Here is an update from the Division I state diving meet at C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton:

Boys

Solon junior Michael Kreft won the title with 472.2 points.

Medina senior Liam McLaughlin finished second with 444.4 points and Hudson senior Nick Pinkerton placed fourth with 429.25 points.

Perry senior Seth Brandenburg finished seventh with 391.45 points and Perry senior Joe Cooper placed 13th with 373.3 points.

Girls

Powell Olentangy Liberty junior Kellie Carmendy won the title with 418.65 points.

Cuyahoga Falls junior Haleigh Bartlett placed second with 411.75 points.

Nordonia senior Breanne Horrigan finished 16th with 358.5 points.

Jackson sophomore Josie McKee and Parma Padua Franciscan senior Kelcie Mehwald, a Hinckley resident, were eliminated after the semifinal round, which consisted of nine dives.

Lake senior Amy Dorow did not advance past the first round, which consisted of seven dives.

Quotes

Bartlett

“I didn’t have a very good meet. It certainly was not my best meet. A few dives I didn’t nail. I am disappointed I did not get first, but second is really, really good. There is next year.´´

“I am going to try my hardest to get first next year.´´

Bartlett, who placed third at state last season, said she needs to have more “consistency´´ with her dives and have a “higher degree of difficulty.´´

Cuyahoga Falls coach Peter Nauman

“I thought she dug herself a little bit of a hole in the beginning and then she came on really strong in the end. Going into the last three dives she was in sixth place and then she came up to second. I am extremely proud of her.´´

“She is a very strong competitor. She had her sights set on winning it, but we are very pleased with a second place finish. Last year she was third. She is progressinig upward. This is really only her third year of diving, before she was a gymnast. The Akron Rippers club team have done a tremendous job developing her. It has not been me. I am a fan. I am the guy that gets to comes to the meet and cheer her on. They are the ones that have done a lot of the hard work and developed her talent.´´

McLaughlin

“I felt like I was going to throw up because there was so much pressure to do well, but at the same time there wasn’t as much pressure because I didn’t have to worry about qualifying. There was pressure because people were pulling for me to do good. I was able to maintain though, and find a perfect balance of intensity and fun. I had a ton of fun out there.´´

“I realistically tought I would finish 1 or 2. There was no doubt in my mind. I expected to do well.´´

“I started feeling hungry during the meet, so I had some bites of a banana. I had some extreme nervousness. It was an odd mix of emotions throughout the meet.´´

Pinkerton

“I was very pleased with today after I didn’t dive to my expectations at sectional and district. I was 10th at distirct and I wasn’t really pleased with that. Jumping up to fourth at state is a big accomplishment for me. This is a great way to end my season.´´

“I am super excited to go dive in college and I think the finish today was a good way to cap of my high school season.´´

“I have really loved diving in high school. It was a lot of fun. What I will miss most is the good friends I made through diving.´´

Horrigan

“I am very excited. Gymnastics definitely helped.´´

“I didn’t think I would make it to the state meet and now colleges are looking at me.´´

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. Thanks again!

Green’s season opener at Lake is already expected to be a tough task for the Bulldogs, but the injury bug isn’t helping matters either.

Ten players missed last week’s final scrimmage against New Philadelphia due to injury. None of the injuries are too serious and coach Tom Stacy expects half of the players to be back for Friday’s game. For a team that has just 60 on its roster though, any injury can be devastating.

Green and Lake opened last season with a thrilling 39-30 game that the Blue Streaks won. Green led with two minutes remaining in the contest.

“I think they are very similar this year, they are really solid,” Stacy said.

“We got a lot of work to do this week,” he said. “They are a good solid football team who aren’t going to make many mistakes.”

Game 1: Green (0-0 Suburban League) @ Lake (0-0, 0-0 Federal League)
Where: Lake Stadium
Time: 7:30

ARCHBISHOP HOBAN (20-4, 13-1 North Coast League)
Seniors Rachel Tecca, Nikki D’Amico and Brittany Brown return to lead the Knights, the defending NCL champions and a program that has made the Division II regional tournament three out of the past four seasons under coach Tracy Miller. Tecca, a 6-foot-1 forward and University of Akron recruit, averaged around 20 points and 10 rebounds last season. D’Amico, a guard, and Brown, a forward, also will play integral parts along with junior point guard Taneka Lewis, junior forward Krissy Sokol and sophomore guard Grace Foote.

CLOVERLEAF (8-13, 5-9 Suburban League)
• Coach John Carmigiano expects the Colts to be much improved this season with three returning starters and a transfer. Senior starters Brittani Pekar (10.7 points, 7.2 rebounds), Candace Andel (10.1 points) and Kayla Henry are back, and 6-foot-3 junior center Brooke Forsythe, formerly of Brunswick, is another pivotal player. Sophomore guard Sarah Schleich and senior forward Caitie Coughlin also return.

COPLEY (13-7, 10-4 Suburban League)
• The senior tandem of Beth Mantkowski and Brittany Powell will guide the Indians this season. Mantkowski, a 6-foot-2 center, averaged about 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks last season and has committed to Ashland University. Powell, a 5-foot-7 guard and Gannon University recruit, averaged about 14 points and five rebounds. Sophomore 6-foot guard Taylor Reif will also be a key contributor after averaging 9.6 points and 4.2 rebounds last season.

CUYAHOGA VALLEY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (15-6, 9-3 PAC-7)
• The Royals will look to improve upon last season’s second-place finish in the PAC-7. Seniors Jeanette Pettigrew, Alyssa Presley, Melissa Knepper, Jessica Glenn and Victoria Risenhoover and junior Turea Moore provide an experienced foundation for CVCA coach Bill Stalnaker to work with. Defending PAC-7 champion Manchester (18-5, 12-0) will still be a formidable opponent with senior guard Lexis Staubs returning.

FIELD (18-5, 11-3 Portage Trail Conference Metro Division)
• Senior Traci Vandegrift returns to lead the Falcons. Vandegrift, a 6-foot center and Albany recruit for volleyball, gives Field a presence in the lane with her skill set and athleticism. Juniors Lauren Feciuch, Arielle Kenyon and Tabitha Murray are also back for coach Jeff Kidd, along with sophomores Hanna Mueller and Emily Ulrich. Field is seeking to dethrone defending PTC Metro champion Southeast, which posted a 20-0 regular-season record last season, but lost several players to graduation. Southeast does return senior Mya Levels, a 6-foot-2 forward and UNC-Wilmington recruit who averaged nearly 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks last season.

FIRESTONE (10-10, 8-4 City Series)
• The Falcons will look to challenge for the City title with senior guards Danielle Thomas, Jaysha Russell and Dominique Echols playing prominent roles for coach Audley McGill. Thomas averaged about six points and seven rebounds last season. Russell did not play for Firestone last season, but she contributed around 15 points per game for the Falcons as a sophomore.

GREEN (20-4, 11-3 Suburban League)
• Sophomore Logan Pastor and junior Deanna Wheeler return to lead the Bulldogs under the guidance of coach Tony Whitmer. Pastor and Wheeler, 5-foot-10 and 5-foot-8, respectively, each averaged around 10 points last season. Juniors Selana Reale and Kelsey Corle will also be counted on for production, along with senior Tiffany Henley and freshman Lydia Corle.

HUDSON (12-10, 5-5 Northeast Ohio Conference Valley Division)
• The Explorers are hoping to emerge in the NOC this season with seniors Jennifer Lawson and Hannah Jones leading the attack under coach Dennis Lawler. Lawson, a 6-foot-1 forward, averaged 12.1 points and 9.9 rebounds last season. Jones, a 6-foot-4 center and Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne recruit, posted 6.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. That duo will be accompanied by sophomore guard Jessica Monsman, senior guard Emily Griffiths and junior Lindley Hill.

KENMORE (22-3, 13-0 City Series)
• Senior 5-foot-8 point guard Andola Dortch returns to lead the Cardinals, the defending City Series champions under coach Yontami Jones. Dortch, a University of Toledo recruit, uses her skill and quickness to be a prolific scorer. She will be joined by senior forward Scharlawn Hubbard, junior forward Courtney Palmer, junior guard Shanequa Williams and sophomore guard Markayla Powers. Kenmore reached the Division I Regional semifinal last season.

LAKE (15-7, 5-5 Federal League)
• Senior Lauren Myers returns to give the Blue Streaks an effective shooter from long range. Myers, a 5-foot-10 guard and Wheeling Jesuit recruit, averaged 14.6 points last season. Seniors Jordan Jenkins, Dana Brown, Cindy Netti, Kelly Vigars and Jessica Saporito are also back for coach Thom Grubb. Jenkins is a Tiffin University recruit.

LOUISVILLE (18-4, 13-1 Northeastern Buckeye Conference)
• Juniors Jessica Lairson and Erin Thornton will be key players for the Leopards under first-year coach Garee McCully. Lairson averaged 11.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 steals last season. Sophomore Desi Givens and freshman Brianna Libertore should also be vital players for Louisville, which shared the NBC title with rival Northwest last season.

MOGADORE (13-7, 10-4 Portage Trail Conference County Division)
• The Wildcats will rely heavily on the production of junior guards Jordan Poth and Amanda Sidwell and sophomore center Presley Destro. That scoring trio should make coach George Tompkins happy and give opponents’ defenses trouble all season.

NORTH CANTON HOOVER (20-3, 10-0 Federal League)
• Senior Jessica Carpenter returns to lead the Vikings, who must reload after the graduation of frontline standouts Brittany Orban (Northwestern) and Kyle Baumgartner (University of Akron). Carpenter, a 5-foot-8 guard and Baldwin Wallace signee, averaged 11.1 points for the Federal League champions last season. Coach Paul Wackerly will also have the luxury of having seniors Leah Gibson and Eleni Bourlas back with juniors Allison Peare and Alyssa Chovan. Senior guard Erica Iafelice is expected to return this season after a back injury.

NORTHWEST (21-3, 13-1 Northeastern Buckeye Conference)
• Junior 6-foot forward Dakota Harkins is expected to be the Indians’ top player under the tutelage of coach John Martin. Seniors Rachel Miller, Candace Gemma and Erika Stach will be counted on for leadership and production. Sophomore Jessica Wormald also returns for Northwest, which shared the NBC title with rival Louisville last season. Martin is also counting on a few other sophomores and freshmen to emerge on the varsity team as the season progresses to soften the loss of junior Tabatha McKinney, who transferred to Canton South.

RAVENNA (14-8, 10-4 Portage Trail Conference Metro Division)
• Junior guard Lauren Tilden returns to lead the Ravens and is one of the most dangerous 3-point shooters in the area. Junior forwards Chanel Berry, Kayla Plaso and Dannielle Boyce will figure prominently for Ravenna, along with senior forward Lauren Flarida. Coach Rod Chlysta said the rotation is in flux due to depth and competition, and that freshmen could emerge into larger roles as the season progresses.

ST. VINCENT-ST. MARY (9-11)
• The Fighting Irish will be led by three seniors; Jessica Bridenthal, Jill Brownfield and Amanda Olszewski. Bridenthal, a 6-foot-1 forward-center, averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 rebounds last season and has committed to Ashland University. Sophomore Maria Arnone also returns for coach Joe Jakubick, a former University of Akron player.

STOW (12-11, 5-5 Northeast Ohio Conference Valley Division)
• The Bulldogs return three starters — senior forward Kelsey MacWherter, senior guard Dana Cummins and sophomore guard Sarah Parsons — under coach Bob Podges. MacWherter and Cummins each averaged nearly 10 points last season. Junior forward Sonya Istocka should also be a major contributor for Stow.

TWINSBURG (20-2, 10-0 Northeast Ohio Conference Lake Division)
• Senior Rachel Peelman, a 5-foot-8 forward, is a solid defender, and 5-foot-3 senior Katie Whittington is a steady point guard for the Tigers. That tandem will lead the Tigers, along with Lauren Macer, for coach Mike Kelley. Malina Howard and LaShawna Gatewood are two highly touted freshmen that should figure into Twinsburg’s plans.

WADSWORTH (17-6, 12-2 Suburban League)
• Senior Lindsay Tenyak, a 5-foot-9 senior guard, will step into a more prominent role this season for the Grizzlies. Tenyak helped Wadsworth win the Suburban League title last season by averaging about eight points and 4.5 rebounds. Coach Andrew Booth is also counting on senior Kate Macko, sophomores Robyn Rotterschmidt and Taylor Woods, juniors Kristen O’Brien and Sam Gearhart and freshman Christy Cingel. Cloverleaf, Copley, Green and Tallmadge will attempt to dethrone Wadsworth in the Suburban League.

WALSH JESUIT (19-5)
• The Warriors will be led by senior Amy Gardner, a 5-foot-10 senior guard and University at Buffalo recruit. Gardner averaged 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 steals last season. Claire Lysaght and Kendra Simmons are senior tri-captains with Gardner. Coach Pete Zaccari is also relying on junior Nneka Offodile, freshman Rachel Theriot and juniors Cheryl Yu and Sarah Sureck to produce on the court.

— Michael Beaven

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.

The Perry wrestling team won its 10th consecutive Federal League wrestling championship by defeating rival Lake 43-21 on Thursday night at Perry.

The Panthers (8-1, 6-0) won 10 matches and the Blue Streaks (14-1, 5-1) won four matches.

Junior Joe Lyons (103 pounds), senior Dan Genetin (130) and junior Andrew Phillips (171) each won by pin to lead Perry. Junior defending state champion Sam White won by major decision over junior state placer Scott Mattingly in a 125 pound match.

Sophomore Nick Hannon (112), junior Nick Heflin (160) and senior Tyler Solenthaler (189) also won by major decision for Perry. Panthers juniors Mike Hillock (119), Seth Horner (135) and Brandon Clemens (152) won by decision.

Lake received wins from Jared Lijoi (140), Chad Rhoades (145), Tyler Rasho (215) and Ryan Jones (285)

Lake senior Jared Lijoi has committed to continue his wrestling and academic career at Cleveland State University.

Lijoi is entering his fourth season as a key wrestler under Blue Streaks coach Mike Mattingly. Lijoi placd fifth at 145 pounds in the 2007 Division I state tournament in Cloumbus.

Lijoi compiled a 40-7 record last season. He entered this season with 94 wins despite injuries that limited him during his freshman and sophomore seasons.

High School Football Playoff Schedule

Note: These are probable playoff matchups according to www.joeeitel.com and the matchups have changed several times on Saturday, which means they might be different on the website on Sunday. Official OHSAA playoff pairings will be released Monday.

Friday’s Games
(All games 7:30 p.m., unless noted)

Division II, Region 5
Firestone (7-3) at Tallmadge (9-1)

Division II, Region 7
Lake (7-3) at Louisville (8-2)

Division III, Region 9
Field (9-1) at Walsh Jesuit (8-1)
Cortland Lakeview (8-2) at Aurora (9-1)
Ravenna (8-2) at Mentor Lake Catholic (6-3)

Divison III, Region 11
Poland Seminary (7-3) at Northwest (10-0)
New Concord John Glenn (8-2) at West Branch (8-2)
Canton South (6-4) at Dover (7-3)

Divison V, Region 17
Northwestern (9-1) at Waynedale (8-2)

Saturday’s Games
(All games 7 p.m., unless noted)

Division I, Region 2
GlenOak (6-4) at Brunswick (10-0)
Toledo St. John’s Jesuit (6-4) at North Canton Hoover (8-2)
Perrysburg (8-2) at Nordonia (9-1)
Wadsworth (9-1) at Toledo Whitmer (8-2)

Division IV, Region 13
CVCA (9-1) at Stuebenville (10-0)
Tusky Valley (8-2) at Canton Central Catholic (9-1)
Lake Co. Perry (9-1) at St. Vincent-St. Mary (8-2)

Division VI, Region 21
Columbiana (7-3) at Mogadore (9-1)

Senior forward Jess Wilson broke the Lake girls soccer team’s career scoring record with her first of three goals Monday night in a 4-1 victory over Marlington.

Lake improved its record to 5-3-0 with the win. Wilson now has 53 career goals.

Coach Keith Dambrot has added another local talent to the University of Akron men’s basketball team.

Rydell Brooks, a 2006 Buchtel High School graduate, has transferred from Niagara University to the University of Akron and is a member of the Zips men’s basketball team, UA Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations Gregg Bach said.

Bach said Brooks will have to sit out the 2007-08 season and will be eligible to play at UA the following three seasons. Brooks is currently a walk-on.

Brooks, a 6-foot-2 and 190-pound guard, led Buchtel to three consecutive City Series championships. He was selected as the City Series Player of the Year his junior and senior years and was a Division II second-team all-Ohio pick as a senior.

Brooks averaged 27.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 steals during his senior campaign as the Griffins leader.

He helped Niagara win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament championship as a freshman. Niagara went 23-12 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. The Purple Eagles won 12 consecutive games, including the a win over Florida A&M in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Kansas.

Brooks played in all 35 games with 30 starts. He averaged 4.7 points in 18 minutes per game.

The addition of Brooks gives the Zips six area high school graduates on the roster: Tim Carroll (CVCA), Eric Coblentz (Lake), Nick Goddard (Wadsworth), Andrew Moss (Copley), Jeremiah Wood (Central-Hower) and Brooks.

UA went 26-7 last season, winning the Mid-American Conference East Division title and losing in the MAC Tournament championship game. The Zips must replace standouts Romeo Travis and Dru Joyce III, a pair of 2003 St. Vincent-St. Mary graduates, that were key players for four years.

Photo courtesy of Niagra University athletics

Rydell Brooks