By David Lee Morgan Jr.
Beacon Journal sports writer

Green boys golf coach Dan Gorley is a gracious winner.

His team won the Suburban League postseason golf tournament Wednesday afternoon at Good Park Golf Course by edging Revere 323-327. Revere was the preseason and regular-season champion and, as a result, claimed the overall Suburban League title.

”They had a great team,” Gorley said of Revere.

Green was right up there with the Minutemen all season, and on Wednesday, the leaders for the Bulldogs were senior Charlie Miller (79), juniors Justin Grunstein (80) and Alex Hinkle (80), and senior Sean Myer (84).

”I was very happy with our guys,” Gorley said. ”They have played well all year.”

And Gorley said the roaring noise emanating from a huge chipper, used to mangle and grind fallen branches from the recent storm, wasn’t an issue.

”The course was in great shape,” Gorley said. ”There may have been a few times when it took some time to find a ball because it was underneath some leaves or a branch or something, but it wasn’t a problem at all. They did a nice job on the course.”

Larry Zimmerman, the course manager, appreciated Gorley’s compliments. He said his regular crew of 12 workers was up for the challenge.

”They came in Monday morning at 7 a.m., and they went right at it,” Zimmerman said. ”They got the fairways cleaned off and hauled away all the debris. Then we mowed all day Monday and rented a chipper for the debris and we’re continuing the [chipper] process now.

”My crew did a heck of a job getting the course ready for not only the [Suburban League] tournament, but for everyone,” Zimmerman said. ”They busted their tails.”
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David Lee Morgan Jr. can be reachedat dlmorgan@thebeaconjournal.com.

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.

The Revere club Rugby team put together a decent showing in its first Northeast Ohio High School Rugby Division II Championship. The team started three hours later than when they were scheduled and began their first round game against Canton “flat” coach Keith Bull said.

The Minutemen still were able to play to a 3-3 tie at half before falling 6-3 in a close game. They then won their second game of the season in the losers bracket as they beat Copley 17-13. Revere then lost to St. Edwards 22-8 to finish in sixth place out of eight teams.

In today’s story Senior Captain Brandon Rotili said one of the main reasons he had an interest in the sport of rugby is because of a New Zealand teams ritual dance. Rotili said they incorporated the All Black’s Haka into their soccer games at Revere. For those of you who are interested in what the Haka actually looks like check out the video below.” alt=”New Zealand All Blacks’ Haka”>

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.

Revere senior Joe Corfman has committed to continue his baseball and academic careers
at the University of Toledo.

Corfman, a shortstop, batted .500 last season with 37 hits and 28 RBI. He enters this
season with 91 hits and 67 RBI at Revere. He also has a 6-6 career record as a right-handed pitcher.

Corfman is entering his fourth season as a starter under coach Phil Heyn. Corfman
earned all-Suburban League honors the past three seasons and has been recognized on the
Buckeye Scout’s Top 100 List and as a player to watch by the publication Collegiate Baseball.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Varsity Letters Player of the Game: Revere junior forward Emilee Vitez scored nine of her team’s 11 fourth-quarter points to carry the Minutemen (16-3, 11-2) to a crucial Suburban League victory on Wednesday night.

Vitez, who finished with a team-high 13 points, was able to break free from Green defenders several times in the fourth quarter, catch passes from her teammates and make wide-open layups.

“We had communication on the backside,” Vitez said. “We all knew that the backside wing was open from tape we were watching. It was just great how we all worked together in the fourth quarter.”

With the win, Revere moved into a tie with Wadsworth (14-5, 11-2) for first place in the league standings.

Revere will play Copley next Wednesday in the final Suburban League game of the season for both teams. If the Minutemen win, they will earn at least a share of their first league title since 1978.

BOYS BASKETBALL

REVERE 76, GREEN 59

Revere junior guard Zack Weidrick scored a season-high 21 points to lead the Minutemen (7-5, 3-3 in the Suburban League) to their sixth consecutive victory.

“Zack is really doing a good job of making good decisions, playing within himself, being patient and letting the game come to him,” Revere coach Dean Rahas said. “I’m really pleased with the things he’s doing out there.”

The game between Revere and Green (4-6, 2-4) featured an unusually high amount of fouls. Green was charged with 33 fouls, and Revere was charged with 20. The Bulldogs sank 14-of-20 foul shots, and the Minutemen made 36-of-52 free throws.

Weidrick, who also plays quarterback for the Revere football team, nailed nine-of-11 foul shots.

LEW STAMP/Akron Beacon Journal

Revere junior guard Zack Weidrick drives past Ben Pollock of Green on Friday night. Weidrick made nine-of-11 free throws on his way to a season-high 21 points during Revere’s 76-59 win over Green.

After covering the Wadsworth-Revere girls game Wednesday night, it is obvious both teams are going to win many times this season. Revere’s Casey Nance and Wadsworth’s Rachel DeMita and Britt Busson are the most recognizable names.
But Revere junior forward Emilee Vitez impressed and not just because of her 16 points and six rebounds. She made a series of floor plays that helped Revere.
For Wadsworth, senior guard Chrissy Pavlik took over in the last three minutes in a closing 13-2 run. She was in the middle of every play down the stretch and hit eight straight free throws in the final minute

The Beacon Journal’s David Lee Morgan Jr. reported this recruiting news item:

Revere basketball standout Casey Nance has made an oral commitment to attend and play basketball at the University of Dayton.

Last year, Nance, a 6-foot-4 forward/center and daughter of former Cavaliers player Larry Nance, averaged 14 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots. The Minutemen finished 15-7.

”With Casey, there were different aspects that were important to her in her decision,” Revere coach Kory Malkus said. ”Academics were important to her, as well as the closer distance, and she enjoyed the team and felt a vibe when she visited. She felt a connection with the coaching staff and all of that is a perfect fit for her.

”I also think she can strive and will be successful in the Atlantic 10 (Conference).”

Nance was considering several other schools, including Bowling Green, Clemson and Penn State.

Revere senior Stephanie Danesis recently made an oral commitment to continue her academic and tennis career at Miami (Ohio), choosing the RedHawks over Minnesota and Marquette.

“I visited there and I just really love the campus, the coach and the girls,” said Danesis, a 5-foot-7 left-hander. “I want to major in business and they have a really good business program, and it is not as far from Akron as Minnestoa or Marquette are.”

Danesis is a three-time Division II state qualifier. She won a state championship as a sophomore with her older sister Samantha. Last season Stephanie Danesis was the Division II singles runner-up at state.

Stephanie Danesis will be seeking a singles state title this season in Division I because Revere has moved up from Division II.