By Michael Beaven
Special to the Beacon Journal

The high school girls soccer season has begun with several area teams feeling that they are legitimate state contenders.

Archbishop Hoban and Walsh Jesuit return several key players from last season’s teams, which advanced to state semifinal matches. Jackson and Medina annually field strong teams. Brunswick Cloverleaf, Copley, Green, Hudson, Kent Roosevelt, Ravenna, Revere and Stow are all capable of making deep runs in the state tournament.

‘‘It just seems like that type of year,’’ said Frank Gagliardi, now in his 12th year coaching Jackson. ‘‘It doesn’t seem like there is any team where you say, ‘That team will win state.’ There definitely is a lot of teams that will be in the fight for a state title.’’

Veteran Walsh Jesuit coach Dino McIntyre said the Cleveland and Akron areas boast ‘‘a lot of teams that can go all the way,’’ mentioning Akron-area teams plus Strongsville, Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown, North Royalton and Brecksville.

Kent Roosevelt outlook
One team off to a flying start is Kent Roosevelt, which is 3-0 and has outscored Stow, Tallmadge and Coventry 16-4.

The Rough Riders, 7-8-2 last season, have eight returning starters. Senior tri-captains Katie Mitchell, Jessica Giulitto and Brianna Serafin are the foundation of the team along with senior forward Jennifer DeLuke.

‘‘We have four seniors who are contributing very well and showing good leadership,’’ coach Steve Mitchell said.

Katie Mitchell, the coach’s daughter, scored 10 goals in 2007. She and Giulitto, a defender, are entering their fourth years as starters. Serafin, a midfielder, sophomore midfielder Michaela Kline and junior goal keeper Abby Bradford are other key players.

‘‘Our depth is impressive,’’ Steve Mitchell said. ‘‘I can make any number of substitutions and not weaken the lineup, which is a great luxury.’’

Stow outlook
Stow returns 10 starters and 15 letterwinners from last season’s team, which went 8-5-4 and was second to Brunswick in the NOC River Division.

‘‘I tell my players to take it game by game and hopefully toward the end of the season we are in the running for the league championship, and from there anything can happen,’’ Stow coach Chris Tipton said. ‘‘I have high hopes for the team.’’

Sophomore forward Vickie Havas led the Bulldogs with nine goals last year. Senior sweeper Leah Poiner and junior stopper Ellie Swanger will pace the defense along with senior goalkeeper Sarah Conkle. Junior midfielder Kyrsten Kamlowsky also returns.

The Stow boys team won the Division I state title in 2006, an accomplishment that many of the girls witnessed.

‘‘We talk about that in a sense of that’s what we want to do,’’ Tipton said. ‘‘A lot of the
girls were there and saw it. I was there, I felt it and I saw it. I think it will take a lot of grunt work. Realistically, it will be tough, but this is the best team I have had here.’’

Championship caliber – Walsh Jesuit & Archbishop Hoban
McIntyre, entering his 16th season as Walsh’s coach, knows what it feels like to win championships. He led Walsh to state titles in 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2006. The 2000 and 2006 teams were recognized as national champions.

The Warriors, a 2007 Division I state semifinalist with a 13-4-5 record, will be led by
senior defenders Jaime Townsend and Jordan Finch, senior midfielders Alexis Garcia
and Kendra Simmons, sophomore forward Kelsey Smigel and sophomore midfielder/forward Elizabeth Bollinger.

Smigel paced Walsh with 15 goals last season. “She’s a pure goal scorer,‘‘ McIntyre said. ‘‘She knows the game technically and has all the tools.”

Townsend (Lehigh), Garcia (Dayton) and Finch (Miami, Ohio) are Division I recruits. McIntyre said Garica is training to overcome her third torn ACL in the past four years.

Juniors Juliana Libertin and Jessacca Gironda are among seven returning starters for
Hoban. The Knights compiled a 15-4-1 record and made their second consecutive appearance in the Division II state semifinals last season.

‘‘We want to win one more game and get in that final,’’ said Benny Pietrangelo, entering his third season as Hoban’s coach. ‘‘On paper, we look pretty strong, but the games have to be played. People are impressed with our talent, but you have to play the games on the field and win.’’

Libertin, a forward, received Beacon Journal Player of the Year honor last fall. She scored four goals Saturday in a 6-0 win at Chippewa. As a sophomore, Libertin scored 35 goals and had 20 assists, and she totaled 15 goals and 11 assists as a freshman.

‘‘When Jules is on, opponents can’t stop her,’’ said Pietrangelo, who also coached the Hoban boys soccer team for 17 years. ‘‘She never gets tired because she runs track and is a swimmer, too. She is a very special athlete. Her endurance is amazing.’’

Gironda, a midfielder/goal keeper, scored 16 goals last season. Senior defender Alex
Niehaus, sophomore defender Gabby Corwin, sophomore forward Margaret Woods and
senior goal keeper Francesca Gironda also return for Hoban.

Jackson & Medina outlook
Jackson returns 11 letterwinners from last year’s team, which posted a 17-2-1 record ` 7-0 in winning the Federal League.

The Polar Bears will be led by senior midfielders Rachel Dennis, a Kent State recruit, and
Melissa Hagan, a Northern Iowa recruit. Junior midfielders Maggie Rusnak and Lauren
Jokovich also return with junior sweeper Emily Sanders.

‘‘With the tradition of the past and the stage the previous girls have set, hopefully the
winning habits will still be strong within the program,’’ Gagliardi said.

Jackson is hoping to get some revenge against Walsh this season; the Warriors ousted the
Polar Bears the past three years in the state tournament.

‘‘We have never beaten Walsh in my 12 years as coach,’’ Gagliardi said. ‘‘That is a mental and a physical goal that we have as a team.’’

Medina will be paced by junior forward Becca Candler, an Indiana University recruit,
Sarah Flanders and Jillian Graff. The Bees should still be a strong team despite the absence of current Ohio State player Paige Maxwell, who was a four-year starter at Medina.

Suburban League balanced
Tina Salem is excited about what her Copley team can do in her 11th season. Senior
midfielders Kristen Mattei (Toledo recruit) and Kirsten Schulte (Case Western Reserve) lead the team.

The Indians also will rely on senior sweeper Liz Moyer, senior defender Julie Berk,
junior midfielder/forward Nikki Matttei and junior midfielder Maddi Buckham.

‘‘I think girls soccer has finally caught up with the boys,’’ Salem said. ‘‘You have a
lot more girls playing the sport. Northeast Ohio is just incredible for girls soccer. We
have a reputation for having strong soccer.’’

Copley and Revere are expected to be the top Suburban League teams, but Cloverleaf and Green should be in the mix for the league crown.

Junior forward Emily White will guide Revere after leading the Minutemen in scoring the previous two seasons. She enters 2008 with 22 career goals.

Revere coach Jeff Stoerkel said sophomores Tara Littman and Katie Kimberly will be key midfielders with freshman Amy Feher and sophomore Kristen Popa is the goalkeeper.

Cloverleaf compiled a 11-4-2 overall record and a 5-1-1 league mark last season to place second to Copley in the Suburban League. Colts coach Val Baughman said eight starters and 11 total letterwinners return from last season.

Sophomore forward Katie Roberts and junior midfielders Rachel Gokey, Hanna Cavalier and Megan Jackson lead Cloverleaf’s offense.

Juniors Melissa Zeigler and Shannon Kilkenny and sophomore Katie Koloka form the nucleus off Cloverleaf’s defense in front of junior goal keeper Karly Beuck.

“We have a really strong junior class,” Baughman said.

Green is led by seniors Desiree Aber and Kelsey Ahbe.

Cloverleaf defeated Green 4-0 Wednesday to improve to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the Suburban League this season.

Other promising teams and players
North Canton Hoover went 14-4-2 last season and Sarah Maj and Kathleen Ray are among eight returning letter winners.

Perry has seven starters and 10 total lettermen back from 2007. Junior goal keeper Megan
McMaster, sophomore forward Michelle Genetin and junior forward Ally Smith all return.

The Vikings and Panthers will try to dethrone the Jackson Polar Bears from the top spot in the Federal League.

Firestone senior forward Christine Black and Western Reserve Academy senior midfielder Anne Song are two other players that are entering their fourth varsity seasons.

Black netted the lone goal in Firestone’s 1-0 victory over St. Vincent-St. Mary earlier this
season.

Song, who also has a four-goal game this season, netted 18 goals at WRA as a forward last season enters 2008 with 37 career goals.

Javascript Version

HTML Version

BEACON JOURNAL POWER POLL
Week 2 of the 2008 Beacon Journal poll.

1. Walsh Jesuit (III, 1-0): The Warriors came away with an impressive 48-14 win at Licking Valley, which reached the Division III state championship last year. Senior quarterback Kyle Snyder rushed for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Next: Archbishop Hoban.

2. Louisville (II, 1-0): Seniors Neal Seaman (21-of-31, 230 yards) and Brandon Mathie (nine receptions, 134 yards) helped the Leopards defeat Ravenna 29-15. Next: at North Canton Hoover.

3. Northwest (III, 1-0): Running back Dan Beers scored two touchdowns and the Indians scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for a 34-13 win against Orrville. Next: Firestone.

4. St. Vincent-St. Mary (IV, 1-0): The Irish rushed for 324 yards (163 by senior running back Harvie Tuck IV) in a 31-12 win against Villa Angela-

St. Joseph. Next: at Clear Fork.

5. Massillon (I, 1-0): Bo Grunder caught four touchdown passes from Mike Clark as the Tigers defeated Buchtel 45-29. Next: Jordan (Utah) at Fawcett Stadium on Saturday.

6. Highland (III, 1-0): The Hornets’ defense stood tall in a 40-15 win against Rocky River. Next: Buckeye.

7. Nordonia (I, 1-0): The Knights had three touchdowns in a matter of two minutes in the third quarter to defeat Tallmadge 28-7. Next: Wadsworth.

8. Wadsworth (I, 1-0): In the Grizzlies’ 35-19 win over Wooster, Aarick Jones scored two touchdowns and Wadsworth scored 21 points in the third quarter. Next: at Nordonia.

9. Brunswick (I, 1-0): The Blue Devils scored 42 points in the first half as running back Brit Musal scored three touchdowns. Quarterback Ricky Manco threw for 150 yards. Next: at Brush.

10. Archbishop Hoban (II, 1-0): The Knights kicked off the season with a thrilling 27-26 overtime win Thursday against Garfield. Quarterback Josh Masters rushed for two touchdowns. Next: at Walsh Jesuit.

11. GlenOak (I, 1-0) The Golden Eagles were in a battle but held on to a 14-7 win against Twinsburg. Next: at Brecksville.

12. Mogadore (VI, 1-0): The Wildcats’ defense stepped up in a 27-7 win against Mineral Ridge. Sophomore running back Kodey Chance scored two rushing touchdowns. Next: Holy Trinity (Canada).

13. Waynedale (V, 1-0): Running back Thad Nofsinger scored three touchdowns and the defense didn’t allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter in a 55-7 win against Tusky Valley. Next: Danville.

14. North Canton Hoover (I, 1-0): In a 41-22 win against Washington, D.C., Dunbar, junior running back Erick Howard rushed for 185 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. Next: Louisville.

15. Lake (II, 1-0): The Blue Streaks trailed by three points with just over two minutes to go before pulling out a 39-30 win against Green. Next: Lucas (Ontario, Canada).

16. Alliance (II, 1-0): Dail’len Cottle rushed for three touchdowns, including a fumble return for a score, in a 39-26 win against Crestwood. Next: at Parma Holy name.

17. Perry (I, 1-0): The Panthers racked up 406 yards on 42 carries, and running back Caleb Laps finished with 163 yards, in a 48-14 win against Barberton. Next: Canton Central Catholic

18. Kent Roosevelt (II, 1-0): The Rough Riders opened things up in a 35-0 win against Kenston. Next: at Stow.

19. Hudson (I, 1-0): Kevin Meyer scored two touchdowns, including a 65-yard return on the opening kickoff, in a 38-16 win at Medina. Next: at Twinsburg.

20. Revere (II, 1-0): John Battaglia rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries and the defense was strong in a 24-0 win against Firestone. Next: North Royalton.

Others to watch: Aurora, Canton South, Cloverleaf, CVCA, Dalton, Ellet, Field, Firestone, Garrettsville, Garfield, Green, Jackson, Manchester, Norwayne, Ravenna, Streetsboro, Stow, Tallmadge, Tuslaw, Twinsburg.

Garfield and Copley will square off against each other Friday night but the game will be at Green. The game was originally scheduled to be played at Copley at 7 p.m. Copley athletic director Dana Addis sent out an email regarding the change Tuesday afternoon. My guess is the new articifial surface that is beibng installed at Copley isn’t quite done yet.

Canton’s Fawcett Stadium will be the site for a football quadruple-header Saturday in the fourth annual “Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series.” In the final game of the evening at 8 p.m., Massillon (1-0) will take on the Jordan (Utah) Beetdiggers (what a GREAT nickname!) Herbstreit is a former Ohio State quarterback and currently is an ESPN college football analyst.

Canton McKinley also will play in the Herbstreit event. The Bulldogs (0-1) will face Indianapolis Cathedral at 2 p.m. The Fighting Irish won the Class 4A state championship last year.

Akron native LeBron James won his first gold medal Sunday following the United States of America men’s basketball victory over Spain in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

USA defeated Spain 118-107 in the gold medal game and outscored opponents 106.2-78.4 in eight games.

James, a 2003 St. Vincent-St. Mary High School graduate, was a pivotal player on Team USA. He started all eight games in the Olympics and averaged 15.5 points and 5.3 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game.

James led Team USA in total minutes played (198), minutes per game (24.8), steals (19) and blocked shots (eight). He was second in scoring (124 points) and second in assists (30). His 42 rebounds were third best.

Dwayne Wade led Team USA in scoring with 128 points (16.0 per game) and Chris Paul paced the Americans in assists with 33. Chris Bosh (49) and Dwight Howard (46) were the top two rebounders.

Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard joined James in the starting lineup in all eight games. Bryant was Team USA’s third leading scorer with 120 points (15.0 per game).

Team USA beat China, Angola, Greece, Germany, Australia, Argentina and Spain twice in the tournament.

James, a standout for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the National Basketball Association, won a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Northwest held off a tough Orrville team 34-13 Friday night at Smilek Stadium. The Indians, behind the running of Dan Beers, scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away on a hot muggy night.

Despite the 21-point win, the game was extremely close for most of the night with the weather playing a tremendous factor. Both teams lost plenty of players to heat cramping.

WHEN IT WAS OVER

The Red Riders controlled the pace and the tempo for the entire game Friday night until a costly fumble closed the door on any chance of an Orrville victory.

Northwest nursed a 14-13 lead with nine minutes left in the game. Northwest freshman punter Dan May, playing in his first high school game, pinned Orrville back on its own five-yard line.

On second down and 10, The Indians blitzed Besancon. While Northwest senior Tim Caillet, dragged Besancon down in the end zone, Besancon flipped the ball forward in an attempt to avoid the sack.

Northwest’s Jordan Berenyi scooped up the ball and ran two-yards for a touchdown. The score swung the momentum in the Indians direction. They never looked back.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME 

Joe Besancon
quarterback
Orrville

No kid stuck out more on the field Friday at Smilek Stadium than Joe Besancon. In my humble opinion he was clearly the best high school football player on the field.

Besancon will provide many exciting moments this season Red Riders as he is a proficient passer that makes plenty of things happen with his feet. He was seemingly at his best when the plays weren’t Friday night.

He scampered for 58 yards in the first half and completed 12-19 passes for 151 yards as he gave Northwest fits.

The 5-foot-11 junior was very impressive in the way that he would absorb hits and slither away from would be tacklers, although it wouldn’t hurt him to add a little more sliding into his repertoire.

Besancon played the game with moxie and it showed in how he carried his team. It also showed in how both coaches, and Northwest running back Danny Beers, raved about him after the game.

Northwest coach Vic Whiting said he was forced to use a spy in the second half in an attempt slow Besancon. Whiting got a little lucky too. Besancon’s leg’s were so cramped up during the second half his coach, Doug Davault, said he could barely move.

He still mustered 52 more yards on the ground, but was 8-17 for 70 yards through the air, mostly because the Red Riders were in a play-from-behind passing mode.

What is unfortunate is that Besancon’s spectacular play will be overshadowed by the costly fumble and a hard to swallow forward-pass penalty on the following drive. The mistake moved the Red Riders back 15 yards and effectively ended Orrville’s night. The junior was spectacular in every moment but those two.

Dan Beers
Running back
Northwest

The game couldn’t have played out better for Beers. Orrville managed the clock and kept the ball out of Northwest hands for most of the game and reasonably so. Despite limited touches Beers was still able to rush for 195 yards on 16 carries.

The Indians rode Beers on the first drive of the game, an 11-play drive that resulted in a touchdown. He was responsible for 23 yards on six carries during that drive.

Between then and the fourth quarter, Beers would carry the ball just five times for a total of 53 yards and a touchdown. In the second quarter he had two carries for 14 yards. Beers had just one carry in the third quarter, a three-yard run.

With a temperature in the upper 80’s, that valuable rest time couldn’t have been more important. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, and plenty of players on both sides crippled by cramping, Beers was ready to kick his running into high gear.

It was just five carries in the fourth quarter…

First carry: Six yards.
Second carry: 18 yards
Third carry: 37 yards
Fourth carry: three yards
Fifth carry: 55-yard touchdown run

On the final 55-yard scamper it didn’t even look like Beers had been touched at all. Heading into the final quarter he had 76 yards rushing. An 119-yard fourth quarter gave him 195 for the game.

Not a bad way to start the season for Mr. Beers.

Buchtel head coach Ricky Powers has seen it all in his days as a former all-state running back at Buchtel, an all-Big Ten performer at Michigan and a former NFL player.

But in the Griffins’ 45-29 loss at Massillon Friday, Powers said he witnessed something he had never seen in person. His senior quarterback and starting defensive back Tahj Dent returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown. The third-quarter score cut Massillon’s lead to 17-15.

Powers said the play was incredible because it actually covered about 108 yards because Dent intercepted the pass deep in the corner of the endzone. But the ruling is that it can only be recorded as a 100-yard touchdown return.

“It was something amazing to watch,” Powers said. “Massillon’s quarterback was trying to throw a pass in the corner of the endzone and Tahj just made a great play.

“From there, the rest of our kids instinctively started finding people to block and Tahj made some great cuts and made it to the endzone. He is a talented kid and this needs to go down in the record books,” Powers added.

After Dent scored, Powers wanted to take him out to give him a rest. But he said Dent didn’t want to come off the field. Dent later scored two more touchdowns- a 35-yard run and an 8-yard run.

Meanwhile, Powers, in his second season after posting an 2-8 last season, is pleased with the effort his team gave, especially playing at such a challenging venue as Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

“The kids didn’t quit and that’s the beauty of this team,” Powers said. “We’ll have our growing pains but they are starting to buy into what we’re trying to do.”

* MORGAN’S MVP: Revere junior running back John Battaglia earned the game ball. He’s about 5-9, 175 pounds but he runs much bigger. Against Firestone, Battaglia rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries. That’s right…39 carries!!!!

I decided to look at the boxscores that we received and printed in Saturday morning’s paper (there were 28 boxscores, 56 teams in the edition I received at home) and wanted to see how Battaglia’s individual rushing carries stacked up with some of the team’s total rushes. Well, if I counted correctly, Battaglia outrushed 39 other teams. He tied with St. Thomas Aquinas and Walsh Jesuit.

* OTHER MVP CANDIDATES: I have to say that the entire Revere defense earned special consideration. This group, led by Dan Steinkerchner, Dave Flegal, Donald Day, Claudio Manera, Tim Bihun and Mike Monte, never let Firestone put together any type of sustainable drives and didn’t give up the big plays. Also, Revere coach Terry Cistone raved about the way fullback Andrew Anacki sacrificed his body blocking for Battaglia.

* GREAT SPORTSMANSHIP: I though it was very classy on the part of one of Revere’s assistant coaches to praise Firestone even after the Falcons struggled. While inside the Minutemen’s lockeroom long after the game, the assistant coach told me that Firestone is still a solid team and will come around. “Don’t be fooled. They are going to win games,” he said.

Tyler Crowl of Lake works for yardage against Green on Friday

RUSHING

Kyle Snyder, Walsh Jesuit, 13-249, 2 TD
Danny Beers, Northwest, 17-188, 2 TD
Erick Howard, North Canton Hoover, 22-185, 3 TD
Devin Richardson, Ellet, 26-181, 2 TD
John Battaglia, Revere, 39-179, 2 TD
Caleb Laps, Perry, 9-163, 1 TD
Bobby Brown, North, 5-152, 2 TD
Armand Dehaney, Walsh Jesuit, 6-133, 2 TD
Thad Nofsinger, Waynedale, 15-126, 3 TD
Tyler Crowl, Lake, 22-119, 3 TD
John Pettigrew, CVCA, 17-118, 1 TD
Davon Roberson, Ellet, 13-113, 1 TD
Donte Covington, North, 6-112, 1 TD
Justin James, Green 22-111, 1 TD
Brenton Semplak, Garrettsville, 14-107, 1 TD
Joe Besancon, Orrville, 16-102
Quinton Howard, Marlington, 15-102, 2 TD
Ryan Christiansen, Lake 104
Mark Guarnieri, Norton, 11-100, 1 TD
Davon Coman, North, 6-100, 2 TD

PASSING

Mike Smith, West Branch, 8-13, 253, 2 TD
Joe Besancon, Orrville, 22-38, 225, 1 TD
Kyle Snyder, Barberton, 8-21, 207, 1 INT, 2 TD
Dom McClain, Copley, 11-23, 205, 1 INT

RECEIVING

Chad Butcher, West Branch, 4-139-1 TD
Kwame Harvey, Copley, 3-107
Sam MIller, Orrville, 8-92
Cory Stryker, Waynedale, 5-90
Jeff Walker, Coventry, 6-87
Jase Uyselt, West Branch, 2-80,1 TD