Once again, the City Series hosted its annual football media day, with lunch sponsored by the Akron Education Association, and for the second-straight year the event was entertaining mainly because it’s the second year that the league is somewhat wide open.

Last year, Firestone won the City championship, led by head coach Tim Flossie, and the Falcons are conisdered one of the favorites again this year, along with Garfield. Joe Howard, the program director for Akron Public Schools athletics said it best: “In the past, you could pretty much figure out who was going to win a game in the City in just the first few minutes. But last year was different. There were several games where you didn’t know who was going to win until the last few minutes”

Then, Howard added this poignant nugget, “But that was last year and last year is over. It’s a new year and a new season.”

Other interesting notes and comments from the luncheon-

* Buchtel second-year coach Ricky Powers and Kenmore first-year coach Tom McKinnon were reunited for the first time since the early ’90s. Powers was a standout running back at Michigan and McKinnon, a Hoban graduate, was a standout lineman at Indiana, so they battled against each other during Big-Ten play.

During the luncheaon, Powers was the first coach to speak and one of the first things Powers made sure he did was welcome McKinnon into the City Series head coaching ranks. At the same time, McKinnon made sure to acknowledge Powers. “It’s good to see Ricky because the last time I saw him was in 1992 at (Indiana’s) Memorial Stadium.”

* Garfield coach Bob Sax is proud of the fact that he has a lot of kids out this year, which includes 52 upperclassmen and 22 sophomores. Ellet coach Joe Yost, the Dean of City Series football, who is heading into his 30th season, couldn’t wait to heckle Sax about his depth. “Can we borrow some helmets,” Yost jokingly said.

* City teams have their two-game preseason schedules set and here are the opponents:

Buchtel- Warrensville Heights and Austintown Fitch

East- Tallmadge and Warrensville Heights

Ellet- Kent Roosevelt and Barberton

Firestone- Hoban and Wadsworth

Garfield- Mansfield Madison and Northwest

Kenmore- Coventry and East Palestine

North- St. Thomas Aquinas and Norwayne.

Three seniors on the Walsh Jesuit High School football team recently made college commitments, Warriors coach Gerry Rardin said.

Offensive tackles Pat McShane, Brian Smith and defensive back/running back/wide receiver Armand Dehaney will continue their academic and athletic careers at Division I colleges.

McShane, 6-foot-8 and 290-pounds, is headed to Indiana University.

Smith, 6-foot-6 and 288 pounds, has selected Northwestern University.

Dehaney, 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, is bound for Ball State University.

McShane started for the Warriors last season and Smith played mostly as a reserve.

“To have two kids on the same team going to Big Ten schools is really special,” Rardin said of McShane and Smith. “I don’t think it has ever happened here. That is really amazing. Both kids are gifted athletes and have the size that is needed. Both are extremely hard workers and both have very good feet and are tough kids.”

Rardin said McShane will probably stay at tackle at Indiana and that Smith might move to guard or center at Northwestern.

Dehaney also started for the Warriors last season and played a variety of roles.

“Armand is just a pure football player,” Rardin said. “He is undersized, but he is instinctive and so strong. He is so versatile and he runs very well. When the coaches at Ball State saw him on film they felt he is a tough football player that could make a positive impact.”

Rardin said Dehaney will probably mostly play defensive back at Ball State.

- Michael Beaven

A trio of 2008 Walsh Jesuit High School graduates are continuing their academic and football careers this fall as offensive linemen, Warriors coach Gerry Rardin said.

Andrew Illig will play at Miami (OH) University, Chris Ciraldo is set to play at Ashland University and Chi-Chi Ibe will suit up for Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

-Michael Beaven

Archbishop Hoban is seeking a head varsity baseball coach for the 2008-2009 school year, athletic director Sean Quinn said.

Hoban elected to not renew the contract of Scott Koenig, who recently completed his first season as the Knights coach and compiled a 15-10 record.

“I was thankful for the opportunity to get one season under my belt,” said Koenig who played baseball at Nordonia and was an assistant coach at Firestone. “It was a great learning experience. I am sad because I wanted to get something going there.”

Koenig said that Quinn gave him “no specific reason” for not retaining him.

“I have had several parents call me on the phone and say they were shocked to hear I was let go after one season,” Koenig said. “They thought I got a raw deal.”

When asked why Koenig was not being brought back, Quinn said: “I’m not going to comment on that.”

Koenig, who is the president of Titan Transportation in Akron, said he is not planning on coaching next season.

“If something else comes up I will look into it, but right now I am going to dedicate my time to other things,” Koenig said. “I don’t want to put myself through all this again.”

Quinn said interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to the high school at 1 Holy Cross Blvd., Akron, OH, 44306.

- Michael Beaven

Fairless high School stand out Jordan Jennings will continue his basketball career at Ashland University this fall. The 5-10, 150 pound Jennings won the PAC-7 player of the year award twice at Fairless and was first team All-Stark County. Jennings may be best known for scoring a school record 54 points against Canton Timken last year. He also holds school records for assist in a game (15) and 3-point field goals in a game (10). Jennings will join former North Canton Hoover standout Bret Wackerly on the Eagles roster.

Wadsworth High School graduate Brett Cline has committed to attend Mount Union College this fall and play on the baseball team.
 
Cline was a three-year letterman as an outfielder at Wadsworth and plans to study Psychology at Mount Union.

Walsh Jesuit left-handed pitcher David Starn, 18, has made a commitment to continue his academic and baseball career at Kent State University.

Starn, 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, was a three-year lettermen for Walsh Jesuit and helped the Warriors win Division II state titles in 2006 and 2008. He earned wins in both the state semifinal and final games and allowed no runs — earned or unearned — during the entire 2008 state tournament.

Starn compiled a 10-1 record this season and had a 1.60 ERA in 57 innings pitched. He struck out 68 and held opponents to a .167 batting average when he pitched.

“David Starn has truly been a tremendous brother to his teammates and a son to the staff for four
years,” Walsh Jesuit head baseball coach Chris Kaczmar said in a press release. “I couldn’t be more proud of what David has accomplished during this time in terms of his commitment to the team, to the game of baseball, and to his family — both at home and at Walsh Jesuit.”

Starn’s win total in 2008 is the second most during a single-season in Walsh Jesuit baseball history. Patrick O’Brien went 11-1 and helped the Warriors win the 1999 Division II state championship prior to playing in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system. Chad Rodgers (Atlanta Braves minor leaguer) and Bobby Simone (University of Akron) are also high on that list after excellent 2006 seasons.

Starn, a Hudson native, is undecided on his major at Kent State. He earned first-team Cuyahoga River Valley Conference honors and the ESPN Pitcher of the Week award after the state tournament. He was also named Walsh Jesuit’s pitcher of the year for 2008 and shared the team’s MVP honors.

“He is an extremely talented player who combines an infectious smile with a strong and accurate arm, a smooth delivery, pinpoint accuracy, and a perfect balance of competitiveness, intensity and composure,” Kacamar said. “Above all, David is a fine young man who will have a place in our history books and our hearts forever.”

Starn is the sixth member of Walsh Jesuit’s class of 2008 to commit to play collegiate baseball and the 32nd Walsh Jesuit baseball player in the past 13 years to advance to the NCAA Division I level. Warriors 2008 seniors Ross Brunello and Brannon Belair are also headed to Kent State to play baseball.

Romeo Travis and Dru Joyce III were selected to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2008 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Travis and Joyce were each standout players at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School and The University of Akron. The tandem were high school teammates of current Cavaliers star LeBron James, who will play for USA in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

Travis, the 2007 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, played on the Cavaliers Summer Team last season.

Travis and Joyce were professional teammates this past season in Germany on Ratiopharm Ulm in the Bundesliga League after Travis briefly played for Alerta Cantabria and Ciudad de Huelva in Spain.

Joyce played 34 games for Ulm and averaged 9.5 points and 4.4 assists in about 26 minutes per game. Travis played 10 games for Ulm and averaged 10.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in about 23 minutes per game.

Former Cavalier Robert “Tractor” Traylor is also on the Summer League team with current Cavalier roster players Lance Allred and Billy Thomas and rookies J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson.

Here is a link to the Cavaliers website with schedule and roster information: http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/summer_league_080708.html

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.