While working on an upcoming story, I had to interview Elizabeth “Georgia” Stokes, a sophomore catcher for the Hudson Explorers. Stokes played a key role in Hudson winning the Division I state championship last year as she went 2-for-3 with two RBI in the title game.

That was an impressive performance, especially by a freshman. Stokes said that winning the state championship was special on so many levels, but mainly, she said it was because many outside the program never gave the Explorers a chance to even make it that far because of their youth.

Stokes said there’s no complacency this year and that the team is keeping that same “Us-against-the-world” mentality, so it’ll be interesting to see how Hudson fares this year.

After a brief separation, a pair of Akron natives have been reunited again as teammates.

Dru Joyce III and Romeo Travis are teammates on Ratiopharm Ulm, a professional basketball team in the Bundesliga League in Germany.

Joyce and Travis each played on successful teams at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and the University of Akron.

Travis, the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year in 2007, started his pro career with two different teams in Spain and then was added to Ulm’s roster on Mar. 12.

Joyce, a 6-foot guard, has played in all 27 games for Ulm. He is averaging 8.6 points, 3.7 assists and 1.7 rebounds in about 23 minutes per game this season.

Travis, a 6-foot-7 forward, has made an immediate impact for Ulm in three games played. He is averaging 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in about 20 minutes per game.

Travis appeared in two games for Ciudad de Huelva and averaged 3.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. He played in eight games prior to that for Alerta Cantabria and averaged 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds. Both teams play in the LEB Gold league.

Joyce and Travis, both 23, led the Zips to the MAC East Division title and a MAC runner-up finish in 2007. They were each standouts on state championship winning teams at St. V-M alongside Cavaliers star LeBron James.

Attention, athletic directors and spring coaches! Akron Beacon Journal information sheets for spring sports are available online. Coaches are asked to go to www.ohio.com/highschoolforms and print the appropriate document for baseball, softball, track, boys tennis or lacrosse. Completed forms then may be faxed to 330- 996-3629. At a minimum, the Beacon Journal is requesting a printed roster and team contact information to help ensure accuracy with boxscores. If coaches prefer, the requested information may be sent to us in any suitable format. It may be e-mailed to bjsports@thebeaconjournal.com or faxed. Suggested deadline is March 18. If there are any questions about the online forms or the information requested, please call 330-996-3521.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Varsity Letters Player of the Game: Revere junior forward Emilee Vitez scored nine of her team’s 11 fourth-quarter points to carry the Minutemen (16-3, 11-2) to a crucial Suburban League victory on Wednesday night.

Vitez, who finished with a team-high 13 points, was able to break free from Green defenders several times in the fourth quarter, catch passes from her teammates and make wide-open layups.

“We had communication on the backside,” Vitez said. “We all knew that the backside wing was open from tape we were watching. It was just great how we all worked together in the fourth quarter.”

With the win, Revere moved into a tie with Wadsworth (14-5, 11-2) for first place in the league standings.

Revere will play Copley next Wednesday in the final Suburban League game of the season for both teams. If the Minutemen win, they will earn at least a share of their first league title since 1978.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Varsity Letters player of the game: Kent Roosevelt junior guard Andre Paulk scored 10 of his team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter to lift the Rough Riders to a Portage Trail Conference Metro Division victory.

Paulk’s stellar performance off the Rough Riders’ bench included a highlight dunk and a near full-court 3-pointer.

“That’s Andre,” Kent Roosevelt coach Cameron Black said of Paulk. “He can play the game.”

MIKE CARDEW/Akron Beacon Journal

Kent Roosevelt junior guard Andre Paulk scored a team-high 19 points to lead the Rough Riders over the Ravens.

Click here for a Ravenna vs. Kent Roosevelt game story.

Second place in the Suburban League regular-season standings was at stake Thursday when Highland and Barberton faced off in a dual meet.

Junior Tyler Houska, who normally wrestles in the 215-pound weight class moved up to heavyweight to face Barberton junior Lance Coher in the meet’s final match. Houska entered the match with a 24-4 record, and Coher was 28-4.

Despite Coher’s weight advantage, Houska pinned him in 4:27, lifting Highland to a 38-33 victory over Barberton (12-2, 5-2). With the win, Highland (8-1, 6-1) finished second in the regular-season league standings behind defending champion Wadsworth (8-1, 7-0), a 59-9 winner over Cloverleaf on Thursday.

Barberton coach Dave Mariola juggled his lineup, moving several of his wrestlers into weight classes they don’t typically compete in. The Magics forfeited matches at 112 and 152 to avoid encounters with Highland seniors and returning state qualifiers Bart Young and Steve Timoteo. There were four Barberton wrestlers whose weight classes were different than they were this past Saturday at the 21st annual Bill Dies Memorial Tournament at Firestone High School.

Mariola’s strategy almost paid off. The Magics led 33-32 heading into the final match, but Houska delivered to shatter their dreams of two consecutive wins over the Hornets.

“It was an exciting match for the fans,” Mariola said. “Everybody is talking about how there’s no good dual meets anymore. I think this was nice to have it come down to the wire. It’s good for the sport.”

Highland, which won the Dies Tournament in part because of another clutch victory from Houska, had two wrestlers in weight classes that they were not accustomed to.

“I know Dave (Mariola) was doing the same thing,” Highland coach Mark Savoia said. “We analyze who’s going to win where and how. You try to calculate it to the best of your advantage to where you know you’re going to win.

“I hate moving kids around because some kids have to sit, and some kids have to face a monster. But you have to sit and figure it out. If you don’t, you’re not a very good coach. It’s pretty tedious and you do take a lot of heat for it, but the end result is what counts.”

Click here for a story about Highland vs. Barberton.

LEW STAMP/Akron Beacon Journal

Barberton’s Tony Yoder controls Highland’s Jordan Brant during a match in the 125-pound weight class Thursday at Barberton High School. Yoder won the match by pinning Brant in 4:54, but the Hornets defeated the Magics 38-33 to earn second place in the Suburban League regular-season standings.

The upcoming Suburban League swimming meet looks like could be a nail-biter.

Just when the Copley boys swimming team appeared to be a clear favorite to win its second consecutive league title, the Green Bulldogs upset the Indians 86-84 on Wednesday.

In early January, the defending league champion Copley girls edged Wadsworth 86-84, indicating that the race to the league championship will also be tight on the girls side.

The Suburban League meet is scheduled for Feb. 1. It should be interesting.

Wadsworth sophomore Brad Squire still has a chance to become a four-time state champion, but his hopes of achieving that feat with an undefeated record have been shattered.

Perry junior Seth Horner gave Squire his first career high school loss last Saturday. After losing to Squire in early December in a title match at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, Horner edged his rival by a 5-3 decision Saturday to win the championship in the 130-pound weight class at the eighth Mayfield Big 8 tournament.

“Seth kind of controlled that whole match and capitalized on Squire’s mistakes,” Perry coach Brent McBurney said. “He’s been the most disciplined he ever has been compared to the last two years. It’s made a difference and it paid off on Saturday.”

Horner’s win also helped the Panthers (298 points) edge the Grizzlies (290) in the final team standings.

“Wadsworth has a good program, but we kind of have something special going with them — we don’t like to get beat by those guys,” McBurney said. “It was good for our confidence as a team.”

Horner has finished third at the Division I state tournament in each of the past two seasons. His record is 24-3 this season.

Last season, Squire went 34-0 and became the first freshman in Wadsworth history to win a state title. He was 23-0 this season and 57-0 in his career before losing to Horner.

I have talked to several coaches and parents in the wrestling community who thought Squire could go undefeated in high school. As I’ve written on this blog before, I also believed he could finish his high school career with a perfect record. But his loss proves how difficult the competition is in Ohio.

BOYS BASKETBALL

REVERE 76, GREEN 59

Revere junior guard Zack Weidrick scored a season-high 21 points to lead the Minutemen (7-5, 3-3 in the Suburban League) to their sixth consecutive victory.

“Zack is really doing a good job of making good decisions, playing within himself, being patient and letting the game come to him,” Revere coach Dean Rahas said. “I’m really pleased with the things he’s doing out there.”

The game between Revere and Green (4-6, 2-4) featured an unusually high amount of fouls. Green was charged with 33 fouls, and Revere was charged with 20. The Bulldogs sank 14-of-20 foul shots, and the Minutemen made 36-of-52 free throws.

Weidrick, who also plays quarterback for the Revere football team, nailed nine-of-11 foul shots.

LEW STAMP/Akron Beacon Journal

Revere junior guard Zack Weidrick drives past Ben Pollock of Green on Friday night. Weidrick made nine-of-11 free throws on his way to a season-high 21 points during Revere’s 76-59 win over Green.

On New Year’s Day, I reflected on the past year in high school sports. Here is my list of top-10 high school sports stories for 2007:

1. The Buchtel girls track and field team captured the Division II state title last spring, making Griffins coach John Scott the first coach in Ohio history to win back-to-back state championships with different genders. The Griffins needed to win the final event of the meet — the 1,600-meter relay — to clinch their first girls state title. Kachay Hullum, Tiffany Tucker, Chelsea James and Samantha Lockhart delivered with a first-place finish in 3:54.42, sending Scott into a joyous, tearful celebration with his Griffins.

2. Three area boys cross country teams — Medina, Woodridge and St. Thomas Aquinas — won state titles last spring. Junior Donny Roys, the Beacon Journal boys cross country runner of the year, led Medina to a Division I championship with a first-place finish in 15:21.83. Senior Brian Himelright carried Woodridge to a Division II title with a third-place finish in 15:47.92. Senior Tony Migliozzi led St. Thomas Aquinas to a Division III crown with a third-place finish in 15:47.31.

3. The Hudson and Dalton softball teams captured state titles.

Hudson graduate Beth Cinadr, the Beacon Journal softball player of the year and a Purdue University recruit, sparked the Explorers’ four-run first inning in the state championship game by hitting a double and scoring her team’s first run. Hudson went on to defeat top-ranked Elyria 4-0.

Dalton graduate Jessi Carmichael allowed only one hit in seven innings pitched to lead the Bulldogs to their second consecutive state title with a 3-1 win over North Lewisburg Triad.

4. On Nov. 10, the Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy boys soccer team won its second state title in school history with a 2-0 victory over Kettering Archbishop Alter. Senior Danny Thompson, the Beacon Journal boys soccer player of the year and a Messiah College recruit, scored two goals to carry the Royals to glory.

ED SUBA JR./Akron Beacon Journal

CVCA senior forward Danny Roys holds the Division II state championship trophy with his teammates after he scored to goals to lift the Royals to a 2-0 victory over Kettering Archbishop Alter.

5. Nine area wrestlers won titles at the state tournament last March in Columbus.

CVCA graduate John Weakley (189 pounds), the Beacon Journal wrestler of the year and an Ohio State University recruit, won his second consecutive state title along with Perry graduate and University of Edinboro recruit Thomas Straughn (152).

Ravenna graduate Matt Reedy (140) finished the season with a perfect 51-0 record and a state title. Brad Squire (119) became the first freshman in Wadsworth history to win a state title, and he also finished the season with a flawless record (34-0).

Perry junior Sam White (103), Waynedale senior David Stiltner (145), Manchester graduate Nick Hooper (215), St. Vincent-St. Mary graduate Brian Dean (125) and Black River graduate Jesse Campbell (285) also won state titles.

6. The Louisville football team advanced to its first state championship game but fell short in a 31-25 loss to Cincinnati Anderson on Nov. 30 at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon.

The Leopards finished with a 12-3 record, and senior defensive end Matt Schooley was named the district’s Division II co-defensive player of the year.

Brunswick senior quarterback Sean Bedevelsky, the Beacon Journal football player of the year, led the Blue Devils (13-1) to a Division I state semifinal game, in which they suffered their first loss of the season — a 39-14 setback against eventual state runner-up Mentor.

LOU STAMP/Akron Beacon Journal

Audra Battors (left) and Amy Ring show their disappointment after the Louisville football team lost 31-25 to Cincinnati Anderson in the the Division II state championship game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon.

7. GlenOak graduate and Ohio State standout Kosta Koufos led the Golden Eagles boys basketball team to a Division I state semifinal game. But GlenOak fell 45-34 to eventual state runner-up Cincinnati St. Xavier on March 23. Koufos was named the Beacon Journal boys basketball player of the year.

Stow graduate Liana Jennings, the Beacon Journal girls basketball player of the year, led the Bulldogs to their first state championship game. Stow fell to Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame 63-43 in the Division I state final on March 17.

8. Like in professional sports (the Mitchell report and Michael Vick’s involvement in dogfighting), some of the year’s top stories in high school sports were negative.

Former Buchtel football coach Claude Brown, 42, was arrested on Feb. 26 for having sex with a 17-year-old female student. Brown received a two-year prison sentence on May 16.

Two Tallmadge football players face delinquency charges of rape in connection with a hazing incident involving a teammate, which allegedly occurred on school property in August. Trials in those cases are to begin March 17, 2008. Two other players involved, one 16 and one 17, each pleaded guilty to one delinquency charge of hazing, and another player pleaded guilty to a delinquency charge of disorderly conduct for his involvement with the incident.

9. After back-to-back winless seasons in 2004 and 2005, the Firestone football team went 7-3 in the regular season, winning its first outright City Series title and qualifying for its first state playoff appearance. Legendary area coach Tim Flossie, who took over at Firestone in 2006, was named the state’s Division II coach of the year for helping the Falcons turn their program around.

10. Revere senior Stephanie Danesis finished as a state singles runner-up for the second consecutive year. Danesis, a Miami (Ohio) University recruit, finished the season with a 39-2 record and her high school career with a 116-9 record.

KAREN SCHIELY/Akron Beacon Journal

Firestone football players dump water on Falcons coach Tim Flossie after they defeated Kenmore in late October to clinch their first outright City Series title.