NEWS LINE

 
     
  Joining us this morning on “Sports Saturday” are HS boys’ basketball coaches Greg Gallaway of Shelby, David Sheldon of Colonel Crawford, Adam Kreischer of Norwalk and Brian West of Norwayne.  Pieces from Friday night with Scott Hamilton of Lexington, Joe Bedingfield of Willard, Ben Snively of Pleasant and Jamie Young of Carey.  Girls’ basketball coach Amy Taylor-Sheldon on Wynford.  “A Few Moments with E.D.” with Doug Ute as we talk about the football finals.  Kevin Noon, of buckeyehuddle.com on Ohio State football and Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports on the Browns.  The show runs form 10 AM to 1 PM on www.swankonsports.com   Remember to click on the listen line at the top of the page for audio.  
     
 

Crestview Facing Some Unknowns

Click here to listen to an interview with coach John Kurtz

 

          Crestview, the defending Firelands Conference, tips off the season this weekend with a pair of non-conference games at home with Mansfield Christian on Friday and Ontario on Saturday.

          Coach John Kurtz says they have become a better team through the preseason.  “It seems like it's been a long November for us, but I think it's been good.  We've scrimmaged a lot of bigger schools and I feel like that's been good for us.  I didn't feel like early in this preseason that we were playing that well, but I think we've worked through a few things and we look like a much better team than we did in the beginning of November,” he said.

          Kurtz says they have a lot of kids back from a team that lost in the division III district semifinal last year, but some of them must play different positions.  “I mean even though we bring a lot of kids back we still have people that are in different positions than they were last year.  So, there's certainly a time of working through that and figuring out roles and trying to figure out where you're supposed to be,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “There's certain things that the preseason I think really does help you get through before you get into the season, but I also feel like when you have a  more experienced team they're quite a bit more excited about getting into the regular season.”

          Mansfield Christian returns Amarr Davis, a four year starter, and Kurtz says they have an influx of talent too.  “They have the three kids that have transferred in and then obviously they bring Amarr (Davis) back and (Davis) Wushinske and some kids like that that have been playing playing for a number of years, probably most of their high school years they have been playing varsity ball.  We saw them this summer and they do have a lot of kids that have played against us multiple times.  So, I think they do they bring back a pretty experienced group,” said Kurtz.

          Kurtz says frankly both Mansfield Christian and Ontario have a sense of mystery to them.  “We played them there last year and they were one of our losses during the regular season, one of the two losses, so our kids are interested in that game.  Overall, this is a tough weekend Mansfield Christian has got kids that have transferred in and Ontario's got a new coaching staff and certain kids that we've seen, but some of them I don't think are playing.  So, the weekend's tough to start out with two tough teams like that, that's a real challenge for us.”

 

Published 12/01/23

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Madison Must Handle it

Click here to listen to an interview with coach Chris Armstrong

 

          Madison starts the season on the road at Shelby, the defending champion in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, on Friday night in non-conference action.

          Rams coach Chris Armstrong says his guys are competitors and they are going to be ready to go.  “It's interesting, this week, obviously, we came back on Monday and had four days to prepare and you could really feel the energy kind of ramp up as we're getting closer and closer to Friday.  So, I really felt a noticeable difference (Wednesday) and (Thursday).  Monday was good, Tuesday was pretty good, but really felt it (Thursday) for sure.  So, I think the guys are extremely excited.  We've got a good group of young guys and certainly with lot of room to grow.  I think they're really excited.  They're competitors, most of them play football or soccer and the rest, so they like to compete.  I think it's going to be great to get this season started,” said Armstrong.

          Armstrong says the Whippets have the elements of an outstanding team.  He says they can’t have a bunch of turnovers or it could get ugly.  “They have got size, they've got experience, they shoot it well, they're athletic, they really can get out in transition.  Starting with Alex Bruskotter, a 6’7” wing.  They've got a lot of talent. I really respect their program.  I think coach (Greg) Gallaway does a great job.  They're going to be athletic.  I think we're really going to have to rebound the ball and take care of the basketball.  If we don't value it, they convert that into fast break points in a hurry,” he said.

          Bruskotter is 6’7”, but lots of the times he has the ball out front and it’s difficult to get it away from him.  Armstrong says he does a lot of things very well.  “It's interesting two years ago, we really pressed quite a lot.  We gave them some trouble with our pressure early on.  I think it's safe to say it was tied at halftime and as a sophomore they put all his hands, he brought up against our pressure and you can see he was special, whatever a 6’5” sophomore and they put the ball in his hands to bring it up against your pressure,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “He really is capable of obviously handling it, distributing, he can score a number of ways.  I am impressed that he goes to the boards as hard as he does.  So, he is just a very versatile and talented player.”

 

Published 12/01/23

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Mohawk Opens With Tough One in Lucas

Click here to listen to an interview with coach Paul Dunn

 

          Mohawk travels to Lucas for a very interesting non-league game that serves as they opener for both schools on Saturday night.

          The Warriors, runners-up last season in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference and regional qualifiers, have been rounding into shape over the last week, according to coach Paul Dunn.  “We've slowly, but surely, having some guys with some injuries from football. The last scrimmage or two we've had everybody able to get on the floor together and started to really see some cohesiveness between the guys,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “We've got a really large junior class using a lot of varsity minutes this year and then just one senior in the mix with another one hurt.  So, these guys are used to each other and they know how to play together.  So, I'm excited with what they've done so far throughout practice and preseason.”

          Dunn says Lucas is outstanding led by Logan Toms and he says they are going to a physical team.  “Well, they are a very physical team, I know that's kind of their calling card.  They're going to be physical offensively and defensively.  They play extremely hard.  Coach (Taylor) Iceman's got a good system going there and the kids, just watching them play they, know what they're doing and they know what’s expected of them.  They don't try to do too much.  When you have got a kid like Logan Toms kind leading the charge for you they're going to be a very, very special team this year in my opinion with a player of his caliber,” said Dunn.

          Dunn says Lucas is going to be a tremendous challenge and they have got to be at their best.  “As coaches we were talking over the last few years this could possibly be one of the tougher opening games we've had recently here.  They're a team that's been to quite a few district finals and regionals.  We're going to have to be ready to go and we told the kids that.  You can't just expect to walk onto their floor and get anything easy especially in a game of this caliber,” he said.

 

Published 12/01/23

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Upper With Big Challenge in Willard

Click here to listen to an interview coach Jeff Winslow

 

          Upper Sandusky hosts Willard in their traditional opening night game in non-conference play on Friday.

          Coach Jeff Winslow believes the Rams are starting to tighten up their execution on both ends of the floor.  “I like how our kids have fell into their roles and they kind of know what their roles are going into the first game and we fill up a little bit more depth with a couple kids that have stood out.  Defensively, I think we've gotten a lot better with each step of the way.  Offensively, we're starting to run our stuff a little better.  So, pretty happy with where we're at.  I just could tell the last couple days we're ready to play.  We have got to play somebody just to see, hey, where are we at and playing Willard that's going to show you real quick where we stand.  So, they're a really good basketball team and we'll see where we at our offensively and defensively after this game,” said Winslow.

          It is game one and Winslow says the atmosphere will be different and your never sure what to expect from most players.  “I just talked to my old JV coach, who is a head coach down south at Waverly and it's his first year coaching at that school, he just moved schools.  He just mentioned like this first game, you don’t know what to expect.  Your kids have looked this way through the preseason you get in game one and the lights are on, the popcorn is popping and you don't know what you're going to get.  So, that's the first game and we'll see what we're going to get and we’ll have to adjust from there,” he said.

          Willard, the defending Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division champion, comes calling on Friday night.

          Winslow says they have three seniors with a lot of skill.  “I mean number one (Max) Dawson, he's always the best player on the floor every game they play, so that gives an advantage right there, but the two Robinsons are really good.  I mean Cam Robinson, he's just a bulldog man, he's a lefty that gets to the rim whenever he wants to get there and he's really physical and a big, strong kid,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “Isaac Robinson, he's a really good shooter, who's really improved over the last few years and become a really good player for them.  So, with those three seniors that have played for three plus years for them, a lot of them, that's a good three to work around.  Their mixing in some young guys.  Those three are, it's not just Dawson, the two Robinsons are really good as well.”

 

Published 12/01/23

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Sandusky Healthy; Ready to Go

Click here to listen to an interview with coach DeMar Moore

 

          Sandusky, the defending champion of the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference, opens the season Saturday night against Elyria in one of the games in the DiFranco Memorial Classic at Midview High School.

          Coach DeMar Moore says they finally have their whole team together and they are ready to go.  “Our guys are working really, really hard.  We have a few key players that are just coming back from injury.  So, you get those guys back and it really helps a lot.  They've been working hard, so I mean that’s all I can ask for,” said Moore.

          Moore says Saturday will kind of be hard to predict due to the lack of consistent personnel during the preseason.  “We haven't had a scrimmage yet with our full team, so this is the first week we've had our full team back,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “It'll be really interesting to see how we respond to the to the bright lights on Saturday night.”

          The Blue Streaks have a large junior class, some of which played roles on a team that won the division II district championship last season.

          Moore says Elyria will feature a strong lineup.  He says that they try to run a lot of the same things as the Streaks.  “They're tough, they have got a kid in Jayden Crutcher, who I think he's been offered by Youngstown State and some other D1 colleges.  So, they're a really solid team.  They're a lot like us, they like to get up and down, so it should be a real fun game,” said Moore.

 

Published 12/01/23

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Calvert Travels to O-G

Click here to listen to an interview with coach Jon Otterbacher

 

          Some people might call Tiffin Calvert crazy, but maybe they told Buster Douglas the same things.

          The Senecas hope to take down Ottawa-Glandorf and Colin White in their own palace as they play the Titans at O-G on Friday night.

          Coach Jon Otterbacher they just have to outwork them and remain patient.  “We've been planning and preparing for this for a while knowing the fact that we're playing Ottawa-Glandorf, one of the best teams in the state regardless of divisions.  We've been under the impression and understanding skill wise that they might be a little bit more athletic and skilled than us, but we're going to have to try to outwork them and just be more patient than them and take what we can,” said Otterbacher.

          No matter what happens Friday it’s unlikely they anyone is going to be knocked out.

          Otterbacher knows they have to play with confidence because if they don’t the game is over before it starts.  “We actually talked about it after practice (Thursday) night in our team meeting, our huddle, and reminded them that this is one of those games that you guys are going to remember forever.  We talked to them about the last the last time we had a game like this was when we picked up Western Reserve two years ago.  The atmosphere of that game was unbelievable.  We're hoping to replicate it again (Friday) night,” he said.

          Colin White is a division I college basketball player.  He’s a 6’7”, I’m going to play anywhere because I can kind of guy.  Otterbacher says they have to give the Titans a number of different looks.  “He's such a dynamic player, such a gifted athlete, that he is going to draw so much attention, especially in our game and throughout the season.  We're going to try to do some different things and throw some different wrinkles at him, but we know that he's still going to end up getting some of his if not all of his,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “It's really a two headed monster too.  They have another nice guard/post who can shoot the ball probably actually better than Colin White so it's going to be hard to stop both of them.”

 

Published 12/01/23

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Norwalk Must Have Perimeter Defense

Click here to listen to an interview with coach Adam Kreischer

 

          Norwalk is at Ashland to open the boys’ basketball campaign on Friday night against the Arrows in non-conference play.

          Coach Adam Kreischer says he feels like they are going to come out and play well Friday.  “I think that we're finally at the point where my guys are ready for that to happen.  I could just see it this week in practice that there itching to play a real game against somebody else that really matters.  Just really I think they're looking forward to getting out there and competing,” he said.

          Kreischer says they have some players that have experience at the varsity level and some that do not.  “I mean we kind of have a combination of both those things this year.  We have got a couple of guys in Mason Gamble and Ben Rothhaar that I'm pretty confident in what I'm going to get out of them (Friday) night.  Then we have a lot of other guys that I have plenty of confidence in them also because I know what they're capable of, but you're right when the bright lights come on it's kind of yet to be seen what those what those guys will be like this year,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “I think it's exciting for us to find that out.  Yeah, we kind of have a combination of both those things.  We have some guys that that have been there, done that, seen it for a while and I'm sure we'll be more than ready to go and a lot of guys that are itching to get after it, but yet to be seen what the performance would be like on a varsity sage on under the bright lights.”

          Ashland, out of the Ohio Cardinal Conference, is team that Kreischer says can do a lot of things on both ends and has a strong sophomore class that can cause problems.  “They're a quality team.  They get out in transition well, do some different things defensively and are really difficult to score on at times in the half court.  They have got a big kid inside the (Nathan) Bernhard kid that’s about 6’5” and is a big, strong, kid that’s not easy to move around, really an enforcer for them.  Then the (Gabe) Baith kid.  Both of these kids are sophomores the Bernhard kid is a sophomore inside and the Baith kid is a sophomore on the outside that's a nice point guard, strong kid, can really shoot the basketball and they have plenty of shooters around them as well, some other athletes that can get out and defend.  In transition if we don't back and guard the three-point line that's where I think they could have success,” said Kreischer.

 

Published 12/01/23

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Norwayne Will Play Orrville

Click here to listen to an interview with coach Brian West

 

          Norwayne, defending tri-champion in the Wayne County Athletic League, beings its season on Friday night at home against Orrville of the Principal’s Athletic Conference.

          Coach Brain West believes that his kids have done the things in the preseason to be ready to go.  “I thought we had a pretty good scrimmage on Tuesday at Northwest, the boys were pushed.  Northwest likes to come up the floor like we do and they were really physical with us, so it was really good test for us.  I think we learned some things from that scrimmage and when we got a chance to watch the film and review some things in practice.  We have got a long way to go obviously.  We don't want to be peaking going into game one.  After practice (Thursday) as a staff we were talking that (Thursday’s) practice wasn't as sharp as we had hoped, but we also have to keep thinking that we have a few boys that were mainly JV guys last year that playing varsity minutes for the first time, so it's going to be a work in progress, but we're excited to get going,” said West.

          West says you never know for sure because games are different.  “It's going to be nice to have a lot of people in the stands, the cheerleaders and everybody's going to be there, announcers, and probably some media, so it's definitely different than practice it's definitely different than scrimmage. The kids are tired of beating on each other every day.  So, I think they're going to be excited to see somebody different across from us and it’s actually going to matter this time.  So, I think, obviously, the intensity level is going to pick up on our end and I’m sure Orville as well.  So, it's not a true scrimmage feel, so I think the kids are as excited as we are as a staff,” he said.

          West says Orrville may be missing a few of their players, but he says they Red Riders are going to be a challenge.  “I know they're going to be missing a few kids that are normally going to be in their lineup, but they have Taj Gibson, a 6’6” kid that came out this year that that did not play last year.  So, he's going to be an issue for us inside because we're not real big, but I think they're guards move the ball well on the perimeter.  They have got some guys that can shoot it pretty well,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “We're hoping that if we can speed them up and pressure them a little bit, hopefully we can force them into some turnovers and get some easy buckets for us at the other end to get some momentum early.  Coach (Jim) Frizell does a great job with his kids.  They're going to play hard, they're going to move the ball, they're going to get up in us defensively, so it's going to be a nice test for us to get started on the season and it gets us ready for league play.”

 

Published 12/01/23

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Pleasant Features Experience

Click here to listen to an interview with coach Ben Snively

 

          Marion Pleasant is a team that has five kids with a lot of experience as they embark on the season this weekend with non-conference game at Fairbanks on Friday and home with North Union on Saturday.

          Coach Ben Snively says they have not had to do much teaching this year during the preseason.  “I was really pleased with our kids this year.  We've got five seniors coming back and four of them have played basically, a couple of them played since their freshman year, and the other three have been sophomores and one as a junior last year.  So, we have experience, but we did improve throughout the course of the preseason.  It was a lot of just of fine tuning for us as most of these kids already know, they've been in the program now for a while, and they know what we're doing.  So, again we're trying to consistently get better each and every day,” said Snively.

          With it being opening week, Snively says there is no question that his kids are ready to go.  “We're so ready we're going to probably practice for maybe an hour (Thursday) night.  I don't know that I can practice much more.  The last two days have been great practices, so our kids are just chomping at the bit to put those uniforms on, smell that popcorn out there, and get ready for some live action,” he said.

          Both of these teams, Fairbanks and North Union, at one time were part of the “MOAC”, which has had number of members over the years, and Snively says both will offer a challenge.  “We opened up with Fairbanks last year.  They actually beat us at home last year by three points.  They have a 6’5” post player, he's a pretty good player and they got another guard that's a nice player.  So, we're going to have to be on our game right from the get go.  We have got to go to Fairbanks, that's a smaller gym, I've been there a few times and historically we've not played great there, it'll be a different type of atmosphere for our kids.  Again, we're looking forward to it,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “North Union, same thing, it's kind of a local rival, on old “MOAC” rival, about 15 minutes away.  They're coming to our place on Saturday.  They'll be ready to go to.  They have a very good player in Max Parish and a couple of nice guards.  So, these are both Central District division III teams.  So, this is a really, really big weekend for us right from the get go.  Like I said, I like our experience and I think our kids will be ready to go.”

 

Published 12/01/23

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Dalton Plays for State Title

Click here to listen to an interview with coach Broc Dial

 

          Dalton is in position to win its first ever state football championship on Saturday morning when they meet longtime state powerhouse Marion Local in the division VII state title game in Canton.

          Marion Local has won 13 state titles since 2000, including the last two years.

          Dalton (13-1) last week smoked Caldwell (55-7) in a semifinal in Zanesville.

          Coach Broc Dial says again the got off to a good start.  “The kids came out ready and played really well.  We were able to get a fumble the first play and got it on offense and scored two plays later.  The kids kept doing it the rest of the game.  They executed really well and played really hard, which was good to see,” he said.

          For the first time this season, tailback Greyson Siders did not score a touchdown, but the Bulldogs found other ways to find paydirt.

          Marion Local also was impressive last week in blanking previously unbeaten Patrick Henry (42-0) in their semifinal.  The Flyers have only allowed one score in five playoff games.

          Dial says this is a team that is good everywhere, including special teams.  “Coach (Tim) Goodwin has done a fantastic job there building a tremendous program, really special program.  When you watch the want film first thing jumps out to me is they're very good on special teams,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “They are very well coached, execute really well on the special teams.  They do a lot of different things you really don't see at this level that really helps set up their offense and defense.  Then obviously they're very good offensively and defensively as well.”

          Dalton is physical, but Dial says so is Marion Local, plus they are going to be aggressive in their play calls.  “They are a very physical football team at all levels, at all spots, whether it's special teams, offensively, defensively.  The are very aggressive in their play calling and whether it's supposed to the offense or defense.  Just a very aggressive football team from the coaches down to the players, just very aggressive in how they go about their business,” said Dial.

          Way back at the beginning of the season Dalton lost its only game to Kirtland, who plays for a division VI title, (14-7) and Dial believes that prepares them for Saturday.  “We talked to our kids a little bit early in the week and just said we already played a state championship game week one.  A few different things go different way that outcome may change.  We wanted to play Kirtland and Mogadore, so we could prepare ourselves for these playoff runs.  Hopefully, that prepared us heading into Saturday morning,” said Dial.

 

Published 11/30/23

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Clear Fork off to Good Start

Click here to listen to an interview with coach Scott Sellers

 

          Clear Fork has started the season with three non-conference wins and now they play two games in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference this week at home against Galion on Thursday and at Ontario on Saturday afternoon.

          Tuesday night, Lillian Weikle scored 14 points and Kylie Belcher made two free throws with less than a minute to play and the Lady Colts (3-0) beat Bellevue (42-41) in an excellent road win.

          Coach Scott Sellers says they won a physical game.  “It was a great win.  We were excited to go up there and come out with the win.  It was a really hard fought game.  We shot eight free throws, they shot seven, so it was a physical game.  We really liked the way they officiated it up there.  It’s not like you typically see in the girls’ side of things, they let us play.  We went in there expected to be challenged and beat up a little bit.  I think Kory (Santoro) and Bellevue probably expected the same thing and it could have went either way and just really fortunate we came out with the win,” he said.

          Sellers says they made big plays when they had to at Bellevue and he thought they rebounded very well.  “Against teams like that you really do have to make plays.  I think over the last two, three years we have beefed up our schedule enough to where games like this aren't necessarily crazy for us to play anymore.  We go into these, win or lose, we take something out of them.  I think the last couple years playing teams like Bellevue, losing by seven last year, Mansfield Senior last year, West Holmes, some of these games helped us turn a corner to where we get these big games, we understand what's kind of at stake, we understand the physicality and the expectation of how to compete and how to play.  I think it's carried forward for us into this season,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “Listen even Madison and Lexington, our first two games, they're big strong, and we learned a lot from those games.  I don't think if we don't play those two games we win (Tuesday) night because we rebounded the ball a lot better (Tuesday) night and had we played Bellevue first game this season I don't think we would have beat them because we wouldn't have rebounded well enough.  It's crazy you play these games for a reason and you can really learn a lot from them.  I thanked him last night, I thanked coach Kory (Santoro) Tuesday night.  They don't have to play us, we're a division III team, we've historically not been the best team, but some of these teams will play us because we'll compete with them and we're really fortunate to get these games against teams as good as Bellevue.”

          The Lady Colts host Galion (0-2) on Thursday night and play at Ontario (0-1) on Saturday night.

          Sellers says they will do what they have to do to be ready to play them.  “Once we get into the kind of the “MOAC” schedule it's usually two games in three days or you have a couple in a week and just the way it's set up.  So, we'll take this game, we'll get our reps, we'll do what we need to do to prepare to play Galion.  We have got a quick turn and Saturday we got Ontario.  We have got another quick turn and we play Mansfield Senior and Pleasant.  When you get into this time of the season, you're not necessarily planning for just one at a time.  I know a lot of coaches like to say that, but I think as a coach you have to understand everything you have got coming up the next seven to 10 days and plan accordingly.  I'm getting ready to walk into practice and we're going to prep for Galion, we're going to prep a little bit for Ontario, and we're just going to start looking at things from (Tuesday) and like hey there are the things that maybe look good and here are the things that we can do better.  So, it prepares us for not just (Thursday), but for the weeks and the couple of months ahead,” said Sellers.

 

Published 11/30/23

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Lexington Ready to Get Started

Click here to listen to an interview with coach Scott Hamilton

 

          There are great expectations for the Lexington Minutemen this season and we start to figure out if they can reach those as they open the season down the road at Clear Fork on Friday night in non-conference action.

          Coach Scott Hamilton says he is confident that they will be ready to go come Friday.  “While I think that most coaches would tell you they're going to be as comfortable as they can be for game one.  You're still trying to figure out some things, you're defining roles when you have as many new faces as what we do.  You just kind of get after it.  You have got to start doing those things and then continue to work on it as season goes.  You're not going to be in peak form week one that's for sure,” he said.

          Hamilton says they don’t have time to get their whole game plan in before the opener.  He says that takes time.  “I mean you might have some continuity stuff in or your base stuff, but as the season progresses you see things and kids advance and you notice some abilities from your players that you might be able to tweak some things and put new things in throughout the year.  You probably if you could say that you had half of your stuff in going into game one, you'd probably be happy with that,” he said.

          Hamilton says Clear Fork has a roster that has a bunch of upperclassmen on it and he thinks in coach Tim Brafford’s second year, they are going to be able to stomp their feet a little more, as Colts are apt to do.  “Well, I think they're veteran squad.  I mean what they bring back from last year's team, there's a lot of experience on that squad.  It starts with Vanausdale and Holz, they play very, very strong and then of course you've got Grant Spencer, another senior, Dornbier, that’s another senior.  They've got a bunch of seniors that have played a lot of action and then they've got a couple of new faces with some kids that played probably more JV minutes than they did varsity last year,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday, “They've been program kids.  They've been in the system and now that Tim's (Brafford) in his second year he's getting to do some things that he wanted to do last year.  He came in and was just kind of figuring his guys out.  So, I think they're going to be much improved they went from zero wins one year to six wins last year.  I wouldn't be surprised if they're going to improve on that this year.”

 

Published 11/30/23

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Clear Fork Excited to be Tested by Lexington

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          Clear Fork will host Lexington in their non-conference opener on Friday night at Les Hauenstein Gym.

          Coach Tim Brafford says they are ready for the experience.  “When the players come out you're going to get their best.  In the scrimmages, we get a pretty good game, but when it's game day everyone comes ready to play it and brings the excitement, the crowd is in the building, the cheerleaders are there, popcorn’s going and it's time to play ball,” he said.

          Brafford believes has a team made up of some very good shooters and they have other skills too.  “The Colts right now are playing fantastic.  We just have some great shooters, they're intensity, and they're physicalness of play.  I just couldn't be happier with the way that we've progressed from last year even to this year and where we are through the preseason getting ready to go into the first game of the year.  We are pumped up and ready to go,” said Brafford.

          Lexington is the defending Ohio Cardinal Conference champion and division II district runner-up.

          Brafford says they are going to be a challenge.  “I expect them to come in fully ready to go.  Scott Hamilton does a great job coaching there at Lex and as everyone knows I think that's sophomore class is just loaded and they've got power at every position,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “It's definitely going to be a challenge for us.  I like that we get them so early in the season.  Just really so we can see where we are because they're really the ones that the help set the bar every year and we've got to get out there and see if we can compete with that level of play.”

          In order to win Friday night, Brafford says they have to play great defense and compete on the boards.  “We're going to have to play great defense.  We're going to have to talk, that's one thing we've been pushing.  We need everybody rebounding.  Good Lord willing our shots will be falling.  We have some great shooters and we just hope that they get out and go.  I think that defensively will be ready.  They have a lot of length that we're going to have to deal with with Elijah Hudson out front and Fogle and Caudill underneath the basket.  We don't have that length, but I think we have some guys ready to compete,” said Brafford.

 

Published 11/30/23

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Lucas Must be in Top Gear

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          Lucas, traditionally one of the best small school basketball programs in this area, opens the season on Saturday night by hosting the Mohawk Warriors of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference.

          The Cubs have some seniors with a lot of basketball experience, but coach Taylor Iceman says they need to be at their best on Saturday.  “We've got three starters back from last year that we will certainly rely on.  It's a little different for us this year. We’ve not, as I thought back of my career here, I don't know that we've played a team out of the gate as good as Mohawk.  So, we have got to be ready to play and they say usually the first couple games you kind of feel things out.  You play it and you see and you learn about what you have got to improve on and then you go get better through film and practice.  We don't have any time to figure things out, we have got to go out and play because we have got to play a pretty good team right out of the gate.  So, we'll learn a lot about ourselves on Saturday night,” said Iceman.

          Mohawk was the runner-up in the “N10” last year and Iceman says they hare going to be tough to handle.  “We've prepared a little bit for that.  We've never played them in the regular season, but we see them in the summertime and then obviously we watch a lot of Colonel Crawford film the last couple of years, so I've seen them that way and they're just a good team and program.  Coach (Paul) Dunn does a great job with them and it's going to be interesting to see you know what they do,” he said.

          Mohawk has traditionally been a 2-3 match-up zone team, but they played a lot of man last season.  Iceman says the need to be ready for both.  “I expect to see a lot of zone this year, but they've got some athletes and they do want to get up and pressure you.  It'll be interesting to see you know what they do against us.  We've prepared for both.  We'll be ready to handle whatever.  We get to play Central Christian two times a year forever and they run a really good 2-3 zone, so we do get to see quite a bit of that,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “I think our kids will be prepared for that.  They play really hard and really aggressive and do a lot of good things.  They have got a lot of kids back from last year, so we're going to have to be like I said focused and ready to go right out of the gate.”

 

Published 11/30/23

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Shelby Has to Handle Harding Pressure

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          Shelby, one of the defending champions in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, will play its first league game of the season on Thursday night at home against Marion Harding.

          They play at Galion on Saturday in conference action.

          They started the season with wins over Margaretta (43-32) last Wednesday and Upper Sandusky (44-20) on Saturday night.

          Coach Natalie Lantz says she was pleased with the start.  “It's good to walk away with a couple of wins.  Definitely good competitive teams, very good, quality wins I would say, especially kicking off the season with Margaretta, real happy with the way we defended.  There's a lot of work to do yet, a few things we'd like to tweak defensively and offensively.  We just need to do a better job of getting things moving and making good decisions offensively,” she said.

          However, Lantz knows there is a lot of improvement that needs to be done.  “I've seen growth just this week at practice as well.  We're excited to play Harding, they're an athletic group.  We're excited to pick up with “MOAC” play and work towards some goals that we have set this year,” she told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “I think the biggest thing that we need to continue to stress with the girls is that one play at a time, next play mentality.  I'm seeing some really good things, I'm loving our depth, and everybody's contributing in one way, shape, or form and is helping us put together hopefully a really, really quality team here this year.”

          Marion Harding (0-1) lost (50-26) to Olentangy Berlin last week.

          Lantz says they Lady Presidents have solid guard play and they are going to press the Lady Whippets a lot.  “I think they have two really, really nice guards that are able to you know handle pressure, they're nice shooters, one’s probably a little bit better three-point shot, but they can both drive, they can the shoot, which makes some nice versatile players, they're aggressive defensively.  So, I mean we're going to have our work cut out for us.  We need to be able to handle their pressure, we expect full court pressure from them, some half court traps as well.  So, I think we're ready hopefully for their pressures and we just have to go out and execute,” said Lantz.

 

Published 11/30/23

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Bellevue to Face Very Good Margaretta

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          Bellevue, one of the contenders in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference, will be home for Margaretta, won of the best in the Bay Division, on Saturday night.

          Coach Ed Rich says they are prepared and ready to go for Saturday night.  “We're not in mid-season form quite yet, but we're getting there.  I think we have got in what we need to get in.  I think we've really hit what we need to focus on.  We should be ready for Margaretta here on Saturday night,” he said.

          The Lake Division is loaded with year with Sandusky, who won the division II district last year, Perkins, Clyde, Norwalk and Tiffin Columbian, who doesn’t start to next week.

          Rich says they too can be very good.  “We definitely believe that and we think it's possible.  We have got a nice squad, a nice roster.  You know build a little momentum from last year and we bring we bring a lot of guys back.  So, we have pretty high expectations and we start out on Saturday with a tough Margaretta squad.  So, we're getting tested right out of the shoot and kind of hopefully see where we're at after Saturday night,” said Rich.

          When it comes to Margaretta, Rich says they are very good and have two outstanding guards.  “They have two really dynamic guards, two sophomores, in Juda Keller and Julian Washington, both started every game from last year as freshmen, but they've improved a lot.  We saw over the summer and saw a little bit of film on them this season already,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “Those are the two guys obviously we need to focus on the most.  They're not a big team, but they're extremely scrappy, they run their stuff extremely well and they're a high IQ team.  So, they do a lot of good things and you have got to be sharp defensively and sharp offensively against them or they're going to make you pay.”

 

Published 11/30/23

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Western Has to Handle Vermilion Pressure

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          Western Reserve plays two games on the opening weekend as they travel to Vermilion on Friday and host Mansfield St. Peter’s on Saturday.

          Coach Chris Sheldon says they have a little good news, they are more healthy heading into this weekend.  “Well, we've mended somewhat.  There's light at the end of the tunnel, but unfortunately we can't make up for missed reps and missed scrimmage opportunities.  Those things are going to present obvious challenges on opening weekend for us with some of our guys really getting their first live action all year long,” he said.

          Sheldon says he has a lot of options and that is both good and bad.  “We have got guys on Friday night that I think are going to play some JV minutes for us, but it also could be starters before this season's all said and done in a varsity basketball game.  That’s how a wide range of talent that we just don't know who fits where right now, but unfortunately due to repetition and availability it's where we're at the start of week one,” said Sheldon.

          When it comes to Vermilion, Sheldon says they must handle their pressure and also be able to gets some stops.  “They want to play a fast tempo game.  They want to pressure us into full court, give us some trapping variations.  All those things that on opening night you find out what your guys are going to be able to respond to that the thing.   I like is obviously we play a lot of guards.  I feel confident in some of our ball handlers, but at the end of the day we still have got to be able to execute what we're trying to do against their different pressure looks and get the shots we want.  Then secondarily, we can't allow live ball turnovers to lead to easy baskets for them,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “That's how teams that like to give you different pressures really try to go on those quick 6-0, 8-0 runs that can really be a thorn in the side when you're trying to stay in a ball game or win one.  That’s got to be key.  Then lastly, they have got a multitude of guys that have varsity experience.  We've got to be able to really try to make them earn everything at the defensive end for us because they have got some guys that can shoot it, they have got some guys that are athletic that can break you down off the bounce and if we can't stay in front of anybody all night we're going to have a hard time stopping them.  Those are probably the three biggest areas of need for us just to be successful this weekend against them that we've got to be really good at.”

 

Published 11/30/23

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Wooster Must Play Good Defense

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          Wooster plays at Wadsworth to open the boys’ basketball season on Friday night.

          It will be Che Richardson’s first game as the Generals head coach.  He comes to Wayne County from the Canton McKinley program.

          Richardson says there can be butterflies on that first game, but he things the playerss have done a good job so far keeping their emotions in check.  “I would say our players have done a good job controlling those emotions as far as week one game,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “We’ve done a good job focusing on ourselves and taking these last couple days to focus on Wadsworth and the things that we're going to see on Friday.”

          Wadsworth is led by one of the leading scorers in the state in Maxx Bosley.  Richarson says he can light it up.  “I think they have some talent back.  Thankfully I've had a chance to coach against them at McKinley for the past two years.  They have Bosley, which he is probably one of the best scores in Ohio.  I know he had games last year we scored 45 points.  He's a strong kid, so he's definitely going to be a challenge for us this Friday just trying to contain him,” said Richardson.

          Richardson says their goal is to make the Grizzlies work for their points, not give them a lot of easy looks.  “Our main thing is playing team defense and playing together and getting stops from everybody and just trying to push the ball in transition and score in transition on this Friday.  Definitely, just trying to get stops, at least three stops in a row multiple times in the game will help us,” he said.

 

Published 11/30/23

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Carey Needs to Handle Expectations

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          Carey, the defending champion in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, has a double weekend to start the season as they are at Riverdale on Friday and host Old Fort on Saturday in non-conference play.

          Coach Jamie Young believes they with a lot of experience back they are going to be in position to play well this weekend.  “I think we're moving along pretty good.  We have got some good experience to draw from, so that's always a positive thing.  It makes things a little bit easier.  With the football team being successful like they were we did have a shortened preseason, but we're kind of used to that here the last four or five years.  So, I mean with our experience coming back I think we're ready to go.  We might just have to knock off some of the rust and get our basketball legs back.  I feel pretty confident in my guys right now,” he said.

          Winning the conference last year and having a lot of kids back there are high expectations for the Blue Devils, but Young says they have some unfinished business too.  “There are more expectations, but we always expect a lot of ourselves.  I mean as a program, as a coach and I know our players do as well, especially this particular group.  I mean they were never happy last year with just winning the game.  I mean they weren't happy until we clinched the “N10” title at our place against Mohawk in the last game of the year.  They were disappointed with how the season ended with the loss to Liberty-Benton in the sectional finals.  So, I think once we get rolling here, I mean we're going to be pretty good.  I mean in terms of like the kids mindsets will be pretty on top of it.  We just have to make sure that we focus on Friday and Riverdale,” said Young.

          Riverdale on Friday night will be improved, according to Young, he says the Falcons will play some intensity.  “They bring back a lot of guys from last year.  We played at the beginning of the year, so they didn't have the best season, but coach Drew (Hobensack) over there I think he's got him heading in the right direction.  It's one of those games for us, it's a rivalry game, because it's right in our back door,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “I mean you know they always come play their first game of the year and they're always tough.  They always battle, they don't give up.  I mean it's kind of similar to how we play.  So, I mean I think it's going to be a battle either way and and I'm looking forward to the opportunity.”

 

Published 11/30/23

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Buckeye to Face Aggressive Plymouth

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          Buckeye Central will entertain Plymouth in a non-conference game to start the season in New Washington.

          Coach Chris Moyer, in his first year as the head coach of the Bucks, says the kids want to play a game when the score counts.  “it's a long month of practice with a few scrimmages sprinkled in there.  I think the kids are itching to get out and compete for real at this point,” he said.

          Moyer says varsity basketball is a new experience for most of his team.  “There's an unknown from a coaching staff and the kids themselves.  It's going to be for five of the seven it's the first time under the bright lights of a varsity game.  So, we're definitely going to be looking to establish an identity in game one,” said Moyer.

          When it comes to Plymouth, Moyer says they have a battalion of seniors and they are going to be aggressive on defense.  “They are very experienced.  They have seven, eight seniors.  Coach (Eric) Picklesimer, I coached with him for six years and I know he'll have them ready to play,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “They're going to be aggressive on the defensive end and that's going to be a staple of what they do and they're going to be athletic as well.”

 

Published 11/30/23

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Shelby Must be Focused

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          Shelby, the defending champion in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, beings its season on Friday night by hosting the Madison Rams in a non-league game.

          There has been a lot of talk about how good the Whippets can be this year with a lot of guys back from a team that lost to Lexington in a division II district semifinal last year.

          Coach Greg Gallaway calls it noise and he says they can’t pay any attention to it.  “That's that we try to talk about, you can't control the noise and you have got to just try to stay connected as a group.  So, that’s something that we really try to get dialed in as a team, just staying connected with each other and really gathering thoughts with us instead of people outside of our team.  So, it's tough, especially as a 16, 17 year old high school kid to not get involved with that, especially with how much social media has grown.  It's going to be important for us to just stay worried about us,” said Gallaway.

          Gallaway says he has seen some good things in practice and the players are pushing each other to become better.  He says that have to continue to work on becoming a better team on defense.  “Scrimmages are done and we had scrimmages set up to hopefully show progression in our three or four scrimmages that we had.  We feel that we're making the right steps, but we're still not where we want to be and that's stuff that we're continuing to try to show more consistent effort in practice, especially executing defensively,” he old Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “That's one of our big things right now that we're trying to focus on is the team.  As far as our seniors and trying to help hold each other accountable.  That's something that we're really encouraged on right now and our guys pushing each other at practice.  So, it's been really good to see.”

          Madison lost a lot from year, including their top two scorers in Jayden Jeffries to graduation and Seven Allen to a transfer to Lexington.  However, Gallaway says he knows they will be physical.  “We don't have any game film.  Game one is always hard in terms of prep, especially when you're just watching scrimmages because you can't relate the two too much.  We know they lost some guys to graduation last year and to transfers, but coach (Chris) Armstrong just does a great job with those guys every year in getting them to play their style of play and playing hard extremely hard and physical.  So, we have got to be ready for that Friday night,” he said.

 

Published 11/29/23

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Inexperienced Colonel Crawford Starts With Two

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          Colonel Crawford will feature one of their least experienced teams in recent memory as they open the season with a double weekend at home with Crestline on Friday and at Northmor on Saturday.

          Coach David Sheldon says his teams is making the right kind of progress.  “I think it's a group that's made progress over the last two weeks.  We've had our guys for two weeks now and they've made a little progress and that's the thing that we have got to keep doing throughout this entire year.  With the one starter back they have bought in.  Every year we try to find roles and play to our strengths and you know we're still feeling that out early in the preseason and it's good to have two non league games come this weekend,” said Sheldon.

          After graduating almost all of their scoring, Sheldon says they are trying to find guys that can put the ball in the basket.  “What we're trying to see, who's going to step up.  We've had three scrimmages now and we've been able to see some progress for some guys and the capabilities and trying to play to the strengths of each individual on our team and bring them together as a collective group, but that's going to be growth as we go throughout this year,” he said.

          Crestline has a new coach this year in Paul Webb.  Sheldon says the Bulldogs are going to be pretty young.  “First, they're young basketball team.  They have no seniors looking at the roster.  A brand new coach in Paul Webb, who came from a very good coach he worked under in Tim Mergel, who was a really good coach over the years that I had the utmost respect for.  So, we know they're going to play hard, but early in the season don't know a lot of them other than no seniors on the roster and they're going to be well coached.   So, early in the season we got to worry about Colonel Crawford and try to get off to a good start,” said Sheldon.

          On other hand, Sheldon says Northmor will be very experienced and they are talented too.  “It's going to be a very good road test for us.  Northmor is picked to win their league.  They've got everybody back except one senior they lost.  It's a very, very good basketball team and I think one of the best teams in the area.  Last year, they're in the district finals with all those kids back this is going to be a very, very tough test for us on the road,” he told Swankopnsports.com on Tuesday morning, “We schedule this to get us ready for later in the season and where we need to grow before we head into league play the week after.  So, it's going to be a great road test for this group of young guys playing varsity basketball for the first time.  We have got one starter back in Trevor Vogt and we’ll have a lot of new faces out there.  I know our guys are going to go and compete against a very good basketball program in Northmor Saturday night.”

 

Published 11/29/23

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Still a lot of Question Marks for Ashland

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          Ashland is a team with some talent this year, no question, but they also have a lot of questions heading into their opener on Friday night at home against Norwalk in non-conference play.

          Coach Jason Hess says they really aren’t sure who their starters are going to be on Friday.  “I have to be honest I don’t think you’re ever really comfortable for a first game because it's such a different feeling than practices and scrimmages and summer basketball, especially with our team this year.  Our two most experienced players are sophomores, so we've got a lot of questions to be answered come Friday night.  We really just don't know what's going to happen and how things are going to go together.  I was just talking with the assistant (Tuesday), we've got some kids that are battling some illness and sickness and we're trying to decide who's going to be our starting five and he says well maybe just the five kids that are healthy and show up to school,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “We'll see Friday night what comes out of it.  It's hard it's hard to say right now if you're really comfortable or not, we're excited to get started I do know that and our kids are ready to see some game action and see the lights turned on Friday night.  So, we are looking forward to it, but we're not sure we're confident what we're going to get.”

          Hess says confidence is a big thing with teenagers and they need to make some early baskets on Friday.  “It's amazing, not only do kids react differently, but it's just amazing sometimes that little thing of seeing that ball go through the basket early on in the game and just build confidence and kind of get you rolling through the whole night.  Having a couple of bad breaks or a couple bad bounces early on these are 15, 16 year old kids up to 18 that we're talking about and mentally that confidence is such a fragile thing sometimes, so it's really important to get off to a good start,” he said.

          Norwalk is a team that has experience back and Hess says they have good size and athleticism.  “I know they've got really strong junior class.  They're coaches are just super excited about their group I know from talking to him this summer.  They've got a lot more guys coming back from a year ago than we do.  They got a good sized team, a lot of 6’3”, 6’4” guys pretty good athletes.  They should be a team to be reckoned this year not only in their league, but also now that they're up in division I in the sectional and so on up there in the northwest district,” he said.

 

Published 11/29/23

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Clyde Needs to Stay Consistent

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          Clyde plays its first game at home on Saturday night against the Lexington Minutemen in non-conference play.

          Coach Ryan Fretz likes the progress his team has made, but he says they must continue in the right direction.  “We're making the progressions that that we need to make.  They're not coming along as fast as I would like them to come along, but that’s not all of it's up to me.  As we get guys coming back from injury it changes the dynamics of the team a little bit and you have to make adjustments as these boys come back.  Something that might have worked when these boys weren't in might work now or vice versa.  We're making those adjustments as we got Brayden back and as we got Brennen back.  I mean looking to move forward with that we've had a great week of practice so far, we just want to make sure we can keep it up consistently as we get closer to Saturday,” he said.

          Fretz says there is always a lot of excitement surrounding the first game of the season, but they need to take the games one at a time with the same focus.  “I mean everybody in the state’s going to play a basketball game either Friday or Saturday for most part and half of your teams are still going to be undefeated after that and the other half of them are going to be looking at the 0-1 record.  I mean there's a lot of energy built up for that first game because of the unknowns, because some guys are playing different roles.  Like I said, the unknowns that are out there that you've been working so hard in the offseason.  You put in a lot of work over the summer,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “We at Clyde we did pretty good over the summer.  Had a pretty successful summer where we saw growth and we played some disciplined basketball and got better and this is where we make hay.  We get to go out there and finally put everything to the test.  So, that's why I think the energy is big and it's huge right now for us.  I just hope that it stays consistent the rest of this week through the game and even after the game.  Yes, game one is always a big one, but the basketball season is a 22 game regular season and it's definitely a marathon and not a sprint to get to March.”

          With the height and perimeter skills, Fretz knows that Lexington is going to be a big challenge for the Fliers.  “They're big and now we at Clyde right now if you look at our roster, we're not known for having the big, tall guys.  As you're sitting here looking at Lexington, I mean you see 6’4”, 6’6” and what Elijah Hudson's probably 6’8”, 6’9” in there.  I mean they can rebound, they can bang it inside and they can knock down shots from the outside too.  Their guard play is good, it's quick, they're agile, so they're guards can put some pressure on you.  So, they have a lot of weapons that you have to respect.  We're looking forward to seeing them come to our gym.  We're looking forward to the challenge, it's a great first game for us.  I mean Lexington's coming off the district championship game last year against Sandusky.  They've lost some guys, but they've done a pretty good job at just reloading.  I mean, we expect them to be a force to be reckoned with on Saturday right,” said Fretz.

 

Published 11/29/23

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Northmor Expecting Good Things

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          Northmor, the preseason choice in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference, opens the season with two non-conference home games Friday against Marion Elgin and Saturday versus Colonel Crawford.

          Coach Blade Tacket says they are experienced and they are excited to get the season going.  “We had a real good summer.  We only lost one senior off of our team last year that was a 15 win team.  We brought back a really strong junior class and our junior class became seniors.   So, we brought back two really strong classes.  We had a great summer and we're really looking forward to the start of the season this week,” he said.

          Tacket says the Golden Knights have high expectations as do their fans.  He says they want to take it one game at time.  “I think especially in the area there are some pretty high expectations.  We want to try to realize those, but don't put too much stock in them just because we take it game at a time and worry about it a game and a time.  We had a long football season.  We've had a pretty short practice season here, so we have got a long way to go.  Coach (David) Sheldon always said it best it's a marathon not a sprint.  So, we're going to do the best we can here to begin the year with the expectation to hit a pretty good stride mid year and end year hopefully we’ll be lucky for another tournament run just like we had last year.”

          Tacket knows that Elgin will be a challenge for them.  He says the Comets are going to be disciplined on offense.  “They gave us a great game last year and beat us.  It was an overtime game 58-51.  They lost a couple more people than we did, but they also brought back a nice core.  Steven Castillo can really shoot the ball.  They have got a post player that comes back that’s an energy guy on defense.  They’ve got a JV point guard that's going to step up and be a really nice player for them,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “I expect it to be a highly competitive game, just like it was last year.  They're very disciplined on offense.  I think they have got a new coach, he was their JV coach last year.  I think he's been an Elgin for a while, but it's a well coached team, well disciplined team and they got some good pieces.  So, we're going to have our hands full, it's going to be a competitive game.”

 

Published 11/29/23

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River Valley Has Good Mix

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          River Valley, the runner-up last year in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, certainly has the potential to be a very good team this year too.  They open the season on Friday night at home against Olentangy Berlin in non-league play.

          Coach Rodney Brown says they have some veterans back and some new kids that can play too.  “We have some returning guys with some experience and some young guys to go with them in that mix.  Just trying to get the young guys to fit in and understand how we play.  It's been a good preseason.  We've had some good scrimmages, played against some really good competition and have been pleased with how we've done,” said Brown.

          Brown says playing a strong scrimmage schedule gives you a better idea what you have and what you need to improve.  “You want to be challenged, you want to see what you need to work on.  Sometimes you want the kids to see that, hey, you know we need to do this better,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “We need to work on this harder in practice and not get a big head I guess.”

          Olentangy Berlin is a division I school, so bigger than the Vikings, and Brown says they have solid guard play.  “Berlin has two really, really good guards, a four year starter and their point guards are really good, both of them had really good games against us last year.  We have to contain them and hopefully it'll be enough to keep us in it, but those two players are very good,” he said.

 

Published 11/29/23

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South Central Ready to Go

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          South Central opens another new era on high school boys’ basketball on Friday night as they are at home for Mansfield St. Peter’s in non-conference play.

          First year coach Dallas Yost, a Trojan alum, says there has been a difference in intensity and focus in the gym this week.  “There's definitely a sense of urgency in the building.  We had our last scrimmage (Monday) night against Danbury and now we have got three days of prep to get ready for St. Pete’s.  We haven't really been focusing on St. Pete's specifically, it's been more about us just getting everything in that we want to have them by game one.  After our last scrimmage (Monday) night we know we have three days of prep.  We’ve kind of turned our focus the St. Pete’s and you can feel their urgency in the building as we're nearing game one,” he said.

          Yost says they have focused on getting everything they want to installed and he says they are confident they are in good position to play well.  “We actually got lucky this year with an extra week of preseason.  Usually at least from my experience that I know about, we usually start Thanksgiving week and we got an extra week of preseason, so that helps.  There is still limited time to get everything in, especially when you got a completely new system and you have got new coaches and you have got a bunch of you know young guys and new varsity faces anyway they might have been in the program last year or not at the varsity level or not contributing at the varsity level as we have only got three letter winners back,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “We're throwing a lot at them.  We're doing some different complex things defensively and offensively that you know hopefully will surprise some of the teams.  I think they're handling it pretty well and we got everything in so far that we want in in for game one.  We'll make some make some changes as we go throughout the year for other matchups.”

          St. Peter’s has struggled in recent seasons, winning only two games last year.  Yost says they are going to try and feature some pressure.  “Basically, I have only got one film off of them.  They run some sort of dribble drive and defensively they do ball pressure in the half court.  They're pretty opportunistic defensively that way trying to get steals and block shots and are aggressive in that sense.  So, we have to take care of it and handle the pressure, but I mean we should be used to that that's our style of play.  We practice it every day in practice, so I think as long as we do what we do and we do it well I think we should be fine,” said Yost.

 

Published 11/29/23

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Northwestern Ready to Surprise

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          Northwestern likes being the underdog, which hasn’t happened very much for the Huskies over the last 25 years.

          They open the season on Friday night at Wooster Triway.

          Veteran coach Mark Alberts, Jr. says they are going to be physical.  “I thought we really made strides during the scrimmages.  I thought that practice has been solid.  The first three weeks of practice are the absolute worst just because you're trying to go hard all the time and maybe you're going six days a week.  You can't even get these guys much time to rest, especially guys that came off football.  So, I really like where we’re at.  You know what, we don't have a lot of expectations from people around the area just because of what we lost and where these guys are at.  We're definitely going to make it interesting for whoever we play as long as we can stay healthy.  It's going to be interesting just because we're going to be physical, we're going back to playing the brand of ball we used to play and hopefully that'll kind of give us a leg up on our opponents,” he said.

          Alberts says the Huskies this year are playing with a lot less pressure on them than they have had over the years.  “Last year, we didn't have any expectations either.  It was one of those where it was a tough year.  We had three teams share our league, but we finished as the next team.  We were the runner up to the three teams.  It was weird because nobody expected us to even be in that spot.  They were picking us as the bottom team in the league.  So, did we have the kind of year we wanted last year? No.  It's because we went 2-6 in non-league games.  If would have been 6-2, which it very easily could have been, you're looking at a totally different record and our attitude about would have been totally different,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “This year, yes, there's no expectation on us and we've had a lot of expectations over the years.  I'm really excited because this this team coming up through when they from junior high as they're coming always had expectations, like they could be really good and they have never reached the level that people thought they would at the younger age.  Hopefully, they'll just kind of take that one game at a time and hopefully try to prove some people wrong here to start the year.”

          Alberts says Triway has some good players, but it looks like they don’t have a lot of depth.  “They have Brayden Holt, who started as a freshman and was a great player last year and Drew Bishko, a senior.  Then they got Luke Snowbarger, who transferred from Wooster to play football and then they have Cale Drown, who came back off of knee injury last year and played at the end of the year is probably going to start for them and then they have two freshmen, who are good freshmen, but they're still freshmen and that's their six guys.  So, there's an expectation at Triway, but they lost Zach Miller and losing Zach Miller is a lot bigger loss I think than people realize and probably the same way with us losing Brett (Alberts).  It's going to be interesting because I think Triway has told people that there's no film on them out there.  Whoever they scrimmaged, they asked not to send any film out on them, so we haven't got anything on them right now,” said Alberts.

 

Published 11/29/23

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Vermilion With Some Things

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          Vermilion tips-off its season on Friday night as they host Western Reserve of the Firelands Conference.

          Coach Kurt Habermehl says the Sailors will have some experience this year, but inside they are going to be young.  “So, we do have some guys back.  We actually have six seniors, but only three of them got major minutes on varsity last year, actually four of them got major minutes on varsity last year.  So, yeah, we do have some experience, but some of our crucial positions, like some of our size, is young guys,” said Habermehl.

          The veteran coach says his kids have been putting in good effort, but they are far from a finished product.  “They're working hard.  I don't know if we're necessarily where we want to be heading into Friday night, but it is what it is.  We have just got to be ready to play when the ball rolls out we have got to be ready to go,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “We certainly got a ways to go and some things to figure out before we become a really good basketball team.”

          When it comes to Western Reserve, Habermehl says the Riders are going to run their stuff well when they have the ball and play good, aggressive defense.  “Well, Chris (Sheldon) is a heck of a coach and I know they're going to run all of their plays to perfection, so it's going to be really up to us to make sure that we try to get them uncomfortable so they can't do what they want to do on the offensive end.  Then defensively, they play an aggressive man to man defense and so we're going to have to handle their pressure and shoot the basketball well,” said Habermehl.

 

Published 11/29/23

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Willard Ready to Find Out

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          Willard, the defending champion in the Bay Division of the Sandusky Bay conference, opens the season on Friday night in non-conference play at Upper Sandusky.

          Coach Joe Bedingfield says they feel like they are ready to go, but you never know for sure.  “You’re always going to want to play a little bit better.  You’re always going to want to get more stops.  Maybe make the right decision on a few more times, but I think it's time for game week.  It's time to see because that's really the only way you really know.  Scrimmages sometimes you play at 10:00 AM, sometimes you play over break, on Saturday, whatever, it's just not a game feel. I mean you get pretty relaxed on some of those things.  Then Friday, we'll go over to Upper and have lights on, people in the seats, people cheering and things and you kind of really see who's really going to contribute, who's really going to be ready to go, because I think there's a huge difference.  I think you really don't know who your team is until right around Christmas time anyway.  So, you just kind of want to see who plays well in the scrimmages, but then you have to take another step and that's what we're looking to do here week one and to you know get started with our league play eventually,” said Bedingfield.

          Bedingfield thinks they are improved in some areas, but they certainly have things to work on like defense and team chemistry.  “In certain areas we are better.  I think in certain areas maybe a little bit lengthier, maybe could shoot a little bit better for some of our positions, but I think what it comes down to is team chemistry.  When you make those long runs its guys playing for each other.  I just think that's still got to be a piece that has to be developed, that has to be developed daily.  It has to be developed organically.  I don't think you can force that.  I think it's something that the kids, your leaders have to do and they have to play for each other.  Basketball wise, I think we could be a better team.  I think could be a better scoring team, but we still have a lot to prove defensively and that's one thing we've been harping on our kids is at the defensive end taking care of boxing out, contesting open shots and rotating,” he said.

          Bedingfield says the Rams offer them a lot of challenges that they will need to be ready for come Friday.  “Well, I mean they have some experienced kids too.  I mean the Holden Daris I think Ha played for Jeff (Winslow) for four years, he's long, tall, he gets in passing lanes.  Justin Heilman does a nice job distributing the ball, but also is looking for his points too and driving hard.  They have a returning junior in Brock Montgomery, who's playing really good ball offensively and can knock down some open shots and kind of gets them going offensively,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “Coach Winlsow just gets his teams year in and year out to play harder than most teams that you play.  Going there is never easy, just seems like we've been doing this game since I've been at Willard and they've been doing it even before that.  So, it's always a good test for both teams to kind of see where we're at and I just think it'll be a challenge.  It’s game one, both teams are excited to play, and both teams always play really hard and it should be fun game to attend.”

 

Published 11/28/23

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Ontario to Face Relentless Crestview

 

          Ontario opens up a new era of basketball as they play at Crestview against the Cougars in a non-conference game on Saturday night.

          First year coach Jerry Moton says they are bringing the right kind of momentum and execution on both ends of the floor into game week. “I believe the guys are getting better every day.  Every scrimmage I see improvement in their work ethic, their attention to details defensively, and execution of the offense,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “Collectively we're getting better.”

          This year’s Warriors want to be aggressive on both ends of the floor.  Moton says they want to be the ones that dictate the game.  “We definitely want to be the aggressor.  Want to pressure you in the whole full court and just get after you,” he said.

          Crestview, although a smaller school than Ontario, is none the less very good.  The Cougars are the defending Firelands Conference champions and the preseason choice of many to win the league again.

          Moton says Crestview is a team that is always going to play hard.  “I know they are tough team, resilient, they crash the boards pretty hard and they fight the entire game.  Like there there's no let up in this team.  They're a very good team,” said Moton.

 

Published 11/28/23

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Wynford Has the Parts

 

          Wynford, who looks like a contender in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference this year, plays two non-conference games to open the season this weekend as they are at Van Buren on Friday and home for Monroeville on Saturday.

          Last season, they won 13 games overall and shared fourth place in the conference.

          Coach Mike Smith says they can be better than that this year.  “We are probably the hunted instead of the hunter now.  So, I think our kids are up to the challenge hopefully.  Friday night's going to be a tough opener.  We have got to go an hour away and play a decent basketball team.  We saw them this summer a few times, played against them a couple of times, they were good games, so I would think this is going to be a pretty intense battle on Friday,” said Smith.

          Smith says he believes they will be a very good shooting team this year and they have the kind of size to be good on defense.  “I thought our shooting from last year, we had most of our shooting back, we've shot the ball pretty well in scrimmages, maybe not as well as I want us to, but again that's that comes with scrimmages, the lights aren't on, it's not really a pressurized situation,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “I think our shooting, our overall length, we’re long, we can cause some trouble defensively with our length.  You never know, I don't know, right now it's kind of up in the air to see how we respond to things.  I expect us to, but you just never know with high school kids how that's going to work out.”

          Smith expects a test on Friday night against Van Buren and he says that what you want early in the season.  “Last year, we went up to Monroeville the first game, so we traveled on the road last year and we came out victorious.  I thought that kind of set the tone for our season.  Maybe we were a little unsure how good we could be and I thought you know winning that first game was probably a good thing for us.  You always want to start 1-0, but with that being said it's a very long season and one game doesn't define your whole season,” he said.

 

Published 11/28/23

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Bellevue Still Must Improve

 

          Bellevue, always one of the best girls’ basketball teams in this area, plays at home against a solid Clear Fork team out of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, on Tuesday night.

          They opened the season with an outstanding effort in winning (55-49) at Perrysburg on Friday.

          Coach Kory Santoro says he was pleased with what they did on offense.  “Well, Perrysburg is always traditionally a really, really good team and to open up with them is always a tough game start out with, but I was pleased with the way we played and how we executed on offense,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “We shot the ball very, very well.  One thing I wasn't really happy with was our turnovers and rebounding.  I just think those are two things that we need to clean up.”

          Hailey Rees pumped in 26 and Kaitlyn Turinsky added 12 for the Lady Red in their win.

          Santoro says they detailed for the girls where their improvement is needed and they understand.  “We went over it in Saturday practice and (Monday) there were points of emphasis we stressed and things that the girls know they have to clean up,” he said.

          Clear Fork (2-0) has beaten Mansfield Madison (57-46) and Lexington (50-41), two schools out of the Ohio Cardinal Conference, so far this season.

          Santoro says they like to play fast.  “I know their head coach Scott Sellers, he does a nice job with that team.  I know they're played two games so far.  They're up tempo, they like they like to press, like to transition, so we have got ready to be ready to play (Tuesday),” said Santoro.

 

Published 11/28/23

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Old Fort to Play Very Good Carey

 

          Old Fort, one of the defending champions in the River Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference, will play its first game on Saturday night at Carey, the defending champion of the Northern 10 Athletic Conference.

          It’s one of only four non-conference games on the Stockaders schedule with 10 teams now in the River Division.

          Coach Eric Hoover says they he saw a lot of good things in the preseason, but he saw some bad too.  “Sometimes I liked it, sometimes I didn't.  We had some good scrimmages, we were kind of up and down.  We are still trying to find our way I guess with everybody kind of fitting into to new roles or different roles.  I brought some guys back, but we lost a couple key starters too, so just kind of seeing where everybody fits in and what's going to work for this team and what's not.  Trying to make up for everything that that those two seniors that graduated did provide us,” said Hoover.

          Hoover says you spend a lot of time in the preseason to see what combinations work best for the team.   “I mean you get some of it done in the summer, but it's little different the summer.  You try to get out and play competitively in the summer, but it's hard to get everybody there and other teams are in the same boat, so really you're just trying to get that this fall and put it together here in this few weeks,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “People need to learn what their role is within this group that we have and coaches need to figure out where everybody fits best and get the right groups on the floor together and find out who can do what for us.”

          Hoover says Carey is going to be very good again this year.  He says this is going to be a big test for them.  “They're very athletic.  They were “N10” champs last year and they have a lot of guys back.  So, they're going to be tough.  They shoot the ball well, they're going to be strong and physical.  So, it's going to be certainly a big challenge right out of the gate,” he said.

 

Published 11/28/23

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A New Look Mt. Vernon Opens With Centerburg

 

          Mt. Vernon opens the season at Centerburg in non-conference play on Friday night.

          Coach Nick Coon likes the progress his young group is making.  “The first game is always kind of the great unknown with how your kids will respond to a full stands and the game lights on and it's an opponent that you usually haven't seen too much on besides maybe a little bit of preseason stuff.  So, really excited to see how our kids handle that first game and all that entails in a game night, especially at the varsity level,” he said.

          As far as Centerburg is concerned, Coon says they will feature more experience than the Jackets.  He says right now their focus is on their execution.  “They have several guys back that played in our game last year, more guys that have varsity experience than we do.  So, we know a little bit about their personnel, but the big focus this early in the year for us is to continue to build on the things that we've been working on and that we've identified that can be beneficial to our group,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “Then hopefully see that in a game like situation as opposed to the scrimmage season that we've seen so far.”

          Coon says they are making slow, solid progress right now.  He says they are emphasizing team chemistry.  “I think the big thing is we've just continually gotten a little bit better from scrimmage to scrimmage and day-to-day.  You know we probably aren't progressing as rapidly as any of us would like, but it's not always a fast process, especially when we have so many new faces at the varsity level.  I think this group's willing to work and get better and do it together and that's what it takes is the willingness and the mindset to do it together,” said Coon.

 

Published 11/28/23

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New London Must Rebound

 

          New London starts the season on the road at Wellington in non-conference play on Saturday night.

          After a stint at Buckeye Central, Tom Howell, a New London grad, is back in charge of the Wildcats.

          Howell says he has seen improvement during the preseason.  “I really think so.  I mean, we've gotten better since day one.  The kids are working hard, they're buying in to what we're trying to do.  So, right now I think they're ready and I'm ready to get these games started,” he said.

          Howell had stated earlier this month that he thought the Wildcats needed to become tougher.  He says that has happened.  “At times, yes I have.  We still need to get more tougher.  We still need to get there with some physicality, especially on the rebounding part,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “I mean like you know getting on the floor and getting after it and playing a little bit harder that idea of toughness has come a long way since day one.”

          Howell says rebounding well is something they must do when they meet Wellington on Saturday.  “They have got one of the best players in Lorain County.  They have got a little bit of length to them.  They're not real big all around.  They're athletic, they get up and down the floor.  The one thing that concerns me is the rebounding.  Now, we have got to be able to keep them off the glass,” said Howell.

 

Published 11/28/23

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Big Fourth Quarter Give Lady Colts the Win

 

          Clear Frk outscored Madison (15-6) over the last 4:02 of the game and beat the Lady Rams (57-46) on the opening night of the girls’ basketball season at Les Hauenstein Gym on Wednesday night.

          The Lady Colts clung to a (43-40) when they went on a (10-0) run over the next three minutes to lead (53-40) with 1:02 to play fueled by the play Mel Blubaugh and Lilliam Weikle.  Blubaugh scored twice and handed out a couple of assists and Weikle scored three hoops during that stretch.

          Clear Fork coach Scott Sellers says they had veteran players making key contributions at crunch time.  “That's a good team.  Madison, I thought played really well.  I think at one point it was 43-40.  We had some kids kind of take over in the fourth that have gotten a lot of experience with us.  I know Mel (Blubaugh) played really well down the stretch and Annika Labaki played big obviously.  We got some key minutes from some of the players that have been around this program now two, three, four years and that's how we were able to kind of come out with a win over a really good team,” said Sellers.

          It was a game of spurts.  With the game tied at (8-8) with 3:30 left in the first quarter, Clear Fork went on (8-0) run, keyed by basket from Weikle and threes from Blubaugh and Annika Labaki.  But, Madison got back it by closing the quarter on an (8-2) run, with hoops from four different players.

          In the third quarter, Madison took a (30-28) lead on a goal by freshman Aniyah Monica with 4:54 to play in the quarter, but Clear Fork took it back with (11-0) spurt keyed by old fashion three points plays by Brinley Barnett and Kylie Belcher to lead (39-30) with 2:49 to play in the quarter.  Madison closed it to (40-35) at the end of the quarter.

          Madison coach Mike Leeper says his kids played hard and never game up and that puts a smile on his face.  “We kept nipping they get up seven, eight I think it was and we nipped it.  We came back in we got it tied.  We never could get that lead.  We never could get a little bit of any comfort yeah, but I'm very pleased with the effort.  I just think we're going to get better and better and I’m really crazy about my kids,” he said.

          Over the last three years, Clear Fork has seemed to be a second half team and Sellers says he always wants them to attack, whether offense or defense.  “I think the kids are in good shape.  I think that they believe in what we're doing.  I tell them to be aggressive to attack to shoot and we can string some buckets together.  Again, Madison's tough, I mean they're big, they're physical and that freshman (Monica) is really good, so hats off to them,” he said.

          When they established the lead in the fourth quarter, Clear Fork spread the floor, but still attacked.  Leeper says they didn’t react to that as well as they should have.  “They are very well coached, (Sellers) does an excellent job, their kids execute things very well.  We came back they took a little bit of lead and they played a little bit better situational basketball.  They held the ball, we didn't react as well to it as we should have and that's on us as coaches.  We're going to work on that.  We're getting better.  I liked our effort.  Their a very good basketball team, obviously, early in the season.  We’d like to have another opportunity to play them later on.  I'm happy with the kids effort, just not getting that “W” doesn't help,” said Leeper.

          It was Blubaugh, a junior, that controlled the ball most of the time during that critical fourth quarter stretch.  “She's a really smart player.  She's a three sport athlete, she's All-Ohio in softball, I think she's going to All-Ohio in soccer next year and I think she'll be All-Ohio in basketball.  I think she's that special of an athlete and a kid,” he told Swankonsports.com after the game, “Then she had some kids around her that really made some big plays as well.  I know Lilly (Weikle) did too.  Kylie Belcher is a kid that I hope I get every year for the rest of the time I coach.  She might not show up big on the box score sometimes, but man she is just key to our team and I'm really happy for the kids.”

          Labaki led Clear Fork wit 16 points, Weikle had 14 and Blubaugh added nine.  Monika led Madison with 15 markers.

          Clear Fork’s depth was a factor in that fourth quarter too.  Plus, Sellers says their rotation was a little smaller than he expects it’s going to be.  “There's a couple of the kids that didn't get as many minutes as probably I thought that they might just how the flow of the game.  Katrina Rogers is one, she might have played three or four minutes.  She came in and gave us some good minutes when she did.  I think she's going to be an eight minute player a game.  I think Avary Wine is going to be a kid that can play anywhere from 10 to 18 minutes.  Just sometimes in the flow of the game and just how physical and fast that game was they didn't get as much time, but we were able to play ten kids in that game and eight of them fairly substantial minutes,” said Sellers.

 

Published 11/23/23

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Dalton Takes on Caldwell

 

          Dalton locks horns with Caldwell in a division VII state semifinal on Friday night at Zanesville High School.

          The Bulldogs are one of two teams covered by Swankonsports.com left in the playoffs in any division.  The other is Canton South, winner of the Principal’s Athletic Conference, that plays Cleveland Glenville in a division IV semifinal at Wadsworth.

          Coach Broc Dial says it’s really awesome to be able to practice on Thanksgiving Day.  “We talked (Wednesday) to our players about the great special opportunity (Thursday) to practice on Thanksgiving and that should be our goal for all the players every year,” he said.

          Dalton (12-1) beat Danville, the winner of the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference (31-8) last week at Dover.

          Dial says again they played well on both sides of the ball.  “I thought the kids did a really good job, hats off to Danville, a very tough team.  The game was closer than probably what the score looked like.  We got a couple scores late.  I thought we played really good defense and I thought we really did a good job of field position and our kids kind of kept plugging away,” said Dial.

          They have a tremendous running game led by tailback Greyson Siders, the “WCAL” player of the year, and Dial says up front they have been able to give him some lanes.  “Knock on wood, we've been able to get a hat on a hat and spring a couple runs and just be getting all those pieces and parts of the machine working together,” he said.

          Caldwell (11-3) beat Reedsville Eastern (20-19) in their regional final.  They have beat six schools with winning records this year.

          Dial says they have a lot of weapons.  “They’re a very good team and they just won the region.  They have some really, really good athletes on their team.  They're running back, wide receiver, quarterback is a good player,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “Defensively, they give you a lot of different fronts, a lot of different looks, pressures, and they run to the ball really well.”

          Dail says really they do not compare favorably to any school they have played this year.  “We really think they're really good football.  No one really comparable around here I guess so to speak.  Like I said, #1 the running back and #7 their wide receiver both are very good football players,” said Dail.

 

Published 11/23/23

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Lexington Taking Steps

 

          Lexington is the defending Ohio Cardinal Conference champion and division II district runner-up and this season promises to be a good one too.

          Coach Scott Hamilton says they are making slow progress this month.  “Every team comes together a little bit differently and this one it's just part of the process.  We've got a lot of new faces, a lot of young guys that we're relying on.  We’re mixing them in with some veterans.  So, I'm not discouraged, I'm positive, but at the same time it would be nice if we were developing a little bit faster, but knowing that we still have a little bit of time and these guys are smart basketball players, I'm confident that everything's going to go well,” he said.

          Lexington plays at Clear Fork in a non-conference game to open the season on December 1.  They host Wooster in an their “OCC” opener on December 8.

          With an extra week to prepare as compared to last year, Hamilton says they don’t feel rushed to be ready to play.  “The football team made the playoffs and so when they were able to get that and we still were able to get started on time and everything, so I think a lot of coaches are realizing maybe a little bit of time off was beneficial.  Where maybe years in the past making a playoff run you had to get right after it or even move the start of your season back a little bit.  So, we're seeing teams that have maybe made the playoffs and are still sticking with the December 1st December 2nd weekend to start the season,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “For us it's been nice, we've kind of taken things slow and overall like I said we're going to be a young roster, so we've kind of taken things slow and let the guys kind of figure each other out with the new faces that we have.  There comes a point to where you just have got to start moving forward, put your head down and let's go to work.”

          Hamilton feels the placement of their scrimmages has been important this year.  He says that gives them the chance to address some things.  “I think you know that's where kind of spacing out where you put your scrimmages can help you a little bit.  You see things, you see mistakes, you see errors, you see areas that need improving.  You work on it for a few days and then you throw the kids back out there and do your next scrimmage.  So, that's kind of where we're at we're just kind of working through some of those bumps right now.  Like I've explained to my guys, and I've done it every year, by December 1st we're not looking to have that finished product that we hope to have come late February and early March.  The process takes place and we just have got to trust the process and keep working through it,” said Hamilton.

 

Published 11/23/23

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Buckeye Central Very Young

 

          Buckeye Central will likely field one of the youngest, and less experienced, boys’ basketball teams in this area this season.

          First year coach Chris Moyer says they will have a varsity team consisting of only seven kids.  “We’re a pretty young team here.  We're seven deep at the at the varsity level here and only two of the seven have any experience at the varsity level.   So, we're breaking in five young kids with very limited experience,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “So, we've used the preseason here to try to get these guys up to speed number one and number two used to the physicality and speed of varsity basketball in our scrimmages.”

          Moyer says the kids are going to have to get used to that speed and physicality at the varsity level pretty quickly.  “Especially, I think of speed, I think of us on the defensive end and those guys getting used to being able to guard the ball at the varsity level where not only are they physical, but the speed is significantly different and the amount of effort that you have to put in on the defensive end to be a good defensive team,” said Moyer.

          Buckeye opens the season with Plymouth at home December 1.  Wynford comes to New Washington for the first Northern 10 Athletic Conference game for both on December 8.

          When it comes to playing hard, Moyer says that’s up to the kids, they have to understand they have to play very hard.  “We preach as a staff we're not going to coach effort.  Effort comes from you as an individual player and that's what the kids have to learn.  To be a varsity basketball player you have to learn the internal part of just giving the effort to be able to compete at that level,” he said.

 

Published 11/23/23

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Clear Fork Working on Defense

 

          Clear Fork is finding out here late in the preseason how good they can be this basketball season.

          Coach Tim Brafford says right now they are doing a lot of good things.  “Actually, right now, I'm very happy with where we are.  We've installed everything we need for the season.  We'll work on some offensive plays as we go through.  We had our first scrimmage Saturday with Crenshaw and Ashland and I was very impressed with how hard the kids played, how effective they ran the offense, and the defensive pressure they put on the ball.  So, at this point in the season I'm thrilled,” said Brafford.

          Brafford says they want to be a team that excels in the open court and they have to be in solid shape if they want to be successful playing that way.  “What we're working on now and we started (Monday) night is just running the entire basketball court up and down.  Not getting comfortable in defensive rotation.  One thing that I found is difficult to do is to get high school kids to talk on defense and it's critical and essential for us to be effective.  That's another thing that we're working on.  It's coming, but I think it's going to take a lot more line drills to make it actually come out full force,” he said.

          Clear Fork begins its season next Friday at home against Lexington in non-conference play.  Their first Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference game with be December 7 at Galion.

          Brafford says before they get to that opener they are going to be tested and know where they stand.  “One thing that I did when I set up our scrimmage schedule is I put them late into the preseason for a couple of reasons.  One, I wanted to know that we had our offense and defense installed, out of bounce plays, press, press brake, we were ready to go.  Two, I wanted them to have some fun prior to going into the first game,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon” Our first scrimmage was this past Saturday and it was Crestview and Ashland's third for both of them.  We scrimmaged again Tuesday.  We'll scrimmage Friday morning, we scrimmage again Monday night and next Friday we play Lex in our first game.  So, I think we've got a good part of the season at this point.  The kids are excited, they definitely want to play someone different than who they see in practice every day and go out and run the offense and the defense.”

 

Published 11/22/23

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Shelby Faces Aggressive Margaretta

 

          Shelby, the co-champion in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference last year, hosts Margaretta, the winner of the Bay Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference, Wednesday night on the opening night of the girls’ basketball season.

          Other openers on Wednesday include Madison at Clear Fork, Mt. Vernon at Ontario, Bucyrus at Marion Pleasant and Upper Sandusky at Van Buren.  You can follow those scores on our scoreboard page at www.swankonsportshosting247.com.

          Shelby coach Natalie Lantz says she feels they are improving and she their communication has gotten better.  “I mean I think you always see a big improvement in the first couple weeks, but I like what I've seen in our group from the scrimmages.  I feel like we're moving the ball a lot better.  We're starting to talk and defend better,” she told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “Margaretta, they're returning on a trip from the final four, in the state, so that I know they have a good squad.  They lost four really think talented seniors, but I expect them to be basically picking up momentum where they left off last year.”

          Margaretta won a regional championship last season in division III, but they graduated four outstanding seniors off that team, including Kylie Leibacher.

          However, Lantz stresses that Margaretta is still a solid team.  “I think Ray Neill is a great coach and he does a really good job.  They play aggressive they've got guards that can shoot or get to the rim.  They've got some length as well.  They're very aggressive on the defensive end.  So, I mean we've got our work cut out for us,” said Lantz.

          Lantz says when you face a team like Margaretta you can’t back down.  She says they want to attack.  “I mean you can in a high pressure game you can you know back yourself into a corner or you can attack it.  Our goal is to attack it.  So, I think we have a good game plan it's getting out there and executing,” she said.

 

Published 11/22/23

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Lucas to be Good Again

 

          Lucas has been one the better small school basketball programs in this area over the last more than half decade and that should continue this year.

          However, coach Taylor Iceman says they do have a different mix of players than they have had in recent years.  “I'm excited, we've been practicing for couple weeks now.  We went over and scrimmaged Madison last Saturday.  We're starting to get after a little bit.  It was good to go against somebody different.  You sometimes get tired of going against a team that knows all your plays and everything that you do in practice, so it was good to go against somebody different.  I'm excited, we've got some guys back, we've got some new guys. We’ve got some guys that haven't played varsity basketball before.  So, we have got a little bit of everything.  A little bit different group than that I've had for the last few years.  I've been really fortunate to have a lot of experience and a lot of guys that have played a lot of basketball.  So, it's going to be a little bit of a different group, but I'm excited about it.  I think we could have another successful year,” said Iceman.

          Lucas plays its first game at home against Mohawk on December 2.  They open play in the Mid-Buckeye Conference on December 8 at Kidron Central Christian.

          Iceman says he knows what to expect from his seniors, from his veteran players, but it will be the other players that will determine how good the Cubs can be.  “I fully intend to lean on them a lot at the entire year, but I know what I've got in those three guys because they started for me last year.  I told the other guys that I fully believe that a lot of our success and failure is going to depend on our other guys, the role players, and some guys that haven't done it before.  So, it's kind of up to them to really buy in and try and maximize their potential and we're working at that.  It's just it's a little bit different than what we've had in years past, but I'm excited about it because it's nice to sometimes be able to see growth and things like that whereas in the last few years it was kind of like don't screw it up because we had a lot of talent, we had a lot of expectations and things like that.  So, it's a different group this year, but our expectations aren't going to change and I honestly think we can have a really good year,” he said.

          Iceman adds that he doesn’t need those guys to become superstars, he just needs them to be as good as their talent dictates.  “I tell them all the time, Logan Toms is our best player and that wouldn't matter what school he was at with exception of a few in the area.  I mean he’s really good.  I tell our kids, I don't need you to be Logan, fortunately for us we have one of those.  I don't need you to be Aiden Culler, because again he's another one of our guys that’s going to do a ton for us this year.  I know what I have got and what those guys can bring.  I just need you to be the best version of you and to be able to fulfill your role.  I don't need them to come out and score 25 points and I'm not going to ask them to do something that they're probably not capable of doing,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “I do need them to you know take care of the ball, make good decisions, play good defense and just play as hard as you can.  They're doing a good job of that.  I think the next part of that now is actually going out and doing it and that kind of reaping the benefits from it.  They're probably tired of hearing me screaming and hollering and telling them they have got to work hard, got to play hard, got to do this and got to do that and not getting to see the good stuff.  Going out and doing all that is why we do it.  They're ready to experience a little bit of that and I'm excited too.”

 

Published 11/22/23

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Buckeye Girls Making Progress

 

          Buckeye Central has just over a week to get ready for the girls’ basketball season and they are making good progress with a young team.

          They were supposed to start the season against Willard on Saturday, but that game was pushed back due to Buckeye’s run in the volleyball regional final.

          Coach Phil Loy says they heading in the right direction.  “So far, it's been a work in progress.  We have low numbers, so this is probably the first year in school history that I do not have a JV team that seems to be becoming the norm unfortunately with schools in our area where kids aren't playing.  We have 11 kids and right now I only have 10 that have been practicing consistently because we have one that's out with some health issues,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “It's tough a lot of days when you are practicing with eight, you're practicing with nine, you might practice with seven, but lately now that the volleyball kids are back we've been having ten.  Things are starting to get better as we go.  The late start hurts, but I like the direction we're heading right now.  Our goal everyday is just to keep getting better and hopefully better things are coming.”

          Loy says with a lot of girls tasting varsity action for the first time, they just lack consistency at this point in the season.  “Well, just consistency.  This is a big change for the role that a lot of these girls that are going to have to play.  We lost five starters.  We return three lettermen, who saw I would say some limited minutes last year.  They're all good girls.  We have some good, talented girls, but they just don't have that varsity experience.  So, this is a big change for them to step up and play at the varsity level, so just having that consistency is the big thing.   Everybody understanding their roles now at this level and understanding the speed of the game is a little different going against varsity girls than it is going against JV level girls.”

          The Buckettes now open the season at Ridgedale, in non-league play, on November 30.

          Loy says they are getting better and they just have to continue to do that as they get to next week.  “Our scrimmages, I felt like got better as we went and we became more aggressive or more comfortable.  We have got nine more days yet to get to Ridgedale and hopefully by that time we're getting a lot closer to where we need to be,” he said.

 

Published 11/22/23

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Norwalk Getting There

 

          Norwalk has turned the corner in its progression as they get ready to start the season next week.

          Coach Adam Kreischer says the last two scrimmages they have had they have looked pretty good and shown solid improvement.  “If we would have done this interview about a week ago today, I'd be giving you a different story.  So, we went to Anthony Wayne last Monday and didn't play real well.  It's a long bus ride and stuff like that, but we were not very good at either end of the floor.  We scrimmaged Western Reserve and Avon this past Wednesday I believe it was and we looked a little better and had some good practices then on Thursday and Friday of last week.  Then Monday we went against Upper Sandusky and Mansfield Senior up at our place and played really well,” said Kreischer.

          Kreischer says that improvement has come on both ends of the floor and they needed that improvement in both areas.  “My thoughts early on when we spoke changed a little bit like I said.  So, we were really struggling on both ends of floor and we were not scoring it as well as I thought we would either.  We've really made some head way here and like I said in the past week or so.  The kids have really bought in to knowing that they had to do little things all the time at both ends of the floor, which is helping us get better defensively,” he told Swankponsports.com on Tuesday evening, “We're really boxing out and rebounding the basketball, which allows us to get out in transition, which obviously helps us score a little better.  We're doing nice job running our sets in our different offenses.  So, yeah we've we're progressing really at both ends of the floor right now.”

          The Truckers start the season next Friday at Ashland in non-league plays.  December 8 at defending champion Sandusky marks their opener in the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division.

          The last part of the preseason can be a little of a grind, but Kreischer says they really aren’t experiencing that at Norwalk.  “I felt that in past years through coaching, maybe even a little bit last year at times, but I just think we've had a real nice natural progression this year to be honest with you.  I don't feel like my kids are feeling that way right now and I'm certainly not feeling that way either.  I think that we're enjoying the time together and the chance to really hone in and improve and continue to work hard to get better each day, so that we're more ready for that first game when the season starts,” he said.

 

Published 11/22/23

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Mt. Vernon Building

 

          Mt. Vernon is in sort of a rebuilding mode in the Jackets last year in the Ohio Cardinal Conference.

          Coach Nick Coon says the preseason has been pretty much what you would expect it to be.  “We've definitely had our ups and downs in the preseason so far.  We've had a challenging scrimmage schedule done on purpose to see a lot of things.  We have a lot of uncertainty with our group and how they're going to respond at the varsity level.  So, we thought it was necessary to throw them into the fire early and see how they respond to that.  At times we've responded really well and other times we've had a lot of frustrations, but I think that's all part of the growth process.  We're trying to just get a little bit better each day and keep moving forward,” said Coon.

          Coon says they have only three guys with any varsity minutes on their resume.  “We graduated seven seniors, so we only have three guys back that that played any extensive varsity minutes at all last year and even with those three they're in completely different roles than what they played last year.  So, we're kind of learning on the fly as coaches and as players and just as a collective group of what we can do well at the varsity level together and things we have got to stay away from that maybe were good things we did in the past and just kind of figure out what's best for our group going forward this year,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “It takes time and we understand that as coaches and getting that across to young people as frustration is okay at times and working through that leads to getting better if you attack it with the right mindset.”

          The Jackets open the season on December 1 at Centerburg.  Their first “OCC” game is at home December 8 against New Philadelphia.

          Coon says right now they are trying to figure out who should be on the floor together.  “It's not always your five most talented players play the best together.  It's important that each guy figures out what their role is that is best for their team and sometimes that's making an individual sacrifice for the betterment of the group. We're working through those things right now.  We'd obviously like to improve at a rapid pace, but sometimes it's a slow process.  We're sticking together so far and trying to just progress together as much as possible,” he said.

 

Published 11/22/23

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Wooster Trying to be a Team

 

          Wooster is emphasizing the concepts on teamwork as they prepare for the high school boys’ basketball season, which begins next week.

          Che Richardson, in his first year with the Generals, says they are trying to put in a workable system and he likes the direction that they are headed.  “I’d say it’s a lot of potential.  We’re just trying to buy into our system and the things that we want to do this season.  The things that we think will be successful.  We're just trying to figure it out right now and put it all together.  So, I would say right now if I had to give us a grade, I would say we're probably sitting at C +, B-, so I'm liking what I've seen so far,” said Richardson.

          Richardson says each player has to know his role and embrace it for the Generals to be successful.  “Right now, we're just trying to build the togetherness piece.  How to place everybody together and see that puzzle and how we play together to benefit the entire program and the entire varsity team this year,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “Right now, it's togetherness, just the little things, like picking up your teammate off the floor and just being cohesive and a together unit.”

          Their first game is December 1 against Wadsworth in non-conference play.  They open play in the Ohio Cardinal Conference at Lexington on December 8.

          Chemistry can be a tricky thing to build, but Richardson says that is going to be a very important key for them this season.  “That's been a big piece of just trying to build this chemistry and just trying to get guys to buy into it.  It's more than just the two hours that you're on the floor.  It's all about what you're doing after you leave practice and being able to sit in the locker room together and little things like that that I think build the team camaraderie,” he said.

 

Published 11/22/23

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Shelby Has Great Chemistry

 

          Shelby is the defending champion in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference and have the look of a team that going to be very good again this year.

          Making it to the regional semifinal in football, the Whippets didn’t have all of their kids in practice until last week.

          Coach Greg Gallaway says they are used to that at Shelby and they will deal with it.  “Yeah, a little bit shorter.  Obviously, we want our football team to have as much success and play as long as they can in the fall and when we get our guys back we'll start working with them.  So, we had a little bit of delayed start compared to other schools but it's okay, we're used to that here.  We just try to get our guys ready to go,” said Gallaway.

          Shelby begins its season at home against Madison in non-conference play on December 1.  Their first conference game will be the following Thursday, December 7, at Marion Harding.

          Gallaway says the extra week in the preseason this year is helpful for the Whippets.  “It helps us.  We got done playing on a Friday and we got the majority of our guys back that following Wednesday and we end up scrimmaging that Saturday.  So, just having three practices with like a full roster and then going to scrimmage was a little bit difficult, but we're back in the routine with practices and scrimmages.  That extra week was able to help us before we get ready for December 1st,” he said.

          So far, the team has had great chemistry, according to Gallaway.  “We have got we got eight seniors and that's really helped with that process.  We’ve got a group that's just really connected and I think on and off the floor they genuinely like being around each other, which is really important as far as our chemistry goes.  So, even with the delayed start I think part of that transition being smooth has been the eight seniors we have got and how close they are together,” he said.

          Among those eight seniors is Wright State signee Alex Brushkotter and second team all-MOAC picks Casey Lantz and Issaiah Ramsey.  Plus, Gallaway says they don’t have to do much teaching to do.  “We're very fortunate and those eight seniors, they're great kids, they put a lot of time into basketball and within the offseason.  There it's not as much reteaching for us in the preseason, it's getting our guys back into basketball shape and getting them with the flow of you just transition back to the court,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday Afternoon, “We're fortunate to have eight seniors keeping our guys accountable through our program from freshman up.”

 

Published 11/21/23

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Mansfield Senior Getting in Shape

 

          Mansfield Senior has the talent to be a factor again in the Ohio Cardinal Conference.

          Their season beings on December 8 at home against Ashland in an “OCC” game.

          Coach Marquis Sykes says they have a bunch of experience this season and they have some very good talent too.  “Very much experienced.  We lost one senior last year in Chunky Haney and he certainly will be missed his offensive production and his ball pressure will be missed, but definitely have a core group of guys that have and some tournament experience and some regular season experience and have been around for a while and feel like they're pretty talented bunch,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “Expectations are pretty high as always and we feel like we can have a pretty good season as long as guys stick to the script and take care of business and do the things that we ask them to do.”

          Sykes says they have had two looks against other teams in scrimmages this month and he kind of likes what he sees at this point.  “We've had a couple of scrimmages so far.  We got a bit of a late start with our football group going to three rounds in the football playoffs.  All in all, I like our energy and effort.  Certainly, have got to work on the execution part and some of the fine details of the game.  We certainly have got to get in better physical condition, but all in all at this point of the season we're okay with where we're at right now,” said Sykes.

          Mansfield Senior, of course, plays at an up tempo game with the ball and likes to feature pressure on defense.  Sykes says they need to be in better shape if they are going to do that stuff.  “We need it, we certainly need it, so we're going to take full advantage and make sure our guys are where we need them to be in order to play at the speed and the pace that we that we'd like for him to play at,” he said.

 

Published 11/21/23

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Colonel Crawford Looks Ready

 

          Colonel Crawford tips off the girls’ basketball season at home on Wednesday night as they host the Northmor Lady Golden Knights in a non-conference game.

          Coach Zac Bauer says they have made good progress during the preseason as they approach the opener.  “When we talked to our team (Monday) night after practice about being ready for the opportunity that Wednesday is going to bring and about the growth that we've made from our first practice through our scrimmages and we've seen that in some film study that we've done on ourselves and we've seen that in some of the shooting drills that we've done and the numbers that we're starting to rack up in those.  We've got such a great group of kids that work so hard, they push themselves, they push each other and when you have that kind of environment in practice you will improve.”

          Bauer says he likes the fact that the players are excited for that first game.  “It's good that the preseason is as long as it is to get them ready and to get the kids, the players themselves, to a point where they're confident in themselves and they know they're ready.  I like to hear that from a team,” he said.

          The Lady Eagles won this opener a year ago and Bauer says they better be ready for Northmor to play with some intensity.  “I know Northmor has some players back from their team last year.  They played some younger players on the team last year.  So, a year of varsity experience for those younger kids always helps.  Their physical and they get after you on the defensive end and they're going to come into our place and play really hard,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “One thing we talked about was, we kind of shocked the world last year by winning that first game because we lost 1,000 point scorer and maybe were not seen as ready to win that game.  We've got to be ready for them to come into our place with the same mentality.  Come on our home floor and spoil our home opener.”

 

Published 11/21/23

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Wynford Eager to Play

 

          Wynford was supposed to start the girls’ basketball season this week, but instead will play its first game next Thursday against East Knox.

          Veteran coach Amy Taylor-Sheldon says there have been some ups and downs.  “Well, we have a combination of eight freshmen and five everyone else.  So, we have certainly are getting our rollercoaster of what is experience and what is that inexperience, but I feel like we're closer to meshing as a team every day,” she said.

          Taylor-Sheldon says they have made good progress with what is a young group of players.  “I think part of it is getting solid scrimmages and we had a great summer together in June.  I think that with our scrimmages and just time getting the reps together this year.  We have a JV team, so that makes a big difference as well.  So, we feel like we've made a lot of progress, but I'm sure everyone is itching to play,” she said.

          Last year, Wynford did not have a JV team and that made it difficult to practice.  Taylor-Sheldon says unfortunately that’s a trend across the state.  “It was difficult every day to practice, absolutely.  I'll be interested this is a greater phenomenon all the time it makes me sad to be honest, but I also know that there's more things for kids to do than ever, there's a lot of more things that are in competition to play during what is a long, physical season for girls,” she told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “There's kind of a divide there that I hope, but it doesn't seem like that's going to change.  (Berlin) Hiland High School, who I would say is the most successful girls basketball team and the State of Ohio, does not have a JV team.  So, I think that that will be something to consider moving forward whether it's junior high, high school, what that looks like I don't know.”

          Amy says this is a team that plays with a lot of energy and has developed skills too.  “I don't not sure that we know that yet.  I would tell you that we have high energy.  I think we're very eager.  I think that so far when we've been up, we've been really up, and when we're down, we have been really down.  So, I think that's probably indicative of our lack of experience, but I think it will be a really fun team to watch.  Even with young kids, we have a pretty good balance of inside and outside.  Some kids I think will surprise people as three point shooters because they've worked on their game and then some post players, who are freshmen, that are fast in transition and hopefully we'll make an immediate impact,” said Taylor-Sheldon.

 

Published 11/21/23

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Norwayne With Depth

 

          Norwayne, the defending co-champion in the Wayne County Athletic League, will return this year with another strong team that’s going to compete for that title again.

          Coach Brain West says they have some starters back and this season the Bobcats are going to be deep.  “We actually have quite a few kids that are back that are returning letter winners.  We have two starters, actually three starters back.  Our leading scorer in Braden West, my son, led us last year, as far as returners, with 10 points a game, Parker Metsker will move to the point guard this year, he'll be a two year starter and Trey Bayless is a senior, he'll be a two year starter for us,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “I think our depth is going to be something, will probably be eight or nine deep, we haven't been that deep in years past and possibly going into ten players deep.  So, we have more depth than we've had probably since I've been here in my 17 years.  We have quite a bit of experience coming back, so we're excited for the season.”

          The Bobcats have looked pretty good in the preseason so far, according to West.  “We've had two pretty good scrimmages.  We had North Ridgeville and Buckeye down on Friday night and those are some bigger schools.  North Ridgeville's got a nice player that's going to Lake Erie on a full ride.  So, we've been challenged in our preseason scrimmages and I thought our kids have responded and we’ve played hard and we played aggressive.  We're trying to get up the floor like we did last year, so I think our depth is helping us with that as well,” he said.

          West says they are going to have similar goals to what they always do, but this year they are a division II school.  “Goals are pretty high every year for our program, which is fortunate for us, I guess good and bad at times.  We're going to sit down probably (Monday) night and set some team goals as a group.  Obviously, winning the league is going to be number one.  We are division II this year, hopefully for a year, we are just four over, so we're one of the smallest schools in division II.  So, that's going to be a challenge for us in the tournament moving up a division, but I think our kids are ready for the challenge and they've played some pretty high level games over the years, so I don't think the stage would be too big for us,” said West.

 

Published 11/21/23

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Calvert Should be Good

 

          Tiffin Calvert, who shared the title in the River Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference last season, will be big and experienced this year and that is usually a good thing.

          Coach Jon Otterbacher says they have a lot of experience on the roster.  “We're going to return four starters and six letter winners, so we're going to have plenty of depth that's played a lot of games and a lot of minutes last year,” he said.

          Otterbacher says they have shown the improvement he wanted to see during the preseason this month.  “Our first scrimmage we were a little rough.  The other two teams had a couple scrimmages previously and then we played really well this weekend,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “It's just getting back on the court and getting the familiarity back with each other and we just continue to build and get better and work hard together.”

          Calvert opens the season in a very tough place as they are at Ottawa-Glandorf, last season’s division III state runner up with Ohio State recruit Colin White.  Their first River Division game is December 5 at home against Fremont St. Joe.

          Otterbacher says he believes they are going to strong on the defensive end.  “I would say teamwork, defense and rebounding.  We're going to be pretty big for especially for small school with two 6’3” kids and two 6’5” kids.  So, we'll have plenty of length in order to slow the other team down and hopefully any missed shot we get either offensively or defensively,” said Otterbacher.

 

Published 11/21/23

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Perkins Has to Play Pirate Football

 

          Unbeaten Sandusky Perkins, the “SBC” Lake champ, plays defending state champion Cleveland Glenville on Friday night at Elyria High School in a regional final in division IV.

          Perkins (12-0) beat West Holmes, the “OCC” runner-up, (38-21) in a semifinal last week in Marion.

          They shutout the high scoring Knights in the second half and coach Jalen Santoro says they made some halftime adjustments.  “We got off to a fast start there earlier in the game.  We got the kick there that bounced our way it wasn't a called onside kick, but it bounced off one of their frontline guys and obviously when that happens that's the way to start the game off.  So, we go in the halftime in a close game.  I think all our kids are pretty composed knowing that we're doing the things on both sides of the ball we just need to crack a few little details there and at halftime we did that,” said Santoro.

          Glenville (10-3) smoked “MOAC” co-champ Shelby (50-14) in their semifinal.

          Santoro says the Tarblooders have big time talent, but at the same time they are still a high school football team.  “Yeah, for sure it's a different animal.  It's a team that has guys going to power five schools that are committed power five schools all across the board, so they’ve done a good job getting some talent over there at Glenville and their defending state champs for a reason,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “We have got to do a good job of being us.  Again at the end of the day it's a high school football team and that's the way we're treating it.  You have to go out and be prepared and ready to do what you do.”

          Santoro says they have to get great pursuit and when they get there, they have to get the ball carrier to the ground.  “One thing you have got to do is you have to make sure you get guys to the ball.  You have got to make sure you can do what you want schematically to put people in positions to be in the right spot to make plays, but at the end of the day you got to make the plays and that's the crucial part to it.  It's a running back who's fast and can take it the distance and big enough to run you over, so you have got to do a good job of gang tackling him.  Again, we have just got to play Pirate football and get 11 hats to the ball and play together.  So, obviously it’s a tall task at hand, but I think our kids are ready for the challenge,” said Santoro.

          For the first time this year, Perkins likely isn’t the favorite.  Santoro says their goal is to win the state championship and this is another step.  “I think that's kind of been our mentality all along.  We knew we wanted to get to this point, so that we've talked about all throughout the season up to this point that if we want to go do what we want to do and win the whole thing you have got to go through Grenville.  If have got beat the man, you have to beat the man.  So, now we have got the opportunity to do that and the opportunities here, so again it's something that we talked about for a long time.  The week of preparations is in the books now, so now it's time to strap it up and play the game,” said Santoro.

 

Published 11/17/23

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Ontario Wants to Feature Pressure

 

          It’s a new era of Ontario basketball as Jerry Moton takes over as boys’ basketball coach of the Warriors.

          He says so far, he likes what he sees.  “It has been very encouraging, very positive, the kids buying in, they're starting to understand the way we're going to play, the concepts and the intensity that you have to bring every single day to practice and games,” he said.

          Moton says this edition of the Warriors is going to force the issue as much as they can.  “We're going to be intense, there's going to be a lot of pressure, we're not sitting back, we're pressuring.  What we want to do is make you uncomfortable in every aspect of the game.  We want you shooting with tired legs.  We want to be the team that is the most in shape,” said Moton.

          Ontario begins the season on December 2 at Crestview in a non-conference game.  Their opener in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference will be at home against River Valley on December 7.

          If you are going to be up tempo, you need to be in top shape.  Moton says that’s not something that just started this month with the Warriors.  “Not even just November, you create athletes in the off season.  So, during the offseason we had a great buy in.  We were getting like 15 to 20 guys just coming for conditioning and we would condition like sometimes two or three times a day and these kids just kept showing up and kept showing up.  I'm so very proud of this program and the direction that it is headed,” said Moton.

          Moton, a Mansfield Senior graduate, will be taking on his first varsity assignment.  He says he is ready for the challenge of making the Warriors better.  “It's every aspect.  Basketball is my realm.  It's what I love to do and I love the coach and I love this team,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon. “Nothing is perfect, but if you do it over and over and over it can become a  permanent fixture, muscle memory.  So, there's a lot to work on.  I just can't say one thing, we can get better in every aspect of the game,” he said.

 

Published 11/17/23

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Western Dealing with Adversity

 

          Western Reserve is normally one of the best teams in the Firelands Conference, and they still could be, but right now they are dealing with a ton of injuries.

          Coach Chris Sheldon says their practice sessions have looked more like an episode of “General Hospital” minus Genie Francis.  “Well, what we've seen is more medical tents, doctors’ appointments, and our trainer than I have the guys we were anticipating unfortunately.  We're off to a little bit of a slow start with a lot of injuries that have piled up and that's limiting our ability for install, to making progress, to really, truly gaining any traction that you really need to get done in the month of November.  With all that said, the guys we do have they're trying to get better each and every day and they're really taken to what our coaches are asking of them,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “It's just right now we need more time and we need to heal as best we can if we're going to be ready in two weeks from now.  We knew coming into the year we were going to be young.  We just didn't anticipate six of our top eight having to be sophomores.  That's sort of where we're at right now, but that group is hungry, they really like the game of basketball, but there's a reason why most varsity basketball teams aren't consisted of a lot of sophomores and right now we're going through that that learning process.”

          The Riders open the season on December 1 against Vermilion.  They play Mansfield St. Peter’s the next day.

          Sheldon says they have had to make some adjustments to their game plans because they just can’t do some things.  “We definitely had to adjust and mainly just because we're not physically capable of doing some of the things we were hoping to do and because of our mental basketball IQ, we don't pick up and make reads quick enough on a lot of things offensively yet, so you can't throw too much at them.  You have got to figure out a couple base packages that you think you can really try to improve on and get better at.  So, it just makes the whole process that much slower.  That's just the hand we're are dealt with right now and where we're at.  I'd rather try to be good at a couple things than try to do way too much and not be good at anything.  That's just where we're at right now at the end of week two,” said Sheldon.

          Sheldon says this month their scrimmages they have are vital to them.  “It's the only time we get truly a look at varsity action in terms of being guarded by varsity players, being sped up by varsity players, trying to be able to execute against guys that are physically bigger than you, which is what we're going to go through night in and night out.  We don't have a true post player right now and so we're playing basically all guards and that that creates a whole other set of circumstances both offensively and defensively.  We just have to go through those experiences to help us learn and to help us grow and the more we can do that against the other varsity teams the better off we're going to be able to try to speed up the process,” he said.

 

Published 11/17/23

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Lexington Girls’ Promising

 

          Lexington Lady Lex has some potential to become a good basketball team, but they have a lot of learning to do as the season approaches.

          First year coach Gabby Stover says the players have a good work ethic and they can be a solid team.  “My thoughts are pretty promising so far.  I have got a lot of hard workers.  We're pretty young and so we definitely have a lot of improvement that can be made but pretty promising group as far as work ethic and just overall morality.  So, pretty happy with how it's been so far,” said Stover.

          Lexington scrimmaged against Upper Sandusky and Marion Pleasant on Thursday.

          Stover says they learn some things in every scrimmage that they have had so far.  “I think it's good for us to kind of go out and play some teams that we don't normally see and get shown that maybe we need to come back in and work on some new things and work even harder than we did previously and that's always a good thing,” she said.

          Lady Lex opens the season the day after Thanksgiving against Clear Fork, of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference.  They play their first “OCC” game at home December 2 against traditional power West Holmes.

          Stover says the biggest thing they have improve is their decision making when they have the ball.  She says they have to know when to push the tempo.  “I would say the biggest thing for us is it’s just going to take clean shots and be a clean cut team.  Right now, we're pretty heavy in transition and I love a good transition team, but for us there's going to be a time and a place for it and we got to learn the difference between when we need to push when we need to slow down and get through our sets,” she told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “For us, I just have got to distinguish and get them to understand when it's time for us to kind of lay back and get through stuff and when it's time to put the pedal to the metal and go.”

 

Published 11/17/23

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Highland Making Progress

 

          Highland is one of three schools in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference to have new boys’ basketball coaches this season.

          Ontario and Galion are the others.

          Rayn Stover, no relation to the football coach Ty Stover, is the new head coach at Highland.  He was at Galion last year.

          Stover says the process of getting to know new players has gone well.  “It's been going pretty good.  We are trying to get some guys motivated to play.  I think we have got a lot of interest.  The first two weeks have been real solid and we have got a couple of scrimmages coming up so we'll see how we do,” said Stover.

          With the group he has this year, Stover says they have some potential, and they just need to figure out how they all go together.  “We have got a lot of pieces we have got to put together.  A good group of guys, we play physical, we just have got to get the right rotation in there at the right time,” he said.

          Stover says the scrimmages that they have are an important tool to see what there players can do and how they fit in.  “That way we can know what guys we can put in what situations and who can handle the ball, who can shoot it, who our best defenders are.  It gives us more things to tweak leading into our first game,” said Stover.

          They open the season by hosting Fredericktown on December 1.  They travel to Marion Pleasant for their league opener on December 7.

          Stover says before that time they need to find out who can play and who can’t play at the varsity level.  “It's a big jump even from freshman to JV and JV to varsity.  The varsity game nowadays is so much faster than it used to be,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “A lot of kids, especially the younger kids, they've have got to be able to match that level of quickness and physicality at the varsity level.”

 

Published 11/17/23

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Dalton Not in Awe

 

          It’s Dalton against Danville in a division VII regional final Friday night at Dover High School.

          Dalton won the Wayne County Athletic League this year and Danville captured the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference.

          Last week the Bulldogs (11-1) beat Norwalk St. Paul (48-28) in a semifinal game as tailback Greyson Siders scored four touchdowns and the Dalton defense scored three times.

          Coach Broc Dial says they made enough plays.  “St. Paul had a really great game plan and played really physical.  It was a physical game.  Our kids made a lot of plays and were able to touch it out there in the second half,” said Dial.

          On the other hand, Danville (13-0) outscored Lowellville (41-21) in their semi last week.

          Dail says they are very good and remind them somewhat of themselves.  “A very good football team, very well coached, physical, remind us a lot of us on their offense.  Defensively, playing a 3-3 and see the ball really well, tackle well, just a really good football team,” he said.

          When it comes to defense, Dial says really it is the same keys as always that will put them in position to contain the Blue Devils.  “I think it's the same thing as every week.  We need to get lined up, read our keys, and pursue to the football.  If we do those things they will help us play good defense,” he said.

          Dalton advanced to the division VI regional semifinals last season before losing to Kirkland, they lost to Warren JFK in the regional semifinal in division VII in 2021 and to JFK in their third round in 2020.

          With their past success, Dial says they feel comfortable playing in games of this magnitude.  “I think it's a testament to our kids and our community,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “Football's been important at Dalton and in the last few years we've had some successful teams and our kids expect to be here and you could definitely tell that throughout the week of practice.”

 

Published 11/16/23

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Clear Fork Has to be Ready to go

 

          The girls’ basketball season starts next week and Clear Fork will need to start the season running.

          Coach Scott Sellers says they have all of their kids and he likes what they have shown in the preseason.  “We're starting to come together as a team.  We open a week from now against Madison.  We have got three scrimmages in.  We have got everybody back.  I think (Wednesday’s) practice 13, so we certainly got our sights set on the beginning of the season and I like where we're at,” he said.

          Sellers he has a team that is always going to give effort, will play defense in the full court and has the ability to make shots.  “I think we'll play extremely hard, that's kind of been our calling card the last several years.  I mean it's easy to say that, but we have a group that that we believe has bought into that.  The senior class has had one coach their entire career, so this is four years now with this coaching staff, this program.  I think they know what to expect,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “I think we'll play incredibly hard and we'll play incredibly fast as well.  We have got a bunch of guards, we don't have a lot of size and really we haven't for the last couple years.  So, to kind of counter that we like to pick up full court, we like to run when we can.  Against man, we'll try to attack the basket and kick out threes and take it in there and against zones we have got certain shooters on the floor that we like to get them spots. So, for us it's about space offensively, playing with pace, and playing hard defensively.”

          Clear Fork begins the season next Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, against Madison, and that fill be followed by a stretch of games against some pretty good teams.

          Sellers says they better be ready.  “We will find out where we stand.  We have Madison, we have Lex and we have Bellevue all within the first five or six days.  We have got conference games with Galion and Ontario and then it's Mansfield Senior and what I believe is going to be a really good Pleasant team.  So, I think within the first couple weeks we get in seven games, so we need to be ready I'll tell you that because the level of competition that we're playing will force us to be ready,” said Sellers.

 

Published 11/16/23

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Crestview Needs to Handle Expectations

 

          Crestview is likely the favorite to repeat as Firelands Conference champions this season and the Cougars have to be able to handle that pressure.

          Coach John Kurtz says a benefit heading into this year is that his kids where able to get into the gym a lot more in the fall than they have is some previous years.  “Well, we probably didn't have as many football players this year as we have typically, so our kids have been in the gym and got to have open gym and work on some stuff that we typically maybe don't get everybody in during football, but this year it's worked out a little better for us.  So, we've got a little bit more time in than we typically would,” said Kurtz.

          The Cougars begin the season with a double weekend at home with Mansfield Christian and Ontario on December 1 and 2.  Their first Firelands Conference game is December 8 as they host South Central.

          Kurtz says due to the calendar there is a extra week of practice when compared to last season and he says coaches will put that to go use.  “I mean I think it's a good thing other than the fact that you know after so many days of practice your kids are ready to play a game,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “It does for the coaches it gives you a little bit more time to maybe work on some things that you feel like are a point of emphasis for you and maybe get some of your younger kids a little bit more on the same page.”

          Now, there has been a lot of talk around the conference about how good Crestview can be this season.  Kurtz says the players have to be able to handle that pressure.  “I mean we've been pretty blunt with our kids about that expectations can be good and bad.  Expectations can put a lot of pressure on you and if you're not ready for that you know it could hurt you.  The expectations to meet you can't factor in injuries and all the different things.  Yeah, that's kind of a tough thing to navigate sometimes with high school kids,” he said.

 

Published 11/16/23

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High Expectations at Wynford

 

          Wynford is going to be one of the favorites in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference this season.

          They had a good year last year and coach Mike Smith says they bring a lot of kids back from that squad.  “I have four starters back from last year's group that won 13 games, so I would call us a veteran group.  One guy off the bench that played a lot for us and we brought up probably two or three JV kids from last year, so I would say mostly veterans with a little bit of mix of some younger kids.  I do have all juniors and seniors though, there's no sophomores or freshmen, so I would say probably pretty much veteran group this year,” said Smith.

          The Royals open the season at Van Buren on December 1.  Their first “N10” is December 8 at Buckeye Central.

          Smith says so far the preseason has been very good.  “It's been very good so far.  So, anything we do we don't really have to explain a whole lot after year three our kids have really bought into what we're doing and any drill we do, any offense we run, it's pretty much in grained in them by now.  It's been really good to see that happen over the last three years.  I think we're obviously headed in the right direction over the last three years,” he said.

          This is Smith’s third year as the Royals head coach.  He is also a Wynford grad.

          Smith says there are high expectations at Wynford this year and he has told his kids that this month.  “High school kids you never know.  I really like what we're doing though as a group.  We have great leadership.  I have two or three guys that have played almost three or four years now,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “I told him at the beginning of this season you know you're the hunted now.  We're not the hunter anymore, so we're going to have to match that and hopefully were ready to do that.”

 

Published 11/16/23

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Upper more Experienced, Physical

 

          Upper Sandusky is expecting a better season this year as the Rams are more experienced and they are more physical than they were a year ago.

          Coach Jeff Winslow says they have matured a lot over the off season and that is going to help them this winter.  “We are really kind of young, but it is a veteran group because with some things that happened last year with injuries and whatnot, we played a lot of younger guys maybe I planned on being on the JV team were varsity players and now all those guys that have a tear of experience and growth and things under the belt.  So, all the guys we have got coming back pretty much did see varsity time last year.  What's really nice is when you walk into the gym, we don't look like a bunch of JV players we got some guys that have really grown and hit the weight room hard and I think athletically and physically will be able to compete better this year with the guys we have coming back,” said Winslow.

          Winslow says he likes what he sees from his players this month.  He says they are going to be able to compete better because they are more physical.  “It's been a good group, they've worked really hard and so far this season it's just a night and day difference with our ability to play physically and just more physically imposing.  We were always the skinniest, smallest team on the court it seemed last year and this year I think it's going to be the other way around,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “We're going to have some solid athletes out there with some size that and some skill too.  So, I really like this group.  Again, we’re still playing three juniors and a sophomore with a couple seniors mixed in, so it's still a little young, but they're all back.  I'm excited to be able to compete with some guys that are just physically bigger, stronger, faster than they were a year ago.”

          In the preseason here, Winslow says they have not had to do as much teaching because the players know where they are supposed to be and what they need to do.  “It's not so much review, I mean they've been through our system for a while and they know what's going on, so you’re kind of building each day starting from day one instead of starting back at scratch.  So, they have got a lot of experience with them and that that leads to us being able to put some more things in and add some things and just keep getting better,” he said.

 

Published 11/16/23

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Plymouth Working on Chemistry

 

          Plymouth has a team with a lot of upperclassmen and right now they are working on developing some team chemistry that is going to help them win games.

          Coach Eric Picklesimer says they have a lot of seniors, but they have some younger kids too.  “Well, we have eight seniors on the roster, which has created a lot of competition in the gym which we didn't have last year a lot.  So, with the eight seniors, they're not necessarily all of our varsity experienced, so they're getting a lot of experience in practice these last few days and they're picking up really well.  The younger guys are coming in and really competing with them.  So, we have got good competition in the gym right now and so that's something we you know we're proud of,” said Picklesimer.

          Plymouth opens the season on December 1 against Buckeye Central, but before that they have a number of scrimmages.  Picklesimer says those are important to them.  “Scrimmages open up a lot of weaknesses and they show a lot of strengths.  A lot of things we do in practice you're just competing with the same guys over and over.  So, that scrimmage creates an environment of something new, something different, something we haven't seen and everyone gets a hands on experience.  So, they're definitely valuable,” he said.

          Most of all in this preseason, Picklesimer says they are working on creating some chemistry on the team.  “Well, I could give you several areas we need some improvement on absolutely, but one thing that sticks out we're trying to create a better team atmosphere in the gym and that's something that's a bit of a challenge for our guys,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “I don't think it's something that they have been really that been part of a lot.  So, we're trying to get that leadership and that team atmosphere and that's something we're all trying to get better at for sure.”

 

Published 11/16/23

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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

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Sandusky Reloading

 

          Sandusky last season won the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference and reached the regional semifinals on division II and this season it looks like they are poised to have another very good season.

          However, coach DeMar Moore says they are going to be short on experience early in the season.  “We have a younger group actually.  We have got two guys that started last year back and then we have got two guys that that came off the bench for us last year, but other than that we're inexperienced, we don't have much varsity experience,” said Moore.

          Moore says the kids are doing a lot of good things and especially likes the attitude that they are showing when the are in practice or in scrimmages.  “I'm very, very pleased where we are right now.  The group we have, they're very coachable, they play really hard and they want to get better, so anything we tell them like they're willing to try and willing to do it.  They're very easy to coach, which is a good thing,” he said.

          With some very good players graduated, Moore says they are trying to figure out who plays where and what players should be on the floor.  “It's funny you said that.  We had a scrimmage (Tuesday) night on the bus ride back I was talking to one of my assistants and I said we have all the pieces to the puzzle we just have to figure out how to put it together,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “We have we have a really, really good junior class.  We have got two seniors, nine juniors and one sophomore.”

 

Published 11/15/23

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Galion Working on the Defensive End

 

          Galion has a new basketball coach this year in Tyler Sanders, who comes over from Crestline to take over the Tigers program.

          Sanders says they have identified a couple of areas where they know they need to get better.  “It's just been a little bit different.  It’s been up and down and you have a few hiccups along the road, but we're just working on setting that standard and getting everybody to come along with it.  For the most part, I think we've done pretty good.   From a basketball standpoint coming in we had two glaring problems and that was defense and rebounding.  I think we're getting the defense corrected and working on the rebounding.  So, I think once we get those two things corrected, we could be a pretty decent basketball team,” said Sanders.

          Galion has a couple of second team all league performers back this year in Cooper Kent and Elijah Chafin.  Sanders says they are going to be able to put the ball in the basket.  “We are returning a couple of seniors, one that’s already scored 1,000 points, and one that's real close and some really nice role players that can really shoot the basketball.  I think that is the kind of the good part everybody knows their role coming into the season and it’s kind of been their role as they have progressed through their years in high school,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon,” Everybody kind of knows their responsibility coming in and what they have got to do to be successful.  So, I have no worries about scoring the basketball this season.  I think that this team can really shoot the basketball, but the defense and the rebounding, like I said, was the glaring problem that we are working on correcting.”

          Galion opens the season on December 7 against Clear Fork in a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference game.

          Sanders says he already sees some good things on the defensive end.  “I think that the thing that we saw in our first scrimmage and talking to an opposing coach where we both agreed on it kids play a lot harder when the ball goes through the hoop.  So, I think that's a good combination that we can have in our kids really starting to play hard on the defensive end and starting to rebound.  I think when they're man make shots, I think about just going to get them to play that much harder.  So, I'm really excited about the way that they're progressing and stuff and we are just going to keep harping on it,” he said.

 

Published 11/15/23

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New Philadelphia Trying to Figure Things Out

 

          New Philadelphia will be assembling a cast this year from little experience  at the varsity level.

          Coach Zach Ross says they only three kids back from their team from a year ago, but he likes the energy he sees in practice.  “We're definitely less experienced.  We’ve got three returning letterman Colten Slaughter, Owen Schoelles and Owen Miller, but everybody's kind of been in a new spot.  We're moving from the role player role to trying to find our group as leaders and we're incorporating some freshmen and some sophomores and juniors, so we are kind of all over the board still figuring out lineups.  We definitely have got a young group.  It's definitely a high energy group that we have right now, so practices have been fun and competitive and just there's been a lot of good culture time in the gym right now with us,” said Ross.

          Ross says right now they are trying to figure out what players fit where and how they can best make the team better.  “My assistant coach Kyle Sundheimer told me (Tuesday), he said we got a really complicated puzzle coach and we got to figure it out and that's exactly what we're doing right now.  Our guys are buying in and they're working hard.  We are in the middle of two days this week, going before school and after school and we're just working hard and we're figuring out these pieces.  If you got any answers on how to put that puzzle fits together, we'll take suggestions also,” he said.

          The Quakers, like a lot of other teams, are involved in a series of scrimmages and Ross says hopefully that we make them better.  “Those are similar to games right now and it's difficult because you're still trying to figure out lineups, so you're moving in and out, and you're figuring out how you're going to sub and what positions different guys are going to play if they're going to have to play a big and a wing or just one or the other and learning different actions that we're going to run from different spots and then also being able to guard from those different spots,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday, “It starts in our practice.  We're really just trying to drill in and build those daily habits that help us succeed when it does come time for the lights to come on and you have got some people on the bleachers and scrimmage time on an early Saturday morning or Wednesday night whenever it may be.  Really the habits that we want to see start showing up in the scrimmages because I don't think anybody has a scrimmage after that first couple and you're like oh we're complete we're ready to go, so I think it's constantly reevaluating, reassessing what we have and what ways we can get better.”

 

Published 11/15/23

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Colonel Crawford Will be Physical

 

          Colonel Crawford, one of the traditional small school basketball powers, will be less experienced this year than they have been in a long time.

          Veteran coach David Sheldon says they return only one starter from a team that won a division IV district title last year.  “Well, it's early, we just got our football players in all together last Friday with getting to the second round of the playoffs we gave him some time off and we just got them in.  We're a work in progress.  We're a very young basketball team with losing four starters from last year and four seniors that averaged 45.6 points per game, those four seniors.  So, we're sort of putting the pieces together and it’s a young team that we got to keep progressing day by day during the preseason,” he said.

          Sheldon says they really only have one kid returning that played a lot for them last year.  He says they are trying to find out how the other pieces fit together as they are working in the preseason.  “We return one starter Trevor Vogt, who averaged just over seven points a game and then we have two kids back that came off the bench last year in Ryan McMichael, a senior, and then Payne DeGray, a sophomore, but everybody else played JV basketball the year before,” he told Swankpnsports.com on Monday afternoon, “The good thing is we got together in June before they got off to football and started to see what we could piece together.  Then we didn't see him until last week all of our guys for the most part played football, which is great, they had great success.  We have just got a lot of work to do to be honest as we're early in the preseason.”

          The Eagle football team finished as the Northern 10 Athletic Conference runner-up and advanced to the division VI regional quarterfinal.

          Sheldon says they are going to be physical, but they must work hard on sharpening their basketball skills.  “We have got a physical basketball team, that's the one thing about this basketball team is they're a physical one.  Every night we're going to have to guard night in and night out.  The thing is we're doing so much skill work right now offensively, just getting the ball back in their hands, shots, ball handling, everything, breaking down the fundamentals since we don't open until the first week in December.  It's nice, we don't open Thanksgiving week like years past, we have got another extra week of preseason with the long football run that we made,” said Sheldon.

 

Published 11/14/23

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Clyde Developing Some Players

 

          Clyde has some talent when it comes to basketball players and if they can get healthy they have a good chance to be really good.

          Right now, coach Ryan Fretz says they are trying to develop the muscles they need for basketball.  “I like the effort up to this point.  We have a lot of work to do to get in shape.  We've got all of our guys, except for one, play football, so they're coming off of football season.  We're taking the shoulder pads off because that's one of the things we always talk about is take the pads off and loosen up those shoulders, so we can shoot.  Our shots are typically flat during the first couple of weeks after we get our boys, but then we just put them through shooting drills and eventually they end up finding their shot.  It looked pretty good (Monday) at practice.  We're looking as quick as can be.  We're pretty athletic,” he said.

          Fretz they are dealing with injuries and again this season they just aren’t very tall overall.  “There are two things that kind of holding us back.  Number one is we've got some injuries.  We have got Brennan Wilson, who's still sitting there with the broken collarbone, who could be back here you know sometime here before the end of the month.  Then Brayden Olson is nursing his foot from a from a football injury.  Mason Flewelling tore his ACL in the Tiffin Columbian football game.  So, we've got three varsity guys that were going to get ample minutes that are sitting along the sidelines during practice.  Then the second thing is we're similar to where we were last year, we lack size.  We've got Cayden Perkins, who's about 6’1”, 6’2” and then we have a sophomore Chase Castle, who sits close to 6’6” maybe, he’s a big body guy, but he played freshman and a little bit of the JV for us last year.  So, he's got some development to do there.  Our three you know starters out, our three experienced guys have been sitting out for the last week and half,” said Fretz.

          One positive thing the injuries have done is allow the Fliers to develop some other players and this will eventually allow them to be a better team, according to Fretz.  “So far, it's allowed some of our younger guys, guys that aren't Brennan and Brayden Olson to step up and lead in other ways and that's what I'm extremely happy about.  We've got guys that aren't really talking, that aren't known to be your leading talkers, like Ben Wott, who's now a point guard and demanding the ball on offense and running the offense for us and he's talking out there.  Kam Shortridge has impressed the coaching staff a lot.  I mean I know he's coming off of a great football season where he was a leader for our football team and he's picked up right there for us on the basketball court,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “Then Cedric Messer is coming off of the football field and picking up right where he's left off with his leadership and talking.  So, even though we're down three guys, we've got three guys that have really picked it up for us and you're just seeing them grow and it gives younger guys a chance to get better to when we do get our full squad back this year, we're just that much better.”

 

Published 11/14/23

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New London Girls with Big Goals

 

          New London is primed and ready to go for the girls’ basketball season, which begins next week.

          Coach Eric Mitchell says they return almost everybody from a team that finished second in the Firelands Conference last season.  “We lost one kid who decided not to come back out, but we did gain a junior, she played her freshman year and she came back, but she's one that can help.  I mean we've set the expectations pretty high and the girls know that because after the season we had we hope to build on the momentum that we had there at the latter part of the season last year,” he said.

          Mitchell says the learning curve with this year’s team should be pretty minimal because for most of them it’s just a review.  “We’ve had ups and downs, you can tell it's early.  Every single girl on my team is involved in a fall sport, so you don't get a lot of that time in the fall, but the nice thing is they come in and they're ahead of schedule because they know what we're running.  We don't have to review as much,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “We can just get into running a lot of the sets that we want to run and a lot of offensive and defensive stuff that we are kind of taking from last year into this year.  We have got another scrimmage, we've had two of them, we have five total this year.  We'll have one with Colonel Crawford, then Wynford/Old Fort and then finish up with Margaretta before the real season gets going.”

          New London opens the season the day after Thanksgiving against Wayne County Athletic Legue power Smithville.  Their first Firelands Conference game is the next day against Monroeville. 

          Mitchell says he wants his players to be tested.  “My non conference, I really tried to go out and get some really high quality teams as well as the scrimmages.  We played a good Keystone team and a Cloverleaf team, so two bigger schools, started off down at Ashland with them and Wooster Triway.   So, that's what I want to do.  I say to the girls these are the teams that we want to see because it lets us gauge where we are and where we need to get to if we're going to continue to grow upon the success we had last year,’ said Mitchell.

 

Published 11/14/23

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Perkins Must Have Pursuit

 

          Sandusky Perkins takes on West Holmes in a division IV regional semifinal on Friday night at Marion Harding Stadium.

          Perkins survived a scare last week to beat St. Mary’s Memorial (28-21) in a quarterfinal game.

          Coach Jalen Santoro says they had to make adjustments in order to defend the Roughriders run game.  “They came out and we knew they could pose some threats running the ball and eating some clock and that's exactly what they did.  So, going into halftime there they were four of four on fourth down and they had 21-14 lead at halftime.  The time of possession was actually 19 minutes to five them.  We had to come in and make some adjustments with our defense and we did that the best we could take away their right hand after halftime.  Our defense came out the second half and held them underneath 70 yards for the total of the half.  Our offense got two quick scores on the board.  At the end of the game our defense had some big stops.  So, obviously it wasn't pretty but at this point in the year you’re just trying to get a win and advance and get another week of football,” said Santoro.

          Perkins (10-1) is the outright champion of the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.  West Holmes (10-2) was the runner up in the Ohio Cardinal Conference.  The Knights beat Galion (22-19) last week on a tipped TD pass with 19 seconds remaining.

          Santoro says they have an explosive offense and a defense that gets to the football.  “They have some really explosive players.  They have got a quarterback who can run and pass and he does you know everything pretty well, so you have got to make sure you keep your eyes on him in the pass game because he has the threat take off and run.  So, obviously between the receivers that they have that are very good and make some big plays out there on the catch you have got to make sure you're trying to keep them at bay as much as possible,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “At the end of the day it comes down to making sure you're tackling and getting of blocks and doing a little things right.  This week it's been a lot of mental prepping to make sure we're ready for what they do.  Defensively, they have some players that make some plays.  They have some players on the defensive line that are really good.  Any game you turn on this year on the film they're rarely getting blocked.  So, it's very important to win the trenches.  You can stress that every week, but I think even more so important this with what they want to do on offense and defense.”

          West Holmes quarterback Morgan Smith is among the state leaders in points scored this season.  He accounted for eight TD’s in game this year against Lexington.  Santoro says their defense must have great pursuit.  “Everything starts their quarterback whether it's run or pass.  Then once he gets rid of the ball pretty quick sometimes you got to make sure that you're pursuing to the football and make sure you're getting people around the ball and gang tackle when you can.  So, they put him in a great spots.  He does a great job of making the right reads and playing mistake free football.  So, again it just kind of comes down to making sure that we're in the right spots, we're ready pre-snap.  The big thing, like I said, is just getting off blocks and pursuing the football,” he said.

 

Published 11/10/23

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Ashland With Solid Younger Group

 

          Ashland has some younger talent with which to build a good basketball team this winter.

          Coach Jason Hess says he has been happy with the way things have been going so far this preseason.  “Well, it's been kind of nice actually, it's a little unchartered territory for us, usually we're dealing with kids coming in with injuries from various situations and this year with the little bit bigger gap between football and basketball season it's been nice to have all our guys healthy right from the beginning.  So, we're excited about this bunch of kids that we've got.  We've got a good core group of kids that were extremely committed in the offseason and really put some time into basketball.  We're still a little inexperienced.  We're going to be playing some youngsters this year.  It’s looking like four sophomores probably at the varsity level.  It's four guys that have earned the right to be varsity basketball players.  We've got a nice group of seniors and juniors to go with them.  So, we're definitely excited about the potential of this group, but potential doesn't win games and that's what we've kind of been talking to our guys about staying the course and working hard and getting better and competing every day,” said Hess.

          Hess says they have some kids that have varsity experience and those players have grown and matured since last year.  “Three of them got a little bit of varsity time last year and you can tell a big difference between them a year ago at this time coming in as freshmen and just out of the 8th grade basketball experience wise versus having a little bit of varsity experience under their belt.  Just a lot more confidence maturity wise.  They have filled out physically and they're just playing a lot better basketball.  So, it's exciting to be able to have the opportunity just to watch these kids continue to grow and see what the future holds here for Ashland Arrows with a good group of sophomores and young talent,” he said.

          Hess says they are working this month on what offense and defense will work best for the talent that they have.  “We had summer basketball and I have talked before about how important summer could be with trying new things, but you really don't know until you turn on those lights.  We’ve got scrimmages like everybody else does and those are good tests, but they're not quite the same.  So, right now it's a matter of trying to put some different things in, some different wrinkles.  Unfortunately, we're not like the college level when we recruit our players and say hey we can run the same system every year and I can go get another kid that does X, Y and Z because that's what I need for my system,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “We've got to make wrinkles and changes to fit our personnel each year and that's kind of what we're trying to do right now is decide hey what's best for the group of kids.  We've got to get the kids to be able to buy into that and learn that and then hopefully when games come around in December, we guessed right on a couple things and what we're doing is working.  If you get in the middle of December and it's not working then you're starting over and that's not a good feeling.”

 

Published 11/10/23

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Mohawk off to Good Start

 

          Mohawk, the runner-up in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference last season, has some pieces back to put together another solid team this year.

          Coach Paul Dunn says they have some kids that have played basketball at the varsity level.  “We graduated three seniors that played a lot, but we've got a lot of experience coming back honestly.  We have two seniors that got a lot of playing time, one especially in Brayden Chester, and then a junior class that’s well seasoned for their age and they've played a lot of basketball together.  Two of our top six or seven guys are still coming back from injury, so we're still kind of working the kinks out trying to get some guys in some spots they're probably not overly comfortable with, but we're working our way towards hopefully a product that's going to be ready to go on December 2nd,” said Dunn.

          The way the calendar falls this year there is an extra week for basketball teams to prepare for the season, which begins the first week of December.

          Dunn says that’s a good thing.  “It's nice and unfortunately our team didn't make the playoffs this year in football, but it's just nice to for the kids to not feel like they're rushed in some sense to get there.  As a coach, not to feel that anxiety of getting our kids on the floor sooner rather than later even if they're just a few days out of football.  So, it gives our kids the time that they need.  I think as a coach it gives us some more time to make sure that we're taking our time and put stuff in correctly and not trying to rush through things,” he said.

          Dunn says a real key to November is making sure the kids are in basketball shape before the season starts.  “I'm sure every coach loves that Friday, Saturday kind of a quick start there going into the weekend and give your kids a day on Sunday to kind of catch their breath and maybe ice down a little bit because those first two days are hard on the kids for sure,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “It's long practices and getting those legs back in shape.  Trying to get some muscles that for some kids haven't been used for a while, especially if you don't do football, if you're doing golf or cross country, you're not using those quick switch mussels for a while.  So, you're using muscles haven’t been used, so these kids definitely need to get back in shape and it's a slow process, but we're working our way towards it one day at a time.”

 

Published 11/10/23

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Northwestern Going to be Intense

 

          Northwestern is going to be a different team than even they thought this winter and they might be pretty good too.

          Veteran coach Mark Alberts Jr. says they have an influx this season of talent that will make the Huskies a better team.  “We have nine seniors that came out for our team this year and we have got a sophomore, that's 10 guys I have got on the varsity, definitely a little bit of surprise.  We had three guys come out I didn't know we're going to come out and we're really happy they came out because the other six seniors I have are returners from last year, five of them letterman and three starters.  So, these other guys that came out are big and they're strong, they're athletic kids.  We're going to be a little bit more interesting I think that a lot of people thought this year,” said Alberts.

          Alberts says this season has really been fun so far for him and he thinks the team too.  He says they are going to be aggressive on defense.  “This year has been weird because I don't have a son playing for me here and in the last eight out of the last nine years I have and now I'm out there just kind of trying to help these guys fit in and it's a lot of fun,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “These guys are working really hard.  Honestly, I didn't know what to expect and I'm really, really pleasantly surprised.  You might be shocked, but we're actually focusing a lot on defense and we're playing real physical and tough and pressuring.  I think teams are going to find out when they play us, they're going to know they played us.”

          The Huskies play at Wooster Triway to open the season on December 1.  Their first game in the Wayne County Athletic League will be at Waynedale on December 8.

          Alberts says if you are going to play that kind of style you have to be in shape.  He says they are doing that though drill work.  “We're doing a lot of stuff just these like drills and we don't do a lot of extra running, but we just make practice really intense, really hard.  We do a lot of pressing during practice and making these guys pick up full court constantly and here in about two weeks, three weeks, as we get ready for that first game against Triway, hopefully they're going to be ready to go,” he said.

 

Published 11/10/23

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St. Paul to Play Fundamental, Explosive Dalton

 

          Norwalk St. Paul takes on Dalton on Friday night at Ashland High School’s Community Stadium in a regional semifinal in division VII.

          The Flyers (8-4) advanced with a (20-14) win at Malvern last week.

          Coach John Livengood says they were tremendous on defense and pretty efficient on offense.  “Malvern has a really explosive offense, wide open, a lot of four wide, five wide sets, they throw the ball 20, 30 times a game.  That was a big challenge for our defense.  I think our kids really came out and played great defensively.  We were able to get good pressure on the quarterback.  I think we had six sacks, an interception and held them under 50 percent pass completions.  So, I was really pleased with the way our secondary and overall defense played.  Offensively, we ran the ball decent.  We had a nice 18 play drive to open the game and were running the ball well in spurts, but where things opened up for us was with some passing game.  Drew Kuhnle did a nice job in hitting some key passes for us for touchdowns.  It was just a great overall performance.  Malvern is an outstanding football team and we're happy to walk out of there with the win,” said Livengood.

          Dalton (10-1), the outright champ of the Wayne County Athletic League, eliminated Lucas (35-10) last week. Greyson Siders had four TD runs.

          Livengood says they have an explosive running back and they are very good up front.  “The number one thing that stands out is Greyson Siders their tailback.  He's a big strong kid, he runs hard and he's an explosive athlete.  They're quarterback has got good speed and he throws the ball well,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “Up front they've got really good size.  Grayson Lehman is someone that really stands.  He's 6’3”, 290 and he's playing guard, he's got the quickness of a guard too and he's equally as dominating on the defensive side of the ball.  A big kid that moves well and he's got a high motor.  They are really well coached football team.  You can see their great fundamentals on both sides of the football, especially on the line of scrimmage.”

          Livengood says the Bulldogs are very fundamentally sound up front.  “Their kids up front, again they've got good size, but that doesn't always mean anything.  It's the fact they've got really good fundamentals, they finish blocks, they're very aggressive blocking and the same thing defensively.  They're got high motors, they get off the ball and they run to the ball.  So, very good football players on both sides of the line of scrimmage and great skill kids to match it,” he said.

          Livengood says to win Friday they have to find a way to win up front and just do a lot of things very well.  “We have got to control line of scrimmage, that's the thing.  It's a battle up front.  We're giving up a lot of size to some kids that that also have the same type of fundamentals that we really work hard on.  So, we're going to have to find a way.  I tell our kids hold your point and win this game inch by inch.  You take it one play at a time.  So, we've got to control that line of scrimmage, we've got to take care of the football, we've got to play great defense, we’ve got to swarm to the football because they've got some really explosive athletes and not let them get loose and we've got to play great special teams,” said Livengood.

 

Published 11/09/23

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Dalton Has to Fly

 

          Dalton locks horns with Norwalk St. Paul in a division VII regional semifinal on Friday night at Community Stadium in Ashland.

          After spotting Lucas a two score lead, Dalton rallied to beat the Cubs (35-10) in the quarterfinals last week.

          Coach Broc Dial says they executed a lot of things well.  “Lucas came out with a good game plan.  They are a tough football team and our kids responded really well and we were able to execute do some really nice things,” said Dial.

          Tailback Greyson Siders ran for four scores last week.

          St. Paul outlasted Malvern (20-14) in their game last week.

          Dial says the Flyers are good all over.  “We really think they're good at all three levels.  They are very aggressive coming at you every snap, whether it's on offense or defense, just a tough hard nosed football team,” he said.

          St. Paul does not waste anytime when they get to the line of scrimmage in snapping the ball.  Dial says they must be ready for that.  “This week we've talked a lot about we have got to get ready, we have got to play and there's really not a lot of time to think and go play football,” he said.

          Dial says he wants his kids to react quickly and play aggressively.  “I think number one we got to do a really good job communicating whether it's on offense or defense or special teams.  Number two, I think we have got to just make a decision go 100 miles an hour,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “Coaches talk about hitting and those types of things, I think that's really what it comes down to.  They create effort just making a decision a good 100 miles an hour.  The last thing is we have to show great discipline for four quarters.”

 

Published 11/09/23

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Madison Trying to Put Things Together

 

          Madison will have a new look when the hits the basketball floor this year and they are going to spend this month trying to assemble the parts.

          Coach Chris Armstrong says it exciting to him to put the puzzle together.  “It's always exciting to get started.  We've got a really, I feel like a really high quality group, really high character kids, they work.  They are a fairly quiet bunch in a way.  Every group has got its personality and sometimes you've got guys that are a little more boisterous, but these guys are little quieter, but really bright kids, high character kids and so far it's been a lot of fun to coach, so we're excited about the group,” he said.

          With their leading scorer from last year lost to graduation, Armstrong says they are trying to find where their players stand and what they can contribute.  “That's probably one of the most exciting things about coaching is putting that puzzle together.  Finding the guy’s strengths and certainly over the summer you get a feel for that, the previous season, but you lose a guy like Jaden Jeffries who averaged a little more than 23 points a game and could score inside and outside was a really good teammate,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “You've got a new group and you discover how much they have grown.  Some of these guys have really gotten better over the summer, gotten stronger physically, matured a little bit emotionally.  So, starting to put that together is just a lot of fun.  So, we're really going to be experimental early on, try out several different actions, different offensive concepts and defensive concepts to really see where this group can excel.  So, just trying to find every little edge you can and really kind of develop that as you go.”

          Seven Allen, who was the Rams second leading scorer last year as a freshman, has transferred to Lexington.

          However, Armstrong says they have found a number of kids who have improved their games.  “We're excited we've got a guard back who played with us as a freshman and sophomore then really focused on soccer his junior year and didn't play in Degan Herr.  He is a senior, so he's a nice point guard, good ball handler, does a lot of things well, kind of a pass first guy.  Guys like Cam Kuhn have grown and got stronger and better, more skilled.  Owen Wigton has really developed as a scorer.  So, I like our group, I think we've got a chance to develop, but again we've got to find where we're strong and really lean into that,” said Armstrong.

 

Published 11/09/23

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Willard Finding More Pieces

 

          Willard, the defending champion in the Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division, we have talent back and they are looking to add more.

          The Flashes return Max Dawson, Isaac and Cam Robinson and coach Joe Bedingfield says they are going to have more depth this season.  “I mean we have a couple new guys that are going to join our returning guys.  We have five seniors this year, three of which were starters from last year's championship team.  So, I mean we're looking to fill a few holes.  We didn't play a lot of kids last year.  I think that's going to change a little bit.  I think we'll be able to build a little bit more depth, which is going to help with our new rules in Ohio and the foul situation that could come into play.  I think you're going to need to play a few more than maybe we did last year.  It's nice to have some of those options.  The kids are working hard and I think chemistry would be good and we're trying to get better each day,” he said.

          With good chemistry you win more games and Bedingfield says they are trying to build that.  “I think I learned that a little bit more later in coaching and when I was with Brett Seidel I think he did such a good job building chemistry with kids, and other good coaches did too, but it really stood out to me when I was with him.  You realize it is a lot more about the kids and then playing for each other and their community.  I think if you can get them to feel that they're part of something that's bigger than themselves and they play for each other like they're a little bit more than friends their almost brothers then they go out and they'll do anything for your team.  I think that's a huge part.  They like each other, they don't mind who is getting the points and things of that nature.  Sometimes you can control that and help that as a coach, sometimes it doesn't go as planned.  I do think it's a little underrated in terms of building that kind of bunker mentality of who you're going to put in that bunker with you,” said Bedingfield.

          With three very good players back, Bedingfield says they are trying to fit in the pieces that go around them.  “I think the scrimmages help because it's a little bit like an extension of the summer.  You're going to see did they work on the things that you pointed out to them in the summer when you're playing some other type of scrimmages that you did or did they just not pick up a ball since the last time you told them what to do.  Kids will kind of separate themselves and put them on different teams.  I think the scrimmages kind of help you see who can't play sometimes.  You want to see who can play, but you also want to let them know that maybe they're not ready for varsity yet, but the JV's could be a good learning experience for some kids,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “Some kids need to wait their turn.  I think that's an unwritten rule.  We'll talk a little bit about that.  Last year, we had Brayden Thompson, he played JV as a junior, started on a senior team who won a league title.  I couldn't be happier for him because he kept showing up and I think that's what you don't see a lot anymore in high school sports is kids that will just wait their turn and not have to play varsity right away and just keep developing and buying their time and being patient and good things happen.  When that happens boy does that feel good for not only that kid and that family, but also just your program in general.”

 

Published 11/09/23

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River Valley Back at it

 

          River Valley, the runner-up last year in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, will have some kids to form another solid team this year.

          With a little less than week under their belts, coach Rodney Brown says it feels good to start preparing for the season.  “It’s always nice to get back in the gym with everybody.  The kids are playing hard and trying to get back into the groove a little bit.  We had a lot of football players.  So, we're just trying to get things going and get some chemistry going and getting ready for our first scrimmage on Friday night,” said Brown.

          Brown says they have some guys back to help form their team this year.  “We'll be experienced, I mean we lost some key contributors from last year, but we have a lot of guys that played a lot of minutes.  We have two starters back and the sixth man who will move into a starting role.  So, we have got a lot of experience.  We should be sort of seasoned I guess,” he said.

          With scrimmages and practices, Brown says they are going to initiate those younger players to varsity basketball and what it’s all about.  “We’ve got guys filling into different spots trying to replace the guys that we lost.  We're just hoping that those puzzle pieces fit together nicely, quickly as possible,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “Those young guys that were bringing up from JV can just fit in and realize how we play and the toughness that we try to play with.”

 

Published 11/09/23

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New London Needs to Get Tougher

 

          Tom Howell is back as the boys’ basketball coach at New London and the Wildcats are tying to get their program back to being competitive.

          Howell says right now they are working hard.  “We've been you know working pretty hard.  A lot of kids play fall sports, which is good.  We have got some work to do to get to where we want to be, but I can't complain, they're working pretty hard right now,” he said.

          Howell says there are clearly some things they have to improve if they are going to make progress as a basketball team.  “Taking care of the basketball, putting the ball in the basket.  We can have trouble scoring at times.  Consistency on both ends of the floor and physicality a little bit.  I mean, we have got to get a little tougher right now, that's what we've been focusing on here the last couple days.  So, that's where we're heading,” said Howell.

          Scrimmages are starting this weekend for boys’ teams and Howell says that will be an important tool for them.  “We're going to Seneca East on Friday and that's going to be a good test to see where we're at with some of the things I just mentioned that we need to really focus on,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “It's going to be a good test and it's going to tell us what way we need to go a little bit further or harder and to see where we're really at.”

 

Published 11/09/23

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Shelby Wants to Play its Game

 

          Shelby plays defending state champion Cleveland Glenville in a division IV regional semifinal at Elyria High School on Friday night.

          Last week, they outscored Van Wert (36-6) in the second half and thumped the Cougars (71-41) in a quarterfinal game.  Sophomore quarterback Brayden DeVito threw for 425 yards and four TD’s and ran for more than 100 more and a couple scores.

          This season, the Whippets have been a second half team many times and coach Robert Mahaney says they were able to do that again last week.  “I thought our execution offensively was awesome.  I thought our kids had a great week of preparation and stayed process driven and did the things that they needed to and it showed on Friday night.  We were kind of like the team we've been all year, we're able to go into halftime and calm down and kind of have a really good third quarter.  That's kind of been our trademark this year.  Just a team that is able to come out of halftime really take advantage of the momentum and get things going our way.  I thought our kids did a great job with that scoring right out of half and getting stop and getting another score and kind of putting things back and letting our defense kind of pin their ears back and have fun and playing fast.  I thought our kids did that and to credit to our kids they stay process driven and do a great job of executing well when it matters most,” said Mahaney.

          Shelby had more than 660 total yards against Van Wert.

          Glenville (9-3) waxed Napoleon (44-7) last week to advance.

          Mahaney says the Tarblooders have a number of gifted athletes.  He adds the formations they run are similar to other schools they have played this season.  “I mean you're talking about the defending state champs and a team with really, really good football players with you know 10 different kids with D-one offers and all that kind of stuff.  For us there are some similarities, things that we can point to.  They play a 4-2 box, which we see in a lot of this year, they play man coverage, which we've seen a lot this year.  Offensively, they run schemes that we've seen all year.  I think at the end of the day, they have some talent, but we just have got to continue to do what we do and say process driven and take care of ourselves and play Shelby Whippet football,” he said.

          Glenville also has two state runners-up, and four semifinal appearances to its credit.  They have produced many great football players, including Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and Ted Ginn, Jr., the son of their coach Ted Sr.

          However, Mahaney emphasizes they aren’t playing the Glenville Tradition, they are playing the 2023 team.  “You can kind of see on film in my opinion, you can see the teams when they're playing Glenville you get to see how teams react differently.  Teams that are in awe and the teams that go there to compete.  We want to be a team that goes to compete.  It's huge honor, it's a huge credit to our kids, that we're playing in week 13 and so we want to take that opportunity and run with it.  To stay process driven, to continue to get better, to continue to play for the guys in our locker room, and to continue to do all of those kind of things,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “We get a chance Friday night to extend our season.  To go out there and play four more quarters as a football team and hopefully find a way to keep this season alive and keep our team going for one more week.  I think our kids are excited for that opportunity.  Our preparation through two days has been awesome and I'm excited to see our kids go out and compete.”

 

Published 11/08/23

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Northmor Faces Balanced Garaway

 

          Northmor plays the number one seed in their region in Sugarcreek Garaway in a regional semifinal in division VI on Friday night at Heath High School.

          They took apart Gloster Trimble (31-6) in a quarterfinal last week.  They held the Tomcats to only 95 yards rushing.

          Coach Scott Armrose says again they played a complete game.  “In all phases of the game we executed very well.  I think our coaches put a good plan together and our kids were able to go out and execute.  We played a good physical game and things turned the way we wanted them to,” he said.

          Northmor (10-2) plays Garaway (12-0) on Friday night.  The Pirates hammered East Knox (49-7) last week.  They have won 30 regular season games in a row.

          Armrose says Garaway is balanced and they have a lot of weapons on offense.  “They're a whole different kind of challenge than we've seen the last couple weeks.  They're very balanced on offense, they can run and they throw and they have got a lot of guys can make plays.  A little running back, not real big, but awfully powerful for his size and he's got a lot of speed and he does the running,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “Then a quarterback that's athletic, he can scramble, but he scrambles to throw and they have a 1,000 yard receiver on their team that that makes a lot of big plays, so offensively they're an incredible challenge.”

          To defend the Pirates, Armrose says they have to be fundamental and make Garway uncomfortable.  “It's stuff we haven't worked on for a couple weeks because we faced teams with a limited passing game, but it's something we've done very well all season.  We play a tough zone defense and we have guys that do a good job of adjusting to formations and getting to spots.  We do a really good job of rushing the passer.  So, those are two things that we have to do on Friday night.  We need to rush the passer and we need to get to our spots and drop to our zones and force turnovers,” said Armrose.

          In the same way, Armrose says Garaway is going to try and get pressure on their pass game.  “They are a 3-4 defense and they will stunt and they'll bring a lot of pressure off the edge.  They have very athletic outside linebackers, that's the strength of their defense.  They mix up which one of those guys that they'll blitz off the edge, so they keep you off balance that way.  They're really very athletic in the secondary, so they've got a lot of team speed on defense,” he said.

 

Published 11/08/23

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Clear Fork Expecting Very Good Season

 

          Clear Fork expects a dramatic improvement this basketball season as the Colts are loaded with kids that can shoot the basketball.

          Coach Tim Brafford, in his second season as head coach, says with a full off season under their belts, the team will be well prepared for the year to start.  “Actually, we are very, very optimistic and very happy with what I see.  Last year, I got hired late, at the end of April, and we missed out on a lot of summer things that are normally available like scrimmages, shootouts, things like that.  This year we took full advantage of them.  We scrimmaged 37 different teams, just in the month of June.  Our kids have put a lot of time in in the gym and I am looking forward to a fun and a great season with these young men,” he said.

          They host Lexington in their first game at home on December 1.  They play at Galion on December 8 in their first game in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference.

          Brafford says they will have a lot of seniors on the roster that can contribute this year.  “We have a very senior heavy team.  We have seven seniors coming in, just two juniors, and we have five sophomores and our freshman class is just loaded with talent, probably the best class we've had come through in a while as far as from one to I think we have 13,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “I think that we're going to make some noise this year.  I hope maybe at the freshman, JV and a senior level.  We have Jaden Beachy in for point guard and Segno Ault will be moving up to varsity this year.  Logan Richmond is going to be coming up to varsity.  Collin Johnson will be coming up to varsity and of course we have four returning lettermen, so it should be a good mix.”

          Brafford believes they will have a number of players this year that can shoot and it will be his job to get the right kids on the floor at the right time.  “We’re trying to find out which five play the best together.  Who are our better players coming off the bench.  The difficulty I have as a coach, and it's a good one, we have quite a few kids that are great shooters.  So, figuring out who's going to be the best all around player and the best five to put on the floor any given time is like a good situation to be in.  We'll be playing all of our varsity kids just about every night.  We'll be going through an eight man rotation at least, so everyone's going to see plenty of court time,” said Brafford.

 

Published 11/08/23

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High Expectations For Crawford

 

          Colonel Crawford, coming off a third place finish in the tough Northern 10 Athletic Conference last year, is excited to find out how good they can be this season.

          Coach Zac Bauer says the players really want to play some basketball.  “I've been really happy with what I've seen out of our kids.  We've got good numbers out and our girls were eager to get back to it.  The more I talked to them leading up to our first practice the more excited they seemed.  We've never had a problem with kids going hard in practice, but I think this year they're more comfortable with the terminology that we use and kind of the expectations of the way things go.  It's carried over and things seem to be running smoother now than they were last year at this time after 10 practices just because of the familiarities there.”

          When it comes to how good they can be, Bauer says the team has high expectations.  “There are a lot of variables that go into that, but we've talked about that as a team and our biggest thing as a team this year is can we live up to the standards that we set for ourselves?  Our players have talked to me and I've kind of talked to them too and they have high expectations for themselves and so I told them  we're going to hold you to a high standard and practice and they've held themselves to a pretty high standard for the first ten days and that's what we're going to continue to do,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “We're going to see how high our ceiling can go because we do have kids that work really hard and they get along well and they play well as a team.  So, potential wise it's hard to put a definite answer on that, but we have high expectations for ourselves and that's what we want to try to live up to.”

          This season the Lady Eagles have a lot of players back that played significant roles.  Bauer says right now they are trying to determine the players that will make the varsity roster.  “For us with having so many kids back.  We kind of know who our top few are just based off of last year.  The good thing for us right now is to see who else can contribute to that group and how we can get them the most time possible, whether that be at the varsity level only, whether that be at the JV level only or whether that be a combination of the two.  When you start looking at a combination of the two, how many quarters a night do they play one way or the other and that's something that we're going to try to figure out here in the next two weeks is how can those middle of the ground players can be utilized the best,” said Bauer.

 

Published 11/08/23

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Bellevue Can be Good Again

 

          Bellevue, with four starters back, can be a factor again in the race in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference this winter.

          Coach Ed Rich says he has all of his guys in camp and so far it has been a very good preseason for the Redmen.  “We got them back on Friday.  We got to start at a normal time.  I want to say it's definitely the first time since I've been at Bellevue that we were able to start on time with our guys, so that was kind of nice.  We've had really had four good days of practice.  I've been extremely happy with the way we've been getting after it and the things they remember and everything like that, so yeah I'll take these first four days for sure,” said Rich.

          Bellevue starts the season on December 2 when they host the Margaretta Polar Bears in non-conference play.  Their first “SBC” Lake Division game is December 8 at Clyde.

          Rich says they did lose a couple of key players to graduation, but they have a lot of other kids back.  “We have got experience back.  I have six juniors, five seniors and a freshman who will be playing varsity for me this year.  We lose Tyler Ray, who graduated, he was senior, which is a big loss, but we got guys back.  We lost Degan Horn, so we only had two seniors, even though those two seniors are huge to our program, but we think we'll be okay,” he said.

          Rich says they have a lot of pieces and now they are working to find out how they all fit together.  “That’s what we're doing with some of our guys.  Some of our guys are new to the varsity level, but we do return four of those guys who are back for us that started multiple games for us last year, so that helps a lot,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “We're trying to figure out ways to play together and play together to our strengths and do things and try to keep going.  We've got a couple good seasons in a row and we like to keep that going here this year and we think it's definitely possible.”

 

Published 11/08/23

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South Central Wants to Run

 

          South Central is going to be a basketball team that really wants to force the tempo and try and get some easy baskets this year.

          First year coach Dallas Yost says he likes what he sees from the players so far.  “The kids are really working their butts off.  I mean they have been working their butts off since I took the job back in April.  We had a tough offseason program.  Five days a week we were doing stuff all offseason.  We gave them every opportunity to get in the weight room and get in the gym and it's kind of translating quickly here to start the season.  We were missing some guys there to start.  The first couple of days we had some guys in and out, but these last few days have been really good and the guys are working really hard.  They're buying into our new system.  We have got a lot of new coaches.  We have got coach (Pat) Durham still on the staff, so he's retained from the old staff, but everyone else is new.  We have got a lot of new ideas and a new system that we're playing and they're buying into it quickly.  So, it's been a really good start I think,” said Yost.

          Yost says this year they want to run the floor as much as possible.  “We do want to push the tempo offensively and we're going to do some different things defensively as well to try to keep the other offenses out of rhythm and keep them on their toes a bit.  So, we are pushing the pace and they're getting better at that.  I told the kids most coaches tell you not to play in a hurry, but they try to play fast, but I literally want them playing in a hurry and to become comfortable with being in a hurry basically and hopefully that kind of surprises some teams,” he said.

          Yost says if they are going to be able to run this style they have got to be in good shape and they are going to make sure that’s the case.  “The kids have soon realized that.  I mean the kids that were with us for our fall program, we didn't do much conditioning over the summer and spring, but in our fall program the guys that didn't play football and they were going through those conditioning workouts all fall.  Some of our football guys and that kind of thing are kind of getting a little reality check with the conditioning.  If we are going to play that type of style that's one thing we have got to be is in really good shape and not just in good shape and in better shape than any than every other team we play because that'll be an advantage that hopefully we can gain,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “We've been hitting hard conditioning.  I block out about 20, 25 minutes other of every practice where it's just conditioning.  At first the guys, it stinks to go through and I told them it's only going to be the first couple weeks.  I think they're buying into it though.  I mean doesn't mean they're really enjoying it, but they know, they understand that that's part of the process.  It's going to be a fun brand of basketball that we're going to play.  It's just we have got to get through this these first couple weeks of conditioning here and I think they're handling it pretty well.”

 

Published 11/08/23

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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

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Lexington Has Potential

 

          Lexington won the Ohio Cardinal Conference boys’ basketball championship last season and advanced to the division II district final, but this season they will have a different mix.

          Coach Scott Hamilton says they are excited to find what they have this year.  “Right now, I think it's all about our potential.  We're starting to get in the gym a little bit and we'll see how it goes.  We graduated five seniors that gave us a lot of quality minutes.  So, we've got some young guys that are kind of battling for some spots.  We're excited to see what we're made of right now and then where we're going to be in a couple of weeks,” he said.

          Seven Allen, who was a major contributor on the football field this fall, transferred from Madison over the summer.

          Hamilton says they need to find the best way to get him involved on the basketball floor.  “I think it's one of those things, he's a new face for us.  We're obviously aware of what he was able to accomplish over there at Madison.  So, we're excited to get him in the gym and see what he's able to do.  I've always tried to take the guys that we have and put them in good positions and use their skill sets in the best way possible to fit us and make us successful.  He's just another one of those pieces that we're going to be looking at in the next couple of weeks,” said Hamilton.

          With the loss to graduation they experienced since last year, Hamilton says November will be important in finding out who fits where.  “I mean my big player inside Baden Forup is gone, Hudson Moore, another solid four year guy for me, probably arguably my best defender is gone, then at the point guard spot I had A.J. Young and Al Depperschmidt, that both gave me solid minutes off and on defensively and offensively,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “Those are all positions that are going to have to really be filled.  Some of them I don't think we're going to fill their shoes, but we've got to find a way.  Even the guys that are coming back that are sophomores, they're going to go be going up against 18 year old guys and they're still 15, 16 years old.  So, we'll have some things to figure out with that, but we're excited here at Lexington, there's no question about that.”

          Allen is a sophomore and so is Brayden Fogle, who started last year for Lexington and was one of the most athletic kids in the area.

          The Minuteman begin their season at Clear Fork, in non-conference play, on December 1.  Their first “OCC” game with will be December 8 against the Wooster Generals.

          Hamilton says this month they also need to find what style of play best suits them.  “If you've got a real strong perimeter, you've got to go with that.  If you've got a real strong inside play and defense.  It's just one of those things, I think you do have to tweak it a little bit.  I mean every coach has got certain things that they want to do, there's no question about it, but you have to tweak it to your personnel and adjust it a little bit and that's what we're going to find out in the month of November,” he said.

 

Published 11/07/23

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Again it’s up Front for Carey

 

          Carey takes on Columbus Grove in a division VI regional semifinal on Friday night at Fostoria High School.

          Last week, they limited run first Columbia to only 72 total yards in stuffing them (48-0) in a quarterfinal match-up.

          Coach Jonathan Mershman says their play in the trenches was the difference.  “I thought our front seven on both sides of the ball played extremely well in that game.  We came out with a really good intensity and energy that I'm hoping we can come out this week with,” said Mershman.

          The Blue Devils (10-2 this year) have now won 11 playoff games in the last four years, including the state championship in 2021.

          Columbus Grove (10-2) hammered Black River (34-6) last week.  They have also won 11 playoff games in the last four seasons.  They finished as runners-up to Marion Local last year in division VI.

          Mershman says the Bulldogs are a very strong running team.  “They have got a really good running back and a really good running game and on defense they're sound on defense and they fly around and make tackles,” he said.

          Mershman says they have seen a lot of very good teams this fall, but in his opinion, Columbus Grove may be the best so far.  “Well, we played two very good teams right off the rip and Hopewell-Loudon, who is still undefeated and still playing and Galion in week two who took an exit last week, but played a really tough game and lost 22-19,” he told Swankosports.com on Monday night, “Those two teams are really, really good and now Columbus Grove, yeah, I would say it probably is the best team we played to date.”

          With the way Carey runs its offense and their strength on defense, Mershman says again they have to win at the point of attack.  “We have a physical up front and our front seven on both sides of the ball have to own the line of scrimmage,” he said.

 

Published 11/07/23

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Willard Girls Figuring Things Out

 

          The Willard Lady Flashes are attempting to return to their glory under the leadership on a new coach.

          Alanna Bedingfield, an All-Ohio player at Willard, has now taken the reins as head coach.

          She says this week they are really going to get down to preparing for the season, which begins in three weeks.  “Well, honestly, we had them a little bit this summer and we've been working really hard on developing our fundamental skills and learning the new offense.  To tell you the truth, we had five girls missing last week for FFA trips and for Washington D.C.  So, we had two practices before they all left and then we kind of had seven girls, we only have 12 girls total and five were missing the better part of last week,” she told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “Returning (Monday) and having all 12 girls back was good and we're starting to see some meshing there and learning some new things and there's a lot still to work on but we're getting there.”

          They open the season November 27 against Upper Sandusky.  Their first Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division game is against the Vermilion Lady Sailors on December 2.

          With a new coach there is a new system and Bedingfield says they are working on getting used to each other, her and the girls.  “I mean it's a new coach, it's a new offense, it's a new system and it's going to be a lot of learning for them.  It's also a lot of learning for me to figure out what they can do and how to get the best out of them that I can,” she said.

          Part of the preseason with any team is trying to figure out how all of the pieces go together.  Bedingfield says they are going to be working hard to determine who goes where.  “It's not really the same team as last year.  I know we only lost a couple seniors, but it's a different team.  A couple girls didn't go out that were on the team last year and so it's definitely a different look, a different team.  We're trying to figure out how they can all work together.  It's a puzzle and we have some people that can play multiple positions and we're just trying to figure out you know what's the best position to put them in to help us to be successful,” said Bedingfield.

 

Published 11/07/23

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Norwalk can Score

 

          Norwalk is a boys’ basketball team that’s going to be able to score this year, the key is how well are they going to be able to stop others from scoring.

          Coach Adam Kreischer, in his second year at the helm, says they have a lot of kids that can get in the scorebook.  “I think so, our natural abilities offensively this year could be really good.  We have a lot of kids that can put the ball in the basket, so we're going to have that going for us early on.  A lot of what I do predicates on the defensive end and I think we've got some work to do there, but if we can sit down and guard people and rebound the basketball we have a chance to be pretty good.  We are long and we can score the basketball,” he said.

          Kreischer says they have a number of kids back that played at the varsity level last season.  “It’s kind of a mix of youth and experience.  We have Mason Gamble back and Ben Rothhaar back, we have Dalton Chapin back, so that's two starters and another player that played quite a bit for us last year, but we do have some youth joining us with Isaiah Wells and Landon Ferkel, who both got a little bit of time here and there last year,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “Landon being a freshman last year and Isaiah being a sophomore.  Then Jordan Parriott also got some minutes for us early in the season last year, not so much late, again another freshman that'll be a sophomore this year stepping into that role.  Then another one that had just a great summer for us was Garrett Demuth and he'll be a junior this year.  He was another one that got some varsity action early as a sophomore last year, but not so much late in the season.  If Garrett steps into the role that I think he could this year.  Like I said, he had a great summer.”

          Yes, they have some varsity experience on the roster, but Kreischer says really they are still a younger ballclub.  “it's just a real mix this year for us of some experience from guys who have been playing for a while and then some youth and some kids that that that are not super experienced.  We do just have one senior, so Dalton Chapin is our one senior, so we overall are pretty young,” he said.

 

Published 11/07/23

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Lucas Must Control Trenches

 

          Lucas meets Dalton, the Wayne County Athletic League champion, at Orrville Red Rider Stadium on Friday night in a division VII regional quarterfinal.

          Last week, the Cubs (8-3) dumped another team out of the “WCAL” in Hillsdale (28-14) in their first playoff game.

          Coach Scott Spitler says they were able to win at the point of attack.  “I thought we came out and we controlled the line of scrimmage offensively and defensively for the whole game.  When we can do that good things are going to happen for us and they did.  We were able to get out of there with the victory and move on to week 12,” he said.

          Dalton (9-1) rocked Conotton Valley (54-12) in the opening round.

          Spitler says they score a lot points and don’t give up much because they are so good in the trenches.  “I think it starts for them on the offensive and defensive lines.  They have got great size and athleticism.  Offensively, they move people, do a nice job of getting off the ball and blocking to the whistle.  Defensively, their defensive line does a nice job of controlling their gaps and freeing up their linebackers to do their job,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “They've got great team speed at all of the skilled positions both offensively and defensively.  A veteran team, several of these guys were sophomores when we played them in ‘21 and now they're seniors.  You could tell they're just a very well disciplined, well coached, physical football team and it's going to be a tremendous challenge for our guys.”

          Dalton beat Lucas in a playoff game two years ago.  Spitler this edition of the Bulldogs is more balanced.  “I think their systems are the same as they were in ’21. I think they're more balanced as a team, especially offensively this year.  In ‘21 they were led by you two tremendous athletes and while they don't have just two individuals, I think collectively as a group offensively that they're more balanced and dangerous in what they can do.  The quarterback is a great athlete and does a great job of running their offense and being a threat both running and passing and then like I said they're sideline to sideline players defensively,” said Spitler.

          Spitler says in many ways, the keys are the same as they always are, win up front.  “For us it's always how well we play in the trenches on both sides of the ball and this week would be no different.  We've worked all week with our kids about this is going to be one of those heavyweight bout type battles.  They're going to land punches and we've got to land our punches and keep moving forward and staying disciplined and playing to our game plan.  If we do things the right way hopefully, we'll be there in the fourth quarter to have a chance to get out with a win,” he said.

 

Published 11/03/23

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Crawford Meets Talented Ottawa Hills

 

          Colonel Crawford will be at home for Ottawa Hills in a regional quarterfinal in division VI on Friday night.

          They hung on to beat Seneca East, a Northern 10 Athletic Conference rival, (24-16) in the opening round last week.

          Coach Jake Bruner says they did enough to win.  “I told our guys when you play an opponent for the second time it's always tougher.  Our expectation was just to win the game and that's what we did.  We just want to win by one more point the other team.  So, at the end of the day, we liked how we played the first half and it did get a little dicey there at the end, but give credit to Seneca East, thy have got some good players as well some good coaches,” he said.

          Crawford (10-1) hosts Ottawa Hills (10-1) on Friday night.  The Green Bears walloped Margaretta (42-7) in their first playoff game.

          Bruner says they have a lot talent.  “They've had about three really good seasons in a row.  They just have a very talented team with a lot of speed on their team.  They do have some size.  They have got some really good linebackers.  They obviously just terrorized their league this year.  They’re 10-1, their only loss is to a Michigan team that's a from a small school in Michigan,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “They play really, fast they throw the ball well, they run the ball well, and very physical on defense.  They just do a great job with really 30 kids on the roster.  They play about 14 kids on Friday night and they just do a great job.  Their kids are very veteran, they have a lot of experience back and obviously they a lot of talent, so it's going to be a big task for us.”

          Bruner says they can’t let Ottawa Hills with all of their speed to get to the perimeter and they must tackle well.  “I mean we have got to control them and at the same time they throw well.  The quarterback can run and throw it.  They have got a really fast running back.  We have got to limit the big plays and we have got to tackle well here on Friday night, hopefully being in North Robinson will help us a little bit.  Hopefully we can move the ball as well and keep their offense off the field,” said Bruner.

          The Crawford coach says it’s good to be home too.  “We've been here before.  It's going to be a big challenge here, but we're happy to do it at home.  Last year, we had to go on the road to Carey, so we're privileged to be able to play here at Colonel Crawford,” he said.

 

Published 11/03/23

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Perkins Faces Run Happy St. Mary’s Memorial

 

          Sandusky Perkins, the winner of the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference, will host St. Mary’s Memorial Friday night in a regional quarterfinal in division IV.

          Perkins (9-1) hammered Vermilion (44-6) last week in their playoff opener.

          Coach Jalen Santoro says they accomplished what they wanted.  “We came out and had a hot start.  Basically, it’s just about going out there and executing and making sure we're doing what we do as far as our base offense and base defense and running that correctly and doing those things well and I thought we did that.  So, I mean we're able to get a lot of guys some minutes last week there, which is nice to see our younger guys go out and execute at a high level against a varsity team as well.  All in all, it was a good Friday night and we got all healthy,” he said.

          Memorial beat Wauseon (42-14) last week.

          Santoro says this is a power run team.  “They’re going to run the football quite a bit.  You look at the two offenses, the offense that we run and the offense they run and it's you know pretty much a polar opposite.  So, they're going to go out there and they're going to pound the rock.  They're going to be in their big personnel and their going to have two of their running backs in the backfield and they’re going to be under center and they're pound the rock and that's what they do.  That’s what they have done all year long and whether they're winning by 30, losing by 30, tie ball game, two-minute drill, they are going to run the ball,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “You have got to do a great job playing physical up front, you have got to do a great job at not getting lost with the eye candy, the motions, and doing your 1 11th  on defense.  It's going to be a task, it’s not something that you see every day or every week at this day and age.  It's an offense that's an old school offense.  We've been preaching to our kids this week it's not really and offense that they run, it's a style of playing and the lifestyle they live by.  So, they're going to do what they do and they do it really well.  So, we have to be ready to go up front and make sure playing physical football.”

          Santoro says they saw a little bit of this with Bay Division champ Edison, but still this is different.  “Edison ran the triple option more than what these guys do, but I mean similar formations.  There are some similarities in their games.  St Mary’s is their own beast.  Like I said, they do things a little bit differently.  They are very good at what they do.  So, those kids kind of run their offense from sixth grade, seventh grade on up.  So, they know it very well, like the back of their hand and they're very good at doing it,” he said.

          On defense, Santoro says Roughriders also have a different approach.  “They run a 4-2-5, it’s a little different than a traditional 4-2-5.  They bring a good amount of pressure and they get into 3-3 packages a little bit.  Overall, they send some pressure.  That's one of the things we have to make sure we stop.  They’re aggressive up front and they shoot gaps very well and inside the box their pretty good tacklers.  We have got to make sure we're prepared up front for a bunch of different stunts and blitzes and a few different alignments up front.  So, if we take care of that and we play sound football, communicating up front, that'll be a big goal this week and the big test for us,” said Santoro.

 

Published 11/03/23

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It’s Carey Against Columbia

 

          Carey entertains Columbia in a division VI regional quarterfinal on Friday night.

          The Blue Devils (9-2) last week ended season for Crestview, out of the Firelands Conference, (29-6) on Friday.

          Coach Jonathan Mershman says they played pretty well in getting that win.  “It was a solid victory for us.  They came out fired up, both Crestview and ourselves, both came in.  It was a great hitting game throughout the whole game and I thought our boys played really well,” he said.

          Columbia (10-1) also beat a team out of the Firelands Conference in Mapleton (56-14) in their opening round game.

          Mershman says the Raiders will feature a lot of motion in the backfield, but their intension is to run the football.  “Offensively, they have got a great running back, a great running attack.  They're going to do a lot of motions to confuse your eyes, so you have got to have eye discipline and watch your keys and trust them,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “We have got to be solid on defense.  On offense we have got to be able to move the ball.  We have got to be able to rush the ball.”

          Carey has been successful this season in running the football up the gut.  Mershman says Columbia is going to try to clog up the middle of the field.  “They're usually typically in a 5-2 look and with that they'll pinch hard and they're going to give us everything they can up the middle and try to force the us outside,” he said.

 

Published 11/03/23

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Loudonville Optimistic Right Now

 

          Loudonville, the defending champion in the Mid-Buckeye Conference, expects with a lot of experience back expects to have an excellent girls’ basketball season.

          However, coach Tyler Bates says there have been some rocky patches in the first week of the preseason.  “The girls are working hard, I'm really proud of them.  We've had some competitive practices and we've had some ugly practices that need to get better if we're going to win some games this year and reach our goals.  All in all, I think the kids are working hard.  Hopefully, once we get into scrimmages and start to maybe get on film and get exposed a little bit we can fix some of those things that maybe aren't the best right now and turn those weaknesses into strengths,” said Bates.

          Bates says they have a lot of experience back from last year and he says certainly the potential is there of the Lady Birds.  “We've got a lot of experience coming back.  I think we've got nine letter winners coming back.  Some girls that have played in some really big games for us, so that's pretty exciting.  We have a solid group of 10 girls that really lifted and worked out together for the whole preseason to just kind of get into basketball shape,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “They were shooting on the gun, things like that.  When you have experienced kids that are bought and it really means a lot to them I think that's something that can give you some hope and could be a cause for excitement.”

          Loudonville will scrimmage against Canal Fulton Northwest and Streetsboro, both bigger schools, next week.  They open their season against Medina Buckeye the day after Thanksgiving.

          Bates says he is anxious to see how good they can be this year.  “We know, obviously, it takes a lot of luck and we’ve got to jell together and everyone's has got to sacrifice, but we're cautiously optimistic right now and looking forward to see how it looks when we're playing five on five against someone else,” he said.

 

Published 11/03/23

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Shelby Must Make Explosive Plays

 

          Shelby, the co-champion of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, will host the Van Wert Cougars in a division IV regional quarterfinal on Friday night.

          They advanced with a (40-0) clocking of Cleveland Central Catholic last week.

          Coach Robert Mahaney says they were very good on both offense and defense last week.  “I thought our kids did a great job of coming out and executing the game plan offensively and defensively.  I thought defensively to get a shutout and in 2023 to get it in back-to-back weeks.  Our kids are playing really well defensively and doing a really good job and we have to continue to do that.  Offensively, we have got to continue to make plays and continue to get better up front.  If we can do those things then we have a really great opportunity this Friday,” he said.

          Van Wert has a history of beating teams from this area in the playoffs.  They got Sandusky Perkins last season, Clyde and Port Clinton in 2021 and Bellevue and Shelby in 2020 on their way to a state title.

          Shelby (9-2) entertains Van Wert on Friday.  The Cougars beat River Valley (48-30) last week, kind of coasting in the second half.

          Mahaney says they do a lot of different things on offense.  “I think they're extremely well coached.  They do things really well offensively.  They will spread you out with their quarterback and throw the quick screens and take shots over the top.  I think what they do offensively is awesome to watch.  I think defensively they challenge in coverage, they fly around and get to the football and they're extremely physical team,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “They're battle tested, they play a really good conference.  These kids win playoff games, they've been a part of that.  Their seniors were freshmen on a championship team and a team that was a regional finalist last year.  I mean they expect to get into the playoffs and they expect to win games and so we have got to be ready to play a team like that.”

          Mahaney says as usual the Cougars have playmakers.  “I mean you look at their quarterback this year, he's got almost 2,000 yards passing and 1,400 yards rushing.  I mean he's a really good athlete.  He was a really good running back for them last year.  Now he's taking over that position and done tremendously well.  So, he's going to get his touches, he's going to get his chances to make plays.  We have just have got to try to limit the amount of big plays that they make.  We talked about it a lot through the year, but we want to win the explosive play battle.  I think that'll be the big testament to the win Friday night because their offense can create explosive plays and we try to create explosive plays offensively.  So, I think whoever can win that battle has a great chance to win Friday night,” said Mahaney.

 

Published 11/02/23

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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

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Madison Embracing Underdogs Role

 

          Madison takes on unbeaten Rocky River in a division II girls’ soccer regional final at Bowling Green High School on Saturday afternoon.

          On Tuesday night, Madison got two first half goals from Jada Neal and another from Nevaeh Lewis and beat Lima Shawnee (3-0) to advance in the snow in Tiffin.

          Acting coach Jordan Monica says they wanted to get our early.  “Especially, with the crazy weather, I said it could come down to one goal because, well obviously, we have never played in snow like that, so I wasn't quite sure how our cleats were going to handle it, it was pretty icy out there,” she told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “We were slipping and sliding and so were they.  So, we didn't know if we'd be able to get a ton of goals, so we said just get out there, get going fast, and then hopefully we could overcome that.”

          Madison (13-4-4) has hit its stride during the postseason.

          The Lady Rams beat Rocky River in the state semifinals back in 2019.

          Rocky River (21-0-0) smoked Maumee (8-0) in their regional semifinal on Tuesday.  In four tournament matches, they have outscored their opponents (33-1) coming in.

          Monica says the Lady Pirates are loaded, but she believes their tough schedule has prepared them well.  “They are undefeated.  They have quite a few girls committed to go to D1 schools.  So, really it comes down to us just playing our best soccer, which we have seen throughout this year playing Walsh Jesuit, playing Clear Fork, playing Ontario.  So, we're just going to have to come out and do our best,” said Monica.

          Monica has confidence in her kids.  “We can do it, I believe in our team.  We've been the underdogs all season and I said there's nothing new.  We'll be just fine as long as we come out with our heads on straight and ready to play,” she said.

 

Published 11/02/23

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Buckeye Central Adjusting

 

          Buckeye Central has been one of the dominate girls’ basketball programs in North Central Ohio over the last decade and it will be interesting to see if they can continue that success.

          They have a new coach, but a very good one in former boys’ coach Phil Loy, who replaces Abram Kaple.

          Loy says they certainly have some potential, but a lot to replace as well.  “We lost a lot last year.  We lost five starters, return three other letterman, who are all back.  I think though that this group of girls, added with what we have with the JV's, could be a decent team.  Who knows if we'll be as strong as we've been in the past because we've been really good in the past, but I think we could be competitive in all of our games and it should be a good year for us,” he said.

          Loy says with the volleyball team in the regional semifinals on Thursday practice has been a challenge.  “It's especially tough right now because our volleyball team is in the regional, so I'm missing you know a handful of girls yet and few of them are key players for us.  So, right now I'm only working with seven sometimes eight girls and practices can be tough when you can't go five on five or even four on four half the time, but I think it should be an interesting year for us,” said Loy.

          Now, Loy says they have to get creative to get some things accomplished here early in the preseason.  “You try to do a lot of three on three stuff, you try to break down the offense or your transition to just one side of the court, so you can just kind of go live three on three with some things.  You throw in assistant coach here and there if you need to to get 10,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “There's sometimes we're hoping some of the girls who are still around alumni come back in and you might get a body here or a body there and you try to piece things together.  Right now, it's a lot of working one-on-one type things two on two you know and like I said before breaking down things three on three or four on four or adding coaches.”

 

Published 11/02/23

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Dalton Has to Win First Down

 

          Dalton, the Wayne County Athletic League champ, plays Lucas in a division VII regional quarterfinal at Orrville High School on Friday night.

          The Bulldogs (9-1) opened the playoffs with a (54-12) destruction of Conotton Valley last week.

          Coach Broc Dial says they were able to get a lot of kids involved.  “The playoffs are special, especially football. Conotton Valley came out and those kids played really hard, there's only 16 of them.  We were able to play a lot of kids, got a lot of playoff experience and did a lot of good things,” he said.

          Dalton beat Lucas (42-23) in a playoff game in 2021.

          Dial says the Cubs are doing a lot of the same things.  “They are still running the double wing, a lot of unbalanced looks.  Similar offense to when we played them in 2021.  Defensively, they play several different fronts, they're playing even from the last few weeks and played odd front early year.  Just an aggressive hardnosed, well coached football team,” said Dial.

          Lucas (8-3) beat Hillsdale, also the “WCAL”, (28-14) in their playoff opener last week.

          Dial says you can’t get nosey and get out of position against Lucas or you will get burned.  “We've talked a lot this week that that's really a disciplined offense, so you have to play discipline defense,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “You have got to be where you're supposed to be every snap.  That's what they're looking for, those little creases and seams.  You have got to play really disciplined defense and be we're supposed to be every snap.”

          On defense, Dial says they have to put Lucas in spots where they can’t necessarily do the things they want to do.  “We talked about we have got to win first down and if we can put them in second and third and long, it'll be good for our defense,” he said.

 

Published 11/02/23

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Norwayne Has to Remain Disciplined

 

          Norwayne, runner-up in the Wayne County Athletic League, Friday night will entertain Lorain Clearview in division V regional quarterfinal.

          In their playoff opener, the Bobcats (10-1) outscored Youngstown Liberty (56-33) last Friday.

          Coach Adam Indorf says they played better as the game went along.  “I thought we did fairly well.  A lot of big plays were where they gained their points, broken plays and their athletes were athletes and made some action and made some things happen and we weren't able to stop it.  It took us a little bit to get our offense clicking, but I think once we did, little tweaks here and there at halftime, and we were able to put some points up,” he said.

          Clearview (9-2) beat Burton Berkshire (33-12) in their first playoff game.

          Indorf says they have an offense that makes a lot of playground sort of plays in the pass game.  “They're going to be a solid team.  They have an athletic quarterback.  He can scramble and when they get in the scramble drill, he does a tremendous job with him and his receivers making some plays.  We’re just going to have to be disciplined in everything we do, disciplined in coverage, disciplined in communication and that piece,” he told Swankonports.com on Wednesday evening, “We're going to try to dial up some pressures and make some things happen, but understand that that once he starts to scramble those receivers are going to do a tremendous job in trying to get open.  There are athletes in the backfield, athletes on the perimeter, that we have to account for.”

          When they have the ball, Indorf says they need to take advantage of what the defense is giving them.  “Defensively for them, it’s a 4-4.  We're going to have to make sure that we are figuring out how we can formation some things and figure out what plays are going to work for us and just take what the defense has given us and be consistent in the pass and run game and do our best,” he said.

 

Published 11/02/23

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Ontario to Take on Aggressive Tiffin Columbian

 

          Ontario, the co-champion of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, travels to Tiffin Columbian to lock horns with the Tornadoes in a regional quarterfinal in division III on Friday night.

          The Warriors (10-1) advanced with a (31-22) win over Lutheran West last week.

          Coach Aaron Eckert says they couldn’t put the Longhorns away, but they were able to keep them at arm’s length.  “In the first quarter, we get the ball and go score and then they go for it on their own 29 and we get a stop and if we score there, we probably put the game away pretty early.  But, they get a pick and the next play they go down and get a 91 yard touchdown.  So, we go from a game where we're in the driver seat to where we’re in a ball game and they've got confidence and we have got to fight, claw, our way back.  So, we came out the second half and then did a lot of good things eventually held them.  They had four big plays, one on special teams, but really kind of shut their offense down in the second half so that they really couldn't get back within that one score range to tie the game,” said Eckert.

          Tiffin Columbian (9-2) took out Ashland (49-21) last week to open the playoffs.

          Eckert says they are diverse and explosive on offense.  “The first thing that you see when you look at Tiffin Columbian is how dynamic their offense is.  I believe in division III and they have the second best offense in all of division III.  They're averaging just over 40 points a game.  It starts with their quarterback, the Akron commit, the (Brayden) Roggow kid.  Then they have got three really receivers and then the tailback has 30 touchdowns on the year.  So, they're dynamic on offense and it looks like they've done a good job of putting their kids in positions to make good plays and a big offensive line.  So, that's the first thing jumps off the tape at you,” he said.

          Roggow leads the “SBC” Lake in passing and Damien Brockington in rushing with 1,882 yards and 30 scores.

          Ontario’s defense has been very good this year in posting four shutouts during the regular season.

          Eckert says they just have to play their game and when they have the ball, don’t give it right back to Tiffin.  “I think you just have to make them work for things.  It looks like when they have played teams, they've definitely taking advantage with what the other team does against them.  They've been able to throw it and run it.  So, you just kind of have to do what you do and continue to play football.  I think our defense has been pretty good this year.  So, we're looking forward to the challenge,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “Again trying remain balanced on offense I think also helps.  We can't go out there and go three and out and give the ball right back to them when we get stops. We've have got to play Ontario Warrior football and see what happens on Friday.”

          If there has been a bit of a weakness for the Tornadoes this year they have allowed some points.  Eckert says they are going to take chances on defense.  “It looks like defensively they are going to try to pressure.  They're looking to get turnovers it looks like so they can get more possessions on offense.  That may not be their philosophy, but just looks like they're willing to take some chances and they're willing to gamble a little bit and they're willing to get after the quarterback.  When you do that, you give up something else.  Like anything you do offensively or defensively.  So, they're not a bad defense by any means.  They're just been one that's been aggressive all year and they've been got a couple of times.  So, it'll be interesting how they attack us.  Will they put more guys in the box or will they respect the throw game.  So, looking forward to that chess match on Friday night,” said Eckert.

 

Published 11/01/23

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Lexington Feels Good

 

          Lexington tangles with St. Mary’s Memorial on Wednesday night in a division II regional semifinal at Clyde High School.

          The Minutemen (15-3-1) beat Norwalk (2-0) last week to earn another district title.

          Coach Pete Them says they were really able to control the game.  “There was kind of that unknown.  We had some common opponents, but we knew Norwalk was going to be tough and they were going to come play as hard.  I thought the boys did a nice job of kind of controlling the pace and controlling the game.  Fortunately, for us we were able to put the ball in the back of the a couple of times.  That really obviously was the deciding factor.  I think the fact that we could just control the game, control the tempo and basically we're kind of able to control the ball and that was that was huge for us, especially after kind of an emotional win over Ontario in district semis,” he said.

          St. Mary’s Memorial (18-2-1) beat Celina (1-0) in their district final, avenging a regular season loss.

          Them says they are very good on both ends of the pitch.  “Typically, we would have a common opponent in Lima Shawnee, but that was scratched this year due to some weather and the field was unplayable.  The common opponent would be Ontario.  Actually, they came to Ontario late in the season and Ontario got them 1-0.  So, we've watched the game film a little bit and kind of seen some things.  I've talked to the Shawnee coach a little bit here and there, and they're a good squad,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “They play hard and they have 18 wins, two losses.  They don't give up a ton of goals, they score a bunch, so it's going to be a tough match.  Any game at the regional level is a tough game.  St. Mary's plays hard, they have some great kids, some great athletes and so we've got to be aware of a few of their key components and just kind of keep everybody in check.  If we do what we do and we play our game, I like our chances, I think we have got a good shot.”

          Lexington has been to the regional level in six straight years, plus, Them says they play a very challenging regular season schedule.  “I think that was something we talked about (Monday) actually at practice a little bit.  I can't exactly remember the last time St. Mary's has been to a regional and the expectation for us and the way we've competed over the last seven, eight, nine years at this level and especially our regular season matches we go out and play some of the top ranked, not only division two opponents, but in the State of Ohio, just all divisions.  I mean this in the nicest way, they're not better than anybody we haven't seen already this year.  So, for us it's can we be disciplined, can we convert our chances, can we do what we need to do and just stay focused on the goal.  Just you know make sure that we take care of things and kind of just be ourselves and go out and play the game and see what happens,” said Them.

 

Published 11/01/23

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Clear Fork Has Building Blocks

 

          Clear Fork finished just a game back in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference standings last year and the Lady Colts made it to the district final in division III.  They again have a lot of potential this season.

          Coach Scott Sellers believes they will field an athletic team.  “We're excited for the season to start.  We have got I think six letterman back.  We had a really good summer.  We had some kids you know since the season was out in the spring, summer, and fall.  We have a lot of kids that play soccer.  I found out (Tuesday) I think five or six of them just made an all district team.  So, we're going to be athletic again.  We have got a lot of names that people know back with Annika Labaki and Kylie Belcher and some of the kids that are going on their fourth year of lettering for us.  So, really excited to have everyone back in the gym this week,” said Sellers.

          Sellers says this preseason they want work on being tough and building on what they are good at doing.  “I think at the beginning of the year it's about instilling some toughness and getting in basketball shape.  We play three weeks from (Wednesday).  It's hard to believe we already are playing in three weeks against Lexington then we have two days and we have Madison.  I think for us to keep building on our strength, which is our man defense.  We do like to push the pace a little bit.  Then it's just figuring out who we are as a team.  We lost four seniors.  They were all top nine in the rotation.  So, it's an opportunity for some of the younger kids that are back to really make a name for themselves.  From what I’ve seen this summer and who we competed against I'm really optimistic for what we have this year,” he said.

          Their first scrimmage is this weekend and Sellers says they want to find our who fits in where.  “What's nice is we have a core group of three or four kids that played a lot of minutes last year.  We'll find two or three more this year that give us minutes.  I think a lot of the successful teams around that I've seen anyway they'll have a couple sophomores, a couple juniors, a couple seniors.  We have been fortunate enough to have one or two freshmen a year gets solid minutes.  By the end of last year Brinley Barnett was starting for us as a freshman,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “I wouldn't say she came out of nowhere, but she had such a good second half of the season that was a nice bonus.  Now, we're looking forward to her being that leader and even better this year.  You have five scrimmages, we use four of them, that's why you have the scrimmages to not necessarily win them all, but to see what you have for the season that comes.  We have a lot of games early, I think by first week of December we're playing six or seven games, so we're really front loaded.”

 

Published 11/01/23

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Galion Has to Score

 

          Galion will be at West Holmes on Friday night to play the Knights in a division IV regional quarterfinal.

          Last week, the Tigers (8-3) smoked Oberlin Firelands (36-6) in a first round game.

          Coach Matt Dick says it was a solid overall performance.  “We played great defense, ran the ball well, Braxton (Prosser) I think went 6-8 and I think his two misses were dropped passes.  So, it was a pretty clean night and we were able to rest him a little bit, get that turf toe healed a little bit better.  We were happy to get injury free out of there,” he said.

          West Holmes (9-2) played one of the wilder games in the state last week when they outscored Bryan (70-50) to win their opening playoff game. 

          Dick says they have an explosive offense led by quarterback Morgan Smith.  “They're another high powered offense.  We've seen a lot of very, very high powered offenses this year.  They remind me of a mix of kind of Shelby and River Valley.  I like their quarterback iso.  They throw to the (Kyle) Maltarich kid in a million different ways.  He's as good as any receiver as we have seen all year,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “They're just really, really explosive.  If their quarterback is on they're going to score a bunch of points.  I think our advantage would probably be running the ball and ball control, but the key is scoring with them.  If you're not going to score 28, 35 points you have a hard time beat West Holmes.  So, you're going to find a way to score and hold them down as best we can.”

          Yes, they want to slow West Holmes down, but to have chance to win, Dick says on offense you have to find things that are going to work.  “I'd love to go three yards of cloud of dust and just pick our way down the field and eat up a whole quarter, but the West Holmes defense looks really, really good at times.  I know they gave up 50, but it's not like I could just turn on the film and go hey this is what they're giving up.  Bryan did a lot of different things well and the hats off to their kids, they played well.  Anybody that's played West Holmes.  They've had some high scoring games and they’ve had some low scoring games.  I do not think that West Homles’ defense is a weak link or anything like.  It's hard to score on them.  The key is to try to find advantage whether you're out formation them or maybe get a match up like, but we're going to have to try to find ways to get any advantage we can because they're a good football team.”

 

Published 11/01/23

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Highland is Seasoned

 

          Highland has another tough assignment this week as they must travel to the Lake Erie shore to face the Oak Harbor Rockets in a division V regional quarterfinal on Friday night.

          They produced one of the biggest upsets in the state in the first round when Kolton Stover connected with Dane Nauman on an 82-yard screen pass for a score with 1:37 left and the Scots stopped Liberty-Benton at the goal line to preserve a (21-17) win.

          Coach Ty Stover says that was thrilling, but it’s time to get back to work.  “It was great for them to get the job done, really for a whole program.  They came right back in this week ready to get to work.  So happy from last week, but it's time to move on and focus on week 12,” he said.

          It is certainly another tough opponent for the Scots (6-5) this week as they meet Oak Harbor.  The Rockets (11-0) blasted Otsego (49-20) last week.

          Stover says they are very good on both sides of the ball.  “They're scoring in the 40s and they've got five shutouts on defense.  They can do it all to be honest with you.  They have got some really nice skilled guys on offense. They have got a young man there that’s a senior wide receiver that plays just about every position on their offense.  He's their number one, we know that,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “Defensively, your going to look at a 4-2-5 and real stout in the box.  In the back half, they will show us a couple different coverages that will have to take advantage of.  We have got our hands full.  I think we say that every week.  The kids will be ready to go, prepared and hopefully just ready to play as hard as they can on Friday night.”

          In the second round there are still four Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference teams in the tournament.  Stover believes the schedule they have played has prepared them well for Friday night.  “We like to call it seasoned.  We're seasoned and hopefully that once again it will benefit us on Friday up in Oak Harbor.  We know that we have got to be within that range there in the fourth quarter and then hopefully that stuff that we've been battle tested that we've learned lessons off of will help us get the job done,” said Stover.

 

Published 11/01/23

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Madison Playing Well Heading into Regional

 

          Madison makes its fifth regional appearance in the last six years as the Lady Rams take on Lima Shawnee in a division II regional semifinal on Tuesday night at Tiffin Columbian High School.

          Madison (12-4-4) has won five its last seven matches and acting coach Jordan Monica says they are coming together as a team.  “We have figured out where certain people need to play and we've come together as a team.  I think our senior group has really had the willingness of not wanting to lose.  I think that was instilled in them their freshman year from Taylor Huff, Kari Eckenwiler, Phyllis Stanfield, Ashleigh Bechtel and all those girls really taught them, especially coming in a tournament time what needs to be done and that it's not a given and they just wanted to earn it and they wanted to prove everybody wrong,” said Monica.

          On Saturday, Madison shutout Ontario (2-0) to win the district title.

          Monica says they were very solid on defense and she believes the caliper of teams they played during the regular season got them ready.  “We played outstanding defensively.  Going into that game, we talked about if they never score, they could never win.  So, I think that was the mindset of everybody on that field.  We can't let them score and I think they just all came to play,” she told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “I think it also comes down to our schedule of play all year.  We play a lot of the top teams in the state, so I think that helps us get ready for that tournament run instead of scoring tons of goals during the season having those close games really helped us out come to these close games in tournament.”

          Lima Shawnee (9-4-6) beat Celina (2-1) in overtime in their district final.  They beat Madison in a regional semifinal in 2021, the last time Madison qualified for the regionals.

          Monica says they have some speed in their forwards and it will be a tough challenge.  “We were talking (Monday) with the girls.  They kind of seem like a team like us that has gotten better as the years going on, maybe has jelled as the year has gone on.  We do know they have some speed up top.  So, I said we just have to play them how tough we played Ontario and Clear Fork.  Just be able to break down their defense and pass through their flat back four and hopefully we come out on top.  I think it will be quite a match, we seem to be evenly matched,” she said.

 

Published 10/31/23

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St. Paul’s Defense Will be Stressed

 

          Norwalk St. Paul, coming off a tremendous performance last week, travels to Malvern of a division VII regional quarterfinal on Friday night.

          Last week, the Flyers (7-4) destroyed Toronto (56-20) in a first round game.  Josh Poccos ran 189 yards and four touchdowns.  St. Paul had 390 yards rushing as a team.

          Coach John Livengood says they got off to a good start and then road that momentum to a big win.  “The kids came out and played well.  Toronto's a very good football team, have got good size, good skilled athletes and they’ve got good coaches.  I mean they do they do a nice job down there.  I was a little worried about the length of the trip.  We didn't play very well at Fort Loramie when we had a trip like that earlier this year, but I think our kids really learned from that and had the right mindset.  We came out that opening drive and scored.  We got a three and out on defense and put together a nice scoring drive again.  It happened the third time around, they went for it around the midfield on fourth down and we were able to get a stop and got up 21-0 early in the first quarter.  So, things kind of rolled from there,” said Livengood.

          Poccos and Ben Berger both have over 1,000 yards rushing this year.  Berger has 1,092 and 17 touchdowns in limited action due to injury.

          Malvern (10-1) beat Southern (35-20) in their opening round game.

          Livengood says they are going to have the personnel to throw the ball all around the field.  “They're a really good throwing team.  They remind me a lot of Edon we've played the last three years both in the playoffs and the regular season.  They remind me a lot of that.  They have really good receivers, good, quick kids, a nice big quarterback that does a great job.  It's going to make it tough to defend the way they have got athletes all over the field,” he said.

          Livengood says they have shown a lot of improvement on defense.  He says they must be very fundamentally sound on that side of the ball or they are going to get burned.  “We've have got to do a lot better job than, I'm using Edon as an analogy.  When we played Edon last year, we had a lot of blown coverages and missed assignments.  I think as coaches, we need to simplify things and make sure that our kids are ready to go and know what's going on and where they're supposed to be.  That's the key for us,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “Again, as I mentioned earlier several times this year the improvement we've made in our secondary and the improvement we made along the defensive line has really helped us out as a team. Defensively, it's been the biggest part of our improvement throughout the season.”

 

Published 10/31/23

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Northmor Faces Another Running Team

 

          Northmor will be home again for another playoff game Friday night as they host Gloster Trimble in a division VI regional quarterfinal.

          Trailing (22-14) at the half, the Golden Knights (9-2) put up 23 unanswered points in the third quarter and went on to pound Coal Grove (44-22) in a first round game.

          Coach Scott Armrose says they came out in the third quarter focused on what they needed to do.  “We knew we put ourselves in a situation where we had to get things going.  We started the third quarter out with an onside kick, a quick score, and a two point conversion to tie the game up and really at that point we didn't look back for the rest of the game,” he said.

          Running back Paul Cramer scored three times in the third quarter.  Quarterback A.J. Bauer passed for 235 yards on the night.

          Armose says they were able to get the crowd going in the third quarter.  “Our crowd was energized.  We had a really nice crowd.  Coal Grove really took the air out of our crowd with just really long drives and sucking the clock down.  It just got everybody down, everybody was quiet and there was no energy on our sideline, there was no energy in the crowd.  Once we got things going, we got those guys behind us, the momentum really started getting our way,” said Armrose.

          The Trimble Tomcats (6-4) smoked Marion Elgin (37-6) on Friday night in their playoff opener.

          Armrose says again they will be facing a running team, but Trimble passes the ball much better.  “It’s another one of these teams from down south that likes to run football.  They're very similar to Coal Grove in the fact that they're 90 percent run, but at the same time they have the ability to throw the ball,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday evening, “They have a quarterback that's really athletic and can throw it.  They'll run, run, run and then surprise you with a play action pass.  When they’re in situations where they have to throw the ball, they're able to spread the field out and do it.”

          Northmor has thrown ball well all year, but Armrose says Trimble has shown the ability to get to the quarterback.  “They have showed multiple fronts on defense, but their base defense is a 4-3 cover two.  They stand their ends up against passing teams, so they get more pass rush.  They rush the passer very well and do a nice job filling from the secondary to stop the run,” he said.

 

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Wynford Must Limit Mistakes

 

          Wynford will be tested on the road again this week as they travel to Bluffton for a division VI regional quarterfinal on Friday night.

          They had an exciting win last week, as Kaiden Blair stopped a Tinora ball carrier at the one tard line in overtime, forcing a fumble, and helping to preserve a (31-28) win in a first round game.

          Coach Cyle Skidmore says their kids just wanted it more.  “Tinora played a really good football game.  Those kids are extremely physical.  They're obviously well coached.  I thought they were very disciplined.  They did a lot of good things.  We made a lot of mistakes also on both sides of the ball.  That game came right down to the very last play.  I told the kids that all week, and all the other coaches told the kids, that they're going to start fast and they're going to have to finish fast and I thought they get did a really good job with that,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “We didn't let up at all.  Our kids played a very, very hard football game.  Tinora is a physical team.  They're very physical up front, so we had to match the intensity and do things like that when it came down to the trenches.  We were able to do that with the run game that we had during that game.  I thought it was awesome that a kid that we didn't have kicking extra points or anything all year, or field goals, he came in and he was four for four and he made the game-winning field goal for us.”

          Wynford (7-4) is at Bluffton (10-1) on Friday night.  The Pirates walloped Paulding (63-6) in their playoff opener.  This season they have six times scored more than 40 points and they have posted seven shutouts.

          Skidmore says they are fast and explosive on offense.  “It pops right up the scores that they've had each and every game.  I mean they've done a great job on the offensive side of the ball getting the ball to their explosive athletes.  On film, they're very, very explosive, very quick.  They have a very talented running back, he’ll find a seam.  They run a lot of inside zone and a lot of jet and they do a great job getting in space.  If they get out, it's going to be hard to get to them and tackle them because they're extremely fast.  Another thing, they're big upfront.  Their offense line is pretty big. their defense line is pretty big,” he said.

          Skidmore says the Pirates just don’t make mistakes and that means they can’t afford too either.  “Overall, they're just a very talented football team and they don't make a lot of mistakes.  I'm pretty sure their quarterback has zero interceptions on the year.  They don't make mistakes.  In the films they don't fumble it, like there are like no fumbles.  So, it's like wow they're explosive, they're big, and they don't make a lot of mistakes.  We've been telling our kids that all week they don't make mistakes.  We have to match that.  We have to do that too.  We can't make those little mistakes or have a false start like we did against Tinora.  We just can't do that stuff, no personal fouls, nothing stupid, we can't have that,” said Skidmore.

 

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Shelby Girls Have Great Potential

 

          Shelby, the defending co-champion in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, has the talent to have another excellent girls’ basketball season.

          Veteran coach Natalie Lantz says they have some pretty high goals they would like to accomplish this year.  “I think the girls have some lofty goals, but I think there's certainly some goals that are within reach, but they also know that it comes down to each and every day at practice and how hard we work to make ourselves and our teammates better.  Then little by little doing our jobs once we finally get a chance to take the court in game situations.  So, I really liked these first three days that we've had.  I think they've done a fantastic job.  They're working really hard and they they'd like to fight for another “MOAC” title and push for the sectional and district title as well.  I like their goals.  I think they're achievable, but we've got a lot of work to do,” she said.

          Lantz says they have four seniors on their roster, only two that played last season when they went (20-6) for the year.  “I really like who we have back and a lot of it is girls that have gotten some experience over the last year or two.  We will actually have four seniors, unfortunately only two of them saw time last year.  Mal Gundrum got her knee one week into practice last year, so she was out as a junior.  We had looked for Mal to probably be one of our top players.  I mean she's just a great athlete, great vocal leader on the court.  So, Mal will be joining us back this year, which gives us player number three.  Then our fourth senior this year will be Maggie Bogner, who has not played since middle school.  She got her knee as a freshman and hasn't played since, but Maggie has a lot of just natural intuitive play, especially at the point and guard positions.  So, we're really excited to get Maggie back on the court with us.  I think she's going to bring some versatility and some just confidence at the point guard spot for us.  So, four seniors you know, two with good experience from last year in Lexi Booker and Sarah Reiser,” said Lantz.

          Lantz says they also have some underclassmen, led by first team all-league selection Eve Schwemley.  “We have a slew of juniors that got really good time for us last year, including Eve Schwemley, Sophia Long, Serena Ramsey, Charlie Niese and unfortunately with Trinity Baker, she has a lot of guard experience for us and backup point guard behind Demi Hipp, got her knee in July.  So, she'll be sitting and helping us coach and cheering on her team from the bench this year.  I'm just hoping she recovers.  We're working through different things, but really, really like who we have back and what their capability is,” she told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “They've all grown.  It's just neat within other varsity sports they just become more and more confident as they get older.  Also in that group, you have Lexi Mohn and you have Alyssa Niese.  So, we have a lot of veteran play back this year that have experience at the varsity level.  I think that's a really good group to start with and then we have some younger kids both in the freshman sophomore class that are really going to push us at practice, which I really like,” said Lantz.

 

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Huron Takes on Topped Seeded Liberty Center

 

          Huron has a big challenge on Friday night as they visit Liberty Center to take on the top seeded Tigers in division V regional quarterfinal.

          The Tigers (8-3) advanced last week by taking out the Genoa Comets (28-21) in a home game.

          Coach Sam Hohler says their play in the second half was the difference last Friday.  “When we played Genoa the first time around they kind of took control of the game in the second half and we weren't able to finish them off,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “This time, we flipped the script on them a little bit.  We felt like we outplayed played them in the second half and that was a big key to our success the other night.”

          Beu Harkleroad was again huge for the Tigers.  He had two touchdown receptions plus two critical interceptions in the game.

          Liberty Center (11-0) smoked Elmwood (56-14) in their first playoff game.

          Hohler says they have very good players all over the field.  “They're very athletic.  They've got a little bit of everything.  They have got some good size lineman, they've got some excellent skilled kids and they play terrific defense.  So, for us to go out there and have a shot at winning, we're going to have to play a really good game and hope for some breaks to go our way as well,” said Hohler.

          Hohler says they need a very good start and they have to take this game into the second half with outcome in question.  “We're hoping for the same thing, we want to have a good start and give ourselves a chance,” he said.

 

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Shelby to Face Aggressive Cleveland CC

 

          Shelby, the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference co-champion, hosts Clevland Central Catholic on in a first round playoff game in division IV on Friday night.

          The Whippets (8-2), #4 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, blanked Marion Pleasant (23-0) last week to earn a share of the title with Ontario.

          Coach Robert Mahaney says their defense was outstanding.  “I mean defensively it was our best game of the season.  I thought our kids did a tremendous job of coming out and executing the game plan defensively and doing what they needed to against a Pleasant team that does tons of stuff offensively.  I think it's a credit to our kids and our defensive coaches and they did a great job.  I thought offensively at times we didn’t execute at a high level, but defensively for four quarters we played extremely well and we're able to get our first shutout in a long time,” he said.

          It was the Whippets first shutout since they blitzed Willard (63-0) on the third week of the 2018 season.

          Cleveland Central Catholic (4-6) lost (45-0) to rival Cleveland Villa Angela St. Joseph last week.

          Mahaney says the Ironmen have speed on both sides of the ball.  “They have some running backs that are very good and they can take small gains and make them into big plays.  So, we have got to make sure we're in there.  They like to get the ball out quick in the passing game, so we have got to be able to defend that,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “Defensively, they like to fly around.  I would say it’s more about speed rather than having big bodies in there.  I mean they fly around and get to the football.  They'll bring six, seven guys at times and we have got to make sure up front that we're sound and trust our rules.  Again, as always, try to execute a high level.”

          Mahaney says they have to execute better than they have at times this year.  He says they can’t get themselves into down and distance problems.  “We’ve talked all week about just trying to be process driven to do things the right way.  We have got to make sure that our negative plays or our bad plays we don't get five yards behind the sticks or 10 yards behind the sticks.  We have got to continue to move the ball forward rather than going backwards.  We've had a bad tendency at times when we get stagnant offensively of having penalties or having big minus plays.  We've been fortunate enough to make that up at times, but now that we're in the playoffs we have to make sure we clean everything up and try to execute the best we can and try and do everything we can to find a way to win and keep this season alive,” said Mahaney.

 

Published 10/27/23

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Hillsdale Has to Limit Mistakes

 

          Hillsdale entertains the Lucas Cubs Friday night in a first round playoff game in division VII.

          It’s the second meeting of the season between the two teams.  Hillsdale won (21-17) in a week two game also played at Hillsdale.

          The Falcons (8-2) have won their last four, including a (20-13) win over Rittman last Friday in Wayne County Athletic League play.

          It was (13-6) Rittman at the half, but coach Trevor Cline says they took control in the second half.  “After the first half when we were sort of getting in our own way when we got out of our own way and started executing the second half we played well against Rittman.  Rittman is a quality team.  They've had a lot of success this year and it was a physical game for us, but we were able to come out on top,” he said.

          Lucas (7-3) has won seven of its last eight and last Friday they smoked Arlington (30-0) on their home field.

          Cline says the Cubs are very disciplined and they are going to be physical.  “Again, this year they’re just a very well coached team.  From watching them on film they come off as a very disciplined team.  I know they have a lot of older guys on their team playing key roles, so they have experience.  I know their quarterback now has ten games of being a varsity quarterback.  I know last year he played a different position, but at the varsity level, now he's got a lot of experience at the varsity level as a quarterback,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “He's done a really nice job.  I think up front they have a good line that's physical, so we have got to be able to match that physicality and also be the team that makes the least amount of mistakes.  With both programs being very similar and like to control the game by running the ball, we just have got to make sure that we master physicality and we're the more disciplined team.”

          Logan Toms returned a punt 87 yards for a score for Lucas in the first meeting.

          Cline says they can’t afford mistakes in the kicking game.  “He's one of their very good athletes and in the first game against them we ended up allowing  him to have a huge momentum play by returning a punt for a touchdown.  If it wasn't for us having a drive at the end of the game that would have been the deciding factor for the game was his punt return.  So, we've been focusing on special teams throughout the week and making sure that going into this game (Friday) that we eliminate any mental breakdowns or any mistakes such as that so that we can control the momentum of the game when we’re on special teams,” said Cline.

 

Published 10/27/23

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Crestview Takes on Carey

 

          Crestview will be at Carey for a first round playoff game in division VI on Friday night.

          It will be the third meeting between the programs in the playoffs in the last four years.  Carey won in 2021, they won the division VI state championship that year, and 2020 by the same score of (42-14).

          Crestview coach Steve Haverdill says there is no question the programs know each other pretty well.  “I think this is going to be the fifth time we've played since 2018, this will be the third time in the playoffs.  They're a very good football program, very traditional rich, similar to us.  They've had our number for the last couple of years.  This year's team they look very good on all three phases and big and fast and so we've got a great challenge ahead of us,” he said.

          Crestview (4-6) lost (28-18) to Mapleton in Firelands Conference play last week.

          Carey (8-2), #5 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the small school division, ran the table in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, winning the title outright with a (55-6) whipping of Seneca East last week.

          They don’t have any players with outstanding numbers, but have a lot of talented players that handle the ball.

          Haverdill says they want to force you to stop the run.  “They're get in that Maryland “I” and they're going to try and run down your throats and every so often they'll you know try to sprinkle in some stuff to have a little fun.  It's almost like they get bored at times because they're beating teams so bad that they're going to start throwing some stuff around and do some trick plays and things like that.  Theoretically they can just sit back and they're going to try and run it down your throats and set everything else up that way.  So, we have got to be able to stop the run and try to control the up front in the trenches,” said Haverdill.

          Carey has allowed only five scores in the last month, including a (27-7) win over once beaten Colonel Crawford.

          Haverdill says their players are in the right spot.  “They read extremely well and they're very gap sound in their 3-4.  I mean there's times they'll put two lineman up there even and guys are roaming and they get to where they need to get to.  They're very fast, explosive, they tackle very well and they're very physical,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “They read well, so when its run they're swarming to the football, when it's pass they're in their areas and their zone areas or if they're playing man they're right on that hip and they got guys rushing and so you don't have much time to throw.  So, they're very, very aggressive and a very good unit.”

 

Published 10/27/23

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Wynford Has to Play Hard

 

          Wynford makes the trip to Defiance Tinora for a first round playoff game in division VI on Friday night.

          Last week, the Royals (6-4) hammered Upper Sandusky (46-18) in a Northern 10 Athletic Conference game.

          They have won five of their last six games and coach Cyle Skidmore says he thinks they are starting to peak.  “I think our kids are doing a tremendous job each and every day.  It's been that way for a while now.  We're playing our best football.  Our kids are doing a great job getting better, listening to the coaches, learning from each and every game that we have played and just continue to do things right and have the put the program in the right direction.  I think our kids are going to be prepared for this game.  I think they're ready to go.  I think up to this point they've been doing everything right.  I think our coaches have done a tremendous job preparing our kids and I think overall everyone is just excited in the Wynford community for this football game,” he said.

          Tinora (7-3) has outscored its last three opponents 129-0 and carry a five game winning streak.

          Skidmore says the Rams play hard on every play.  “I think they have got a rich history over there when it comes to football.  They have a good tradition, a good culture, another good program, good community.  I have a little history with them, a little experience with Tinora.  Actually, my senior year, I'm with a Wynford grad, we made it to the third round playoffs we met up with Defiance Tinora at Ohio Northern football stadium and they beat us 17-0,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “Those kids played hard then and you turn the tape on now those kids play extremely hard.  I've been saying that all week telling our kids, putting it in their head, these kids play hard and we have to do our job each and every play.  We have to match their level of intensity, their level of play and we have to get after from start to finish.”

          Skidmore says this is the kind of team that is never out of a game because they are explosive.  “We're playing good teams from here on out.  There's no off weeks.  These teams are going to have the ability to have explosive plays, they have athletes and they have good players.  They could get down a couple scores, but they could come back within a couple of plays.  It only takes a couple of plays from a couple of good athletes to make a big difference in a game.  They have the ability to do that.  They have a really good quarterback, he's able to run the ball and he's able to throw the ball on the perimeter and he does some special things.  They have good receivers and a really good running back.  Our kids have to be prepared (Friday) they have to be ready to go,” said Skidmore.

 

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Seneca East Gets Crawford Again

 

          Seneca East gets a chance at revenge in the same season as they travel to North Robinson on Friday night to face the Colonel Crawford Eagles in a first round playoff game in division VI.

          Crawford won the first meeting (29-14) in a Northern 10 Athletic Conference game on September 15.

          Coach Ed Phillips says they look forward to the opportunity.  “It's different, it's a little weird in football doing it.  It’s the first time I've ever done it, but it's exciting.  A lot of times you go in, I don't want to say blind, but not knowing that team till that week.  So, there's excitement that this brings.  It’s kind of a chance to… you get another shot at somebody because usually you have got to wait 365 days get that extra shot and we get this year, which is pretty cool,” said Phillips.

          The Tigers (5-5) were hammered last week (55-6) by “N10” champion Carey.

          Crawford (9-1) smoked Buckeye Central (45-6) in a conference game.

          Phillips says the Eagles are just good all over.  “They run the ball really well and they're just really sound and fundamental on defense.  They are also explosive in their passing game.  They move guys around and they have got a lot of guys make plays.  So, they're just a really solid program,” he said.

          Seneca East actually won the second half (14-0) last time they played and Phillips hopes they can build on that for Friday night.  “In the second half last time we got some stops on defense and we moved the ball pretty consistently on offense,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “That's where we're going to be for all four quarters this time.  That half gives us some excitement something to build on I think for (Friday) night.”

 

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Northmor Plays Big Coal Grove

 

          Northmor welcomes Coal Grove on Friday night for a first round playoff game in division VI.

          The Golden Knights (8-2) have won their won their last five games, including a (34-7) victory over Loudonville in Knox Morrow Athletic Conference play last Friday.

          Coach Scott Armrose says again they played well in all three phases.  “We played well on both sides of the ball.  We played really good defense again and really good special teams.  We were able to score early to get a big lead and then kept rolling on,” he said.

          Armrose says in the last month they he has changed his philosophy on how to start games.  “The last five weeks we've had great first quarters.  We're able to score multiple times.  Usually, I'm a coach that defers his choice the second half, but last four weeks we've been taking the football and start with the ball.  We get a good start and then stop and another score, so really put a team in a disadvantage when you get off to a quick start and we've been able to do that here the last few weeks,” said Armrose.

          Coal Grove (4-6) has lost its last five, including (23-16) to Rock Hill last week.

          However, Armrose cautions not to under estimate the Hornets.  “There a 4-6 team, but the teams that they've lost to are really good football teams, so they play a really high level of competition.  Their league is tuff and includes a team like Ironton, who's going to compete for division V state championship this year, so they've lost a really good football teams,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “They're really big and strong up front and they do a nice job blocking for three running backs that are able to get things done, one in particular has got tremendous speed.  So, they are a very challenging football team for us.”

          Armose says their kids in the trenches will be called to have good game on Friday night.  “They've done a great job here the last few weeks.  We played really good football up front with our defensive line and linebackers.  This is a whole different challenge, we haven't seen a team with size like this since we played Danville.  So, hopefully that experience is going to help us for this and hopefully we've learned and we're able to get things done,” said Armrose.

 

Published 10/27/23

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Norwayne Has to Be Disciplined

 

          Norwayne, the runner-up in the Wayne County Athletic League, plays host to Youngstown Liberty in a first round division V playoff game on Friday night.

          Last week, the Bobcats (9-1), #3 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the small school division, beat Smithville (4-17) in “WCAL” game last Friday.

          Coach Adam Indorf says they faced some weather issues, but did a good job.  “I think we came out and played fairly well.  Weather hindered us a little bit.  The first time all season we saw a little bit of a little bit of rain and then we're on natural grass where we're on turf most of the time and that impeded us a little bit and we got a little bit of a slower start, but then got it cranked up and got after it and finished well,” said Indorf.

          Liberty (5-5) brings a three game winning streak into the game after a (67-21) blow out of Campbell Memorial last week.

          Indorf says they have some athletes and they will have to be disciplined.  “They're going to be athletic.  They have some athletes on the field.  For us defensively, we're going to have to play really disciplined and make sure we're trying to have a run fits, be discipline up front, keep an eye on the quarterback and the running back and read their options and then rally to the football defensively,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday evening, “Offensively, know what font they're in if they switch up fronts, we saw a few variations, know what front they're in and make sure our blocking assignments are going to be good and then just take what the defense is going to give us.”

          Indorf says they will have to be ready for some surprises.  “That's the part of our defense just being disciplined in your reads, resetting every play and making sure that you're doing the same thing and being solid and everything that you do,” he said.

 

Published 10/27/23

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Ontario Hosts Lutheran West

 

          Ontario, the co-champion of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference, plays host to Lutheran West in a division III first round playoff game on Friday night.

          The Warriors (9-1) earned that co-title with a (34-20) win at Highland last week.  Chase Studer ran for 89 yards and a score in the win.

          Coach Aaron Eckert says they kind of took control in the second half.  “Things didn’t get any easier for us week 10 going down to Highland played a really good Highland football team with Dane Nauman, Stover and Reichenbach.  So, it was a good win for us, happy to kind of get out of there.  The conditions, and we're playing on turf actually last week, but hats off to Highland, they did a pretty good job and they took the lead briefly in the second quarter.  We battled back before halftime to get a score and then in the second half came out and took care of business,” said Eckert.

          Lutheran West (7-3) comes in on a four game winning streak.  The Longhorns smoked Chagrin Falls (34-7) last week.

          Eckert says they are loaded with athletes.  “I mean the Longhorns are super athletic and that's the first thing that jumps off the page at you.  They're led by their quarterback Jalany Theodore, #15, kind of a dual threat kid, left-handed.  Then they have a kind of a plethora of backs they play and then all four of them are pretty good, starting with Daquarius Bradley.  Up front they've got some size up front, they're probably bigger than us, which isn't anything new for us, but bigger than us and do a good job getting off the ball,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “They have some different personnel packages.  Defensively, they like to call cause some chaos.  There a 3-4 defense that kind of flies around, plays all man coverage, and looking to get after your quarterback.”

          Eckert says they kind of saw this kind of defense when they blanked Marion Harding (34-0) in conference play earlier in the seasion.  “I'd say the closest thing they remind me to is probably Marion Harding, just from a from a defensive standpoint.  Marion Harding was a 3-4 and just like these guys they played all man coverage like these guys do and they're good athletes.  So, that would be the biggest comparison, the most likely comparison for us defensively to these guys,” he said.


Published 10/26/23

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Lexington Must Play Well in All Phases

 

          Lexington makes the short trip to rival Mansfield Senior to play a division III first round playoff game on Friday night.

          The Minutemen (5-5) earned a playoff spot by beating Ashland (24-14) in Ohio Cardinal Conference play last week.

          Coach Andrew Saris says their kids were up to a tremendous challenge.  “It was fun for our kids you know the last two weeks to take on that challenge and to come away with a win versus a good Ashland team that’s well coached. I said all week, I thought they were quality kids, quality coaches and for our kids to come away with a win against them was huge and then give us the opportunity to make the playoffs,” he said.

          Lex actually had to win two in a row, they beat Madison (31-21) the week before, to make the postseason.

          Saris says they need to continue to make consistent plays in all three phases of the game.  “Hopefully the concept of playing all three phases together, I thought we did that last week.  I thought our offense complemented our defense well and then our special teams came through and made some huge plays.  So, it was exciting to see all those phases coming together like that.  There were definitely still some breakdowns and some mistakes that we see on film and we continue to try to correct those and get better every week,” said Saris.

          Mansfield Senior (8-2), #2 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, hammered rival Madison (34-0) last week to secure the outright title in the “OCC”.  They haven’t been scored on in eight quarters.

          Saris says the Tygers make big plays on offense and on defense they are going to be extremely aggressive.  “They swept the “OCC”.  They're very a talented team.  They do a nice job offensively.  You have got to keep that quarterback in the pocket and force him to throw, but he tucks that ball he runs well and then they have got athletes on the outside who can make big plays.  The idea of the scramble drill I just think, that the receivers do a great job of finding where that quarterback is and getting to him and he does a nice job getting in space.  Then they do a good enough job in the run game that you can't just take everybody out-of-the-box and try to stop those receivers,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday evening, “Defensively, again it's always about they're going to be extremely aggressive.  They are going to try and get up in your face and they'll press you at times.  Our kids just have to be able to make the plays in space and try to take that aggression actually making it an advantage for us.”

 

Published 10/26/23

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Lexington Meets Norwalk in Districts

 

          Lexington faces Norwalk in a boys’ soccer district final at Shelby High School on Thursday night.

          The winner gets a berth in the regional tournament, something the Minutemen (14-3-1) are used to.

          Ironically, Lexington and Norwalk play a district volleyball final at Seneca East.

          They beat rival Ontario (1-0) in a semifinal match on Monday.

          Coach Pete Them says they had to battle some adversity to reach the final.  “I mean playing Ontario it's always going to be a dog fight.  They've grown tremendously through the season.  Coach (Steven) Armstrong did a nice job over there and for us it was just kind of keeping things normal playing the way we do and just trying to match their level and their intensity  For us, we had an unfortunate injury, so we kind of had to regroup there with little time for preparation and so the guys did a nice job on the fly kind of adjusting to some new positions and kind of a different formation a little bit.  Kind of getting over that hurdle a little bit.  Just a heck of a game, especially when you're playing one of your rivals in kind of a local game.  It's just everything you expect at that level for sure,” he said.

          Norwalk (12-7) beat Mansfield Senior (1-0) on Monday in the other semifinal.

          Them says the Truckers will be hungry for success.  “They have a couple of great athletes.  The kid that wears #7, he's got 30 some goals on the season and he's a pretty good player.  We haven't seen Norwalk in a couple years, but they've always been in the district semis and they finally kind of poked their head through this year after kind of being on the outside knocking on the door.  So, they're going to come hungry,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “I saw a couple interviews where the boys are aware of what we've done over the last couple of years and aware of what the history of their program is and not being in a district final for a few years.  So, they're excited about being there.  So, for us it's just come out and match that intensity, come out and play our game and make sure we do what we do and just be ready for the moment.  We played a lot of tough teams this season and so I don't think it's going to be a skill or talent difference it is just going to be who shows up (Thursday) night and who plays the hardest.”

          Lexington lost in the regional last year, the state semifinal the year before and the regional in 2020.

          Them says they have been tournament successful, but they must be at their best on Thursday.  “I mean we have 13 seniors in the program this year and I can't even tell you how many of them are two, three and four year guys, letter winners and they've been around for a long time.  They've come through this program and they've won at the district level and they've won at the regional level.  So, they're hungry, they know what it means, they know what it takes.  So, it's just trying to keep them focused if you will and kind of motivated.  It's a long season and sometimes those days off in between games can drag on.  We've been there, but we have still got to show up every night and we have got to play our game and take care of business,” said Them.

 

Published 10/26/23

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Ashland Can’t Give up Big Play

 

          Ashland takes the bus to Tiffin Columbian for a division III first round playoff game on Friday night against the Tornadoes.

          The Arrows (5-5) lost (24-14) to Lexington in Ohio Cardinal Conference play last week.

          Coach Scott Valentine says they didn’t play well in the kicking game and their offense couldn’t finish off drives.  “It was one of those games.  I mean you get into weather and you're not sure how things are going to go.  We gave up a couple big plays on special teams to them and they took advantage of them.  Then just couldn't get enough going to get the job done.  So, give credit to them and everything, but it's one of those things that we need to be able to finish the game,” said Valentine.

          Columbian (8-2), #5 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, finished as runners-up in the Lake Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.  They lost the division title game (55-28) to Sandusky Perkins last week.

          Valentine says they are going to have to play very well to have a chance at the upset.  “They're a very good football team, very well coached. They're a senior oriented team.  They have got a lot of seniors on their team that play and have been playing for them for a while.  So, a good football team, one of those teams that you're going to have to play a real good game against them to give yourself a chance to be successful,” he said.

          Tiffin has amassed more than 4,000 total yards this season and is equally proficient in the run and pass game.

          Valentine says they have to great tacklers and they can’t let Tiffin get big plays.  “I think like we've been doing, trying to be number one be great tacklers in space and then getting off blocks,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “I think our coaching staff has put together a good game plan and just going out and executing that and not give up big plays like a lot of teams we played this year they've gotten a lot of big plays.  So, those are going to be important things for us to do defensively.”

 

Published 10/26/23

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Galion Has to be Physical

 

          Galion is at home for Oberlin Firelands on Friday night in a first round playoff game in division IV.

          The Tigers (7-3) ended their regular season on an up note with a (34-0) win over Marion Harding in Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference action.

          Gabe Ivy finished with 185 yards and a score for the Tigers.

          Coach Matt Dick says they were able to run the ball well.  “We ran the ball well, got out of their injury free, scored I think the first three or four possessions. It was a nice night, our kids played hard and it was nice to be able to rest some of our guys and get a little healthier this week,” he said.

          Firelands (6-4) carries a three game winning streak into the game after a (27-0) win over Wellington.

          Dick describes them as a physical run team.  “They're big and their physical and rundown hill.  They probably run wedge more than any other team I've seen on film this year.  They're really trying to smash it down your throat.  So, if we can play well up front, especially on the defensive line I think that that's really a key for competing with them.  I do think they run the ball well,” said Dick.

          Dick says the Falcons can be hard to run against.  “They run a 3-4 defense, kind of reminds me of some old school Clear Fork defenses from about 10 years ago.  They have the big outside linebacker, stand up, rush the quarterback.  Makes for hard running and we're run football team.  So, we're have to match their physicality and I think maybe some spread formation might be a little better this week.  I'm excited to see how we match up physically with them,” said Dick.

          Dick says honestly it can be difficult to judge the athleticism of Firelands.  “They are a little bit outside of what we know.  They're opponents they play, I don't have a real strong opinion one way or the other on them.  So, I really don't know how fast they are or how big are they because I don’t know the opponent they are playing,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “If we have those common opponents it kind of gives you a little bit better gauge.  This is kind of an unknown and that makes it exciting.  At the end of the day, if we could play low, we could play fast, we have a chance to play some pretty good football.”

 

Published 10/26/23

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Carey has to stop Run

 

          Carey, the Northern 10 Athletic Conference champion, plays host to Crestview, of the Firelands Conference, on Friday night a division VI first round playoff game.

          It was a destruction of Seneca East (55-6) that gave the Blue Devils an undisputed title in the “N10”.

          Coach Jonathan Mershman says they were not interested in sharing.  “I mean Friday night we took care of business and got that outright title in the “N10” and now we're looking forward to playing Crestview at home,” he said.

          Carey won the state title in 2021 and Mershman says they understand that the playoffs are different.  “I mean it's win or go home and you have got to play your best every week and it’s six straight weeks of playing your best,” he said.

          Carey (8-2), #5 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the small school division, entertains Crestview (4-6) on Friday night.  The Cougars are coming off a (28-18) loss to Mapleton in a Firelands Conference game.

          The Blue Devils beat Crestview (42-14) on their way to that state title in 2021 and by the same score in a playoff game in 2020.

          Mershman sys they need to stop the Crestview run game.  “Well, they're going to give us a bunch of different fronts on defense and they're going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at us.  Offensively, they want to run the ball and if you can't stop the run then it's going to be a long night,” said Mershman.

          Liam Kuhn leads the “FC” in passing yards this season, but Mershman says that is due mostly to their play action game.  “They have got a quarterback that’s got over 1,200 yards throwing.  They have got a really good receiver, #23,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday night, “We have got to make sure we can stop the pass, but again it comes down to that play action pass, so if you can't stop the run, that play action pass looks real good.”

 

Published 10/26/23

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Huron Must Play 48 Minutes

 

          Huron is at home for Genoa on Friday night in a first round playoff game in division V.

          The Tigers lost the Bay Division title game (35-7) to Edison last week.

          Coach Sam Hohler says they couldn’t make the big plays at the key time that they need to make.  “Well first off, Edison has a terrific football team.  The conditions were tough, muddy field and all.  They had some terrific running backs, quarterback who makes great decisions and they were able to make the big plays and we simply weren't,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “It wasn't for lack of effort, we had a couple opportunities to score, got down close and just couldn't put it in.  So, frustrating for us, playing for league championship and we fell short, but excited for playoffs, we got a home game against Genoa this week and looking forward to that.”

          Huron (7-3) hosts Genoa (7-3) on Friday night.  They played week three and Genoa rallied in the second half to win (21-20) in a non-conference game.

          Hohler says they have some gamebreakers.  “We've played twice in the last couple of years.  They have a terrific quarterback, he can run, he can throw, they've got some very good playmakers, and they play solid defense.  We played them earlier this year and lost a very close game at home by one point.  We've had a couple of great contests with them the last few years, so this one shouldn't be any different,’ said Hohler.

          Hohler says on Friday night they have to play 48 good minutes of good football if they are going to win.  “The key for us is to play a full game.  We played them earlier in the year and we had a great first half and in the second half they kind of took it to us.  So, we're hoping to put four quarters together and find a way to get by these guys,” he said.

 

Published 10/26/23

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New Philly Has to Control Tempo

 

          New Philadelphia, the 16th seed in their division III region, will travel to unbeaten Youngstown Ursuline for a first round game on Friday night.

          Last week, the Quakers (6-4) lost to arch rival Dover (20-13) to close the regular season.

          Coach Mike Johnson says they had their chances to win.  “It was a tough loss, but it was a hard fought game.  It's one of those where they made a couple more plays than us, made a play on special teams with a big return.  We had a couple of chances there at the end to tie it up and we didn’t make the play.  So, unfortunately the outcome wasn't what we wanted, but hopefully we are learning from it, we're getting better, and here we are week 11, playoff time,” he said.

          Ursuline (10-0) has scored at least 32 points in every game they have played this season, including a (35-16) win over rival Youngstown Cardinal Mooney last week.

          Johnson says they have a lot of big time athletes that return from a (10-3) tean they had last year.  He says Ursuline tries to play at a fast tempo.  “They have got a lot of really good skilled guys.  A lot of their production from last year is back and they had a heck of a good year.  They've been solid all year so far.  So, we're going to have to try to slow down a quarterback who's a heck of an athlete, great runner, throws it really, really good with the ball in his hands, good at throwing the ball downfield,” he told Swankonsports.com on Wednesday afternoon, “We're going to limit him and the running back is an explosive player.  They go fast, so one of the big things they do is they just go so fast.  So, we're going to have to try to keep ball out of their hands a little bit and make some plays on offense to try to slow them down on defense.”

          Johnson says a big key for them on defense to get lined up correctly before the play starts.  “I mean the defensively, they go so fast when they're on offense, it's to make sure we're lined up and to ensure that we take care of the play that's being run.  Don't have a whole lot of time to dwell on the previous play, you don't have a whole lot of time to worry about the next one because there's always another play coming.  So, they do a great job of going fast, so it comes down to our guys on defense being set up being ready to go,” said Johnson.

 

Published 10/26/23

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Improvement the Focus for Dalton

 

          Dalton, the winner of the Wayne County Athletic League, and the top seed in their division VII region will play at home on Friday night against Conotton Valley in a first round game.

          After winning the showdown with Norwayne (34-29) on week nine, Dalton (8-1), #1 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the small school division, put away the undisputed league title with a (47-0) smoking last week of Chippewa.

          Coach Broc Dial says they had a business like attitude.  “I thought our kids played really well, especially defensively and special teams.  We're able to play a lot of players last week,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “It’s one of our goals every year to win the league.  It's good to check mark that off and now head into the second season, the postseason, just working on getting better this week.”

          Conotton Valley (4-6) made the playoffs despite losses in four their last five games.

          Dial says they have to work hard to prepare for Friday.  “They're small in numbers on their roster.  They’re 4-6 on the season.  The kids play hard.  They have got some good athletes in the back end.  We just have to prepare this week and come out and ready to play and play 48 minutes to Pup football,” said Dial.

          Dail says they must not be over confident.  “We talked to our players about our goal this week, every day to get better and go play our best game on Friday and really just focus on getting better and controlling things we control and just getting better,” he said.

 
     
 

Ontario Playing With Confidence

 

          Ontario plays at Lexington against Lady Lex in a girls’ soccer division II district semifinal match on Wednesday night.

          The Lady Warriors (14-2-2) are outright champions of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference and ranked number seven in the state by Ohio Soccer Coaches Association.

          Coach Larry Atkinson says he is confident they are playing well headed into the match.  “I mean we're healthy.  We had a couple of injuries early on, but I think we're back full strength, 100% everybody's healthy.  We’ve been pretty good the last few games,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday evening, “We had a tough game with (Berlin Center) Western Reserve towards the end of the year that we tied them, but to us that was a win because they were a quality program.  They probably had the best goalkeeper we've seen all year.  The kids have worked hard in practice this week, so I think we're ready to go.”

          Lexington (9-4-4) lost to Ontario in a non-conference match (2-1) back on August 19.

          Hover, Lady Lex beat Ontario (2-1) in a district final last year and Atkinson says many of the same players will be on the pitch for Lexington on Wednesday night.  “They’ve got a quality program.  Buck (Morton) has done a great job.  They've got a lot of returning lettermen that played last year when they beat us in the district final.  So, it's going to be a battle.  It's just going to come down to who makes mistakes and who takes advantage of the mistakes that the other team makes,” he said.

          As good as the Lady Warriors have been this year, Atkinson reminds that they are still a young team.  He says they have to get rid of those butterflies early on.  “Hopefully, we can continue to play how we have played.  I think the nerves are going to be kind of high early on because we're still pretty young.  We use a lot of sophomores and some freshmen, but I think our senior leadership out on the field is going to is going to help us on the defensive end.  I think just the girls confidence in each other I think is going to help us this year,” said Atkinson.

 

Published 10/25/23

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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

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St. Paul to Meet Big, Athletic Toronto

 

          Norwalk St. Paul, the outright Firelands Conference champion, will be at Toronto in a division VII first round playoff game on Friday night.

          Last Friday, Ben Burger ran for 260 yards a four scores, and returned an inception for another score as the Flyers (5-5) demolished arch rival Monroeville (41-14) in the conference title game.

          Coach John Livengood is really proud of how the kids have come together after a rough start.  “Our kids have continued to improve throughout the season.  It was a tough start to the season, starting off 0-3 with some really tough competition, but probably a little bit more important than that was the fact that we got pretty banged up had a lot of injuries,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “We're starting to finally get those guys back practicing and playing it and we were able to dress all 44 of our kids on Friday night this past Friday.  So, it was a good to get some kids back healthy and contribute.  I think our kids are just getting better and better at football we're playing our best football right now.”

          Toronto (9-1) has athletes and Livengood says they are huge in the trenches, much bigger than St. Paul.  “They have good skilled kids.  They run a wide open offense, spread offense.  Their skilled kids are fast and they're huge up front.  They're 6’7”, 250 at left tackle, 6’5”, 260 at right tackle, 225 at both guards and 245 at center.  So, they're big up front and some of those same guys playing on the defensive line.  They’ve got guys that can fly around, they're big and fast,” said Livengood.

          Livengood, a hall of fame coach, says they have played teams of this ilk before, such as Tiffin Calvert, the runner up in the River Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.  “They're similar to maybe Fort Loramie size wise, you know a lot of bigger skilled kids, that sort of thing.  Tiffin Calvert as well size wise. So, a lot of similarities there and the style of offense they play is kind of similar to Calvert, but it's not so much run oriented, but a lot of bubbles and screens and dumping the ball off out the flats quite a bit and then letting their athletes go out and play,” he said.

 

Published 10/25/23

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Bellevue With More Confidence

 

          Bellevue plays host to Napoleon in a division IV first round playoff game on Friday night.

          The Redmen (5-5) won their second straight game by blanking Vermilion (20-0) in a game in the Bay Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference on Friday night.

          Hall of fame coach Ed Nasonti says the younger kids that have been forced into the lineup due to injuries are starting to figure out varsity football.  “I think a lot of the young kids that we've got on the field are getting the feel for it and kind of getting in the groove playing with a little bit more confidence.  Like I told you before, we went through that four week stretch where we played some pretty good football teams and we just tried to stay positive with our kids.  We knew if we played decent football, we could possibly win those last two games and get a home playoff game, which is what happened for us,” said Nasonti.

          Napoleon also (5-5) has won five of its last six games and has been able to turn their season around.

          Nasonti believes the Wildcats are a good football team.  “They played for their league championship last week in week 10 against Sylvania Southview.  They were in a dog fight and ended up getting beat 20-14, but they have some nice players.  They have really good size, they have a six foot six 300 pound nose guard,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday night, “They have an all conference wide receiver and defensive back that they like to get the ball to and put him in good spots on defense to make plays.  They have good size across their offensive and defensive lines.  So, I think they're a very worthy of opponent going into week one of the playoffs, so we're going to play good football.”

          Nasonti says the Redmen have a lot to get ready for on both sides of the ball this week.  “They run some spread offense.  They also mix in a little wing-t stuff.  I would say that they are a multiple offense.  Defensively they run an odd front, they'll blitz some outside linebackers, they'll change up their coverages in the secondary and will give you some cover three zone and they'll sometimes they'll man you too.  So, a lot of things to prepare for this week,” he said.

 

Published 10/25/23

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Western Faces Physical Black River

 

          Western Reserve plays host to Black River in a division VI playoff game on Friday night.

          After losing three of their previous four games, Western got back on track and hammered Northwood (48-0) last week in a non-conference game.

          Coach Ty Stevenson says they played with more intensity.  “I felt like our energy was a little better than it had been a week before.  I thought we got after a little bit harder early on.  We're able to get some scores early and get to a comfortable lead and got it over with quickly and we're able to get to this playoff game this week,” he said.

          Injury wise, Stevenson says they are in pretty good shape headed into the postseason.  “We're not too bad.  We lost a couple guys early in the year, mid season, with some knee stuff and those guys are still out, but other than that we're pretty okay health wise.  I think we're kind of rounding in shape a little bit and hopefully will be okay,” he said.

          Black River (7-3) won perhaps it biggest game last week in handing Columbia its only loss of the season so far (24-20) last Friday.

          Stevenson says they will be a big challenge for his team.  “A huge win for them on Friday night against Colombia.  It was a really good game to watch on film.  It was kind of one of those mud games.  They're big up front and Black River has been a been a perennial football school forever.  So, they're big and strong and physical and they like to run the ball.  They have got a big quarterback who can also throw it.  They play physical on defense.  It's going to be a really good challenge, so hopefully we're up to that and it'll should be a good game Friday night,” said Stevenson.

          Rider running back Connor Dawson has put up some huge numbers this fall with 2,334 yards and 36 touchdowns.

          However, Stevenson says the Pirates are pretty good defending the run.   “Well, Colombia's a really good running team as well and they were able to hold them to a few scores on Friday night, so there'll be a big challenge because again just like offensively, defensively they're big and their mic backer #34 is physical and he plays downhill and reads things well and flies in the football,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “They got some guys that really can cover.  That will help take away your pass game.  Like I said, they're big up front and their linebackers move really well.  So, I would say that probably the strength of their team might be the linebackers, but that defensive line those db’s are pretty good as well.”

 

Published 10/25/23

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Fredericktown to Face Athletic, Experienced Archbold

 

          Fredericktown has made the division V playoffs and will visit Archbold for a first round game on Friday night.

          The Freddies (5-5) vaulted themselves into the postseason with a (32-14) win over rival Centerburg in a Knox Morrow Athletic Conference game last week.

          Coach William Hartley says they won the turnover battle and that won them the game.  “The kids were really excited to play.  That is a trophy game where we have a trophy that goes back and forth between the two schools and of course they beat us last year.  The kids really bought in and took ownership of bringing the trophy home back to Fredericktown.  They were really excited and took advantage of that.  Played really good defense all night.  In the wet conditions we were able to generate four turnovers, three interceptions and a fumble recovery.  Then we didn't turn it over once.  The kids did a really good job false security as far as we are concerned.  I think that was probably the difference in the game that we were able to capitalize off those turnovers and we were able to keep the slate clean for ourselves.  So, it was a really good night, a very good way, very positive way t finish out the regular season,” said Hartley.

          Archbold (9-1) smoked a division IV playoff team in Bryan (42-21) last week.

          The Blue Streaks have earned their 17th playoff appearance and Hartley says they are really talented again this year.  “I mean it's a very, very good program that’s got a very long history of success and it doesn't seem like there's any different this year. A very experienced group, they don't have any sophomores starting on offense or defense, they’re all juniors and seniors.  They're very big up front and they're big kids that move well, both on the offensive and defensive line,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “They have some nice athletic playmakers and quarterback seems pretty poised.  He does a good job of surveying the field and he's able to sit back there and pass with a lot of comfort because they do have a big line.  It seems like on the film there's not many teams have been able to get pressure on the quarterback.  They have got some playmakers that they do a nice job of moving them around, putting them in different positions to get them to the ball, pretty creative.”

          The bus trip for the Freddies will not be a short one, but Hartley says they have some things figured out.  “We've been working on the logistics of that.  The one nice thing is last year in the same situation we went to Eastwood, which is just to the pretty much the same distance, it's just to the east of Bowling Green, Archbold is just to the west of Bowling Green.  So, it's going to be similar and a lot of kids made the trip last year.  I think as a staff you know we've kind of got the routine down a little bit this year as far as we're going to stop at on the way up there and when the team should eat.  Another nice thing is we don't have school, we're not in session on Friday, so there shouldn’t be any interference in the school day.  I mean it's going to be a tough challenge for us obviously we are the lower seed, but it doesn't help having to go two and half plus hours,” he said.

 

Published 10/25/23

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Perkins Has to be Focused

 

          Sandusky Perkins, the top seed, and outright champion of the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division, plays host to Vermilion, out of the Bay Division, in a first round game in division IV on Friday night.

          Last week, they pounded Tiffin Columbian (55-28) in the Lake Division championship game.

          Coach Jalen Santoro says they came out and did things well and followed the game plan.  “We came out and I felt we got off to a hot start there.  Our defense came out there and got two three and outs, which is huge when you're playing offense like Tiffin Colombian.  It gets the momentum going in the right direction and gets your energy going in the right direction and builds confidence early in the game.  That was a big start for us.  Then we had a longer, sustained drive there was a 18 play, eight minute drive right before halftime.  That was obviously big as well to take a two score lead going to half, knowing we were get the ball back out of half.  We felt confident with what we could do up front and running the football and we kind of made sure we're trying to kind of take the wind out of their sails as much as possible respecting their offense a little bit and their big play ability,” he told Swankonsports.com on Tuesday afternoon, “We wanted to make sure that we went out driving the football and eat some clock when we could.  When you can do that and then those drives result points too, that’s the best case scenario.  So, I was happy with the way we played.  I was happy with the kids and how they came out executed the game plan and totally came out healthy as well so.”

          Isaac Bunts had 240 yards rushing and three touchdowns for the Pirates in that win over Tiffin.

          Perkins (9-0), #1 in the final Swankonsports.com football coaches poll in the large school division, entertains Vermilion (3-7) on Friday night.  The Sailors lost (20-0) to Bellevue in a Bay Division game last week.

          Santoro says it will be important for them to keep their focus.  “Right now, we have to make sure we're really focused making sure we're taking care of ourselves here, taking care of the football.  When you look at a team like Vermillion you have got to make sure that obviously in any game I mean it was important, especially this time of year in the playoffs you have got to jump on the team early.  So, we have got to make sure we have a good week of practice here,” said Santoro.

          Santoro says they must contain the Vermilion quarterback.  “Vermilion has a quarterback that makes some plays and is a good athlete.  So, we have got to make sure we do our due diligence and make sure we're containing them and knowing what he's doing and make sure we're keying him as much as possible.  So, it kind of starts with good week of practice here and then with mental prep and make sure we're ready for Friday night,” he said.

 

Published 10/25/23

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Clear Fork Faces Madison in Districts

 

          Clear Fork plays Madison in a division II girls’ soccer district semifinal on Wednesday night at Lexington High School.

          The winner will play either Ontario or Lexington in a district final on Saturday.

          Clear Fork (12-3-3) was the runner-up, to Ontario, in the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference.  Madison (10-4-4) is the co-champ, with Wooster, in the Ohio Cardinal Conference.

          Lady Colts coach Brittany Bechtel says she believes they are playing some pretty good soccer right now.  “I feel like we're playing really well and we're executing.  It’s always a rollercoaster ride up and down.  We've played some really, really tough competition towards the end of the season here to kind of sort through some things.  We've had a little injury here and there and we're getting healthy.  So, we're healthy and the girls seem to be connected and they're self-disciplined in practice, they're still working hard.  The weather (Monday) was nice to have.  Sometimes when it gets super cold and nasty outside the mental aspect of things can kick in.  Like do I really want to keep doing this? (Monday) was just really refreshing to be out there training and a beautiful day, which makes you feel like you were starting your season all over again, it was kind of weird,” said Bechtel.

          Clear Fork beat Madison (2-1) way back on August 11 in the opening match of the regular season on Brinley Barnett’s header with less than 10 seconds to play in the game.

          Bechtel says they know they are in for a very tough game.  “It was game one and they are a great team, a great program.  We know that and we also know that that game was won in the last nine seconds.  So, coming off of that high also can be something that very aware the kind of battle we're about to go through on Wednesday.  The girls have been training all summer for these games and all fall and sorting things out and continuing to grow and get better.  The only thing now is it gets to be put to the test.  So, I know they're excited.  These are the games that you've trained all four.  We get to find out how it falls.  We know it's going to be a good game no matter how you look at it,” she said.

          Bechtel says in games like this you have a little luck, but it really comes down to execution.  “I know in the tournament runs that we've made through the years that I've coached and we look back through it being like wow if I had to going back through that whole again the stress and also looking at what goals go in or goals that you saved or whatever it be that that found the right success through the tournament,” she told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “You have got to have a little luck along the way.  A little luck offensively or defensively in the game.  We also say the way you train and the way you work and the way you play is also what builds that luck at the same time.  So, it'll be an exciting game Wednesday.”

 

Published 10/24/23

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Lucas Has to Win up Front

 

          Lucas gets a rematch with Hillsdale on Friday night in the first round of the division VII football playoffs.

          After a (30-0) win over Arlington last week, the Cubs have won seven of their last eight games.

          Coach Scott Spitler says they want to be peaking heading into the postseason and he believes they are almost there.  “I think we've really grown as the season has gone on.  When you're independent you don’t have a league championship to play for anything like that.  So, the mindset is earning the opportunity to get in the postseason and then be playing your best football when you get there and I think we're heading in the right direction towards doing that.”

          Lucas (7-3) is at Hillsdale (8-2) on Friday night.  The Falcons beat Lucas (21-17) on week two when quarterback Jack Fickes scored with 1:57 to play.  Fickes ran for 120 yards and three touchdowns that night.

          Spiter says Fickes is the engine that runs the Falcons offense.  “They have just improved every week since we played in week two.  They're very well coached, coach (Trevor) Cline does a great job and we have tremendous respect for their staff.  They play sound defense and we've had trouble moving the ball on them because they're disciplined, they read their keys really well and they tackle well,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “Offensively, everything runs through Jack Fickes, he's a dangerous weapon that can put it in the end zone anytime he touches the ball.  When he's the guy running the ship, as far as the captain of their offense, he's touching it on every play.  So, he just stresses you so much and then they've got great skill at their running back position, the wide receiver position.  So, they're playing a lot of young kids and then they've grown up now and playing really good football.”

          Fickes has run for 401 yards and 10 scores.  He has thrown for 952 yards and 13 touchdowns.

          Spitler says as is usually the case, they have to control the point of attack if they are going to win the game.  “We have to have a good night up front.  Both teams are very similar.  They do it a different way than us, but we both want to run the ball and play good defense.  It's going to come down to who can control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.  So, our offensive and defensive lines have got to have a great game for us,” he said.

 

Published 10/24/23

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Colonel Crawford Faces Explosive Seneca East

 

          Colonel Crawford plays Seneca East, a team they beat in play in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference this year, in a first round playoff game in division VI on Friday night in North Robinson.

          The Eagles (9-1) smoked Buckeye Central (45-6) in a “N10” game on Friday.  They haven’t lost since conference champion Carey beat them (27-7) on September 22.

          Coach Jake Bruner says they hope they are at their best as the postseason begins.  “Well, I hope so, I mean when you get to this point you want to be on your best.  We’re all playing to survive another week.  So, I think we're coming along, but we have got to perform on Friday night as well,” he said.

          Seneca East (5-5) at one point had won four of five, but they have been soundly beaten the last two weeks by Wynford (66-34) and Carey (55-6) in “N10” play.

          Bruner says this is a team with an exceptional athlete at quarterback in Blake Foos and they scare you on offense.  “Well, obviously give credit to Carey and Wynford, they're both pretty hot right now, both playing really good football.  Seneca East is a as a team very similar to us.  They have got some experience back at different levels, but then they have got some young guys in there.  They've shown some progress throughout the year,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “When you have a quarterback like the (Blake) Foos kid.  He's just dynamic in everything he does.  I think he's got 2,800 yards between running and throwing.  The (Taylor) Young kid at receiver and running back has 54 catches and leads our league in receptions.  So, they're just a really, really, really good offensive team.  They’re well coached and their coaches have been through this.  They were in a final four (in 2018).  We know we're going to get their best effort on Friday night when they come down North Robinson.”

          When they played on September 15, Colonel Crawford won (29-14) again in North Robinson.  It was (29-0) at the half.

          Bruner says they aren’t taking anything for granted.  “I think our kids have a lot of respect for their athletes and their kids.  The game was a game that was kind of back and forth early and then it kind of went our way and then the second half they just did a good job controlling the ball.  So, I think they know that we’re really up against a really good opponent.  If we don't play well, we're going to get beat.  These guys have been in the playoffs.  They’ve been through this before and they're good football team that’s well coached.  Their kids play extremely hard. Seneca East always has nice looking kids, they're big, they're physical and they always have athletes.  So, we know that we've got our hands full on Friday night,” said Bruner.

 

Published 10/24/23

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Clyde Excited to be in the Playoffs

 

          Clyde travels to Rocky River for a first round playoff game in division IV on Friday night.

          The Fliers (5-5) broke a four game losing streak with a (45-14) whipping of Norwalk in an “SBC” Lake game on Friday. 

Coach Ryan Carter says they played well in the face of more adversity.  “I felt like we got off to a very good start.  Went three and out and got a very good drive put together early on and really built some confidence.  It's been one of those things this year, but in the first quarter we lost our tailback, Chancy Miracle, he couldn’t play the rest of the night and our starting wide receiver and safety in the first quarter as well in Brayden Olson, he didn't play for the rest of the night either.  Those guys are already backing up guys that have already been hurt,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday afternoon, “It was just one of those things where it was next man up.  It's been that mentality for us all year.  We really had some young kids step in and play well.  I'm not sure how many guys were going to get back for this week, but that's kind of been our theme all year.  I was proud of our kids for getting that week 10 victory.  I thought we really played inspired football.  We got to go on the road to a very good Rocky River team, but we're excited to be in the playoffs.  We're excited to be playing again this week and not turning our stuff in.”

          Clyde seems to have similar luck to park ranger Roy Sullivan, who was hit seven times by lightning.

          Carter says they are coaching their kids to have a positive response.  “I really haven't seen (any luck) yet through ten weeks as far as health wise goes.  It is what it is.  Our kids are battling and I've been very proud of our staff for continuing to work extremely hard and trying to get our kids ready to go each week.  It's been a battle, it's been tough, it's been a bunch of events for us the entire year, but we're trying to have a positive response in order to get the outcome we want,” he said.

          Rocky River (9-1) owns a seven game win streak and was the winner of the Great Lakes West Conference.

          Carter says they have a lot of weapons.  “They have only lost one game and that was to Perkins and obviously we know what Perkins has.  They put up points against Perkins, so very good, explosive offense, very good left tackle, very good quarterback, who can throw it and run it, running backs all over the place, wide receivers, they're very skilled offensively.  They have got guys that get after you defensively.  You turn the film on and they play with a tremendous amount of confidence.  You see them play and you watch them on film and they expect to win, they expect to win by a lot, and they expect to score a bunch.  So, we're going to have our hands full, but like I said, our kids are excited to be practicing (Monday).  We're going to go out there and put together a good plan and see where we end up on Friday,” said Carter.

 

Published 10/24/23

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Highland Plays Very Good Liberty-Benton

 

          Highland takes the bus to Hancock County to meet the Liberty-Benton Eagles on Friday night in a division V first round playoff game.

          Last week, the Fighting Scots lost (34-20) to Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference co-champ Ontario.

          Coach Ty Stover says he feels they turned in a solid effort last week against the Warriors.  “I think we've put a few weeks together here of playing pretty good football to be really honest with you.  Our defense is shaping up.  Actually, we're finally getting in somewhat of a groove right now and our offense continues to do what they need to do,” he told Swankonsports.com on Monday night, “Once again, it's a play or two here that we have left out there and it put us in a little bit of a pickle.  Just happy so far as far as the kids, and the effort, and just want to keep trying to get better and we're happy that we're in week 11 and got an opportunity.”

          Of course, Highland has last year’s division V player of the year in running back Dane Nauman.  This year he has over 1,400 yards and 17 TD’s this year.

          Highland (5-5) plays Liberty-Benton (9-1) on Friday night.  The Eagles are the winners of the Blanchard Valley Conference this season.

Stover says they are very impressive on offense.  “They're pretty dynamic on offense to be honest with you.  They are spread, we won’t see a tight end, but you'll see an “H” back, an athletic quarterback, two real skilled guys at running back, probably the most impressive part is their front five.  They're front five get after it.  So, we will have our hands full once again.  Just like in the in the league every week we faced the dynamic offense and we're back at again this week,” he said.

When it comes to personnel and offensive philosophy, Stover says Liberty-Benton is really pretty similar to Ontario, the team they just played.  “I was just talking to coaches (Monday) night there.  We have finally landed a team style wise that's similar to the team we just played.  I think they remind me a lot of Ontario.  We were going through a couple weeks there where it was like, okay we're going to face a spread team, then we face some double tights, you know what I mean, it's a totally different monster offensively.  This week we're going to have something similar as far as skill wise and spread wise and it's going to be nice to see if the boys can dial in a little bit cleaner and make some plays,” said Stover.

 

Published 10/24/23

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A Win Would be Big Plus for Lucas

 

          Lucas puts out the welcome mat for Arlington in the Cubs final regular season game at Bob Wine Field on Friday night.

          A win and the Cubs have a chance to earn a home playoff game for the first two rounds of the division VII playoffs.

          Last week, they demolished Fort Loramie (34-7) on Friday night.

          Coach Scott Spitler says they won up front.  “I thought we did a nice job in all three phases, especially up front in the trenches with their offensive and defensive lines.  We were able to control the game in the trenches and usually when we can do that it's going to be a good night for us,” he said.

          Lucas (6-3) hosts Arlington (6-3) out of the Blanchard Valley Conference.  The Red Devils beat Van Buren (28-6) in “BVC” game last week.

          Spitler says this is another team, like them, that likes to run the ball.  “It’s a very similar mindset that we have.  They want to run the football like we do.  They do it out of an option package, triple option, veer option.  So, it might be one of those quick high school football games with two teams that want to control the line of scrimmage and run the football.  They're extremely talented.  They have got great speed and athleticism at their skilled positions and nice size and up front in the trenches on both sides of the ball,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday night, “We're expecting a physical battle.  This will be the third time we've played them and they've gotten us the last two times we've played them in tight ballgames.  So, we've got a tremendous challenge and we want to finish strong on senior night in the regular season.”

          Spitler says they would really like to beat these guys and if they do there are some other pluses too.  “We have a lot to play for Friday night.  First and foremost, we want our seniors to get a victory on their last regular season home game.  Then we want to be able to earn the right to host a playoff game at Bob Wine.  Then just the opportunity to maybe get off the snide and get one against them because like I said we haven't got a victory against them the last two times.  So, we understand that we've got a challenge and we want to make sure we take care of business at home on Friday night,” said Spitler.

 

Published 10/20/23

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Huron Must Limit Big Plays

 

          Huron makes the short trip to Edison Friday night for a game in the Bay Division of the Sandusky Bay Conference.  At stake is the outright division championship.

          Both teams are unbeaten in division play heading into Friday night.

          Huron coach Sam Hohler says they couldn’t ask for a better opportunity.  “It's our neighbor, big time rival, both having great seasons and getting the opportunity to play for a league championship, it doesn't get much better than that,” he said.

          Edison (8-1,3-0), #3 in the Swankonsports.com coaches poll in the small school division, has scored at least 28 points in all of their wins.

          Hohler says they have to be very disciplined to be able to contain the Chargers run based offense.  “Traditionally they run the triple option and they have some terrific athletes to pull it off,” he told Swankonsports.com on Thursday afternoon, “A couple of their kids are returning starters.  They're big time playmakers, so for us to have discipline to be where we're supposed to be and not give up the big play we'll be huge.”

          Edison quarterback Marcus Medina has thrown 12 TD passes and run for another 12 this year.

          Hohler says he is a gamebreaker.  “He's tough to pick corral.  He's a terrific decision maker at quarterback and then again when he's out in the open he's very dangerous,” he said.

          Hohler says they hope to be able to stretch the Edison defense and make some plays on the perimeter.  “They've got some terrific linebackers that really get to the ball in a bad mood.  So, it'll be tough sledding for us.  Hopefully, the weather cooperates and we can get them out in space and do our damage that way,” said Hohler.

 

Published 10/20/23

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