Wednesday, December 13, 2023 • Vol. 16 No. 15• FREE
Girls Basketball Preview
New Coach Domen Getting Huskies Back on Track
Postal Customer Local / ECRWSS
POST
OR CURRENT RESIDENT
Community News from Middlefield, Parkman, Huntsburg and Surrounding Areas
PreSort Std U.S. Postage PAID Middlefield, OH 44062 Permit No. 77
Middlef ield
INSIDE
By Haley Adams sports@karlovecmedia.com
For the first time in program history, the Cardinal Huskies were unable to field a varsity girls basketball program last winter. Now, not only are the girls back, but a 1994 Cardinal High School graduate in Kim Domen will be at the helm of the program. She brings in a very talented freshman class. The 1994 Cardinal graduate is eager to get after it. She often reminisces about her own nights where she spent countless hours with teammates that eventually became life-long friends. Not only did they leave as friends, they left as some of the best basketball players that have walked through the halls of Cardinal High School. “Being at Cardinal brings back all the awesome memories I had playing basketball with a lot of really talented players. For example, Lisa/Leslie Baker, Stacey Smoot, Michelle Casto, Lyndsay Frank, Heather Fisher, and Tiffany Pilarczyk to name a few,” said Domen as she listed her old teammates. A familiar face from the area helped mold those young athletes into the women they are today: Dennis Lory, who later also served as the
SUBMITTED
The Cardinal High School girls basketball team played at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Nov. 30. Despite the loss to Orange, the Huskies were eager to get back on the court after not having enough girls to field a team last season.
Berkshire Badgers girls basketball coach. “Dennis made sure we knew what we were up against and knew what the other teams ran. He was a ‘get after it’ type of person. He wasn’t all business, though; he had some fun, too.” said Domen.
That 1994 Huskies team? They still currently are listed as the best team the girls have ever had in school history. Domen will look to eventually get back to those old ways. But for now, she will look to lead a young but athletic group to a competitive season this winter. The Huskies bring in
eight freshmen who will need to mature quickly. Freshman Natalie Soltis is expecting big minutes on the court. In fact, she will be the general manager of the court.
See Girls • Page 6
Boys Basketball Preview
Young Huskies Searching for New Team Identity By Haley Adams sports@karlovecmedia.com
The Huskies were in search of a new basketball coach for the first time in over a decade after Jon Cummins stepped down during this offseason. Cummins’ squad finished last season 15-9 overall, 8-2 in the CVC. The Huskies fell to Dalton in the sectional championship game, but that didn’t take away from the record-breaking year that they had. Since, the team has hired Kyle Deckerd, a 2013 graduate of Canton South High, who continued his education and playing career at Hiram College. He returned home after college and coached for his alma mater. One of just three seniors, Troy Domen, has already etched his name into the record books. As a junior, the feisty defender set the record for steals in a single season with 197. He looks to score
Ciminello
Domen
his 1,000th career point this season, and hopes to break the all-time assist and scoring records. Domen will be the lone returner. Averaging 13.8 points per game last year, he also led the Huskies in steals, with 3.2 per game, and averaged 4.5 rebounds per game. He will be a four-year starter looking to lead a young group to success in his final season. “As one of the top scorers in school history, and as one of our only returning lettermen, we will be counting on Troy’s veteran experience to help us win games this year,” Deckerd said. “I am looking forward to making memories with the team that will last
a lifetime. We will be spending a lot of time together, and the re l a t i o n s h i p s we are building are much bigger Naples than basketball.” Clayton Cochran, the Huskies’ second senior, will look to play physically in the paint. Cochran is best known for holding his own on the football field in the center position. If the Huskies want to continue the reputation of being fast and physical, they will have to rely on Cochran down low. Another senior, Neil Lucariello, will look to make an immediate impact on the court. The senior returns to the floor for the first time since middle school. “These seniors will look to hold down the paint and secure rebounds for us this season. We are excited to
have them both come out this season and be leaders for us,” Deckerd said. Junior Dominic Naples will see his minutes increase significantly on the court. The 6-0 forward will need to help Domen offensively. “Fresh off an injury, Dom is looking to take a major leap in minutes this season,” his coach said. “As one of our only returning lettermen, we will be leaning on him to jump in his productivity on the court.” Junior Cal Ciminello has also been asked to help with the heavy load among the underclassmen. Ciminello made an appearance in 12 games last season, primarily in the guard position. Juniors Austin Jones, Chuck Soltis and Blake Strever will also see potential varsity minutes this year. The Huskies open up their season against West Geauga on the road. The team will have a tough stretch of
See Boys • Page 6
facebook.com/middlefieldpost