Boys and girls bowling teams are allowed to begin the season today across the state.
Teams were allowed to start practice and hold their first scrimmages on Nov. 13.
The state tournament will be held next March.
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Kent Roosevelt senior forward Cameron Black II has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Bowling Green, according to Cleveland.com.
The report said Black averaged 10 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 blocks last season.
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Garfield senior RB Tyson Gulley will take an unofficial visit to Syracuse this weekend, according to Garfield coach Bob Sax.
Gulley is considering a visit to Central Michigan next week.
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Kent State offered a scholarship to Middletown senior defensive end Rashad Frazier (6-6, 225) on Monday night, according to Cincinnati.com.
Frazier also has offers from Bowling Green and Miami University.
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The top Division I and II teams in the final Associated Press Football Poll, which is voted on by sports writers and broadcasters, have been sent home after the first two weeks of the playoffs.
In Division I, three of the top five teams are gone – No. 1 St. Ignatius, No. 4 and 5 Cincinnati St. Xavier and Cincinnati Moeller.
In Division II, the top three are home – top seeded Louisville, No. 2 Cincinnati Turpin and third seed Logan. Only three of the top eight teams remain.
The No. 1 teams in the other four divisions are still alive – Youngstown Cardinal Mooney in Division III, Kettering Archbishop Alter in Division IV, Hamler Patrick Henry in Division V and Delphos St. John in Division VI.
In the lower four divisions, only Division IV has few of its top ranked teams remaining, with just two of the top five and four of the top 10 left.
In Division III, Division V and VI, only two teams in the top five in eeach of the division has been knocked out – No. 4 Richwood North Union in Division V and No. 5 McDonald in Division VI.
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The Canton McKinley girls’ basketball team is ranked No. 4 in the Ohio Girls’ Basketball Report Super 10 preseason rankings. The Bulldogs are the third Division I team behind Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame and Toledo Start.
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Aiken senior forward Kenny Knight (6-7, 225 pounds) has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Kent State.
Aiken is in the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference. The school is planning a signing ceremony this morning.
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The best prediction I made all year was on SportsTime Ohio’s high school football playoff preview. I said this would be the wildest playoff year ever and there is plenty of evidence to back it.
*Four No. 8 seeds remain as we head to the regional finals, including Canton McKinley. And who would think that McKinley and Massillon would meet again in the regional final after Week 8 when the Bulldogs were 4-4?
Saturday night’s game at InfoCision Stadium in Akron could draw over 20,000 fans for the first high school football game in the new facility. Massillon’s offense has been shaky in both playoffs games, scoring just 27 points. The Bulldogs have scored 82 points in the playoffs (48 against GlenOak after losing 14-0 earlier this season) and 35 in the Week 10 game against Massillon.
If these two teams weren’t the oldest rivals in this state, this would be an easy pick with the Bulldogs mauling the Tigers. McKinley will be the favorite, but who knows how confident Massillon is.
*Defending state champion St. Ignatius looked like a bakery, turning out turnovers as if it was Christmas week as No. 5 Glenville whacked them, 30-13.
*Orrville came into the playoffs at 7-3 seeded No. 3 and just sent undefeated Genoa home for the holidays, 36-35. Big challenge for the Red Riders is stopping a high octane Ottawa-Glandorf that just destroyed Pemberville Eastwood 48-3.
*Woodridge’s first appearance in the playoffs has been terrific, scoring 80 points in two games. If the Bulldogs use their speed well Saturday night against Chagrin Falls in the Division IV regional final at Twinsburg Stadium, they have a very good chance to the Division IV state semfinal.
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The Woodridge High School football will play its second state playoff game in the history of the program at 7 p.m. tonight against undefeated Girard at Lake High School.
The Bulldogs defeated host Martins Ferry 49-28 this past week in a Division IV, Region 13 quarterfinal matchup.
Woodridge coach Eric Ervin said his team is confident heading into the game against Girard (11-0).
“The Martins Ferry game was big for us for a lot of reasons, the first being it was the first time in school history Woodridge has qualified for the OHSAA football playoffs,” Ervin said. “Secondly, we had a long road trip in front of us and we weren’t quite sure how that was going to go over, but I think we approached the trip the right way and our kids responded.”
Woodridge (9-2) trailed 14-0 early in the game, but persevered and responded with a stingy defense and explosive offensive effort for the remainder of the game.
“Going down early 14-0 could have been a big issue for some teams, but our guys just continued to believe and fight and fight,” Ervin said. “We always tell them to play the whole game, to play the last minute of the game just like they played the first minute.”
Senior running back Anthony Kelly and senior quarterback Anthony Westren were the primary playmakers in the comeback.
“Offensively, Anthony Kelly again showed why he is such a special player by going out there against a very, very stout Martins Ferry defense and carrying the load for us on the ground,” Ervin said. “Of course, you can’t mention Kelly without mentioning the offensive linemen who just absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage. That ground game combined with the ability of Anthony Westren to make the right decisions, quickly, proved to be a big factor in the game.”
Woodridge’s defense forced six turnovers and was steady in the second half.
“Defensively, again our front seven made play after play after play,” Ervin said. “After we limited their run game, which is what they hang their hat on, they were forced to put the ball up and that is when our defensive backs got in on the action.”
Ervin praised the play of Kelly, Sebastian Dodds and Brandyn Peters on defense. Dodds and Kelly each had one interception and Peters grabbed two interceptions.
“He might have had one of the best all around performances I’ve seen from a football player in quite some time,” Ervin said of Peters. “He had 100 yards receiving, some rushing yards and two big interceptions, one of which went for a touchdown.”
Senior linebackers David Charles and Cameron Hilling have also been key defensively. Senior Brennan Owens and junior Jared Page have paced the offensive line and junior A.J. Graham is a playmaker on both sides of the ball.
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The Akron school board has a problem. The school district wants to build the new Buchtel High School on the site of its practice and softball fields which allows students to stay in the current high school building until the new one is completed.
The problem is members of the community want the field saved.
School boards are beholdent to the voters. Face it – the voters gave the money for the massive rebuilding of the entire district.
This is a tough call. If the district goes ahead witth its plans, where do the kids work out and play softball?
Here’s my recommendation – both sides need to talk. They may not necessarily agree, but the district should listen and then tell those who disagree to come up with a workable plan. It is easy to criticize now that the plans have been made.
We hope both sides work it out because there is no evil intent by the district or the community. They are just good people who, at least for now, disagree.
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Twinsburg basketball player Hillary Southworth has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.
The announcement was made Wednesday by Twinsburg coach Julie Solis. The senior transferred from Regina High School in South Euclid last season to play for the Tigers.
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Here is the press release:
Walsh Jesuit’s Taylor Koenig commits to Georgetown
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, November 11, 2009 — Walsh Jesuit senior Taylor Koenig, 17, has made a commitment to continue her academic and athletic career with the Hoyas at Georgetown University and will join the school’s NCAA Division I softball program.
Taylor Koenig
The 5-foot-6 Koenig plays centerfield for the Warriors and is a four-year letter winner and two-year co-captain. Last season she batted .337 with 19 runs scored and 18 RBI, helping the team finish the year at 21-5 — among the top records in the program’s history at Walsh Jesuit.
Koenig, who has been honored with the softball team’s Hustle Award and Gold Glove Award, is also a captain of the cross country team.
“Taylor exemplifies the student-athlete at Walsh Jesuit,” said Larry Deeks, head softball coach. “She has the ability to blend academics with leadership and athletics — and excels at whatever she does. I trust her to make smart decisions and perform as a leader on the field, and I’m proud to have her as part of my program.”
In addition to athletics, Koenig is also a standout student who holds a 4.3 GPA. She has earned first honors every semester at Walsh Jesuit and one of the top three GPAs in her class three times. She was the recipient of the Yale Book Award and the Rensselaer Medal for Math and Science Award and recently was honored by the Akron Council of Engineering and Scientific Societies for her outstanding accomplishments in the fields of math and science. She also has been active with Student Government, serving three terms as class treasurer and currently as executive treasurer. Her service work has included volunteering with Elves & More of Northeast Ohio and Open M.
Koenig, who is deciding between a major in biochemistry or political economic, is the daughter of Tere and Joe Koenig of Akron.
Walsh Jesuit is a Catholic, college preparatory high school and one of 47 Jesuit secondary schools in the United States. Recognized twice as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education (the only high school in Northeast Ohio to receive this prestigious award twice), Walsh Jesuit operates in the spirit of St. Ignatius Loyola, guiding its students to be intellectually competent, open to growth, loving, religious, and committed to doing justice. Founded in 1964 and located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, the school has a coed enrollment of more than 900.
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Cloverleaf Senior basketball player Brooke Forsythe has signed a letter of intent in the early signing period to continue her academic and athletic career at Division I American University.
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In the Division I, Region 2 battle of the Tigers, Twinsburg coach Mark Solis is realistic about his team’s chances of beating Massillon in the regional semifinal on Saturday.
“We had five turnovers against Brunswick and still win . I like our chances if we have ball security. But if we don’t play well on offense, Massillon will smoke us,” Solis said.
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Walsh Jesuit baseball player Marco Caponi has reportedly made a commitment to play at Duquesne, according to JJHuddle.com’s Ohio High Magazine.
The Web site said Caponi is the fourth Walsh player to commit from the 2010 class.
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St. Vincent-St. Mary junior CB Doran Grant reportedly took an unofficial visit to Michigan State last weekend, according to Rivals.com. Grant is one of the state’s top players in the 2011 class. He has several Division I offers.
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Louisville senior Bobby Swigert has orally committed to continue his academic, football and baseball careers at Boston College.
Boston College recruited Swigert to play wide receiver in football and shortstop in baseball, Louisville football coach Paul Farrah said.
“I am very proud of him,” Farrah said. “I am happy for him. He chose a school that is great for him for education, football and baseball.”
Swigert, a 6-foot-1 and 178-pound quarterback this season, got injured in the host Leopards’ third game of the season against Archbishop Hoban.
Swigert had to undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right foot following the Leopards’ fourth game of the season against Canton South. He led Louisville to four wins, completing 71-of-123 passes for 760 yards and seven touchdowns, and rushing for 126 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries.
Louisville finished the regular season at 10-0 and was No. 1 in the final Associated Press Division II state poll before losing its first playoff game.
“I wish we would have had him the whole season because things could have been different,” Farrah said. “The young gentleman is a class act and so is his family.”
Swigert threw one touchdown pass at Ravenna and then tossed five touchdown passes against visiting North Canton Hoover to open the season. He rushed for a touchdown against Hoban after injuring his foot.
Swigert played against host Canton South the following week and threw one touchdown pass.
At defensive back in 2008, Swigert was a second-team Division II All-Ohio pick and a first-team selection for the All-Northeast Inland District and All-Northeastern Buckeye Conference. He grabbed four interceptions, had 45 receptions for 531 yards and four touchdowns and had two kickoff return touchdowns.
Swigert was also receiving interest from several schools, including Michigan, Nebraska, Stanford and Pittsburgh.
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Akron native Tyrell Sutton made his NFL debut Sunday with the Carolina Panthers.
Sutton, a graduate of Archbishop Hoban High School and Northwestern University, rushed for 15 yards on three carries and had one reception for 11 yards as a starter at fullback. The New Orleans Saints defeated the Panthers 30-20 in the game played at the Louisiana Superdome.
Sutton, 22, replaced injured Panthers Brad Hoover and Tony Fiammetta in the lineup at fullback. Sutton, a tailback normally, gained nine yards on his first NFL carry. That rush was the first offensive play of the game. He also lined up at returner on kickoffs.
Sutton, 5-foot-8 and 213 pounds, signed with the Panthers on Sept. 6, but did not appear in the first seven games. He went through training camp with the Green Bay Packers.
“I thought Tyrell did a pretty good job considering he’s a running back and hadn’t even been in camp with us,” Panthers coach John Fox said in his postgame news conference.
Sutton was a four-year standout at tailback for Hoban and then led Northwestern in rushing for four consecutive years. He was named Mr. Football in Ohio in 2004 and is the all-time leader in rushing yards in state history. He is second all-time at Northwestern in rushing yards.
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