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ABJ thoughts

Medina faces ultimate nemesis Friday – Strongsville

September 29, 2009

There is a good feeling these days at The Bee Hive. Medina completed its independent portion of its schedule at 3-2 after a 30-14 win over Normandy.
“We are having fun just throwing the ball all over the place,” says Battling Bees coach Greg Reed.
Now comes the dreaded away game for this program, which has reached the [...]

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Is It A Trap Game?

September 29, 2009

You’re hearing the term “trap game” more these days. It refers to a team that is favored to win overlooking a particular (underdog) team to get ready for a big game the following week.
In the case of St. Vincent-St. Mary (4-1), ranked No. 5 in this week’s Associated Press Division III state poll, could this [...]

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Green Shouldn’t Be Blue

September 29, 2009

I covered Green’s 49-21 home loss to Wadsworth Friday and two things stood out- Wadsworth (5-0, 2-0 in the Suburban League) is loaded with outstanding offensive talent, and Green (0-5, 0-2) is, too.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Is he on some kind of medication?”
No I’m not, but I watched Green quarterback Kyle Majnaric, who [...]

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WRA Remains Upbeat Despite Being Winless

September 29, 2009

You have to admire Western Reserve Academy football coach Chris Monsiletto for not getting down through the first four games (0-4) and not letting his players and staff get down.
WRA showed signs of improvement last weekend. The Pioneers lost to Berlin Center Western Reserve 42-0, Bedford St. Peter Chanel 42-7, Blair 30-7 the first three [...]

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Manchester Getting Job Done

September 29, 2009

At the beginning of the season, long-time Manchester coach Jim France sounded like this was going to be some kind of rebuilding season. Like the team was going to have a tough year. Maybe that was France’s way of keeping his team focused because the Panthers (4-1, 2-0) have been solid through the first five [...]

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Observations on Week 5 of football, City Series

September 29, 2009

Here’s my thoughts on high school football now that we are at the halfway point of the season.
*I was disappointed that only 2,500 people came out to the first City Series game at InfoCision Stadium at Summa Field, though North and Kenmore aren’t big schools. Still, I would bet that crowd was two or three [...]

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First City Series crowd about 2,500; gates in front are not open

September 28, 2009

The first City Series football game between North and Kenmore played the University of Akron’s  InfoCision Stadium at Summa Field drew an estimated crowd of 2,500, according Joe Howard, program manager of interscholastic sports for Akron Public Schools.
Some fans groused about gates at the facilities not being open underneath the scoreboard by the parking lot on Exchange [...]

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LeBron, Willie and Coach Dru On Jimmy Kimmel

September 24, 2009

If you’re a LeBron James fan, you’ll want to catch the Jimmy Kimmel Live show Friday night. LeBron will be a guest, along with former St. Vincent-St. Mary teammate Willie McGee and St. V-M coach Dru Joyce.
LeBron has been on a media tour promoting his new book “Shooting Stars” as well as his upcoming movie [...]

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Knights coach hopeful despite injuries

September 23, 2009

Nordonia is 1-3 and coach Al Huge would like to quit seeing so many players coming off the field this year with injuries.
“Our quarterback Zach Lewis was carried off field on a stretcher, but he is OK. Our lineman, Aaron Highberger, tried to play on one leg and our running back John Spooney had a [...]

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Ohio State and Michigan State pursuing Medina’s Kaminski for hoops

September 23, 2009

Imagine how heady it is for a sophomore to look up and see Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo watching him practice –  football.
Kenny Kaminski is the Battling Bees’ tight end. However, the 6-foot-7 Medina sophomore is grabbing attention in the basketball world, including assistant coaches from Ohio State.
“It is really neat to have Coach Izzo [...]

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Narducci gets a kick out of victory; Hudson faces unbeaten Solon next

September 23, 2009

Hudson coach Tom Narducci was getting ready for a second overtime period Friday at Strongsville. The Explorers had taken a 35-28 lead in OT as quarterback Richie Piekarski scored on a run up the middle, but the Mustangs scored a touchdown and just need an extra point to tie the game.
“I was talking to my offensive coordinator about the [...]

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Thoughts on high school football after four weeks

September 21, 2009

We are week from the halfway point of the high school football season. And it has been thrilling and exciting, let alone unpredictable. Here are some observations:
*It was great to have over 10,000 fans attend the first high school football game at Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium to watch the Holy War between St. Vincent-St. Mary [...]

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Stow grid coach encouraged by Bulldogs performance

September 16, 2009

Stow football coach Marty Tinkler is a realist.
The Bulldogs lost Friday night to Massillon, 31-14, though they were tied at 7  in the first half.
“We were outmatched, but we played hard and fought the best we could,” Tinkler says.
Including the loss to Massillon, the Bulldogs have lost their three games to unbeaten teams. Stow lost [...]

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Nordonia Knights not shielded from injuries

September 16, 2009

We present the reason those of us who make high school football predictions on various teams preface it by saying, “if everyone stays healthy…”
Exhibit A – The Nordonia Knights.
Coach Al Huge needs a M*A*S*H unit on the campus by Route 8 and I-271 to deal with his wounded troops.
“We really been banged up all year,” [...]

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Reminders of 911 were at Jackson-Hudson game

September 14, 2009

The eighth anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001 were in evidence Friday night prior to the Hudson at Jackson football game.
A haunting reminder of those attending events days and weeks after 9-11 was a policeman at the entrance of Robert Fife Stadium checking bags and other such items.
A moment of silence, a [...]

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Sportsmanship Should Always Be Top Priority

September 8, 2009

We all make mistakes in our daily lives, like backing into a mailbox while pulling the family car out of the driveway just before school.
On the football field, it’s the same thing.
There are always mistakes, like missing a block, fumbling a ball or throwing an interception.
But going temporarily insane and throwing a punch after a [...]

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St. Vincent-St. Mary and North got talent; a great tribute to a legend

September 7, 2009

Here’s some thoughts after covering St. Vincent-St. Marys 51-14 win over neighboring North.
*Our sincerest congratulations to the Fighting Irish on putting on a first class show honoring former football coach John Cistone. As Akron mayor Don Plusquellic said, ” I’m thrilled to be here to honor a legend.” Cistone needled the mayor, a former Kenmore quarterback, “Don thought [...]

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High school football coverage

August 26, 2009

The high school preview section hits newsstands on Thursday with a cover feature on Erick Howard of North Canton Hoover.
We also will have an additional 11 features plus 46 scouting reports on our core schools.
We will follow that up with coverage of this weekend’s games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Check Ohio.com on the high [...]

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Bill Dies Memorial Wrestling Tournament a Success

January 18, 2009

DIES NOTES: The Dies family, Firestone principal Larry Petry and everyone else involved with producing the 22nd annual Bill Dies Memorial Wrestling Tournament should be commended for running such an outstanding tournament this past weekend.
With 43 teams competing and hundreds of wrestlers, tournament officials did an outstanding job of keeping things in [...]

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Archbishop Hoban 27, Garfield 26 OT- The Day After

August 22, 2008

My observations from Archbishop Hoban’s 27-26 overtime win against Garfield in the season-opener for both teams:
* MORGAN’S MVP: No question, my pick is 5-foot-9, 175-pound Garfield junior running back Tyson Gulley. He rushed for a game-high 225 yards on 25 carries. Gulley rushed for over 130 yards- [...]

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