Metro Edition Section B 11/30/15 by Press Publications

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November 30, 2015

R E S Sports S

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Community sees three boys’ teams win league titles 2015 Alan Miller Jewelers All-Press Boys Soccer Team

By J. Patrick Eaken Press Sports Editor sports@presspublications.com Three boys’ soccer teams made history this season — winning a league championship and going where few teams had gone in their program’s history. Oak Harbor may be the most notable, not only winning a Sandusky Bay Conference title, but reaching the Division II regional tournament with two wins over Northern Lakes League schools in the district. The season ended with a 2-1 overtime loss to Elida. The Rockets finished 16-4, and were led by junior forward Nate Poiry, who finished with 89 points, including 35 goals and 19 assists. He was not only the SBC Player of the Year, he is an Alan Miller Jewelers All-Press Co-POY. In statements emailed to The Press about Poiry, Oak Harbor coach Ken Filar said, “Nate is not only a prolific goal scorer, but a great team player and led his team in assists. He is humble, unselfish and understands the importance of playing as a unit and gets the big picture. He’s also a high quality individual who displays great sportsmanship at all times and you’ll never see him taunting opponents or banging his chest after goals. He’s very quick to deflect the attention and he acknowledges his teammates when he’s interviewed and knows it takes 22 guys to move on in the tournament. “He’s very fun to watch and enjoys the challenge of being man-marked or double teamed. He knows that means other players will be open for goal scoring opportunities,” Filar continued. “The SBC coaches know Nate well enough that he’s not just someone we target for goals and he’s not one dimensional. Our league coaches are pretty intelligent and don’t just vote for who had the most goals. They know what kind of player he is.” The Rocket boys had all 11 starters receive all-league honors. First team selections included Poiry, Draper, Damron, and Bowlick. Hall and Hess were named second team All-SBC. Eastwood’s soccer team had its best season in years, if not ever, says Coach Joe Montag, and that’s a long time. Eastwood started its’ varsity boys program in the early 1980s, well before other schools its size, and a club team dates back to the fall of 1975. This year, Eastwood finished 14-3-1, including an unbeaten 9-0-1 in the Northern Buckeye Conference. The season included a 13-game win streak, and the Eagles were led by All-Press Co-POY junior forward Jacob Montag, who finished with a school record 80 points, including 30 goals and 13 assists. The Eagles defeated Mansfield St. Peter’s 10-1 in the Division III sectional

Co-Players of the Year: Dakota Calkins, Clay Jacob Montag, Eastwood Jarod Brossia, Genoa Nate Poiry, Oak Harbor

FIRST TEAM

Dakota Calkins Matt Bohland Rudy Cruz Mark Everhardt Jacob Montag Nate Poiry Matthew Szymanski Logan Baugher Jarod Brossia Tyler Bowlick Noah Goetz Aaron Lesniewicz Ryan Reiter Donovan Damron Rudy Bowe Kyle Draper Christian Buenrostro

Clay Clay Eastwood Genoa Eastwood Oak Harbor Cardinal Stritch Eastwood Genoa Oak Harbor Genoa Genoa Eastwood Oak Harbor Eastwood Oak Harbor Cardinal Stritch

So F Sr F Jr F Sr F Jr F Jr F Jr F Jr M Sr M Jr M Sr D Sr D Jr D Jr D Jr GK Sr GK Sr GK

Co-Coaches of the Year: Justin Guy, Clay Joe Montag, Eastwood Ken Filar, Oak Harbor

SECOND TEAM

Zack Ellison Trent Smith Tyler Axtell Daniel Bautista Matt Depner Sean Hoeft Andrew Hoffman Shawn Lillich Liam Hall Austin Lozier Landon Bleau Sam Barbee Damon Plummer Landon Zura Zach Hess Matthew Albright Justin McCormick

Lake Woodmore Cardinal Stritch Waite Woodmore Genoa Lake Lake Oak Harbor Clay Clay Woodmore Lake Eastwood Oak Harbor Cardinal Stritch Genoa

Jr F Sr F Jr F Sr F Sr M Fr M So M So M Jr M Sr D Sr D Fr D Sr D Jr D Jr D Jr D Sr GK

HONORABLE MENTION Nick Damron, Oak Harbor; Allen Wecke, Oak Harbor; Holden Pelz, Oak Harbor Nick Nye, Oak Harbor; Quintin DeWalt, Oak Harbor; Cole Cutchall, Woodmore Darrien Gugle, Genoa; Jacob Hahn, Eastwood; Trevor Hoffman, Eastwood Jared Luther, Eastwood; Shale Wahl, Woodmore; Logan Bihn, Genoa; Mikey Szymanski, Lake Kevin Paul, Woodmore; Thomas Cluckey, Clay; Erek Hansen, Clay Garrett Anderson, Clay; Justin Goedde, Cardinal Stritch Mitchal Gobbell, Cardinal Stritch; Kyle Miazgowicz, Cardinal Stritch

opener and then ran into defending state champion Mansfield Christian, losing 4-1. In that game, the coach’s son, Jacob, scored one of only 14 goals Mansfield Christian had allowed in 18 games. Nine Eagles got All-NBC accolades, four were all-district, and Jacob is second team All-Ohio. Jacob is NBC and All-Press Co-POY with Genoa senior midfielder Jarod Brossia. Jacob is first team all-district and All-NBC for the second year running, won the NBC Golden Boot Award for 20 league goals, and he scored in 16 of 18 games. In addition, Eastwood junior forward Rudy Cruz is first team All-Press, first team All-NBC and second team all-district after recording 23 goals and eight assists. Junior goalkeeper Rudy Bowe is All-Press first team, All-NBC first team, and the NBC Golden Glove Award winner after allowing just 10 goals during league match play. Meanwhile, Brossia’s Genoa team was the only team to put a blemish on the Eagle’s league record as the Comets tied the Eagles 2-2 in their first league encounter. Genoa finished 10-6-2 and reached the D-II district tournament, losing to Napoleon, 1-0. Brossia led the team with 55 points, including 18 goals and 19 assists, and all

that scoring came from his position in the middle of the field. "I pushed Jarod to become more of a complete player this year, and for him to repeat as NBC Co-Player of the Year was a great challenge," said Genoa coach Tim Memmer. "And, he not only was required to play more defense that any of the other top attackers in the league in our ‘team-centric’ tactics, but also he had a target on him in every game. And even with these, he increased his goal and assist production, scoring or assisting in two-thirds of our goals this season.” Clay finished 5-10-3, but despite that record, the Eagles won a league championship, taking the Northwest Ohio Scholastic Soccer League Division 2 title with a 4-0-2 record. Sophomore forward Dakota Calkins is NWOSSL POY and All-Press Co-POY, scoring nine goals in league play. Coach Justin Gay said Calkins “stood out” against NWOSSL competition. The future looks bright for Clay, so Guy says the program is “moving in a different direction.” Clay is leaving the NWOSSL and next year will play in the Three Rivers Athletic Conference only, where they had just one win this season. Plus, Guy says they hope to upgrade the non-league schedule.

Proud to Support Area High School Soccer Teams by co-sponsoring the

ALAN MILLER JEWELERS

All Press Boys’ Soccer Team

Clay sophomore forward/outside midfielder Dakota Calkins. (Press file photo by Scott Grau/TRACsports.org)

Eastwood's Jacob Montag (23) battles with Otsego's Jacob Caris (2). (Photo by Lee Welch/FamilyPhotoGroup.com)

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THE PRESS

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Comets, Rockets, Cards, Rangers in search of trophies By J. Patrick Eaken, Mark Griffin, Yaneek Smith, and Nicholas Huenefeld sports@presspublications.com Genoa came within one win over Otsego of claiming a share of the Northern Buckeye Conference title last year. The Knights rolled through the conference to finish 14-0 in the NBC. If Genoa doesn’t win the NBC championship this year, no one can say it was for lack of experience. All five starters return from a year ago. “If you take any one of those five out, we definitely show some weakness,” Coach Mike DeStazio said. “They play so well together, they are truly a team. They all have a role to play. They have accepted that role, which means somebody’s got to get assists, get rebounds, be a leader on defense. They’ll do whatever they have to do to help us win a ballgame.” Woodmore’s focus will be defense. In fact, Woodmore scored just one point in the fourth quarter of its season opening win over Port Clinton, which won the Sandusky Bay Conference last year, but managed to hold on for the victory because of their defensive effort. “We have stressed defense from day one. We can always control our effort defensively and the girls understand that we require maximum effort on that side of the ball,” Coach Kyle Clair said. “This year’s team is the best defensive team I have ever had. We may struggle offensively at times, but we hope to make up for that with our havoc-style defense. We have to sustain aggressive, full-court defensive pressure for 32 minutes and finish on the offensive end.” Joe Nowak, who replaces Jim Gracyk as the Flyers’ coach, said the team is doing a good job of adjusting to his style of offense and defense. “Our playing style is quite a bit different from what they were accustomed to,” Nowak said. “We had a pretty good summer. It was a time of adjustment and they’re still adjusting to more of a half-court style game. I’m happy with the progress they’ve made so far. “Defensively, that’s been a big focus in the preseason - sitting down in a defensive stance and trying to stop people. We will play man-to-man and some zone. That has been a big focus for us, guarding people.” The biggest hurdle for first-year Eastwood coach Nick Schmeltz is getting the players to learn his system and philosophy. Schmeltz, who played guard at Eastwood (2010), was the Eagles’ junior varsity girls coach last season. He also spent two years as the assistant junior varsity boys coach. “For the seniors, I’m their third coach in four years,” said Schmeltz, who replaces Lindsay Ross. “They’ve learned three different systems and philosophies. We’re teaching different stuff than past coaches, so we’re batting through that. I’m really pleased how far we’ve come along, and they’re working really hard and picking up stuff.” Schmeltz added that the way to the top of the NBC standings for the Eagles will be based on the team’s defense, athleticism and quickness. “If we keep playing hard and improve,” he said, “I think we can be up there. We have to stay injury free and have some bounces go our way. We’re capable of competing with the top teams in our league.” Rockets, Rangers have high hopes Genoa is not the only team expected to contend for a title, But, how do you follow up one of the most successful seasons in the history of the program? It’s the challenge that faces Oak Harbor coach Tom Kontak. After leading his club to just its second district title in the program’s history, Kontak returns nearly his entire club, one that is picked to win the Sandusky Bay Conference title. Led by senior Andrea Cecil, who recently committed to play at Bowling Green State University, the Rockets carry with them heavy expectations. But the expectations are for the writers and fans to worry about while the players and coaches must focus on getting to work. “A strength heading into the season would definitely be the overall experience of the group; a group that, after getting completely healthy, made it to the regional semifinals last season,” said Kontak, who has accumulated a 53-22 record during his three years in Oak Harbor. “Overall, this group of players is athletic, has had much success in the classroom and other sports and is a very close-knit group. “Going into any season, a main con-

Gose, an honorable mention all-district selection, had 146 steals last season and averaged five points and five rebounds a game. “She is by far the smartest basketball player I’ve ever coached,” DeStazio said. “She doesn’t have to score to make us win. Her intelligence in talking on defense and the effort and athleticism she plays with ... She’s the general on the floor.” Pickard, a three-year starter, enters this season with 958 career points. She was a first-team all-conference and all-district selection a year ago after averaging 14 points and nine rebounds to go along with 111 steals and 73 assists. “I have five kids on the floor who run the guard spot, and Haley is probably my point guard,” DeStazio said. “When you’re a three-year starter, that will be lot of her strength right there.” Harder averaged 11 points and eight rebounds last season while earning secondteam All-NBC and all-district honors. “I can say pretty confidently that she’s the best 5-foot-11 guard in the league because of her ability to handle the ball,” DeStazio said. “She will be a much better perimeter player this year because she put a lot of time into it. She’s the best ball handler in the league for her size.” Other returning letter winners are senior Caitlyn Shessler, junior Chayce McQueary and sophomore Abby Wolfe. “If we can continue to improve in our half-court offense and become a better perimeter team offensively, we should be able to compete in the top half of our league,” DeStazio said. “With our ability to handle the ball and press defensively, we should make the game very fast.”

Genoa six-foot tall senior wing Erica Harder (22) is defended by Clyde 5-7 junior guard Morgan Bannister (24) in a season-opening Clyde Turkey Shootout semifinal matchup. (Press photo by Russ Lytle/Facebook.com/RussLytle/RHP) cern is always that the players collectively stay focused as one unit. You hope that the players continue to trust and support each other.” Northwood returns all five starters from last year and expectations are high in Northwood. The Rangers’ girls program has never won a conference or league championship. “We’ve set some high expectations for ourselves,” Coach Bill Hamilton said. “The girls want to win the league and they are setting that as a goal for themselves. That could create pressure for them. They understand what they need to do. If they put their effort into making that happen, it’s a possibility.” Hamilton said the Rangers can be right up there with Tiffin Calvert, Ottawa Hills and Cardinal Stritch as one of the teams to beat in the TAAC this season, and no one is counting out Gibsonburg. “We need to definitely work hard — harder than we did last year — and challenge ourselves to improve every day we step on the floor, whether in practice or a game,” Hamilton said. “They’re working as hard as they can to reach that goal they set for themselves.” Cardinal Stritch coach Cathy Hanek likes what she’s seen from some of her top players in the preseason, but one of her concerns is the team’s current lack of depth. “I like our top six or seven kids,” Hanek said. “We still think we can play fast and use pressure with the group we’ve got, as long as we stay out of foul trouble and stay injury free. We like our chances, and we have a group that works really hard and buys into what we want to do.” Hanek added that the three things Stritch has to do to be competitive in the Toledo Area Athletic Conference is stay out of foul trouble, control the pace of the game and execute. “We have the group to do it,” she said. “We’re talented, just not super deep.” The Gibsonburg girls’ basketball team will look to take advantage of their strength in the post this year. Overall, Gibsonburg has a lot of experience with four returning starters and six returning letter winners. “They want to win. They are just learning how to win,” Hill said. “They just need to focus on believing in themselves.” Hess twins return Clay graduated seven seniors from last year’s team but return a strong core in returning starters Haley and Hannah Hess. The twins both averaged 14.2 points a game last year and earned first-team AllThree Rivers Athletic Conference and alldistrict honors. Hannah will be a third-year starter this season, while Haley was the Eagles’ sixth man as a sophomore.

“We are going to rely on them heavily for scoring, as we have in the past,” coach Corey Slovak said. “They are the seniors now, so there is that aspect of leadership they have to shoulder. They have to have big shoulders because they’re going to be the target of other teams.” Slovak said the Eagles are using last year’s first-round loss to Anthony Wayne in the sectional tournament as motivation this season. “We didn’t play well, and with seven seniors it was a hard lesson to learn,” Slovak said. “We can’t take things for granted. With five sophomores on varsity this year, we went from a very experienced team last year to just the opposite, so we’ll see how we’re going to handle that.” Waite coach Manny May will field a young team this year, but they will be as he said, “young and upcoming.” In fact, the team’s overall youth may be a weakness, but it’s also a strength, according to May. “To have young people come out and participate and learn the game is a strength,” he said. “The thing you want to improve on is awareness on the court. It’s about improving the little things in practice until we come together and mature as a team.”

Genoa

Coach: Mike DeStazio, sixth year Last year: 18-6 (12-2, NBC) Key players: Carly Gose, 5-4, Sr., G; Haley Gerke, 5-5, Sr., G; Emily Edwards, 5-6, Jr., G; Kaylee Buhrow, 5-7, Sr., W; Haley Pickard, 5-5, Sr., G; Erica Harder, 5-11, Sr., W; Chayce McQueary, 5-10, Jr., P; Brittany Mathews, 5-4, So., G; Abby Wolfe 5-6, So., W; Caitlyn Shessler, 5-8, Sr., W Preview: The returning starters are Emily Edwards, Haley Gerke, Carly Gose, Erica Harder and Haley Pickard. Edwards, who will be a three-year starter, earned honorable mention All-NBC and all-district honors last year after averaging 11 points a game to go with 53 assists. “Emily is a blue-collar worker,” DeStazio said. “She does all the little things that makes us better. She gets steals, she anticipates and she can score. She’s a very versatile player.” Gerke connected on 44 3-pointers last year and averaged nine points a game. She has had two surgeries on her knee, but still made honorable mention all-district as a junior. “It took all last year to get her to where she was contributing quite a bit,” DeStazio said. “She will make us a very good perimeter team. She’s probably as smart as anybody on the team with her basketball IQ. She is the one person I think will make us better because of her being healthy.”

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GENOA GIRLS ROSTER Carly Gose 5'4 Guard Senior Allison Bench 5'6 Guard Senior Jaynie Plantz 5'9 Wing Junior Haley Gerke 5'5 Guard Senior Emily Edwards 5'6 Guard Junior Kaylee Buhrow 5'7 Wing Senior Haley Pickard 5'5 Guard Senior Erica Harder 6'0 Wing Senior Chayce McQueary 5'10 Post Junior Brittany Mathews 5'4 Guard Sophomore Abby Wolfe 5'6 Wing Sophomore Caitlyn Shessler 5'8 Wing Senior Emma Trainer 5'4 Wing Senior

GENOA GIRLS SCHEDULE Nov 20-21 @ Clyde Dec 28 HOPEWELLTurkey Shootout LOUDON (Tffin Columbian/ Jan 5 LAKE Start) Jan 8 OTSEGO Nov 24 @ Oak Harbor Jan 9 LAKOTA Nov 27 @ Otsego Jan 14 @ Fostoria Dec 3 FOSTORIA Jan 19 @ Eastwood Dec 8 @ Elmwood Jan 22 ELMWOOD Dec 11 EASTWOOD Jan 28 WOODMORE Dec 12 DELTA Feb 4 @ Rossford Dec 17 @ Woodmore Feb 8 OLD FORT Dec 22 ROSSFORD Feb 11 @ Lake

Lake

Coach: Joe Nowak, first season Last year: 14-10 (9-5, NBC) Key players: Maddy Hodgson 5-5, So., G; McKenzie Brittenham, 5-5, Sr., PG; Kayla Bekier, 5-10, So., F; Vanessa Warton, 5-2, Sr., G/P; Kristen Deal, 5-9, Sr., F; Bekah Swartz, 5-6, Jr., G; Lexi Robinson, 5-11, Fr., P; Chloe Huston, 5-8, Sr., G; Alicia Frisinger, 6-0, Sr., P Preview: Lake returns six letter winners in Chloe Huston, McKenzie Brittenham, Bekah Swartz, Maddy Hodgson, Alicia Frisinger and Kristen Deal. The probable starters are Brittenham, Huston, Deal, Frisinger and either Hodgson or Swartz. “Chloe is a streaky shooter,” Nowak said. “When she gets hot, she can really shoot the ball. She has a good sense of the game as far as what to look for and when to look for it. I’ve been pretty happy with that so far. McKenzie’s ball handling is pretty solid and she sees the floor real well. She has pretty good passing skills and is one of our better on-ball defenders. “Bekah brings energy,” the coach added. “She’s always going 100 percent and is another one who can shoot the ball from outside. She gets after it defensively as well. Maddy is really growing into her role on the team. She’s probably one of the most vocal girls on the team. Alicia uses her size pretty well to get into position and make a move. Kristen Deal may seem a little undersized, but she’s a pretty physical player. She uses her body pretty well and is pretty mobile down low.” Nowak said the experience the Flyers got at the varsity level last season will be a big plus in 2015-16. “It may be challenging in that they’ve been under one system and have to play in another one,” Nowak said, “but at least they have that varsity experience where they’re accustomed to the speed and physicality of

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THE PRESS

Coach: Cathy Hanek, second year Last year: 13-11 (11-5, TAAC) Key players: Kama Hardy, 5-10, Sr., G/F; Kali Hardy, 5-6, Sr., G; Madison Moran, 5-8, Sr., G/F; Emily Uher, 5-11, Jr., F; Jami Hardy, 5-6, Jr., G Preview: Senior guard Kali Hardy (8 pts., 4 reb.) and senior guard/forwards Kama Hardy and Madison Moran (5 pts., 4 reb.) are the Cardinals’ returning starters. “Kali is a really hard worker at both ends of the floor,” Hanek said. “That’s probably her best attribute. She has improved her shooting from last year and she’s going to be relied on to do more scoring than she’s used to. Defensively, she’ll be guarding the ball most of the time. She’ll be starting our defense for us.” Kama Hardy, a second team All-Ohio soccer player, averaged six points and seven rebounds as a junior and is the team’s best rebounder and passer, says Hanek. “She has a nose for the ball,” the coach said. “Her strong point is her passing, but I’d like to see her look to score more. She is good at seeing the floor and getting other people the ball and anticipating when her teammates are going to be open.” “Madison has improved her shot a little bit since last year,” Hanek said. “She’s kind of in the same boat as Kali. We will look for her to score more than last year and help us out in rebounding as well.” Junior guard Jami Hardy should be one of the other starters along with junior forward Emily Uher. “Jami is one of our better shooters,” Hanek said. “The last half of last year she played big minutes for us and made some big shots. We’re counting on her to do that again this year. Emily is still a little bit raw, but she’s getting better around the basket and is one of our best rebounders. She is another person we’ll be relying on inside, offensively and defensively.”

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the game. We have pretty good balance in that a lot of girls can do a lot of different things.”

LAKE GIRLS ROSTER Maddy Hodgson 5'5 Sophomore McKenzie Brittenham 5'5 Senior Kayla Bekier 5'10 Sophomore Vanessa Warton 5'2 Senior Kristen Deal 5'9 Senior Rebekah Swartz 5'6 Junior Lexi Robinson 5'11 Freshman Chloe Huston 5'8 Senior Alicia Frisinger 6'0 Senior LAKE GIRLS SCHEDULE Nov 20 @ Gibsonsburg Dec 28 @ Port Clinton Nov 21 NORTHWOOD Jan 2 BOWSHER Nov 24 SWANTON Jan 5 @ Genoa Nov 27 @ Woodmore Jan 8 WOODMORE Dec 3 @ Rossford Jan 14 ROSSFORD Dec 5 @ Lakota Jan 19 @ Elmwood Dec 8 @ Otsego Jan 22 OTSEGO Dec 11 ELMWOOD Jan 28 @ Fostoria Dec 17 FOSTORIA Feb 4 EASTWOOD Dec 21 MAUMEE Feb 6 @ Delta Dec 22 @ Eastwood Feb 11 GENOA

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Woodmore

10 11 12 14 20 22 23 24 30 32 34 40 44

WOODMORE GIRLS ROSTER Nora LaMunyon 5'7 Guard Freshman Jordan Grzegorczyk 5'8 Post Senior Clarissa Chavez 5'5 Post Sophomore Lily Rothert 5'6 Guard Junior Hayley Fruend 5'6 Guard Sophomore Liz Koenig 5'9 Guard Junior Kate Barbee 5'5 Guard Junior Noelle Fruend 5'8 Forward Junior Carly Rothert 5'9 F/P Sophomore Kaitlin Gephart 5'7 Guard Sophomore Camryn Bench 5'7 F/P Junior Brittany Brugger 5'9 Post Senior Makenzie Hoffman 5'9 Post Junior

Nov 21 Nov 24 Nov 27 Nov 30 Dec 3 Dec 5 Dec 8 Dec 11 Dec 17 Dec 22 Dec 28

WOODMORE PORT CLINTON @ Old Fort LAKE GIBSONBURG OTSEGO @ HopewellLoudon @ Eastwood @ Fostoria GENOA ELMWOOD OTTAWA HILLS

GIRLS SCHEDULE Jan 5 Jan 8 Jan 14 Jan 16

Jan 19 Jan 22 Jan 28 Feb 4 Feb 6 Feb 9 Feb 11

@ Rossford @ Lake @ Otsego FREMONT ST. JOSEPH FOSTORIA EASTWOOD @ Genoa @ Elmwood OAK HARBOR @ Lakota ROSSFORD

Eastwood Coach: Nick Schmeltz, first year Last year: 6-18 (2-12, NBC) Key players: Mackenzie Albright, 5-8, Sr., G; Brianna Rost, 5-8, Sr., F ; Alexa Schmeltz, 5-7, Sr., F; Kara Ameling, 5-7, Jr., G; Kelley Turk, 5-5, So., G Preview: Eastwood’s three returning starters, seniors Mackenzie Albright and Alexa Schmeltz, and junior Kara Ameling, “are pretty talented,” coach Schmeltz said. “After that, we’re looking for girls to

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Cardinal Stritch

Girls basketball

Coach: Kyle Clair, eighth season Last year: 8-17 (4-10, NBC) Key players: Jordan Grzygorcyk, 5-9, Sr., P; Lily Rothert, 5-5, Jr., G; Kate Barbee, 5-5, Jr., PG; Liz Koenig, 5-9, Jr., W; Carly Rothert, 5-9, So., F/P; Kait Gephart, 5-7, So., G; Makenzie Hoffman, 5-9, Jr., C; Camryn Bench, 5-7, Jr., F/P; Hayley Freund, 5-6, So., G; Brittany Brugger, 5-9, Sr., P; Nora LaMunyon, 5-7, Fr., G Preview: After a run that saw them win a couple of sectional titles and establish themselves as one of the better teams in the Northern Buckeye Conference, the Woodmore Wildcats had a rougher go of it last year. However, if Grzygorcyk (4.8 pts, 5.1 reb.) and and Lily Rothert (8.5 pts, 3.1 rebs, 2.1 asst.) have anything to say, Woodmore will be back near the top of the conference. They’ll be joined in the starting lineup by Barbee (4.8 pts., 4.5 reb., 2.1 asst.), Koenig and Carly Rothert. Grzygorcyk played 10 games last season before sustaining an injury and missing the rest of the season, so staying healthy will be important. A number of other players will be part of the rotation, among them Gephart (4.8 pts., 3.7 reb.), 5-9 Hoffman, Bench, Freund, Brugger and LaMunyon. In all, the Wildcats have three returning starters, and the team will have to rely on that experience as they work a number of newcomers into the fold. “(Our experience) is very important for us because we have many young players who are getting their first taste of varsity experience. With a 10- to 12-player rotation, it’s great to have players who are acclimated to the varsity pace and crunchtime situations,” said Clair. “(Lily Rothert and Grzygorcyk) will be key factors for us. With the scoring lost to graduation, we have adapted an ‘All five, all the time’ mentality. Honestly, it has to be a collective effort every night for us to be successful. While we have good depth, we will need to develop some consistent offensive options as the season progresses. The sooner we do that, the better we will be offensively. “We need to continue to improve on rebounding,” Clair said. “We don’t have a lot of height, so rebounding will have to be something we do as a team.”

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

All-Ohioan and Bowling Green State University signee Andrea Cecil scores two of her 23 points as her Oak Harbor team wins a 40-37 non-league tilt over Genoa Tuesday. Genoa senior guard Haley Pickard scored 22 in the game and reached 1,000 points for her career. (Press photo by Russ Lytle/Facebook.com/RussLytle/RHP) step up and fill spots,” he said. “Athletically, quickness-wise, they’re right up there. We just need to get a basketball in their hands and develop them a little bit.” Albright was an honorable mention All-Northern Buckeye Conference selection last year after averaging 10.5 points per game. She is a four-year varsity player. “Mackenzie’s been around and she’s seasoned,” Schmeltz said. “She sees the court and understands the game very well. We tell her something and she picks up on it really quick. She is our point guard and a great leader. I’m hoping some of the girls can learn from her and follow in her footsteps.” Ameling and Alexa Schmeltz both averaged between three and four points a game a year ago. “Kara will do anything for us,” coach Schmeltz said. “She’s our best defender, very athletic defensively. She can shut down other teams’ players. Offensively, she runs the court well and is one of our top threats from outside. Alexa has really impressed me in our scrimmages. She is by far our toughest and most aggressive player. She takes it right at you. She is undersized for a post player, but she’s a bulldog down there. She will give some other teams problems.” Other probable starters are Brianna Rost in the post and Kelley Turk at guard. “Rost has been around the program for four years, and I have been impressed with her leadership skills,” Schmeltz said. “She’s willing to do anything we ask of her as well. Kelley is coming along. She’s a sophomore and kind of been forced into the mix because of our numbers. She’s learning from Mackenzie Albright, and that helps.” 10 11 14 15 21 22 23 24 32 42 44

EASTWOOD Morgan Rost Hannah Owens Riley Corns Mackenzie Albright Chandler Davidson Kelley Turk Jordan Davidson Kara Ameling MacKinley Fix Brianna Rost Alexa Schmeltz

Nov 27 Dec 1 Dec 3 Dec 8 Dec 11 Dec 12 Dec 17 Dec 21 Dec 22 Dec 29 Jan 2

Coach: Tom Kontak, fourth year Last year: 16-8 (7-5, SBC) Key players: Andrea Cecil, 6-0, Sr., G/P; Abby Dornbusch, 5-4, So., G; Athena Eli, 5-5, Sr., G; Emma Barney, 5-10, Jr., G; Logan Harris, 6-1, Fr., P Preview: Oak Harbor features a starting lineup that includes shooters out on the perimeter in Abby Dornbusch and Athena Eli, who is also a stout defender, and athletic, capable forwards in Bowling Green State University signee Andrea Cecil, Emma Barney, and a 6-foot-1 center in Logan Harris. Cecil, a two-time All-Ohio selection, averaged 19.6 points and eight rebounds and Barney (8.5 pts., 5 reb.), Eli (6 pts.) and Dornbusch (5.4 pts., 2.6 asst.) as well as Maddie Rathbun (10.2 pts., 6.5 reb.), who is out for the season with a torn ACL, helped to complement the offense. Harris and fellow post Allie Kuhn will be asked to fill the void left by Rathbun’s injury. Kontak adds that defense will be the ultimate factor. “The difference for this team going to the next level and earning an opportunity to play for a league championship is defense,” Kontak said. “Plain and simple. As a group, we have to believe that moving our feet and stopping the dribble drive are the most important things we do.” Look for guard Emma Bergman and guard/post Olivia Rollins to provide some punch off the bench. “The biggest challenge this year will be that we all, players and coaches, keep our mental edge at a steady level,” Kontak said. “Our group of players and coaches really do trust each other and believe in one another a great deal.”

GIRLS ROSTER 5'8 Guard 5'7 Guard 5'9 Forward 5'8 Guard 5'6 Guard 5'5 Guard 5'6 Guard 5'7 Guard 5'10 Forward 5'8 Forward 5'7 Forward

Sophomore Freshman Senior Senior Sophomore Sophomore Sophomore Junior Sophomore Senior Senior

EASTWOOD GIRLS SCHEDULE

@ Fostoria @ Port Clinton ELMWOOD WOODMORE @ Genoa OAK HARBOR @ Rossford @ Swanton LAKE @ Margaretta @ Lakota

Oak Harbor

Jan 5 Jan 8 Jan 9 Jan 14 Jan 16 Jan 19 Jan 22 Jan 28 Feb 4 Feb 11 Feb 13

@ Otsego FOSTORIA VAN BUREN @ Elmwood @ Northwood GENOA @ Woodmore ROSSFORD @ Lake OTSEGO @ Maumee

1 2 3 4 5 10 11 13 20

OAK HARBOR GIRLS ROSTER Emma Barney 5'10 Guard Junior Athena Eli 5'5 Guard Senior Andrea Cecil 6'0 G/P Senior Allie Kuhn 5'10 Post Senior Maddy Rathbun 5'8 Post Junior Logan Harris 6'1 Post Freshman Abby Dornbusch 5'4 Guard Sophomore Emma Bergman 5'4 Guard Junior Ollivia Rollins 5'9 P/G Senior

Nov 20 Nov 24 Nov 27 Dec 1 Dec 5 Dec 12 Dec 15

OAK HARBOR GIRLS SCHEDULE

@ Rossford GENOA @ Edison HURON @ Clyde @ Eastwood @ Sandusky St. Mary Dec 19 @ Perkins Dec 29-30 @ McDonalds Holiday Classic (Lima)

Jan 5 Jan 7 Jan 9 Jan 12 Jan 16 Jan 19 Jan 26 Jan 30 Feb 2 Feb 6 Feb 9 Feb 11

PORT CLINTON BELLEVUE EDISON @ Huron @ Margaretta CLYDE OLD FORT PERKINS MARGARETTA @ Woodmore @ Elmwood @ Port Clinton

2 3 4 5 10 12 20 22 24 44

CARDINAL STRITCH GIRLS ROSTER Kama Hardy 5'10 G/F Senior Courteney Hardy 5'6 Guard Sophomore Jami Hardy 5'6 Guard Junior Kali Hardy 5'6 Guard Senior Erika Berg 5'6 Guard Sophomore Taylor Besgrove 5'6 Guard Sophomore Mady Moran 5'8 G/F Senior Jordyn Holcomb 5'8 G/F Junior Emily Uher 5'11 Forward Junior Makiah Dobrzynski 5'6 Guard Junior

CARDINAL STRITCH GIRLS SCHEDULE Nov 20 FREMONT CHRISTIAN ST. JOSEPH Jan 9 @ Tiffin Calvert Nov 30 @ Waite Jan 16 DANBURY Dec 3 @ Danbury Jan 21 @ Emmanuel Dec 5 EMMANUEL Christian CHRISTIAN Jan 23 GIBSONBURG Dec 10 @ Gibsonburg Jan 28 MAUMEE Dec 12 @ Maumee Valley VALLEY Dec 15 NORTHWOOD Jan 30 @ Northwood Dec 18 OTTAWA HILLS Feb 1 @ Swanton Dec 21 EVERGREEN Feb 4 @ Ottawa Hills Dec 23 MONROEVILLE Feb 6 @ Toledo Dec 29 @ Sandusky Christian St. Mary Feb 11 TIFFIN Jan 7 TOLEDO CALVERT

Northwood

Coach: Bill Hamilton, fourth year Last year: 13-10 (9-5, TAAC) Key players: Alex Rable, 5-7, Sr., F; Dara Artino, 5-6, Sr., G; Kristi Sawmiller, 5-11, Sr., F; Allison Roach, 5-5, Jr., PG; Jade Laviolette, 5-10, So., F; Amber Meach, 5-6, Jr., G, Lexi Lampros, 5-7, So., F; Olivia Randall, 5-5, Fr., G Preview: Northwood’s returning starters are seniors Alex Rable, Dara Artino and Kristi Sawmiller, junior Allison Roach and junior Jade Laviolette. “There is a nice chemistry between those five, and they’re working to get the other three (Amber Meach, Lexi Lampros and Olivia Randall) to come along as well,” Hamilton said. “The focus will be on the (starting) five. Depth is our weakness, but the other three will be able to step in (off the bench).” Roach is the team’s top returning scorer. She averaged 15.7 points per game en route to earning first-team All-Toledo Area Athletic Conference honors last season. “She scores from inside and outside and does a nice job,” Hamilton said. “She takes it to the hole and can light it up from the outside. The goal is that they all score. In the best of worlds, if we can score 1012 points per game each, that’s what we’re looking for.” Sawmiller posted averages of 5.2 points and 5.6 rebounds last year, while Artino averaged 5.8 points. “Kristi does a really nice job for us under the boards,” Hamilton said. “She works hard, and as a coach I can’t ask for any more than that. I wish she would score a little more for us, and that’s been a focus. We want her to score more and help hold our opponents to under a certain score.

(continued on page B-4)

B-4

THE PRESS

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Girls basketball (continued from page B-3)

“Dara works really hard and puts a lot of effort into her play. It’s that effort that creates positive things for us on the offensive end.” Rable, who was named the TAAC CoPlayer of the Year in soccer this fall, averaged 5.5 points per game on the court as a junior last season. “Defensively, she’s a real go-getter for us,” Hamilton said. “She makes a lot of things happen that makes our team better. She does the defensive things and has a knack for it. When she’s on her game, she changes things. Her defense creates offense.” 2 3 4 10 11 13 14 15 21 22 32 33 34 35 44 52

NORTHWOOD Olivia Randall Brooke Schmitz Allison Roach Lamai Fox Amber Meach Alex Rable Corey Fry Kristi Sawmiller Amya Roscoe Kylie Grant Dara Artino Alexis Lampros Kirsten Dombrowski Bhakti Merchant Nayvee Dewar-Erard Jade Laviolette

GIRLS ROSTER 5'2 5'2 5'3 5'1 5'7 5'9 5'2 5'11 5'4 5'8 5'6 5'6 5'5 5'8 5'4 5'10

Freshman Freshman Junior Freshman Junior Senior Freshman Senior Junior Freshman Senior Sophomore Freshman Junior Sophomore Junior

NORTHWOOD GIRLS SCHEDULE Nov 21 @ Lake Jan 16 EASTWOOD Nov 30 @ Monclova Jan 19 FOSTORIA Christian ST. WENDELIN Dec 5 @ Ottawa Hills Jan 21 OTTAWA HILLS Dec 10 TOLEDO Jan 23 @ Toledo CHRISTIAN Christian Dec 12 TIFFIN Jan 28 @ Tiffin Calvert CALVERT Jan 30 CARDINAL Dec 15 @ Cardinal STRITCH Stritch Feb 4 @ Danbury Dec 18 DANBURY Feb 6 EMMANUEL Dec 30 NORTH CHRISTIAN BALTIMORE Feb 11 @ Gibsonburg Jan 7 @ Emmanuel Feb 13 MAUMEE Christian VALLEY Jan 9 GIBSONBURG Jan 14 @ Maumee Valley

Gibsonburg

Coach: Heather Hill (second year) Last year: 7-16 (6-8, TAAC) Key players: Katy Roberts, 5-4, Sr., G; Sonia Pecina, 5-9, Sr., F; Abby Cantrell, 5-10, Jr., G/F; Shylee Schmeltz, 5-3, Jr., G; Allie Teeple, 5-10, Jr., F; Jenna Lewandowski, 5-11, Jr., F Preview: The height of Cantrell, Teeple and Lewandowski will be looked upon as the team lost their leading scorer and rebounder from last year, Leann Widmer. The duo

of Cantrell and Teeple combined to average 12.6 points last year, while the trio averaged 12.9 rebounds. “I keep telling (the team) that I think we need to focus on pounding the ball inside and give our post players a chance to finish and get to the foul line,” said Heather Hill, who is in her first full year as head coach. That was evident in the team’s close, season opening loss to Lake 43-38. Gibsonburg got the ball inside, but finished 13-for-34 from the foul line. “I was very proud of them,” Hill said. “We crashed the boards hard. We pounded the ball inside. We just need to take care of the ball better (23 turnovers), but our defense played very, very well.” Hill, who took over midseason last year, said the team is focusing on improving the turnover battle, which she said will improve with confidence. “We’re just afraid of making a mistake rather than taking care of the basketball,” she said. “It’s just a lack of confidence.” Through that, Hill has seen improvement and noted the work ethic of Roberts, who averaged 5.5 points and 1.7 steals last year. “By far, Schmeltz and Teeple have come a long ways since we started last year,” she said. “And Katy is by far the best role player I’ve ever coached. She will do anything we ask of her.” 4 10 11 14 20 22 24 25 30 32

GIBSONBURG GIRLS ROSTER Megan Walsh 6'0 Forward Senior Shylee Schmeltz 5'3 Guard Junior Emily Roberts 5'7 G/F Freshman Anna Stout 5'8 Guard Sophomore Katy Roberts 5'4 Guard Senior Abby Cantrell 5'10 G/F Junior Marie Villarreal 5'4 Guard Senior Allie Teeple 5'10 Forward Junior Jenna Lewandowski 5'11 Forward Junior Sonia Pecina 5'9 Forward Senior

GIBSONBURG GIRLS Nov 20 LAKE Jan 7 Nov 30 @ Woodmore Jan 9 Dec 3 TOLEDO Jan 16 CHRISTIAN Jan 21 Dec 5 @ Tiffin Calvert Jan 23 Dec 10 CARDINAL STRITCH Jan 28 Dec 12 @ Danbury Jan 30 Dec 15 EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN Feb 1 Dec 17 LAKOTA Dec 21 @ Fremont Feb 6 St. Joseph Jan 2 @ Arcadia Feb 11 Jan 4 @ Ottawa HIlls Feb 13

SCHEDULE

MAUMEE VALLEY @ Northwood @ Toledo Christian TIFFIN CALVERT @ Cardinal Stritch DANBURY @ Emmanuel Christian BOWLING GREEN @ Maumee Valley NORTHWOOD OTTAWA HILLS

Clay

Coach: Corey Slovak, fourth year Last year: 17-6 (9-5, TRAC) Key players: Hannah Hess, 5-8, Sr., G; Haley Hess, 5-7, Sr., G; Hannah Kuhlman, 5-5, Sr., G; Caitlyn Kuecher, 5-6, Jr. G; Sydney Hess, 5-7, Jr., G; Lexi Reese, 5-6, Jr., F; Elizabeth Vincent, 5-10, So., C. Preview: The Eagles won’t be able to sneak up on any opponents this season. Clay racked up 17 wins last season and made things interesting in the TRAC. Slovak is counting on that being the case again. Clay’s returning letter winners are Hannah Hess, Haley Hess, Hannah Kuhlman and Sydney Hess. “Sydney’s role for us is going to be that glue, or grinder, player,” Slovak said. “She’s always going to guard the other team’s best player. She sticks her nose in on defense and takes charges and does things that maybe other people don’t want to do. She can run the point and is not a bad shooter.” Sydney, Haley and Hannah Hess will all be in the starting lineup with sophomore center Elizabeth Vincent. Kuhlman or junior guard Caitlyn Kuecher could also start. Slovak said the Eagles will play four guards and one post “on a regular basis.” “Our biggest advantage is we can put three or four (guards) out there at a time, spread teams out and take advantage of our spacing and quickness and one-on-one attacks,” Slovak said. 2 3 4 5 10 12 20 21 22 24 32 44

CLAY GIRLS Hailey Clere Sydney Hess Hannah Jehany Hannah Hess Shannon Coughlin Samantha Stanley Caitlyn Kuecher Haley Hess Hannah Kuhlman Taytem Rew Lexi Reese Elizabeth Vincent

CLAY GIRLS Nov 27 SPRINGFIELD Nov 30 @ Whitmer Dec 3 CENTRAL CATHOLIC Dec 10 FINDLAY Dec 17 @ Fremont Ross Dec 21 ST. URSULA Dec 22 @ Start Dec 28-29 @ Cincinnati Princeton Tourney Jan 7 @ Lima Senior Jan 9 @ Sylvania Southview

ROSTER 5'6 5'7 5'7 5'8 5'7 5'3 5'6 5'7 5'5 5'6 5'6 5'10

Sophomore Junior Junior Senior Sophomore Sophomore Junior Senior Senior Sophomore Junior Sophomore

SCHEDULE Jan 14 Jan 18 Jan 21 Jan 25

@ Notre Dame PERRYSBURG WHITMER @ Central Catholic Jan 28 @ Findlay Feb 1 FREMONT ROSS Feb 2 BEDFORD (Mich.) Feb 4 @ St. Ursula Feb 8 LIMA SENIOR

Waite

Coach: Manny May, 18th year Last year: 7-14 (4-6, TCL) Key players: Dajanay Wells, 5-8, Sr., G; LaTrecia Williams, 6-1, Sr., C , Sierra Pegish, Sr., F; Marteena Fitch, Jr., G Preview: Wells, Williams and Pegish are the team’s long three seniors, and the team will feature plenty of freshmen and sophomores as well as two juniors. One of those sophomores is Mae Sanders, who led the team with six points in a season opening loss to East Cleveland Shaw. “She’s going to improve every game,” May said. “She played on the freshmen and JV teams last year. She’s very aggressive and a nice rebounder.” As shown by Sanders leading the team with six points, this year’s team won’t feature an elite scorer after the loss of reigning City League Player of the Year Ramiah Henry to graduation. “We don’t have anyone to fill her role yet,” May said. “The first half of the season will be about getting our feet wet and understanding the pace of the game. We just have to step up and have a collective thing as a team to score points.” The team’s post game could be a strong unit, and the youth of the team at the guard position intrigues May. “We have solid post players,” he said. “If we get the ball to them, they will deliver. Our guard play will be interesting because they are young. As they improve, the team will improve.” 4 5 20 23 24 30 32 34 40 50 55

WAITE GIRLS C'asjha Pratt Alizah Alvarez Marteena Fitch Julia Campos Dajaney Wells Angelica Escareno Angelique Bryan Mae Sanders Latriece Williams Jamareah Howell Sierra Pegish

ROSTER

Freshman Sophomore Junior Sophomore Senior Junior Sophomore Sophomore Senior Freshman Senior

WAITE GIRLS SCHEDULE Nov 21 East Cleveland Jan 8 @ Bowsher Shaw Jan 9 CLEVELAND Nov 24 @ Findlay MAX HAYES Nov 27 BOWSHER Jan 13 @ Start Nov 30 CARDINAL Jan 16 @ Columbus STRITCH Northland Dec 4 START Jan 20 WOODWARD Dec 11 @ Woodward Jan 21 @ Danbury Dec 15 ROGERS Jan 27 @ Rogers Dec 18 @ Scott Jan 30 DETROIT Dec 26-27 @ Detroit COUNTRY DAY Edison Tourney Feb 3 SCOTT

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THE PRESS

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

B-5

Boys basketball excitement brewing at Waite, Clay By J. Patrick Eaken, Mark Griffin, Yaneek Smith, and Nicholas Huenefeld sports@presspublications.com The Waite boys’ basketball team has seen steady improvement since fourth year head coach Adam Rodriguez took over, and this year the team hopes to break a 78-year championship drought. In his first year, Rodriguez led Waite to three wins. That improved to seven his second year. It became 10 last year. This year, with several three-year varsity starters, they hope to make the jump to a league championship, which hasn’t been achieved since 1938. “We expect to compete for a league title,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve been harping on that. They’re trying to go out with a bang and put a new number up on the banner for a city championship. Seventy eight years is a long time.” It’s been a while since Clay coach Rob Belegrin was this excited to start a season. His senior-less team struggled to win last year, but they were scrappy, fun to watch, and never gave up. Now, they have varsity experience under their belt. “We’ve got everybody back, and we played four sophomores last year,” Belegrin said. “We have a good group of seniors and juniors who all have experience. We’re looking a lot better than last year, when we just had to grind to get experience. We will have ups and downs this year, but we’re a lot better and a lot more confident.” “Our goal in the conference is to basically try to get to .500,” Belegrin said. “Our goal is to win the games we can win and maybe sneak up on a team and get a win, which we did last year.” Denny knows how to win In the Northern Buckeye Conference race, it can be said newcomer Denny Meyer knows how to win basketball games, especially at Lake. The former girls’ varsity coach led the Flyers to four league titles, four sectional titles and one district title in four years. Now, he steps in as Lake’s boys coach. With no returning starters and four returning lettermen, Meyer has his work cut out for him this season. Two key players from last year’s squad chose not to play basketball this season. “Right now we don’t know where we’re going to get scoring from,” Meyer said. “We’re working hard on our defense to keep us in games. Right now we are not athletic enough to be where we’re going to get a lot of steals. Our goal is to make teams take tough shots. We are going to be a good rebounding team.” At Genoa, one key to success will be something that coach Zach Alt really can’t teach. It’s either there or it isn’t initially, but it can be built during the course of a season. “Our chemistry is good,” Alt said. “We share the ball well. I see us having a lot of assists as a team. That’s how we’re going to have to score. Defensively, we’re going to get after you. As a group, they take pride in getting after you defensively. We’ve mostly stayed in the half court (on defense) in scrimmages.” Genoa’s weakness, Alt said, is a lack of experience at the varsity level. “We’re pretty young, but this is a group that will be a more mature team by the end of the season,” Alt said. “They’ll have a better understanding of varsity-level basketball. They have knowledge of basketball in general, but they need an understanding of varsity level.” Alt said Rossford, Eastwood, Elmwood and Lake should be the top four teams in the Northern Buckeye Conference. “We’d like to be in the upper half and play meaningful games in February,” Alt said. “If that means playing in games leading to a conference title, that would be nice. The kids have been working hard and I really appreciate their chemistry and working hard every day.” At Eastwood, the core of last year’s team — Noah Smith, Tim Hoodlebrink, Jason Fertig, Brennan Seifert and leading scorer Zach Jacoby (16 pts.) — have graduated, leaving coach Matt Routson with just one returning starter from last year’s Division III regional semifinal team. “We need court-time experience,” Routson said. “Some of these guys got playing time last year, maybe three or four minutes here or there. Having to step up and be ‘the guy’ is different.” Woodmore had a respectable season last year, going 10-13 and 6-8 in the Northern Buckeye Conference. Drew Lewandowski and Grant Weis

The Waite basketball team. (Photo courtesy Innovations Portrait Studio/InnovationsVisualImpact.com) were the stars of the team, combining to average 29.6 points and 10.9 rebounds. But they, along with two other starters, Ryan Avers and Zach Gephart, have graduated and taken the vast majority of last year’s production with them. Like they did last year, Woodmore will have to make up for its lack of size by relying on its athleticism and trying to get out on the break offensively. But more than anything, especially for such an inexperienced group, the key is to make strides throughout the season and hope to play its best when the postseason arrives. “This is a team that I expect to continually improve as the season goes along and will be playing its best basketball at tournament time,” Coach Aaron Clouse said. Since Eric Sweet took over at Oak Harbor, his program has hung its collective hat on playing tough defense. This season will be no different. The Rockets will have to replace eight key players from last year’s team, and though they have some capable scorers to fill the void, it will be defense that must remain the focal point. “That is who I am and that is what we are about here at Oak Harbor,” Sweet said. “Our goal this year is to take that hardnosed defensive approach and match it on the offensive end.” Gone are Tyler Sievert, Andre Ramsey, Cole Weirich, Paul Shay, Deshawn Johnson, Isaiah Jefferson, Kalob Vargas and Vince Szabo, all of whom contributed in different ways last season Chasing Green Bears and Eagles Jamie Kachmarik had a pretty good first season as Cardinal Stritch’s coach. He had one of the best players in the area in first-team All-Toledo Area Athletic Conference and all-district performer Austin Adams, the leading scorer in school history who averaged 21 points and 10.5 rebounds a game last year. Adams is now starting at Urbana University. “You can’t replace him, because he’s one of those irreplaceable players,” Kachmarik said. “Now, my roster is very young. One guy played significant minutes (last year) and three other guys return who were on the team but didn’t play a major role. We had six seniors last season who played a lot in our seven-man rotation.” Kachmarik said Ottawa Hills and Toledo Christian are the two teams to beat in the TAAC this season. “Ottawa Hills has almost everyone returning,” he said, “and Toledo Christian has a good core returning. We’ll be good with time, but we’re just young right now. Guys have to learn how to do it every day.” The Gibsonburg boys basketball team lost four starters from last year’s 23-1 team, but return the other starter, Marcus Tille, and Mateo Flores, the team’s sixth man last year who averaged 6.8 points per game. “They’ll be our floor leaders,” Liskai said. “We’ll expect more scoring out of them this year.” It will be tough, though, for 14th year head coach Brent Liskai and his coaching staff to replace the 45 points per game that they lost from last year’s team. What they will do, though, is bank on the success they’ve had over the past four years (68 wins) and a JV team that went 16-4 last year. “The kids have been around (winning),” Liskai said. “They know what it takes. It’s all about them developing their own personality and playing the right way.” Northwood’s season hadn’t even started yet, but first-year coach Allen Drake liked what he saw from his players since

he took over a program that has won just two games in two years. “The main thing is being able to change the culture and have them buy into what I’m trying to do with them, being able to establish the ground rules,” Drake said. “They’ve responded pretty well. They’re working really hard, and they’ve said this is the hardest thing they’ve ever done. I wanted to mentally test them to see if they could handle the grind of the season. I have to know if they are mentally tough enough to handle everything we have going on.”

Clay

Coach: Rob Belegrin, seventh year Last year: 1-21 (1-13 TRAC) Key players: Chris Walter, 6-3, Sr., G; Noah Durczynski, 6-4, Sr., F; Garyck Hahn, 6-4, Sr., F; Nate Bush, 6-0, Jr., G; Josh Kiss, 6-0, Jr., G; Mohammed Elmazjoub, 6-0, Jr., PG Preview: The Eagles return several full- or part-time starters in guards Nate Bush, Joe Kiss, Chris Walter and Steven Nguyen, and forwards Garyck Hahn and Noah Durczynski. A handful of other players also got varsity experience in 2014-15, when Clay’s lone win came against Three Rivers Athletic Conference rival Whitmer. “We can play 10 to 11 deep,” Belegrin said. “We’re going to be in games this year. We just can’t go on scoring droughts. Some nights the ball won’t go in the hole. When we missed a few last year, we’d get down. We just have to overcome that and we’ll work on that.” Belegrin called Bush a team leader and looks for him to improve his production offensively after averaging 3-4 points a game last year. “He’s our defensive stopper on the ball and a great rebounder who can get to the hole and finish,” Belegrin said. “He’s a great leader for our team. The kids listen to him and respect him. He’s not selfish, but we are trying to make him more selfish scoring-wise.” Kiss and Hahn both averaged around seven points a game a year ago. “Josh was a good scorer for us,” Belegrin said. “He’s good at the rim and at the foul line, but he has to be more consistent handling the ball and be more consistent on defense. Garyck has a good motor. He can move and run and rebound and score. Sometimes he plays way too fast. Sometimes he has to slow down. He’ll be in and out of the starting lineup.” Durczynski played half of last season on the junior varsity squad before being called up, and Belegrin said he is impressed with the senior’s all-around game. “Noah rebounds, plays defense and knows everything we’re doing,” the coach said. “He sets good screens and gets a lot of guys open, and that’s huge. He can catch and finish, and that’s nice.” Nguyen, the team’s top returning scorer (8 ppg.) started at point guard last year but will come off the bench as a two-guard this year, according to Belegrin. The backup point guard is freshman Reese Wamer. Mohammed Elmazjoub, a junior who got some playing time last year, will get plenty of minutes this season. “The stage was way too big for him last year, but he worked his butt off and the stage isn’t too big for him this year,” Belegrin said. “He’s ready to roll. He’s got great ball handling skills, attacks the rim and finishes well, and his defense has gotten a ton better.” The key bench players include junior guard Keshawn Clark and senior forwards Kyle Blausey and J.D. Davis.

0 1 2 3 4 10 11 12 14 23 24 34 40

CLAY BOYS ROSTER Nate Bush 6'1 150 Soph Mohammed 5'10 160 Junior Elamzjoub Keshawn Clark 5'6 140 Junior Chris Walter 6'2 150 Senior Dustin Alton 5'10 160 Soph Reese Wamer 5'10 155 Fresh Noah Durczynski 6'3 170 Senior Kyle Blausey 6'5 200 Senior JD Davis 6'3 205 Senior Josh Kiss 6'0 175 Junior Steven Nguyen 5'10 160 Senior Garcyk Hahn 6'3 165 Senior Dakota Calkins 5'8 150 Soph

Forward Guard Guard Guard Guard Guard Forward Forward Forward Guard Guard Forward Guard

CLAY BOYS SCHEDULE Nov 27 @ Tiffin Jan 15 @ Cardinal Columbian Stritch Dec 1 WOODWARD Jan 19 WHITMER Dec 4 @ Whitmer Jan 22 FINDLAY Dec 8 @ Findlay Jan 26 @ Waite Dec 11 @ St. Francis Jan 29 ST. FRANCIS Dec 18 ST. JOHN'S Feb 2 @ St. John's Dec 29 ROSSFORD Feb 5 @ Central Jan 2 @ Lima Senior Catholic Jan 5 CENTRAL Feb 9 @ Genoa CATHOLIC Feb 12 FREMONT Jan 8 @ Fremont Ross ROSS Jan 12 SYLVANIA Feb 19 LIMA SENIOR NORTHVIEW Feb 23 WOODMORE

Waite

Coach: Adam Rodriguez, fourth year Last year: 10-11 (2-8, TCL) Key players: Alec Heslet, 6-3, Sr., G; Eric Neal, 6-2, Sr., G; Chris Johnson, 6-3, Sr., F; Mark Boone, 6-6, Jr., F Preview: The team lost their leading scorer, Jeremy Pratt, to graduation, but returns a trio of key seniors in Heslet, Neal and Johnson. Rodriguez said the team will rely on its experience, inside out game and 3-point shooting this year. “One of the hardest things is having a team that’s not used to winning going into games and expecting to win,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve done that so far in the preseason and that has to carry out through the whole season.” Rodriguez said the team plans to work the ball into the post, which will include third-year varsity forward Johnson, but they’re going to shoot the three when available. “We’ll be able to press a little bit more than years past, too,” he added. The team recently traveled to a scrimmage in Detroit and faced two teams that won 20 games last year, and Rodriguez was pleased that his team competed. “I expect good things from this team this year,” he said. “I like our chemistry. Our guys have seen some of the dog years. Now, they’re hoping to surpass anything Waite has seen in a long time.” 1 2 10 12 14 20 23 24 30 32 33 34 40

WAITE Dajuan Baker Dalson James Eric Neal Jay Leasure Alec Heslet Dominique Booth Ronnie Sanders Jay'von Weston Kelvin Downer Chris McMillan Mark Boone Chris Johnson Keyshawn Leach

BOYS ROSTER 6'1 6'0 6'2 6'1 6'3 5'11 6'4 6'2 5'10 6'5 6'6 6'3 6'4

150 150 170 150 175 160 170 180 170 190 260 180 170

Senior Junior Senior Senior Senior Soph Junior Senior Senior Junior Junior Senior Soph

Forward Guard Guard Guard Guard Guard Forward Forward Guard Forward Forward Forward Forward

WAITE BOYS SCHEDULE BOWSHER Jan 9 @ Dublin START Jerome ANTHONY WAYNE Jan 15 @ Scott MONCLOVA Jan 18 Lenawee CHRISTIAN Christian (@ Dec 16 @ Woodward Bowsher) Dec 19 @ Sylvania Jan 22 @ Bowsher Southview Jan 26 CLAY Dec 22 @ Fostoria Jan 29 @ Start Dec 28-29 @ Warrior Feb 2 WOODWARD Classic (Emmanuel Feb 5 @ Rogers Christian) Feb 12 SCOTT Jan 2 ST. FRANCIS Feb 16 TCL final four Jan 6 ROGERS Feb 18 TCL final Dec 2 Dec 9 Dec 12 Dec 14

(continued on page B-6)

B-6

THE PRESS

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

Gibsonburg

Boys basketball (continued from page B-5)

Lake

Coach: Denny Meyer, first year Last year: 22-2 (13-1, NBC) Key players: Spencer Little, 5-4, Sr., G; Aaron Witt, 5-8, Sr., G; Adam Duncan, 5-10, Sr., G; Zach Ellison, 5-10, Jr., G; Julio Mata, 6-2, Jr., P; Nick Stowers, 6-2, Sr., W; Jimmy Urias, 6-3, Jr., P Preview: Meyer said the Flyers will play a lot of half-court man-to-man defense “because we don’t have a lot of depth.” “They haven’t run much man-to-man, so it’s a work in progress right now,” Meyer said. “Our first scrimmage we looked pretty good. Our last scrimmage, not so good. We’re playing pretty inconsistent right now.” Senior Aaron Witt, who lettered two years ago but didn’t play last year, will start at point guard. “He’s a halfway decent shooter, and right now we’re really working with him to get us into our offensive sets,” Meyer said. “He sees the floor pretty good. We’re working on pushing the ball up the floor.” Lake’s returning lettermen are seniors Adam Duncan and Spencer Little, and juniors Zach Ellison and Jimmy Urias. Duncan will start at one wing position, and Ellison will start at shooting guard this season. “Adam is more of a defensive guy and will guard the other team’s best guard,” Meyer said. “Right now he’s the heart of the team. He’s our leader. If he plays good defense, everybody else starts playing good defense. That’s what his role has always been.” Meyer said Ellison is one of the team’s most athletic players. “He’s a pretty decent shooter,” the coach said. “He can be pretty inconsistent, but he can shoot the ball and is one of our better defenders.” Urias, who lettered last year, and junior Julio Mata will start in the post. “Urias is a very good post player,” Meyer said. “He was an offensive lineman and has good footwork and good hands. In the past he wasn’t expected to score. Now he has to work on his post moves because we have to get scoring out of our post. Julio played strictly jayvee last year and is very athletic. We just have to get him up to speed with varsity play.” Lake will add another player later in the season in senior wing Nick Stowers, a transfer from Rossford. Stowers has to sit out the first 11 games due to the transfer rule. “He’s the best scorer we have on the team by far,” Meyer said. “We may have to use him at post, because we don’t have much depth in the post.”

LAKE BOYS ROSTER Spencer Little 5'4 Senior Austin Wilhelm 5'8 Senior Zach Jacob 5'8 Junior Aaron Witt 5'8 Senior Nathan Bonds 5'10 Senior Mikey Szymanski 5'7 Sophomore Adam Duncan 5'10 Senior Zach Ellison 5'10 Junior Julio Mata 6'2 Junior Nick Stowers 6'2 Senior Andrew Hoffman 5'3 Sophomore Jimmy Urias 6'3 Junior LAKE BOYS SCHEDULE Nov 28 OAK HARBOR Jan 9 SWANTON Dec 1 @ Toledo Christian Jan 12 @ Eastwood Dec 4 WOODMORE Jan 15 GENOA Dec 10 @ Rossford Jan 21 @ Woodmore Dec 12 DELTA Jan 26 ROSSFORD Dec 15 @ Otsego Jan 29 FOSTORIA Dec 18 @ Fostoria Feb 2 OTSEGO Dec 22-23 LAKE HOLIDAY Feb 5 @ Elmwood CLASSIC Feb 9 @ New Riegel Dec 29 @ Northwood Feb 12 EASTWOOD Jan 7 ELMWOOD Feb 19 @ Genoa

3 10 12 15 20 22 23 30 32 33 34 54

Genoa

Coach: Zach Alt, second year Last year: 11-12 (7-7, NBC) Key players: Matt Bradfield, 6-1, Jr., W; Sam Sutter, 5-10, Jr., G; Josiah Bradfield, 5-10, So., G; Noah Edwards, 5-8, So., W; Jacob Plantz, 6-2, Fr., W; Drew Bench, 6-5, Fr., P Preview: Genoa returns just one full-time starter in honorable mention all-district performer Matt Bradfield. Junior Sam Sutter and sophomore Josiah Bradfield started “maybe 10 percent of our games” last season, according to Alt. Matt Bradfield, a junior wing, averaged eight points and four rebounds a game as a sophomore coming off the bench. “He is a strong, athletic kid and an above average defender,” Alt said. “He’s gritty and he likes to get his nose in there, and he’s a good rebounder.” Sutter will start at shooting guard and is in his third season on the varsity team.

Gibsonburg (Photo courtesy Innovations Portrait Studio/InnovationsVisualImpact.com) “Sam has a lot of experience and he has a high basketball IQ,” Alt said. “He knows my expectations as a player and what we’re trying to build as a program. He gets the group organized and is a good ball handler and shooter.” Alt added that Josiah Bradfield “is a quick, hard-nosed defender. He really sees the floor well and he gets to the rim pretty well.” 2 5 10 12 20 23 30

GENOA BOYS ROSTER

Josiah Bradfield Jacob Plantz Noah Edwards Sam Sutter Matt Bradfield Drew Bench Lohgan Mazur

Nov 27 Dec 4 Dec 8 Dec 10 Dec 15 Dec 18 Dec 29 Jan 7 Jan 9 Jan 12 Jan 15

Guard Wing Wing Guard Wing Post Post

Sophomore Freshman Sophomore Junior Junior Freshman Senior

GENOA BOYS SCHEDULE @ Oak Harbor Jan 16 CLYDE @ Otsego Jan 21 OTSEGO @ Lakota Jan 23 SWANTON ELMWOOD Jan 26 @ Elmwood @ Fostoria Jan 29 @ Eastwood EASTWOOD Feb 2 FOSTORIA @ Gibsonburg Feb 5 @ Woodmore WOODMORE Feb 6 @ Hopewell-Loudon @ Old Fort Feb 9 CLAY ROSSFORD Feb 12 @ Rossford @ Lake Feb 19 LAKE

Eastwood

Coach: Matt Routson, fourth year Last year: 17-9 (8-6, NBC) Key players: Nick Coffman, 5-7, Sr., G; Chris Orcutt, 6-3, Sr., P; Jonathan Bowlus, 6-4, Sr., P; Cory Coffman, 5-10, So., G; Cade Boos, 5-10, So., G; Grant Hirzel, 5-9, So., G; Collin Dewese, 6-1, Jr., G Preview: The lone returning starter is senior two-guard Nick Coffman, who averaged five points a game in 2014-15. Coffman is a three-year varsity player. “We’re looking for leadership from him, No. 1,” Routson said. “He’s a threat from the perimeter, but we’re also looking for him to put the ball on the floor. We want him to be more versatile. His experience will definitely help us.” The Eagles have four other returning lettermen in seniors Chris Orcutt and Jonathan Bowlus, junior Collin Dewese and sophomores Cade Boos and Cory Coffman. Sophomore point guard Grant Hirzel played in three games last year and averaged seven points before missing the rest of the season with a back injury. “He’s healthy and we’re glad to have him back,” Routson said. “He is really quick and is a good kid. He handles the ball really well and will definitely be an asset. He still has to improve with his leadership and vocal abilities, but his basketball sense is very strong.” Hirzel is scheduled be in the starting lineup along with Nick Coffman, Boos, Dewese and Bowlus. “We are going to look to Dewese for some points,” Routson said. “He’s a really good shooter who can create off the dribble. He had a good summer for us putting the ball in the basket. Bowlus is going to start (in the post) and Chris Orcutt will come off the bench. It’s important we get rebounding and defense in the post from them. They have to help us rebound, because we will be a little smaller.” Sophomore guard Cory Coffman will be out until mid-December with a broken foot, according to Routson. “He’s going to be a spark off the bench for us,” the coach said. “He’s a hard-nosed, tough kid and we’re looking for him to add some depth at the guard position.” Routson said the Eagles can shoot the ball well across the board, and they have good depth at each position. “We have youth at each position, but really good chemistry,” he said. “This group gets along very well. That’s been a positive at practice. They are a very hard working, smart group.”

2 3 4 5 10 11 12 15 20 22 34

EASTWOOD Brian Selhorst Cory Coffman Cade Boos Grant Hirzel Collin Dewese Ryan Reiter Logan Frobose Chris Orcutt Jonathan Bowlus Ryan Salazar Nick Coffman

Nov 27 Dec 4 Dec 5 Dec 10 Dec 15 Dec 18 Dec 19 Dec 28 Jan 2 Jan 7 Jan 9

EASTWOOD NEW RIEGEL @ Elmwood MAUMEE FOSTORIA WOODMORE @ Genoa TINORA PORT CLINTON @ Sylvania Northview @ Rossford @ Oak Harbor

BOYS ROSTER 5'10 5'10 5'10 5'9 6'1 6'3 6'0 6'3 6'4 6'3 5'7

Guard Guard Guard Guard Guard Guard Guard Post Post Post Guard

Senior Sophomore Sophomore Sophomore Junior Junior Sophomore Senior Senior Senior Senior

BOYS SCHEDULE Jan 12 Jan 15 Jan 21 Jan 23 Jan 26 Jan 29 Feb 2 Feb 5 Feb 12 Feb 16

LAKE @ Otsego ELMWOOD @ Gibsonburg @ Fostoria GENOA @ Woodmore ROSSFORD @ Lake @ Ottawa Hills Feb 19 OTSEGO

Woodmore

Coach: Aaron Clouse, second year Last year: 10-13 (6-8, NBC) Key players: Derek Wank, 6-2, Jr., G; Connor Bringman, 6-1, G; Colin Sandrock, 6-1, Sr., C; Ross Weirich, 5-11, Sr., G; Mitch Miller, 5-10, So., G; J.T. Atkins, 5-9, Jr., G; D.J. Wellons, 5-9, Jr., G; Donovan Reyes, 6-0, So., F Preview: There are three players who return that played extensive minutes last year — Wank (5 pts, 2.3 reb.), Bringman (3.1 pts., 5.3 reb.), and Sandrock (3.6 pts., 2.0 reb.). Bringman, who played primarily in the post last season, will move to his natural guard position, something that should better utilize his talents. He may be again asked to defend bigger players in the post like he was last season. Some of the newcomers include four guards — Weirich, Miller, Atkins and Wellons — and a forward, Reyes. “The team will need to work hard to replace the seniors. The success of the team will depend upon being able to play as a team,” said second-year coach Aaron Clouse, who previously coached softball before taking over the basketball program. “We are pretty young with only three players in the top two grades with extensive playing experience. “We do not have great size, so we are going to have to work as a team at everything we do. We have lost more than two-thirds of our scoring from last season, so we are going to have to depend on our defense and rebounding to get us through the early stages of the season. Our numbers across the program are very good. In practice, there has been good teamwork and camaraderie.” That early-season stretch includes four of the first six games on the road. Last year, the Wildcats got off to a fast start, beginning the season 5-1. 2 10 12 14 20 22 24 32 34 40 42 43

WOODMORE BOYS ROSTER DJ Wellons 5'10 Guard Junior Zach Schmeltz 5'6 Guard Junior Ross Weirich 5'11 Guard Senior Derek Wank 6'2 Guard Junior Kevin Paul 5'10 Guard Sophomore Chris Klett 6'4 Forward Senior Connor Bringman 6'1 Post Senior Mitchell Miller 6'1 Guard Sophomore Mikey Blausey 6'3 Forward Junior Donovan Reyes 6'0 Post Sophomore JT Atkin 5'8 Guard Junior Colin Sandrock 6'1 Center Senior

Dec 4 Dec 5 Dec 10 Dec 12 Dec 15 Dec 18 Dec 19 Dec 21 Dec 30 Jan 7

WOODMORE @ Lake OAK HARBOR OTSEGO @ Port Clinton @ Eastwood @ Elmwood HOPEWELLLOUDON @ Lakota MARGARETTA @ Genoa

BOYS SCHEDULE Jan 9 Jan 11 Jan 15 Jan 21 Jan 26 Jan 29 Feb 2 Feb 5 Feb 12 Feb 13 Feb 19 Feb 23

@ Gibsonburg FOSTORIA @ Rossford LAKE @ Otsego ELMWOOD EASTWOOD GENOA @ Fostoria OLD FORT ROSSFORD @ Clay

Coach: Brent Liskai 14th year Last year: 23-1 (16-0, TAAC) Key players: Marcus Tille, 5-11, Sr., G; Mateo Flores, 5-10, Sr., G Preview: Aside from Tille and Flores, this year’s team will see a lot of 6-2 sophomore post player Josh Ernsthausen, as well as Preston Arriaga, Erik Jahna and several of those players who experienced success on last year’s JV team. “We don’t have a true big man,” Liskai said. “We’re a very quick team, not a very big team. Josh floats around all over the floor, and we’re looking to spread the floor and create some opportunities off penetration and ball movement.” Liskai is also expecting some of those opportunities to come from a full-court pressure defense and an up-tempo offense, which will put the team in good situations to make some plays. The early season schedule won’t do Gibsonburg any favors as they open at Elmwood, who has all five starters back. Then, they will face Toledo Christian, who will be one of the top picks in the league. “Hopefully we can knock the dust off and get out of the gate early,” Liskai said. In addition to the tough early schedule, the team got off to a late start due to the football team’s success this year, which included a playoff berth. It’s all part of a nice challenge for the team, though. “Some teams are going to want a piece of this team based on the last few years,” Liskai said. “We’ll see how they respond. It’s a whole new challenge. The coaches are looking forward to it. The players are, too. The key will be if we can compete on the glass.” 2 3 4 5 11 12 15 20 21 22 30 32 34 40

GIBSONBURG BOYS ROSTER Mateo Flores 5'10 Guard Senior Erik Jahna 5'10 Guard Senior Nick Kille 6'0 Guard Junior Trent Picciuto 5'11 Guard Senior Marcus Tille 5'11 Guard Senior Vinny Alejandro 5'6 Guard Junior Alex Richards 6'0 Post Junior Addison Weaver 6'1 Wing Freshman Ryan Clark 6'0 Post Junior Preston Arriaga 5'11 Post Senior Tate Carnicom 6'2 Post Junior Kane Gomez 5'8 Guard Junior Josh Dyer 5'10 Post Senior Josh Ernsthausen 6'2 Post Sophomore

Dec 1 Dec 4 Dec 8 Dec 11 Dec 19 Dec 22 Dec 29 Jan 8 Jan 9 Jan 12 Jan 15 Jan 19 Jan 22

GIBSONBURG BOYS SCHEDULE @ Elmwood Jan 23 EASTWOOD @ Toledo Christian Jan 26 CARDINAL TIFFIN CALVERT STRITCH @ Cardinal Stritch Jan 29 @ Danbury @ Emmanuel Jan 30 @ Fremont Christian St. Joseph DANBURY Feb 1 @ Fostoria GENOA St. Wendelin @ Maumee Valley Feb 2 EMMANUEL WOODMORE CHRISTIAN NORTHWOOD Feb 6 @ Otsego OTTAWA HILLS Feb 9 MAUMEE TOLEDO VALLEY CHRISTIAN Feb 12 @ Northwood @ Tiffin Calvert Feb 19 @ Ottawa Hills

Cardinal Stritch

Coach: Jamie Kachmarik, second year Last year: 19-7 (12-4, TAAC) Key players: Trent Besgrove, 5-8, Sr., G; Jordan Burton, 5-9, Fr., G; Jeff Dunsmore, 6-0, So., G; Adam Bruckner, 6-2, Sr., P; Bryce Pratt, 6-4, Jr., F Preview: The 2014-15 Cardinals set a school record with 19 victories, breaking the record of 18, and reached the Division IV regional semifinals before falling to Delphos St. John’s. They were also the only team to defeat TAAC champion Gibsonburg, in the district semifinals, last season. This year’s lone returning starter is senior point guard Trent Besgrove, who averaged four points and three assists a game as a junior. Stritch’s other probable starters are freshman guard Jordan Burton, sophomore guard Jeff Dunsmore, senior post Adam Bruckner and senior forward Bryce Pratt. “Jordan is a quick guard who can score,” Kachmarik said. “Dunsmore is a good outside shooter and a good athlete, and Bruckner plays with a lot of energy and is a physical player. Bryce Pratt has good length and is now transitioning from a perimeter player to an inside player.” Kachmarik said the team’s strength is that the players play hard and with a lot of energy. He said the Cardinals are “going to have to really try to get after people defensively” in the full court and half court. “We need to be strong in rebounding,” the coach said. “We are a very inexperienced team, but our skill level is all right.” A graduate from Bowling Green State University, Kachmarik previously worked for then-BGSU head coach Jim Larrañaga while earning his degree. Upon graduation, Larrañaga helped Kachmarik get involved and land a job as part of the Jim O’Brien coaching staff at Ohio State, where he was

(continued on page B-7)

THE PRESS

Drake added that Ethan Barnes, a role player on the junior varsity team last season, has been a surprise. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Defensively, I think heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be our anchor and the reason weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be as successful as we want to be based on his efforts,â&#x20AC;? Drake said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be required to do a lot, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see if can he handle it over 22 or 23 games.â&#x20AC;?

Boys basketball (continued from page B-6)

part of the 1999 final four team and the 2000 Big Ten championship team. 1 2 3 10 11 12 20 21 22 23 24 30 35 40

CARDINAL STRITCH BOYS ROSTER Jeff Dunsmore 6'0 Guard Sophomore Marvin Ham, Jr 6'0 Forward Freshman Trenton Besgrove 5'8 Guard Senior Jordan Burton 5'9 Guard Freshman Shaun Enright 6'0 Forward Sophomore Andrew Cousino 5'11 Forward Senior Matt Szymanski 6'0 Forward Junior Alex Adams 6'5 Forward Sophomore Kevin Hohenberger 6'1 Forward Senior Drew Whipple 5'11 Guard Junior Bryce Pratt 6'4 Forward Junior Anthony Mildon 6'2 Forward Junior Adam Bruckner 6'2 Forward Senior Terrance Taylor 6'3 Forward Sophomore

1 5 10 11 12 13 20 21 22 23 30 32 33

CARDINAL STRITCH BOYS SCHEDULE

Dec 4 Dec 5

DANBURY @ Fremont St. Joseph Dec 8 @ Emmanuel Christian Dec 11 GIBSONBURG Dec 14 MAUMEE VALLEY Dec 15 @ Evergreen Dec 19 @ Northwood Dec 22-23 @ Lake Holiday Tournament Dec 30 MANSFIELD ST. PETER'S Jan 5 @ Ottawa Hills Jan 8 @ Toledo Christian

Jan 12 TIFFIN CALVERT Jan 15 CLAY Jan 19 @ Danbury Jan 26 @ Gibsonburg Jan 29 @ Maumee Valley Feb 2 NORTHWOOD Feb 5 OTTAWA HILLS Feb 9 TOLEDO CHRISTIAN Feb 12 @ Tiffin Calvert Feb 16 EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN

NORTHWOOD BOYS ROSTER Dillan Cathers 6'0 Forward Senior Joey Woody 5'6 Guard Senior Scott Slater 5'8 Guard Senior Gavin Fritz 5'7 Guard Junior Evan LaPlante 5'9 Guard Junior Marco Kelly 5'7 Guard Junior Brandon Lampros 5'7 Guard Junior Colin Gutekunst 6'0 Forward Senior Chance Saar 6'0 Forward Junior Gabe LaPlante 5'11 Guard Sophomore Ethan Barnes 6'1 Forward Junior Nick Bonnette 6'0 Forward Junior James Thompson 6'4 Center Senior

NORTHWOOD Dec 1 @ Evergreen Dec 8 @ Ottawa Hills Dec 11 TOLEDO CHRISTIAN Dec 14 @ Tiffin Calvert Dec 19 CARDINAL STRITCH Dec 23 ARCADIA Dec 29 LAKE Jan 5 @ Danbury Jan 8 EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN Jan 12 @ Gibsonburg Jan 15 MAUMEE VALLEY

Northwood

Coach: Allen Drake, first year Last year: 1-22 (0-14, TAAC) Key players: Scott Slater, 5-10, Sr., G; Joey Woody, 5-10, Sr., PG; Dillan Cathers, 6-2, Sr., F; Gavin Fritz, 5-10, Jr., G; Ethan Barnes, 6-4, Jr., F; Nick Bonnette, 6-3, Jr., F Preview: The Rangers are young in key areas, but three returning seniors had significant playing time a year ago. A few other seniors, who havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t played organized ball since junior high, are also on the team. Drake said the goal is to spread the court on offense, keep the ball moving and take what the defense gives them. Northwood wants to use a full-court pressure defense and â&#x20AC;&#x153;pretty much protect the paint,â&#x20AC;? according to Drake. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our speed and physicality are the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strengths,â&#x20AC;? the coach said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been working on, developing a high level of conditioning so they can stay

Northwood veteran junior guard Evan LaPlante. (Press file photo by Don Thompson/Facebook.com/DNRsport) at top speed . Also, being able to play more physical than they are used to in years past.â&#x20AC;? The Rangersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; returning starters include Joey Woody, Dillan Cathers and Nick Bonnette. Scott Slater, a starter last year, will come off the bench this season. Drake said Bonnette and Cathers are the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;biggest guysâ&#x20AC;? and will be looked upon to be the enforcers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken the role of protecting the other players,â&#x20AC;? Drake said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Joey Woody and Gavin Fritz are guys weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll look to to keep pressure on with their speed and their ability to score offensively. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for Scott Slater to be our leader and our captain. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been one of the guys who has been very vocal during camp.â&#x20AC;?

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BOYS SCHEDULE Jan 22 OTTAWA HILLS Jan 26 @ Toledo Christian Feb 2 @ Cardinal Stritch Feb 5 DANBURY Feb 6 @ North Baltimore Feb 9 @ Emmanuel Christian Feb 12 GIBSONBURG Feb 13 MONTPELIER Feb 16 @ Monclova Christian Feb 19 @ Maumee Valley

Oak Harbor

Coach: Eric Sweet, fifth year Last year: 5-18 (2-10, SBC) Key players: Jeff Winterfield, 5-10, Jr., PG; Matt Harris, 6-0, Jr., W; Collin Hayslett, 5-11, Sr., W; Alec Young, 6-5, Sr., P; Tate Smith, 6-5, So, P; Alex Gezo, 5-10, So., G.; Raymon Behlmer, 5-8, Jr., W; James Malin, 5-10, Sr., W; Aric McAtee, 6-3, So., W/P Preview: This year, the starting lineup will feature junior Jeff Winterfield, who will play point guard, with fellow junior Matt Harris and senior Collin Hayslett on the wings and senior Alec Young and sophomore Tate Smith manning the post. Winterfield, Hayslett and Young are returning starters, but theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the only returning letter winners on the club. Sweet believes these players bring a lot

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BOYS SCHEDULE

Jan 9 EASTWOOD Jan 15 PORT CLINTON Jan 16 EDISON Jan 22 TIFFIN COLUMBIAN Jan 23 @ Huron Jan 29 CLYDE Jan 30 @ Old Fort Feb 9 PERKINS Feb 12 MARGARETTA Feb 13 @ Bellevue Feb 19 @ Port Clinton

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OAK HARBOR BOYS ROSTER Tristan Varga 5'8 Wing Junior Matt Harris 6'0 Wing Junior Raymon Behlmer 5'8 Wing Junior Alex Gezo 5'10 Guard Sophomore Jeff Winterfield 5'10 Guard Junior James Malin 5'10 Wing Senior Preston Portales 5'9 Wing Junior Collin Hayslett 5'11 Wing Senior Aric McAtee 6'3 Wing Sophomore Cy Franck 6'1 Post Junior Tate Smith 6'5 Post Sophomore Alec Young 6'5 Post Senior

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to the table. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jeff Winterfield is a strong athletic player. He is running the point for the team this year and has done a good job so far. He is strong with the ball and is able to be a scorer when needed. Matt Harris is a scorer and a defender and has had a great start to the season,â&#x20AC;? Sweet said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hayslett is our X-factor. His speed and athleticism are hard to match. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a senior and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playing and acting like a senior on the court. Alec Young is back for his senior year and is playing a stretch four/post for us. He is having a good preseason so far. He is able to stretch the floor by shooting some jump shots. Tate Smith is coming on strong. He shoots it well from 15 feet, has nice post moves and rebounds well.â&#x20AC;? There are also reinforcements on the bench. Sophomore guard Alex Gezo, who is currently injured, will provide shooting upon his return. Junior Raymon Behlmer can play the wing or the post positions, as does senior James Malin, and sophomore Aric McAtee provides some athleticism and scoring. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alex Gezo has been hurt most of the preseason and is getting healthier but is still out. We are looking forward to his return. Ray is a scrappy defender and rebounder, James is a utility player who can go into a spot and play it well and Aric is long and athletic and knows how to score,â&#x20AC;? Sweet said.

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B-8

THE PRESS

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

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