clyde last week, the Fliers beat them (32-31) in overtime, executing a two-point play for the win.
Norwalk is led running back Treyvon Raymore, an 1,800 yard rusher, and Lutz they have to know where he is at all times. “He is a heck of a player running behind a good offensive line highlighted by a couple of real good players up front. He is extremely physical and also really fast. They have some good athletes on the outside as well to keep you honest,” he told Swankonsports.com on Sunday evening, “You just can’t pack the box against them. He is definitely is a feature back and a kid they like to highlight and get the ball a bunch and he deserves it the way he runs it. He is definitely talented and we are going to have to be aware of where he is.”
Norwalk’s Kaden Livingston and Brandon Haraway are among the leading receivers in the “SBC.”
Norwalk’s defense has pitched three shutouts this year. Lutz says they are good all over the place on defense. “They have done a really good job this year. You look at the games they have played and the scores they have put up. Offensively, have been real explosive, but defensively they have played really well and kept people out of the end zone and created turnovers at key times and kept scores down from opposing offenses. Nothing is going to come easy. They have really good linebackers and some great athletes on the perimeter and also four d-linemen that really get after it. They are really, really stout and playing really well on defense,” said Lutz.
Published 10/22/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Out of Bounds” airs live every Friday from 10 PM to midnight
Click on the listen line at the top of the home page for audio
Columbian Has to Bear Down Against Perkins
Tiffin Columbian trails “SBC” Lake Division co-leaders Norwalk and Clyde by a game with two to play.
They play at Sandusky Perkins this week.
Norwalk and Clyde play each other Friday and the Tornadoes host Norwalk on week 10, so Columbian will be rooting for the Truckers on Friday.
Tiffin played very well in beating Bellevue (38-6) on Friday.
Coach Judd Lutz says they got down to business early against Bellevue and that was a key. “We played a really, really good team game and complemented each other in all three phases. You love to see that as a coaching staff. All of the players fed off of one another. We got and early turnover defensively, followed by a short field touchdown for the offense, the defense comes up with a great stop after a great kickoff coverage of special teams and on the ensuing punt we take that back for a touchdown. Early and often we fed off each other and that really continued on throughout the game. It was an overall great game and I am really happy with our efforts and preparation going into it,” said Lutz.
Friday will be the Tornadoes third straight road game and Lutz says you have to play well no matter where the game is going to be played. “It is just kind of with the rotation a year or two ago with the new conference and everything. I have some control over who we play and everything and little control over where. It just is what it is. We had a group of games at home early and obviously a group of games on the road here late, but our kids are responding really, really well and putting back to back really good games together is going to be real important,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian (6-2,2-1), #5 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, plays at Perkins (2-6,1-2) on Friday night. It was a (38-13) loss to Norwalk for the Pirates last week.
Lutz says the Pirates record may not be as good as they would have liked, but they have some good players. “They are really capable of playing really, really well. I think some turnovers at key times have killed them and they have been their own worst enemy in that facet in some ways. They have some really good players in some good positions offensively and defensively. They can give you fits, so if you don’t take care of them it could be a really long night and they have proven that in how they have played some really good teams really tough,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, “So, they have our complete respect and all of our attention this week. With Monday and Tuesday in the books it is off to a good start.”
Published 10/17/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Sports Saturday” airs live every week from 10 AM to 1 PM
Click on the listen line at the top of the home page for audio
Tiffin Columbian and Clyde in Important “SBC” Matchup
Tiffin Columbian has played about as well as anybody in North Central Ohio the last four weeks and they play a big one down the road at Clyde on Friday night in a Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division game.
The Tornadoes won their fourth straight game when they belted Sandusky (37-7) in the Lake Division opener last week, breaking the Blue Streaks 19 game regular season win streak.
Coach Judd Lutz says were right on the game plan. “I think we executed at a high level. There were some things we though we could take advantage of and it definitely showed. We had a lot of guys with killer instincts, which is great to see. Now, you have to turn the page after a good win like that and build on it, have a good week of practice, and get back at it,” he said.
Columbian ran for 365 yards against Sandusky lead by Nick Jackson’s 114 yards and three TD’s. Lutz says they were able to own the line of scrimmage. “We did some really good things at the line of scrimmage offensively and defensively, really imposed some toughness and an edge and it showed. We didn’t attempt a pass in the second half. We had been a pretty balanced team all year and being able to make plays on the perimeter in the pass game and also in the run game, but we really didn’t need it. We challenged our kids a little in the second half with our quarterback going down. The kid who is in there is very capable of throwing it, but it is a good feeling when you don’t have to. So, really proud of our kids and how they played last week,” said Lutz.
Columbian lost quarterback Chase Frankhauser, the leading passer in the division, on the final drive of the first half with a (30-7) lead to a shoulder injury. However, Lutz says he has confidence in Nick Koerper. “Our starter Chase Frankhauser was having an outstanding year suffered a hurt shoulder and we are going to lose him for several weeks here. We may get him back at some point, only time will tell. So, in the meantime the backup Nick Koerper will step in,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “Nick is another great athlete, who is very capable of throwing it, but we couldn’t put him at a backup quarterback position and have him off the field, so he has been a slot receiver and a safety all year and has had a good year doing those two things, but now he is in the quarterback role. We are looking for him to make some big, big plays with his feet and arm.”
Tiffin Columbian (5-1,1-0), #3 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, travels to Clyde (4-2,1-0) on Friday night. The Fliers scored 26 unanswered points in the second half and crushed Sandusky Perkins (33-12) last week.
Gunner Golden had 191 yards and 3 TD’s last week for Clyde and Lutz says the Fliers want to run it. “They are getting back to Clyde roots when I was back playing with hard nosed, tough, run the ball first kind of football. The same thing defensively taking pride in stopping the run and good athletes on the perimeter to stop the passing attack. So, they have some tough kids like always and great size up front in a couple of spots. Some really elite football players that they like to hang their hat on. We are going to be challenged. We haven’t beat these guys I think since 2012. They have been the class of the league in the “SBC” for a number of years. We have to get right back on the bandwagon,” said Lutz.
The Tiffin coach believes a big key is going to who controls that point of attack. “We have challenged the kids to impose our will offensively and defensively. We want to play in their backfield defensively and make sure they are not in ours. They have some guys, that is probably the strength of their team. We need to get back and play with some heart,” he said.
Published 10/03/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Out of Bounds” airs live every Friday from 10 AM to midnight
Click on the listen line at the top of the home page for audio
Explosive Plays and Turnovers Big For Tiffin
Tiffin Columbian has been very good this year, but they have a chance to come of age on Friday night when they host unbeaten Sandusky in the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division opener for both schools.
Columbian (4-1,0-0) won its third straight game by hammering Vermilion (43-0) last week in a cross over game in the league.
Coach Judd Lutz says they are building in confidence. “We have different guys stepping up every week. Some guys that have really come along since the beginning of the season. We continue to try and grind out good days and improve. The fact that we are winning definitely builds some confidence, but also what we see in practice every day from a development standpoint gives some players some confidence,” he said.
Sandusky (5-0,0-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, has a 19 game regular season win streak and is the defending division champ.
They are led by junior tailback Terion Stewart, who has 1,223 yards rushing and 20 TD’s. He averages 12.1 yards per carry.
Lutz says Stewart is a tremendous back. “You can’t really talk about them until you talk about some of their key players. I think their offense is spearheaded by their tailback. He is elite for sure in the way he runs the ball as far as power, speed and agility go. He has the ability to hit the homerun, but also grind out good yards when something is not there. They also do a lot of great stuff up front. I think their offensive line is underrated, fullbacks, tight ends, around him, as far as getting hats on hats,” said Lutz.
On the other side of the ball, Sandusky has been just as good. “Defensively, they playing outstanding. I think their starting defense has only given up seven points. They run to the ball really well, they are very opportunistic, they have a lot of takeaways on their defense. They run to ball really well. They have great team speed. They are pretty good on special teams. There is a reason they are 5-0 on the season and put up some big numbers against some teams so far,” he said.
If they are going to win on Friday, Lutz says they need to make some big plays and they can’t be turning the ball over. “I think some people have done some studies that I have seen about explosive plays and turnovers. If you can win the explosive plays battle, you give up less 20 yard plays than you get, you are explosive on offense or special teams,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “Then also are plus one or even two on the turnover margin you have a really good chance of winning the game, almost 90 percent I think. So, you want to take care of it and be explosive when you have got it and also limit them. They have been really successful with both of those things this year by taking it away and also being explosive. It is going to be a good battle.”
Published 9/26/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Sports Saturday” airs live every week from 10 AM to 1 PM
Click on the listen line at the top of the home page for audio
Columbian Continues to Get Better
Tiffin Columbian continues to look like they have turned it around this season as they have now won three of their first four.
Last week, the Tornadoes beat Toledo Start (28-14) in a non-conference game.
Coach Judd Lutz says their defense was really outstanding. “I felt like we dominated defensively. We created a bunch of turnovers and tackles for loss. Their two scores came, one of a big play where we were right there for a tackle and missed it and he got lose and another one where we actually created a turnover on a fourth down, but they stripped us of the interception and created a short field for them and they scored. The score doesn’t depict how we played, but overall we will take the win and move on. We have to turn the page and move on to Vermilion,” he said.
When it comes to improvement, Lutz says it has happened in all aspects of the game. “We have made a tremendous amount of growth in most areas. I think we are playing really well defensively, tackling well in space, getting off blocks, our defensive line is creating some havoc for offensive lines, the linebacker corps and secondary are playing really well,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “Then offensively it is no different every game different guys have stepped up, quarterback play has been really well, Chase Frankhouser has done a great job of making plays with his feet and his arm, the running game and passing game are really complementing each other. It is a lot of small things that has stacked up some far.”
Tiffin Columbian (3-1) hosts Vermilion (2-2) on Friday night. It has been a tough last two weeks for the Sailors with injuries and they lost (38-7) to Perkins last Friday.
Lutz says hey are trying to find themselves again. “They are coming into this game off kind of tough game last week against Sandusky Perkins. They did some things that didn’t give themselves a chance to do real well. They turned the ball over and did some things they haven’t done the first three weeks. They lost a really good quarterback that was a great player for them, which you hate to see, so they are kind of finding themselves offensively. They have some tremendously good players, who are very capable of making some big plays. We are prepared offensively, defensively for a really good team and hope for a win,” he said.
With the injuries there is some mystery to what Vermilion might be like on offense. Lutz says they have to be ready for a lot of things. “They have an athletic kid out at wide receiver that they want to get the ball to for sure and when you put him at quarterback it tough to maybe throw the ball, so last week they featured a different kid at quarterback and didn’t get much of a chance with some of the stuff that happened to him. We are expecting a little bit maybe of both, but we will see. We expect a different team than we saw last week form them offensively. Defensively, they have some good players on that side of the ball. They do some different things with their defensive line changing from a three man front to a four man front and their blitzes and coverages behind it. We have to prepare for that. Overall, we are ready to go. We have had a good week of practice and we are anxious to go on Friday,” said Lutz.
Published 9/20/19
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Out of Bounds” airs every Friday from 10 PM to midnight
Click on the listen line at the top of the home page for audio
Tiffin Columbian Making it Back
Tiffin Columbian picked up the biggest win for the program in quite a while last week against Ashland and now they head for Toledo on Friday night to play the Start Spartans.
They beat Ashland (31-28) last Friday and coach Judd Lutz says they made big plays at the right time. “We knew we had a good team. We knew Ashland had a good team. They were battle tested and had some success the last couple of weeks. We knew it would be a great test to see where we measured up exactly. We didn’t play great, but we made some great plays at key moments and did enough to win the game. So, against a good team you have to find a way to win and we did, so we are proud of that. We have a tremendous amount to work on going forward,” he said.
Lutz played at Columbian and is well aware of heir proud football tradition. He says the players and staff have worked hard to bring that back. “The tradition is here. I got to witness part of that tradition. I grew up around here and had a brother and a cousin play on some really successful teams and I grew up going to games. Obviously, I played myself here. Even when I was away for several years in college and coaching elsewhere I kept a close eye on it. There is absolutely a rich tradition. When I returned there were some things that deteriorated a little bit, and talent was one of those things, but the hard work and the work ethic was definitely still there. We had to instill a couple of things and a whole new coaching staff and sometimes that takes time,” he told Swankonsports.com on Sunday evening, “We have been building this thing the right way. That started two years ago and didn’t reap the benefits right away. In year two we thought we would reap some of the hard work that we had sowed, but just ran into the injury bug at some key spots and had a tremendously tough schedule at the same time. It was just a perfect storm for things not to work out for us in the win-loss column, but we endured and had another great off season and still tried to improve some things. I think it was our best off season as a coaching staff and also in the weight room and speed development. Hopefully, we are reaping those benefits for this year. It is not really one thing you can point to as we try and improve in every facet. Great players from great families definitely helps. Having a coaching staff that works really hard at what they do also is really important. I definitely think we have that rolling, we just have to keep it rolling.”
Columbian visits Toledo Start (1-2) on Friday night. They got beat at the horn by Clyde (27-24) on week one, beat Swanton (23-7) on week two, and then got waxed by Findlay (30-0) last week.
Lutz says Start has some athleticism in the skilled positions. “They are coming a successful year last year. They were the Toledo City League champs and had some key players coming back, but lost some. They play some common opponents. They opened up with Clyde at Clyde and played them really tough. They beat a Swanton team in week two and played Findlay last week and kind of go beat up a little bit. They played Clyde, which was a wing-T pound it team, same thing kind of out of Swanton, and then Findlay is a little more of a spread style. Toledo Start they have some great players. They run to the ball really well on defense. They have a tremendous amount of speed as a defensive unit. Offensively, they have really good tailback. They have a quarterback that is very capable of running it and some wide receivers that are athletic as well. They have some big guys up front. In my opinion, they kind of struggle to block a little bit, but definitely if they get on you they stay on you a little bit. We expect to have our hands full, especially going to their place. We know they will be exciting trying to defend their own turf. We are going to have to play well,” said Lutz.
Published 9/10/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Out of Bounds” airs live every Friday from 10 PM to midnight
Click on the listen line at the top of the page for audio
Tiffin Columbian has to Learn Something
Tiffin Columbian lost last week, but they must learn something from that loss as they continue on this season.
They host the Ashland Arrows out of the Ohio Cardinal Conference on Friday night.
Last week, they lost to talented Anthony Wayne (31-14) on week two.
Coach Judd Lutz says the third quarter killed them. “The energy and the effort was definitely there last Friday, but we just lacked some playmaking ability. They were really tough in the third quarter. We played tough in the first half and it was a 10-7 ballgame there. They came out and scored on their first possession, held us on our first possession, and scored on their second in the third quarter. We really had a hard time gaining momentum,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “I was a little discouraged we got beat up up front by their offensive and defensive line in my opinion. We have been tweaking some things and making some improvements there and moving forward that hopefully will make a big difference the rest of the season starting this weekend.”
This is an important week for the Tornadoes, who went (0-10) last season, but won their first game this (35-3) over Elida. Lutz says they have to keep their heads up and move forward. “We have a mindset that there are no tests just opportunities to learn. Some people view every game as a test, but we also want to learn from them win or lose. It feels a whole lot better to win and learn from those than have to lose to endure that. The message this week coming out of week two it can help propel us and be a wakeup or it can stymie us a little bit and linger its ugly head here for a while. We are hoping we respond they right way and come out with great energy and great attitudes this Friday against Ashland,” said Lutz.
Ashland (2-0) has won two games right the end with defensive stops in beating Green (28-26) and Clyde (28-21) over the first two weeks.
Lutz says they do a lot of things on both sides of the ball. “They do some unique things defensively and offensively. On offense they are in a spread with five wide, but they do a really good job running the ball. Their quarterback is a really good athlete. They have a couple of slot guys that they will motion in and hand the ball off to run inside and out both. They are not one dimensional. They do keep you on your toes. They have some playmakers on the outside. Defensively, they have a group of athletic linebackers and even their d-line is tough and athletic for some big guys. They present a very unique challenge and both ends. This week preparation was really big to get a good look,” said Lutz.
Published 9/06/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
For 24/7 local sports go to our listen line at
www.swankonsports.comColumbian Finds Some Success
Tiffin Columbian was winless last season, but they won their opener with ease last week and appear to be headed for a better season.
They climbed all over Elida (35-3) last Friday.
Coach Judd Lutz says they did a lot of good things on both sides of the football. “We had a great off season heading into week one and a great camp. I thought we were very prepared to make some plays, but you don’t really know until you get out there. I thought we did a good job of having great energy. I thought we executed at a pretty good level offensively and defensively and special teams to make some plays, but we definitely have a lot to clean up. We had a lot penalties that we need to improve on. We did a little bit of everything offensively. We threw the football and sustained some drives and we were explosive. Defensively, I thought we ran to the ball really, really well and I thought we tackled well and created some very meaningful turnovers. We have to get much better for week two,” said Lutz.
With their recent lack of success, Lutz says last week was a very important win for them. “When you have lacked some success like we have with wins and losses and getting off to a good start in the season. We knew we had a good team and we were just trying to figure our how good we can be. Finding a way to win early was very important that we did that. Now, we have to turn the page and find a way to do that week two,” he said.
Columbian travels to Anthony Wayne (1-0) for another non-conference game on Friday night. The Generals beat them (42-3) last year and Lutz says Anthony Wayne has been enjoying great success. “They are team that has experienced a tremendous amount of success over the last two years. Two years ago, they made it to the final four in division two and returned a lot of those guys last year,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “They were really physical with good, hard runners. Their quarterback was really efficient. They had kind of an early exit from the playoffs. They lost a tough 14-7 game week one. They definitely lost some really good players, but they bring some back as well.”
Anthony Wayne opened with a (42-10) win over Toledo St. Francis last Friday and Lutz says again they are very good. “They are similar to last year. They want to run the football and pound it and then make some plays on the perimeter in the passing game with the explosive wide receivers they have. Defensively, they are really sound. They play a 4-3 defense and keep the ball in front of them and run to the ball really well and tackle well and get off blocks. They are not happy staying blocked anywhere. I’m telling our kids, our players, that you have to play well. They are a team that has had some success. We have had some immediate success and we expect to win and in order to do that we have to play well,” said Lutz.
Published 8/29/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Out of Bounds” airs every Friday from 10 PM to midnight
Things Look Good at Tiffin
Tiffin Columbian would like to return to the ranks of the better big school football programs in North Central Ohio and hopefully hat starts this season.
Coach Judd Lutz, in his third season, says he has seen some things this month that has put a smile on his face. “We are excited to get the year going. We have seen a lot of growth from year one into year two and now going into year three. We return a lot of good players, which you always want to do obviously. So, we are really excited to get the year going,” said Lutz.
One thing that is going to help turn around the Columbian program is depth. Lutz says he thinks they are going to have more guys that can play. “I would say depth at all positions and offensive line play and explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball for sure are areas that I have been pleasantly surprised with entering this year,” he said.
Tiffin has not had a lot of success the last three seasons winning a combined six games. That being said, Lutz knows getting off to a good start this year against a tough non-conference schedule of Elida, Anthony Wayne,Ashland and Toledo Start is going to be important for them. “Absolutely you want to start the year on the positive end with some victories,” he told Swankonsports.com, “We know the importance of that because obviously the grind of conference and league play with some really tough teams is going to make things difficult, so you want to get to that first part of the year with some wins and get out of there healthy for sure in order to have a competitive conference season. So, getting off week one with a victory is really important.”
Published 8/16/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swamkonsports
“Sports Saturday” airs live every week from 10 AM to 1 PM
Ontario and Tiffin Columbian Battle in Scrimmage
Ontario and Tiffin Columbian matched up in a scrimmage on Tuesday morning at Ontario, the first for both squads.
Both coaches thought they got some good things from the scrimmage.
Ontario coach Chris Miller, in his first year, says they were physical and he especially liked the way the defense performed. “I thought our kids came out and played physical. It is the first time of the year you see somebody in a different colored jersey. We figured they would be up a little bit. There was a whole lot of emotion (Tuesday.) We wanted to see that emotional difference between a practice and a scrimmage. I though we did some things offensively pretty well, but we have some work to do. We will go back and address the film,” he told Swankonsports.com after the scrimmage, “Probably what I am most pleased with was the play of our defense and the physicality we played with on that side of the ball. If we can continue that and kind of match that physicality on the offensive side of the ball, we are going be alright.”
Columbian coach Judd Lutz says they did some good things, but it is a performance they can improve on. “I told the players there is good and there is bad. It is never as good as you think probably initially and it is never as bad as you think initially. We have a lot of work to do. You would be concerned if you were really, really good or if you were really, really bad. We are somewhere in the middle right now,” he said.
It appeared that the Warriors got better as the scrimmage went on and Miller says he expects they can be a fourth quarter team this year. “Our kids are in really good shape. I think in a four quarter setting we are not going to get beat because we are not in shape. Our strength coach does a great job of preparing our kids. They came into camp in shape, which is something that typically that is the past I have had to whip kids into shape when they get there in July. Our kids came, the guys that have been around have been in shape, so we can pick up and focus on the game of football, which is really helpful,” said Miller.
Tiffin made some big plays in the pass game on Tuesday. Lutz says they had to do that in order to move the ball. “With what they did schematically on defense you have to make some plays on the perimeter because it is going to be tough sledding in the run game with the heavy blitz and the alignment that they do. So, there are good things to take away for sure. We will coach them up (Wednesday) and get better,” he said.
Published 8/08/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Sports Saturday” airs every week from 10 AM to 1 PM
Ontario Advances with Win over Columbian
Ontario broke a scoreless tie with a two out, five run, rally in the fifth inning and went on to beat Tiffin Columbian (7-0) in the division two district semis on Thursday afternoon at Heidelberg College in Tiffin.
They will play “MOAC” rival Clear Fork for the district title on Saturday afternoon at Heidelberg.
With two outs in the fifth, Griffin Shaver got the Warriors started with a single up the middle and starting pitcher Andrew Cacchio followed with a single to left. Then perhaps the biggest hit of the day was delivered by Jake Gleason, who doubled into the leftfield corner, scoring two. Next, Avery Fisher came up with an RBI hit.
“Their starter came in and he started throwing strikes with a good two pitch mix. It just kind of took us a while to get going a little bit, but we have been scoring with two outs all season long. It has been kind of unique in a way. I don’t have the exact number of runs scored with two, but it is who we are, we don’t quit,” said Ontario baseball coach Jeff Fisher.
Tiffin Columbian stranded five runners over the first four innings and coach Curt Mellott says they just let things snowball on them in the fifth. “It was definitely the classic situation where you let a two out hit lead to many more things. Give them all the credit they are a very good baseball team. You don’t win 22 now 23 in a row without some of those things happening,” he told Swankonsports.com after the game, “I am just proud of our kids and how they battled. We gave great effort throughout and the chips didn’t fall how we wanted them to, but a good effort out of our guys.”
Fisher says once they got a couple of big hits they were able to capture some momentum. “It is just like passing the baton. Every batter we feel can get on base. We are not going to hit it over the fence, but we will try and hit it to it and just kind of move a lot of unique ways. The one thing that has necessarily come out is our guys are athletic. They can run and they put a lot of pressure on guys. They were catching the ball early and then kind of got leaky to our advantage,” said Fisher.
Ontario (24-3), #1 in the final Swankonsports.com baseball coaches poll in the large school division, pushed across a couple of more runs in the seventh on an error and a ground ball.
Shaver got on base three times and Fisher says he has been a big plus to them this spring. “Griffin Shaver is a heck of a person. He is a superstar in the making here. Most people know him for his point guard exploits on Balogh court, but here on our court he has absolutely solidified a defense that struggled last year. It’s tough to score runs when the ball is not in play,” he said.
Cacchio went six innings for the Warriors allowing no runs on five hits. Fisher says it was a tremendous performance. “Andrew Cacchio didn’t know he would be starting (Thursday) until (Thursday) morning. We feel like we have a staff of pitchers that are on call at any moment and they believe they can help us win. If you asked me if Andrew Cacchio was our ace I would say no, but I would say he is among our guys that can help is win on the mound,” said Fisher.
Shortstop Avery Fisher had an outstanding day with the glove as he gobbled up everything hit his way, including going into the hole to field a ball hit by Donavan McGill in the first inning and throw Riley Sendelbach out at third and starting two double plays. “I think our guys have confidence in “Fish.” Keep the ball down and put it on the ground more often than not he is going to catch it. I think the biggest play in that sense was keeping them from scoring first. He made that play in the whole behind third and we cut down that run. Scoring first in high school baseball is huge and we did that,” said coach Fisher.
Published 5/18/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
Check out our scoreboard at
www.swankonsportshosting247.com for the latest baseball scoresColumbian Downs Norwalk Again
It seems that Tiffin Columbian has Norwalk’s number this season. The Tornadoes have been the Truckers in both of their meetings in the Bay Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference this year.
They beat them (3-2) on Wednesday evening in Norwalk and they did it with three two out hits.
Coach Curt Mellott says they were really clutch at the plate. “We had some seniors really step up (Wednesday) night and have a really good game. Tony Szablewski got us on the board first with an RBI single for us in the fourth inning and also got an RBI single for us in the sixth. Then senior Tyson Price with a big blow in the top of the sixth inning with the winning hit, chasing in another run for us to make it 3-2,” said Mellott.
Plus, a good outing on the mound by two guys too that was able to hold down a pretty potent Norwalk lineup. Mellott says they were able to mix their pitches well. “Braden Brown was the pitcher in our first contest with them and we started him again (Wednesday) night and he went five strong innings. Donavan Magill came in to get the win in relief,” he told Swankonsports.com after the win, “All in all we were able to throw multiple pitches for strikes in different parts of the zone and really good defense, so really proud of their effort.”
Columbian is involved in a very interesting Lake Division race. Mellott says you always have to be at your best to win and that isn’t easy considering the weather we have been having. “I would love to not where long underwear for games. I really feel to win in this league you have to bring your “A” game each time with anybody. I mean anybody can win on any given night because it is such an even keel league. Just really proud of our efforts here lately,” he said.
Published 4/19/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
Check out our scoreboard at
www.swankonsportshosting247.com for the latest baseball resultsColumbian Shuts Out Norwalk
Tiffin Columbian shutout Norwalk (5-0) on the opening day of play in the Lake Division on the Sandusky Bay Conference on Monday.
Coach Curt Mellott says they played well in defending their home field. “It was a big win for us (Monday) night and a great way to get out on a good note to start the new conference here in the “SBC” against a very good Norwalk team that is always well coached and prepared,” he said.
Mellott says that starter Braden Brown did a good job of mixing his pitches and not allowing the Truckers to get any kind of rhythm at the plate. “Senior Braden Brown threw a great ballgame. He kept guys off balance and mixed his pitches well. I just looked at the stats and we had 15 flyball outs and that is not typical in a high school game. He really did a nice job of placing his pitches and keeping them off balance all night. I was really proud of his efforts,” said Mellott.
Defense is often the forgotten element in high school baseball, but Mellott says they did a very good job of making the plays behind Brown on Monday. “We have a freshman right not playing leftfield in Griffin Bunting. He had seven putouts himself and made several catches on the run. Our infielders were dealing with the high sky and they had some really tough flyballs that they were catching,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “There were some groundball outs in there too, so just a quality team effort all the way around. Defensively great work behind Braden.”
Published 4/03/18
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
Check out our scoreboard at
www.swankonsportshosting247.com for the latest results
Columbian Working Hard
Tiffin Columbian is winless over the first four games of the season, but they have certainly not given up on the year and believe they have a chance for success.
They played maybe their best game of the season last week in a (21-15) loss to Toledo Start.
Coach Judd Lutz says they did a lot of good things on both sides of the football. “We definitely felt like we played very well. I thought we played extremely well in the special teams. I thought our defense played outstanding despite giving up 21 points it was on three plays that were kind of busted and their speed got to the edge and went all of the way. If you take away those three plays I thought we played outstanding defensively,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “Offensively, we did some really good things it just didn’t finish in a lot of points. You hate to think you had a chance to win and lost, but at the same point I am proud of our guys. They played really hard and we had a chance to win, we just didn’t do it, so we have to get back to work.”
A lot of younger players have shown some things this year, but Lutz says this year is the most important thing right now. “I was part of a lot of successful seasons when I was playing here and they continued for quite some time when I departed. It has been a little down as of late, it has been a little bit of a draught, which all great programs, kind of go through. We are playing a lot of young kids due to injuries or just them being the best and the future is bright, but at the same point this senior class is a really good one as well and we want to send them away with some wins. They have put in some hard work and there are some great leaders. The future is bright, but at the same time we are trying to have some success right now that this team deserves,” said Lutz.
Columbian (0-4) plays at Vermilion (3-1) in an inter-divisional game in the Sandusky Bay Conference. The Sailors beat Perkins (35-12) last week.
Lutz says they has some very good athletes, but they expect to go into the game and be competitive. “Watching them on film they look really good. They have some playmakers around their quarterback. Their quarterback is a good player. Their running back is a good player and they have two outstanding weapons around them. A really good wide receiver, number 4, number 85 is a big tight end, a good target, and a good blocker in space. Offensively they give you fits and they have scored a lot of points in most games. They have a really good and active defense that has done really well this year too. They are a very sound team offensively and defensively. They are going to give us all we can handle going to their place. We expect to go and have some success and be right in the game, we’ll see,” said Lutz.
Published 9/19/17
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Sports Saturday” airs live every week from 10 AM to 1 PM
Columbian With Another Tough One
Tiffin Columbian begins the season with some tough opponents in non-conference play at that continues this week with a visit to Ashland to play the always good Arrows.
Last week, the Tornadoes were beaten by an excellent Anthony Wayne team (42-3) and coach Judd Lutz says they were never able to get things going on the offensive side of the ball. “They were a really good team. We knew that going in. I thought our kids competed really well early in the game, forced a turnover, played really well defensively. It was a little rough going offensively against them because they are really good, really sound. We gave up a couple of touchdowns late in the first half and lost most of the momentum against a really good team. I am proud of the way the kids competed, that’s for sure, Anthony Wayne is going to have a really good year. So, we have to take the next step and get ready for Ashland,” said Lutz.
During the preseason Lutz talked about the need for an improved running game. He says they look good in practice, but they have to take it to the game field. “It has not shown up yet in games, but in practice it has definitely progressed. We are still trying to break in a couple of guys. We are just coming back from some health things with the offensive line. That has delayed maybe the game a little bit. We are going to continue to try and evolve and get that run game going in order to have some success,” he said.
Ashland (1-1) lost in the late going to Clyde (22-19) last week to drop their first game of the season. They had beaten Green (31-28) in their opener.
Lutz says the Arrows have athletes on both sides of the football. He says they are a really complete team. “They are a really, really good team. They have some really good athletes on both sides of the ball. They are a spread throw it around team and they have a really good quarterback with some athletes around him, but they also have the ability to run it from the spread stuff they are really capable up front,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “Defensively, they play kind of a funky defense, a 3-3 stack, which is difficult to prepare for in one week with how you are going to block things and find space on the perimeter because they play with a lot of athletes out there. So, it will definitely be a challenge, but our kids are up for it and we are anxious to get going.”
Published 9/04/17
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Sports Saturday” airs live every week from 10 AM to 1 PM
Tiffin Making Third Down a Priority
Tiffin Columbian showed some good signs last week on week one, but they couldn’t finish them off. They are going to have to do that this week.
They play powerful Anthony Wayne at home on Friday night.
Last week, they lost (42-20) to Elida. Coach Judd Lutz says they made some good plays, but they just weren’t consistent enough to get the win. “We had a rough go of it in the beginning. In the first quarter we definitely shot ourselves in the foot with some penalties to start drives and we couldn’t ever overcome those, but the defense kept us in the game in the first half. Then we got a late score to make it 14-7 at halftime. The second half we just weren’t able to get off the field defensively, especially on third down,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “On offense we moved the ball well we just had trouble finishing it. The score looks a little worse than it was. It was an eight point game and we had the ball on their 14-yard line wkith about seven minutes to go and came up empty and they go down and score to make it a two score game. So, I am pleased with our effort and our attitude, but not with the result.”
Third down is often what separates the good teams from the not so good. Lutz says it is up them to get the yardage on offense and get the heck off the field on defense. “We call it money down. You get paid on third and fourth downs and we weren’t very good offensively or defensively. We had them on third and long a number of times and they made tremendous plays and we were unable to make the sound play. Offensively we put ourselves in rough situations and weren’t able to make plays. You don’t want to get into third and long situations, but at some point you have to make a play. Defensively it doesn’t matter what it is you have to get off the field,” he said.
Anthony Wayne demolished Toledo St. Francis (45-7) last week and the Generals are very good. Lutz says he wants his kids to play with confidence in this game. “They are a very, very good football team expecting to have a very good year. They were a final four team last year in the playoffs and return eight starters on the offensive side of the ball and six on defense. So, they are expecting to have a really, really great year and we are trying to make continuous improvements. I told the players we expect success. We expect to have successful plays, we expect to move the ball and stop them and hopefully do enough to win,” said Lutz.
Published 8/29/17
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Sports Saturday” airs live every week from 10 AM to 1 PM
Columbian Has to Run the Ball Better
Tiffin Columbian has had a couple of down years and they are hoping to get back on the right track on the gridiron here in 2017.
They play at Elida on Friday night in non-conference play.
Judd Lutz is in his second year leading the program and he feels they are a lot better prepared going into the season this year than they were a year ago. “We got some great senior leadership. Some kids that are really trying to turn the corner with the program. This being my second year running things they know the expectations, so the communication during the off season and during camp and two a days and everything was much more accelerated and we were able to get more done and more done quickly. I love the team returning and love the players and hopefully that momentum builds throughout the season and turns into some wins,” said Lutz.
If they are going to have success this week, or any other week for that matter, Lutz says they have to better at running the football and better tacklers too. “Looking at last year definitely we struggled to run the football pretty much in any facet. Doing that consistently against any team is definitely the focus and putting our guys in positions to be able to do that was definitely and off season focus and a constant battle through camp. I am eager to see how much improvement we have made in our run game and hopefully that will open up our pass game,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, “Defensively, we have gone back to the fundamentals, not that we steered away from them, but we honed in on those and tried to be a better tackling defense and a defense that was able to get off blocks and run to the football. Hopefully those are things that show up every week, but especially week one right away.”
Elida, west of Lima in Allen County, is a new opponent for the Tornadoes. Lutz says the Bulldogs are team that is going to be very aggressive on the offensive side of the ball. “They return a really good team. They were 6-4 last year. They return a really good quarterback and some a corps of receivers offensively and defensively a couple of really good players, D-linemen and a couple of linebackers. They are hungry. They are trying to turn the page on their program last year and build momentum from a good season. They are a wide open offense historically and they continue to do that through their scrimmages. We are expecting a five wide throw it around team that has the ability to run the ball as well. They have some really good size up front. We are going to have our hands full,” said Lutz.
Published 8/25/17
© Swankonsports.com
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Sports Saturday” airs live every week from 10 AM to 1 PM
Columbian Knocks off Bellevue
Tiffin Columbian handed Bellevue its first Northern Ohio League loss (5-3) on Monday in what is going to be a very competitive league here in 2017.
Columbian kept itself in the league race, a game behind Shelby, with the win and coach Curt Mellott says they showed some guts to come up with the win over the Redmen on Monday night. “It was a very big win for us. We battled some adversity and it was great to come out on top against a great program and a very well coached team,” he said.
Not everything is going to go perfect in the game of baseball, that is just the way it is. Mellott says the good teams are the ones that that find a way to get past the errors and the misplays and the bad breaks. “That is always a strong test in baseball the adversity that you face, which seems to be almost every inning and when you can learn to overcome it you have a chance to be a good baseball team,” he said.
Tiffin (3-3,2-1) plays at Sandusky (4-4,2-1) on Tuesday and Norwalk (5-3,1-2) on Thursday in league games. Mellott says the way the “NOL” is you better be ready to play on every night. “Willard is a very improved program. Top to bottom there are no days off. It is something that you kind of come to appreciate because you like that competition. It is also something that is a great reminder to kids that they have to bring their “A” game each and every time,” said Mellott.
Of course, these are the final months of the “NOL,” which has been together as a league since 1944 and Columbian has been part of it since 1953.
Mellott says it is bittersweet, no doubt about it. “I am going to be leaving this with very good memories. I am a former “NOL” player myself, a ’92 graduate of Tiffin Columbian. It has been just an absolute pleasure and privilege not only to play in the league, but to coach in the league. So, this year is very special to us,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “One of the goals we have set for ourselves is to the best we can in this last year in the “NOL.” The “SBC” coming ahead of us in going to be an unbelievable league and a lot of great baseball teams and just a lot of great schools in general.”
Published 4/11/17
© Swankonsports.com
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
“Sports Saturday” airs live on Swankonsports.com
Saturdays from 10 AM to 1 PM
Tough is the Word For Columbian
Tiffin Columbian is finding it hard to win this fall because they haven’t been as consistent as they need to be.
They host Perkins in a non-conference game in one that will become a league game when Columbian joins the Sandusky Bay Conference next season on Friday night.
The Tornadoes got off to a better start last week, but eventually Northern Ohio League leader Sandusky began to wear them down and make some plays and beat Tiffin (42-6) in a league game.
Columbian coach Judd Lutz says the Sandusky staff did a great job of adjusting to some of the things they were doing. “We knew it would be tough to slow down their offense. Their quarterback does a great job and their coach does a great job of making adjustments. I thought our kids played really hard. We struggled somewhat offensively and we didn’t execute the way we needed to. They have a real good defense and they are just better than us,” he said.
They have had trouble scoring against good teams this year. Lutz says they haven’t been very consistent in their execution and they have really had problems running the ball. “It is definitely a consistency thing at certain positions. It comes down to a lot of times not being able to run the ball when needed. It is really tough to keep things going. We are trying to be balanced and not a throw only offense,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “The inability to run the ball is really tough on you. Keeping our quarterback upright as well and keeping the pressure off him. We need to have more consistent play at really all of the positions offensively in order to move the ball also do ourselves a favor in the field position game and help our defense out as well.”
Tiffin Columbian (1-7) plays at home against Sandusky Perkins (4-4) on Friday night. Perkins lost to Oak Harbor (14-6) last week.
Lutz feels this is a typical Perkins team from the standpoint that they want to be physical and run the ball out of the wing-T formation. He says they want to challenge you. “They are going to challenge you with really good football players. They are tough. They have been running this offense for a long time. They have players that run it really well and coaches that call it really well. They are going to challenge you with their toughness and you better come ready to play for the entire game or you will get embarrassed quick. We have stressed that throughout the week and will continue to do so until Friday,” he said.
Published 10/19/16
© Swankonsports.com
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Click on our listen line for 24/7 audio
Columbian Knows What They Face
Tiffin Columbian was blanked last week at Shelby and this Friday night they host another very good team in Sandusky in Northern Ohio League play.
They have up four scores in the first quarter last week at Shelby and eventually lost to the Whippets (48-0) on Friday. Coach Judd Lutz says they didn’t play very well and there is no way around it. “We didn’t play very well by our standards. It definitely snowballed on us. I thought we had good preparation, but that didn’t show up on Friday. Then we got back to work on Monday wanting to improve ourselves to prepare for a really good Sandusky team and at the same time flush out what happened last week and move on,” said Lutz.
Lutz says they have to find some way to respond better this week and his kids have shown the willingness to continue to improve. “Adversity has reared its ugly head many times this year and the kids have responded well for the most part we just haven’t come out on the top end as far as wins and losses go. We are proud of the way the team in preparing week in and week out and a lot of guys are getting quite a bit better, so I commend them for that,” he said.
Sandusky (6-1,3-0) lost for the first time all year last week to Lorain (24-23) in a non-conference game.
Lutz says the Blue Streaks have a lot of weapons they you have to try and contain. “Offensively they have some great athletes on the perimeter and also at quarterback and running back. They do a good job of getting to their playmakers, especially their quarterback, who is really good,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “He reads his keys well and is extremely good on the underneath throws and also throws are really good deep ball. They will stretch you vertically and horizontally with their speed.”
Sandusky has been able to contain a lot of good offenses this year and Lutz says there are good reasons for that. “Defensively they do a good job at covering you on the perimeter with their secondary players with their speed. They are really good up front defensively and stop the run pretty well. I give them all of the credit in the world. We are trying to prepare our guys for a big upset,” he said.
Published 10/11/16
© Swankonsports.com
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
Like us on Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Click on our listen line for 24/7 audio
Tiffin Poised to Win
Tiffin Columbian is building for the future and their kids are getting better as this 2016 season unfolds.
They will be tested this week as they make the trip to Shelby to face the Whippets.
Last week, they were a play away from tying the game before falling to Norwalk (20-13) in Northern Ohio League play.
First year coach Judd Lutz says they are getting better in all areas of the game. “We played well and gave ourselves a chance to win. We were able to control the ball on offense for the most part we just weren’t able to make some big plays when we need to and score some touchdowns. The defense is definitely improved and getting better by the day. Pleased with the progress, but not with the outcome,” he said.
He says what they need to do now is learn how to win and that isn’t easy for kids that haven’t had that much experience, especially in big games. “Going into this season it was hard for me to realize, but the senior class has not made the playoffs in their career and that was hard for me to understand. When I was here we made the playoffs and had a lot of success and wherever I was coaching we had a lot success. They have to understand how to put yourself into opportunities for success. You have to learn what to do and we have to get there,” said Lutz.
Tiffin Columbian (1-5,0-3) is at Shelby to tangle with the Whippets (5-1,2-1) in an “NOL” game. Shelby belted Willard (66-0) last week coming off their only loss of the season to league leader Sandusky (42-21) the week before.
Lutz says the Whippets have players all over the field. “They are really good and well coached team. They have a lot of good players at a lot of positions. They have skilled players that are really good. Their quarterback, a couple wide receivers, and running back, and they have a tremendously good offensive and defensive line,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “They have two defensive ends that are really athletic that play the end well and two guys on the inside that don’t allow you to run the ball inside. We will have our hands full and we will give our best and try to score more than they do.”
Published 10/06/16
© Swankonsports.com
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Click on our listen line for 24/7 audio
Columbian Taking Baby Steps
Tiffin Columbian is taking steps in the right direction. They just aren’t leading to wins at this point.
They lost (48-14) on the road to Northern Ohio League co-leader Bellevue last week, but coach Judd Lutz says they definitely saw some good things in the game against the talented Redmen. “We saw a number of our kids making strides in some of the small things we worked on throughout last week and have been working on throughout this season. So, that is always good to see. Obviously there is a lot of room for improvement. You want to see improvement from week to week from the beginning of the season to the end. That is great to see, especially with the younger guys. A lot of them are starting to step up and make a little bit of noise, and be heard, which is always good,” said Lutz.
When younger players are coming up to the varsity level, Lutz says it is the speed of the game that takes them a little bit to get used to. “The game is a step to a step and half faster at every level you go from freshmen to JV, from JV to varsity, varsity to college and so on. The game is faster ands it takes a little time to adapt sometimes. It is taking a little time with the guys and their first real action at different positions can make a difference. We have seen some guys progress throughout the last couple of weeks,” he said.
Norwalk (3-2,1-1) comes to Columbian (1-4,0-2) for an “NOL” game on Friday night. The Truckers belted Ontario (40-14) last week. Lutz says the Trucker defense is good, very good, at all three levels. “They are very physical at the linebacker position, inside and outside linebacker. They do some really good things with their defensive line to keep guys off of those linebackers and let them roam free in that 3-4 defense. I am real impressed with their secondary. Their corners and safeties can really cover some ground,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “That is against some good wide receivers and good running backs the last couple of weeks. They are very good at all three levels, defensive line, linebackers, and the secondary. They tackle well. They tackle in space. They run to the ball very well. They have held some very good offenses to very few points.”
Published 9/27/16
© Swankonsports.com
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Click on our listen line for 24/7 audio
More Consistency Needed For Columbian
Tiffin Columbian travels to Bellevue to face the Redmen in a Northern Ohio League game on Friday night.
It has been a difficult season so far for the Tornadoes, who are coming off a (40-14) setback to Ontario in their “NOL” opener last week.
Judd Lutz is in his first year as the Columbian head coach and he believes the Tornadoes (1-3,0-1) need to become more consistent in their play, especially up front, if they are going to start winning games. “In order to have some success on the field we have to play with a little more consistency up front, more consistently on the defensive side of the ball. We have a lot moving parts and guys in new positions. We have been slowly, but surly tweaking guys with techniques at their new positions. They are getting better,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “We have gotten better throughout the season. It hasn’t shown necessarily on Friday night. During the week we are getting better and hopefully it shows on Friday night. We need more consistent play up front and that is the easiest way to dictate the run game and the pass game is to block guys on offense and stop guys on defense. That is where we are looking for the biggest impact right away.”
Being a good practice team and being good on game night can be a big difference and Lutz says they are stilling learning to make that transition. “You try to give your team the best look in practice in what they are going to face on a Friday and put them in adverse situations that they are probably going to see on Friday and see how they react. It is hard to do that sometimes unless you have able bodies on your scout team to do so. We are looking to do that and trying improve this year and at the same time improving the program. We are trying to have an immediate impact, but also doing a lot of things that are going to have a lasting impact on this program as well,” said Lutz.
Bellevue (4-1,0-0), #5 in the Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, beat Toledo Rogers (48-0) last week and the week before laid waste to a very good Clyde team (66-22) both in non-league action.
Lutz says this is a normal Bellevue squad that is physical in the trenches, with good athletes and an aggressive defense. “When you put the film on it shows that Bellevue is extremely physical up front offensively. They have a good running quarterback and a physical running back beside him. Defensively they have 11 guys that run to the football. They put pressure on you to really have to throw the ball into tight windows. They put a lot of guys in the box to stop the running game and deliver the ball on time in the passing game. They are extremely well coached as always. Nothing really changes over there they are going to do what they do,” he said.
Published 9/21/16
© Swankonsports.com
Follow us on Twitter at @swankonsports
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Click on our listen line for 24/7 audio
Columbian Right There is "NOL" Race
Tiffin Columbian beat Willard (9-5) Monday night to remain a game behind Bellevue in the Northern Ohio League race.
Bellevue beat Sandusky (3-2) in eight innings on Monday to remain unbeaten in a the "NOL" this year.
Chris MaGill started and went the distance in striking out 10 Flashes and got the win for the Tornadoes. Tiffin banged out 10 hits and coach Curt Mellott says they hit the ball pretty consistently on Monday. "It was a very good win (Monday) night. We really pitched well, Chris MaGill had a nice outing on the mound. We swung the bats exceptionally well. For those in the listening audience that don't know Willard is a very, very scrappy team and Mike Hill has done a great job turning things round there over the last year," said Mellott.
As it has gotten a little warmer, the Tornadoes has started to get a little better with the bat. Mellott likes the way they are playing now. "The offense has picked up a little bit here as of late. We were kind of in a funk a weekend ago and we are starting to come out of it I do believe and starting to play some sound baseball all and all. It looks like we are starting to turn the corner a little bit," he said.
Tiffin (7-6,4-1) has three tough "NOL" games the rest of the week with Ontario (7-4,2-3) visiting on Tuesday, Bellevue (11-3,5-0) on Thursday and a trip to Shelby (11-3,5-1) set for Friday. The Whippets beat Ohio Cardinal Conference co-leader Mansfield Madison (6-3) on Monday.
Mellott knows they have to take those games one at a time. "The old adage is one game at a time and that is how we are really taking things. We have set a goal this year to be 1-0 after every game. That is way to sort of keep us grounded," he told Swankonsports.com after the win on Monday, "Dan Gorbett, a hall of famer, will bring in a very tough Ontario group (Tuesday) to Tiffin Columbian. If all things turn out well with weather and etc. and then Bellevue coming in on Thursday and make the tough trip to Shelby on Friday. It is that one at time attitude and approach we have to take. At this point of year it is all hands on deck, all pitchers on deck. Anything we can do to get a win we are going to try and do."
Published 4/26/16
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Follow us on Titter at @Swankonsports
Like Swankonsports.com on Facebook
Columbian Figures in "NOL" Race
Tiffin Columbian has some top of the line pitching and that is going to put the Tornadoes toward the top of the early season projections in the Northern Ohio League.
Coach Curt Mellott says this could be a pretty good spring for the Tornadoes. "We are looking pretty positively at this year. We have a nice senior class, some depth at the junior level. The guys at the three and four spots look like they can contribute. I am pretty excited all and all with what the future has to hold for us," he said.
Baseball is a short season with as many as 27 games crammed into it. Mellott says that developing consistency is going to be key for them. "I think the main thing is we want to develop consistency across the board. From consistently stringing together good at bats to consistently throwing strikes in the zone to making sure we don't give extra outs when our pitchers are pitching well. It is just that overall consistent play," he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, "At the high school level consistency on the defensive side is a big thing. To let kids know it is a good thing to talk on the baseball field to keep that communication up so we can have a better understanding of where we are going with the baseball."
If it is web gems or plays of the week, spectacular plays are all over the internet, however, for high school baseball, Mellott says that good teams are the ones that make the regular plays. "We have focused with our guys that we want to make the routine plays routinely. Somebody famous said that, I not sure who, but that is something we have tried to harp on with the kids. Let's just make the routine plays, the spectacular plays will come and go, but at the end of the day is we are making the routine plays routinely we are typically going to have good games," he said.
Columbian can be good this year, but Mellott says so can a number of other teams in the "NOL" too. "I look for some of the traditional powerhouses to be traditional. You have to love Wes Douglas at Norwalk and all that he brings to the table. Andy Dennings has done a fabulous job at Bellevue. The young kids that are now becoming older kids at Shelby they are an exciting team in many ways. You can't forget about Sandusky and Ontario, obviously. Dan Gorbett is a hall of famer and Sandusky has a nice core group of younger kids coming. From top to bottom the league is pretty balanced top to bottom and Willard is getting better each and every day," said Mellott.
Published 3/23/16
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
Follow us on twitter at @Swankonsports
Columbian Shuts Out Shelby
Tiffin Columbian through a road block in front of Shelby's design of a Northern Ohio League baseball title.
The Tornadoes beat the Whippets (4-0) on Monday behind the outstanding pitching of righthander Christian Magill. Columbian coach Curt Mellott says it was likely his pitcher's best ever effort on the mound. "I think Christian Magill quite possibly had the performance of his career with 14 strikeouts and one hit. We as coaches talked about that we thought this was the first complete game that we played as a varsity team this year. It was an encouraging sign for us and we are proud of the effort (Monday) night," he said.
The loss put Shelby (11-5,5-3) two games behind league leading Bellevue in the league standings meanwhile keeping themselves right in the thick of the race.
Mellott also said they played some pretty good defense behind Magill as well and that was a key part of the performance by the Tornadoes. "We did have one error on a ball that kind of took a weird hop, but it was scored definitely as an error. We definitely did a good job on the defensive side and made a couple of tough plays up the middle. Outfield play was outstanding. Catching was outstanding. It was a very well rounded game and offensively we attacked the baseball (Monday) night better than we have the last couple of games," he said.
Tiffin (7-7,4-2) also beat Ontario last week and has shown the ability to be a very good baseball team. Mellott says what has been missing is consistency and that is what they are working on. "It is a consistency factor for us because I think we have shown glimpses of our capabilities. We need to stay positive throughout the game and we talked to the kids on (Monday) about taking that one pitch at a time approach and making sure that we didn't get ahead of ourselves or dwell on the past either positively or negatively and stay even keel," he told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, "We have Shelby again (Tuesday) and then finish up Willard on Thursday and play a new game with Willard on Thursday. So, technically four league games this week. This is a big week for us in a lot of ways."
Published 4/28/15
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Big Win For Tornadoes
Tiffin Columbian scored eight times in the second inning and they handed the defending "NOL" champion Ontario Warriors their second straight defeat this week as they downed Ontario (8-2) on Tuesday in Tiffin.
Having lost their only league game of the season so far to Norwalk last week (7-0) coach Curt Mellott knew this as a big game for them. "I was very happy with the results (Tuesday) night. We put forth a good effort and rebounded after a tough first and second inning where we had a few lapses mentally and physically and over came that. I was really proud of the boys," he said.
Aaron Sostaric tossed a four hitter while striking out 10 for the Tornadoes.
Mellott says they played Tuesday night with the right attitude. "I think our kids came with an attitude of looseness. It is nice to get back in the grove and play some baseball and building from the half game we played on Monday at Willard and then (Tuesday) with another league game I just think we got a little momentum in a good way," he said.
Columbian was leading Willard (8-1) in the fourth inning when the rains came on Monday.
Norwalk beat Willard (13-3) and Bellevue downed Sandusky (9-2) in other league games on Tuesday. Mellott feels like the rest of the coaches in the league that this is going to be a very balanced league this year and it is going to be important to win home games. "I think protecting the home field is critical. I think the race will be tight. There are definitely some quality teams from top to bottom. Some young teams like Shelby are really stepping up. Sandusky is stepping up," he told Swankonsports.com after the win over Ontario, "Then there are the perennial powers with Bellevue and Norwalk and obviously all the good things coach Gorbett does at Ontario. It is a quality league top to bottom. Everyday is an important day."
Columbian (3-2,1-1) plays Bellevue (7-1,2-0) on Thursday and Sandusky and Norwalk next week.
Mellott says they need good efforts from their starting pitchers on a consistent basis to stick in this league race. "Pitching is something that we have had many conversations about this week. It was good we had our league game Wednesday postponed or we would have had four in a row. We were concerned about "A" pitching depth and "B" when the starter goes out there making sure we get a quality start out of them so we can maintain depth going forward and be competitive each and every game," said Mellott.
Published 4/15/15
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Columbian Has to Believe
Tiffin Columbian is one those teams that seems to be on the edge of getting a lot of wins and falling just short.
They get two more chances this weekend against Willard in Northern Ohio league play and Port Clinton in a non conference game.
Coach Bill Beaston says they have to make more of the shots they are working hard to get and they have to believe that what they are doing will end up in wins. "There are two things we have to do, one physical, and one mental. On the physical side I just think we have to convert a little better. Over the course of the last month I think we have improved in a lot of areas. We are starting to play a little better defense, but we haven't shot well. I think if we start to convert some of these shots that we are earning it is going to build some confidence in the offensive side down the stretch," he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, "Number two, I think these kids just have to believe in themselves a little bit more. I think that because the season hasn't gone like they thought or the coaches thought that some doubt as crept in maybe on their own or some outside sources. I just think they have to start believing in the work they put in and believing in the game plan. If they can sort of will themselves to a win and if we can get a couple of those we can build some momentum going to the postseason."
Playing well and not winning is one thing, but Beaston says to improve their confidence they have to get in the win column. "We have changed some of the things we do in practice to increase the intensity and increase the work ethic and for the kids that is not always fun, so when you reap the benefits it makes all of that work worth wide. I don't think the kids are totally disbelieving yet. I think they still believe in the process and believe in themselves, but the most important thing is for them to get a win that validates the whole process," he said.
Tiffin Columbian (6-11,0-8) plays at Willard (9-8,3-6) in an "NOL" game on Friday night. Beaston says they must contain Carson Ebert and Conner Robinson. "I think they have had some roster adversity. I don't know what the situation is but I know they have a starter in the stats that hasn't played for a while. That can kind of disrupt things a little bit. When you have a senior leader like Carson Ebert you are always going to be in games and he has really stepped up his play over the last month. He shoots the three ball at a high percentage and he is scoring about two points more a game than the last time we played them. The Robinson kid has really stepped up his game as well. He is a really nice athlete and he is scoring two points extra a game in the last month as well. We are going to have our hands full with them, but they are definitely going to occupy the defensive game plan," said Beaston.
Published 2/12/15
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Columbian Gets Big Win
Tiffin Columbian broke a four game losing streak with a win over Sandusky Perkins on Saturday night and they hope to be able to take that momentum into the final month of the season.
Coach Bill Beaston says they had been playing well over the last couple of weeks even though they had not been wining games. They lost a one point game to Clyde (44-43) and at the horn to Norwalk (47-45) last week. He says they just couldn't get over that last hurdle. "I think lost there in the lack of success we were having is we played better. The things that plagued us through the year, free throw shooting, and things like that we have shown a lot of progress in," he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, "Even last Thursday when we go to Norwalk we did a lot of those things better and just happened to lose on a last second shot. That was kind of the ultimate misfortune. The kids did a nice job of bouncing back on Saturday and played a really nice complete game to get a good road win."
Tiffin beat Sandusky Perkins (51-43) on Saturday night. Beaston hopes they can get some confidence from that win. "That is why I think winning on Saturday against Perkins was so important. Now the kids finally got to reap some success or rewards from all of their hard work. Some of the losses that we had are kind of gut wrenching with late game heroics so to speak and that can be tough to bounce back from. So, the fact that we got a win we are hoping with spring board us into several more coming down the stretch," he said.
Columbian (6-9) is at Upper Sandusky (11-4) for a non-conference game on Tuesday night. Beaston says the Rams are a team that is pretty unselfish and can really shoot the ball. "They are very mush guard oriented. They don't have a lot of size per say, but their guards are very good. They have four guys that do a pretty good job of getting to the rim. They are a really good three point shooting team. The stats I saw show them at 36 percent as a team, which is outstanding. I think the thing that stands out most with them is they do a good job of sharing the basketball and creating for each other, they are very unselfish. Those are the types of teams that can be hard to guard because it is difficult to defend that many guys," said Beaston.
Published 2/03/15
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Columbian Showing Some Good Signs
It was one up and one down this past weekend for the Tiffin Columbian Tornadoes, but according to their coach they can take away a lot of positives from the games.
The Tornadoes dropped a Northern Ohio League game to league leader Ontario (70-50) on the road on Friday night. The came back on Saturday and beat New Riegel (57-52) on Saturday.
Coach Bill Beaston says they really handled the aggressive Ontario pressure pretty well and they showed they can put games away against New Riegel. "The Ontario game was interesting. If you look at the score you see we lost by 20, so it looks really lopsided, but there were some things that were really encouraging that game, specifically the amount of turnovers that we had. It was the least amount of turnovers we had all year against a team like Ontario that presses the whole game and presses very well. So, that was encouraging despite the loss," he told Swankonsports.com on Sunday evening, "Then to come back the next night and beat a solid New Riegel team at home. It had all of the makings to be a disaster. It was our third game on the week and we missed two days of school as well. I like the way our kids responded and just found a way to win."
Columbian is now .500 for the season and Beaston says hopefully they are starting to learn what it takes to win games that are up for grabs. "That is exactly what we talked about after the New Riegel game. There were a lot of mistakes late that could have led to a loss, some silly turnovers, some missed free throws, some poor decisions. At the end of the day you just want to win games and find ways to win games and that's what we did. Then we can go back and watch film later and try to correct some things so when the situation presents itself we don't make those same mistakes again," he said.
Tiffin (5-5,0-4) is at Bellevue (3-8,0-4) on Friday night in a league game. Somebody is going to get there first league win. Beaston hopes that it is his kids. "It is a big game for both of us, neither team has a win in the league, so both teams are going to be extra motivated to get that win, Bellevue and Columbian games are always tightly contested regardless of records, so there is that playing into it as well. We are looking forward to the challenge they have some nice guard play. The Linder kid playing inside is a nice post player and somebody we are going to have to pay a lot of attention too. We will have are hands full, but the kids are always excited to go and compete," said Beaston.
Published 1/12/15
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Columbian Must Handle Pressure
Tiffin Columbian will play one of the most aggressive basketball teams in they area when they travel to Ontario to play the Warriors in a Northern Ohio league game on Friday night.
Both team won games in non-league play on Tuesday night. The Tornadoes rallied to beat Oak Harbor (52-49) while Ontario held on to beat Galion (58-50) and keep their good play in order.
Columbian coach Bill Beaston says they are struggling right now a little bit on offense because they are turning the ball over too much. "I think it is about offensive efficiency. The last three or four games we have had 18 plus turnovers. One of the stats we use for offense is points per possession and anything over 1.0 is good. Our points per possession is still 0.9, which is close to where we want to be and that is giving the ball away as many times as we are," he told Swankonsports.com, "Those are empty possessions. We are really focusing on where our possessions are coming from, why they are occurring, and trying to eliminate that. When we don't turn it over we tend to score and we feel if we can score more we are going to be a little bit more competitive and have a chance to win more games."
Beaston says their turnover woes have been about not making the best decisions. "It hasn't been so much we are giving the ball away versus pressure so to speak. We are making wrong reads on a play or we think something is there and it really not. A poorly executed pass or maybe we don't improve an angle to make a sound pass. Those are the kids of things that we are really looking at and we are working hard in practice to try and correct," he said.
Columbian (4-4,0-3) plays at Ontario (9-1,4-0), #2 in the Swankonsports.com boys' basketball coaches poll in the large school division, on Friday night in "NOL" play. Beaston says Ontario has great depth, which allows them to play fast. "One through nine there is no drop off. Every guy they trot out there through their rotation is very similar. They are similar size and similar athletic, can shoot, can get to the rim. When you have that kind of depth and start to get into your bench and not have much of a drop off it really creates the ability to play at the pace they play at and put the pressure on opposing teams to be able to play at that same pace," said Beaston.
The Warriors want to play fast and Beaston says they have to slow them down a little bit. "That is there M.O. They want to get out and run, they want to make the game fast. They want to use their athletes, they want to press you, turn you over, create easy baskets. I don't think the game needs to be slowed down to a snail's pace per say, but you definitely want to slow it down and run your stuff and try and get it in a pace that is not quite the track meet that they want to get into," he said.
Published 1/07/15
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Columbian has to Play to Their Strengths
Tiffin Columbian is a team that features some good bigs and they have to make that their advantage as they play at Fremont Ross in a non-conference game on Saturday night.
Columbian (2-1,0-1) does not play a Northern Ohio League game this week after a (43-38) loss to defending co-champion Norwalk last Friday.
Coach Bill Beaston is pleased with what he has seen so far, but he knows they have to continue to get better. "I think the best way to put it is we are pleased, but not satisfied. We are happy to be 2-1 it could easily be 1-2 or even 0-3. We also look at Norwalk game that we lost and the things we could have done better that may have given us an opportunity to win. Even in the win Saturday against Kenton there were some things that we didn't do well and we weren't really happy with. So, being off this week as far as the league goes we can take two or three days to kind of focus on ourselves, focus on some conditioning and some skill work and some things like that to try and sure up those shortcomings and then get ready for Fremont and hopefully be the total package come this weekend," said Beaston.
With two 6'6" guys in the paint, Beaston says they have seen a lot of defensive looks to try and keep the ball out of the hands of those players. "We have seen a variety of things. We have seen some zone. We have seen man pressure, but digging down on the catch, and we have seen some pressure to just work our guards that much more and have our post guys not get it. The best thing about our group is they are experienced. I think we have seen it all. I don't think there is anything we haven't seen, so it is a matter of recognizing what defenses are doing to us and then beating it appropriately," he said.
Fremont Ross is an athletic team this year and Beaston says they can not let the Little Giants take over the tempo of this game. "They are very athletic, more so than they have been in the past. The past couple of years they were more like where we are at with a couple 6'5", 6'6" guys and wanted to pound it inside. Now, they don't have a guy over 6'2" and they want to get out and run and play fast," he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, "I coached at Fremont before I came over here and it is always an interesting dynamic to go over there and be able to see people I don't see very often and see coach Gedeon because we used to spend a lot of time together when I was coaching for him. It is going to be a challenge. We have to be able to get the game in our favor. I don't think it can turn into a track meet or that is going to favor them. We have to value they ball and take care of it and get the ball inside to our big guys and let them go to work."
Published 12/17/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Columbian faces very good Norwalk
Tiffin Columbian begins Northern Ohio league play on Friday night by hosting defending division two state champion Norwalk at their place.
In their first game last Saturday, they got off to good start and blasted their way past Fostoria (66-30) in non-conference play.
Coach Bill Beaston was very pleased with the overall effort versus Fostoria. "We played very well through he whole game really, but particularly in the first half I thought. Our kids dictated the game from the get go. We wanted to play fast and we wanted to play a little up tempo and put some pressure on Fostoria. We were able to do that and force some turnovers and get some baskets and really kind of stretch things out from the beginning and then kind of play constantly the rest of the way," said Beaston.
In reviewing the tape Beaston says they found some minor errors of which they reviewed with the players on Monday. "The stuff that we found was all correctable. There wasn't anything glaring. Positionally speaking defensively and positionally speaking offensively just where guys are and where they are located and how they are rotating and stuff like that. We had a good film session (Monday) night. Now we are moving on to get ready for Norwalk," said Beaston.
Norwalk (2-0) posted wins over Sandusky Perkins (45-37) and Mansfield Madison (44-43) over the weekend. Beaston says they may not have the same talent level, but they execute very well on both ends of the court. "Coach Gray does a great job with all of his teams in years past and this one is no different. He does a very nice job managing the game both offensively and defensively dictating the game to his strengths. The two games that we watched him play last weekend you can really see that. They are very, very good defensively, especially man to man on the basketball and then denying the first pass," he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, "Offensively they are very patient they take what the defense gives you. They don't force a lot of shots. They kind of wait and wait and look for that opening and as soon as the defense breaks down they take advantage of it. We are going to have to be sound on both ends to ensure a victory on Saturday."
The Truckers play very good on the ball and off the ball defense and Beaston says you have to handle the ball and make solid passes against them to have success. "You have to be able to handle the ball and protect it in the passing lanes. They do a great job of being on the line and up the line in passing lanes to get steals. A lot of times they are not getting steals, but deflections to turn them into steals. So, if we can take care of the basketball Friday that will definitely help our cause," he said.
Publisher 12/10/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Columbian Going to be Big
Tiffin Columbian is going to have some height this season and they hope to be able to put it to good use as they compete in a pretty balanced Northern Ohio League.
One thing that is different than normal is the fact that the Tornadoes could actually started basketball practice on time this year and coach Bill Beaston says that is a big plus. "We are light years ahead of where we normally are. The football team didn't make the playoffs, which is a first since the 2009-2010 basketball season. We have been used to late starts and that didn't happen this year. It has been kind of nice to be able to slow things down with our installs and really reteach and review after our installs, so that part has been a blessing," he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, "We are healthy. We had some guys that were banged up last year and we lost. Those guys are back and appear to be healthy. We have some work to do like everyone else does, but where we are compared to previous years we are a little farther ahead."
In basketball having big guys is obviously an advantage and Beaston says they will have that this season. "We bring some scoring back. We bring a lot of size back as well. One of the we lost last year with an "ACL" injury is 6'5". He has recovered and he is back along with a first team all-league Derek Dryfuce, who is 6'6" as well, so the challenge is to keep guys involved and keep feeding the big guys at the same time and so far the guys are doing a real good job with that," he said.
The other team is going to try and keep the ball out of those guys hands and Beaston says their job will be to be able to get the ball inside where they want it. "I think with the dynamics of our league we are going to see a lot of different things. I think we could see pressure at times, I think we could see zone at times, and I think we could see man at times. That is why our focus during the preseason, especially with more time, is to be ready for everything. As we start to see some things on film we are going to have a better idea what teams are going to try and do to us." he said.
Fostoria will the Tornadoes first opponent on Saturday night and Beaston says they will be athletic. He says they want the game to be at their pace. "The little I have seen from them is they are small and athletic. They don't have a great deal of size, but they are quick. Their coach it is his first year with them. Actually two years ago he was my JV coach, so we are a little bit familiar with some of his philosophies and some of the sets and some of those things. The biggest thing with first games is everyone has jitters. It seems like the start of those games is ran at about 180 MPH and the team that sort of slows down the quickest and gets things at a better pace is usually the team that is the most successful. Hopefully with our experience and our length we will be the team to do that first," said Beaston.
Published 12/02/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Ashland Meets Tiffin Columbian in Crucial Match-up
Ashland and Tiffin Columbian are two of the most consistent winners in northern Ohio and they face each other in big non-conference game at National Field in Tiffin on Friday night.
The two schools are both 1-1 and share the #5 sport in our first Swankonsports.com football coach's poll in the large school division.
Last week, Ashland scored with just over two minutes to play on a Grant Denbow run to upend Dover (16-14) in non-conference play. Coach Scott Valentine says they did a great job of containing the wide open Dover offense. "It was one of those games that I felt really good about we played well. Our defensive staff put together a great game plan. Our kids went out and held them to 14 points and we made plays on offense to help us win the game," he said.
Valentine says they made some adjustments to match the concerns that Dover presented them and it worked out pretty well. "The thing was we made a lot of changes. We put some guys in some different positions for speed purposes because their quarterback was very quick and contain wise we needed to contain him. Offensively I thought we made some big strides there too. And special teams we didn't give up a lot of big plays. I think in all three phases of the game we improved last week," said Valentine.
Columbian lost the opening week of the season to Clyde (23-20) and then hammered Maumee (48-21) last week. Tiffin has been the dominate power in the "NOL" over the last decade and Valentine says they are good again this year. "I think they are a typical Tornado team. They have big guys up front. They have running backs that run hard. Defensively they are very aggressive and come down hill and get you. It's kind of like going back to week one we are going to have to be ready for a physical football game like we did against Wadsworth," he said.
This is the first match-up in recent memory at least between the two schools and Valentine says it should be an exciting game for fans to watch. "That's why when we talked to each other about scheduling the game we knew it would have some interest because of them being one of the top teams every year in their league and hopefully we want to be in the top of our league every year," he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, "In non-league games that's what it is all about trying to play someone good. I think it is going to be a real good football game."
And to the winner will come a lot of playoff points too and Valentine says that makes this game very important to both sides. "We feel that if we can win that game they are going to win a lot of games in their league. You never know once you get in your league and things happen," he said.
Published 9/11/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Columbian Beats Bellevue; Shares "NOL" Lead
After tough one run losses to Bellevue and Sandusky last week, the Tiffin Columbian Tornadoes have battled back to share the Northern Ohio League lead.
They beat Ontario (7-5) last Friday and then shutout Bellevue (5-0) behind Aaron Sostaric on Monday and remain tied with Ontario for the league lead.
Coach Curt Mellott says they know they have to keep winning in order to have a chance at the trophy. "I think the kids battled hard (Monday). We know the position we are in. We are in a one and done situation in our league and every game is important. With young guys it can be tough to get them to buy into that it is one game at a time." he told Swankonsports.com after the win over the Redmen, "It's a long season, but I think they have done a great job with it. It really stared on Thursday with Lexington and even though we came out on the short end of the stick we played a lot better. We are just proud of where we are at right now."
They hit rock bottom in a (1-0) loss to Sandusky last Tuesday, but Mellott says they have started to hit the ball better and that is giving them a chance to win. "Offensively we have really started to hit our stride and that picked up quite a bit against Lexington and even more so against Ontario our offense has really started to come alive. We have progressed well. We have had a couple of injuries bite us and the kids have stepped up and done a good job in those positions. I thought (Monday) we had a nice balanced approach and got after it especially late in the game," said Mellott.
Columbian has a relatively young roster and Mellott says they have shown a lot of mental toughness to get back in the race like they have. "The power of the positive thought is just an amazing thing. We really try to get our kids to buy into that. In a game like baseball with so many failures it is easy to draw a negative from mistakes. We try to refocus and reload with every pitch. I think they realize they control their effort, their attitude, their hustle. I think if they do those things I like our opportunity to do well in game situations," he said.
Tiffin (12-9,8-2) plays at Willard (2-15,0-9) in an "NOL" game on Tuesday and they play the other co-leader Ontario (15-3,8-2) on Saturday. They also play Celina in a division two sectional game on Thursday. Mellott says this is a big week for them. "We have kind of billed this with our kids as championship week. Every game this week is for a championship in so many ways with our sectional finals on Thursday, a tough Willard team at Willard (Tuesday), obviously Ontario on Saturday. We have a big strike out for cancer game (against Fremont St. Joseph) that we operate every year and that is a big game for us on Friday. We call it championship week in so many ways for us. We are really proud of our kids and we have come a long way this year," said Mellott.
Published 5/13/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
Or you can post comments on
our new forum
Columbian Beats Shelby in Extra Innings
Nate Hoyda gave up only three hits over eight innings and produced the game winner with a sacrifice fly in the ninth as the Tiffin Columbian Tornadoes kept first place in the Northern Ohio League to themselves with a (2-1) win at Shelby on Thursday.
It was the Tornadoes (9-5,5-0) third one run win in "NOL" play this spring and coach Curt Mellott says this year they have just been able to make the right plays at the right time. "It is the third one-run win for us in the league. It's tough when you are on the road, especially on the "NOL" there are a lot of good teams out there, a lot of good programs. We are finding ways. I'm not sure how we are always finding ways, but currently we are finding ways and we'll take it," said Mellott.
Hoyda struck out 11 and then Aaron Sostaric finished up for Columbian and Mellott says both kids and their defense really did the job. "Our pitching (Thursday) was fabulous. Both Nate Hoyda, who went to 5-0. He was unbelievable for eight innings and we went with our number two Aaron Sostaric to close it out. We are definitely happy to come out of Shelby on top, that definitely could have turned and we are just proud of how our kids came through," he said.
Tiffin holds a one game lead on Bellevue and Ontario in the league race and they play Shelby (11-6,3-3) again then play Bellevue (10-5,5-1) next Monday, followed by Sandusky on Tuesday and Ontario a week from Friday.
With all of those games coming up Mellott, in his 14th year as the Columbian skipper, knows they have to have pitching depth if they are going to keep themselves on the top the league standings. "If the weather holds what is your pitching depth going to be like? We were talking on the way home (Thursday) about who is going to going to go the next couple of days for us because we lave league next Monday, Tuesday and Friday and our guys aren't going to be able to bounce back super quick," he told Swankonsports.com after the win over Shelby on Thursday, "We have to make sure our next guys in our rotation are ready to go mentally and physically."
Published 5/02/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
Or you can post comments on
our new forum
Tiffin Still in First Place
Tiffin Columbian owns two one-run wins in Northern Ohio League play, including Tuesday night at Norwalk, and that has given the Tornadoes the lead in the league standings.
On Tuesday night, Columbian broke a (5-5) tie with two runs in the top of the seventh inning and held on to beat Norwalk (7-6) in league action. Coach Curt Mellott says they were able to loosen up a little bit late in the game and that was key. "It was definitely a nail bitter all of the way down to the end. The thing you are always going to say about a Wes Douglas coached Norwalk team is they are always going to compete like crazy and that is what his kids did," he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, "But, I give our kids credit they hung in there. We had a couple of lapses in the end where we really just aimed the ball as we were pitching. We were just too fine on things and didn't just play the game. We loosened up a little bit and we scored a couple of runs in the top the seventh and held on for dear life literally to get the win. Real proud of our effort."
Norwalk had two runners in scoring position when Tiffin got the last out of the game.
Columbian (6-4,4-0) also beat talented Defiance Tinora in a non-conference game on Saturday and Mellott says his team is starting to play with some confidence now. "We are definitely building some confidence as we go, but it is also definitely and up hill battle as well. Things have not come easily, but that also adds to our character and adds to our experience level as we move through and as we go back on these situations we realize we can get out of them and we can work on them and get better each and every time," he said.
Mellott is realistic and says they really have the teams that have proven to be their stiffest competition for the "NOL" title left on their schedule. "It's a very long season and it should be told that we have only seen three teams in the "NOL" having played Norwalk twice already in the young season. We have the big boys still coming with a Bellevue and an Ontario and Shelby. All of those teams compete really well, their records show it. They have some experience back, so we are really going to have to play our "A" game as we improve our competition," said Mellott.
The Tornadoes are scheduled to play Ontario for the first time on Friday and meet Shelby twice next week in league action.
Published 4/24/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
You can also post comments on
our new forum
Columbian in The Race
Tiffin Columbian has answered the challenge and after wins last week over Willard and Norwalk the Tornadoes look like they will be a real factor in the Northern Ohio League race this year.
Norwalk has won the last two "NOL" titles and Columbian beat them (8-2) last Friday. Coach Curt Mellot says they really played well. "We have put quite a few things together and I will be very honest it has not come easily. There have been a lot of bumps in the road in terms of trying to figure things out offensively and defensively. I thought against Norwalk we played out best game of the season. We are starting to really swing the bats and we pitched the ball well that game. We are starting to become a little more consistent in our approach in the way we want the kids to play the game," said Mellot.
Offensively, the Tornadoes (3-3,2-0) have been able to execute and do the little things and Mellot says that has made difference for them. "I like our opportunities. I think when we are healthy and pitching well we have an opportunity to wins some games. Compared to a couple years back our power isn't quite the same, but we play a different brand of baseball. We like to bunt and run and do the little things that make the game unique. If we have good pitching and defense we always have a shot," he said.
Columbian shares the "NOL" lead with Shelby. They were to play Ontario on Monday and that game was rained out and they are supposed to play Bellevue next and that game looks in jeopardy due snow expected on Tuesday. It looks better that they might be able to play Sandusky on Thursday. Mellot says the schedule and the weather has been a challenge. "I go back to the very first week of the season and we had a really nice win against a great Perkins team and then had a week off because of the weather, so it is definitely hard, especially with high school kids. I think it is something that we need to always stress that they be ready no matter what the situation," he said.
There does not appear to be a dominate team in the "NOL" this year and the title is up for grabs and Mellot believes his club is part of that discussion. "I think on any given day a team can beat another team. It really depends on how you show up and play. Looking at the scores it has been very reflective of first few weeks of the season." he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, "I think it will be interesting. You can't take a day off, that's for sure from a mental standpoint. Physically all of the teams are fairly evenly matched. It will come down to the wire, bottom line."
Published 4/15/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
or you can post comments on
our new forum
Hitting the Concern for Tiffin Columbian
Tiffin Columbian has spilt its first two baseball games this spring and they play their first Northern Ohio League game, weather permitting, on Tuesday when they travel to Shelby.
After losing to Marion Harding (9-4) in their opener the Tornadoes responded with a (2-0) win over Sandusky Perkins. Coach Curt Mellot says he was impressed with how his kids battled back. "We don't return a lot of experience. In the first game we came out a little nervous, a little unsure of ourselves and played fairly poorly in game one, but within 24 hours probably played one of the better games I have seen in my 14 years here at Tiffin Columbian and beat a very good Sandusky Perkins team 2-0 the next night. So, barring the weather I am happy with were we are headed and were we are going and I do like how quickly we turned the corner and moved ahead," said Mellot.
Against Perkins the Tornadoes got an outstanding pitching effort from a sophomore in Aaron Soctaric. Mellot says he was a pitcher, not just a thrower. "I was really proud of our pitching. Aaron Sostaric battled out there, he is only a sophomore, he was throwing four, and at the end he was actually throwing five, pitches for strikes as he mixed in a slider there at the end. He kept them off balance and they are a very good baseball team and one of the better coached baseball teams in our area. It was a nice win and we can kind of use that as confidence and use that to move forward and reach our goals," he said.
Mellot believes they will be able to pitch the ball and field it too. He says their season might depend on how well they are able to settle in hitting the ball. "We have to be more consistent in all areas of the game, especially on our offensive approach and make sure we utilize every opportunity to score," he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, "The last several years we have really had some kids that could hit the baseball, I'm not saying this team is not, but just getting that experience at the plate and pushing runs across is going to be a big deal for us. I think we are going to throw the ball fairly well. We should catch the ball fairly well, but that consistency in the offensive game is going to be very important to us."
After Shelby on Tuesday, Tiffin Columbian is at Port Clinton on Wednesday, hosts Willard on Thursday and Norwalk on Friday in Northern Ohio League games.
Published 4/8/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
Or you can post comments on
our new forum
Tiffin Counting On Some Young Kids
Tiffin Columbian will one of a number of teams in the fray for the Northern Ohio league baseball title this spring.
Coach Curt Mellot says they don't have a great number of kids with varsity experience, but they do have some talent. "I think this year we have seen a lot of positive signs. We don't really return a lot in terms of varsity experience, but this is a dynamic group of seniors and the underclassmen really work well together. I am really proud of our efforts so far. We are taking a look at a lot of pitchers that have potential and a lot of young players that are really contributing in our scrimmages and early practices," he said.
Mellot says it will be important for these younger players to get an understanding of varsity baseball pretty quickly because they play a tough schedule. "We try to give these kids as much exposure as we can to upper level teams and talent in our immediate area and really try to prepare them. We played a perennial regional team in Wapakoneta last Saturday. We play the defending division two state champion Defiance Bulldogs and Sandusky Perkins and obviously the teams in our league with the likes of Norwalk, Ontario and Bellevue, just to mention a few, and Fremont Ross, just to challenge us. It really prepares us for what we need to do in the this upcoming season and for a nice postseason run," said Mellot.
There really isn't a clear cut favorite or the "NOL" title this year and Mellot thinks they can have a voice, but winning it will be tough. "I think we have a great opportunity ahead of us where we can definitely challenge for a league title. The last several years it has been top loaded with talent and I know some teams have graduated quite a bit. Don't be fooled Bellevue still has a great team back, Norwalk is one the best coached teams in our area with Wes Douglas at the helm, and I can't say enough good things about Dan Gorbett and the job he does especially with the talent he has at Ontario. I look at those teams as being top level teams," he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday. "But, you also don't want to forget about a team like Shelby that had a fantastic junior varsity record and really a nice group of young kids coming up. So, I think it will be really anyone's league. It's going to matter how the pitching goes and how the chips are going to fall here at the end."
The Tornadoes play Edison in a doubleheader on Saturday and they open league play against Norwalk on April 3, of course, weather permitting.
Published 3/26/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
Or you can post comments on
our new forum
Columbian Plays Sandusky... Again
Due to moving games around because of the weather this season, plus Tiffin Columbian's late start rue to the football playoffs it seems every week has been different and this week they play Sandusky twice to wrap up the regular season.
On Tuesday night, the Tornadoes edged Sandusky (60-59) in overtime on Tuesday night in a game that was a little rough at times. Columbian coach Bill Beaston says he expects both teams to play better Friday night at Tiffin. "I think the one good thing that happened with the schedule is both of us had a non-league make up game (Wednesday) night, so it allowed us to get away from each other for a minute to focus on someone else, or just ourselves to be honest and then regroup and get ready for Friday. I think that is going to help both teams in my opinion," he said.
Sandusky lost to Lorain (60-40) on Wednesday and Tiffin beat New Riegel (46-40), both in non-conference play. Beaston says they played hard, they just didn't make many shots. "It was ugly is probably the best way to put it. I thought our guys showed real good energy for coming back after an overtime road game and go on the road again. We struggled a lot on the offensive end. We had really good looks within our offense against their zone, we just didn't finish," he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, "We did a great job of turning them over in our half court traps. I thought the kids did an outstanding job with that, but we didn't convert when it comes to making layups and some were easy ones. We have to convert and make people pay if we are going to turn them over."
With a second game against Sandusky (3-18,2-9) on Friday, Beaston thinks both sides will be a little more loose and more points will be scored. "I think Friday's game will be a little faster paced and I think we are going to be in more of a regular routine. Neither one of us had school on Tuesday. The decision wasn't even made until three o'clock that we were even going to play. The early part of the game was flat and lacked a lot of energy. I think the second half was a little better played with a lot more points scored and I expect that to be the case again Friday," said Beaston.
One defense, Beaston says they are going to pick the Streaks up a little bit more in full court situations. "The first game we played more zone and they were able to swing the ball around the perimeter and hit some threes. We decided to get out of that at halftime and I think that was a good thing on our part. For three quarters I thought we handled their pressure pretty well. Late in the fourth quarter we had some struggles. We made some adjustments in practice, so we can make some improvements in that area and I'm looking forward to see how that works out on Friday," said Beaston.
Published 2/21/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
Or you can post comments on
our new forum
Columbian Challenges Unbeaten Ontario
Tiffin Columbian has developed into a pretty decent basketball team, but they are going to need to play their best game of the season on Tuesday night if they are going to have a chance to upset unbeaten Ontario in Northern Ohio league action.
Despite a loss to Bowling Green on Saturday, Columbian coach Bill Beaston feels his team is playing its best basketball right now. "We are definitely rising as opposed to falling as far as our play is concerned. This is a time to be peaking. You want to be playing your best basketball at the end of the year. We dropped a game Saturday against Bowling Green, and people would see their record and think it was a bad loss, but I'll tell you what, and I know coaches talk, but you can't find a better three win team in the area, they are pretty solid," he said.
When you are 19 games into the season and haven't lost a game you have a lot of talents. Beaston says what is most impressive is the Warriors (19-0,10-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com boys' basketball coach's poll in the large school division, is they don't have any weaknesses that you can take advantage of. "I think they are the most compete team that we see on our schedule. They have a solid point guard, they have shooters, they have other guys that can handle the ball, they have a post game, they rebound, they really don't have a weakness that you can try to attack or exploit. That is the thing that is most impressive. Norwalk, who is as good as they are, teams that have a big guys have had success against them. I think that is thing that has most impressed me, just how complete they are," said Beaston.
Ontario, who leads Norwalk by a game in the "NOL" standings, and will clinch no less than a share of league title with a win over Columbian (9-8,4-4), has had a lot of games, including last Friday against Shelby, where they score points in bunches. Beaston says they can't allow that to happen on Tuesday night. "They do a really nice job of turning defensive rebounds into points. They get the basketball up the floor in a hurry," he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, "They are also very sly about sliding in their press at various times when maybe you're not expecting it and are able to take a 4-0 run and turn it into am 8-0, 10-0 run. We are going to talk about defensive transition, having guys bask protecting the basket, and we have to make sure we have guys in the right spot against the press. We can't afford 18, 20, 24 turnovers or we won't have any chance of winning (Tuesday)."
Published 2/11/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
Or you can post comments on
our new forum
Consistency the Issue for Tornadoes
Tiffin Columbian put together a pretty good performance against Shelby last Friday and now they need to take that into this week and that is something that has been difficult for the Tornadoes this year.
Last Friday, Columbian went to Shelby and stuffed the Whippets (54-41) as no Shelby players reached double figures in the game. Coach Bill Beaston says his kids did an outstanding job on defense. "I'm very happy with the win there at Shelby. It's a difficult road trip. It's always a difficult place to play, even though it's a new building. Shelby is always really, really good at home. It was all about defense. Our kids really buckled down defensively and did a nice job on their guards and did a nice job on the Kehes kid on the inside. It was a total team effort, guys one through nine played really, really well," said Beaston.
The Tornadoes (7-7) travel to Kenton on Tuesday night to meet the Wildcats. Beaston says they need to take the momentum gained in the Shelby game to this one. "Like I said last week we are looking for some consistency both in our schedule and our play. We have shown when we play games in a regular fashion we can do some things. They understand the game (Tuesday) night against Kenton has a lot of importance when it comes to tournament seeding. They were very focused (Monday). We are excited to go there and battle and hopefully we can come out with a win," he said.
Kenton, of the Western Buckeye League, is also a football power, and Beaston says they show that physicality. "They are big on the interior. They have two 6'5" kids that are really, really strong. They are men is I guess the best way to put it. They are just very physical on the inside. They have a couple guards that can really shoot the ball, especially if their feet are set and they are open. They are pretty balanced," he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, "They are probably the one team in Ohio that has a worse schedule the rest of the way than us, as impossible as that may sound. They are playing a lot of basketball in a very short period of time. If we don't defend we are in for a dogfight. Hopefully we do that and can put enough points on the board for a win."
With still eight games on their schedule over the final three weeks of the regular season, Beaston says they have been forced to tweak things a little bit. "Practice wise we have cut things down a little bit. We have kind of picked a select number of drills that we do every day that we actually have practice just to keep them in a routine. We haven't done a lot of game prep in practice. We have kind of been focusing on ourselves and some of the basics that the opposing team wants to do. The big thing I told our kids is it's the way they take care of their bodies after games and on weekends and things like that. We have talked a lot about diet and what to drink and what not to drink even in pregame and what to avoid and normally we wouldn't have that conversation," said Beaston.
Published 2/04/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
Or you can post comments on
our new forum
Columbian Wants to Get on a Streak
It was one of their best efforts of the season Wednesday night and now Tiffin Columbian would like to build on that as they play Shelby in a Northern Ohio league on Friday night.
It's been an inconsistent year for the Tornadoes, but Wednesday night was an up tick as they beat Upper Sandusky (64-50) in a non-league game.
Coach Bill Beaston says it was a tough, physical game and they were able to execute in that environment. "I was very pleased with our effort (Wednesday) night, especially being mentally ready to play after having another break due to the weather. If was a real physical game and I thought our kids handled that really well. We just handled things in stride and handled what Upper gave us. We played a nice all around game. It was a nice team win," said Beaston.
All of the weather delays and cancellations and in their case inability to get in the gym has really hindered the Tornadoes and Beaston hopes February is a lot better than January in that regard. "Our big thing is we just need some consistency. Not in just in our play, but in our schedule and the ability to get in the gym and things like that. It feels like every time we are starting to turn the corner and making progress we have an injury or we have a week off or whatever the case is. We would welcome some consistency all of the way around. I think that would help our cause," he said.
Columbian (6-7,2-4) travels to Shelby (6-7,2-5) to face the Whippets on Friday night. They beat them (55-50) before Christmas. Beaston knows the Whippets will be a defensive challenge. "They have really, really good guard play. The guys are young, but they are very talented. The Beil kid, and Hipp, and Snyder. They not only shoot it really well, but they do a really nice job of getting the ball to the rim well. Then Kerhes inside provides that balance," he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, "He is a beast inside. He kills you on the boards. He can take your bigs out on the perimeter. He can shoot threes, so he is a difficult match-up. We are going to have to defend. If we defend we have a chance. If we struggle on the defensive end it's going to be a struggle to get the win."
Published 1/31/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
Or you can post comments on
our new forum
Tiffin Plays Unbeaten Norwalk
It has been a series of challenges this year for the Tiffin Columbian Tornadoes and Thursday night will certainly be another one as they host the unbeaten Norwalk Truckers.
On Tuesday night, the Tornadoes (5-5,2-3) lost on a last second three pointer to the Oak Harbor Rockets (42-39) in non-conference play. Coach Bill Beaston says they just didn't play with the kind of intensity that they need to be successful. "I thought we came out of the gate pretty lethargic and kind of uninterested. To be honest I'm not surprised. We didn't have school (Tuesday) and we didn't have school again (Wednesday). Our kids are very structured and very regimented and need that kind of structure. The way the weather has gone this semester we have had anything but structure, so we are trying to work through that the best we can. We were able to regroup at halftime and were able to turn an eight point deficit into a five point lead late in the fourth. We just coughed it up," he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, "We talked (Wednesday) that it was a tough loss and we need to learn from it. Anytime you lose on a last second three the kids want to focus on the shot, but there were many plays before that helped create that situation. If things would have gone differently that shot would have never come to fruition. We have to look forward we know the best team in the state is coming into our place (Thursday) night and they aren't going to feel sorry for us, so we have to be ready to go."
Norwalk (13-0,5-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com boys' basketball poll in the large school division, is coming to Tiffin. The Truckers won the first meeting between the teams (73-43) on December 28. Beaston says the Norwalk pressure is hard to beat. "The thing I like about their pressure is it is a little more controlled. A few years ago when coach Deibler was at Upper Sandusky and the things they wanted to do there were holes you could exploit and there were points to be scored where as Norwalk is a little more disciplined in their pressure. They take away a lot of those holes and they rely a lot on ball side pressure as opposed to trapping and that could prove to be just as difficult because they are very sound athletically. Their guards are very long on top of being very quick and they take away passing angles as well. We worked on some things (Wednesday) in our walk through and hopefully they will help us to have some success," said Beaston.
He says the Truckers just have a lot of players that really stretch you defensively, beginning with senior wing Jeff Thomas. "It is the length and the speed combination that make him difficult to guard. If you put someone smaller and quick on him then he is going to go down on the block and he is going to post them up. He has a nice soft touch down there. If you put someone a little bigger on him he is going to take them off the dribble and get to the rim. I personally think the guy that really makes them go is Grant Hull because when you have a 50 percent three point shooter that you can park out there at the three point line now it makes it difficult to help off of him to keep Haraway and Thomas out of the paint. It's a difficult match-up, but our guys are fighters and they are going to give us the best shot they can," said Beaston.
Published 1/23/14
(C) Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
Or you can post comments on
our new forum
Tiffin Columbian Still a Work in Progress
Tiffin Columbian is one of those teams on the edge and could go either way as we head into the second half of the boys’ basketball season.
They have been trying to juggle limited practice time and injuries and they stand at .500 for the season.
On Monday night, Clyde downed the Tornadoes (56-41) in a non-conference game. Tiffin coach Bill Beaston says it was the third quarter that did them in. “We got shorthanded in the first half. We had two or three guys in foul trouble. I thought our guys did a really nice job battling back from a 10-point deficit and actually took a one-point lead into halftime. For whatever reason the third quarter killed us,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “We probably left about 12 points out on the floor between missed layups, missed bank shots and missed free throws and on their end they converted. When you give away those kinds of points and you give away easy baskets it is tough to overcome that. If things had gone different in the third quarter I think it would have been tight in the fourth quarter and exciting.”
Due to injuries the Tornadoes have sort to have to remake themselves in the middle of the season. Beaston says that is still a work in progress. “I think we are still figuring those things out. (Monday) night we the first time we have been in real foul trouble since the injury occurred, so that was a bit of a feeling out process. I was just proud of the guys on the floor because they just battled and were able to trim the lead. Also the undoing is when you have kids set for so long you have to be mentally focused and mentally disciplined to stay in the game and I just don’t think they did that. I think they learned from it. I think they will the next time. I think that was a lot of the issue (Monday) night,” said Beaston.
Columbian (5-5,2-3) will be at Sandusky (1-10,1-4) for a Friday night game in the Northern Ohio League. Beaston says despite their record the Blue Streaks have kids that have natural talent and that makes them dangerous. “They are a lot like we were last year. It is kind of process when you are young and you have to learn how to win. Hopefully they don’t figure that out for another week and we are able to get a win there Friday. Their guard play is outstanding. Those guys are really quick and can get to rim. They can shoot the three and when you can do all of those things it makes them difficult to match up with. I know our guys are up the task. We have defended pretty well this year. We are looking forward to going up there and battle and come home with a win,” he said.
Published 1/15/14
© Swankonsports.com
comments can be e-mailed to
swankonsports@gmail.com
Or you can also post comments
On our brand new form
Columbian on Launching Pad
Tiffin Columbian still seems poised to take off, but they can’t quite get the engines to fire.
After losing to Ontario (66-55) in Northern Ohio League play on Friday night, they railed to beat Marion Harding (54-44) in a Saturday night non-conference game.
Coach Bill Beaston says they dug down pretty deep to get the win without one of their better players. “We did bounce back on Saturday and had a nice win. We battled from behind. We struggled early. We were shorthanded a post player and he did not play in that game either. We went through a feeling out process I guess with our rotations, but once that went away I thought the guys that played, the eight guys, played really well together. Then it was just a matter of working out those kinks when came to getting to where we wanted to get to. Once that happened I was really pleased with the effort as we were able to battle back and get a nice win at home,” said Beaston.
Tiffin (4-4,1-3) has been playing catch up all season with a long football season and Beaston says they really didn’t need the weather delays that his team, and the rest of the area, has been dealing with this week. “That is why the weather this week has been so frustrating. We feel we are hitting a stretch where there is going to be a whole lot of consistency with practice and games and not having multiple back to backs, which can be tough to deal with. I will be interesting to see what happens. The guys were able to come in here for about an hour for practice on (Thursday) and I know Bellevue is in the same boat we are,” he said.
Columbian entertains Bellevue (2-6,1-2) on Friday night in “NOL” action and Beaston says with some kids returning the lineup the Redmen are in a similar position. “They had a couple of kids that were starters, and big time players, that were not available at the beginning of the year. I see those guys are back and playing in their last couple of games, so I don’t think it was much of a coincidence as to why they won their last two because both of those kids are pretty talented. They are coming in with a lot of confidence I think. They have a nice team. They are very athletic,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, “They are doing a lot of dribble driving whether it is to create for themselves or kick out for threes for their teammates and they have a couple of big guys that can stretch the floor. They are about 6’3”, 6’4” and shoot the three. They can get to the rim. They can post up. I think it will be a matter of who can get into the rhythm the quickest that will have the biggest advantage.”
Published 1/10/14
© Swankonsports.com
comments can be e-mailed to
Or you can post comments on
Our new forum
Columbian Can’t Wait to Play
The boys’ basketball season is nearly three weeks old and the Tiffin Columbian Tornadoes have played just one game, that coming on December 7 against Fostoria.
They didn’t play at all last week, but coach Bill Beaston says they did a lot of things that he believes will strengthen the team. “I think we are still in the process of doing that. We spent the beginning of last week refining what we saw from the Fostoria game and things we needed to improve on and the back half of last week we installed a lot of new things. So far this week we are doing a lot of review to make sure our knowledge base and our repetitions are were they need to be so we can make those reads and those executions in the game setting. We will start getting ready for Shelby (Wednesday.) It is not that ideal to have that kind of break, but we have handled well and I think we attacked it well too,” said Beaston.
Columbian (1-0,0-0) plays host to Shelby (2-1,0-1) in a Northern Ohio league game on Friday night. Beaston says the Whippets have a good combination of inside power and experience and outside shooting and youth. “They are definitely a young roster, but they have fearless youth. To watch those guys on film they do things that you normally don’t expect out of freshmen and sophomores. They are fearless in what they shoot and when they shoot. Since they tend not to be rattled they can get through the rough spots sometimes you can have,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “I think more importantly for them is the consistency of their post player Kerhes. He is a load, he is just a bull inside, he finishes well, he rebounds well and he has a motor that runs 100 miles per hour. I think we you have that consistent of a presence that allows your youth to follow along in stride.”
Shelby has had some games when they have looked good on offense, such as a (72-26) win over Wynford. Beaston says they can stretch a defense. “They shoot the ball well and with range too. Sometimes guys are spot up shooters right on the line and I have seen on film where they making 22 and 23 footers, so you are going to have to extend your pressure a little bit. I think the big thing is that you have to make sure their looks are contested. If they are allowed to shoot wide open threes then they are going to shoot a great percentage. I think if you can get hand in the face and rush their shooting a little bit more then maybe you can have some success in having them miss a few more shots than they normally would. That’s only half the story, if you allow the Kerhes kid to dominate the boards it doesn’t matter how many shots they miss,” said Beaston.
Published 12/18/13
© Swankonsports.com
comments can be e-mailed to
Columbian Takes Another Break
Sometimes when a high school teams plays a number of games over a short period team we call it an “NBA” like schedule. Tiffin Columbian is the direct opposite here at the beginning of the season. There are playing a national team soccer team like schedule, they play every once in a while.
Although not by plan, the Tornadoes are going to play just one game over the first three and a half weeks of the season and that was this past Saturday night against Fostoria.
Coach Bill Beaston says they were to play Kenton this Saturday, but that game was moved due to a long football playoff run by the Wildcats. He says they have to make the best of it. “It is the way the cards are dealt and we can’t change that, so we just have to take what we have been given and do our best with it. The two week gap until our next game isn’t ideal. I think it is going to give us some time to really buckle down in practice and work on some things that we saw on film form (Saturday) night that we need to get better at. I think we can find a positive in this,” he said.
Columbian won the game against Fostoria with relative ease (63-40) and Beaston says they did a lot of good things. “We got off to an excellent start. We came out of the first quarter up 22-4 and I thought we finished the game really well also. In the fourth quarter we outscored them by 12 or 14. The middle quarters were a little sluggish,” he told Swankonsports.com on Sunday evening, “We took advantage of the lead we had and played a lot of guys and got some minutes for their first varsity experience and tried some different rotations and mixed some players and stuff like that. There we definitely a lot of positives. You always feel good about winning your first game, but we also know we have a lot of work to do too, the kids know that.”
Tiffin has size and some athleticism this year and Beaston thinks they can still get a lot better and this is a good time of the year for them to work on some things, including their conditioning. “The speed of the game compared to scrimmages is so much different. You think you have your team in basketball shape, but until you play that first game you really don’t know where you are at. We knew going in we weren’t in basketball shape, but I think we are about where we thought we were. I know we will get better in the next two weeks. That’s a lot of time where we can get the guys up and down the floor. It’s just little things like getting your basketball legs on your free throws and on your layups and your threes. Those things are going to come, so we are not going to fret about any of our percentages form Saturday night,” said Beaston.
Published 12/9/13
© Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Tiffin Columbian Ready to Get Started
It’s not like they aren’t used to it, but Tiffin Columbian’s boys’ basketball program is taking a different approach to preparing for their season after a long and successful year in football.
Coach Bill Beaston says they have been more patient this year in introducing the concepts that they want to employ on offense and defense this winter. “One things are kids are doing a really good job of is taking everything we are throwing at them and working really hard and looking to improve. I like the fact they are really paying attention to detail. Sometimes when you start late like we are you have the tendency to throw things in too quickly just because you want to get so much stuff in. We have kind of changed that mindset this year,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “We have really taken our time with things. Our kids have done an awesome job with that. The scrimmages have gone as well as you expect scrimmages to go. There are some growing pains because we are doing some new things. There are some things that we have done really well also. Overall I am pleased and think we are ready to do it for real on Saturday.”
Columbian opens the campaign on Saturday at home against Fostoria (0-1) in non-conference play. Beaston says he has some height this year they want to take advantage of, but their guards are pretty good too. “We are big. I have three kids in our varsity rotation that are 6’4” or bigger. There is no secret we want to get the ball inside. I like our guard play too. In our scrimmages they have shown the ability to get to the rim. They have shown the ability to shoot from the perimeter. I feel we can be a balanced team. I think that bodes well for us. I think the biggest identity for us is going to start at the defensive end. We know we have to play really good defense if we want to win in our league. The kids have really bought into that and I am really excited to get started,’ said Beaston.
Fostoria lost (72-29) to a very good Findlay team last Saturday. Beaston contends they really can’t take a lot from that game and translate it to their situation. “Honestly we know very little about them. We have been unable to figure out who they are scrimmaging. They have only played one game so far and that was against Findlay, who is really, really good this year. It was tough to take Fostoria’s performance there and put it into perspective. We have taken this week and focused on just us as opposed to Fostoria. We know what they are going to do as far as base offense and base defense, so we know what we need to be able to run, but we are not focusing a lot on their personnel or anything like that we are focusing on what we need to do to be successful,” he said.
Published 12/5/13
© Swankonsports.com
Comments can be e-mailed to
Columbian Used to This
Tiffin Columbian has one the most consistently successful football programs in North Central Ohio and as a result they almost always make the playoffs.
That success also has an effect on the basketball program. They are always starting from behind and this year it is worse than normal because the period of time between the football and basketball seasons in shorter.
The Tornadoes football season just ended last Friday with a loss to unbeaten Toledo Central Catholic in the regional semi-finals and the basketball season is scheduled to start the night after Thanksgiving. Basketball coach Bill Beaston the end of the last year is going to help this team be better. “We bring back seven lettermen from last year’s team, which is good for our experience because those guys went through a lot of growing pains last year learning how to win and losing some really close games. Those are things the young teams need to experience and we certainly went through all of them,” he said.
However, he is little concerned about the late start. Until this week he has only have five players to work with. “Obviously we are off to a late start. The last two weeks I have had two varsity players and three JV players in camp with 18 players playing football, so we have done a lot of skill work with those guys. We are going to start sprinkling the football guys in through this week and get them started and hopefully get them ready to play in a couple of weeks,” he added.
The season was scheduled to start next weekend against Clyde, but guess what? The Fliers are still playing football, so most likely that first game is going to be December 6 against Northern Ohio League favorite Norwalk.
Beaston says starting late is always tough, but they know how to do it. “It’s a challenge. Those are practices that we never get back that the other schools did. Some schools essentially get a two week head start. They got to start the first day and for others they still haven’t started. It’s just a matter of making sure you take your time, and get things in appropriately, and make sure and don’t rush the kids back too fast, allow them some rest and be kids, go home and enjoy some time at home before you get into the grind of basketball because basketball is such a long season,” said Beaston.
By playing a lot of young guys last year, Beaston says they have been though a lot of experiences and that is good. “We kind of sold our kids on that last year that last year was going to be a process and we were going to go through a lot of changes, a lot of improvement and a lot of growth and we were a team that kind of focused on the postseason tournament. Unfortunately we only got to play one game. We hoped to play a little more than that, but it didn’t work out to our advantage,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “We think these kids learned an awful lot last year. Everything that possibly could be thrown at them was, whether it was overtime, or earning a close win in overtime or losing a close game in the fourth quarter, so we fell like guys know what is expected of them in a variety of situations.”
Published 11/19/13
© Swankonsports.com
Columbian Has Some Building Blocks
Tiffin Columbian shared the Northern Ohio League baseball title with Norwalk and Bellevue last year and this season they have the potential to be a pretty good team again.
Coach Curt Mellot says they have some good kids back from last year, but admits they lost some talent too. “We did graduate quite few boys last year off of our team, but we do return a solid nucleus to this ball club that hopefully can build on last year’s success,” he said.
Mellot says they have players back at some key positions this spring and he believes that is a good place for the Tornadoes to start at the beginning of the year. “Taking a look at our group of seniors and the group of boys that we have coming back on this year’s club I do believe we have some strength behind the plate with a returning starting catcher and a senior back up in that position as well,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “We do return a couple of key guys with mound experience and I think that is going to help propel us along the way. A corner outfield as well as a middle infielder back. We have some definite pieces of the puzzle that are back with us again this year.”
Team work is something that Mellot believes is going to be important to this team and he is going to work hard to develop that with this year’s club. “Bottom line my biggest concern is being able to have overall experience and just having the ability to play together as a team. Like most coaches I’m just hoping for some good weather coming up to just get these guys some game like experience as opposed to our gym or out on our football field. We really need to see them play together and get some competition opportunities. Those are the things that are really the unknowns at this time,” said Mellot.
Taking a look at the “NOL” Mellot knows that Norwalk and Bellevue have some guys back with experience, but he isn’t saying his team can’t compete for another league title. “Our goal every year at Tiffin Columbian is to compete for a league title. We will never change that expectation. I definitely believe that Bellevue and Norwalk return solid ball clubs with a lot of returning starters so I look for them to add the experience level, but everyone else in the league does a great job. I know coach Moots at Sandusky is doing a great job there. Willard is under some new leadership and I think coach Willoughby will be very sound with that program. Shelby was up and coming at the end of year and they got a lot better. So, I look for all teams in our league to do well,” said Mellot.
Perimeter Defense is the Key For Tornadoes
It’s been a season of learning for the Tiffin Columbian Tornadoes and now comes the time for the final exams as the postseason tournament begins of Wednesday night.
Columbian (7-15) meets Clear Fork (12-10) in the division two sectional semi-finals at Bucyrus High School.
They lost games last week two very good teams in Fremont Ross (51-43) and Norwalk (70-44) to close the regular season.
Coach Bill Beaston says they didn’t win those games, but they did do some nice things against strong competition. “Looking at our last two games against Norwalk and Fremont Ross. We played two teams that are very physical on the ball defensively, even away from the ball defensively. They never give you a lot of easy shots. They want to get after you in the full court. Despite the fact that we lost both games I thought we competed very well. We matched up physically against teams that are pretty imposing, so that part I was happy with,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “We didn’t shoot the ball especially well, but I was happy with the shots hat we got. Like a lot of times you have to take the positives with the negatives. The ultimate measuring stick is did we win or did we lose we lost both contests, but there are definitely some good things that we can take from those contests.”
Tiffin has some younger players this year and Beaston agrees they still have some maturing physically to do. “I teach physical education and I get to see the transformation of kids from when they are freshmen to the time that they graduate and leave as seniors. The same thing with your athletes also. We have three sophomores that play a lot. Physically they are going to look a whole lot different two years from now when they graduate than they do right now. That part has really been a learning process. I think those three have adapted. I think the three juniors have adapted well too. They were used to being top dog on the JV level and being a little more athletic then their competition and its kind of reversed a little bit this year. A lot of people think it is just game experience, but there is a physical side to it too that you have to get used to,” said Beaston.
Tiffin Columbian and Clear fork have never played before in basketball. It was the Tornadoes that eliminated Clear Fork from the baseball postseason last spring. Beaston has learned through scouting that Clear Fork has three outstanding guards that must be defended. “They have three guards that can flat out score. Ridge Winand, Keith Corbin, and Kaden Crastina can absolutely fill it up from three. They can all get to the rim. I tell people they aren’t just capable of going off for 20 plus on any night I think all three of them could go off on the same night for 20 plus. That is how scary they are offensively. We have our hands full a little bit on defense. We are going to have to really bring it on the defensive end to have a chance. I don’t think you can stop all three of them. We are going to have to contain two of them to have a chance to have things in our favor,” said Beaston.
As a total package Clear Fork is a different sort of challenge for them on defense than they have seen at anytime this season. “You can compare them to guards from Willard or Norwalk because those teams have three guys that can score from the perimeter too. The difference is those teams all have post players that they share the ball with. Clear Fork is really more guard oriented. Those three shoot a lot in their offense, they aren’t forced shots, it’s within what they want to do. The baulk of their possessions come from those three. We haven’t seen that. I coached a team that was similar to that three years ago. We had three solid scorers, so we have had that in our favor, but never in the opposition. It’s going to be an interesting challenge and I think the kids are up to task for it,” said Beaston.
Tiffin Columbian Getting There
Tiffin Columbian is getting better as a basketball team, but right now it is not translating into as many wins they would want.
Last week they got a win over non-conference rival Fostoria (75-56) on Tuesday, but lost tough games in overtime to Willard (63-58) and then Lexington (59-53) on Saturday. Coach Bill Beaston like the progression he has seen. He says they just need to make a few more plays at the right time. “Last week was a great week. We started off with a solid 20 point win at Fostoria. We just had a great battle with Willard at their place. It was just a great back and forth basketball game, forced them to an overtime. We had some chances to win in regulation and it just didn’t happen. The kids were really down, they were really disappointed that we didn’t win. The thing I told them is guys we played a really great basketball game, we were just one play short. Looking back there wasn’t one thing we would change or do differently,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “Willard just made one more play than us. We went back and played Lexington on Saturday at their place. They are a very solid basketball team. It was kind of the same things without the dramatics. It was another close game and we were just a few possessions short. I am pleased with where we are at, the kids are continuing to work, and continued to press for the section season.”
Tiffin, the sixth seed, will play Clear Fork (10-9) in the division two tournament at Bucyrus. Beaston says he looks forward to finding out more about the Colts. “There are always surprises. You think a team will go one way or another. There is always a surprise that throws a wrench into things. We are excited to play Clear Fork. To my knowledge we have never played before. I don’t know anything about them other than they are in a really, really competitive conference. I’m excited to scout them and get to know their personnel,” he said.
Columbian (6-13,1-7) plays at Sandusky (3-16,1-7) in Northern Ohio League game on Friday night. The Tornadoes won the first meeting (67-58) in early January. It’s been a down year for the Streaks, but Beaston says they are still dangerous. “They are very athletic. Even with some of the changes, the transitions, they have gone through that hasn’t changed. They still want to get the ball up the floor as soon as possible and get the ball into Jordan’s hands, who is really good scorer. He lit us up for 29 the first game, so we are going to have to focus on him. Moore is a nice inside player, who is very active on the boards, so we are going to have to do a number on him to have a chance. It seems like anytime Tiffin and Sandusky get together it is a good battle, so we are looking forward to it,” said Beaston.
Pressure defense is still Sandusky’s calling card, but Beaston believes they can handle it. “They will press you a little bit man in the full court. They don’t jump you a whole lot. The big thing is I think they want to speed you up out of your comfort level. I think with our guard play, especially Bryce (Longsway) we are in a situation where we can handle that. We will put the ball in his hands and get guys in position to make plays and hopefully we execute on the back end,” he said.
It is Still Consistency For Columbian
Little bit by little bit Tiffin Columbian is improving its execution, but it is not showing up on the scoreboard as they have lost their last five in a row.
Last week, they lost a Northern Ohio League game to Shelby (59-49) and lost to Midland Athletic League power New Riegel (42-28) on Saturday.
Coach Bill Beaston says it’s just those eight, ten minutes of a game that seems to be costing them. “The biggest thing is our consistency. We just seem to struggle to put together four quarters of a game. Earlier in the season it was two of three quarters that we wouldn’t play well and now we are at the point where we play well for three. It’s just that extra quarter that is killing us. If we could put together four quarters in a game we would be very completive every night and have a chance to win,” he said.
Beaston really believes that the team might be trying too hard to win games. “The kids really press. They want to win so badly and they try so hard. It is not an effort thing at all with these kids. We might miss a couple of shots in a couple of possessions. Maybe the other team scores. Then the guys feel like somebody has to step up and make a play and they will do something out of the realm of the offense. Then we get another miss. Then it kind of snowballs for that quarter,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “Sometimes it’s the opening quarter, sometimes it’s the second, sometimes it’s the last quarter. We just have to get to a point where the kids understand it’s the next play. Misses are going to happen, turnovers are going to happen and once we stop pressing and start to relax and play a whole game I think it will happen for us.”
Columbian (5-10,1-5) plays at home in an “NOL” game against Bellevue (8-7,1-5) on Thursday night. They just played two weeks ago with the Redmen winning (64-62) in double overtime. Beatson says Bellevue is blessed with a veteran unit. “Playing as much football coming in as they did to have a senior group they probably didn’t have to spend a lot of time with their sets, their philosophies because their kids pretty much new it. They are going to be a challenge. It is interesting that we just played ten days ago. That doesn’t normally happen. The two teams are very familiar with each other. It was a great game. It was a great atmosphere. Double overtime it was a shame somebody had to lose. I know both teams are going to motivated to compete again and we looking forward to the challenge,” said Beaston.
That Thursday night game is the only contest for the Tornadoes this week. Beaston agrees that is would be nice to have an eight team in the “NOL” to have more balanced schedule. “If we could get an eighth team that would be great. We expand to seven next year with Ontario coming in. The nice thing about next year is it will still be an eight team schedule in terms of league schedule. Just every night somebody is going to have a bye. Maybe have a Friday off or it’s an opportunity to schedule a non-league game on that night. That will help some. The ironic thing is the way the schedule worked out we don’t have a Saturday game either, so it’s a complete off weekend for us. That can sometimes be a good thing, get some rest, kind of get away from the gym, rest the brain and the legs a little bit and come back on Monday refreshed,” he said.
Columbian Wants to Slow Down Bellevue
Tiffin Columbian is a developing team, but during the process there are going to be some ups and downs and right now the Tornadoes are on a two game losing streak.
They lost to “NOL” leader Norwalk (63-34) last Saturday night.
First of all Columbian coach Bill Beaston says the Truckers are really good. “I told our kids before the game, and it held true during, and we talked again afterwards in the locker room. Norwalk is so efficient. Offensively they don’t make a lot of mistakes, they don’t turn the ball over a whole lot and they shoot a pretty good percentage. Defensively they are very efficient also. They don’t give up a lot of easy baskets, so if you are going to be successful against them you have to make shots when you get them and you can’t turn it over,” said Beaston.
Tiffin got behind in the first quarter and they really didn’t get back into the game against the unbeaten Truckers. “The first quarter was huge we didn’t do either. We had three of four point blank looks that we missed in the first quarter. We had a couple of turnovers that they converted to layups and we gave up a couple more offensive rebounds that they converted to points. We go into the second quarter down 17-6 instead of maybe tied if you have all of those things go your way. You can’t dig yourself a hole like that against a team like Norwalk because you’re not going to get back in the game,” said Beaston.
Columbian (5-7,1-3) is at Bellevue (4-6,0-4) in a Northern Ohio League game on Friday night. Beaston cautions to not be confused with the record of the Redmen. “I think dangerous is a very appropriate word. I look at their roster, their stats, and watch them on film, and I see four or five guys that can all shoot it from the perimeter and shoot it pretty well. On any given night they are capable of doing big things offensively,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “I do think early on they struggled a little bit with legs and things like that. I don’t perceive that to be an issue. They’ve had four days off this week, so they are going to have fresh legs for us anyway. The thing for us is we are going to have to figure out how to defend and put the ball in the basket because that has been a struggle for us they last three nights.”
To be successful the Tornadoes would rather the tempo be slow, but Beaston says they will have to execute against a variety of defenses from Bellevue. “We wouldn’t mind slowing it down a little bit, being patient, and working for good shots. The thing with Bellevue they mix defenses so often and so well. They will be in one zone one trip down the floor and then they are in man and then they are in another zone. It is really difficult to get into an offensive flow against them. That is going to be difficult for us. We think we have an advantage inside and would like to get the ball there and get some easy baskets. That is when we are at our best, but we also know they are going to take that away and our guards are going to have to step up and make some shots for us,” said Beaston.
Columbian is getting it
Tiffin Columbian is finding a way to success on the basketball floor and hopes to get more in the second half of the season.
Coach Bill Beaston says they have reduced their turnovers, got more rebounds and just matured a little bit during the Christmas break. “Our growth and hard work is progressing in the right direction. We dropped a game in the holiday tournament at Findlay, came back the next night and won the consolation game against Toledo Waite, and since then we beat Sandusky and Marion Harding in successive nights as well. The kids are coming around,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “We seem to be doing things a little bit better, we are cutting down on our turnovers, we are improving our rebounding. I am really impressed with my two sophomores Derek Dryfuss and Cody Daniels, who are both post players for me, they are really coming into their own and asserting themselves as more of a scoring threat for us.”
At the beginning of the season the Tornadoes had a lot of players seeing varsity action for the first time. Now, Beaston says they understand what it takes. “We have an eight man rotation and three of them are sophomores, so we know there will be nights when there are quarters or halves where we look like it’s our first night of varsity basketball, but we also know with our skill level that there will be nights when we look like a veteran laden team. We kind have to work though those nights and find ways to win and the last three nights we have found ways to do that,” he said.
On Tuesday night, the Tornadoes (4-5) host Oak Harbor (4-2) out of the Sandusky Bay Conference for a non-league game. Beaston says the Rockets have started to turn their program around. “They are much improved from the last couple of years. Their coach is in his second year of making great strides with them. They have three guards that are all three solid players. They are very aggressive with the ball and shoot a lot of threes. They are not huge inside. We think we may have an advantage there. They do play a 3-2 match-up they utilize to prevent the ball from getting inside. We are going to have our hands full a little bit. I am glad the game is at home. I think that if we can handle their pressure and break their traps we could be in scoring situations. The way we have been playing defense the last couple of games that will need to continue for us to be successful,” said Beaston.
As far as handling zones is concerned, Beaston says they can do it, but not always. “When we are aggressive with it we have handled it pretty well. We are not a team that is normally going to shoot are way out of it, but we feel like with ball movement and some of our isolation stuff we can get the looks we want to get out of it. Where we get in trouble is we get passive and we kind of hold the ball and wait for reads as opposed to attacking and creating out own situations. That’s when we start to struggle,” said Beaston.
Tiffin Must Find Shooting Touch
If Tiffin Columbian is to become a competitive team in the “NOL” they need to shoot the ball better than they have been this season.
The Tornadoes (1-3,0-1) are a pretty young team. Coach Bill Beaston says they have to continue to learn how to work with each other to get better shots. “We did not shoot real well last weekend. Offensively it was a struggle, especially from the perimeter. That is something that we are going to continue to work on. It’s not so much that we can’t, it’s our shot selection that has to get better. We have to get into more of a flow on offense,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “If you get multiple guys touching it instead of just one or two then I think we will start to shoot better. Friday night we did a pretty good job of getting the ball inside against Shelby and that kind of went away on Saturday. We need to make sure the big guys are more involved in the offense.”
If they are going to be successful on offense Beaston says they have to be able to share the basketball. “The thing with us is we don’t have s stud so to speak that is just going to go out and score 25 and create 10 assists on his own for other people. You know, we really rely on the team game and the team aspect, so if multiple guys are touching ball on offense then multiple guys are going to be in a rhythm and more in tune with what we are doing I think we will see our shooting percentage go up,” he said.
Tiffin hosts Willard (4-2,2-0) in a Northern Ohio League game on Friday night. Beaston says the Flashes have a lot of guys that can shoot the ball. “I have seen a little bit of film on them, so far we have focused mostly on ourselves and some things we need to work on first. They still have the Adams, kid who is about 6’5”. He likes to float around the perimeter. He has a nice pull up. He is very capable of going inside and be an on block type post player for them. I definitely see a lot of four guard tendencies with him in the middle. They are going to be a load. They have three or four guys that can shoot on the perimeter. They have a well balanced team this year,” said Beaston.
The Columbian coach admits this is a pretty important game for the Tornadoes. “Being a young team we definitely need to build off of positives. If we could get a win going into Christmas break I think that would be huge for our confidence in our youth. Kids also understand the big picture and we are going to go through some growing pains. They want to win and they are trying their absolute best. It’s a process and we know we are building something good here at Tiffin,” he said.
Tiffin Anxious to Play
Tiffin Columbian didn’t get to play a basketball game last week and they probably needed to.
After losing to Clyde (58-54) and beating Port Clinton (54-36) on the opening weekend it was just practice for the Tornadoes last week. Coach Bill Beaston likes the group of players he has this year they just need more game action. “First and foremost we are extremely young. We have two seniors on the roster. When we opened on November 30th against Clyde we had six guys make an appearance for the first time in their careers in a varsity basketball game. The week off was not good for us,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “We need to play games and gain experience, so we are anxious to get back on the floor this week. I really like my group. They are a hard working, hard nosed group. They are super competitive. They hate lose and they bring that energy to games and practices.”
Tiffin won the Northern Ohio League in football this year and played two playoff games. Beaston says he has some of that talent on his team. “We have about eight kids, counting varsity and JV, that spent some time on the football team and ran through the two weeks of playoffs they where in. We had all of our freshmen in, we have decent varsity numbers and JV kids that don’t play. We were able to do some skill work,” he said. Beaston thinks it was a big plus for his kids and the whole school with what happened during football season. “I think it is hugely important to a school when you can start a school year with a successful football team it just creates an atmosphere your building where students are excited to go support the football team. The kids are excited to go and compete and that carries over into the winter too. The kids are more excited to go to their winter sports. That same experience carries over to the winter and so far that is exactly what we have seen this year,” he said.
Columbian plays at Shelby (3-1,0-1) in their league opener. Beaston says the Whippets have been tough nut to crack for them. “One thing for sure is coach Schwemley is one the best coaches in our area and he gets a lot out of his kids regardless of talent level. That is always a factor. Then the other underling factor is people forget how good Rhode and Fenner where for that team last year. They are both very good basketball players. Both are good at knocking down outside shots and getting to the paint as well. The tank is not empty and they have real good role players too fitting into their new system quite well. I told our kids (Monday) that Shelby has been a house of horrors for our program over the years. It’s going to take an outstanding effort for us to be successful Friday,” said Beaston.
The Tiffin coach says Shelby has not been trying to push the ball all of the time like did they last couple of years. “They aren’t quite as up and down as they used to be. They last two years they were more interested in a track meet. They really wanted to get up and down. From what I have seen on film they really push when they can, but they are okay with setting up in a half court offense. They run a little more Princeton stuff with back door and they are okay with that too. They are taking what the defense gives them and what the situation gives them and making them the most from each possession,” said Beaston.
Columbian Needs to Eliminate Turnovers
Is Avon Tiffin Columbian’s waterloo? We find out on Friday night when Columbian plays Avon in the division two regional semi-finals at Fremont Harmon Stadium.
It was Avon that eliminated Tiffin (35-21) in the regional final last year.
Last week, it was the Tornadoes (11-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com football coach’s poll in the large school division, that beat Mansfield Senior (28-16) in the regional quarterfinals. They pilled up more than 250 yards rushing and coach Brian Colatruglio says they were able to keep the ball away from the explosive Tygers. “It has been a big key for us all year. A team as dangerous as Mansfield Senior on offense, with all of the weapons that they had we wanted to run the ball. Especially in the first half we really control the clock. We had two really lone, 10 plus play drives, and finished them off with touchdowns. I think we only had three possessions the whole first half. That kept it out of their hands. The fact that we were scoring touchdowns too kept a little pressure on them when they did get it,” said Colatruglio.
Mansfield Senior made it a two score game with less than five minutes to play, but Colatrugio they were up to the challenge. “We had some key turnovers there in the fourth quarter. Our defense bent a little bit and gave up some yards here and there. They got some big stops in the red zone and turnovers when we needed them,” he said.
Avon (10-1) is again a very good football team, their only loss coming to Avon Lake (42-28) in their opener. Colatruglio says they are led by a fine running back. “They are a great football team. They are a perennial playoff team just like we are. It’s two years in a row now that we have matched up with them. This is a really solid, fundamental football team. They do everything well. There are no glaring weaknesses. They have the best running back that we have probably seen all year in Ross Douglas,” said Colatruglio.
Your first thought is that Eagles are going to be very similar to what they were a season ago, but Colatruglio says that really isn’t true. “They are a little bit more ground oriented this year. Their best guy is a running back. Last year they had a quarterback and two senior receivers that were excellent. They probably threw it more last year than they are this year. Defensively they are very similar to last year. They are not huge they are just good fundamentally sound football team,” said Colatruglio. And really they aren’t that similar to any team they have played so far, with the possible exception of Clyde. “They are different because they have a lot of two back stuff. We don’t see a ton of that. Bellevue was a very good run football team. Clyde was an “I” team with a really good tailback. They are similar to some of the things they were trying to do offensively,” he said.
With an unbeaten football team in town, and Calvert playing on Friday night too, there is a lot of excitement around Tiffin. Colatruglio told his boys to soak it in. “When your team is in the playoffs it generates not only excitement within your team, but excitement through your school building, excitement within your community. It’s part of the deal. Our kids are enjoying everything, just having a great time. This is supposed to be fun and I think we are experienced to know how to deal with it,” Colatruglio said.
As far as keys to a win, Colatruglio they have to limit turnovers and they convert on third down. “I think when you get to this level with two evenly matched teams it is usually turnovers. The team that protects for football has a great chance to win. Last week we didn’t turn it over and Mansfield did. Last year against Avon we had three and they had zero. I think third downs are important. The way we play offense anytime we convert a third down it’s more time off the clock, it’s more chances for our running backs to have the ball in their hands. We have to keep our offense on the field and get our defense off the field on third down,” said Colatruglio.
Columbian Not Done Winning
It’s been a great season, so far, for the Tiffin Columbian Tornadoes, but they have a lot more they want to accomplish.
With a win over Norwalk (28-6) last week, the Tornados met three goals. They are outright Northern Ohio League champions, earned a home playoff game and put together their first unbeaten season since 1987. Coach Brain Colatruglio says they are happy with what they have done, but not satisfied. “It has been a great start. Those are the things that are important to us. We had a great season last year, but not getting a part of that “NOL” title kind of leaves you a little bit empty, so to win our league for the second time in three years and getting a home playoff game. On top of that the little extra of getting that perfect season, that 10-0, the second time in school history that we have done that, it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a great start, but that’s what it is, it’s a start. We still have some things in front of us that we are looking to get done,” said Colatruglio.
Columbian, #1 in the Swankonsports.com football coach’s poll in the large school division, plays host to Mansfield Senior (8-2), #2 in the same poll, on Friday night in a first round game in division two. Tiffin beat Mansfield (33-22) on the second week of the regular season and Colatruglio says yes they watched that tape. “You are always interested to see how a team attacked you and what they tried to do. Maybe what worked and what didn’t work for both sides. I’m sure we are going to throw a few things at them that they haven’t seen and I’m sure they have some stuff for us that we haven’t seen. The bottom line is personnel wise is you can look and see. It is one thing to watch them play Madison in the mud or watch them play West Holmes or something like that. We don’t know their personnel like we know ours, so to get a chance to see them against our team, I want to watch it,” said Colatruglio.
When you play Mansfield Senior you are always going to face game breakers with great speed. Colatruglio says they don’t see speed like this normally. “They have overall the best team speed that we face year to year. In the regular season it was the best. I not just talking their skilled players, their receivers and db’s are really fast, but the quickness of their defensive linemen. They have great speed up front. It is something we don’t see week to week. It’s a big adjustment,” he said.
In the first meeting Jack Jacoby, the Columbian quarterback, had 178 yards rushing and running back Ryan Lynch added 154 yards on the ground. Colatruglio says that is what they want to do, run the ball. “That’s what we do. We have hurt all ten teams we have played by the way we run the football. That is what we are going to do. I think we did a real good job of controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. We took the ball out of their hands offensively,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “They had a kickoff return, but as far as our defense and their offense we didn’t give them huge explosive plays. Really that has been our formula all year to control the football with our offense, wear people down, and control the line of scrimmage of both sides of the ball. It’s been pretty successful for us for 10 weeks and that’s going to be what we look to continue to do.”
Over the second half of the season Tygers running back Keevon Taylor has had over 100 yards rushing in four of five games, highlighted by 211 yards against Lexington on week nine. Colatruglio says Mansfield Senior is running it better than the first time they played them. “They were playing a bunch of different guys at running back when we played them. They were still trying to define which guy they were going to go to. I think they have kind of settled in on a back now. He is a big, physical type runner, which complements their speed at receiver and their passing game. They are a little different animal than they were back then. They have gotten better. The quarterback has gotten better, his timing, where he wants to go with the ball. They are a much improved team after 10 weeks and I hope that we are too,” said Colatruglio.
Columbian Has a lot on its Plate
Tiffin Columbian has already had a great season, but they have a lot more they would like to accomplish beginning with a win this week at Norwalk against the Truckers.
Last week, the Tornadoes (9-0,4-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com football coach’s poll in the large school division, clinched at least a share of the Northern Ohio League title with a win (40-14) over the Sandusky Blue Streaks. With that in hand, coach Brian Colatruglio says they have three things they would like to finish off with a win at Norwalk. “It’s exciting. I’m mean it’s a championship game. We are playing week 10 with a chance to achieve a lot of our preseason goals. To be able to chinch that “NOL” championship, secure a home playoff game and that added bonus of the opportunity to go 10-0. All of those things are on our plate for this week. It’s one of the bigger weeks in since I have been here in Columbian football. We are pretty excited and have had a great week of preparation and now we will see if we can get some of those things done,” said Colatruglio.
Columbian has been one of the most consistent football teams in North Central Ohio over the last two decades, but even the Tornadoes have found it difficult to complete a perfect regular season. “We have done it once in our school’s history in 1987. I know that team is looked at with a lot of respect around here and we have an opportunity to match that. It’s a pretty exciting thing. I know our team is taking that pretty serious,” said Colatruglio.
Norwalk began this season with seven straight wins, but the Truckers have lost their last two “NOL” games to Bellevue (48-21) and inspired Willard (24-0) last week. However, Colatruglio says they have as much talent, especially in the skilled positions, as anyone they have played this year. “They are extremely talented, probably the most talented skilled players we have seen all year. They have several receivers with Peacock, Finch and Johnson. They are all extremely talented,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “The running back Turner is explosive. If he gets in the open field he is gone. They have a trigger man that makes it happen. Their quarterback is a three year starter. His improvement from his sophomore year to now is huge. They give you a lot to worry about, especially defensively. They spread the field with some pretty good players and give you a lot to be concerned with.”
With the athletes they have Norwalk is capable of scoring on big plays and they have done that for most of the season. Colatruglio says they need to have great pursuit in order to contain the Truckers. “You have to tackle in space. Our secondary has to stay on top of things and we have to drop well underneath. It’s a combination. It’s team defense. We aren’t going to ask one player to take one player away. We are going to play 11 man defense and everybody has to contribute and do their job. We need to control the line of scrimmage. I think they have a slight advantage in the skilled positions and I think we have a slight advantage up front and that is where we have to be able to win the game,” said Colatruglio.
Norwalk quarterback Jake Fetheroff has been one of the more prolific passers in the area this season. Colatruglio says they have to keep him off balance. “We want to mix it up on them. We want to show him some blitz looks and show him some zone and see if we can’t get some doubt in his head. When he catches the ball and throws it on time he is pretty good. We want to try and disrupt that a little bit whether if it is dropping eight or bringing six or seven. We will change it up on him and see if we can’t put a little doubt in his mind,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian Still Improving
Tiffin Columbian has been a sound football team from week one on and their coach believes they are still getting better as a team heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
A win at home on Friday night against Sandusky will give the Tornadoes (8-0,3-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com football coach’s poll in the large school division, at least a share of the Northern Ohio League title. They lead Bellevue, Norwalk, and Sandusky by one.
They got off to a good start and went on to hammer the Willard Flashes (46-8) last week to keep their record perfect. Coach Brian Colatruglio says he loved their approach to the game. “We showed some maturity. We were a little sloppy against Toledo Start a couple of week ago and a little bit against Shelby. I was pretty proud that we really came out and attacked Willard. We were the aggressors from the beginning and we put the game away early in the third quarter. I thought we have grown a little bit and learned from some past struggles and really took it to them,” said Colatruglio.
The Tornadoes have looked good all year and Colatruglio thinks they are improving along the way. He sites two areas in particular. “We are developing some depth. We are rotating more guys than we were early in the year. Our young guys keep getting better. I think our diversity on offense. We were pretty dependant on Jacoby and Lynch early in the year and now we have some receivers making plays and our quarterback continues to make some improvements,” said Colatruglio.
With some solid offensive numbers that is what people are going to look at first, but Colatruglio says the defense has been very good too, especially against the run. “We have been terrific on defense all year. Our first team group has not given up a lot of touchdowns on the season, especially against the run. We are giving up less than 100 yards a game on the ground. Our guys up front have done a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage against every team we have played this year,” he said.
Sandusky (3-5,2-1) has not been as good as last year when they beat Columbian in the regular season and won the “NOL” title, but lost to them in the second round of the playoffs. Colatruglio says they have been dealing with a lot of youth. “They graduated 30 seniors and when you have a class like that the following year you are going to get young. They are playing a bunch of sophomores. It’s guys that are first time varsity players. They have played a tough early season schedule. They played Perkins and Ashland and some of those teams right out of the gate. It forces those young guys to have to grow up pretty quick. They have progressed,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, “They have won three of their last four. They are scary they have speed. They are not afraid to throw it deep. It is something that we have struggled at times throughout this year. We have to be pretty sound at tackling and make sure they aren’t throwing the ball over our head.”
Tiffin travels to Norwalk next week for a big game with the 7-1 Truckers, but Colatruglio thinks his team will have its focus where it is supposed be this week, on Sandusky. “It’s our last home game that we are guaranteed and that’s always a special night for your seniors and something we are going to take pretty serious. We still haven’t accomplished anything. That’s what we keep talking about. Our goals are all still in front of us. That “NOL” championship, that possibility of a perfect regular season is a pretty special thing to do, and getting that home playoff game. We have enough on the line that I think Sandusky is going to get our full attention,” said Colatruglio.
Columbian Having Fun
When you are winning you are having a lot of fun and that is certainly the case for the unbeaten Tiffin Columbian Tornadoes.
They share the lead with Norwalk in the Northern Ohio League standings and they have played well in all phases of the game pretty much every week, and that is hard to do.
Last week, on nasty field conditions they shut out the Shelby Whippets (19-0) in “NOL” play. Coach Brian Colatruglio says their defense did everything they asked them to do in containing the Whippets. “Our defense was outstanding from the start to the finish. Posting a shutout is always a goal. It was great to be able to get that zero up. Our offense struggled a little bit. The conditions were right for a defensive struggle a little bit. It was a tough night to play offense, that’s for sure,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday.
Football starts in the heat of summer and the state title games are on the first week in December. Colatruglio says you have to be ready for whatever conditions are present on a particular Friday night. “Plus you play in every condition imaginable. The first game it was 95 degrees and you are battling camps, and heat, and sun. We play in the rain and mud and a nasty field last week. Hopefully we are good enough where we get a chance to play when it’s pretty cold out too. A lot goes into it. You are not in a gym where everything is the same and you don’t stop playing when it rains. It’s what makes football the greatest sport in the world, Colatruglio said.
This week, the Willard Flashes (3-4,0-2) come to Columbian (7-0,2-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com football coach’s poll in the large school division. Willard runs the triple option offense, which has produced some big plays for them this year. Colatruglio says Willard is doing some good things. “They are in a system that fits what they have. They don’t have huge offensive linemen, so they get it in the option and try to scheme some teams that way, I think it’s a good move by them. It’s pretty similar to what Marion Harding does offensively. We are fortunate to have played against it once this season already. You have to be solid against all three phases of the option. Hopefully, it is something our guys can handle,” said Colatruglio. He says you have to play assignment football or the Flashes can make some big plays. “When you watch Army, Navy and Air Force and those teams play they thrive on guys being out of position. If you can get everybody accounted for and have everybody do their job then you have a chance to slow it down,” he said.
Colatruglio says they look forward to playing each week, no matter who the opponent is, and that will be the case again this week. “You only get 10 of them. We talk to our seniors about you are only guaranteed 10 games, only five at home. This our second to last home game, it’s senior parents night. That’s a special night for our seniors. We can’t afford to throw away any of those opportunities. It’s a chance to go out in front of a good crowd and play football on Friday night and we are going to take advantage,” he said.
Columbian Ready to Move Forward
Tiffin Columbian is playing some outstanding football right now and they hope to be able to keep that going into a game with the Shelby Whippets on Friday night.
Last Friday night, the Tornadoes met Bellevue in a contest between two 5-0 teams. Columbian scored first and they were never behind in winning (35-21) in Tiffin. Coach Brain Colatruglio says they just had that look in their eyes. “You always wonder what is going to happen when you are challenged and how you kids are going to react. I love our focus. We came out of the tunnel and we were ready to play from the start. I really like how physical our football team played against a team that was also physical. We controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. That is a real positive sign for us moving forward,” said Colatruglio.
He says the players where not going crazy with intensity. They just knew what they had to get done on the field in order to win the game. “It was more of a focus and than an intensity. There weren’t any rah-rah speeches or anything like that last week. Our kids were ready to go. When we can maintain that focus and intensity for an extended period of time we are pretty good,” he said.
Columbian (6-0,1-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com football coach’s poll in the large school division, plays at Skiles Field against the Shelby Whippets in a Northern Ohio League game on Friday night. Colatruglio says, yes, they are worried a little bit about a letdown., “Bellevue was a game that we had circled on our schedule. With coaches and players it has been our focus for a long time. You fear that natural let down. It’s human nature. You kind of get to that point. That’s what we are fighting. We told our kids that there are no trophies and championships for being 6-0. A lot of teams go 6-0. All of our goals and everything we want to do is in front of us. We can’t take a step back. That has been our push this week to make sure that we continue to improve and continue to move forward. Even though we had a big win last week on Saturday morning that was over. We needed to move on and get ready to play Shelby,” said Colatruglio.
Shelby (1-5,0-1) has shown improvement from last year’s 0-10 season. Colatruglio says the Whippets have some pretty good football players, just not enough of them. “They are improving. They have some really good football players. They just don’t have a ton of them. Their numbers are down. Their depth is a little bit lacking. One thing that stands out is they move the ball on everybody. Their offense is to run the ball on just about everybody they have played. They get first downs and then they do something to kind of stub their toe a little bit. They turn it over or they have a negative play and it kind of stalls drives out. They have our attention and we are going to go on the road and play at a tough place to play. Our guys are going to be ready,” said Colatruglio.
The Tiffin coach says he thinks that Shelby is going to try and take the ball out of the hands of his offense. “I would think that is going to be their plan. They aren’t really good at throwing the ball. They are going to try and run it at us and possess the ball. You know, keep the ball out of our hands and see it they can’t hang around and make it a game in the second half and then anything could happen” he said.
It’s a Battle of Unbeatens
Norwalk might have something to say about who wins the Northern Ohio League too, but the winner of Friday night’s Bellevue at Tiffin Columbian game is certainly going to be in the driver’s seat.
Both teams are unbeaten on the season and really haven’t been challenged all year. Colombian coach Brian Colatruglio says players and coaches alike live for games like this. “It has been an exciting week. This is why you do it. This why the kids put in all of the work in the off season. This why coaches put in so much time to get into a game like this. Two great teams and two great communities. They have an excellent coaching staff that we are going to be kind trading punches with. It’s exciting and something our guys have been looking forward to for a long time,’ he said.
Bellevue won last year’s game 20-6.
Colatruglio says you can tell that it is Bellevue week and that this is a pretty big game just in the way the players are acting and their focus in practice. “We are pretty up front with our kids. When we are playing teams we think we should handle we are going to let them know that. When we play a game like this our guys know this is the best team we have played all year and probably are going to play at least for a while,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, “Your focus is a little bit better throughout the week. You have great preparation. Our practice is just a little bit more crisp. When you get in a game like this you expect your big time players to make plays. We expect Jack Jacoby to have a heck of game, Ryan Lynch to get some tough yards, and Jordan Dye to make some plays in the passing game. Our big time players are going to have to make plays to win.”
Tiffin Columbian and Bellevue are both ranked in our Swankonsports.com football coach’s poll in the large school division. Columbian is #1 and Bellevue is #4.
The Redmen are led by the play of quarterback Jalen Santoro and Colatruglio knows they are going to have to contain him because he is going to get the ball a lot. “They are going to put the ball in his hands. This is his third year starting against us. I think he has already had 70 carries in two years. I am sure he is going to get it 35 or 40 times again (Friday) night just like we are going to put it in Jack’s hands on our team. I expect Santoro to play well and I except Jack Jacoby to play well. Who’s offensive line steps up and controls the line of scrimmage and who’s defense can get a stop on third down is probably going to settle the game,” said Colatruglio.
Tiffin is no stranger to big games and Colatruglio believes they will have the right mental approach. “We are a pretty even keeled team. We have been in big games before, whether it was early this year or playoff games last year, we have been in this environment before. I don’t think our guys are going to be overwhelmed by the crowd or by a good football team coming in to play us. We are pretty focused and we have a great group of guys that show up and do their job,” said Colatruglio.
Tiffin Columbian With One More Tune up
Tiffin Columbian has put way most of the games they have played this year in the first half and then coasted to the win, but their coach says they have played hard no matter what the score.
Columbian (4-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com football coach’s poll in the large school division, downed Marion Harding (39-27) last week. Coach Brian Colatruglio says they established control early on both sides of the ball. “We were really pleased. I think we showed a lot of balance with our offense. We jumped out early and got out to a lead and then we played petty solid defense. They got a couple in the fourth quarter on us. Overall I was happy with the way we played on both sides of the ball,” he said.
With wins over Clyde (27-7), Mansfield Senior (33-22), and Fostoria (47-0) as well, Colatruglio is very impressed with the way his team has been focused this year. “I am really proud of our guys. There were a couple of times we had teams outmanned and our guys know that, but we have showed up every week. We have really come out and taken life out of people early in the game. We have been able to get a lot of guys some playing time and finish the job in the second half,” said Colatruglio.
In their final non-conference game of the season, Tiffin is at Toledo Start (1-3) on Friday night. Colatruglio says Start has a lot guys on their roster that can take it the distance. “They are dangerous. They have a lot of speed, especially at the skilled positions. They have played a killer schedule. They opened with Whitmer, Anthony Wayne and Sylvania Southview. Those three were all division one playoff teams last year,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, “They finally played somebody with equal talent and they took it to Sandusky pretty good. It’s a team that is scary. They are coming off a win and have some confidence. We are going on the road and playing on grass for the first time this year. There are a lot of things that we need to make sure we take care of.”
With the speed that Start has, similar to Mansfield Senior, Colatruglio says they have to be able to bring down the player that breaks containment and not allow the kids to make a five yard game into a touchdown. “It’s going to be tackling in space and being gap sound. Their skilled guys are looking for that big play. If you aren’t where you are supposed to be they are going to take advantage,” he said.
Tiffin Facing Option
So far, Tiffin Columbian has had the answer for all three opponents they have played this year, but Friday night will be a different kind of challenge for the Tornados.
In the three games they have played so far Columbian, #1 in the Swankonsports.com football coach’s poll in the large school division, has outscored its opponents 107-29 and that has not been against the little sister’s of the poor. They have beaten Clyde (27-7) and Mansfield Senior (33-22) and both are going to have good seasons.
Last week, the Tornados belted Fostoria (47-0) and coach Brain Colatruglio says they did a lot of things right. “We came out and started real fast. When you are playing a team that is struggling that is the key. You have to jump on them early and don’t let them get any confidence and hang around. We did a great job of doing that,” he told Swankonsports.com, “We really got our passing game going. Mike Rohrbach threw four touchdowns and Stewart Dye caught three and Donald Walker had the fourth. It was good to come out and work on some things and jump on them early.”
Columbian cold have an opportunity to get more players on the field last week, but Colatruglio says the weather got in the way. “We were starting to, but we had to stop the game with about three minutes to go in the third quarter. We had lightning and it wasn’t going to let up. We actually only played two and a half quarters. For most of the third quarter was our top backups, we got them some time. Unfortunately we were going to get all of our guys lots of time and just weren’t able to do that,” he said.
This week, Tiffin Columbian plays host to Marion Harding (1-2), a team that features the old style triple option offense. “They are different than anyone we have seen. They run a lot of option where we are going to have to be really assignment based. Actually they play pretty solid defense. Mansfield’s speed was just way too much for them. That was a really bad match-up for them. We need to continue to make some strides and keep that balance on offense and play real good assignment football on defense,” Colatruglio said.
Mansfield Senior’s passing game destroyed Harding last week (45-21) as the Tygers had more than 400 yards passing.
Colatruglio says against that style of offense you have to be very disciplined on defense if you are going to stop them. “There are a lot teams running the option out of the shot gun, but the under center, the old school veer and mid-line options, you just don’t see a whole lot of it. We saw last weekend Air Force giving Michigan fits with it. When run properly it can be a real good offense,” he said.
Tiffin Concentrating on Self
Tiffin Columbian continues to build momentum as the Tornados again appear to be one of the better football teams in North Central Ohio.
Tiffin (2-0) beat Mansfield Senior (33-22) last week in a game that really wasn’t as close as the score would indicate. Mansfield Senior scored twice in the final two minutes against the Columbian JV defense. Tornados coach Brian Colatruglio says he was happy with how they played on both sides of the ball. “We were solid on both sides of the ball against a really good football team. I was pleased with the way we ran the ball. I think we really wore them down in the second half, especially in the third quarter when we really got our running game going. Defensively, we bent a little, but we didn’t give up any big plays and we kept them out of the end zone,” he told Swankonsports.com.
Against Mansfield Senior wildcat quarterback Jake Jacoby ran for 178 yards and running back Ryan Lynch had 154 yards and both scored twice. Colatruglio says they have gotten excellent play in the trenches. “We won the line of scrimmage both nights on both sides of the ball. Our offensive and defensive lines have gotten the job done. We got good pressure against Mansfield from our defensive front and we ran the ball pretty well,” he said.
Columbian, #1 in the Swankonsports.com football coach’s poll, plays host to old rival Fostoria (0-2) on Friday night. The Redmen have struggled again this year with losses to Ottawa Glandorf (62-7) and Bowling Green (31-0) in their games so far. “You know, they are struggling, but they have a new head coach trying to get his stuff in. With them it’s going to be a little bit of time. They are growing. I know they are going to play hard. It’s the last time of the Fostoria-Tiffin rivalry that has been going on for a long time, so both sides are going to be excited and ready to go on Friday night,” he said.
Columbian will be an overwhelming favorite in the game, but Colatruglio says they have to be very focused on what they need to do. “We have to take care of ourselves. We are not where we want to be. Even at 2-0 we have a lot of room for improvement. We have to take care of ourselves and make sure we are taking our step from week to week and improving,” he said.
Columbian Faces Tough Game With Mansfield Senior
Tiffin Columbian has designs on the Northern Ohio League title, but they also have established the goal of making the playoffs. A win Friday night at Mansfield Senior will help attain that second goal.
Last week, the Tornados took down Clyde (27-7) in their first game of the season. Coach Brian Colatruglio says they were able to start the game with a bang. “We got off to a fast start. We returned the opening kick for a touchdown and hit a couple of other big plays. We had some guys playing for the first time on Friday night that made some plays for us. Overall, it was a good victory. We got a lot of things accomplished. We came out healthy and got a big win against an always tough Clyde team,” said Colatruglio.
Even with the good start the season, Colatruglio knows there are still some things they have to work on. “We still have some inconsistency at this point. We gave up some plays in the passing game. We are a little inconsistent in our drops and things like that. Our offensive line has to be more consistent in what they are doing. We had some big plays, but there were also a couple of times we failed to sustain drives because of it,” he said.
Mansfield Senior (1-0) played excellent football in downing Galion (14-7) last week in their first game. Colatruglio is very impressed with the Senior High defense he saw on tape. “They are really fast on both sides of the ball. Not just the skilled guys. Defensively, their line is quick and they get off the ball. Defensively they played a great game against Galion. They really ran to the ball well and made everything really tough on them. We have to contain their athletes when we are on defense and defensively we have to be physical and control the line of scrimmage,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday. He says they have great athletes in the secondary, but they are a lot better up front then they were last year. “We knew how good they were in the secondary. What really stood out on tape was they controlled the line of scrimmage against Galion. Galion has a good running back and a good running quarterback and they really struggled running the ball. We knew Mansfield had athletes on the perimeter, but they are much improved up front,” said Colatruglio.
Mansfield Senior is featuring more of the spread offense and the Tiffin coach says that exactly what they should be doing. “They were very smart. They had a stud tailback and he was the focal of their offense. When he got hurt they went to their strength. The one thing about Mansfield Senior they are always going to have speed, they are always going to have great athletes. I think spreading the field and putting four receivers out there is smart move to get their best players on the field,” Colatruglio said.
With both teams likely factors in their league races Colatruglio knows this game carries a lot of importance as far as the playoffs are concerned. “It’s week two and we don’t try to think about that too much, but Mansfield is a good team and they are going to win some games, just like Clyde was a good team and is going to win some games. Even though it is week two these are important games for down the road. We have to be able to beat teams like this,” he said.
Playoff Implications for Tiffin and Clyde
Two of the area’s traditional football powers meet on Friday night as Tiffin Columbian travels to Clyde to meet the Fliers in non-conference high school football.
Last year, Tiffin finished 10-3 and Clyde was 9-3. The Tornados won the opening week match-up 26-13.
Columbian has some returning players to their lineup and coach Brian Colatruglio believes they have a good mix of talented underclassmen too. “We are on course. We have kind of mixed our guys in and got our new starters. We have everything kind of ironed out where people need to be. I think we are ready to play a game. It has been a long camp and two a days. I think the kids are anxious to get out there and play one for real,” he said.
This is Colatruglio’s third season with Columbian after taking Hopewell-Loudon to the state finals a couple of times. He believes this team has a good make up. “We are a good physical, fundamental football team. We have a good group of guys. We want to block and tackle. With all of the stuff that people do it still comes down to fundamental football and blocking and tackling. The team that does those things is going to win week in and week out. That is what we really focus on. We want to be a good, sound, fundamental football team,” said Colatruglio.
In his opinion Colatruglio believes this game is going to be decided up front. “This will probably always be the case in football. The game is won at the line of scrimmage. We have a good group on both sides of the ball and we are going to lean on them,” he said.
Clyde, like Columbian, lost some players to graduation, but Colatruglio says the Fliers have just reloaded. “This is typical Clyde team. They have tough scrappy kids. Our kids and Clyde’s kids are very similar. Neither one of us is pumping out division one talent every single year, but we have good hard nosed tough football players and Clyde does too. It’s a great match-up between two small communities that are close together. Football is important to both schools. I think that both teams and both programs mirror each other,” said Colatruglio.
Both teams made the playoffs last year, Tiffin in division two and Clyde in division three, and Colatruglio believes a win Friday night would be a good start in that direction. “They are going ton win eight or nine football games they do every year. We are going to win seven, eight, nine games because that’s just where we are at in our program as well. Long term looking down the road this is a huge game for us because it’s one of the best teams that we are going to play and for them it is the same,” said Colatruglio.
Columbian Trying to Bring Young Kids Along
Tiffin Columbian is one of the early season favorites to win the Northern Ohio League again this year after finishing third last season.
The Tornadoes did beat league champion Sandusky in the first round of the playoffs. They finished with a 10-3 record for the year.
This year coach Brian Colatruglio says he is happy with the progress the team is making during preseason workouts. “It’s always a process when you first start two a days and try and build for that first game. I think we are right on schedule. We have improved as we have gone. We are trying to fight through all of injuries and all of the things that come with camp as you progress through. I think we are right on pace in getting ourselves ready for the first game,” he said.
Colatruglio is in his third year as the coach at Columbian after a successful run at nearby Hopewell-Loudon. He says the players this year clearly know what he and the coaching staff expect of them. “We are in our third year now and the kids are picking things up quickly. Just the tempo and the intensity in practice and I think everybody understands how we do things now,” he told Swankonsports.com, “Everything has gone so much smoother you know getting our plays installed and just the whole tempo of practice. We don’t have to coach those things the way we had to the first couple of years.”
Unlike Allen Iverson, Colatruglio understands the importance of practice and he makes sure the kids understand it too. “We try to make practice really fast and make it difficult and put kids in tough situations and try to prepare them for all of those circumstances that are going to come up on Friday night,” he said.
Columbian returns some their best players to the lineup, but Colatruglio knows they have to have other guys that play too in case of injury or just the need for rest by the starters. “I am really concerned with depth. We are really battling to get some of our younger guys to step in and be able to provide that depth. Whether we rotate guys or have to get guys a break. That is always a concern just catching the young guys up and getting them ready to play varsity football. For sophomores it’s a big jump from playing freshmen football to trying to play varsity football,” he said.
Columbian Belts Clear Fork
Tiffin Columbian earned their second title in less than a week when they hammered Clear Fork in the division two sectional finals on Tuesday night at Clyde High School.
Carter Mullins hit a two-run home run in the first inning and starting pitcher Daniel Wood gave up two runs over five innings as the Tornados (15-6) beat the Colts (9-2) to advance to the district tournament. Columbian has lost to Pemberville Eastwood in the sectional final the last two years.
Tiffin coach Curt Mellot says they got a bit hit in the first inning and got off to a running start against Clear Fork. “I thought our kids played pretty well (Tuesday) night. I think they have a very hard nosed team, a team that just plays the game the right way and really tries to do the little things right. We got a chance to jump on them early and had a big two-run home run in the first inning. Once we did that we got out of a little jam there in the top of the second inning. We never really looked back after that,” he said.
Yes, there are late rallies to win tournament games, but more times than not it is the team that gets off to a good start that wins the game. Mellot says they got some early momentum against Clear Fork (12-10). “It’s always big to get a lead early to kind of get the ball rolling so to speak. I thought we did a really good job (Tuesday) of taking advantage with two outs with a base hit by Tyler Furer and out four hole hitter Carter Mullins really stayed back on the baseball and drove it to center field and gave us an early 2-0 advantage. It set the tone early and when you can do that things usually turn out well for you,” said Mellot.
The Tornados shared the Northern Ohio League title with Norwalk and Bellevue this year and they are a team loaded with seniors. Mellot says he has three senior pitchers that he really relies on. “Our top three pitchers all being seniors Nick Loura, Tyler Furer and obviously Daniel Wood have been outstanding for us. We nearly had back to back no-hitters. Daniel had a no-hitter at Norwalk and Nick had a no-hitter into the seventh against Shelby Saturday and Daniel came out (Tuesday) and did his thing again and pitched very, very well for us, but kind of tired,” he told Swankonsports.com after the win, “We had a chance to bring Tyler in and he’s a kid that throws hard and throws a lot strikes. He did a very good job for us and kind of closing the door in the sixth and seventh.”
Over at Elida High School Tuesday night, favored Wapakoneta downed the home standing Bulldogs 2-0 to advanced to the districts as well to set up a meeting with Columbian. Mellot says he knows quite a bit about Wapakoneta and coach Jason Brandt. “The thing about Wapakoneta is I am good friends with their coach. I actually played college baseball against him. And every year for the last three years we have scrimmaged them to begin our season. I have pretty god knowledge about them. I know they play in the Western Buckeye League. They are pretty much a junior laden team this year. They were a senior laden team a couple of years ago. They are talented. Their number one pitcher and their number one hitter are very, very good. We played them basically even in that opening scrimmage of the season. It will be interesting to see how we have both progressed. I am looking forward to that challenge against Jason,” said Mellot.
Tiffin Columbian an “NOL” Champ
The Northern Ohio League is as tough and deep as any league its size north of Columbus this year with the likes of Norwalk, Bellevue, Sandusky and Tiffin Columbian. It’s the Tornados that have a chance to win an outright title by beating Norwalk on Thursday.
The Tornados (13-5,7-2), #4 in the Swankonsports.com baseball coach’s poll, got a piece of the championship with a win over Sandusky (11-1) on Tuesday night. Coach Curt Mellot says this year’s team has been one that has believed in itself. “I think this year more than any year in the past we have had a lot of leadership that has stepped up in key situations as well as experienced players that have been there. I can’t say enough about our seniors and our juniors that have made major contributions they have made to our team. I just feel like they have really taken this to a new level and I am really proud of those young men this year,” he said.
Norwalk is the defending league champion, but Mellot says they have worked very hard this year to get something that eluded them a year ago. “Experience is very key at this point and time. Like I said we have eight seniors that have gotten us to this point. They have been through the wars so to speak of competition and knowing our “NOL” foes very well. I believe some of the trials and tribulations they have suffered along the way as sophomores with about a .500 season and the close calls we had last year really kind of catapulted us into the challenges of this season. The “NOL” pound for pound is one of the toughest leagues in the area, the state for that matter, and we have really had to bring our “A” game every game to compete and to do well,” said Mellot.
With four teams ranked in our poll and the statewide poll this year, the “NOL” has been a battle every night. Plus you have to throw in Willard,, who beat Norwalk and took Columbian to the wall a couple of times. Mellot says this makes title even more special. “That’s one thing looking back five, six years ago and a little further when we had some good teams and records and great individuals and the “NOL” was not quite as balanced at that time. This is has seemed to prepare us in a number of ways for all of the challenges we face in tough weekend doubleheaders and non-league games. The fun part is each team is really putting pressure on each other to play their very best. I see teams playing the full seven innings no matter what the situation is. I am really proud to be part of that. It has really been fun more than anything,” Mellot said.
Columbian is at Norwalk (18-4,6-3), #2 in the Swankonsports.com poll, on Thursday. Mellott says he is confident in giving the ball to his number two starter in Daniel Wood, who has been a big part of the Tornados success this year. “We threw our number one on Tuesday with Tyler Fuhrer, but the cool thing for us is we have three senior pitchers that have all been through the battle. We will be throwing Daniel Wood on Thursday, who has been at the top of his game this year on the mound. He has had a lot of key wins for us and some key close games for us that we have lost. I have a lot of confidence with Dan going for us on Thursday,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “We still have a Nick Loura that due to an injury didn’t pitch much for us early in the year still available for us to close things out. Tyler can still offer us a few innings on Thursday. I feel good with that. This is our opportunity to win a league title on our own and the kids would really love to do that. That was their number one goal that they had at the beginning of the season. We are looking forward to battling as hard as we can against an absolutely great Norwalk team.”
Shorthanded or not Tiffin Ready to Battle
Tiffin Columbian and Willard go at for the third time this season in the division two sectional semi-finals at Bucyrus High School on Wednesday evening.
They split their regular season games with each winning on the opponent’s home floor. Tiffin winning at Willard (57-47) and the Flashes returning the favor (74-70) at Columbian.
Last week, Tiffin (9-11) lost to unbeaten Norwalk (58-47) in the regular season finale for both. Columbian coach Bill Beaston felt his kids showed a lot of heart. “I think our kids showed that when faced with some adversity they are a group that is going to come out swinging. We played without our starting point guard and we played without our post off the bench, so we were pretty short handed,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “For three quarters we played them basically toe to toe and it was the third quarter that cost us. They played a very nice third quarter offensively and we struggled and that proved to be the difference in the game. Hopefully, we are a little bit more healthy. I know the kids are really getting ready for Willard and are excited for season number two to start.”
They hope to get back the two players they are missing, but Beaston says they don’t know yet if that is going to be possible. “We’ll know for sure by Wednesday when the trainer can look at them one last time and be able to make a determination on whether they can play or whether they can’t. If they are that would be great, it certainly helps our team to be at full strength. The nice thing is we have experience if we’re not, so it’s not like it’s the first time we have been on the floor without them,” he said.
It is true in most early tournament games between league opponents that there isn’t going to be much of a secret when it comes to personnel or previous strategy. Beaston reports in this case that is really true. “I think the teams match-up very well. Both coaching staffs know each other very well. We talk quite a bit outside of the weeks that we play each other. We trade film quite a bit and help each other out with opposing teams. There is a lot of familiarity with each other, which makes it kind of neat because at that point it just becomes about who executes the best. We know what they are going to do and they know what we are going to do. Hopefully we out execute them and we are the team on the top at the end of the game,” Beaston said.
As far as keys are concerned, Beaston says they have to get the Flashes out of the lane and keep them off of the offensive boards if they are going to be the team that advances down the tournament trail. “The two things that hurt us in the two games we played them were offensive rebounding and keeping them out of the paint both in the half court and in the transition. When they are able to get to the rim and make lay ups or get easy baskets inside the paint and get easy put backs in offensive rebounding situations that is when their offense has really excelled and they scored a lot of points. Those are the two areas we focused on. I really believe if we can execute in those two categories it’s going to give us a chance to win,” Beaston said.
Columbian Has to Slow Down Norwalk
Tiffin Columbian is the last team with a chance to hand Norwalk a regular season loss this year. The Truckers have won all 19 so far.
Columbian (9-10,4-5) edged Sandusky (67-62) in a Northern Ohio League game last Friday and then lost in non-conference play (57-51) to Fremont Ross on Saturday night. With the tournament beginning next week, Tornados coach Bill Beaston knows their execution has to be better than it has been lately. “We certainly have some room for improvement. It was really nice to get that win against Sandusky. It had been a while since we had gotten one. When you look at all of our loses, the games are very competitive, you know we are losing by five or six points,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “It’s just a matter for finding out those little things we can do to get a couple of possessions in our favor and come out on top. This is the time of year that you want to be peaking and playing your best basketball as you get ready for the tournament.”
Beaston knows there is going to be packed house at Norwalk on Friday night. He says that is what he likes to see and he hopes his players are ready for that too. “It’s going to be a great environment. I would imagine they are going to have a lot of people there ready to cut down the nets at home for winning an outright league title. And hopeful they can get that 20 win season. For us it’s going to be a great atmosphere. We are looking forward to the challenge of going up there and see what we can do,” he said.
Norwalk (19-0,9-0), #1 in the Swankonsports.com basketball power poll for larger schools, has a lot of strengths. Beaston says they have great offensive balance and their depth is better than any team that he has seen this year. “They are very unselfish. They don’t seem to particularly care who gets the points or the articles in the paper or things like that. They just do whatever it takes to win games and if that is option number one scoring, then that’s what happens. It the first three options are taken away then option four or five step up and score. So, I think that’s the biggest thing. The other thing that is great about them is their depth. They will play eight or nine guys. They don’t seem to miss a beat when they go that deep. When you can do that you have a numbers game on your side for sure,” said Beaston.
If they are going to pull the upset, Beaston believes they are going to need to make Norwalk work for their scores in the half court and make sure they are able to defend the post. “Number one we have to limit their transition opportunities. When they make their runs in basketball games they do it wit their press, getting turnovers and getting lay ups. If we can limit transition baskets that’s going to help. We just have to make them work offensively. We want to use our quickness a little bit and play a little physical. To limit their easy baskets a little bit is going to be our biggest challenge. They are great athletically. They are really good at getting to the rim. Fetherolf is a really good post player. If he gets the ball inside it’s almost automatic he’s going to score,” said Beaston.
Tiffin Looking for that Little Something Extra
Tiffin Columbian’s season in many ways has been close, but not cigar, if that is an appropriate statement regarding high school aged athletes.
Again last week Tiffin played two good basketball teams and almost beat them both. Willard took a big first half lead and hung on to beat (74-70) Tiffin in a Northern Ohio League game. On Saturday night, Ohio Cardinal Conference co-leader Lexington, bested the Tornados (56-44) in a non-conference game.
Columbian coach Bill Beaston admits there were some off the court issues for them and he was very proud of how his players responded in the second half versus Willard. “It was kind of a frustrating weekend. In the Willard game we played the first half without a starter. Another of our starter’s mother passed away the day before the game. So, there were a lot of things on our minds other than basketball at that point,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “We dug ourselves a little bit of a whole in the first half. We were down 19 at one point. Our kids did an outstanding job of battling back and making it a basketball game. We had it at two late in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie. We just couldn’t come up with a big play to put us over the top. I’m really proud of the kid’s effort on that night. It would have been very easy to pack it in and quit and they didn’t do that.”
Against Lexington, Beaston believes they executed their defensive game plan very well, but Lexington was just too good. “Saturday we played a very, very good Lexington team and I thought our defensive game plan was strong. We took away their two top scorers in Colin Michael and Raseed Brooks. We did a pretty good job with their inside play as well. Their guards just killed us. Willeke and Webster just shot the ball really, really well on that night. That is why they are as good as they are. They are a very balanced team and they take what you give them and they take advantage of that,” said Beaston.
The athletic skills are there for Tornados, but Beaston says they just haven’t been making the best decisions on the floor this year and that has cost them in a lot of close games. “It still boils down to our decision making. If you looked at both of those games things past weekend we had four to six minute stretches were we just didn’t make good decisions. We didn’t take good shots. We didn’t make the smart pass. We tried to force a dribble drive that wasn’t there and that resulted in a turnover. At the same time when the other team is scoring that is when they are putting together these eight, 10 and 12 point runs. Then you look at things at the end of the night and things aren’t in your favor it’s easy to look at that one stretch that killed us. If we can put together 32 minutes of solid basketball I think we are going to be in great shape,” said Beaston.
Sandusky (8-10,2-6) will be at Tiffin for a league game on Friday night. The Blue Steaks beat Tiffin Columbian (83-73) in overtime in their first meeting back on January 6. Beaston cautions to not be fooled by the Sandusky record. “They are several points away from maybe being a 13, 14 win team at this point. We had an outstanding battle with them at their place. They got a last second tip in to force overtime and then actually got us in overtime. Our kids are aware of that and would like to get some revenge on the home floor. This weekend is the last time our seniors are going to step on the floor, so they would like to get two wins before they are done playing in our own gym,” Beaston said.
Tiffin also plays Fremont Ross (8-8) at home on Saturday night in a non-conference game. Beaston hopes this is the weekend for a break out for his team. “I still think our best game is out there. Our kids will even tell you that. They know their best game is still out there to be had. They are hungry to go do it. They want to go do it. Now is the perfect time to start doing it. You want to be peaking at the end of the season as you get ready for tournament play,” said Beaston.
Columbian Excited to Play Shelby
Tiffin Columbian can move into a share of second place in the Northern Ohio league with a win at Shelby on Saturday night. They will need a better defensive effort than they got the first time the teams played in order to do that.
Last week, the Tornados went on the road and beat Bellevue (58-52) in a league game. Coach Bill Beaston knows road wins the “NOL” don’t come easy. “I thought it was a great road win at Bellevue. Anytime you can win on the road in our league it is something to hang you hat on. Our league is tough as it is. Every team plays better at home. I was really happy with the kids’ effort on Friday, I thought they played outstanding,” he said.
In a big game in Seneca County on Saturday night, New Riegel, of the Midland Athletic League, edged the Tornados (62-57) before a sellout crowd. Beaston calls it a great game where the Blue Jackets made just a couple more shots. “The game was at their place. They are a very, very good basketball team. I think people put too much stock in what division teams are. If you have five guys that can play it doesn’t matter what division you are, you have five guys that can play. New Riegel does. It was a packed house. It was an electric atmosphere. It was a tournament type game. They played really, really well. They played hard, they played physical. It came down to execution and they were able to execute a few more plays in the forth quarter than we were,” said Beaston.
On Saturday night, Columbian (8-6,3-3) will be at Shelby to face the Whippets. Shelby won at Tiffin (80-64) in the first round of league play. Beaston says both teams like to get up and down the floor. “They shot 71 percent from the floor the first time we played. They were absolutely lights out on the offensive end. Like always, Shelby was very solid in pressuring you defensively as well. It’s an interesting game, it is definitely a fast paced game between the two teams, there are a lot of athletes on the floor. You aren’t going to see much walking the ball up the floor when the two teams match-up,” Beaston said.
To win this time around Beaston says they have to reduce their turnovers against the Shelby (10-4,4-2) pressure and make sure they do a better job of protecting the paint against the Whippets. “We have to protect the ball offensively. We can’t turn the ball over against their pressure. Defensively we just have to lock down a little better. We have to contest the perimeter and make sure jump shots aren’t wide open. We have to do a good job of keeping them out of the paint. They do a great job of penetrating and getting to the rim. If they aren’t getting lay ups, they do a great job of drawing contact and getting to the foul line and getting points there,” he said.
Last week, Norwalk did a great job in limiting the points of Shelby’s outstanding point guard Garrett Arnold. Beaston says Arnold is a great player, but the Whippets are more than just him. “He is an outstanding point guard. He gets the ball to people that need to get the ball when they need to get it, plus he is a real good scorer. He can go both ways depending on what they need. The big thing with Shelby is they have two other kids that can score in Nelson and Fenner,” he told Swankonsports.com, “Those guys have had big games all year. All three of them are in double digits. If you have enough defenders to do some work on those three they have great role players. Austin Rody is a good outside shooter, the Calver kid is real good outside shooter, and Jacoby Wilson can play as well. The thing that makes Shelby so good is whatever area you are trying to allow them to have offensively they attack that. You have to have great team defense to keep them in check.”
Tiffin Needs Momentum
Tiffin Columbian is a talented ball club that was once 6-1 on the season, but they have hit a drought and the need to find some water in the form of a win.
Last week, Columbian (7-5,2-3) lost to Northern Ohio league leader Norwalk (63-50) and lost a tough one at Clyde (72-66) in overtime. Coach Bill Beaston was proud of the effort his kids put forth, but it just wasn’t enough to get over the top. “Norwalk came in here Friday night and they are a load. They are hard to match up with. We played short handed without our point guard and with limited services from one of our guys off the bench. I credit our kids, I thought we really battled and gutted it out. We played really hard and gave Norwalk a good battle. They are just a really good team and they made the plays down the stretch to win the game,” said Beaston.
On Friday night, the Tornados travel to Bellevue (6-8,1-4) for an “NOL” game against the Redmen. Tiffin edged the Redmen (61-57) in early December in the first league game for both. Jalen Santoro is an outstanding point guard for the Redmen, but Beaston says he is not their only player. “This league is tough. There are no off nights. Every night you go at it it’s a battle, especially when you go on the road. Bellevue is a very difficult place to play. They shoot very well at home,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “They are guard oriented and it starts with Jalen Santoro, who is a great scorer and a great point guard for them. His supporting cast can fill it up too. Trevor Smith, Ryan Kerry, Charles Dendinger and Trent Stamm can all knock down the three as well. We will have out hands full. We know we are going to have to focus on the defensive end.”
Bellevue is an old style gym that has seating behind the baskets and that can lead to depth perception problems for the visiting team. Beaston says they just have to overcome that mental block. “It’s a unique set up. Not a lot of gyms you go to have bleachers behind the baskets. The big thing that the kids have to think about is the rim is still 10 feet in the air. The three point line is still 19 feet, nine inches away and the free throw line is still 15 feet away. It’s just that repetition you do every day in the gym or the YMCA or wherever you are shooting it,” said Beaston.
It’s not a matter of a team that is lacking in talent, but Beaston knows they need a win pretty badly and the sooner the better. “We have dropped three in a row. We have lost four of five. With the exception of maybe Norwalk the other ones were games we had leads in or could have won. So, that’s been a little bit frustrating. The kids haven’t gotten down. They have kept a positive attitude. We are having great practices, so I feel the end is near. Hopefully, the end is this Friday. Our motto going forward is trying to find a way. I really believe if there is a way we can find to get one we can get some positive momentum and maybe get a few in a row.
Tiffin Must Shorten Norwalk Runs
All of the rest of the teams in the Northern Ohio League are counting on the Tiffin Columbian Tornados this week. It’s their turn to play the unbeaten Norwalk Truckers and an upset would bring them back to the rest of the league.
It’s happened in other leagues such as Ashland’s upset of Lexington and Galion’s of Colonel Crawford.
Last Thursday, Tiffin (7-3,2-2) lost a non-league game to Upper Sandusky (55-49) in a battle between former league foes. Columbian coach Bill Beaston does not believe they played well at all against the Rams. “We struggled on that night versus Upper basically in all facets of the game. We struggled offensively, we struggled defensively. We didn’t shoot well and for whatever reason we didn’t play characteristic of what our kids normally play. Credit the Upper kids. I thought they played well defensively and they executed offensively when they needed to get baskets, they go them. It was just one of those nights when it was their night and not ours. I think we have learned a few lessons from it and we are ready to move forward,” said Beaston.
Tiffin gets the unbeaten Truckers (11-0,4-0) on their home floor. Beaston believes Norwalk will not take anything for granted and will be ready to play. “Anytime you are at the top of the league you are going to have the bull’s eye on your back. There is no doubt that they have that within the Northern Ohio League. Everyone is gunning for them,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “Shelby only sits one game back and I know they would like to see them lose before they get their chance again. So would everyone else, so they could get closer in the race. They are 11-0 because they are winning non-league games too. They are ranked in the division one AP poll. Anyone that gets a chance to play them it’s an opportunity to prove yourself against them.”
Norwalk has very good height across the front line, plus they are very athletic. Beaston says they will have to handle the ball well and limit the spurts the Truckers tend to get. “They play pretty solid and are pretty disciplined. They don’t make a lot of mistakes where you can get cheep baskets off of them. The other thing that they do, and in my opinion, where they have extended the lead in a lot of their ball games is they get anywhere from two to five stretches in the game where they will turn you over three, four, five times in a row. If they can do that they can extend their lead by two, four points every time they do that. They also play solid defense. It seems like a simple recipe, but it’s very affective and very difficult to game plan against,” said Beaston.
One way to try and avoid such a run by Norwalk is refocus on each play and forget what just happened and move on. Beaston says if you don’t, that’s when the Truckers get you. “We have stressed that all year with our kids. It’s going to be a major point of emphasis this week. As good as Norwalk is they are probably going to have a run. They may even have a second one. You can’t allow that run to be extended to 10-0, 12-0 or 16-0, where it just snowballs on you. You have to keep that run limited to a 6-0 run and then you have to answer that possession by possession. That’s the difficult challenge against a team as good as Norwalk,” said Beaston.
Tiffin to Play Important Games
Tiffin Columbian continues to be the best bigger school boys’ basketball team that nobody has heard of. Columbian has won all of its games but two this year.
Last Friday night they lost to Sandusky in overtime, but followed that up with a 49-41 win over Marion Harding on Saturday night. Coach Bill Beaston says they gutted it out and did what they had to to beat the Presidents. “It was not the prettiest of basketball games that’s for sure. The track meet from the night before apparently took a toll on our conditioning a little bit. We played tired. We played a little flat, but a credit to our kids despite the poor shooting effort they just figured out a way to come out on top. They got stops when they need to, we got free throws when we need to and we got big baskets when we needed to,” said Beaston.
Tuesday night Columbian (7-2) travels to Oak Harbor (1-6) of the Sandusky Bay Conference to face the Rockets in non-conference play. Beaston says the Rockets are better than they were a year ago. “They have a new coach. This is his first year there. They are running a few new things that we aren’t familiar with. A lot more four out and one in as opposed to being a little more set oriented,” he told Swankonsports.com, “They have a lot of guys back that played last year. They are a veteran team. I think their record is a little bit deceiving. They only have one win, but their games have been more competitive than in years past. Going to their place is a tough place to play so our kids are going to have to be mentally ready for this challenge.”
It’s a Tuesday night non-conference game, but that doesn’t mean a win for the Tornados isn’t important, quite the opposite. Beaston says they are building toward the tournament. “We still have aspirations of trying to compete for the league or at least having a say in that, but also you are competing for a sectional seed as well. It’s a lot easier to have options when you go into that Sunday for where you go in the tournament as opposed to having few options or just being placed somewhere. You have to win non-league games with the few league games that we have to have a little bit more of a say, so these games are extremely important and our kids understand that,” said Beaston. Plus, with only six teams now in the Northern Ohio league it makes both league and non-league games more important. “It emphasizes our league schedule because each game is so important because there are fewer of those, but each non-league game that you play because there are more of them you are opening yourself up to more variety of schools to play. My hope is that when the tournament time comes around it makes us a little more battle tested and prepared the play whoever it is we get to play,” he said.
On Thursday night, the Tornados play a familiar team, even though it is now a non-conference game now in the Upper Sandusky Rams (6-3). Beaston says the Rams are playing very patient basketball right now. “There style of play is unique. They had picked up the pace earlier in the season. I think they had a kid who is injured and maybe another kid who is out for whatever reason. I think they may have changed their style of play a little bit. We played them three times last year and we played a couple times this summer, so both teams are very, very familiar with each other. I think it’s going to be a real exciting, well played basketball game. You know, there aren’t in our league anymore, but they are in our sectional so it as ramifications when we go to vote next month.”
Tiffin Needs Win at Willard
As well as the Norwalk Truckers are playing this year it is unlikely that anyone can lose more than one or two Northern Ohio League games and have a chance to share the league title. Everyone accept the Truckers has already lost one.
Tiffin Columbian (5-1,1-1) plays at Willard (3-4,1-1) in an “NOL” game on Friday night. The winner stays in the league race. The loser, well?
Last week, in a non-conference game Tiffin beat former “NOL” member Fostoria (58-41) in a game that Columbian coach Bill Beaston felt they played very well on defense. “We struggled a little bit offensively. We didn’t shoot very well on the night, really in either half. Defensively we were pretty darn good, especially in the fourth quarter when we gave up six points. In fourth quarter we were able to ice the game and extend the lead. We were pleased with that. We told the kids anytime you can struggle offensively and still find ways to win those are positives going forward,” said Beaston.
Tiffin has a number of kids that put the ball in the hole this season, but they have not been as consistent as they perhaps need to be. However, Beaston believes they can make defense the difference for the Tornados. “The kids are starting to figure that out too. We have some guys that really put in the time offensively and improved their skills there. Now, we are trying to get them to improve their defensive skills and be able to match those offensive skills and be a more balanced team. The kids realized last year if you can play good defense, you can win games and that is what we are trying to get to,” he said.
Willard has probably played as a good a schedule as anyone around this year. Their loses come to Lexington, Ontario, Bellevue and Ashland. Beaston says they have all kinds of players. “Well, they present a few problems because they are really tall and long. The films that I have seen they put lineups out there to start that are 6-2 to 6-6 across the board. We have a couple of point guards that are 5-8 and 5-6,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “We are working through some issues there. They have to the two real big kids Adams and Burba I think are really solid players inside. I think the Hahler kid is a pretty versatile player too. They have a couple of kids that can shoot it from deep. The Flugarty kid looks like a pretty good shooter and so does the Cok kid.”
Willard has won more “NOL” titles than any other school and Beaston believes those banners have a way on intimidating opponents. “Anytime you go to Willard it is a difficult place to play. Some of the ghosts and demons seem to come out of the bleachers and cause havoc for the opposing team, so we are ready to go and excited for the challenge,” he said.
Beaston says there is no question that this is a must win for them if they expect to win a conference title or really even compete for it. “We are definitely at a point in our schedule it is going to make or break our league race. You know, we have already dropped one game and I don’t think anyone can afford to drop two, so it’s a point where you can distance yourself from the rest of the pack and continue to chase Norwalk. You can’t look that far ahead either. You have to go game to game and take care of the business at hand. If we show up and play defense like we are capable of hopefully that works out in our favor,” said Beaston.
Tiffin Columbian Has to Play Defense
Tiffin Columbian is moving into a crucial part of their season and if the Tornados are to be the kind of team they have the potential to be, they have to start playing better defense.
Last week, they lost to Shelby (84-60) in a Northern Ohio League game and then rallied to beat Kenton in a non-conference match-up on Saturday. Coach Bill Beaston says Shelby just shot lights out against them, but they put a better effort together on Saturday. “Friday night was tuff against Shelby, the kids were disappointed. The bottom line is Shelby played outstanding offense. They shot 71 percent from the field for the game. They played really, really well offensively. They converted on their end. You know, we had some breakdowns defensively to help with that. Anytime a team shoots 71 percent it going to be tough to win,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday, “But, like our kids do they came back the next night ready to battle. It was a three game week last week. It was tough to get them motivated, to get them interested. Once the ball was up in the air, they were ready to go. We executed very well against Kenton, we sort of got them in a track meet. We were able to get a big halftime lead. We were able to stay above water for the rest of the way.”
Tiffin has some players that can put the ball in the basket and they have shown that this season. Beaston says their biggest problems have come on the defensive end of the floor. “No doubt that it has to be defense. We have scored over 60 points in our four games. I think in a high school basketball game that is adequate. In a couple of our games we have given up more than 60 and that has to change if we want to be successful in the long term. The nice thing is a team like us that went to the football playoffs the Christmas break is very important. We have just one game this week and one game next week, so it’s an opportunity to get a lot of practice in. It’s a chance to get a lot of drills and get better at those little things on defense,” said Beaston.
They host Fostoria in a non-conference game on Friday night. The Redmen are coming off a good win over a strong Tiffin Calvert team (66-59) on Tuesday night. Beaston says Fostoria has some athletic kids that can get to the glass. “They are long and athletic. They aren’t 6-6, 6-7, but they aren’t short either. They are between 6-0 and 6-4 with long wing stands. They want to get out and run, they are leapers and jumpers. They rebound really well. Two guys that are a concern offensively. Adonis Cousins, he’s a junior, he’s a post player by trade. He is deceptively quick and can put the ball on the floor from the perimeter. He can also shoot the three. He’s averaging 14.7 a game. Their leading scorer is Brandon Glenn. He’s a point guard, he’s a shooting guard and their best outside shooting threat. He is getting between two and four three pointers a game. Those guys are a concern and we have to hold them down. Every one of their other guys are capable of scoring as well. They don’t do it game to game like the other two do, but it seems like every game they have four guys in double digits,” said Beaston.
In order to win Friday night, Beaston believes they have to keep Fostoria out of the lane and not allow them to dominate the boards. “We are going to have to buckle down defensively and keep those guys out on the perimeter as much as possible and make them into a jump shooting team. We have to make sure the two main concerns are contested. With Fostoria if you don’t rebound you can’t win,” said Beaston.
Big Comeback Lifts Tiffin
After Norwalk it seems there are a bunch a pretty good basketball teams in the Northern Ohio League that are pretty balanced, so being able to win close ones is going to be a pretty big deal.
Tiffin Columbian erased a 13-point fourth quarter deficit and rallied to beat Bellevue at home 61-57 last week in the Tornados first game of the season. Coach Bill Beaston says they never quit and were able to make some big plays in the end. “To start it was everything we were kind of afraid of. It was a typical first game and it took a while to get things figured out,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday, “To credit Bellevue as we were going through our struggles they shot really well. All things totaled a 13 point deficit at halftime, 13 point deficit at the end of the third quarter. It was typical with our kids, we grinded it out and found a way to win. We were able to erase that deficit and made a nice come from behind win.”
With the win Columbian can continue to build momentum in the early part of the season. Beaston says the players learned some important lessons that they can carry with them. “It definitely created some energy going into this week. “Anytime you get a win it creates positive energy. The kids were really able to learn some things with our offense and defense. Anytime a kid can understand that a game really isn’t over and the importance of playing to the buzzer no matter if you are winning or losing is a positive lesson for any young kid,” he said.
There are also some teaching moments too. Beaston says they have to run their motion offense a little bit better and not watch teammates when they have the ball, plus they have to play harder on defense and finish it off with a rebound. “Our offensive movement has to get better. We have a tendency to stand and watch and let one guy go one on one as opposed to creating some things away from the basketball. The other thing that we have to do a little bit better job with is box outs and finishing out possessions defensively. If we can get those two things corrected I think it will really help us going forward,” said Beaston.
Tiffin will play at Port Clinton in a non-conference game with the Redskins of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Tuesday night. Beaston looks for a good match-up that will test his kids. “Very solid basketball team and very well coached. They are very disciplined, coach Deals does a very good job there. They have a few shooters. I think they have three different guys that shoot the three pretty well. They have a 6-6 center that plays pretty well inside, especially on the defensive end. They have a couple of athletes they can rotate around on your guards and put some pressure on and create some havoc defensively. We are going to have to go up there and play well to accomplish our goal. It’s a tough place to play and it’s always a dogfight when you go up there,” he said.
Tiffin plays host to the Shelby Whippets in a league game on Friday night. Whippets are poised to have a good season too despite a 66-49 loss to league favorite Norwalk last week. Beaston knows things start with Shelby’s senior point guard Garrett Arnold. “He’s their point guard. He’s a four year starter. He’s an excellent scorer and he’s a super nice kid. He does just about everything for them. Conner Nelson is a very good player too. Anytime you have two first team all-league caliber players to put on your roster that’s a pretty good start. The Fenner kid looks like he has been a pretty consistent third scoring option for them. We are going to have our hands full on Friday night for sure. The good thing is the game is at home,” he said.
Tiffin Ready to Get Started
Tiffin Columbian is one of the area schools that postponed some games on the first week of the season due to a long run in the football playoffs.
They open on Friday night at home against Bellevue in Northern Ohio League action. With an extra week coach Bill Beaston believes the Tornados are really to play at a high level. “The players are very excited. They refused to take days off between football and basketball. I begged for them to take days off, but they wouldn’t do it. If you were asking last week if we were ready I would have said no. With they way our practices have went, we had a scrimmage on Monday. I think they are ready to go,” he said.
This season Columbian has an experienced team and one that has a variety of skills, according to Beaston. “I think we can do a variety of things. The nice thing is we bring back eight guys that lettered last year and nine guys that played. Everything we are doing is a review. They are picking things up pretty quickly. I like our ability to mix defenses, which can be a plus with the different styles we see in our league and our schedule,” Beaston told Swankonsports.com, “I think offensively compared to last year when we were more set oriented, having to run certain sets to get shots for certain kids, I see more of an offense that works off each other. We have four or five guys that can take different shots at different times.”
With all of the practices the Tornados have been going through, and even the scrimmages, Beaston knows that playing in a game for real can be a different story. “Pre game jitters are always an issue with every team in their first game. It’s all a matter of how long it takes to get those guys to settle down and get into the flow of the game. I hope with an experienced team it’s only a couple of minutes, but sometimes it’s longer. When you are opening with a league team as opposed to a non-league team it magnifies it even more,” he said.
Beaston says Bellevue is a team that always gives you fits with the way they run their offense and defense. “Their offense revolves around Jalen Santoro, their point guard. He is lightning fast. He has a really nice pull up jumper. He can shoot the three. He is very feisty defensively. They have some guys on the perimeter who can really shoot it. They are usually very set oriented. We really have to buckle down in the half court against their offense,” he said, “Probably the biggest thing with Bellevue is defensively they really mix their defenses. They will throw a different defense at you every time down the floor. We really have to be prepared to adjust on the fly.”
Tiffin Columbian Can Afford No Mistakes
Tiffin Columbian faces Avon in the division two regional finals of the high school football playoffs on Friday night at Harmon Stadium in Fremont. The winner advances to the state semi-finals.
Columbian (10-2) blasted East Cleveland Shaw 37-12 in a second round game last Friday night. Tornados coach Brian Colatruglio says Shaw forced them to throw the ball a little bit and they were able to do that successfully. “We executed very well. They took away our run game, which we have been doing very well. We had to go to our passing game a little bit. Our quarterback and receivers really came through,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “We made some big plays against a team that really thrived on big plays. We kind of turned the table on them a little bit. We were able to get enough stops and contain them.” In Columbian’s two losses this season, to Bellevue and Sandusky, they turned the ball over nine times. They had no turnovers against Shaw. “We did a good job of not giving up the big plays. We gave up two long touchdown passes, but there were other times when we didn’t give up the big play. We kept making them snap the ball and we got some turnovers. That’s the name of the game in playoff football. They turned it over four times and we didn’t turn it over at all. That’s usually going to be the difference when you get to this time of year,” said Colatruglio.
Avon (11-1) was supposed to be the best team in the division a year ago, but lost a first round game to Sandusky. They have played well in both of their playoff games so far this year beating Medina Highland (45-24) and Toledo Central Catholic (49-28) to advance. Colatruglio says they don’t do any one thing extremely well, but they don’t do anything badly. “They are good at everything. There aren’t any weaknesses. They run the ball well. They have one of the best receivers I have seen at the high school level and a quarterback that can deliver the ball to him. Defensively they are just sound. They are a lot like us, maybe nothing spectacular, nothing that really stands out, but no weaknesses either,” he said.
Like it has been all season, it is likely going to boil down to turnovers for the Tornados. If they can hold them down, they have a chance to win the game. “That’s the number one thing. If you can take care of the ball and make some plays on third and fourth down like we did last week. We are going to have a chance to be there at the end. It’s going to be two teams that are disciplined and play hard nosed football,” said Colatruglio.
Tiffin Columbian Needs Stop Big Play
Tiffin Columbian has been its own worse enemy this season, but that’s only happened twice and that’s why they have advanced to the regional semi finals of the division two football playoffs.
They face East Cleveland Shaw on Friday night in Sandusky in second round action.
Columbian (9-2) beat Northern Ohio League rival Sandusky 25-20 in a first round game last week gaining a measure of revenge after losing to Sandusky by a point in regular season action. “It was two excellent football games between two excellent teams. Fortunately this time we were able to eliminate the turnovers and that was the difference from the first game. Last time we turned it over three times and gave them two scores. This time we took care of the football and played physical. We ran the ball and controlled the clock. We did everything we wanted to do and barely hung on for a five point win. It is a credit to them that we played as well as we did and it was still a struggle,” said Tiffin Columbian coach Brian Colatruglio.
It is critical at this time to be playing your best football and Colatruglio thinks they have certainly found what they are good at and that is running the football. “We have kind of fallen into our identity a little bit. We are a physical run the ball team. We struggled a little bit in the middle of the year just trying to figure out who we were and what we wanted to be,” he told Swankonsports.com, “I think we kind of have that figured out now. Turnovers are the key for us. In our two losses we had nine turnovers. If we turn it over we are in trouble this week. If we hold on to the ball and continue to be physical running the ball and keep the ball out of their dangerous playmakers hands we will have a chance.”
East Cleveland Shaw (9-2) is a team that features a whole lot of speed and quickness and scores most of its touchdowns with big plays. “They are fast, extremely fast. Not just the guys with the ball in their hands, but also up front. Their linemen are quick on both sides of the ball. They have a real good quarterback. A duel threat quarterback, which we have seen quite a few of lately. He is more of a scrambler. He is going to look to make plays with his feet. We have to be in the right spots and not miss tackles. They thrive on big plays and we have to eliminate them,” Colatruglio said.
Tiffin has a fine defense and it has carried them at times this season. Colatruglio believes they have to be very disciplined on that side of the football in order to contain the Shaw backs. “That’s one thing I think we are pretty good at. It’s about gap integrity. On pass plays our defensive line has to stay in its gaps. If they get out of their gaps and open up holes for them he’s going to be dangerous. It’s team defense and everybody has to be in the right spot because they will find it if they’re not,” he said.
It’s a Chance For Redemption
To a man Tiffin Columbian coaches and players thought they should have beaten Sandusky two weeks ago and they get the chance Friday night to prove their point.
The Tornados (8-2) play at Sandusky (9-1) in the division two regional quarterfinals on Friday night in a re-match between Northern Ohio league powers.
Sandusky won the first meeting 35-34 and went on to claim an out right “NOL” title. Columbian coach Brian Colatruglio says they are really excited to be given the chance to get a sense of revenge. “That’s what we have been talking about,” he told Swankonsports.com, “It’s a new lease on life. We missed some opportunities during the regular season. We are able to get that extra chance. Now we have to be able to play with the urgency and realize this is our last chance because there are no do overs, we need to make it count.”
Colatruglio says he did show the tape of the regular season game against the Streaks to the players not so they could chew them out for things that went wrong, but rather learn tendencies that will show themselves again this week. “I have never been in this situation before playing a team for a second time. I think you have to look back and see how they attacked us and what they did to us. What worked for them and what worked for us and what didn’t work. We are not going to watch it and be critical, we are going to watch it and learn and see where we could have done things a little bit different. Our kids left the field there felling like me missed an opportunity. We both scored the same number of touchdowns. You know if they beat us by 28 points we might start over,” he said.
Like most football games turnovers are likely to be a big factor in this game, just like they were in the regular season contest. “Their defense scored one and got them down to the two once. In a big game turnovers are always going to be huge. In seven of our ten games we did really well and we had 14 turnovers in three games. Those kind of things can’t happen this week in order for us to move on,” said Colatruglio.
Just because it is the same teams and the same players doesn’t mean this were will be a carbon copy of the first game, instead it will likely be much different. Colatruglio knows they are going to have to be able to adjust in order to win the game. “It’s a real chess match. We have some things that we were real good at and so did they. I’m sure they are going to make adjustments to take away the stuff we did well. We will try to do the same. Once you get into the game you will have to adjust again. You have to see how they are attacking us and be able to adjust on the move. We aren’t going to make drastic changes. We believe in our system,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian Must Focus
A Northern Ohio League title is no longer in the cards for the Tiffin Columbian Tornados after a tough one point loss to Sandusky last week, but there are still things to play for the Tornados.
Sandusky, ranked #3 in the Swankonsports.com football power poll among big schools, had two interception returns for scores and they beat Tiffin 35-34 last week. “It was a big game and it was a well played game by both sides. We both battled our hearts out. They came up a point a head of us,” Tiffin coach Brain Colatruglio told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “We had some opportunities and we didn’t capitalize. We gave them a couple of things. With two good teams, we made more mistakes than they did. It was a tough loss for us. We have to regroup and refocus on what’s in front of us.”
Tiffin Columbian is a playoff team year in and year out and to make it this year they have to beat visiting Norwalk (7-2) and then have some teams in front of them lose. “We still have a lot on the line. We still have a playoff berth in front of us if we can take care of business and get a little help. Norwalk is 7-2 and coming off a win last week. We refocus and see what’s ahead of us. We can’t control what happened last week and we have to make sure we take care of our business this week,” said Colatruglio.
Norwalk is having its best season in more than 30 years and the Truckers are coming off a 49-7 destruction of the Willard Flashes last week. Colatruglio says the Truckers have some athletes who are good football players. “They are solid,” he told Swankonsports.com, “They have some nice big kids up front and they try and run the ball, which is something that can lead to a successful season. They also have some nice athletes. Their quarterback can throw the ball. Crabtree, their running back, is a solid player,” he said.
Columbian isn’t often in a position where they need help to gain a playoff berth, but this time some schools in front of them need to lose for the Tornados to play on week 11. “Of the five teams in front of us we need two of them to lose. We told the kids starting Monday that there is nothing we can do to control what’s happening in Findlay and Fremont and all of these other places. The one thing we can control is to go out and beat Norwalk in our seniors last home game,” said Colatruglio.
Columbian Wants to Establish Things Early
Tiffin Columbian did just what they needed to do last week and that’s get back on the beam after a loss to Bellevue on week six. The Shelby Whippets kind of paid the price.
Columbian (6-1), and ranked #4 in the Swankonsports.com football power poll in the large school division, hammered the Whippets 62-19 to stay a game behind Bellevue and Sandusky in the Northern Ohio League race. “It all started all throughout the week. We had a great week of practice. We came out with the right attitude and the right mentality to bounce back and we carried it right through the game on Friday night,” said Tiffin Columbian coach Brian Colatruglio. He says the Tornados try to make every week the same no matter who they are playing or the supposed importance of the game. “We prepare the same every week. Games are won Monday through Thursday and that’s the way things are done. When you put the work in Monday through Thursday then you have the fun stuff and the wins come on Friday night,” he said.
Tiffin travels to Willard (1-6) for a league game on Friday night. The Flashes were walloped by Bellevue 61-6 last week. “They are kind of like Shelby last week. They are struggling a little bit and playing a lot of young guys and trying to find their identity a little bit. Just like last week we have to take care of our business and just come out and keep executing and worry about ourselves and keep getting better,” said Colatruglio.
Three touchdowns in the first quarter last week erased any doubt early in the game and Colatruglio would like to have the same formula this week against the Crimson Flashes. “When you are the favorite at 6-1 playing a team that is 1-6 that first quarter is real important. You need to jump on them and not let them hang around and make things interesting in the second half. We did a real good job of that last week by scoring 21 points in the first quarter. We let Shelby know we were there and were taking things pretty serious,” he said.
Tiffin Columbian Looking to Get Back on Track
Tiffin Columbian had been a dominating team over the first half of the season, but they lost their Northern Ohio League opener to rival Bellevue last week. With only five league games this year that means the Tornados can afford no more losses if they want a second straight league title.
Bellevue, #2 in the large school division standings of the Swankonsports.com football power poll beat Columbian, now #4, 20-6 last week. Tiffin coach Brain Colatruglio says they just gave the ball away too much to have a chance to win the game. “The first five games of the season we turned the ball over seven times and we turned it over six times against Bellevue last Friday night. You can’t turn the ball over against a good football team and give their offense that many chances. Our defense played pretty solid keeping them to 20 points. As many times as we gave them the ball on their side of the field it was actually a pretty good job by our defense,” he said.
Tiffin had a 14 game regular season winning streak going into the game, but Colatruglio says they are not hanging their heads this week. “Our mental approach has been very good. Obviously we weren’t real happy Saturday morning. We came back on Monday with a real good attitude. We practiced the same way this week as we did last week and we’ll practice the same way next week win or lose. I think that consistency over the long run about the way will do things will help our kids either get over a big win or a big loss,” he said.
Tiffin is at home for the Shelby Whippets (0-6) in a league game on Friday night at National Field. Colatruglio expects Shelby to come in and give them a very solid effort on Friday night. “They have a lot of new guys. They had nine seniors that started both ways last year. They were kind of expected to have a little bit of a rebuild here. However, you never expect Shelby to be 0-6. They still have some pretty good kids. They are playing hard, obviously, but they aren’t getting the results that they want. When you look at them you see kids flying to the football and trying to play physical,” said Colatruglio.
Steve McCoy is in his first year as the Shelby coach and Colatruglio says they have made quite a few changes in their approach to the game. “They are quite a bit different. They are in the shotgun a lot and they are in four or fives wides. They still want to run the ball, but it’s a lot different than what they did before,” said the Tiffin coach.
Columbian will be a big favorite in the game and Colatruglio says they have to erase any doubt early in the game. “It’s always important to get off to a good start. You know if we get off to a good start and get a couple of scores early our guys will get some confidence going. When you are playing a team that you probably should beat the more you let them hang around the scarier it gets in the second half,” he said.
Tiffin Travels to Bellevue For Huge “NOL” Game
More times than not over the last 20 years the winner of the Tiffin Columbian versus Bellevue game has been the Northern Ohio League football champion and there is a good chance that will be the case again this year.
Tiffin Columbian (5-0), and #1 in the Swankonsports.com football power poll for larger schools, plays at Bellevue (3-2) on Friday night in the league opener for both schools. Columbian is coming off a 46-14 thumping of Toledo Start in its last game and coach Brian Colatruglio believes they have shown the kind of improvement he wants to see from his team. “Not only being 5-0, but the progression that we have made. We have consistently gotten better. We have played well the last few weeks in all three phases of the game. Our first time starters, some of the young kids we are playing, have matured nicely, and we are really starting to jell,” he said.
Being 5-0, and second in their OHSAA computer region is nice, but Colatruglio knows the last half of the season is going to be the most exciting. “This is the fun time of the year now. We played a bunch of new teams and went places we have never been before. Now we get to get back to those traditional rivalries. It starts with Bellevue-Tiffin and that’s always been a huge game in the “NOL,” said Colatruglio.
The Northern Ohio League is top heavy with good teams this year and Columbian and Bellevue are two of the three, along with Sandusky. “They are 3-2, but they are two plays from being 5-0. They had two really tough losses to two pretty good teams, so they are playing very good football. It all starts with (quarterback Jalen) Santoro. He’s tough kid. He’s listed at 150 pounds, but he finds a way to fall forward and get the tough yards. We have to be able to contain him and not give him much room to operate,” said Colatruglio. At the beginning the season Tiffin was talking about this maybe being its best defense in a number of years and they are going to have to play well Friday. “We play gap responsibility. That’s the way we play defense. We know we need all 11 guys to fill the spots where they need to be. If one guy is out of place he is going to find it. We have to be disciplined. We can’t do it two plays in a row and then forget on the third,” added Colatruglio.
In games like this between excellent teams it is often special teams play that is a big factor. “Our return game has been real good. Our coverage teams have been pretty solid. Our extra points have been a little bit of a struggle and we are continuing to work on that to get that consistency. Usually in big games it’s special teams and turnovers that are the difference when you have two quality teams playing,” concluded Colatruglio.
Columbian Faces Fast Toledo Start
Tiffin Columbian, the number one team in the big school division of the Swankonsports.com power rankings, plays host to Toledo Start in a non-conference football game on Friday night.
Columbian belted Marion Harding 33-10 last week for their fourth win in as many games this year. “What I really liked about last week is we put an opponent away,” said Tiffin coach Brian Colatruglio, “We had the lead going into the second half and we kind of grew up a little bit. We learned how to finish a game. We had a seven minute drive at the beginning of the fourth quarter running the ball that put them away. Early in the season we had Clyde and Mansfield Senior on the ropes and let them hang around.” Colatruglio says to be a good team you have to have sort of a killer instinct. “It’s an attitude, it’s a mind set,” he told Swankonsports.com, “You are not going to play 100 percent to your ability every week. There are going to be weeks maybe when you are going to make mistakes. To find ways to win when you aren’t playing your best separates the good teams, the 8-2 and 9-1 teams, for the 5-5 and 6-4 teams.”
Start carries a 1-3 record into the game at Tiffin. “They have played a killer schedule. They are 1-3, but the teams they have played have a combined two losses. They are battled tested. They have nice skilled kids with good speed on offense and they are physical on defense. It’s going to be a great match up for us and we are going to have to play well. We are really going to have to play physical on the offensive line to keep our running game going,” said Colatruglio. Start lost its opener to Toledo Whitmer (42-6), the second week to Whitehouse Anthony Wayne (24-19) and last week to (45-14) Sandusky, like Tiffin Columbian from the Northern Ohio League. Their only win comes on week three over Sylvania Southview (28-22.) Start has outstanding speed that leads to big plays and Colatruglio says that is gong to be a big factor in the game. He says they have to eliminate that advantage. “It’s about angles and keeping the ball in front of you and not giving up big plays. Start’s scores have come on 50 plus yarders. For us to be successful defensively we have to limit those big plays,” he said.
Columbian Must Adapt
Tiffin Columbian proved why they are number one in the Swankonsports.com power rankings in the big school division as they improved to 3-0 on the season with a 52-0 whipping of traditional rival Fostoria last week.
Now, they are preparing for a non-conference match-up at Marion Harding against the improving Presidents.
Fostoria is not a very good football team as the Redmen have struggled over the last several years. However, Columbian coach Brain Colatruglio thinks his team came out and took care of business against Fostoria last week. “I thought our team was real mature and took care of what we needed to take care of,” Colatruglio told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “Like I said before we are a work in progress. We need to worry about ourselves and improve every week.”
Marion Harding has been hard to predict to say the least. Their results over the first three weeks of the season read this way. A week one loss to Marysville (63-7), a second week defeat at the hands of Lima Senior (28-21) and then last week punished (41-6) Mansfield Senior, who had taken Tiffin to overtime the week before. “It’s been three different teams from week one, two and three,” said Colatruglio, “They got it handed to them week one, week two they showed some improvement and kind collapsed in the fourth quarter and lost a close game and last week they put it all together.”
Tiffin believes that the Presidents will try to run the ball as much as they can. “They have a trio of running backs. They like to use all three of them and rotate them around. They aren’t huge up front, but they do a good job. They show a lot of formations, a lot of unbalanced. We have to be able to lineup to all of their formations,” said Colatruglio. Marion ran 38 times for 228 yards last week against Mansfield Senior.
This is the first meeting, at least in a number of years, for the Tornados and the Presidents, so Colatruglio knows they have to be ready to be surprised by what they see from Marion Harding. “We are unfamiliar with them. They could come out and do anything. We have to be able to adjust, it’s similar to a playoff type situation. Known of our kids have ever played there before,” he said.
Tiffin Faces Old Rival
Tiffin Columbian made the plays when they had to last week in beating Mansfield Senior in overtime and now they play their first road game of the season at longtime rival Fostoria.
Fostoria left the Northern Ohio League after last season in favor of the Suburban Lakes League, but Tiffin and the Redmen plan to play non-conference games into the future.
It took overtime for Columbian to subdue Mansfield Senior last week 30-23 and Tornados coach Brian Colatrugulio told Swankonsports.com that they were fortunate to come away with a win. “It was a great football game,” he said, “There were two good football teams battling it out. We jumped out early and had the game under control, but I give Mansfield Senior credit because they hung with it. They went to their back up quarterback and the kid made some really nice plays for them and got them back into the game.” Chekiah Washington’s 82 run in the fourth quarter sent the game to overtime, but Tiffin won when Jonah Boyer caught a 20-yard TD pass from Ben Davis. “We learned some great lessons. We let them back in the game a little bit. Our kids fought and it was hot. We had some kids that really sucked it up. Hopefully we can ride those lessons that we learned there for the rest of the year,” said Colatruglio.
Fostoria (0-2) has struggled to gets wins over the last couple of years, but Colatruglio believes the Redmen have certainly shown they are going to be competitive. “They are an improved football team. Their blocking and tackling has improved immensely over last year. I know their record doesn’t show it, but they have made some strides,” he said. Columbian and Fostoria have been playing football for almost 100 years and Colatruglio knows the importance of this kind of game. “It’s a great rivalry,” he said, “In the two communities, football is very important to both of them, so it’s a fun game. I know they are going to get it turned around and there are going to be some wars.”
Colatruglio thinks they have to concentrate on getting better as a football team on Friday night. “We have to continue the balance on offense. We did a much better job running the ball last week. We were almost dead even run and pass and we have to continue that. We have to eliminate turnovers. We have to tackle better. We are giving up too many big plays,” he said.
Columbian Off to Solid Start
Tiffin Columbian held Clyde scoreless for three quarters and went beat the Fliers 26-13 in their first game of the season and Friday night they host the improving Mansfield Senior Tygers at National Field.
Some teams, even good ones, struggle out of the gate, but not the Tornados. They expected to be good and they were ready to prove it. Tiffin coach Brian Colatruglio says they really played very well against Clyde in all aspects of the game. “I thought we were really sharp in all three phases of the game,” he told Swankonsports.com, “Our defense was dominate the first half. We did a great job of converting first downs and keeping drives alive. We were solid in the kicking game.”
Tiffin might have one of the more experienced and talented defenses in this area and Colatruglio believes that defense will keep them in all of the games on their schedule. “I think we are pretty solid up front against the run and we have some pretty good guys in the back end too. If we continue to not give up big plays we will be a pretty good defense,” he said. Columbian also has some athletic players on offense that can turn a simple play into a big one. The coach believes they need to better in the fourth quarter of games though. “We lost our mental focus a little bit when we went up 26-0 and we have to work on finishing games,” said Colatruglio.
Mansfield Senior did finish well last week as the Tygers erased a 20-0 deficit and went on to beat Galion 34-20. Terrell Dorsey ran for 266 yards on 37 carries in the game for Mansfield, more than reaching his high expectations. Colatruglio understands they need do their level best to contain him. “It all starts with Terrell Dorsey. He is an absolute load. He is one of the best players that we will have the opportunity to go against. It’s going to be a real challenge to shut him down,” he said. Colatruglio would like to force other players on the Mansfield Senior roster to beat them, but he admits that won’t be easy because the Tygers just turn around and give Dorsey the ball. “When they hand it to him 37 times, or whatever they did. They aren’t going to let you completely take him out of the game. The thing is you can’t let him get a head of steam. We have to do a good job at the point of attack. We have to make him change direction or hesitate in the backfield,” said Colatruglio.
Another key for the Tornados is to keep the ball out of the hands of the Mansfield Senior offense by making long drives and scoring points. “When we are converting third downs, number one we are going to keep Dorsey off the field, but it’s also keeping our drives alive. We have playmakers too and the more we snap the ball the more chances we have to make big plays,” said Colatruglio.
Tiffin Columbian news can also be heard on the SwankonSports 24/7 Listen Line