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.´´

Tom Narducci hopes to be working next week. The Hudson football coach knows that Senior Night at Dante Lavelli Field against Lakewood might be the team’s swan song. Even if the Explorers beat the Rangers, it might not be enough to get them into the playoff. Coming into the is week, Hudson sits in the eighth and final spot in Division I, Region 2.

“We need a few things to happen, like Perrysburg, Toledo St. John’s and some other teams too lose and maybe get lucky that Medina knocks off Brunswick (No. 6 in the region), which is possible because they’ve played pretty well in the second half of the year,” Narducci said.

The coach also Richie Piekarski ’s numbers are down in the passing category because of the weather.

“Of course, it will probably rain. The last four weeks have hurt Richie’s stats because we haven’t thrown with all the rain,” the coach said.

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!

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 state playoffs just once – Strongsville. The Mustangs are 1-4 and just coming off its first win, 31-3 over Lakewood.

“The year our quarterback Jim Lavery was a senior (1998) and we were 8-2, they beat us 35-34 on a missed extra point. Even in our playoff year (2006), we had a 14-7 lead at halftime, then we gave up a punt return for a touchdown and everything fell apart,” Reed says. “This week we are stressing ball security to make sure we don’t give them turnovers that hurt us.”

In his first two years at Medina High School, Danny Rymer did not play football. Last year as a junior, he came out and made the team.

It looks like it was a very good decision. The senior wide receiver is now getting looks from Mount Union College and several Mid-American Conference schools.

“He ran a 4.35 in the 40 (yard dash) and has really played well for us,” says Medina coach Greg Reed.

Athletic talent runs in the family. Rymer’s mother, Kathy Rymer, was state track champion. Sister Emilie Rymer was a three-time all-around state gymnastics champion (2004-06) and holds the first and third best scores in the vault since the scoring criteria changed in 1990. His other sister, Nicole Rymer, was third in the all-around in 2007.

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 coming here,” says Medina football coach Greg Reed.

Believe it or not, opening night is Friday, except for Twinsburg, which won Thursday night. Here are some thoughts from the coaches and some numbers to ponder…

Cuyahoga Falls (2-8)

Second-year coach Mike Miller wants his more experienced Black Tigers to show improvement this season.

“The biggest difference for us there is a lot more confidence and offensively the kids know the system. Everyone knows what to expect, from the players to the coaches,” Miller says. “The big thing is nerves for both teams. The kids will be jacked up on both sides, so the first half will be important.”

The Black Tigers had a good first half in their opener last year at Boardman, but the Spartans throttled them in the second half for a 43-0 win.

Friday Falls opens at Barberton, renewing an old rivalry. The squads have not faced each other since they played in 2004 in the Western Reserve Conference.

“The have two kids being offered scholarships to Ohio University, one of them is  that good quarterback Kyle Snyder. I think we are ready,” Miller says.

That was the  Magics last winning season (7-3). Barberton won that last meeting, 24-7.  The Magic lost their opener last year at Perry, 48-17.

Hudson (5-5) and Medina (4-6)

Hudson coach Tom Narducci has an easy way to look at a season opener.

“It is like going on a blind date – you don’t know what you are going to get until you get there,” the Explorer coach says.

Last year, the Explorers won the opener at Medina, 38-16. Both teams looked to be improved this year as they open Friday at Dante Lavelli Stadium. Hudson won its scrimmage playing a half and another series against Copley, 14-10.

“It was pretty vanilla. The good thing is we were down 10-0 and a returning players kept cool and helped us come back. But you never know. Medina’s j.v. team beat us the last two year, so that’s a concern,” Narducci says. ”We are pretty good health  except for our offensive tackle Tim Pallay might miss the game.”

Medina has some players banged up, two in the secondary. Having missed a lot of time in preseason, returning starters Jeremy Stich, a cornerback, and Brandon O’Connor, a safety, are not expected to play the entire game.

“They just have not gotten enough reps in practice because of their injuries,” says Medina coach Greg Reed.”Our starting inside linebacker Connor McBride is questionable.”

There is reason for optimism at the Hive. Seven starters return on defense and the Battling Bees won the half scrimmage against North Olmsted, 7-6.

Medina has long been the school no one understands why it struggles so much in football, being a school that has over 2,400 students. The Battling Bees lone playoff appearance was in 2006, their last winning season (7-3). That lone game was a 34-20 loss to then Pioneer Conference and now Valley Division rival Brunswick, 34-20.

Nordonia (7-4)

Al Huge’s first year at Nordonia after replacing Jason Hall, who replaced Keith Boedicker for one season before going to Massillon, was certainly successful. The Knights got off to a good start with a win over visiting Tallmadge (9-4, 5-2), 28-7. It’s Nordonia turn to travel to Thomas Rossiaky Field to face the Blue Devils, which since 2004, its first ever playoff appearance) has become a perennial playoff team. 

The coach came away from the Knights final sscrimmage with Highland in a good frame of mind, despite losing in the one half of actual scrimmage action 18-14.

“We played very well except for giving up a couple of touchdown in 1:05. It’s nothing we can’t clean up,” Huge says.

The Knight are quite healthy with one exception. Defensive lineman Aaron Highberger has missed a lot of preseason action because of mono.

Tallmadge under coach Joe Vassalotti who grew up in the city, won the Suburban League from ‘04 to ‘07, reaching the playoff each of those seasons in addition to last year, despite a 3-3 start. The Blue Devils are in rebuilding mode after graduating virtually the entire team.

Stow (4-6)

 The Bulldogs won their season opener against Kenmore (3-7), 31-0.  This year should be a much tougher challenge, as Stow opens at Wadsworth (5-5), which normally is good for 2-1 or 3-0 starts its three independent games each year. The Grizzlies started 2008 season with a 35-19 win over Wooster (6-4). The bolstered opening game as part of a long term strategy. 

“In 2007,  we had  7-3 record, but that was only good to finish 10th in our region. Beating a team with a good record can be the difference between being third in a region or making the playoffs at all,” says Bulldog coach Marty Tinkler. “For me, openers are always an unknown. You always want to be in control and since we have not played Wadsworth before you have to rely on the two tapes of the scrimmages we saw.”

The Bulldogs are in pretty good health with one exception – senior tailback Jordan Markulis hurt his hamstring and will likely not play in the opener. 

The idea of a super or mega conference was first concocted five years ago, football being the driving force. The idea was to bring together two of the top conferences, the Pioneer and Western Reserve, along with two schools from the Lake Erie League, Lakewood and Garfield Heights to form the 18-team Northeast Ohio Conference. The NOC would have three divisions, each with six teams. Play would begin in the 2007-08 school year.

Check.

The Valley Division would have the best schools, the River would contain  the middle of the pack and the Lake the struggling programs.

Check.

The principals that  formulated the plan added a new twist. Each sport would would be aligned in the fashion. That would mean a school like Cuyahoga Falls would be in the Valley Division for baseball, its best sport, the River for swimming and diving, and the Lake for football.

Huh?

If you are confused, you are not alone, Coaches sometimes aren’t sure which division they are in or the name of the division.

Now after two years of play, the NOC made realignments in each of the sports. Here’s the breakdown for the fall:

In football, Nordonia and Mayfield moved up to the Valley Division from the River to join Brunswick, Medina, Solon and Strongsville. Twinsburg, which was the Lake Division champion, moves up to the River to join Hudson, Cuyahoga Falls and Stow. Also coming into the River are Elyria and Lakewood, which drops down from the Valley.

Check.

Now for the rest of the fall sports, let’s go by school.

Cuyahoga Falls is in the River for cross country, girls tennis, boys and girls golf, boys and girls soccer. The lone exception is volleyball, where the Black Tigers are in the Lake.

Hudson and Twinsburg are the most confusing. The Explorers are in the Valley for cross country, girls golf and tennis, boys and girls soccer while volleyball is in the Lake and boys golf  is in the River. The Tigers are in the River for cross country, girls golf, girls soccer, while girls tennis, volleyball, girls is in the Lake, with boys soccer  in the Valley.

Medina is easiest to remember, as it is in the Valley for all fall sports.

Nordonia is in the River for cross country, boys and girls golf, and in the Lake for girls tennis, volleyball and boys and girls soccer.

Stow is in the River Division except for two in the Valley – girls tennis and volleyball.

So this is the way these sports are aligned for this season and next. Of course, if two schools opt to flip flop divisions, as Twinsburg and Garfield Heights did in girls basketball and wrestling last year, then it could change.

Now, was that so confusing?

Jeff Harrison was recently approved as the Medina High School athletic director after serving in the same position at Cuyahoga Falls.

Harrison, 33, said he was officially board approved by Medina on Monday June 2.

”It was just an opportunity I could not pass up,” Harrison said by telephone Friday. ”Medina is a growing community. It’s one of the largest school districts in Northeast Ohio. They have great facilities and great support from the community. All those factors played a large part in my decision.”

Harrison was employed by Cuyahoga Falls for the past nine years, serving as athletic director for the past three years. Harrison replaces Kevin Kelly, who recently resigned at Medina.

”It was a very difficult decision to make because they have been very good to me,” Harrison said. ”I had every opportunity to grow both personally and professionally. The administration and community support is good in Cuyahoga Falls.”

Harrison graduated from Akron’s Ellet High School in 1995 and the University of Akron in 2000 with a secondary education degree in social studies. He played baseball at UA and was a two-year captain for the Zips.

Harrison earned his masters degree in educational administration from Kent State University and also holds principal and superintendent licences.

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.