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!

Walsh Jesuit senior Allison Foschia, 17, recently made an oral commitment to continue her academic and volleyball career at Duquesne University.

Foschia, a 6-foot outside hitter will sign a National Letter of Intent in November and accept a scholarship.

Foschia, a three-year starter and two-year co-captain, has helped Walsh win three district championships, a regional title and a state runner-up finish.

She led the team last season with 309 kills, 211 digs and a serve reception percentage of 90. She was named to the All-Ohio Second Team.

“Allison is a very talented athlete and a wonderful individual,” Walsh coach Missy Sturm said in a prepared statement. “She has made a huge impact on our program. Allison’s power and strength are evident when she attacks in the front row, and her agility and quickness are deceiving, as she is one of our best passers and defensive players. I look forward to her success at the next level.”

Foschia holds a 4.0 grade point average and has earned high honors every semester at Walsh.

Walsh Jesuit graduate Drew Danko is continuing his academic and baseball career at Ohio University.

Danko, a 2009 Walsh graduate and left-handed pitcher, earned a spot with OU’s baseball team following a walk-on tryout.

Danko helped the Warriors complete the 2009 season as Division II state runner-up. He made 13 appearances posted a 9-1 record with a 0.87 ERA. In more than 40 innings of work, he had 60 strikeouts and kept opponents at a batting average of .164.

“When you talk about the journey being more important than the destination, Drew was a player who made that a reality for the team last season,” Walsh coach Chris Kaczmar said in a prepared statement. “It’s going to be difficult starting a season without Drew because he was such an integral part of this era of Walsh Jesuit baseball. More importantly, he is a good person and good friend whose mere presence and sense of humor lit up the dugout.”

Walsh won Division II state titles during Danko’s junior and freshman seasons.

“Drew is also a competitor with a real passion for the game,” Kaczmar said. “He has an excellent grasp of his craft, he is very consistent, and he possesses tremendous control. The year he had for us was truly special, and I am thrilled he will play at the Division I level.”

The high school girls tennis season continues this week with district competition.

The Division I district tournament at Oberlin College features two singles players and one doubles unit from the area. Firestone’s Christine Coffman and Jackson’s Trisha Conlan are top seeds in singles, and Revere’s Natalie Robson and Brittany Miller are a top doubles tandem.

The Oberlin district will be played on Thursday and Saturday.

The Division II district tournament at Weis Park in Canton features a singles player and two doubles groups from the area. Canton South’s Morgan Murray is a top seed in singles. Walsh Jesuit’s Nancy Joyce and Cristin Reed and Canton Central Catholic’s Lauren Coggins and Hannah Lindesmith are top doubles units.

The Canton district will be played on Wednesday and Saturday.

Walsh Jesuit senior Corey Rubright, 17, has made an oral commitment to continue her academic and softball career at Providence College.

Rubright, a 5-foot-9 right-handed pitcher, has compiled a 27-16 record and a 1.00 ERA following three seasons as a starter. She also posted a .393 batting average in 2009 and has 50 RBI over the past three seasons. Rubright won the team MVP award as a sophomore and junior.

‘‘Corey has tremendous talent and she improves yearly,’’ Walsh Jesuit coach Larry Deeks said in a prepared statement. ‘‘I look forward to seeing her compete at the next level.’’

She is set to sign a National Letter of Intent in November.

Rubright has a 3.3 grade point average.

Walsh Jesuit plays host to St. Vincent-St. Mary at 7 p.m. Friday in a football game that is Homecoming for Walsh.

Walsh (3-2) had a bye week last week. The Warriors defeated host Padua Franciscan 28-21 on Sept. 25.

Walsh coach Gerry Rardin said the bye week helped his squad heal and improve. He said everyone is healthy.

SVSM (5-1) defeated Canton Central Catholic last week.

“I expect to see a well-balanced offense with big play potential and a solid defense,” Rardin said in an e-mail.

Rardin said the keys include limiting big plays and controlling the ball on offense.

Senior RB-LB Cameron Ontko, junior QB Connor Cook, senior WR-DB Dylan Ford, senior OL-DL Zach Durant and junior TE-DL Reed Remington are among those who have played well recently.

You’re hearing the term “trap game” more these days. It refers to a team that is favored to win overlooking a particular (underdog) team to get ready for a big game the following week.

In the case of St. Vincent-St. Mary (4-1), ranked No. 5 in this week’s Associated Press Division III state poll, could this be a trap game this week?

The Irish will play at Canton Central Catholic (2-3). St. V-M has consecutive big games after the CCC game and they are against rival Walsh Jesuit (3-2) and perennial power Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (5-0), which is the state’s No. 1 team in Division III.

But you have to know that CCC doesn’t feel like the underdog, especially playing at home and the Crusaders have nothing but upset on their minds.

Here’s my thoughts on high school football now that we are at the halfway point of the season.

*I was disappointed that only 2,500 people came out to the first City Series game at InfoCision Stadium at Summa Field, though North and Kenmore aren’t big schools. Still, I would bet that crowd was two or three times bigger than it might have been at the Rubber Bowl.

*I will say this after seeing North, Kenmore, Buchtel and Ellet – there is a lot of talent in the City Series. The key for the future of the football in Akron is to get more kids to come out for these teams. The other thing coaches need is for the players to get into better shape, though with a bad economy and kids from poorer families it is sometimes impossible for them to have the time to get to the weight room in the off-season. 

*Ricky Powers is doing a nice job rebuilding the Buchtel program, which was nearly destroyed by former Claude Brown because of his conviction involving a Buchtel female student. Powers, an alumni and former Michigan star running back, is trying to bring discipline to the program, teach younger volunteer coaches what needs to be done and get the community more involved.

*Circle the Week 8 game Oct. 16 in the River Division of the NOC with Twinsburg at Hudson will be for all the marbles – a division title and tons of computer points. Both schools are in Division I, Region 2; the Tigers are fifth and Hudson seventh, according to the JoeEitel.com website.

*Who would have thought Springfield would have four wins in five games and Green would be 0-5?  Bulldog coach Tom Stacy  is drawing a lot of fire both for having too tough a schedule and, obviously, the team’s record.

*It seems that the most balanced conference this year is the Suburban League, which few fans realize has for 20 years been putting as many, if not more, teams in the playoffs each season.

Besides the red hot Wadsworth team, Barberton, Cloverleaf, Copley, Revere and Highland have comparable talent, which makes this league so hard to predict. Only Tallmadge and Green seems out of both the league title and playoff contender.

Suddenly Friday’s gane with Wadsworth (5-0) at Copley (4-1) has a lot riding on it.

*How much will Walsh Jesuit be hurt by have this week off? Yes, the Warriors will get an average of their weekly points for this week, but they will lose their playing edge going into the Oct. 9 rivalry game witth visiting St. Vincent-St. Mary. Walsh is 3-2 and 1oth in Division II, Region 5.

Walsh Jesuit senior Johnny Fasola, 17, has made an oral commitment to continue his academic and baseball career with Kansas State University.

Fasola, a Hudson resident, is 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds. He will be entering his fourth year as a Walsh starter as a third baseman and right-handed pitcher.

As a sophomore, he had a .354 batting average with four home runs and 26 RBI to help the Warriors win the 2008 Division II state championship. He was named Honorable Mention for the All-Cuyahoga River Baseball Conference (CRBC).

As a junior, he batted .392 with seven home runs and 25 RBI to help the Warriors to a Division II state runner-up in 2009. He also compiled an ERA of 1.40 as the team’s closer, with one save and 26 strikeouts in only 15 innings pitched. He was named first-team All-Ohio and first-team All-CRBC.

“Johnny Fasola is simply one of the finest all-around talents we have had come through the program,” Walsh coach Chris Kaczmar. “He is a fierce competitor on the mound, in the box, and with his glove while simultaneously having a great demeanor and sense of humor — making him wonderful to be around on and off the field. Johnny is highly versatile and bright, and he is a gamer.

“He also comes from a very special family is a tremendously caring young man who has truly been a close friend. As good of a baseball player as he is for Walsh Jesuit — and as projectable as he is for the next level at KSU — I’ll miss him most outside the lines after he moves on.”

When Fasola signs a National Letter of Intent in November, he will become the first
player in Walsh Jesuit baseball history to advance to the Big 12 Conference, the third member of the Class of 2010 to advance to collegiate baseball, and the 37th Walsh Jesuit baseball player in the last 14 years to advance to the Division I level.

The 2009 Walsh team was ranked nationally as high as No. 11 in the USAToday Super 25 and earned national rankings from nearly every major baseball publication, including Baseball America, ESPN Rise, Collegiate Baseball, and Perfect Game CrossChecker.

A few weeks ago, the Buchtel Griffins played against Wheeling Central Catholic and the Griffins defeated the Maroon Knights 50-17 in the inaugural game of the Wheeling Hospital’s Rally in the Valley, which featured 10 teams from three states.

But Buchtel coach Ricky Powers said the team and coaching staff got more than just a win.

“It would help any City Series school to get away and experience something like that,” said Powers, whose team is 2-2. The Griffins will host City Series opponent Ellet (1-3) Saturday at noon.

“It was such a positive mindset, with the kids getting chance to stay together in a hotel and to just get away as a team. But to be honest, Walsh was there because they played in the tournament, too, and we all hung out and talked. it was nice to see that.”

Meanwhile, Powers praised senior running back John Powers for the eay he has been playing and leading the team. Coleman has 358 yards, rushing for more than 100 yards in three games. He missed the game against Warren Harding because of back spasms.

“John is our team captain and he does everything we ask,” Powers said. “He makes the big plays, he leads the team and he basically does it all.”