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!

The St. Vincent-St. Mary girls soccer team suffered their first loss of the season last week to rival Archbishop Hoban 4-0, and lost bragging rights for the year.

But maybe that was a good thing.

The Irish (8-1-3) rebounded to beat Chippewa, which was 9-1 at the time, 3-1, then beat Our Lady of the Elms 4-0. St. V-M was ranked No. 6 in last week’s Division II state poll and should remain in the top 10 in this week’s poll.

St. V-M is a young team but the Irish keep improving every week. They are led by seniors Erica Hutson and Nora Wisor, the only two starting seniors. Junior Kelly Fulkerson was a starter last year and junior Becca Bridenthal add experience depth this year to coach Rob Young’s squad.

There are five sophomores who have made strong contributions this year including center midfielder, Miranda Yeaton, Rachel Hutson and Sam Daugherty.

St. Vincent-St. Mary junior Chris Motley can’t help but like the game of football. He’s the grandson of NFL Hall of Famer and former Browns running back and linebacker (1946-1953) Marion Motley, who passed away in 1999.

Chris Motley is the kicker for the Irish football team but he’s also one of the top soccer players in the state and is expected to be invited to some of the premier camps, including Indiana University’s camp, this year.

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?

On a sunny day at Lee Jackson Field a pair of former teammates became a foe.

The Columbus Crew defeated the host University of Akron men’s soccer team 1-0 in an exhibition match Sunday played with temperatures in the 80’s before a crowd of 1,563.

Matt Tutich and Ossie Michalsen, each a standout player at UA from 2005-2008, played for the Crew as fill-in players and Tutich scored the game’s lone goal.

Tutich started and played in both halves of the game. He netted a goal in the 48th minute when he headed the ball in the back left corner of the net. Alex Grendi got the assist.

“I am pleased for Matt,” UA coach Caleb Porter said. “Matt Tutich is a good player. I am happy for him.”

The Crew played the exhibition without several of their core players, including Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Eddie Gaven and Alejandro Moreno. Standouts Robbie Rogers and Pat Noonan did play and helped the Crew hold an advantage in shots (10-8), shots on goal (4-2) and corner kicks (6-3). Columbus also committed more fouls (15-7).

“I think we knew going into this game we had nothing to lose and everything to gain from the experience,” Porter said. “The hope was to grow individually from the experience.”

The Zips starters Sunday were David Meves at goal keeper; senior Ivan Sandoval, junior Chris Korb, sophomore Matt Dagilis (Firestone) and freshman Thomas Schmitt at defender; senior Ben Zemanski, sophomore Darlington Nagbe, junior Blair Gavin and senior C.J. Kaufman at midfielder; and freshman Yoram Mwila and sophommore Teal Bunbury at forward.

“Darlington Nagbe was fantastic,” Porter said. “He was really tremendous all spring. Every single game he showed up and he was a difference maker for us. He is going to have a great fall. At times, he looked like he was the best player on the field.”

Porter also praised the play of Gavin, Sandoval, Mwila and Bunbury.

“It was a good experience,” said Zemanski, a Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy graduate. “It was a good environment to test your game and see where you stack up as an individual against them and where we stack up as a team against them.”

Meves had three saves. Senior forward Stefan Ostergren (North Canton Hoover) and freshman defender Dominic Moore (Firestone) were the Zips only two reserves that played.

“I was pleased that we were in the game the whole time,” Porter said. “To play a pro team with individual players that are making a living playing this sport and for us to show up minus some keys to the puzzle for this game was impressive.”

The Zips were without five key players that played in the first three spring games. Sophomore Kofi Sarkodie and freshmen Chad Barson and Scott Caldwell missed the final two spring games because they are training with U.S. U-18 National Team. Sophomore Michael Nanchoff (Walsh Jesuit) and junior Anthony Ampaipitakwong were also held out of the last two games due to injury.

“I think our purpose this spring was to build a foundation for the fall,” Porter said. “We wanted to schedule the caliber of teams in the spring that we will play in the fall. I think we gained a lot of confidence and believe that we can beat any team in the country if we play to our potential, and we proved that against Wake Forest. We still have a long ways to go going onto next fall to accomplishing our goal. Winning a national championship is not easy.”

UA concluded the spring season with wins over Wake Forest (3-0), Oakland (2-0) and Michigan (4-0), a 1-1 tie versus North Carolina and a 2-0 loss against Indiana.

Five University of Akron men’s soccer players have been selected by the U.S. Under-18 men’s national team to train in Carson, Calif., from Apr. 18-26, Zips head coach Caleb Porter announced.

The five UA players are rising sophomore Kofi Sarkodie and incoming freshmen Chad Barson, Scott Caldwell, Ben Speas and Zarek Valentin. The quintet already has played within the U.S. national team system.

Speas is currently a senior at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. He is the eighth-ranked prospect in the nation according to ESPN Rise.com and has played with U-18 and U-17 teams. The midfielder is a two-time Parade All-American (2007, 2008), an NSCAA High School Boys All-American in 2008 and an adidas ESP All-Star in 2007.

The U.S. U-18 team is comprised of 26 players from across the country all born on or after January 1, 1991. The team plays in against other countries and top college programs in the U.S.

Sarkodie, a Soccer America Freshman All-American and All-Mid-American Conference First Team pick last fall, started all 23 games for UA in 2008 as a defender. He helped the Zips to the best defensive season in school history with a team goals-against-average of 0.45, the top mark in the nation.

He scored a goal in his first collegiate game to help Akron defeat then-ranked No. 3 Notre Dame, 3-0, in the season opener and added two assists as the season progressed.

Barson, Caldwell, Speas and Valentin are part of UA’s top-ranked 2009 recruiting class.

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.

Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy juniors Ben Speas and Matt Mason have made oral commitments to play soccer at the University of Akron, CVCA soccer coach Jason Spodnik said.

UA men’s soccer coach Caleb Porter cannot comment on Speas and Mason until they have signed letters of intent, which Spodnik said they can do in early July.

“The idea to be able to stay home to develop as a player, as a man and to win big was exciting for them,” Spodnik said. “They were also intrigued by the academic opportunities the university has to offer.”

Speas, of Stow, a central midfielder, is listed byhttp://www.Topdrawersoccer.com as the No. 1 player in the class of 2009. He received the maximum five stars.

Spodnik said Speas chose UA over Indiana, North Carolina, UCLA and Virginia.

“All of the top-20 schools in the country were recruiting him,” Spodnik said. “A lot of it came down to what Caleb could offer as a coach and as a mentor. Ben thinks he can reach his soccer goals at Akron and help take them to the next level.”

Speas, who was a Parade magazine All-American, spent part of this school year in Bradenton, Fla., in the U.S. Soccer Residency program and attended IMG Academy. He has playing experience with U.S. youth national teams.

“He got up every morning at 6:30 and did more work than you could possibly imagine,” Spodnik said.

Mason, of Akron, a forward, helped CVCA win the Division II state championship and compile an 18-1-3 record. Spodnik said Mason chose UA over Georgetown and Notre Dame.

Spodnik said both Speas and Mason will play for CVCA as seniors next fall.

Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy coach Jason Spodnik confirmed that a trio of Royals seniors will continue their acadmic and soccer careers in college.

Blake Berkey, Alex Sosler and Danny Thompson were pivital players for a CVCA team that won the Division II state championship and compiled an 18-1-3 record.

The Beacon Journal previously reported Thompson’s decision to play at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa. Thompson, a midfielder, scored both goals in the state final, had 17 goals for the season and was named the Beacon Journal Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

Berkey, a midfielder, is headed for Gordon College in Wenham, Mass. Sosler, a goal keeper, is bound for North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, N.C.

Spodnik said Sosler holds the all-time state record for career shutouts with 53.

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.