By Michael Beaven
Special to the Beacon Journal

The high school girls soccer season has begun with several area teams feeling that they are legitimate state contenders.

Archbishop Hoban and Walsh Jesuit return several key players from last season’s teams, which advanced to state semifinal matches. Jackson and Medina annually field strong teams. Brunswick Cloverleaf, Copley, Green, Hudson, Kent Roosevelt, Ravenna, Revere and Stow are all capable of making deep runs in the state tournament.

‘‘It just seems like that type of year,’’ said Frank Gagliardi, now in his 12th year coaching Jackson. ‘‘It doesn’t seem like there is any team where you say, ‘That team will win state.’ There definitely is a lot of teams that will be in the fight for a state title.’’

Veteran Walsh Jesuit coach Dino McIntyre said the Cleveland and Akron areas boast ‘‘a lot of teams that can go all the way,’’ mentioning Akron-area teams plus Strongsville, Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown, North Royalton and Brecksville.

Kent Roosevelt outlook
One team off to a flying start is Kent Roosevelt, which is 3-0 and has outscored Stow, Tallmadge and Coventry 16-4.

The Rough Riders, 7-8-2 last season, have eight returning starters. Senior tri-captains Katie Mitchell, Jessica Giulitto and Brianna Serafin are the foundation of the team along with senior forward Jennifer DeLuke.

‘‘We have four seniors who are contributing very well and showing good leadership,’’ coach Steve Mitchell said.

Katie Mitchell, the coach’s daughter, scored 10 goals in 2007. She and Giulitto, a defender, are entering their fourth years as starters. Serafin, a midfielder, sophomore midfielder Michaela Kline and junior goal keeper Abby Bradford are other key players.

‘‘Our depth is impressive,’’ Steve Mitchell said. ‘‘I can make any number of substitutions and not weaken the lineup, which is a great luxury.’’

Stow outlook
Stow returns 10 starters and 15 letterwinners from last season’s team, which went 8-5-4 and was second to Brunswick in the NOC River Division.

‘‘I tell my players to take it game by game and hopefully toward the end of the season we are in the running for the league championship, and from there anything can happen,’’ Stow coach Chris Tipton said. ‘‘I have high hopes for the team.’’

Sophomore forward Vickie Havas led the Bulldogs with nine goals last year. Senior sweeper Leah Poiner and junior stopper Ellie Swanger will pace the defense along with senior goalkeeper Sarah Conkle. Junior midfielder Kyrsten Kamlowsky also returns.

The Stow boys team won the Division I state title in 2006, an accomplishment that many of the girls witnessed.

‘‘We talk about that in a sense of that’s what we want to do,’’ Tipton said. ‘‘A lot of the
girls were there and saw it. I was there, I felt it and I saw it. I think it will take a lot of grunt work. Realistically, it will be tough, but this is the best team I have had here.’’

Championship caliber – Walsh Jesuit & Archbishop Hoban
McIntyre, entering his 16th season as Walsh’s coach, knows what it feels like to win championships. He led Walsh to state titles in 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2006. The 2000 and 2006 teams were recognized as national champions.

The Warriors, a 2007 Division I state semifinalist with a 13-4-5 record, will be led by
senior defenders Jaime Townsend and Jordan Finch, senior midfielders Alexis Garcia
and Kendra Simmons, sophomore forward Kelsey Smigel and sophomore midfielder/forward Elizabeth Bollinger.

Smigel paced Walsh with 15 goals last season. “She’s a pure goal scorer,‘‘ McIntyre said. ‘‘She knows the game technically and has all the tools.”

Townsend (Lehigh), Garcia (Dayton) and Finch (Miami, Ohio) are Division I recruits. McIntyre said Garica is training to overcome her third torn ACL in the past four years.

Juniors Juliana Libertin and Jessacca Gironda are among seven returning starters for
Hoban. The Knights compiled a 15-4-1 record and made their second consecutive appearance in the Division II state semifinals last season.

‘‘We want to win one more game and get in that final,’’ said Benny Pietrangelo, entering his third season as Hoban’s coach. ‘‘On paper, we look pretty strong, but the games have to be played. People are impressed with our talent, but you have to play the games on the field and win.’’

Libertin, a forward, received Beacon Journal Player of the Year honor last fall. She scored four goals Saturday in a 6-0 win at Chippewa. As a sophomore, Libertin scored 35 goals and had 20 assists, and she totaled 15 goals and 11 assists as a freshman.

‘‘When Jules is on, opponents can’t stop her,’’ said Pietrangelo, who also coached the Hoban boys soccer team for 17 years. ‘‘She never gets tired because she runs track and is a swimmer, too. She is a very special athlete. Her endurance is amazing.’’

Gironda, a midfielder/goal keeper, scored 16 goals last season. Senior defender Alex
Niehaus, sophomore defender Gabby Corwin, sophomore forward Margaret Woods and
senior goal keeper Francesca Gironda also return for Hoban.

Jackson & Medina outlook
Jackson returns 11 letterwinners from last year’s team, which posted a 17-2-1 record ` 7-0 in winning the Federal League.

The Polar Bears will be led by senior midfielders Rachel Dennis, a Kent State recruit, and
Melissa Hagan, a Northern Iowa recruit. Junior midfielders Maggie Rusnak and Lauren
Jokovich also return with junior sweeper Emily Sanders.

‘‘With the tradition of the past and the stage the previous girls have set, hopefully the
winning habits will still be strong within the program,’’ Gagliardi said.

Jackson is hoping to get some revenge against Walsh this season; the Warriors ousted the
Polar Bears the past three years in the state tournament.

‘‘We have never beaten Walsh in my 12 years as coach,’’ Gagliardi said. ‘‘That is a mental and a physical goal that we have as a team.’’

Medina will be paced by junior forward Becca Candler, an Indiana University recruit,
Sarah Flanders and Jillian Graff. The Bees should still be a strong team despite the absence of current Ohio State player Paige Maxwell, who was a four-year starter at Medina.

Suburban League balanced
Tina Salem is excited about what her Copley team can do in her 11th season. Senior
midfielders Kristen Mattei (Toledo recruit) and Kirsten Schulte (Case Western Reserve) lead the team.

The Indians also will rely on senior sweeper Liz Moyer, senior defender Julie Berk,
junior midfielder/forward Nikki Matttei and junior midfielder Maddi Buckham.

‘‘I think girls soccer has finally caught up with the boys,’’ Salem said. ‘‘You have a
lot more girls playing the sport. Northeast Ohio is just incredible for girls soccer. We
have a reputation for having strong soccer.’’

Copley and Revere are expected to be the top Suburban League teams, but Cloverleaf and Green should be in the mix for the league crown.

Junior forward Emily White will guide Revere after leading the Minutemen in scoring the previous two seasons. She enters 2008 with 22 career goals.

Revere coach Jeff Stoerkel said sophomores Tara Littman and Katie Kimberly will be key midfielders with freshman Amy Feher and sophomore Kristen Popa is the goalkeeper.

Cloverleaf compiled a 11-4-2 overall record and a 5-1-1 league mark last season to place second to Copley in the Suburban League. Colts coach Val Baughman said eight starters and 11 total letterwinners return from last season.

Sophomore forward Katie Roberts and junior midfielders Rachel Gokey, Hanna Cavalier and Megan Jackson lead Cloverleaf’s offense.

Juniors Melissa Zeigler and Shannon Kilkenny and sophomore Katie Koloka form the nucleus off Cloverleaf’s defense in front of junior goal keeper Karly Beuck.

“We have a really strong junior class,” Baughman said.

Green is led by seniors Desiree Aber and Kelsey Ahbe.

Cloverleaf defeated Green 4-0 Wednesday to improve to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the Suburban League this season.

Other promising teams and players
North Canton Hoover went 14-4-2 last season and Sarah Maj and Kathleen Ray are among eight returning letter winners.

Perry has seven starters and 10 total lettermen back from 2007. Junior goal keeper Megan
McMaster, sophomore forward Michelle Genetin and junior forward Ally Smith all return.

The Vikings and Panthers will try to dethrone the Jackson Polar Bears from the top spot in the Federal League.

Firestone senior forward Christine Black and Western Reserve Academy senior midfielder Anne Song are two other players that are entering their fourth varsity seasons.

Black netted the lone goal in Firestone’s 1-0 victory over St. Vincent-St. Mary earlier this
season.

Song, who also has a four-goal game this season, netted 18 goals at WRA as a forward last season enters 2008 with 37 career goals.

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.

Medina senior Paige Mawell will continue her soccer and academic careers at The Ohio State University.

Maxwell was named a NSCAA/adidas Youth All-American and earned Division I first-team All-Ohio honors this past fall after playing a variety of positions. She primarily played defense and at forward, and scored seven goals and had five assists for the Bees.

Maxwell also has experience in the Olympic Development Program and was selected to play with the Region II squad at the U-17/19 Inter-regional soccer tournament at Ventura College in Ventura, Calif. from Jan. 2-6, 2008.

Here is some cross country analysis as leagues/conferences hold their championship meets and the state championships approach.

Louisville senior Kyle Kling and Medina junior Donny Roys have each been impressive runners this season, but there are still several teams that have a good collection of talent and other individuals that are having success.

The cross country teams at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy and Woodridge are two examples of squads that have consistently fared well at invitationals this season, in addition to Louisville, Medina, North Canton Hoover Green, Jackson, Louisville, Hudson, Crestwood, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Vincent-St. Mary and Walsh Jesuit.

CVCA and Woodridge have front-end talent and depth that make them a contender at each meet.

CVCA has been led by juniors Katie Gillespie and Kyle Sullinger. The girls and boys teams each placed first recently at the Legends Meet at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds.

Gillespie and junior Carolyn Case have paced the Royals girls squad with freshmen Joy Talbott, Irene Frangos and Hannah Lyons also being key contributors. The girls team placed first in September at the Division II Boardman Spartan Invitational.

Sullinger and sophomores Ross Crocker and Mark Talbott have paced the Royals boys squad.

The Woodridge girls’ squad was second to CVCA at Boardman. The Bulldogs have been led by juniors Emily Sabo, Erin Mercer and sophomore Becca Howdyshell.

The Woodridge boys’ team won the Division II Boardman Spartan Invitational in September behind senior Brian Himelright, who placed first. The Bulldogs have also received significant contributions from juniors Michael Rhodes and Joe White, seniors Tony Marette and Matthew Weiss and freshmen Jimmy Charles and Vibus Sivakumaran.

This Saturday several leagues will be holding their championship. The City Series and Suburban League will be running at Goodyear Metro Park in Akron.

The Firestone boys will look to defend their title after winning the past four titles and five out of the past six. The Ellet girls will look to win the title for a sixth season in a row.

The Wadsworth football team defeated Medina 30-24 in overtime Thursday night to improve its record to 3-0 this season.

Wadsworth senior running back Dru Jones scored the game-winning touchdown with a 20-yard run in overtime. Click here to read the Wadsworth-Medina game story by Tom Gaffney.

It was the second time this season Wadsworth won in overtime. The Grizzlies defeated Wooster 40-37 in four overtimes during Week 1. Wadsworth then beat Cuyahoga Falls 38-14 in Week 2.

Wadsworth will play in its Suburban League opener next week against Highland.

KEN LOVE/Akron Beacon Journal

Wadsworth running back Dru Jones carried the ball 19 times for 102 yards and a touchdown to help the Grizzlies defeat host Medina 30-24 in overtime.

The 70^th annual Good Park Junior Golf Tournament has been completed. Here are the champions of the 36-hole tournament and their scores listed by division:

Note: At J.E. Good Park Golf Course in Akron. Par: 71.

Championship Flight

John Furlong 70-74–144

1st Flight

Steve Bednar 76-73–149

2nd Flight

Zach Seidner 76-77–153

3rd Flight

Reilly Bates 78-74–152

4th Flight (tie)

Steven Sinchok 81-77–158 and Chris Maczko 82-76–158

5th Flight

Riley Pratt 78-77–155

6th Flight (tie)

Kelcey Eberle 81-79–160 and Tom Ribelli 77-83-160

7th Flight

Josh Heckman 78-82–160

8th Flight

Danny Arch 82-85–167

9th Flight

Brandon Proudfoot 85-83–168

10th Flight

Michael Rotilie 84-81–165

Boys 10 and under (18 holes)

Brian Lutz 48-49–97

Boys 11-12

Jake McBride 73-68–141

Girls 16-18

Heather Arison 81-77–158

Girls 15 and under

Tiana Jones 78-72–150

——————————————————————————————

NOTEBOOK

CHAMPION

John Furlong, a recent Medina High School graduate and Ashland University recruit, won the championship flight Friday in his third tournament at Good Park. Furlong shot a 1-under-par 70 on Thursday and a 3-over 74 on Friday to finish with a 36-hole total of 144.

“A lot of good players have won this tournament. There are always good players in this tournament, so I feel like I’ve accomplished something. There are about three or four kids who normally play in this tournament that are over at Westfield right now. But 144, I don’t know how many kids would have beat that, so overall I’m pretty happy.”

CLOSE BEHIND

Paul Doll (148) finished second in the championship flight and Kevin Miller (149) placed third. Doll is a recent graduate of Portsmouth High School in southern Ohio and a Wright State recruit. Miller, 16, is going to be a junior at Garaway High School.

Miller pushed his older counterparts at the top of the championship flight standings. Going into the back-nine of the final round, Miller, who had three birdies, was tied with eventual champion John Furlong.

“I definitely think I could have done better,” said Miller, who was playing in his first tournament at Good Park. “My putting kind of let me down today. Other than that, I’m kind of happy with how I played.”

TWINS TAKE OVER

Twin sisters Heather and Carly Arison, who will be seniors at Copley High School, finished first and second, respectively, in the girls 16-18 division. The Arison twins said they have been playing in the Good Park Junior for six years, and Friday was the first time that they placed first and second in any tournament.

The Arisons led Copley to a second place finish in the state last season. Heather Arison placed 19^th in the state as an individual and Carly Arison was 31^st. The sisters said they are excited about being team leaders during their senior year.

“There are a bunch of girls on our team who are just starting golf, and it’s going to be fun to help them learn the game because that’s what golf is all about,” Carly Arison said.

“We also have Molly Leonard coming back and she’s good,” Heather Arison said. “It will be fun to play with her one more year and we get along with her really well.”

The Arisons said they want to play in college, but they haven’t decided where yet. However, they already decided that they will attend the same school.

LOST LEAD

Mandi Morrow, who will be a senior at Kent Roosevelt High School, finished third behind the Arison twins. Morrow shot a 3-over 74 on Thursday and had a 6-stroke lead entering the final round, but she couldn’t hang on. She shot an 88 on Friday to finish with a 162.

“I wasn’t really doing anything well today,” Morrow said. “I wasn’t getting off the tee very well and my short game wasn’t very solid.”

Morrow, who plays for the boys golf team at Kent Roosevelt, finished in second place last year at Good Park after losing in a playoff against Megan Weaver of Perry High School.

RISING YOUNGSTER

Ian Holt, an 11-year-old from Stow, finished in a three-way tie for third in the first flight. Holt was about four years younger than any other player in the first flight field.

Ben Klafczynski, a 2007 Highland graduate and the Beacon Journal Baseball Player of the Year, recently won the second annual SportsTime Ohio High School Home Run derby that took place at Jacobs Field in Cleveland.

Klafczynski, a Kent State recruit, defeated Ron Stout of Medina in the final round. Ray Klafczynski provided the pitching for his son, whom beat a field of 10 players.

Tallmadge’s Jon Campriana and Archbishop Hoban’s Connor Burns also participated in the event. Stout, Campriana and Burns are seniors-to-be.

SportsTime Ohio will televise the contest at a date and time to be determined.