Woodridge senior left hander Nick Jones and his teammates earned some ink a few weeks back. It seems now they are living up to the hype. Jones pitched a perfect game Monday in an 8-0 route of Streestboro.

 He struck out 13 hitters as he faced the bare minimum (21). The win was the Bulldogs third of the season (3-0) and allowed them to open the Portage Trail Conference County Division schedule on a winning note.

The Bulldogs are now 4-0 after beating Streetsboro again 6-1 Tuesday.

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.

Woodridge High School had an impressive baseball season last year as they finished 27-3 behind the hard work of five key juniors. Although they are currently preparing for another run as seniors this season, they are already making choices for their futures.

Outfielder/pitcher Nick Jones earned All Ohio Division III honors last year after leading the Bulldogs with a .478 batting average. The lefthander also holds school season records for batting average, runs scored, hits, doubles, extra base hits and on base percentage. Next year he will be suiting up for Savannah College.

Also making college choices were Joe Lewandowski (Ohio Dominican) and Dave Krusinksi (Walsh University). Both players hit near .400 while driving in over 30 RBI last season for the Bulldogs.

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.

Here is a preseason look at Portage Trail Conference County Division football for the 2007 season. In this post, you will find players (and any all-star recognition they received in the league last season) to watch from each team and my predictions for the upcoming season.

MOGADORE (11-3 overall, 6-1 in the PTC County last season; PTC County co-champs)

Top players: Senior RB-LB Cody Destro (first-team PTC County offense, second-team All-Ohio and first-team all-district in Division VI), senior Sean Holland (second-team defense).

GARRETTSVILLE (7-3, 6-1; PTC County co-champs)

Top players: Senior OL-LB Chris Taylor (first-team offense), junior OL-WR-K Caleb Schwan (first-team special teams), senior WR-DB Kenny Vanek (second-team offense), senior WR-OL Kyle Hartman (second-team offense), junior John Hartman (second-team defense), senior RB-LB Brad Mast (second-team defense).

WINDHAM (7-4, 5-2)

Top players: Sophomore RB-WR-DB Jay Lugo (honorable-mention PTC), junior Kyle Cooper (honorable-mention PTC).

STREETSBORO (5-5, 5-2)

Top players: Junior RB-WR-DB Cory Lanterman (first-team offense), junior DB-WR Mike Edwards (first-team defense), senior John Cushman (second-team offense), senior Doug Tackett (second-team defense).

WOODRIDGE (3-7, 3-4)

Top players: Senior DL-OL Andy Jenkins (first-team defense), senior QB-DB Dave Krusinski (second-team offense), senior WR-DB Josh Jones (second-team offense).

ROOTSTOWN (2-8, 2-5)

Top players: Senior RB Corey Devitt (first-team offense), senior DL-OL Joe Farrah (second-team defense).

EAST CANTON (1-9, 1-6)

Top player: Senior RB Mike Wheeler (second-team offense).

WATERLOO (0-10, 0-7)

Top player: Senior Joe Adelman (honorable-mention PTC).

Here are my 2007 preseason predictions for the PTC County Division.

1. Mogadore

2. Garrettsville

3. Windham

4. Woodridge

5. Streetsboro

6. Rootstown

7. East Canton

8. Waterloo

Here is my explanation for my picks: I expect the top three teams from last season to finish in the same order again. I think defending co-champs Mogadore and Garrettsville could easily tie for first again. But if I had to pick one over the other, I give the slight edge to Mogadore because it’s running back Cody Destro’s senior season, and I think Wildcats coach Matt Adorni will get the most out of Destro in his last high school season. I also think the bottom three teams from last season will finish in the bottom three again. The only difference I’m predicting from last year, is Woodridge’s improvement. I think the Bulldogs will finish fourth and have an outside chance of sneaking into third. There is a lot of buzz around the league about Woodridge senior quarterback Dave Krusinski and the Bulldogs senior class.

Let me know what you think. How do you think the teams will finish in the PTC County Division?

Division III

Where: Ed Sandy Field at Elida Middle School.

Schedule: Canton Central Catholic (24-5) vs. New London (22-3), 2 p.m. Thursday; Defiance Ayersville (19-5) vs. Bloomdale Elmwood (23-6), 5 p.m. Thursday.

Outlook: Junior Grant McCoury had a double, a triple and two RBI, and junior Rob Hoagland had two singles and a double to lead Canton Central Catholic to its second consecutive district title with a 10-6 win over St. Thomas Aquinas. New London beat defending district champion Elmore Woodmore 7-5 in its district final.

Where: Carl ‘‘Ducky’’ Schroeder Field at Massillon High School.

Schedule: LaGrange Keystone (22-6) vs. Burton Berkshire (18-9), 2 p.m. Thursday; Youngstown Ursuline (20-4) vs. Woodridge (26-2), 5 p.m. Thursday.

Outlook: Junior Jordan Wilhite (8-1) pitched a two-hit shutout to lead Woodridge to its second consecutive district title with a 10-0 win over East Palestine. Senior Fred Guerra had two singles, a triple and three RBI, and junior Joe Lewandowksi had two doubles and three RBI for the Bulldogs in their district final. Youngstown Ursuline was a state runner-up last season.

Note: Regional finals are at 2 p.m. Friday