Firestone football coach Tim Flossie said three Falcons seniors have decided where they will play college football.

Dion Collins is going to Campbellsville University in Kentucky, and Christian Morgan and Stefan Willis are keeping their talents in Ohio by electing to go to Youngstown State University and Tiffin University, respectively.

The Stow-Munroe Falls Board of Edcuation approved Bryan Celik as its new varsity high school baseball coach.

Celik, 31, played baseball at Firestone High School and the University of Akron and graduated from both schools.

Celik previously served as the varsity pitching coach and freshman team coach for Firestone under Falcons coach Brad Lightfoot.

Celik is a construction manager and is employed by H.R. Gray as an engineer. He replaces coach John Daymon, who resigned after the 2011 season.

Former Walsh Jesuit basketball standout Evan Payne reportedly is set to leave his prep school in West Virginia.

Payne was back in Akron today at Firestone High School, but has not officially enrolled according to principal Larry Petry and Falcons basketball coach Dave Milo.

Even if he does in enroll, Milo said the Ohio High School Athletic Association will not make him eligible to play because he already played games this season for Huntington Prep.

“He is ineligible to play here,” Milo said. “He already played this year.

“I’m not sure what he is going to do.”

Payne, a 6-foot-2 and 190-pound guard, has scholarship offers and receiving interest from several colleges.

“He was in today talking with the enrollment people,” Petry said. “He lives in the district and he is entitled to go here.”

Payne’s family lived in the Firestone neighborhood in West Akron while he attended Walsh. He transferred to Huntington Prep this past summer in hopes of gaining more national exposure.

Payne was an Associated Press Division II All-Ohio selection last season and the All-Northeast Ohio Inland District Player of the Year. He averaged 24.5 points in the regular season and contributed four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks per game.

Payne led Walsh to a 76-70 victory over host Firestone one year ago on Jan. 4 with 28 points.

He also shined against the Warriors biggest rivals last season, scoring 22 points against Archbishop Hoban and 30 points in one meeting against St. Vincent-St. Mary.

Payne’s most memorable basket last season came on March 12 when he launched an off-balance 3-pointer from just beyond mid-court with less than two seconds to go in overtime to defeat Buchtel 63-60 in a Division II district final at Stow. Payne grabbed a rebound, then dribbled to his right and proceeded up the court to his left when he shot the ball off the backboard and through the net to give him 18 points.

He scored 16 points in Walsh’s 63-51 loss to eventual state champion St. V-M in a regional semifinal in Canton on March 17.

Payne set the Walsh single-game record for scoring, twice reaching 37 points. His first 37-point game came against visiting Hoban in a 71-66 win on Jan. 22, 2010 and his second 37-point game came against visiting Cleveland St. Ignatius in a 65-58 win on Feb. 6, 2011.

The University of Akron, Cleveland State, Loyola (Ill.), Nebraska, Southern California, Central Florida, Kent State, Texas Christian, Central Michigan and Toledo have all been involved in recruiting Payne.

Huntington Prep is a self-described “basketball factory” that features sophomore Andrew Wiggins, a 6-foot-7 forward from Toronto, who is the No. 1 college recruit in the class of 2014 according to rivals.com, scout.com and espn.com. Wiggins has scholarship offers from several colleges.

The Express also have Missouri recruits Negus Webster-Chan (6-foot-6) and Stefan Jankovic (6-foot-10) who are from Toronto and West Virginia recruit Elijah Macon (6-foot-8) who hails from Columbus.

Coach Rob Fulford started the basketball academy three years ago in Huntington.

Firestone football coach Tim Flossie said Wednesday that senior Stefan Willis and juniors Kevin Gladney and Joshua Brebant are receiving interest from Division I colleges.

Gladney, a receiver, recently was invited and visited Ohio State and Toledo.

“Kevin is going to get heavily recruited next year without a doubt,” Flossie said.

Willis is drawing interest from Mid-American Conference schools such as the University of Akron and Kent State and Brebant recently was invited and visited Michigan.

“Brebant is a very good kicker that is getting a lot of interest,” Flossie said.

Willis plays receiver, safety and returns punts and kicks.

“Stefan is something else,” Flossie said. “He has grown into a taller and stronger player as a senior.”

Firestone and Buchtel will meet Friday night at InfoCision Stadium on the UA campus at 7 p.m. with identical 5-4 overall records and 5-0 City Series marks. The winner of the game is the City Series champion.

• Buchtel FS/QB Jarrod Wilson will graduate early and enroll at the University of Michigan so he can be at spring practice.
• The mascot’s name has changed for East High School officially.  The teams from East will now be known as the Dragons. instead of the “Orientals”.  An official with the Akron Public Schools said that a survey was done to choose the name and “Orientals” a term considered offensive by many Asian Americans was the most popular choice with alumni.  Apparently some people just don’t get it.
• Things are looking up for both Kenmore and North high schools.  Coach Ed Peltz of the Cardinals reported that his team is up to 50 members now and North, which could barely field a team last year, is up into the 40s according to coach Mike Laktash.
• Firestone coach Tim Flossie seemed grateful to even be at the event:  “I”m glad to be back; it didn’t look good for a while there.”  Flossie came under scrutiny after a parent accused him of  hitting their son on two separate occasions last year.
• Buchtel took the City Series crown last year and the consensus among league coaches and the media in attendance was that the Griffins will continue claim another title.

Firestone High School athletic director Brian Fuller confirmed Friday that the Falcons will not have a girls golf team.

“I got a call from our coach [Scott Westphal] and he told me the numbers were down and we would not be able to field a team,” Fuller said. “He told me they only had one returning golfer [junior Brooke Morgan] with a decent amount of experience, and then some new players.”

Fuller and Falcons boys golf coach Dave Milo both said Morgan and any other girls player are eligible to try out for the boys team on Monday at 12:10 p.m. at J.E. Good Park Golf Course. The top eight players make the team.

“I think Brooke is good enough to make the team,” Milo said. “I have three very good golfers; juniors Patrick Schultz, Philip Martin and senior Jon Bozeka and some good players behind them.

“I have never seen her play, but judging by what everyone tells me she is a pretty good player. She could be our No. 5.”

The Firestone boys team won the City Series championship last season, defeating perennial favorite Ellet. Martin earned the individual medalist honor last year.

Morgan is trying to keep the Falcons girls team going. She posted this comment on her facebook account: “Just found out that there’s not gonna be a girls golf team this year. It’s ridiculous because everyone should get a chance to play the sport they love. Playing on the boys team won’t be the same as being in my own conference for the past two years. Hopefully I can get the team back together somehow.”

Girls competing with boys in golf is not uncommon in the City Series. Milo said East and North had co-ed teams last year. Buchtel and Central-Hower also fielded co-ed teams in the past.

Morgan was a two-time All-Greater Akron Girls Golf League selection, earning a first-team nod as a sophomore and a second-team spot as a freshman. She was Firestone’s lowest scorer in both seasons.

According to Larry Sullivan, one of the four young men involved, the four Firestone players who transferred to Buchtel High School in the hopes of playing for coach Ricky Powers will attend Ellet High School and play for the Ellet Orangmen.

Sullivan, along with Timote Anderson, DeDonte Cheatham, Dierre Smith became embroiled in a controversy when they tried to transfer and were declared ineligible.

Joe Wojcik is out as the Firestone High School boys basketball coach after three seasons.

Akron Superintendent David W. James confirmed Monday after a board meeting that Firestone is searching for a new boys varsity basketball coach.

“Yes, it has been posted [since July 1],” James said. “Right now we are going to look and see who applies.

“We are looking for some new leadership at the school.”

When asked what brought on the job posting, James said: “That is subject to executive sessions, so I can’t talk about the specifics of that because they do involve an active employee of Akron Public Schools. Again, it is just posted and we are looking at going in a different direction.”

Wojcik led Firestone to a 13-10 record last season with standout senior player Darius Carter. The Falcons were the No. 3 seed at the Copley Division I district behind Stow and Green. Firestone defeated Ellet and Kent Roosevelt to win a sectional title, then was eliminated by Green in a district semifinal.

Wojcik compiled a 32-31 overall mark in three seasons.

Telephone messages left for Wojcik on Monday were not returned at press time.

Wojcik took over the Firestone boys basketball program after longtime coach Jerry Laria stepped aside for health reasons. Wojcik worked as an assistant to Laria on the Falcons teams that won the Copley Division I district titles in 2007 and 2008 with star player Ramel Mitchell.

Firestone lost to GlenOak in the 2007 regional final at the University of Akron after defeating Brecksville, Stow, Wadsworth and Cleveland Glenville in postseason play.
In 2008, Firestone fell to Canton Timken in a regional semifinal at UA following postseason victories against North, Kent Roosevelt and Stow.

Firestone football coach Tim Flossie and North football coach Michael Laktash were among several coaches in various sports Monday whose supplemental contracts were renewed for this school year.

James recommended to the school board in June that Flossie’s contract not be renewed, but the board then voted to keep him.

James said he expects the seven Akron high schools to have the same football coaches as last season.

Firestone High School senior Jordan Shaffer got his wish. He will get the opportunity to play baseball at the University of Akron.

”I am pretty pumped to be close to home,” Shaffer said. ”My family will get to see me play, and I think it is great to have another local guy at Akron.”

Shaffer, a shortstop and leadoff hitter for the Falcons, plans to major in chemical engineering at UA and is scheduled to receive an academic scholarship that will cover more than half the cost of his education.

”I am really happy about that,” Firestone coach Brad Lightfoot said. ”I am an alumni of Akron and Kent State, and I think it is great he is staying local. . . . He wants to go to there for engineering, and they have a great engineering school.”

Shaffer also considered playing at Buffalo, Bucknell and Miami (Ohio).