Ohio High All-Ohio Football and Fall Sports POYs

PrintingMiami Valley Sports Magazine (MVP)

miamivalleysports.com

PhotographyStephanie Porter, Gary Housteau,

Nick Falzerano, Joe Maiorana, Jim Rinaldi,Scott Grau, Jim Metzendorf, Os Figuero,

Ben Barnes

ContributorsMatt Natali, Jeff Williams, Kurt Stubbs,

Tom Jenkins, Brad Morris, Shayne Combs

Staff WritersKirk Larrabee, Steve Helwagen,

Dave Biddle

Recruiting EditorsMark Porter, Bill Kurelic

Managing EditorEric Frantz

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Ohio High Magazine is published online nine times a yearand also produces an online and hard copy issue in July(Football Preview/Year in Review). Ohio High is an inde-pendent source of news and features relating to Ohio highschool sports. Ohio High strives to report informationbased on fact, but assumes no responsability for any inac-curacies that may appear. Ohio High is not authorized,sponsored or sanctioned by any university, athletic confer-ence or athletic governing body. Subscriptions are avail-able and may be purchased online at jjhuddle.com.Copyright 2009, Ohio HighMagazine andMVPMagazine, LLC.

All rights reserved.COVER PHOTOS: NICK FALZERANO (St. Paul); ERICFRANTZ (Marion Local)

c

Volume 7 Issue 5

JJHuddle.com

We revisit another successful Stark County campaignthat saw 23 records fall and six champions crowned.

State Football Recap13

Ohio High’s photographers offer up their favorite shotsfrom the state football championships.

State Football In Pictures15

An expert panel selects Ohio’s top players regardless ofdivision, including the Overall, Offensive and DefensivePlayers of the year and Coach of the Year.

Ohio High’s All-Ohio Team6Photo by Nick Falzerano

Lakota West senior LB

Jordan Hicks is a first team

Ohio High All-Ohio selection.

Who else is? See Page 6.

Huntington Bank/Ohio High POY honors areannounced for all Fall Sports...who won? Surprises?

Fall Sports Players of the Year32

Who won what (championships) during the 2009 fallsports season - and how.

Fall Sports State Tournaments34

http://www.jjhuddle.com/uploads/OHFB_AllOhio09.pdf

J JHUDDLE .COM6 JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

Ohio High ’s Al l -Ohio Team

Ohio HighPLAYER OF THE

YEARBraylon Heard, Sr.RB/DB, YoungstownCardinal Mooney

The work horse for a teamthat won the seventh statetitle in school history, Heardrushed for 1,978 yards and34 TDs this season on 213carries. He also caught twoTD passes. In the D-III statetitle game, Heard ran fortwo TDs, threw for anotherand had an interception.He’s headed to WestVirginia.

OOhhiioo HHiigghh PPllaayyeerr OOff TThhee YYeeaarr WWiinnnneerrss22000033:: Ted Ginn Jr., Cleveland Glenville22000044:: Tyrell Sutton, Akron Hoban22000055:: Ross Homan, Coldwater22000066:: Brandon Saine, Piqua22000077:: Danny McCarthy, Cardinal Mooney22000088:: Erick Howard, North Canton Hoover22000099:: Braylon Heard, Cardinal Mooney

J JHUDDLE .COM 7JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

Ohio High

Bob Lutz, IrontonLutz became the state’s all-

time winningest coach,passing Hamilton Badin’sTerry Malone, when henotched his 361st win onOct. 23 as Ironton beatNelsonville-York 32-12. Lutz,who has led the Tigers for40 years, is now 364-85-5 inhis career. Ironton finished10-3 this year and earned its27th playoff berth. Lutz hasled Ironton to eight statefinals and two state titles.

COACH OF THEYEAR

STORY BY ER IC FRANTZ Ohio H igh ’s A l l -Ohio Team

BestThe

TThhee AAllll--OOhhiioo tteeaamm wwaass sseelleecctteedd bbyy::Eric Frantz, Managing Editor, JJHuddle.com Steve Helwagen, Managing Editor, Bucknuts.comBill Kurelic, Recruiting Analyst, Bucknuts.comMark Porter, Director, ScoutingOhio.comGary Housteau, Writer/Photog, JJHuddle/Bucknuts

Photo by Gary Housteau


Ohio H igh ’s A l l -Ohio Team

OFFENSIVEPLAYER OF THE

YEARKeith Wenning, Sr, QB,

ColdwaterBBaallll SSttaattee rreeccrruuiitt ccoommpplleetteedd

nneeaarrllyy 7700--ppeerrcceenntt ooff hhiissppaasssseess ((229944--ooff--442244)) aannddccaappppeedd aa rruunn ttoo tthhee DD--VVssttaattee ffiinnaall bbyy sseettttiinngg sscchhoooollrreeccoorrddss ffoorr ppaassssiinngg yyaarrddss iinnaa sseeaassoonn ((33,,662299)) aanndd TTDDss((4400)).. HHee aallssoo rruusshheedd ffoorr 995522yyaarrddss aanndd 1122 TTDDss.. FFuunnnnyy,,bbuutt NNoo.. 55 aallmmoosstt aaccccoouunntteeddffoorr 55,,000000 yyaarrddss.. HHee ddiiddaaccccoouunntt ffoorr oovveerr 5500 TTDDss((iinncclluuddiinngg oonnee rreecceeiivviinngg)).. AAssaa ppuunntteerr,, WWeennnniinngg aavveerr--aaggeedd 3388..55 yyaarrddss.. HHee wwaassaallssoo tthhee ppllaaccee kkiicckkeerr aannddppllaayyeedd ssaaffeettyy..

Photo by Nick Falzerano



QQBB:: KKeeiitthh WWeennnniinngg,, SSrr..,, CCoollddwwaatteerr:: See previous page.RRBB:: BBrraayylloonn HHeeaarrdd,, SSrr..,, YYoouunnggssttoowwnn MMoooonneeyy:: See Page 6RRBB:: TTaavviioonn WWrriigghhtt,, SSrr..,, DDaayyttoonn TThhuurrggoooodd MMaarrsshhaallll:: Talk about stats, Wright rushed for 2,245 yards and 32

TDs in 10 games and averaged over 17.5 yards per carry.RRBB:: EErriicckk HHoowwaarrdd,, SSrr..,, NNoorrtthh CCaannttoonn HHoooovveerr:: Two-time AP Mr. Football winner became Stark County’s career

leader in rushing, scoring and touchdowns this season. He rushed for 2,056 yards on 337 carries and scored27 touchdowns.WWRR:: HHeeaatthh JJaacckkssoonn,, SSrr..,, AAddaa:: The Bowling Green recruit was the state’s leading receiver through five games

before being thrust into the starting QB role due to an injury to starter Mitchell Faine. Jackson’s numbers areridiculous. As a receiver he caught 46 passes for 781 yards and seven TDs. As a QB he completed 121-of-208attempts for 2,130 yards and 19 TDs. He also rushed 154 times for 892 yards and 21 TDs. Just for goodmeasure, Jackson had 83 tackles and six interceptions on defense.WWRR:: TTyyrroonnee WWiilllliiaammss,, SSrr..,, EEaasstt CClleevveellaanndd SShhaaww:: Ohio State recruit caught 29 passes for over 600 yards and

11 TDs.WWRR:: DDeevvoonn SSmmiitthh,, JJrr.. MMaassssiilllloonn WWaasshhiinnggttoonn:: Smith caught a team-leading 50 passes for 989 and 15 touch-

downs.TTEE:: AAlleexx WWeellcchh,, SSrr..,, EEllddeerr:: Notre Dame recruit caught 43 passes for over 600 yards and five TDs.OOLL:: AAnnddrreeww DDoonnnnaall,, SSrr..,, WWhhiitteehhoouussee AAnntthhoonnyy WWaayynnee:: Iowa recruit and dominating blocker had over 20

scholarship offers.OOLL:: MMaatttt JJaammeess,, SSrr..,, CCiinncciinnnnaattii SStt.. XXaavviieerr:: Regarded as one of the top OL recruits in the country, James has

narrowed his college choices to Ohio State, Florida, Notre Dame and Cincinnati.OOLL:: AAnnddrreeww NNoorrwweellll,, SSrr..,, AAnnddeerrssoonn:: Despite only playing in the first four

games before suffering a season-ending leg injury, Norwell is worthy of hisspot on this team. He is that dominant. He’s headed to Ohio State.OOLL:: CChhrriissttiiaann PPaaccee,, SSrr..,, AAvvoonn LLaakkee:: Michigan recruit graded out at over 90-

percent this year and did not allow a sack.OOLL:: TTrraavviiss JJaacckkssoonn,, SSrr..,, CCoolluummbbuuss DDeeSSaalleess:: A huge force on defense,

Jackson excelled as a two-way star. Projected as an OL in college, that’swhy he’s listed on that side of the ball here. Will suit up for MichiganState next year.KK:: CCaarreeyy SSppeeaarr,, SSrr..,, MMaayyffiieelldd:: Senior soccer player/football star, tied the

state record with a 61-yard field goal in a playoff loss to Solon. On theseason he made 33-of-36 PATs and 13 of 21 field goals, including eightover 41 yards (and one from 54). Of his 66 kickoffs, 45 were touch-backs.

2009 ALL-OHIOFIRST TEAM

North

Canton

Hoover’s

Erick

Howard

OFFENSE



DEFENSIVEPLAYER OF THE

YEARJordan Hicks, Sr. LB,

Lakota West

The national prep ButkusAward winner tallied 95tackles (65 solo) and 13 TFL.Hicks has narrowed his col-lege choices to Ohio State,Texas, Florida, Alabama andUSC. Yeah...he’s that good.




DDLL:: DDaarrrryyll BBaallddwwiinn,, SSrr..,, SSoolloonn:: Ohio State recruit had 63 tackles (31 solo) and 25 tackles-for-loss. DDLL:: JJiibbrreeeell BBllaacckk,, WWyyoommiinngg:: Cincinnati recruit had over 50 tackles, including 10 sacks.DDLL:: JJ..TT.. MMoooorree,, SSrr..,, YYoouunnggssttoowwnn BBooaarrddmmaann:: Ohio State recruit registered 110 tackles, nine sacks, seven TFL

and two fumble recoveries.DDLL:: JJaayyrroonnee EElllliiootttt,, SSrr..,, GGlleennvviillllee:: A force off the edge, Elliott made 92 tackles, including 17 sacks. IN state

championship he had nine tackles, two TFL and a forced fumble.LLBB:: ZZaacckk SShhaaww,, JJrr..,, CCoosshhooccttoonn:: The Redskins defensive leader had 228 tackles, including 156 solo, and had

four games of 20 tackles or more. He also had eight interceptions and forced three fumbles.LLBB:: JJoorrddaann HHiicckkss,, SSrr..,, LLaakkoottaa WWeesstt:: See previous page.LLBB:: JJaakkee RRyyaann,, SSrr..,, SStt.. IIggnnaattiiuuss:: Leader of the Wildcats' defense tallied 53 solo tackles, 36 assists, nine quar-

terback sacks, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions.LLBB:: TTrreeyy DDeePPrriieesstt,, JJrr..,, SSpprriinnggffiieelldd:: Highly recruited underclassmen (offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Virginia

Tech and others) had 101 tackles, seven sacks and three fumble recoveries. He also rushed for 812 yards,caught 13 passes for 202 yards and scored 13 TDs. DePriest also handled kicking duties (place-kicking andpunting) for the Wildcats.DDBB:: CCoouurrttnneeyy AAvveerryy,, SSrr..,, LLeexxiinnggttoonn:: Arguably the state’s best overall athlete,

Avery, who is headed to Michigan, doubled as a safety and QB (26 TDs) thisyear.DDBB:: CChhrriissttiiaann BBrryyaanntt,, SSrr..,, GGlleennvviillllee:: Versatile player (also starred on

offense and special teams) had 84 tackles and has fourinterceptions. College choices narrowed down to OhioState, Michigan State and North Carolina.DDBB:: LLaattwwaann AAnnddeerrssoonn,, SSrr..,, GGlleennvviillllee:: The standout

back had eight interceptions this season, including fourin a key postseason win over defending state championCleveland St. Ignatius. Narrowed his college choicesdown to Ohio State, West Virginia, Michigan State,Tennessee, Cincinnati and North Carolina.DDBB:: BBoo GGrruunnddeerr,, SSrr..,, MMaassssiilllloonn WWaasshhiinnggttoonn::

Wrecking ball led his team in tackles (121), intercep-tions (nine) and fumble recoveries (four). He has offersfrom Air Force and Eastern Michigan.PP:: JJaammeess FFoorrssyytthhee,, CCaannttoonn MMccKKiinnlleeyy:: Senior averaged

40 yards a punt with a season long of 52. Six of hispunts were downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

2009 ALL-OHIOFIRST TEAM DEFENSE

Glenville’s

Christian

Bryant



QQBB:: Patrick Angle, Sr., Logan; Dominique Brown, Sr., Winton Woods; Mark Myers, Sr., St. Ignatius;Andrew Hendrix, Sr., Moeller; Maty Mauk, So., Kenton; Jake Trubiano, Sr., Davidson; Dwight Macon, Sr.,Steubenville; Verlon Reed, Cols. Marion Franklin; Eric Schwieterman, Sr., Norwalk St. Paul; Spencer Ware,Sr., Princeton; Kyle Seyfried, Sr., Wyoming; Marcus Fuller, Jr., Ashland; Tyler Brause, Sr., Bucyrus Wynford;Shaq Washington, Sr., Maple Heights; Marcus Mamarella, sr., Dover: Clay Cameron, Sr., Dresden Tri-ValleyRRBB:: Antwan Gilbert, Jr., Trotwood-Madison; Devon Clodfelter, Sr., Columbus Independence; Jayshan

Jackson, Sr., Westerville South; Allen Jones, Sr., Youngstown Ursuline; Andrew Givens, Sr., Hubbard; JakeConrad, Sr., West Lafayette Ridgewood; Justin Buenger, sr., Hamler Patrick Henry; Marcus Johnston, Sr.,Coshocton; Akise Teague, Jr. Youngstown Ursuline; Jordan Leininger, Jr., Delphos St. John’s; DanPennington, Sr., Licking Heights; Charles Gresham, Sr., Heath; Will McEwen, Sr., New Philadelphia;Jeremiah Goins, Sr., Winton Woods; Kyle Slater, Sr., AndersonWWRR:: Chase Cochran, Sr., Lebanon; Max Morrison, Jr., Kenton; Shane Wynn, Sr., Glenville; Jerald

Robinson, Sr., Canton South; Lance Fanthrop, Sr., Little Miami; Adam Rammel, Sr., Coldwater; DerekBilling, Sr., AnnaTTEE:: Alex Smith, Sr., Lakota West; Dan Schneider, Sr., Avon LakeOOLL:: Skylar Schofner, Sr., Sunbury Big Walnut; Matthew Rotheram, Sr., North Olmstead: Michael Dennis,

Sr., Carey; Isaiah Byler, Sr., Elyria; Eric Franklin, Sr., Youngstown Moonet DDLL:: Kenny Hayes, Jr., Toledo Whitmer; Steve Miller, Sr., Canton McKinley; Derrick Bryant, Sr., Brookhaven;

Pat Behm, Sr., Chagrin Falls Kenston; Terry Talbott, Sr., Wayne; Josh Davis, Sr., Jonathan AlderLLBB:: Hunter Potts, Sr., Louisville; Marcus Rush, Sr., Cincinnati Moeller; Scott McVey, Sr., St. Ignatius; Chi Chi

Ariguzo, Sr. Columbus DeSales; Cameron Ontko, Sr., Walsh Jesuit; Jewone Snow, Sr., Canton McKinley; JoeRibiero, Jr. Mentor lake Catholic; Shaq Petteway, Jr., Steubenville; Bobby Winkelman, Sr., Chagrin Falls;Brett Pasche, Sr., Findlay Liberty-Benton; Chris Pohlman, Jr., Delphos St. John’s; Nolan Plate, Sr., Alter; TylerArigoni, Sr., Union Local; Mark Fackler, Sr., KentonDDBB:: Bobby Swigert, Sr., Louisville; Doran Grant, Sr., Akron SVSM; Adam Griffin, Sr., Columbus DeSales;

Cody Byers, Sr., Alter; Nathan Carpenter, Sr., Lancaster; Bobby Spence, Sr., Buckeye Local; Ray Vinopal, Sr.,Youngstown MooneyPP:: Pat Dyer, Sr., Toledo St. FrancisKK:: Tony Miliano, Sr., Elder; Drew Basil, Sr., Chillicothe; Kyle Clinton, Sr., Dublin Coffman; Eric Schaible, Sr.,

Findlay; Trevor Ragan, Sr., BoardmanCCooaacchh:: John Reed, Coldwater; Brian White, Hilliard Davidson; John Livengood, Norwalk St. Paul; Tim

Goodwin, Maria Stein Marion Local

2009 ALL-OHIO

SPECIAL MENTION


State Footbal l : POYs , S tats & Studs

lthough Coldwater and Mother Nature put some zip in the air,no one else did during state football finals weekend in StarkCounty. Not even close.Coldwater’s Keith Wenning, who threw for 414 yards, was

the only QB to throw for over 214 yards. Instead, most teamsrelied heavily on the run.

Consider:- Hilliard Davidson threw two passes and completed none in the D-I

final- Winton Woods threw the ball twice in the D-II final- Youngstown Mooney attempted four passes in the D-III final- Kettering Alter threw the ball four times in the D-IV finalAnd what else do those four have in common? They all won state

championships.Even in defeat, Columbus DeSales threw just seven times and

Delphos St. John’s just eight, in the D-III and VI finals, respectively.“If people want to see us throw the ball, they should get to the games

about an hour early,” Alter head coach Ed Domsitz joked. “We throw theball all over the place. I’ve got two quarterbacks and they probably throw40 passes apiece 40 minutes before the ballgame. And our receiversmake great catches too.”

BIG DOGSJJHuddle Offensive Player of the FinalsJake Trubiano, Hilliard Davidson: The senior QB rushed for 196 yards

on 18 carries and scored the winning two-point conversion with 1:04 leftin the Wildcats 16-15 win over Glenville in the D-I state championship.Trubiano set up the winning score by rushing for 73 yards on the finaldrive’s first play.JJHuddle Defensive Player of the FinalsThomas Armstrong, Alter: The senior DB registered eight tackles

(five solo), 2.5 TFL, two sacks and returned an interception for a TD inthe Knights 37-7 win over Chagrin Falls in D-IV.JJHuddle Special Teams Players of the FinalsThe Bergfeld Brothers, Delphos St. John’s: Although they didn’t win

the state title, the Bergfeld brothers – junior Tyler and sophomore Jordan– kept the Blue Jays in the D-VI game until the final snap. Tyler set upone DSJ score with an 89-yard punt return, while Jordan returned a kick-off 86 yards for a TD in the Blue Jays 24-21 loss to Norwalk St. Paul.

ALSO IN THE RUNNINGKeith Wenning, Coldwater: The senior QB went off by completing

40-of-55 passes for 414 yards in the D-V final. All three marks are D-Vstate final records. The Cavaliers however lost 55-25 to YoungstownUrsuline. Wenning threw for three TDs and ran for another.Dominique Brown, Winton Woods: Senior QB exploded for four

TDs and 172 yards on 20 carries in a 42-12 win over Maple Heights inD-II. He also threw for a TD.Braylon Heard, Youngstown Mooney: Senior RB rushed for 178

yards and two TDs on 28 carries in the Cardinals 35-7 win overColumbus DeSales in D-II. He also threw for a TD and had an intercep-tion on defense.Eric Schwieterman, Norwalk St. Paul: The senior QB led the Flyers

to the D-VI state title by scoring the game-winning TD on a 1-yard runwith five seconds left. For the game, a 24-21 win over Delphos St.John’s, Schwieterman completed 8-of-13 passes for 187 yards andrushed for 147 yards and three TDs on 30 carries.

STATE NOTESKW32: Much has been made of the continued battle facing Medina

Highland senior Kory Wiita who suffered a spinal injury in Week 10. Andrightfully so. Wiita continues to fight at the MetroHealth Medical Center inCleveland where he’s recently started physical therapy.Wiita was on everyone’s mind during finals weekend. Every team

showed support by either wearing helmets stickers (i.e. Mooney) or writ-ing “KW32” somewhere on their uniforms.

When asked why he would do this, Alter senior RB Cody Taulbeeexplained he always wore specific initials on his left arm, but the ones onhis right arm this week…

“I knew this game was going to be broadcast on TV,” Taulbee said. “Ialways wear my great grandma’s name on my left arm – you knowsomething that is important to me. I thought it might be a motivationalthing for (Kory) if he was watching this game or someone from his familywas and saw that.

“We’re all praying for him and we all have his back.”Wiita’s father, Dan, maintains a journal on Kory’s status on a

CaringBridge website. His entry on Saturday at 10: 38 p.m. started outwith: “I watch these State Finals football games and I am just amazed.Six games, 12 teams, and they all have KW32 stickers on. I can'tbelieve it is actually for my "number 32". Everybody's support is soincredible and powerful.”MAC Denied: Delphos St. John’s loss in the D-VI state final, coupled

with Coldwater’s loss in the D-V title game, ended a string of six straightseasons in which the Midwest Athletic Conference had won a state foot-ball title. The MAC still has 19 state champions since 1989, but wasdenied in its bid – twice – for No. 20. In the previous four seasons theMAC was 7-0 in state title games.Mooney Mayhem: The Cardinals became just the fourth school in

A

STORY BY ER IC FRANTZ


State Footbal l : POYs , S tats & Studs

state history to capture seven state football titles. Cleveland St.Ignatius has 10 titles and Newark Catholic has eight. CincinnatiMoeller also has seven.

MOST IMPRESSIVE TEAMS (regardless of division)1. Youngstown Mooney2. Hilliard Davidson3. Kettering Alter4. Youngstown Ursuline5. Winton Woods

TOP RUSHERS (over 100 yards)Jake Trubiano, Hilliard Davidson (196 yards, 18 carries)Braylon Heard, Mooney (178 yards, 28 carries, two TDs)Dominique Brown, Winton Woods (172 yards, 20 carries, four TDS)Allen Jones, Ursuline (155 yards, 21 carries, TD)Jeremiah Goins, Winton Woods (155 yards, 21 carries)Eric Schwieterman, Nor. St. Paul (147 yards, 30 carries, three TDs)Devonte Ransom, Maple Heights (127 yards, 17 carries, TD)Cody Taulbee, Alter (126 yards, 16 carries, 3 TDs)Asike Teague, Ursuline (112 yards, nine carries, three TDs)Nick Gentile, Columbus DeSales (107 yards, 26 carries)

TOP PASSERS (over 300 yards)Keith Wenning, Coldwater (414 yards, 40-of-54, 3 TD, INT)

TOP RECEIVERS (over 100 yards)Adam Rammel, Coldwater (135 yards, 14 receptions, TD)Kurt Schoenherr, Coldwater (123 yards, 10 receptions, TD)Ian Hill, Maple Heights (108 yards, eight receptions)

TOP TACKLERS (over 10 tackles)Trevor Smith, Ursuline (15 tackles, six solo, TFL, PB)Bobby Winkleman, Chagrin Falls (14 tackles, nine solo, TFL)Jesse Curry, Ursuline (13 tackles, nine solo, TFL, PB)Chris Pohlman, Delphos St. John’s (13 tackles, seven solo)Antonio Poole, Winton Woods (11 tackles, six solo, TFL, FF, FR, PB)Nolan Plate, Alter (11 tackles, seven solo, 2.5 TFL)Malik Moore, Glenville (11 tackles, 10 solo, PB)Fred Robertson, Maple Heights (11 tackles, seven solo)Nico Irizarry, Ursuline (10 tackles, nine solo, 2 PB)Joe Pohlman, Delphos St. John’s (10 tackles, seven solo, 0.5 TFL)

RECORD SETTING: Coldwater and Youngstown Ursuline com-bined to set 15 new D-V finals records in the Irish’s 55-25 win.Ursuline set records for most points in a quarter (27 in the second)and game (55); most yards (508) and most TDs (eight).

Coldwater’s Wenning set records for passing yards (414),attempts (55) and completions (40), while receiver Adam Rammelset a record for most catches (14).

Together Coldwater and Ursuline set records for points (80),TDs (12), completions (49) and total yards (982).

Here are other records that fell:- Winton Woods set a D-II finals record for yards rushing (396).

The Warriors and Maple Heights also combined to tie Louisville-Anderson (2007) for most yards in a D-II final with 785.Individually, Winton Woods’ Brown tied a record with four TDs and24 points.- Norwalk St. Paul’s Schwieterman set a D-VI finals record with

a 73-yard TD run. For the game, Schwieterman’s three TD per-formance tied the D-VI records for TDs, rushing TDs and points(18). — OH



State Footbal l : In P ictures

Denying treatment for cancer until his team was

done playing, Coldwater head coach John Reed

leads the Cavaliers onto the field for the D-V final.



Kettering Alter senior John

Doncaster celebrates a

TFL in the D-IV final.




Glenville junior QB Cardale

Jones dives in for a third

quarter TD in the D-I final.

Photo by Os Figueroa



Youngstown Mooney’s

Joe Stoops forces one

of Columbus DeSales’

seven fumbles in the

D-II final.

Photo by Stephanie Porter



Youngstown Ursuline senior

RB Allen Jones guts out some

extra yaradge in the D-V final.




After tieing D-II final records

for TDs (4) and points (24),

Winton Woods senior QB

Dominique Brown is correct

– the Warriors are No. 1.




Norwalk St. Paul senior QB

Eric Schwieterman does his

best Heisman impression

during the D-VI final.




Hilliard Davidson

senior QB Jake

Trubiano tries to

elude Glenville’s

Latwan Anderson

in the D-I final.




Ursuline rushed for 393

yards against Coldwater in

the D-V final.




Delphos

St. John’s

gathers

as a team

after the

D-VI final.




Davidson senior RB Spencer Delande makes

one of his seven carries in the D-I final.




Alter players celebrate after

defending their D-IV state

championship.




Ursuline junior RB Akise

Teague won’t go down easy

during the D-V final.




Glenville’s Shane Wynn eludes a

Davidson defender during the D-I final.




Ursuline’s Chris Collins

and Coldwater’s Colin

Paynter make eye contact

during the D-V final.




Mooney’s Ray Vinopal

leaves his feet during the D-

II final.




Delphos St. John’s LB Joel

Pohlman and other Jays are left to

reflect after the D-VI final.



Ohio H igh Fa l l Spor ts P layers o f the Year

FIELD HOCKEYSydney Kirby, Shaker Heights Hathaway BrownHow rare of a talent is Kirby? Well the Cleveland-area standout is

just one of four juniors in the country to make the 2009 HarrowSports/National Field Hockey Coaches Association High School All-American First Team and just one of six Ohioans – EVER – to benamed first or second team All-American in the 25 years since thehonor was bestowed. The All-American team consists of 16 players.Kirby, who led the Blazers to the state semifinals this year after a

state title last season, was previously named to the NFHCA All-Region team for the West, the association's largest region, encom-passing all states west of Pennsylvania.Kirby is also a member of the U.S. national team.Last season Kirby had 15 goals and 10 assists. This year she had

27 goals and 10 assists. She scored in all but one game.

GIRLS SOCCERElizabeth Burchenal, Cincinnati St. Ursula AcademyHow good is Burchenal? After watching her score less than a

minute into a game against his squad, one rival coach proclaimed herthe best in the state. Plenty of others agree. A two-time All-Americanwho is headed to the University of North Carolina, Burchenal was theOSSCA Division I Player of the Year after collecting 37 goals and 14assists this season. For her career, which includes two state titles,Burchenal scored 102 goals and tallied 40 assists.“Burch has impacted the soccer program at SUA in many ways but

what has impressed me the most is the impact she has had on ouryounger players,” Ursula head coach Dave Ruehl said. “Her workethic, passion for the game and constant drive are values passeddown to all future SUA players. I’ve been contacted by parents ofopposing teams asking how their daughters can ‘be like Burch’. Towatch her play is truly entertaining.”

BOYS SOCCERRyan Grimme, Gahanna-LincolnGrimme appeared in the December 7 issue of Sports Illustrated as

a member of the “Faces in the Crowd” section and with good reason.En route to leading the Lions to a 22-0-1 record and the Division Istate championship, Grimme made 60 saves and recorded 19shutouts. Gahanna allowed four goals all year.In the Division I state championship game against then No. 1

nationally ranked Cleveland St. Ignatius, Grimme made four saves in

regulation and two more in a shootout as the Lions won 4-3. The losssnapped the Wildcats 31-game win streak.Gahanna finished the season ranked No. 4 in the final national poll.Grimme also earned National Player of the Week honors from

ESPN RISE for his championship game heroics.

VOLLEYBALLPaige Penrod, Circleville Logan ElmOver the last two years it’s hard to find a volleyball player with the

credentials Penrod has piled up. In fact, historically, she’s accom-plished some feats no one in state history has. A senior headed toBowling Green, Penrod wrapped her high school career with a five-set loss to Mentor Lake Catholic in the Division II state semifinals, butnot before she unleashed a 35-kill performance on the Cougars. Thateffort gave her 599 kills for the season, which ranks No. 3 all-time.Who is No. 1? She is. Last year as a junior, Penrod set the state sin-gle-season record with 636 kills. She also owns the kill record for amatch with 45 last year. A two-time All-Ohio selection, Penrod hadgames with 27, 28, 34, 35 and 39 kills this year.Recently she was named an AVCA Under Armour All-American.

GIRLS TENNISNiki Flower, Upper ArlingtonFlower had been to the state tournament twice before, finishing

runner-up in D-I doubles a year ago and being ousted early in singlesin 2007. This year, there was no losing. A junior, Flower captured theD-I singles title with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 win over junior Komal Safdar ofCincinnati Ursuline Academy and became the third member of herfamily to win a state title. Flower’s older sister Kirsten, now at OhioState, won the 2003 D-I singles title and her father Jim won the 1974AAA singles title while at Fremont Ross. It was the third singles titlefor Upper Arlington and the first since Kirsten took home gold.

“I'm so overwhelmed right now,” Flower, who is Central Ohio's 18thsingles champion in Division I or II since 1976, toldThisWeekSports.com. “I wanted this so badly. This probably meantmore to me than breathing.”

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRYMeredith Wagner, Sylvania NorthviewHeading into the Division I state championships, Wagner was a

long shot for the title – and player of the year award. Following the5K race at Scioto Downs she was the clear-cut winner of both.

t was another great fall season inOhio high school athletics. OhioHigh is proud to partner with

Huntington Banks to present the playerof the year awards in 10 fall sports.The football player of the year award is

revealed on page 6. Here is a look at thenine other player of the year award win-ners for the fall season.I

Boys & Girls Soccer

Boys & Girls Golf

Boys & Girls C.C.

Volleyball

Tennis

Field Hockey

Ohio’s Best At What They Do...


Ohio H igh Fa l l Spor ts P layers o f the YearSTORY BY ER IC FRANTZ

Wagner entered the race hoping for a Top 3 finish and wound up win-ning the whole thing with an impressive performance. The favorites -North Royalton’s Hannah Neczypor and Rocky River Magnificat’sMadeline Chambers – entered the state final having run sub-17:40times at the Tiffin Regional the week prior. Wagner had run 19:22 enroute to winning the Pickerington Regional. So what…Wagner(18:03.9) beat Chambers by four seconds and Neczypor by 12.

BOYS CROSS COUNTRYZach Wills, MasonThe junior repeated – as both the OH POY and the Division I state

champion with a commanding four-second win over the runner-up.Wills, who won every race he ran during the season, led the entiretime at state. Wills is also a two-time state champion in the D-I 3,200at the state track & field championships. This is probably not his lastaward.

GIRLS GOLFTiana Jones, AllianceAlthough she didn’t have a team to play with this year, Jones fin-

ished as the state’s top individual golfer, winning medalist honors atthe Division I state tournament. Jones fired a 73 to best a competitivefield in which nine of the Top 10 golfers finished within four strokes ofeach other. She had three birdies, a dozen pars and three bogeys tolead the 72-girl field.

“A 73 is her best tournament score of the year,” Alliance coach JeffGraffice told the Canton Repository. “Doing it on the biggest stage, inthe worst conditions ... that says it all about how she played. Whenwe were on the course, I told her if anyone was going to beat you,they had to be playing phenomenal. Tiana was just playing thatgood.”

BOYS GOLFKorey Ward, West Chester Lakota WestNo one fared better than Ward at the state golf championships. The

standout junior became just the 12th golfer in state history to winback-to-back medalist honors when he shot a tournament best roundof 74 to earn the Division I individual state championship for the sec-ond year in a row.Ward had birdies on Nos. 3 and 9 and did not have a double-bogey

on the state’s biggest stage.“It just feels really great to get this accomplished,” Ward told the

Cincinnati Enquirer. Next year Ward tries to become just the third golfer in state history

(and first since 1974) to win medalist honors three times at the statetournament. He’s received plenty of Division I college interest, includ-ing attention from the Ohio State. — OH

Hathaway Brown junior Sydney Kirby is just one

of six Ohioans in the last 25 years to be named

All-American in field hockey.



Fal l Spor ts S tate Tournaments

Maria Stein Marion

Local went undefeat-

ed and won its third

straight Divison IV

state volleyball title.

Photo by Eric Frantz


STORY BY ER IC FRANTZ & OHSAA REPORTS


Fal l Spor ts S tate Tournaments STORY BY ER IC FRANTZ & OHSAA REPORTS

or any fall sports program claimingto be the best in the state – regard-less of sport – here’s the criteriayou have to beat:- You must have won your third

straight state title this year;- You must have finished the season ranked

No. 1 in the final state poll – and you must

have held that spot all season;- You must have over 50-percent of your

starters named All-Ohio;- You must be led by the Coach of the Year

in your sport;- And you must have finished the season

undefeated at the varsity and reserve levels.Your freshman team is only allowed two lossesor less.If you can beat those – you can beat the

resume put together by the Marion Local vol-leyball program. So far this year, though, no

one’s been able to beat the Flyers.Didn’t happen Nov. 14 either.Marion Local claimed its third straight

Division IV state title that day with a convinc-ing 25-17, 20-25, 25-10, 25-13 victory overNorwalk St. Paul at Wright State’s NutterCenter.The match – which featured teams that

have claimed the last four state titles – wasnever seriously in doubt.After dropping the second set – which was

just their fifth this season out of 84 played –the Flyers responded by winning 50 of thenext 73 points and extended their stay as statechampions.Another thing that’s not in doubt is Marion

Local’s standing as the state’s premier fall pro-gram – regardless of sport or gender.Sure arguments can be made, but they end

where the sign says “Welcome to Maria Stein.”

Over the last three years, ML is 81-4 at thevarsity level. This year they ended 28-0. At alllevels combined – varsity, reserve and fresh-men – the Flyers have now lost a total of 13games in 36 months.This season the seventh and eighth grade

teams both won Midwest Athletic Conferencechampionships.Last year the Flyers had 33 girls try out for a

seventh-grade team that has 15 roster spots.This year the numbers were comparable.It’s easy to see why everyone wants to be a

part of something so special.“I just saw one of the little seventh-graders

crying her eyes out after we won,” ML headcoach Amy Steininger said. “It’s emotional forthose girls too. They want to be sitting uphere too someday and we try to keep the tra-dition going and keep it challenging from theseventh-grade up to thevarsity. We care andthat’s where it starts – with those little ones.”When Steininger started at ML in 2003, she

inherited a program coming off a 26-3 seasonand a state runner-up finish. The Flyers firsttrip to state ended with a loss to St. Paul.A Vandalia-Butler grad who was an assistant

for the Aviators, Steininger and the Flyers lostto eventual state finalists in the postseason herfirst three years (St. Henry twice and LehmanCatholic). After attaining the No. 1 ranking inthe final 2006 state poll, ML lost its first tourna-ment game to St. Henry.Since then the Flyers have won 21 postsea-

son games in a row.Said Steininger, whose career record is now

161-27: “It’s just hard to phathom what thesegirls have accomplished.”And it’s not over – by any means.Although the Flyers will lose four seniors

and two All-Ohioans off of this year’s team –Shelby Moeller and Ashley Lochtefeld – theywill return four starters and two other All-Ohioans in juniors Alyssa Winner (first team)and Alyse Bergman (third team).Overall, 11 of the Flyers 15 players on their

state championship roster return.In all probability, so too will another state

title.“Every year there is such a strong tradition

and you just want to keep carrying it on,” sen-ior Megan Schaefer said. “You’re so proud tobe a Flyer."Added Lochtefeld: “It really can’t get any

better.”It doesn’t. –– EEFF

Photo by Eric Frantz

Total Domination

F

Marion Local volleyball establishes itself as Ohio’stop fall sports program

Maria Stein Marion Local ended the season 28-0 and is 81-4 with three

Division IV state titles the last three years.



GOLF

Girls Division I State Golf TournamentThe Ohio State University, ColumbusGray Golf CourseCOLUMBUS, Ohio – The cold and wind

didn’t stop Mason from repeating as the OhioHigh School Athletic Association GirlsDivision I State Golf champions as theComets shot a 316 on Saturday to give thema nine stroke win. Three of Mason’s topgolfers from last year repeated their perform-ance this year. Emily Wright shot a team-best76, while Erin Michel and Jessica Zhang bothshot 78.For the second time in tournament history,

the state golf tournament was reduced to 18holes after the first day of play was cancelleddue to rain. The last time the tournament fea-tured only one round was in 1996. Althoughstill cold, the rain held off Saturday allowinggolfers to finish the 40th annual event playedat the Ohio State University Gray GolfCourse.West Chester Lakota West, making its sev-

enth straight state tournament appearance,took runner-up honors with a team score of325.Senior Tiana Jones of Alliance won a

closely contested race for medalist honors asnine of the top 10 golfers finished within fourstrokes of each other. Jones picked up twobirdies on the back nine to give her a tourna-ment best 73. Finishing just behind wasRachel Thompson of Ashland with a 74.Team Scores: 1. Mason 316, 2. West

Chester Lakota West 325, 3. Cin. St. UrsulaAcademy 326, 4. Ashland 337, 5. Col. BishopWatterson 341, 6. Massillon Jackson 345, 7.Upper Arlington 345, 8. Medina Highland350, 9. Cin. Mt. Notre Dame 353, 10.Massillon Perry 360, 11. Cin. St. UrsulaAcademy 363, 12. Cuyahoga Falls WalshJesuit 364.Note: Tournament reduced to 18 holes

after the first round Friday was cancelled dueto rain.Top Three Individuals: 1. Tiana Jones,

Sr., Alliance 73; 2. Rachel Thompson, Sr.,Ashland 74; 3. Laura Murray, Jr., Tipp CityTippecanoe 75.

Girls Division II State Golf TournamentOhio State University, ColumbusGray Golf CourseCOLUMBUS, Ohio – Chardon Notre

Dame-Cathedral Latin won its first statechampionship in girl’s golf as the second-

annual Ohio High School Athletic AssociationDivision II championships wrapped upSaturday at the Ohio State University GrayCourse.

Chardon NDCL came from behind with asecond-day team score of 326 to knock offdefending champion Poland Seminary. Theirtwo-day team score of 658 is the best in thetwo year history of the tournament, betteringlast year’s two-day total by 21 strokes.Poland Seminary took second place with a

score of 687, while St. Paris Graham finishedthird, one place better than last year, with ateam score of 687.Medalist honors went to senior Alyssa

Shimel of Pemberville Eastwood with a two-

day total of 147. Shimel finished one-underpar on her last eight holes and shot a 72 forthe day giving her top honors.Finishing close behind was sophomore

Morgan Ransom of Gahanna ColumbusAcademy. Ransom matched exactly her per-formance from last year’s tournament, finish-ing second with a two-day total of 147.Team Scores: 1. Chardon Notre Dame-

Cathedral Latin 332-326-658; 2. PolandSeminary 326-351-677; 2. St. Paris GrahamLocal 352-335-687; 4. Shaker HeightsHathaway Brown 349-345-694; 5. KetteringArchbishop Alter 357-349-706; 6. DaytonChaminade-Julienne 366-342-708; 7. MilanEdison 365-373-738; 8. Huron 375-370-745;9. Zanesville West Muskingum 372-380-752;

10. Lima Shawnee 381-375-756; 11.Circleville Logan Elm 382-379-761; 12.Minerva 411-408-819Top Individual Scores: 1. Alyssa Shimel,

Sr., Pemberville Eastwood 73-72-145; 2.Morgan Ransom, Soph., Gahanna ColumbusAcademy 73-74-147; 3. Yang Li, Sr., ToledoMaumee Valley Country Day 76-76-152; 4.Lauren Volz, Jr., Huron 76-79-155; 5. GraceNikolai, Sr., Kettering Archbishop Alter 79-77-156; 5. Lucy Frey, Jr., Cincinnati ArchbishopMcNicholas 78-78-156

Boys Division I State Golf TournamentThe Ohio State University, ColumbusScarlet Golf CourseCOLUMBUS, Ohio – Columbus St. Charles

shot a one-day total of 309 Saturday despitewindy and cold weather to win its first OhioHigh School Athletic Association Division I

Boys State Golf Title. Four of its golfers shotin the 70s, including sophomore NateYankovich, who shot a 75. The scored tiedhim with four other golfers for the second-best score of the tournament.

After the first day of play at the 84th annualstate tournament was cancelled due to rain,the format was reduced to 18 holes playedSaturday afternoon at the Ohio StateUniversity Scarlet Golf Course. The onlyother time an 18-hole tournament was usedto determine the winner was in 1996.

Defending champion Cincinnati St. Xavierfinished with a score of 313, earning themsecond-place team honors. Junior GeorgeRohde and senior Colin Stelljes both shot a76 for the Bombers.

2009 OHSAA FALL SPORTS STATE TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Dayton Oakwood won its second state title and first since 1985 when it

captured the Division II championship at Northstar Golf Course.

Photo by Ben Barnes/Impactactionphotos.com



West Chester Lakota West junior KoreyWard finished with a tournament best roundof 74 to earn medalist honors for the secondyear in a row. Ward becomes just the 12thgolfer in OHSAA history to win medalist hon-ors twice. A close group finished behind Wardas four golfers finished in second with ascore of 75.Team Scores: 1. Col. St. Charles 309, 2.

Cin. St. Xavier 313, 3. Cle. St. Ignatius 315,

4. Dublin Coffman 322, 5. Toledo St. John’sJesuit 326, 6. Cin. Archbishop Moeller 327, 7.Centerville 329, 8. Dublin Jerome 330, 9.Uniontown Lake 331, 10. Medina 333, 11.Whitehouse Anthony Wayne 334, 12. Stow-Munroe Falls 335Note: Tournament reduced to 18 holes

after the first round Friday was cancelled dueto rain.Top Individuals: 1. Korey Ward, Jr., West

Chester Lakota West 74; Four Tied at 75.

Boys Division II State Golf TournamentNorthstar Resort, SunburySUNBURY, Ohio – In its 25th state golf

tournament appearance, Dayton Oakwoodwon its second boys state championship atthe 2009 OHSAA Boys Division II StateTournament at Northstar Golf Resort inSunbury. The first state title for Oakwoodcame in 1985.

Leading after day one, the Lumberjackscompiled a two-day team score of 623, sevenstrokes better than runner-up KetteringArchbishop Alter. Coach Jen Lohmeyer’sOakwood squad was led by senior RonnieStump, who fired a two-day score of 150,and junior Adam Bogdan, who carded a 151.Oakwood’s title ends the three-year Div. IIstate championship run by Hunting ValleyUniversity School, which finished third.

In his first state tournament appearance,Jackson senior Morgan Dobbins shot a 3-over 75 on Saturday to hold onto his spotatop the leader board to win the medalistrace. The individual state qualifier shot a two-day total of 147 and becomes the first boy’sstate golf champion in Jackson school histo-ry. Senior Tyler Hohman of Columbus St.Francis DeSales finished two strokes behindDobbins to win the silver medal, while JakeHeinen of University School and RonnieStump of Oakwood tied for third place.

Golfers battled cold conditions all weekendat the tournament’s first year at NorthstarGolf Resort. Junior Alex King of Canal FultonNorthwest, however, was able to sink a hole-in-one Saturday when he needed only onestroke to finish the 190-yard hole 17.Team Scores: 1. Dayton Oakwood 308-

315-623; 2. Kettering Archbishop Alter 313-317-630; 3. Hunting Valley University School319-316-635 (finishes second via tie-break-er); 4. Columbus St. Francis DeSales 314-321-635; 5. Rocky River Lutheran West 320-331-651 (finishes second via tie-breaker); 6.Bryan 323-328-651; 7. Chagrin Falls 339-332-671; 8. Granville 340-343-683; 9.Johnstown-Monroe 343-349-692; 10. Ironton350-346-696; 11. Genoa Area 347-361-708;12. Circleville Logan Elm 359-355-714Top Individual Scores: 1. Morgan

Dobbins, Sr., Jackson 72-75-147; 2. TylerHohman, Sr., Columbus St. Francis DeSales73-76-149; 3. Jake Heinen, Sr., HuntingValley University School 73-77-150; 3.Ronnie Stump, Sr., Dayton Oakwood 73-77-150

Boys Division III State Golf TournamentThe Ohio State University, ColumbusScarlet Golf Course COLUMBUS, Ohio - In its fifth appearance

Minster High School won two state championships this fall. The girls cross

country team won its record eighth state title in Division III, breaking a tie

with Cleveland Beaumont (which has seven). The Wildcats boys golf team

captured its first state title by winning D-III by 17 strokes.

Photo by Joe Maiorana/Impactactionphotos.com

Photo by Ben Barnes/Impactactionphotos.com

Double Duty



at the OHSAA State Golf Tournament,Minster walked away with its first state titleas the 40th-Annual Division II boys golf statetournament concluded Saturday at OhioState University Scarlet Course.Minster senior Ben Hogenkamp recorded a

team-low score of 76 on the second day ofcompetition to help lead the Wildcats to thetitle.Strasburg-Franklin finished second in their

first appearance at the state tournament witha team score of 671.Junior Alex Andrews shot identical rounds

of 73 to win medalist honors by sevenstrokes. His total score of 146 ties theOHSAA Division III state tournament recordfor lowest individual score on the Scarletcourse.Team Scores: 1. Minster 334-320-654; 2.

Strasburg-Franklin 331-340-671 (finishessecond via tie-breaker); 3. Lima CentralCatholic 339-332-671; 4. Gates Mills GilmourAcademy 336-338-674; 5. ColumbusWellington School 336-348-684; 6. CincinnatiSeven Hills 346-348-694; 7. SugarcreekGaraway 351-355-706; 8. Stryker 351-357-708; 9. Sidney Lehman Catholic 356-353-709; 10. Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic355-357-712; 11. Gahanna ColumbusAcademy 356-361-717; 12. Lowellville 393-366-759Top Individual Scores: 1. Alex Andrews,

Jr., Gates Mills Gilmour Academy 73-73-146;2. Oliver Holtsberry, Sr., Lima CentralCatholic 78-75-153; 3. Craig Purpus, Jr.,Minster 78-80-158; 4. Ben Hogenkamp, Sr.,Minster 83-76-159; 5. Ryan Troyer, Soph.,Sugarcreek Garaway 82-79-161; 5. BrooksCurry, Soph., Franklin Middletown Christian81-80-161

TENNIS

OHSAA Girls Tennis ChampionshipsElysium Tennis Center, Plain CityPLAIN CITY, Ohio – New champions were

crowned at the Ohio High School AthleticAssociation’s 34th Annual Girls State TennisTournaments held Oct. 23 and Oct. 24 at theElysium Tennis Center in Plain City, Ohio.Play was originally scheduled to take place

at The Ohio State University Stickney TennisCenter and Hilliard Davidson High School,but was moved indoors due to rain the entireweekend.

Upper Arlington junior Niki Flower, whowas a runner-up doubles finisher a year agoand a singles state tournament participant in2007, won the Div. I singles title with a 7-6(7-5), 6-1 win over junior Komal Safdar ofCincinnati Ursuline Academy. It was the thirdsingles title for the Golden Bears of Upper

Arlington and first since 2003 when Flower’ssister, Kirsten, took home gold.In the Div. II singles field, junior Alyssa

Ritchie of Waynesville outlasted CourtneyEarnest, a sophomore from Lexington, 6-4,5-7, 6-1. Ritchie, after losing in the secondround in 2007, is the first singles tennischampion in Waynesville school history.Junior Meghan Buell and senior Maddie

Kobelt of New Albany cruised to the Eagles’first doubles championship with a 6-2, 6-2victory over junior Carolyn Pitman and fresh-man Taylor Holden of Liberty Twp. LakotaEast. The duo from New Albany didn’t losemore than two games in a set the entire tour-nament.A pair of sisters from Columbus St. Francis

DeSales, senior Kim My Li and freshman MyLinh Li, took home the Div. II doubles crownafter a 6-2, 6-7 (7-9), 6-2 over junior MaddieMorton and senior Corinne Rauck of Bexley.It marked the first doubles championship forthe Stallions of St. Francis DeSales.

FIELD HOCKEY

Girls State Field Hockey TournamentState Final – Upper Arlington High SchoolUPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio – Columbus

Bishop Watterson won its third Ohio HighSchool Athletic Association state field hockeychampionship Nov. 7 with a 1-0 win overGahanna Columbus Academy at UpperArlington High School.

The Eagles, who also won state titles in1995 and 2005, scored off a penalty cornerwith 7:45 left in the first half from senior NinaPassen, who also scored the game-winninggoal in a 2-1 state semifinal win over Cin. St.Ursula Academy.

In the final game of the regular season,Watterson lost to Academy in overtime, 1-0.There would be no overtime in the statechampionship game, though, thanks in partto four saves from senior goalkeeper DominiParadiso, whose save off a penalty corner inthe final minute capped the shutout.

The loss denied Academy a ninth statetitle.

CROSS COUNTRY

State Cross Country Tournament Scioto Downs Race TrackCOLUMBUS, Ohio - The most dominating

performance in the history of the OHSAAcross country state championships wasturned in by the Rocky River Magnificat girlsteam in Division I to highlight the 2009 boysand girls finals held Nov. 7 at sunny andwarm Scioto Downs Race Track inColumbus.

The championship for Magnificat was itssecond in a row and third overall. Akron St.Vincent-St. Mary won the girls Division II racefor their first title and Minster repeated asgirls Division III champion for its girls staterecord eighth championship. On the boys’side, Division I Cleveland St. Ignatius won itsthird state championship, Division IIPeninsula Woodridge won its fourth-straighttitle and fourth overall, while Division IIIIndependence won its first championship.The Magnificat girls’ top five runners fin-

ished second, third, fourth, ninth and 10th,respectively, to amass a total of only 28points, breaking the previous best girls scoreby five points as well as the best boys scoreby one point. Since the cross country statechampionships were first held in 1928, thelowest overall team score had been 29 pointsby the Salem boys team in 1931. The previ-ous best girls team score had been 33 pointsby the 1995 Cleveland Heights Beaumontsquad.Minster’s eight team titles are now most in

OHSAA girls cross country history. TheWildcats had been tied with ClevelandHeights Beaumont with seven champi-onships.The St. Vincent-St. Mary girls were making

only their second appearance in the statefinals after finishing seventh last year, butsaw their top two runners finish fourth andsixth, respectively, to help propel the Irish tothe title.Overall winners on the girls side were

Sylvania Northview senior Meredith Wagnerin Division I in 18:03.90, Cuyahoga FallsCuyahoga Valley Christian Academy juniorChristina Blair in Division II in 18:39.71 andVersailles sophomore Tammy Berger inDivision III in 18:47.94.After winning back-to-back titles in 1993

and 1994, Cleveland St. Ignatius reclaimedthe Division I boys crown as its top five run-ners finished seventh, 16th, 18th, 19th and22nd, respectively.In boys Division II, the four-straight titles

for Woodridge are the most consecutive boystitles since Caldwell won eight in a row from1985-1992 in Class A (1985-88) and DivisionIII (1989-92). The Bulldogs’ top five runnersfinished eighth, 11th, 16th, 25th and 33rd,respectively.In its first time qualifying as a team to the

state finals, Independence won with 84points as its top five runners finished first,second, 10th, 19th and 52, respectively,among team competitors.Overall winners on the boys side were

Mason junior Zach Wills, a repeat winner inDivision I, who crossed the finish line in15:45.11. Bay Village Bay junior MichaelBrajdic won the Division II race in 15:49.81,



while Independence sophomore RyanPolman won the Division III race in 16:01.56.

BOYS SOCCER

Boys Division I State ChampionshipCOLUMBUS, Ohio – Gahanna Lincoln jun-

ior William Trapp connected on the 10th andfinal penalty kick to give the Lions a 4-3shootout advantage, and with it a 1-0 victory,Friday night over Cleveland St. Ignatius inthe OHSAA Division I boys soccer statechampionship game in Crew Stadium.

First-time state finalist Gahanna (22-0-1)entered the game ranked second in the stateand No. 4 in the latest national high schoolpoll. Three-time and defending state champi-on St. Ignatius (22-1-0) entered the gameranked No. 1 both in the state and in thenation and had not lost in 43 straight match-es, just four shy of the all-time Ohio record.But both goalkeepers – senior Ryan

Grimme from Gahanna and senior Joe Kaltfrom St. Ignatius – willed their teams to 80minutes of scoreless play in regulation and apair of scoreless 15 minute overtime ses-sions, leading to the penalty kick shootout.

Grimme saved the first two St. Ignatiusattempts, and although Kalt saved the firstGahanna attempt, the Lions converted theirnext three to set up Trapp’s deciding kick,which he fired into the lower left corner of thenet to send his teammates and the Gahannasupporters in the crowd of 3,359 fans into afrenzy.Gahanna’s constant pressure led to the

Lions leading the stat sheet and nearly scor-ing the game-winner during regulation if itwere not for the heroics in goal from Kalt,who finished with 10 saves. Gahanna postedan 18-12 shot advantage, a 10-4 shots ongoal advantage and took nine corner kickscompared to five for St. Ignatius.Grimme, who allowed only four goals all

season, ended the night with four saves forhis 19th shutout.

Boys Division II State ChampionshipCOLUMBUS, Ohio – Top-ranked Columbus

St. Francis DeSales scored in the 63rdminute and limited fourth-ranked Bay VillageBay to very few scoring chances as theStallions won the OHSAA Division II boyssoccer state championship, 1-0, Friday inCrew Stadium.It marks the fourth state title for DeSales

and its first since 1997. On their way to win-ning sectional, district, regional and statechampionships, the Stallions out-scored theirseven tournament opponents 26-0. Overallthis season, they recorded 18 shutouts.Senior David Harper scored the game-win-

ner, collecting a loose ball near midfield andoutrunning two defenders into the penaltyarea. Bay goalkeeper Nate McDonald, whohad seven saves and kept the Rockets in thegame, came out to challenge, but Harperside-stepped him and slotted the ball into theback-left corner of the net for his seventhgoal of the season.

DeSales’ goalkeeper ChristopherWeisgarber had three saves in directing theStallions to the clean sheet. They took sixcorner kicks, compared to one for Bay, andheld a 25-11 advantage in shots.DeSales also won state titles in 1997, 1992

and 1986 and was the runner-up in 2002 and1990. Bay was seeking its third champi-onship after winning in 1993 and 1991 andearning a runner-up finish in 2005.

Boys Division III State ChampionshipCOLUMBUS, Ohio – Worthington Christian

junior Trent Smith scored in the eighth minuteof overtime to give the third-ranked Warriorsa 2-1 win over fourth-ranked Cuyahoga FallsCuyahoga Valley Christian Academy Fridayin the OHSAA Division III boys soccer statechampionship game in Crew Stadium.

Smith’s game-winning strike came fromabout 25 yards out that deflected off both thegoalkeeper and the near post into the back ofthe net, stunning the Royals and givingWorthington Christian its second state title.The Warriors out-shot CVCA 21-9 overall

and had 10 shots on goal.Worthington Christian took a 1-0 lead in

the 53rd minute when freshman AlbertMiller’s cross into the penalty area was firstmisplayed by a CVCA defender, then mis-handled by the goalkeeper, resulting in anown goal. The Royals came back to tie thematch in the 68th minute when junior JackThompson scored from close range off anassist from sophomore Sachem Wilson.The match pitted two returning state run-

ners-up from 2008. The Warriors, who wontheir first state title in 2006, were upset byToledo Ottawa Hills last season, while CVCAdropped the 2008 Division II state champi-onship game in a shootout.

GIRLS SOCCER

Girls Division I State ChampionshipCOLUMBUS, Ohio – Fourth-ranked

Medina erupted for four goals in a 29-minutespan and held unranked Dublin Coffman toonly two total shots to cruise to a 4-0 winSaturday in the OHSAA Division I girls soccerstate championship in Crew Stadium.The four-goal win for Medina ties the

OHSAA record for the most lopsided victoryin a girls soccer state championship game,

matching the 5-1 win by Bay Village Bay overCincinnati Indian Hill in the 2003 Division IIgame.

The Bees end their season having allowedonly six goals in 24 games, including none intheir final 12 outings en route to the statetitle, which is their second overall and firstsince 1997.

Medina senior Sarah Flanders scored justbefore halftime to put the Bees ahead, 1-0,and they added to their lead in the 44thminute on a goal by junior Maura Gorman, inthe 56th minute on a goal by junior JillianGraff and finally in the 68th minute on anoth-er goal by Gorman. Senior Becca Candlerhad two assists and Flanders added a helper.

Neither of the Lady Rocks’ two shots wereon goal. Meanwhile, Medina totaled 20 shots,including seven on goal.

Girls Division II State TournamentCOLUMBUS, Ohio – Shaker Heights

Hathaway Brown freshman Lysette Romanheaded in the game-winner with 51.9 sec-onds left in regulation to send the eighth-ranked Blazers past top-ranked Bexley, 2-1,Saturday in the OHSAA Division II girls soc-cer championship in Crew Stadium.

Roman’s goal came following a HathawayBrown corner kick that connected with aBlazer and bounced off the cross bar anddirectly back into the six-yard box. Romanfound herself alone and jumped high, head-ing the ball into the upper right corner.

The Blazers have now won state champi-onships all three times they have advancedto the title game, with their first two coming in2007 and 2004. The Lions are now a two-time state runner-up.

The last-minute goal came 72 minutesafter Hathaway Brown tied the game in theseventh minute when senior Lani Smith con-nected from close range off an assist fromjunior Kylie Kaufman.

The match was not even a minute oldwhen Bexley scored to take a 1-0 lead.Junior Abby Fagin scored from beside the leftpost off an assist from junior Kendra Wilson.

After the two early goals, both teams sawtheir defense dominate most of the remain-der of the game. Hathaway Brown juniorgoalkeeper Grace Redmon had four saveson the day, while Bexley senior Amy Mautzhad six. The Blazers out-shot the Lions 18-14overall, including eight to six on goal. Bothteams took five corner kicks.

VOLLEYBALL

Division I State ChampionshipDAYTON, Ohio – In 2008, Cincinnati

Ursuline Academy saw a potential undefeat-



ed season end with a loss to Olmsted Falls inthe Division I championship match, but theLions were on the winning side in a similarsituation this season as the they defeatedDublin Coffman in the title match Nov. 14 atWright State’s Ervin J. Nutter Center 25-16,25-19, 18-25, 25-17.Ursuline (29-0) finished with a 55-41 kill

advantage and 6-2 in service aces to over-come a Coffman 12-8 edge in blocks.

Making its 10th all-time appearance in thestate final four, Ursuline won its fourth statetitle (1975, 1993, 2002). The Lions were ledby senior Jade Henderson’s 18 kills, whilesenior Lauren Marlatt had 16 kills and juniorChristina Beer had 10. Senior Dani Reinerttallied 48 assists, junior Kori Moster 15 digsand senior Anna Prickel 13 digs.Coffman (29-1), which was making its first-

ever appearance in the state final four, wasled by senior Andrea Baylin’s 18 kills, whilesenior Alex Blair had 10. Junior LindseyZitzke added 36 assists and 10 digs whilejunior Julia Mindlina had 12 digs and juniorIsolde Hannan recorded eight blocks.

Division IV State ChampionshipDAYTON, Ohio – Maria Stein Marion Local

made it a three-peat Nov. 14 in defeatingNorwalk St. Paul 25-17, 20-25, 25-10, 25-13in a battle of Flyers in the Division IV statevolleyball championship at Wright State’sNutter Center.

After St. Paul evened the match by winningthe second set, it was all Marion Local fromthere as they held a 24-9 kill advantage thefinal two sets. For the match, Marion Localled in kills (51-35) and blocks (15-4).In winning its third state title, Marion Local

became the seventh program in Ohio to winthree or more state titles in a row, joiningCincinnati St. Ursula (1993-94-95-96-97-98),Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (1997-98-99-00-01), Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame (1998-99-00), Akron Hoban (1990-91-92), CincinnatiSeton (1984-85-86) and Newark Catholic(1984-85-86).

Marion Local joins Cincinnati Ursuline, theDivision I state champions, as the only unde-feated teams in Ohio this season. Overall,Marion Local has compiled a record of 82-4over the past three seasons.The win for Marion Local gives the

Midwest Athletic Conference 12 state crownsin the 35 years of the state tournament (FortRecovery 1990; Marion Local 2007, 2008,2009; Rockford Parkway 1996, 1997; St.Henry 1985, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1995, 2004).Since Ohio went to four divisions in volleyballin 1990, the Division IV state champion hascome from the Northwest District every yearexcept for 2003 and 2005.Junior Alyssa Winner led Marion Local (28-

0) with a double-double of 16 kills and 20digs, while sophomore Margaret Wuebkerhad 11 kills and nine block assists, juniorStacey Huber 24 assists and 12 digs, seniorShelby Moeller 19 assists and 12 digs andjunior Casey Heitkamp 12 block assists.

Senior Hannah Livengood paced St. Paul(25-4) with a double-double of 12 kills and 21digs while senior Amber Welfle had 11 kills,senior Kaylee Bundschuh 30 assists and

sophomore Corynne Smith 24 digs. It was St.Paul’s third state runner-up finish (2004,2007) and its fifth appearance in the statefinals since 2002.

Division III State ChampionshipDAYTON, Ohio – Huron claimed its third

Division III volleyball championship Nov. 14as the Tigers swept by the Frankfort AdenaWarriors 25-17, 25-21, 25-21 at WrightState’s Nutter Center.

Huron, which previously won state crownsin 1999 and 2002, was making its fourthappearance in the state finals while Adenawas also appearing in its fourth title match.The Warriors won the Class A titles in 1975and 1976 and was runner-up in D-III in 1993.Senior Jesse Miedema led Huron (26-3)

with 12 kills, while junior Taylor Slauterbeckposted a double-double of 11 kills and 12digs. Junior Taryn Graham added 28 digs.Junior Kelsey Bielanow paced Adena (26-

3) with 21 kills, while junior Hannah Halcombhad 34 assists and 11 digs.

Adena had two more kills than Huron forthe match (37-35), but committed 28 attackerrors compared to just 17 for the Tigers.

Division II State ChampionshipDAYTON, Ohio – Parma Padua Franciscan

defended its OHSAA Division II volleyball titleNov. 14, but not without a struggle as theBruins had to rally from a 2-0 deficit to winover North Coast League rival Mentor LakeCatholic in five sets at Wright State’s NutterCenter, defeating the Cougars 16-25, 21-25,25-22, 25-9, 15-9.

The two teams had met twice during the

regular season, with Padua winning in threeand four sets, respectively, but Mentor LakeCatholic had other ideas for this thirdencounter.

In the early going, Lake Catholic tookadvantage of 22 Padua attack errors in thefirst two sets.

The match featured 38 ties and 22 leadchanges, including five ties and three leadchanges in the decisive fifth set.

Padua broke an 8-8 deadlock and tookcontrol with five straight points, the final twocoming on kills from senior Christie Fritsche.Fritsche led Padua (27-2) with 27 kills,

while senior Kaitlyn Leary had a double-dou-ble of 22 kills and 13 digs. Senior MeredithBolmeyer had 33 assists and 15 digs andfreshman Mary Djukic added 23 assists and15 digs.

Junior Bridget Grdina paced Mentor LakeCatholic (22-7) with a double-double of 15kills and 11 digs while senior ChelseyRegovich had 12 kills, junior Audryana Lucha45 assists and junior Kelly Stenger 23 digs.

It was the Cougars’ first appearance in thetitle match after falling in the state semifinalsin 2001 and 2002. — OHSAA

Making its 10th appearance in the state volleyball tournament, Cincinnati

Ursuline Academy won its fourth state title in Division I.


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