The George Auten Invitational was conducted in mostly rain at Ellet High School, yet North won the boys title and Firestone won the girls crown.

North won the boys meet with 155 points and Firestone (118) edged Ellet (117) in the girls meet.

North senior Troy Burgan was the boys meet high-point scorer with 32 points after winning the 110 meter hurdles and the 300 hurdles. Burgan also placed second in the long jump and fifth in the high jump.

The Vikings won two relays: the 3,200 (Steve Triola, Davon Coman, Shaun Cummings and LaRue Wimley) and the 400 (DeMonte Powell, Lase Brooks, Antuan Logan and Larry Dawson).

Brooks, a senior, also won the 100 and 200.

“We had prom last night and had everyone show up today in the rain, which was nice,” North coach Tom O’Neil said. ‘”They are an extemely dedicated senior class.”

Firestone senior Nia Johnson won the 3,200 and the Falcons won two relays: the 800 (Julie Kostura, Monique Ransome, Courtney Carter, Rachel White) and the 1600 (Alex Olmedo, McKenna Morton, Courtney Carter, Kachay Hullum).

“Our team has worked very hard this season and they are very deserving of this victory,” Firestone coach Malia Milec said. “I am confident that they will continue their success.”

Kenmore’s Shanequa Williams won the girls 100, 200 and 400.

Ellet, Archbishop Hoban and Firestone rounded out the top four teams on the boys side. Hathaway Brown and North placed third and fourth on the girls side.

Three Firestone football players will be continuing their careers in college next season, and two at the same school.
Trevor Kennedy, who was a first-team All-City performer at quarterback, will play at Mercyhurst (Pa.) College, along with receiver Jeffery Brantley. Meanwhile, Ross Davis, a running back for the Falcons, will be a preferred walk-on at the University of Akron.

The three players helped the Falcons (7-2, overall and 6-0 in the City Series) win the outright City championship for the first time since the school opened in 1963 and started playing in 1964.

The City Series baseball teams will not have a four-team playoff at the end of the regular season. One veteran City coach said there may have been the perception on the outside that the reason the league did away with the playoff system several years ago was because the district was going through financial difficulty, which forced cuts in extracurricular activities.

The district passed a levy which helped bring back those extracurricular activities that were cut. But Ellet coach John Sarver said the levy had nothing to do with the elimination of the playoff system.

Sarver said it all started a few years back when the basketball teams decided to drop the four-team playoff system and instead just play the championship game between the top two teams. That change was implemented because the basketball teams, in putting together schedules each season, had to factor in the possibility of playing in the semifinal and/or championship games. That meant coaches could only schedule 18 games (OHSAA rules allow for 20 regular season games) in case they made it to the City playoffs. But if a team didn’t make the playoffs, they would have only played 18 or 19 games during the regular season.

So the baseball teams decided to follow suit and drop the playoff system, allowing the coaches to schedule two additional games in place of the two dates they would have reserved for the playoffs.

Incidently, OHSAA rules allow 27 regular season baseball games.

When it comes to track, it’s always about who ran the fastest, jumped the highest or threw the shot or the discus the farthest. But sometimes there are stories, GREAT, INSPRATIONAL STORIES, that don’t have to do with who won.

For instance, I remember watching the local news in the fall, I think it was, and there was an amazing story about a young lady (she may have been from the Youngstown area), who was competing in the state high school cross country meet and was almost near the finish line. Then came a gruesome sight. She broke her leg on the course and fell to the ground.

But this young lady had the courage and fortitude to crawl and limp her way to the finish line, despite being in obvious pain.

It was a story of incredible self-will. This young lady needed medical help, but she didn’t want it. She was withering with pain but she wanted to finish that race, and if you watched the video, you couldn’t help but get a little emotional, knowing she was in a world of pain. But watching her will her way to that finish line, regardless of the pain she was experiencing, was breathtaking and moving.

The yound lady gave a great television interview a few days later and it was great to see she was doing well and was in good spirts. I think she even joked that all she was thinking about, when she went down, was that she wasn’t going to be able to dance at her sister’s wedding later that night.

I witnessed another incredible story, but it didn’t involve injury. A few years ago I was covering a regional track meet at Ravenna and the Copley girls were favored in this particular relay event. As the race began, Copley was right there, as expected. But during one of the exchanges, the baton was dropped and the team was out of the race.

The young lady who dropped the baton was devasted. I mean, I had never seen an athlete more distraught. What I found out later was that the young lady was only a sophomore and there were two seniors on that relay team. The sophomore felt she had blown it for the seniors because it was their last chance to make it to state.

She was on the infield of the track, as the race was still going, slumped over an emotional ball.

She just shuddered and shook as she cried.

Then, former Copley standout Carrie Dyer, who was a senior and on that relay team, ran to the young runner to comfort her.

Then the rest of the realy team followed.

To me, that was one of the most inspirational stories I had ever witnessed.

The sophomore was heartbroken. But she was heartbroken because she cared about her teammates and wanted to perform at her best so that it would help the seniors.

It didn’t happen. But when it didn’t happen, the seniors weren’t mad, bitter or upset. They showed support for their younger teammate because they loved her. And in the end, winning didn’t matter.

So, with that, I’m asking readers to post any inspirational stories you witnessed, in track or any other sport, that didn’t involve someone winning.

A story where someone overcame odds to get where they are. Or a story about teammates helping one another.

Those are the most compelling stories.

Firestone boys basketball coach Jerry Laria and Kenmore girls basketball coach Yontami Jones will be honored as the Coaches of the Year during the Summit-Portage Touchdown Club’s annual awards dinner April 20th.

Also, Firestone senior guard Ramel Mitchell, the City Series Player of the Year the past two seasons, and Kenmore junior guard Andola Dortch, who also was the City Series Player of the Year this past season, will be honored as Players of the Year.

Mitchell, a 5-foot-10 guard who was a first-team Division I All-Ohio selection, averaged 19.2 points a game and helped lead the Falcons to the regional semifinals for the second consecutive year. Mitchell has several Division II offers but his dream is to play at the Division I level. Word is that he has an offer to be a preferred walk-on at Kent State. I’m hoping that works out for Mitchell because he’s such a dynamic all-around player, the only downside is his height.

If things don’t work out for Mitchell at Kent State, he could still transfer to a Division II school and play right away. But Mitchell isn’t looking at that scenario right now.

Dortch, meanwhile, averaged 22 points a game this past season and was a third-team Division I all-state performer. She led the Cardinals to the regional semifinals where they lost to Boardman. The Spartans made it to the state Final Four.

Dortch, 5-7, is a legitimate Division I recruit and has several Big Ten, Big East and MAC schools interested. What sets her apart is that she has outstanding ball-handling skills, she has a consistent outside shot and she can penetrate and finish strong at any time.

The Kenmore wrestling team finished second with 188 points at the 21st annual Bill Dies Memorial Tournament Saturday at Firestone High School. The Highland Hornets edged the Cardinals for first place in the final team standings with 190 points.

Cardinals sophomores Garland McCormick (130) and Cody Lamberg (189) won individual titles.

McCormick, a 2007 state qualifier, went 5-0 during the weekend to improve his record to 21-4 this season. He defeated Tallmadge senior Jeff Brown by a 7-2 decision in his title match.

McCormick described using a visualization technique to stay focused during the two-day Dies Tournament.

“Every time something distracted me, I just thought about a blank piece of paper,” said McCormick, who went 1-2 and failed to place at the Dies Tournament in 2007. “I thought I can’t lose because it’s for the team. Everything I do is for the team.

“My godfather told me about a year ago when something frustrates you or something gets in your mind or you’re thinking about what will happen if you lose, just think of a blank piece of paper.”

McCormick’s godfather is Edward Bailey. Bailey is also Lamberg’s stepfather, and the two Cardinals Dies Tournament champions live together and think of each other as brothers.

Lamberg won one of the most intense title matches of the night against Waynedale senior Jared Neff, who finished third at the Division III state tournament last season.

Lamberg and Neff traded escapes as the lead changed five times. After trailing by one point late in the match, Lamberg scored a take down against Neff and held on for a 7-6 victory.

“I was just doing my best to keep him down,” said Lamberg, who improved his record to 24-0 this season. “I knew if I won this, it could potentially help our team to win the tournament.”

Click here for more information and results from the Dies Tournament.

BOYS BASKETBALL

KENMORE 68, WALSH JESUIT 54

Varsity Letters Player of the Game: Kenmore senior forward Antoine Norris had game highs with 18 points and seven rebounds to lead the Cardinals to victory in their season opener.

Click here for a Kenmore vs. Walsh Jesuit game story.

The Firestone football team defeated host Kenmore 44-0 Saturday afternoon.

The victory allowed Firestone (7-2, 6-0) to clinch their first outright City Series football championship after sharing four City titles since the school opened in 1963 and began playing varsity football in 1964.

Firestone dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball with seniors DeAndre Tucker, Deshawn Cole, Jeffrey Brantley, Robert Trunck and Alex Paul standing out defensively with juniors Brandon Moore and Evan Robinson and sophomore Jeremy Brantley.

Juniors David Henderson, Max Henry and Richard Braucci compose the Falcons offensive line with Tucker and senior Ben White.

Falcons senior quarterback Trevor Kennedy led the offense with a rushing touchdown and two passing touchdowns to senior receiver Gray Franklin. Kennedy completed 9-of-19 passes for 133 yards and rushed for 26 yards on five carries.

Senior Ross Davis scored two touchdowns and gained 102 rushing yards on 18 carries in place of senior Darshawn Thomas, who was out with a minor injury.

Junior DeShawn Grice gained 58 yards on five carries and freshman Cody Grice scored a 23-yard touchdown. Junior Brian Lewis gained 25 yards on five carries and sophomore Ricky Powers rushed for 22 yards on four carries.

The Falcons defense forced the Cardinals (0-9, 0-5) into a safety. Falcons senior kicker Dominic Moore made all six extra point attempts.

The victory also allowed coach Tim Flossie to win a City Series football championship at three different schools: Central-Hower, Buchtel and Firestone. Flossie is a former standout quarterback at Garfield.

Firestone is currently No. 5 in the Division II Region 5 computer rankings with the top eight in each region making the playoffs. Firestone plays at Walsh Jesuit in Week 10. The Warriors are ranked second in the Division III Region 9 computer rankings.

Joseph Miller, a 2007 graduate of Kenmore High School, has committed to continue his academic and basketball career at Fairmont State University.

Miller, a 6-foot-5 forward, was a key player for the Cardinals, who finished with a record of 17-7 and reached a Division II regional semifinal for the first time in more than 30 years last season. Miller was a second-team all-City Series selection.

I went to the City Series football media day to gather information, get answers to some of your questions and most importantly, eat lasagna. Here are some items I have in my notebook:

—All the coaches agreed that the 2007 season might be the most wide open the City Series has been in years.

“I think this could be one of the most balanced years that we’ve seen in the City Series in a long, long time,” said Ellet coach Joe Yost, who is entering his 29th season with the Orangemen.

Yost will be inducted into the Summit County Hall of Fame on October 2.

—Firestone coach Tim Flossie was entertaining as usual. After Joe Howard, the Akron Schools director of athletics, introduced Flossie as the coach who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of winning his first state championship with Buchtel, Flossie joked about it.

“I’m so old I can’t even remember the damn thing,” said Flossie, who won back-to-back state titles as the Griffins head coach in 1987 and 1988.

Flossie went on to talk about the value of the City Series and how its underrated.

“I get sick and tired of hearing about the suburbs,” he said. “It enrages me. … We have a 3.0 student here and they have an 8.9 student there.”

—I talked to Buchtel senior Johnny Adams about making the switch from wide receiver to quarterback this season.

“I feel like it’s my senior year, and I’m ready to take charge of the offense,” Adams said.

Adams, who has a 2.7 grade-point average and scored a 22 on the ACT, said he feels comfortable in his new position because the Griffins offensive line looks solid. “Our line is bigger, stronger and smarter than any line we’ve had since I’ve been here,” he said.

Adams, who earned special-mention all-state honors as a defensive back/receiver/kick return specialist last season, said he has received offers from the following colleges: University of Akron, Michigan State, Pitt, Syracuse, West Virginia, Indiana, Purdue, Northwestern, Iowa, Marshall and Toledo. Adams said he hasn’t narrowed down his choices yet.

—Garfield defensive end/tight end Whitney Mercilous said he has narrowed down his colleges of choice to Purdue and Illinois. Whitney, 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, was a second-team all-district pick in Division II last season, when he had 23 tackles (eight for a loss).

—North senior running back Larry Dawson said he’s received offers from the University of Akron, Bowling Green State University and Army. Dawson said he hasn’t made a decision where he will go, but he knows what he wants.

“I want to be comfortable,” said Dawson, who has a 3.8 grade-point average. “I want to be on a team where I at least know one person. I want to be somewhere we can compete.”

At BG, Dawson said he knows former Walsh Jesuit standout running back Mark Wooldridge. At UA, Dawson said he knows former Buchtel standout running back Bryan Williams.

—East coach Damon Beasley said East senior linebacker Shomari Akhdar, a first-team All-City selection last season, is receiving interest from Villanueva, Holy Cross and Miami of Ohio. Beasley also said Bowling Green has shown interest in senior fullback/linebacker Demetrius Bentley, a second-team All-City selection in 2006.

—East High School students will go to school in the old Central-Hower buidling in downtown Akron because their building is being renovated. Beasley said the move has had a positive affect on the football team.

“It was a tough process at first, but it turned out to be a blessing,” Beasley said. “It’s a nice facility. The kids like it a lot.”

—Flossie said Firestone running back Darshawn Thomas is the real deal. Thomas ran for 1,126 yards and eight touchdowns on 211 carries for the Falcons (4-6, 3-2).

“He runs a 4.3 40 (yard dash), Flossie said. “He’s fast and he’s tough. He could go to a Division I school. I think he’s as good as Antonio Pittman.”

Pittman was a standout running back at Buchtel and Ohio State University. He’s now an NFL rookie with the New Orleans Saints.

—Kenmore coach Tony Grimes said Cardinals senior running back/linebacker Thomas Cheairs gaining interest from colleges because of his speed and size (6-foot-2, 195 pounds).

“He’s probably our best athlete,” Grimes said of Cheairs. “He’s got some schools looking at him at the low-Division I level.”

—Buchtel first-year coach and legendary area running back Ricky Powers talked about the importance of emphasizing academics among his players.

“We’ve got to get our kids to understand that school is first,” said Powers, who was a star player on the Griffins team that won state titles under Flossie. “That’s they only way they’re going to get to play at the next level.”

Powers knows about playing at the next level. He played for the University of Michigan, then went on to play for the Detroit Lions and Browns.