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ABJ thoughts

Top AP Poll football teams out in Division I and II

November 17, 2009

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 [...]

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Playoffs take wild turns

November 15, 2009

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 [...]

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Practice field at Buchtel is a big issue

November 13, 2009

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 [...]

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Football playoffs – anybody surprised?

November 9, 2009

After Week One of the five weeks of football playoffs, here are my observations looking back and moving ahead.
*The Federal League rematch of Canton McKinley and Canton GlenOak will be a different game. The Bulldogs were the eight seed going into top seeded Toledo Whitmer and demolished the Glass City bunch, which did not surprise me, McKinley has [...]

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November 5, 2009

Here are my thoughts on this week’s playoff games:
*The best games – North Canton Hoover at Massillon in Division I and Ravenna at Lake Catholic in Division II.
The Vikings have a chance because in its two losses, the Tigers defense gave up far too many big plays. Hoover is tested and look for it to [...]

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The day McKinley rose up and ended Hudson’s playoff hopes

November 4, 2009

When you are a writer, you see things from different angles than the public, particularly fans that follow one high school team.
On Saturday, Canton McKinley defeated Massillon, 35-21, which is always special in and of itself. Here were the Bulldogs, a team that had blown a 34-2 lead two weeks earlier in a 38-34 loss [...]

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Hudson grid coach knows his team needs help

October 28, 2009

Tom Narducci hopes to be working next week. The Hudson football coach knows that Senior Night at Dante Lavelli Field against Lakewood might be the team’s swan song. Even if the Explorers beat the Rangers, it might not be enough to get them into the playoff. Coming into the is week, Hudson sits in the [...]

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Falls will play at Stow; Bulldogs and Roosevelt may be at KSU in the future

October 27, 2009

Good news for parents and players at Stow High School. While the field itself is not in good condition, athletic director Cyle Feldman said the Bulldogs will host rival Cuyahoga Falls Friday night as scheduled.
“We have rescheduled 15 events because the field was in poor shape. But we talked to parents, looked at the forecast [...]

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Playoffs!? It is the week of yes and no

October 26, 2009

It is Week 10 and there is no room for bad play or flu. In many cases, it is essentially  a playoff week for teams, meaning win or go home. Unlike other sports, football pairs down the number of post season schools to only one out of seven. The top eight teams in each region [...]

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Top 25 Ohio High School Nicknames

October 22, 2009

Hey everyone! This is my column that’s running in the Akron Beacon Journal Friday, but it’s posted on Ohio.com now, as you can see. Thanks to everyone who submitted votes for their favorite high school nicknames. If there are other crazy nicknames from out of state, post them so we can all get some laughs. [...]

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Upsets prompted by flu; playoffs in sight

October 21, 2009

Talked to several coaches this week and privately they worried, but not about game plans or executions. Rather it is about the health of the players, not just in football, but in various sports.
Between the normal strains of flu and the H1N1 virus, coaches are sweating about the availability of their players. Last weekend we [...]

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Great Experience At Pebble Beach

October 13, 2009

Ellet junior golfer Jeff Cockerham enjoyed a great experience last month when he played in the Walmart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach.
Cockerham was paired with pro John Cook and the two made the cut and played in the champions round and paired with Tom Watson and his junior partner.
Cockerham ended the day with a [...]

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City Woes

October 13, 2009

It’s been a few years since a City Series football team qualified for the state playoffs. In 2004, both Buchtel and Garfield made the playoffs and Garfield, led by former Ohio State star running back Chris “Beanie” Wells, played (and lost) to Copley in the first round of the Division II playoffs.
Copley was led by [...]

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Big games, big gambles, big surprises on the gridiron

October 11, 2009

What a week that was and what a game coming up. As you read my thoughts, remember this – to reach the football playoffs, eight teams in each of the four regions in each division get their ticket punched. The top four teams host first round home games.,
Let’s go:
Roll 7, please!
I have beeen watching high [...]

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Football thoughts going into Week 7

October 6, 2009

Was just thinking about what is ahead. There are some interesting twists that can and are happening.
*Just looking at the City Series favorites, Garfield and Buchtel and the road ahead. Because neither team has beaten a very good team in the independent portion of the schedule, the winner of the big game in Week 10 [...]

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Stow may be without starting quarterback and running back

October 6, 2009

Stow coach Marty Tinkler says it simply.
“We just a need break; a big break,” Tinkler said. “The kids are doing everything they can to get better; they are practicing and preparing as hard as they can.”
The Bulldogs are facing the probability of not having starting quarterback Duane Mitchell and tailback Jon Markulis again Friday night [...]

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St. V-M Girls Soccer Bounces Back

October 6, 2009

The St. Vincent-St. Mary girls soccer team suffered their first loss of the season last week to rival Archbishop Hoban 4-0, and lost bragging rights for the year.
But maybe that was a good thing.
The Irish (8-1-3) rebounded to beat Chippewa, which was 9-1 at the time, 3-1, then beat Our Lady of the Elms 4-0. [...]

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A Break From The City

October 6, 2009

Maybe a change of scenery will help East (0-6) this week. The Orientals will step outside of City Series play to face St. Thomas Aquinas (1-5) Friday. East is the only City team playing outside the league this week. But two other teams still have non-league games during the remaining four weeks.
Ellet will host Canton [...]

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Crucial Week For Woodridge

October 6, 2009

I have to admit that I was extremely impressed with the Woodridge Bulldogs football team. In Woodridge’s impressive 52-7 win last Friday at home against Mogadore which I covered, I watched senior quarterback Anthony Westren go 19-of-33 for 304 yards and four touchdowns.
I watched senior running back Anthony Kelly rush for a game-high 165 yards [...]

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Gridlocks: Week 6

October 1, 2009

Akron Beacon Journal sports writers Michael Beaven, Jonas Fortune and Jim Isabella discuss high school football match-ups in Gridlocks: Week 6.

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