Second Section Sports 03/21/16

The

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State qualifiers, but not county champs...See page B-4

March 21, 2016

R E S Sports S

Figuring out college game See page B-7

The future is now, as youth dominate All-Press team

By J. Patrick Eaken Press Sports Editor sports@presspublications.com Only three of 10 local boys’ basketball teams finished with winning records this year, so voting was wide open for the Alan Miller Jewelers All-Press Team.

Perhaps part of the reason teams were down this year is that last year, all 10 first and second team All-Press choices were seniors. In turn, programs went into rebuilding mode and local underclassmen responded.

This year, there are two freshmen on the All-Press first team, Genoa 6-foot-2 wing Jacob Plantz and Cardinal Stritch 5-9 guard Jordan Burton. There is also a sophomore, Eastwood 5-11 guard Cade Boos, and two seniors, 6-2 Waite guard Eric Neal and 5-10 Gibsonburg guard Mateo Flores.

The more experienced Flores is the favorite among the 10 local coaches and 10 media members to be All-Press Player of the Year. Flores averaged 19.5 points, 4.4 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and three steals per game while shooting at a 44 percent clip from the field and 63 percent from the charity stripe.

“Mateo is an extremely hard worker who put together a great senior season for us,” Gibsonburg veteran coach Brent Liskai said. “He took over much of the scoring burden for us this season and continued to improve his game in spite of the fact that he was often face-guarded. Mateo worked on his outside shot and continued to attack the basket with regularity.

“He is a great finisher at the rim and improved his foul shooting this season. I am very proud of Mateo and the constant effort that he brought to our basketball team this season. He is a tough-minded athlete who loves to compete and his competitiveness fueled our basketball team.”

Neal, a three-year varsity starter who led Waite to a 10-12 record, averaged 13.7 points. 7.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.8 assists, and was selected first team All-Toledo City League, second team All-District 7 and honorable mention Associated Press alldistrict.

As for the underclassmen, Boos’ role at Eastwood was similar to Flores’ and Neal’s, and all three received POY votes, but Flores was the overwhelming choice. Boos’ 62 steals broke the Eastwood single season scoring record of 53, and he averaged 11 points, three rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.8 steals. He was first team All-Northern Buckeye Conference and honorable mention all-district.

“Cade had an exceptional year for us,” Eastwood coach Matt Routson said. “He has taken on the role of being our leading scorer, while also being our best defensive player. He is given the task of guarding our

2015-16 Alan Miller Jewelers All Press Boys Basketball Team Player of the Year: Mateo Flores, Gibsonburg Coach of the Year: Matt Routson, Eastwood

FIRST TEAM Jordan Burton Mateo Flores Cade Boos Eric Neal Jacob Plantz

Cardinal Stritch Gibsonburg Eastwood Waite Genoa

Alec Heslet Mitchell Miller Matt Bradfield Nick Stowers Mark Boone Drew Bench

Waite Woodmore Genoa Lake Waite Genoa

Josh Kiss Chris Walter Sam Sutter Collin DeWese Derek Wank Josh Ernsthausen

Clay Clay Genoa Eastwood Woodmore Gibsonburg

5’9 5’10 5’11 6’2 6’2

Fr Sr So Sr Fr

Guard Guard Guard Guard Wing

Points

13.1 19.5 11.0 13.7 14.9

3.2 asst 4.4 asst 3.5 asst 7.7 reb 5.5 reb

SECOND TEAM 6’3 6’1 6’1 6’2 6’6 6’5

Sr So Jr Sr Jr Fr

Guard Guard Wing Wing Forward Post

14.4 6.0 reb 11.2 4.4 reb 12.4 1.9 asst 12.0 5.3 reb 6.8 13.1 reb 9.9 6.1 reb

THIRD TEAM 6’0 6’2 5’10 6’1 6’2 6’2

Jr Sr Jr Jr Jr So

Guard Guard Guard Guard Guard Post

6.9 7.2 10.4 8.7 9.4 8.3

2.0 reb 1.4 asst 2.0 asst 4.5 reb 6.1 reb

HONORABLE MENTION Adam Bruckner, Cardinal Stritch; Alex Gezo, Oak Harbor; Bryce Pratt, Cardinal Stritch Dillan Cathers, Northwood; J.T. Atkin, Woodmore; Jay Leasure, Waite Jeff Winterfield, Oak Harbor; Jimmy Urias, Lake; Joey Woody, Northwood Matt Harris, Oak Harbor; Nate Bush, Clay; Nathan Permar, Lake; Nick Coffman, Eastwood Nick Kille, Gibsonburg; Tate Smith, Oak Harbor; Trent Besgrove, Cardinal Stritch

opponents’ best guard and also being productive on the offensive end of the floor. He is a very hard worker and been a consistent player for us all year.”

The two first team freshmen, Burton and Plantz, both led their respective teams in scoring. Plantz, although listed at 6-2, seems to have grown since the start of the season, and his team seemed to grow in their ability to play together as the season wore on. Meanwhile, Plantz has already demonstrated on the floor that he is willing to take on a leadership role.

Genoa had 12 freshmen, seven sophomores, two juniors and no seniors in the program, and there are reports that transfers may be coming over next year.

So, even though the Northwest District was well-represented at the state tournament with two highly-ranked teams from Allen County and one from Van Wert County, if you’re tired of other parts of Northwest Ohio dominating at that level,

these Comets have the opportunity to make it happen if they stay with the course.

As for Burton, he is the start of resetting a Stritch program that went to the Division IV regional tournament a year ago.

“Jordan was asked to lead the way which is a lot to ask for a freshman,” Stritch coach Jamie Kachmarik said.

Burton averaged 13.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals, led a young Stritch team to a 13-11 record and he was named second team All-Toledo Area Athletic Conference, District 7 HM and AP Northwest Ohio all-district HM. Coach of Year Meanwhile Routson, whose Eastwood team had the best record (15-8) locally, won Coach of the Year honors, beating out Genoa’s Zach Ault, who was a close second in voting. Ault’s Comets reached the Division III district finals, losing 44-30 to eventual regional finalist Ottawa Hills.

Gibsonburg senior guard Mateo Flores.

(Press file photo by Jeff Holcomb) Routson’s Eagles downed Ottawa Hills, 70-67, during the regular season, but blew their chance for a D-III district rematch with the Green Bears and repeat trip to the regional tournament when they lost to Otsego in the sectional tournament. However, Routson likes the way his team over-performed the last half of the season, blowing away any predetermined expectations.

“We were very proud of the success we had this season. We had a fairly inexperienced group playing varsity basketball and we were able to win some big games,” Routson said.

“It was tough to know what to expect with this group because of our lack of experience. At one point we were 7-7 and weren’t sure what direction we were headed but our players responded and we finished the regular season on an eight-game winning streak. We went 4-3 in the league the first round and 6-1 the second round which showed our improvement throughout the season.

“I very much enjoyed working with this group of players. They kept things loose and really meshed together which made our season very special.”

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THE PRESS

MARCH 21, 2016

Northwood second, Waite third at powerlifting meet The Press Box

By J. Patrick Eaken Press Sports Editor sports@presspublications.com At the nine-team Northwood Powerlifting Meet, the Northwood team took second, scoring 10,420 points to trail champion Edon (10,565) and move ahead of third place Waite (10,375).

Clay (5,570) was fourth, followed by Genoa (5,210), Lake (4,480), Gibsonburg (4,250), St. John’s (1,105) and Ottawa Hills (1,005).

In the 125 pound weight class, Genoa’s Eric Traver won the championship, lifting 315 pounds in the squat, 45 pounds in the bench press despite a shoulder injury and basically lifting with one arm, and 275 in the deadlift to total 635 pounds.

It is Traver’s fourth championship at the Northwood meet.

Lake senior football player Branden Short had the best total of the event, scoring 1,425 pounds, including a 505 pound squad, a 370 pound bench press and 550 pound deadlift to win the 225 pound class.

Genoa and Northwood had three champions each. Genoa’s champions included Traver, Connor Chapinski (165) and Tony Perry (175). Northwood champions were Joey Heise (135), Lukas Cousino (250) and Brianna Carbe won the girls class.

Waite’s two champions were Neko Brown (155) and senior football standout Anthony Ashford (195).

The Northwood event is a regional qualifier with the state meet held in Kenton, Ohio. At the 2015 state meet, Genoa’s Nathan Szymanski set a state record for the 165 weight class with a total lift of 1,385 pounds.

Jake Cramer sixth at NCAA Tiffin University’s Jake Cramer (219) (21-9), an Oak Harbor graduate, finished in sixth place at 197 pounds at the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championships at Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Cramer started the day in the Final Four taking on Joe Gomez of Northern State, where he dropped a razor thin 5-3 decision in sudden death. Gomez entered the match with a 31-3 record.

Falling to the consolation rounds, he was then pinned by Ryan Beltz of Maryville in 1:06. He fell in the fifth place match to Garrett Lineberger of Notre Dame by another close score of 6-2.

Cramer won his first two bouts and advanced to the 197 pound semifinals at the NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championships at Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

In the opening round, Cramer posted wins over Jacob Hart of Pitt-Johnstown 6-5 and Ryan Parmely of Upper Iowa 7-4.

Cramer was the lone Dragon to escape the opening day’s competition. Former Clay wrestler Garrett Gray (285) opened with a win by fall in 2:49 but then lost two close decisions 4-2 to a Minnesota St.-Mankato opponent and 4-1 to a Mercyhurst wrestler.

However, Gray has been named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Year. Gray, sporting a 36-2 regular season record, was the top wrestler at 285 pounds at the NCAA Division II level entering the national tournament.

Garrett also received first team AllGLIAC recognition for his performance this season. Jared Chambers (Oak Harbor)

NORTHWOOD POWER LIFTING MEET RESULTS Edon Northwood Waite Clay Genoa Lake Gibsonburg St. John’s Ottawa Hills

Tiffin University wrestler Jake Cramer (Oak Harbor) finished sixth at the NCAA Division II national tournament. (Photo courtesy Shane O'Donnell/Tiffin University SID) capped his conference season with a first team All-GLIAC selection at 184 pounds, and Mike Screptock (Clay) also earned AllGLIAC honors, collecting a second team citation in the 149 pound weight class.

At the NCAA tournament, Screptock (149) had two heartbreaking defeats, falling to Central Oklahoma 6-4 in sudden death, then fell to Upper Iowa 3-2.

Also wrestling for Tiffin this year was Kyle Holliday (Waite),

Lashaway joins Cubberly Clay wrestling has benefitted from one Eastwood graduate, Ralph Cubberly, who is the Clay wrestling coach. Now, another Eastwood champion joins Cubberly.

Lashaway, an Ohio state champion and Mid-American Conference champion wrestler, will become an assistant coach at Clay and has also been hired as both a teacher and coach in the Oregon City School system. At a board meeting Monday, Lashaway was approved as the STEM coordinator at Fassett Middle School.

Before coming to Oregon City Schools, Lashaway spent two years as a volunteer wrestling coach at his collegiate alma mater, Kent State University. He then obtained a teaching and coaching position at perennial state and national wrestling powerhouse Massillon Perry High School. While at Perry, Lashaway developed the Career Tech program at Edison Middle School.

Lashaway also had a major impact on the Massillon Perry wrestling program.

In 2014, the National Wrestling Coaches Association named Lashaway the National Assistant Coach of the Year for his work on the Perry staff. In a statement from Cubberly, it is said Lashaway’s “leadership, ability, dedication and knowledge aided the Perry wrestling team” in winning both a state dual meet team title and the state

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individual team championship in 2014.

Perry broke many school and state records while Lashaway was on the staff and the team was ranked as high as sixth nationally during his tenure.

In 2015, Lashaway was offered and accepted a position as an assistant wrestling coach at Kent State. Last weekend Lashaway was coaching the Kent State Golden Flashes at Madison Square Garden in New York City at the Division I NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Lashaway graduated from Eastwood in 2004 where he was a three-time state qualifier for the Eagles and won an individual state championship as a senior.

Throughout high school, he posted a record of 145-20. Lashaway accepted a scholarship to Kent State University where he wrestled in the 141-pound weight class for the Golden Flashes. He ended his career at Kent State University with a 31-7 record and winning a Mid-American Conference Championship in 2009.

Lashaway was also a two-time Division I NCAA qualifier in the 2008 and 2009 seasons respectively. As a sophomore at KSU, he was named to the Academic All-MidAmerican Conference team. During his career he was a two-year captain and posted 91 victories in four years as a starter for the Golden Flashes.

York, Scott playing baseball On the Lourdes University baseball team this spring are 5-7, 150 pound righthanded sophomore infielder Matt York (Clay) and 5-9, 190 right-handed junior/ senior infielder Derek Scott (Cardinal Stritch).

The Gray Wolves have the luxury of having solid bats come off of the bench to serve either as the designated hitter or in a pinch-hitting role. Scott and Alex Samson

10,565 10,420 10,375 5,570 5,210 4,480 4,250 1,105 1,005

125 POUNDS SQUAT-BENCH-DEADLIFT=TOTAL 1. Eric Traver, Gen 315 45 275 635 135 POUNDS 1. Joey Heise, North 230 145 285 660 3. Noah Pfaff, Waite 205 125 250 580 145 POUNDS 2. Tyler Baer, North 280 160 340 780 155 POUNDS 1. Neko Brown, Waite 315 210 365 890 3. Deshawn Harris, Waite 270 180 325 775 165 POUNDS 1. Connor Chapinski, Gen 400 225 380 1005 2. Grant Wend, Clay 325 255 385 965 3. Christian Vickers, North350 205 370 925 175 POUNDS 1. Tony Perry, Gen 460 255 450 1165 3. Aaron Conley, Gen 310 245 480 1035 185 POUNDS 2. Deyjaun Oliver, Waite 325 205 335 865 3. Andrew Claus, North 300 185 370 855 195 POUNDS 1. Anthony Ashford, Waite 405 245 475 1125 2. Solomon Mutchler, Gen 405 245 405 1055 3. Jason Lord, North 350 210 375 935 210 POUNDS 2. Ryan Clark, Gib 405 245 405 1055 3. Russell Vascik, Clay 400 250 365 1015 225 POUNDS 1. Branden Short, Lake 505 370 550 1425 2. Hugo Camarillo, Clay 420 275 370 1065 3. Trent Hovis, Gib 330 275 420 1025 250 POUNDS 1. Lukas Cousino, North 475 285 460 1220 2. Nick Steveson, Clay 455 260 405 1120 3. Michael Cluckey, Lake 355 295 350 1000 UNLIMITED 2. Ben Goins, North 435 285 360 1100 3. Anthony Arzuaga, North 415 205 415 1035 GIRLS 1. Brianna Carbe, North 240 85 260 585 2. Lynnsie Briones, Gen 95 65 125 285

(Orrville/Owens Community College) will both be called upon to swing the stick this season. The depth and versatility, both at the plate and on defense gives Lourdes numerous lineup options this season.

The Gray Wolves are looking to qualify for the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament for the first time in program history. Interim head coach Jeremy Snow returns 19 players from last year’s squad, which went 14-36 overall and 8-25 in the WHAC. He has added 10 freshmen and several transfers to the roster in hopes of finishing higher than ninth place in the league standings.

Sports announcements Woodmore High School is looking to fill its varsity football coach vacancy. Any interested candidate should forward a letter of interest, resume, and references to Steve Barr, Athletic Director, Woodmore High School, 633 Fremont Street, Elmore, Ohio 43416 or via email at sbarr@woodmoreschools.com. Deadline is March 31.

THE PRESS

MARCH 21, 2016

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Now all-time leader, Liskai coaches for ‘human element’

By Yaneek Smith Press Contributing Writer sports@presspublications.com In Brent Liskai’s first year as head coach of the Gibsonburg Golden Bears, his new team lost its first 15 games and went 2-19.

Today, he is the school’s all-time leader in wins with 175.

The 1989 Gibsonburg graduate has built a consistent winner at his hometown school, one that competed in the old Suburban Lakes League and is currently holding its own in the Toledo Area Athletic Conference.

As with any successful coach, there are the seasons that stand out, like the district title (2006), the two league championships (2006, 2015) and the three sectional titles (2006, 2011, 2015), but it’s the consistency of competitiveness and steady improvement that stands out.

For instance, in two of the Bears’ recent rebuilding years, they’ve bounced back from early-season losses and started to shine late in the season.

This year, Liskai’s club rebounded from an 0-4 start to win six consecutive games before losing 63-31 to Ottawa Hills, the league champion and a regional finalist, only to rebound and defeat a strong Toledo Christian club, 40-38, in the very next game. Gibsonburg finished 14-9 and enacted revenge on a number of teams it had lost to early in the season like TC, Tiffin Calvert and Cardinal Stritch. The 60-57 victory over the Cardinals on January 26 gave Liskai his 169th win at his alma mater, breaking the record previously held by well-known coach Keith Diebler, who Liskai played for during his heyday.

That victory and its meaning is a representation of all the players and assistants who have helped Liskai build the program.

A number of assistants have been there along the way, men like John Ernsthausen, Mike Haar, Mark Sworden, Tom Hiser, Jeff Cantrell, Jay Morlock and Wade Weaver. In fact, the sons of several of these men have played for Liskai over the years. “First, it’s the players and the assistant coaches and I’d put the head coach behind those. I’ve had really good assistant coaches,� said Liskai. “There are so many successful guys. I’ve had great people around me. When you get the guys on the same page, that’s when you get it going, and I think the past few years we’ve had it going pretty well. It’s not anything that one person does. I’m just proud that we put a

Gibsonburg coach Brent Liskai. (Photo courtesy Innovations Portrait Studio/InnovationsVisualImpact.com) product out there where we get after it and hopefully we play our best and we can play with the best teams.�

During his tenure at Gibsonburg, five of Liskai’s player have earned All-Ohio honors — Jordan Kreglow, Tony Egbert, Matt Kreglow, Brent Ernsthausen, Gage Beaber — four were named player of the year in the conference — Ernsthausen, Beaber, Jordan Kreglow, Matt Kreglow — and at least two — Beaber, Jordan Kreglow — played or are playing collegiately. There were others who passed up the chance to continue their career at the next level.

Championships ‘overrated’ Those players have been on some of Gibsonburg’s best teams, but it isn’t just the winners that give Liskai fulfillment. “I think championships are oftentimes

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overrated. I think the things you treasure most are when you take a team that should win in the single digits and then they get to 10 to 12 wins. I have some great kids that let you coach them and get after them and allow you to push them and be the best they can possibly be,� he said. “More than anything, I’m just proud of the fact that I’ve been able to stay at a place for 14 seasons. “It’s about watching the kids develop and seeing them come back during Christmas and push the players in practice.

It’s clichÊ, but that’s like cutting down the net for me. I’m more proud of the type of kids we put out. We’ve had three teams be in the top-five academically in the state.

Some kids are engineers and bosses at their jobs. I think we need to build leaders and we’ve done a decent job of that.�

As with any coach, Liskai says there is

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the human element, too. “I think any coach will tell you it’s about the relationships. Just to play a small part (in their lives) is awesome. They’re all successful because they have great drive, and it’s awesome when they come back.

I love seeing them all. I don’t think I’m any more proud of a kid that’s first team versus a kid that busts his tail. When they put in the time, it’s all like a fraternity and it’s neat to see how they interact with one another.�

But there are certain teams that do stand out. “Some people ask which players are better, and I guess the biggest thing is they’re all different. The first group is meaningful because of where we all came from (and) we started two freshmen,� said Liskai, who has gone 175-137 at Gibsonburg, including 82-33 since joining the TAAC. “In 2011, we were 4-7, got on a roll and went 12-11 and made it to the district final and beat Western Reserve, who had about 20 wins, by 20 points in the tournament. And I remember beating Liberty-Benton by three points in the district final in ‘06.�

The 2006 team, which consisted of eight seniors and finished 19-5, shared the SLL title with Elmwood and had two close victories in the tournament, beating Seneca East, 59-56, in the sectional final and outlasting Liberty-Benton, 55-52, in the Division III district final before falling to Archbold, which advanced to state.

The 2011 team struggled early in the season but hit its stride late and nearly won a district title, blowing a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter before falling to Ontario, 71-63, in overtime in the finals.

Last year’s team might’ve been the best of them all, going 22-0 and winning another sectional title. That team, led by Jordan Kreglow and Bryce Ernsthausen, was probably one of the best teams in Division IV but lost in the district semifinals to Stritch.

Two other teams (2012, 2014) went a combined 34-11 and lost very close games in the sectional final both times.

It’s never been easy for the Bears. For years, Gibsonburg competed with the best in the SLL despite being one of the smallest schools in the conference before moving to the TAAC in 2011, only to be greeted by the likes of Ottawa Hills, Toledo Christian and Stritch, always quality programs. When the Bears compete in D-III, they’re one of the smallest teams in the division, and when they’re a D-IV school, they compete in one of the toughest small school districts in the state.

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THE PRESS

MARCH 21, 2016

Losing in county tourney didn’t stop Pirates, Scots

By J. Patrick Eaken Press Sports Editor sports@presspublications.com

off Castalia Margaretta — they had a heck of a ballclub, and we went onto the Sweet 16 in the regional.”

Among three county teams that reached the state tournament, none won a Wood County Tournament championship.

In 1951, Grand Rapids became the first Wood County school to win a state basketball title and to this day remains the only county school to win a state championship.

The Pirates, coached by Dale Reichenbach, defeated Lockland Wayne, 50-44, in a Class B state semifinal and then clipped Waynesburg, 52-51, in the final.

Grand Rapids was led by all-county players Joe Keifer and 6-foot-9 Don Trumbull.

Keifer continued his basketball career at Toledo University.

However, the Pirates failed to win the county tournament, losing to Olney, which was led by playmaker Bud Felhaber, 4039, in the final. In the district tournament, the Pirates defeated Lake, Gibsonburg, and Margaretta, and then avenged their loss to the Rangers with a 63-48 district final victory.

After winning the state title, a threemile long caravan of cars toured Wood County, starting at New Rochester, passing through Bowling Green, and ending up in Grand Rapids. Bowling Green SentinelTribune Sports Editor Ivan E. “Doc” Lake wrote about how they were escorted by emergency and police vehicles, sirens screaming and multi-colored lights glaring, and met by bands at various stages of the tour.

Grand Rapids was not the only team to advance to state but not win the county tournament. In 1942, Webster finished 24-2 and reached the Class B state quarterfinals.

Yet, the Scots lost to Lake, 30-22, in the Wood County semifinals. Harold Anderson, a former Waite and BGSU coach, was the manager of the Wood County Tournament and witnessed the Flyers’ county championship victory.

Webster, located in Scotch Ridge, had been Wood County’s undefeated Eastern League champions and won district and regional titles on a stage at Fremont Ross.

Webster averaged 48.6 points and gave up 26 points per game.

The Scots closed the regular season undefeated in 16 games, including a 34-29 victory over Lake in an Eastern League contest. At the Fremont district and regional, Webster defeated Clyde, 50-21, Norwalk St. Paul, 44-26, Elmore, 43-34, and TroyLuckey, 49-21, to advance.

The state tournament was usually held at the Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum, but Class B in 1942 was moved to Wittenberg University in Springfield. At the time, the state tournament included 16 teams,

County champs, but never reached state There was one school, Troy-Luckey, which did the opposite. The Trojans won three county championships, but never reached the state tournament, even though they were considered a state powerhouse.

It started with the 1955-56 prep basketball season, which brought two firsts to Wood County.

First, Troy-Luckey coach Doyce “Frenchy” Filiere was named the Associated Press Class B Coach of the Year.

That same year, Olney’s Bob Kimball became Wood County’s first player to earn first team All-Ohio honors, averaging 34.4 points per game. Helm says the Rangers were a powerhouse at that time. In addition, Troy-Luckey’s Curt Juergens was third team all-state and his teammate, Joe Sandwisch, was honorable mention.

“Joe (Sandwisch) was like the best little player that I ever played with,” said Troy-Luckey guard Bob Filiere, the coach’s son.

“Curt and Joe were the really good players. We were not as small my junior year because we had Curt. I would compare Curt Juergens to anyone. When we went through that tournament, he played against guys who were 6-6, and he would score 27 points and play defense and get our rebounds.”

Still, everyone was counting on the Trojans having a lengthy tournament run. They did, but fell short of a trip to Columbus.

In 1955-56, Troy-Luckey went 25-2 and reached the regional finals. In 1956-57, Troy-Luckey was 20-2.

The No. 3 ranked 1956 Trojans, which came closest to reaching the state tournament, were nicknamed “the Giant killers” after defeating a taller Sycamore team, 6459, in a regional semifinal. The 1956 team scored points, too, defeating Lake 72-58, Gibsonburg 96-61, Risingsun 84-46, Olney 84-69, Tontogony 94-52, Oak Harbor 82-52, and Rossford 87-77.

Bob Filiere, now 76-years-old, says the 1957 team got its No. 1 state ranking in the AP poll because of the success of the 1956 team. In 1957, Bob Filiere became Wood County’s second player to earn first team All-Ohio honors his senior year.

Coach Filiere was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 1968 after his Troy-Luckey and Eastwood teams went 337-84 over 19 seasons. In 1959, the Ohio state legislature passed a resolution honoring him as one of Ohio’s outstanding men.

Coach Filiere’s teams won eight district championships and 18 of 19 teams qualified for district tournament play.

1942 state qualifying Webster Scots and the Scots promptly defeated Fairport Harbor 40-31 in the opening round.

Starting 5-foot-10 junior forward Merlin Brinker missed part of that game because he was dealing with tonsillitis, but still led the Scots with 16 points.

One of the officials for the tournament was Gus Skibbie of Bowling Green, and instead of riding with the team, because of his tonsillitis Brinker rode to Springfield in an automobile with Skibbie. Leonard “Gus” Wright, Webster’s 5-6 sophomore junior varsity forward, filled in for Brinker while he rested on the bench.

In the quarterfinal, eventual Class B state champion Somerset of Perry County ended Webster’s recordsetting season with a 37-24 victory.

Webster scored first, but Somerset ran off 10 straight points and held an 18-12 lead by halftime.

Webster was coached by Myron “Brick” Long and other key players were 5-7 junior forward Donald Kuhlman, 5-9 senior guard Clark Duncan, 6-2 sophomore center Ralph “Charley” Christen, 5-11 senior guard Harold Seifert, 6-1 senior guard Clarence Meder, 5-10 junior guard Russell Gottschalk and 6-1 senior center Lawrence Lynch.

The Sentinel-Tribune named Kuhlman

and Brinker to the All-County cage team.

Meder was an honorable mention selection. Christen and Seifert were selected to the Wood County all-tournament team.

Webster had been the first Wood County team since North Baltimore in 1936 to reach the state tournament. However, even that North Baltimore team did not win the county tournament.

The fact that you didn’t have to win the county tournament to advance to the district often resulted in teams not giving their best effort in the county finals, says Joe Helm, who played for TroyLuckey in the late 1950s.

“The strange thing about it, and I think it weighed against us going in to win the county championship, was that five schools at that time went on to the district. Once you got past the quarterfinals, you knew you were home,” said Helm.

“I personally think there was a little bit of a letdown. We won the district more than we won the county. It’s kind of, ‘Oh, we’re over that hurdle.’ There were many times we did play (the same teams) again (in districts). My senior year we beat North Baltimore in the county tournament and then we beat them again in the finals in Fremont. One thing that year is we knocked

“

I personally think there was a little bit of a letdown. We won the district more than we won the county.

“

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THE PRESS

MARCH 21, 2016

Eastwood finishes 14th at state, Oregon’s Kubicki eighth

By Mark Griffin Press Contributing Writer sports@presspublications.com

Eastwood indoor track team — Front row: Corey Johnson, Jon Bowlus, Issac Emahiser, Jack Chappuies, Erik Fertig, Josh Bierley, Ryan Reiter, Brian Sabo, and Zach Conkle. Back Row: Nikki Sabo, D.J. Michel, Hannah Sponaugle, Jessica Lang, Allie Abke, Dalton Andrews, Tyler Bernot, Josh Harper, Sam Church, Logan Baugher, and Tom Heckman. mance at other indoor meets.

“They take the top 18 marks that want to go to this meet,” Sabo said. “For example, if the best pole vault is 13 feet, everyone who jumps 13 feet qualifies. We had a massive graduation of talent last year. We did very well (this year) for a lot of people having been there for the first time. I was happy with how we placed, with how young we are.”

Sabo also noted that Eastwood’s boys track program dropped from D-II to D-III this season.

“That’s good, because we’re young,” he said. “In certain events D-II is tougher. In certain events D-III is tougher.

The Eagles had two girls qualify for the state indoor meet, but neither was able to score. Junior Hannah Sponaugle competed in the 1600 and sophomore Jessica Lange competed in the pole vault.

Eastwood qualified three relay teams

“

A lot of these guys did not compete at the indoor state meet last year. We had a lot of new faces, so we were happy with how they performed.

“

Eastwood boys track and field coach Brian Sabo and his wife, Nikki, the Eagles’ girls coach, know it’s never too early to get prepared for the outdoor season.

A good way to do that is to compete indoors during the offseason, which is just what Eastwood has done for several years.

That extra work has paid off, especially for the Eagles’ boys’ team, which won Division II state titles in 2009 and ‘10 and took third in 2014 and ‘15.

On March 5, several individuals from both Eastwood programs competed at the Indoor State Meet at the University of Akron. The event is run through the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches.

Sabo said the annual indoor meet started in either 2004 or 2005 and was held in Findlay for one year. It has been held in Akron ever since. Seventy-four schools were represented in the boys’ events this year, with Eastwood’s boys finishing 14th with 12 points.

“There were indoor meets before it became an official state meet,” Sabo said. “We did some stuff a long time ago at indoor meets because it gave our kids a chance to do some field events. Normally the first three weeks of the (outdoor) season are usually in bad weather. It’s tough to get in any field event work at all and not be freezing and doing high jumps in the parking lot.”

The Sunday track practice schedule and OATCCC meet, which is held on a Sunday, Sabo said, gives athletes who play basketball and wrestle a chance to get their feet wet for the upcoming outdoor season.

“We would rather our athletes be involved in other sports,” Sabo said. “If a kid wants to play basketball and high jump, you can high jump on a Sunday. The OATCCC said, let’s do a much bigger meet and kind of jump-start the outdoor season.

It’s always 70 degrees and no wind at this meet because it’s indoors. It’s become a very competitive meet.”

Athletes have to qualify for the OATCCC state meet, based on their perfor-

and three individuals. Junior Ryan Reiter placed fifth in the high jump, sophomore

Dalton Andrews was fourth in the indoor weight throw, while freshman Erik Fertig did not place in the weight throw.

“They were No. 1 in the nation in their age group, for a freshman and a sophomore,” Sabo said of Andrews and Fertig The 4x200 relay of senior Jon Bowlus, junior Tyler Brenot, sophomore Isaac Emahiser and Reiter took 10th place. The 4x800 relay of juniors Logan Baugher and Josh Bierley and seniors Sam Church and Josh Harper finished ninth. Baugher, Bowlus, Church and Emahiser placed sixth in the 4x400.

“A lot of those guys did not compete at the indoor state meet last year,” Sabo said.

“We had a lot of new faces, so we were happy with how they performed.”

In the Division I pole vault, Oregon resident Mitchell Kubicki, a Whitmer senior, tied for eighth in, clearing 14 feet, six inches.

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THE PRESS

MARCH 21, 2016

B-7

Kreglow figures out college game Jordan Kreglow is feeling a lot more comfortable now that he has a season under his belt at Trine University in Angola, Indiana.

Kreglow, a 5-foot-10 freshman point guard for the Thunder, led Gibsonburg to an unbeaten regular season and a No. 5 state ranking in 2014-15. Kreglow said he knew he would have a lot to learn about the college game, and he quickly realized that college ball, even at the Division III level, is no joke.

“The speed is a lot faster (than high school),” Kreglow said. “You have to be mentally and physically focused all year.

It’s not like that in high school. Division III is good basketball, with very good players.

I love it. It’s tons of fun.”

Trine, which is coached by former Evergreen High School standout Brooks Miller, had a solid season, going 18-9 and 7-7 in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. It was Trine’s most wins ever in Division III, and the Thunder advanced to the MIAA tournament championship game, losing to Alma College, 62-54 on Feb. 27.

Kreglow had three points and two assists in 17 minutes in the loss.

“At the end of the year he played a very pivotal role in winning some games,” Miller said. “Only the top four teams get into the conference tournament. He stepped up and played a lot more minutes.

We played at Hope College and we beat them (82-77) at their place, and Jordan had a great game (nine points, three assists, two rebounds and one steal in 27 minutes). It was the first time we had ever beaten Hope at their place.”

Kreglow was officially introduced to the college game when he played six minutes in the Thunder’s 65-50 season-opening win over Heidelberg. He missed his only field goal attempt and had one turnover.

“I was really nervous,” said Kreglow, who averaged 21.5 points and 5.2 assists and was a second-team All-Ohio selection in Division IV and first team Alan Miller Jewelers All-Press as a senior at Gibsonburg.

“I went in halfway into the game and I wanted to do my part, get in there and get the offense moving. I didn’t play very well.

I think the nerves got to me a little bit and I didn’t play to my full potential.”

As the season wore on, however, Kreglow started to learn his role and became accustomed to what it took to compete at this level.

By the time Trine faced Alma in the MIAA tournament championship game, Kreglow was a different player – both mentally and physically. He had, for all intents and purposes, figured it out.

“I feel mentally I matured a lot,” Kreglow said. “That was the biggest part.

The mental part was the main thing for me.

I came in thinking I was going to play and play a lot toward the middle of the season.

I wasn’t very strong. I have to get stronger physically and mentally.

“My expectations were I wanted to play and get good minutes. One of my goals was to contribute. Once I started figuring out my role and what I needed to do for the team to be successful, that’s when I started playing more. It was a big leap.”

Kreglow played in 19 games and averaged 3.7 points a game, shooting 42.4 percent from the field including 36 percent from 3-point range. Had 19 assists and 23 turnovers.

“He’s a real competitor,” Miller said.

“He’s a competitor in the classroom and on court. He has a high basketball IQ and those guys have a tendency to get much better, much quicker than other players. He struggled like most freshmen do. He was behind defensively, which at the college level is not uncommon. He really improved defensively, which gave him a chance to get on the floor. He’s always been able to make plays with the ball in his hand. At the college level, there are always guys who can do that.”

Kreglow said practicing against Trine’s top guards throughout the season helped him with his defense. He said watching opponents drive past him was “frustrating.”

“Offensively I had it,” he said, “but defensively I didn’t. I wasn’t accustomed to the defense. It was different for me. We man up against everybody and it kind of threw me off at the beginning. Once I stopped thinking and started playing, I started doing better.”

Kreglow’s opportunity to get more playing time will increase next season.

Trine graduates five seniors from this year’s team, including four guards.

“

I have to work on being more talkative, louder on the court, and becoming a better leader. I have to get bigger and faster...

“

By Mark Griffin Press Contributing Writer sports@presspublications.com

“He needs to work on being more vocal than anything else,” Miller said. “That’s something he should be able to do.”

Kreglow, who is majoring in civil engineering – he has a summer internship lined up with the Lucas County Engineers – said he looks forward to showing the coaching staff what he learned this season.

“I have to work on being more talkative, louder on the court, and becoming a better leader,” he said. “I have to get bigger, stronger and faster, but mainly I have to show more leadership and be more vocal on the court.”

Trine freshman guard Jordan Kreglow (Gibsonburg) runs the offense as an Olivet guard defends. (Photo by Matt Vader/Sports Information Director/Trine University)

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THE PRESS

MARCH 21, 2016

She’s an athlete…and college lacrosse team needed athletes

By Mark Griffin Press Contributing Writer sports@presspublications.com Christy Dazley, a 2015 graduate of Genoa High School, chose to attend Lourdes University to study nursing. Little did she know she would end up on the Gray Wolves’ lacrosse team this season.

Lourdes’ lacrosse program is in its third year, all under head coach Paul Sieben, and competes in the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference. Sieben and Dazley crossed each other’s paths on one of Lourdes’ registration days last year, and the rest is history.

“We were sitting at a table and coach Paul was there,” said Dazley, who played volleyball and basketball at Genoa. “He struck up a conversation with me and told me he was the lacrosse coach. He asked if I played any sports and I told him I’ve played sports since I was four years old. He knew I was looking at the volleyball program and he said, ‘How would you like to try out for lacrosse?’

“I told him I was thinking about trying another sport (other than volleyball or basketball). We went on a tour of the campus and came back and he came up to me and said, ‘Here’s two sticks and some balls to get started.’ He had information on me from my high school career. He did some research.”

Sieben said several Lourdes coaches attend prospective students’ campus visits, which are scattered throughout the year, to see if they are interested in sports.

“I sat down with Christy and her family and introduced myself,” Sieben said. “I asked her first if she knew anything about

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Christy Dazley. (Lourdes photo) lacrosse and she said she didn’t. I asked if she had any interest in playing a sport in college and she said she’d love to and would be interested in being a walk-on for the lacrosse team.”

Sieben followed up with Dazley last fall to see if she was still interested. The 5-foot9 Dazley ended up playing in the Gray Wolves’ fall scrimmages as a defender and

“played really well,” according to Sieben.

“She came back this spring and made the team and has started her first game,” Sieben said. “She’s a good student, very conscientious, very reliable, very mature.

She has been attentive to learning the sport and applying her knowledge from her other athletic experiences. Her basketball skills on defense have transferred over.”

Dazley wasn’t the BMOC when she played basketball for Genoa coach Mike DeStazio in 2014-15. She was, however, a very valuable role player for the Comets, concentrating on defense and rebounding.

“She did a tremendous job being a role player,” DeStazio said. “She’s a real nice kid from a good family who works hard.

She was my only senior (a year ago) and it’s not an easy spot for a senior to be in, being a role player. She helped us in ways that didn’t show in the stats.”

Dazley said she put in a lot of practice time preparing for the spring lacrosse season, including practicing cradling with a lacrosse stick in her dorm room.

“It’s a flicking motion, like throwing a softball or hitting a volleyball,” Dazley said. “I’ve always been pretty athletic, so some things are easier to pick up. It took a lot of work for me to work up to (the level of) the other girls. They’ve told me my stick skills have improved since fall ball.

“There’s a lot I like about lacrosse. It definitely was easy for me to pick up because I already had my footwork from basketball. Stick position is hard to realize because it has to be up all the time on defense. I love the speed of the game.”

The Gray Wolves are 3-3 overall and

0-1 in the WHAC. Lourdes plays all of its home games at Northview High School.

There are 16 women on this year’s roster.

“Our first year we had one win, and last year we had four wins,” Sieben said.

“This year we’re 3-3, so we’re improving.

Our first year we had 10 walk-ons. They say it takes about six years for a college program to develop.”

Sieben added that he put Dazley on defense based on her experience playing other sports.

“It takes more stick work on offense than defense,” he said. “Defense is more footwork and body positioning. She has learned how to guard the opponent aggressively. She stays with the opponent, like guarding a basketball player going to the basket. She’s developed the ability to do that. I would take another Christy in a minute. She was our only walk-on this year and she’s a good example of what walk-ons can do.”

Dazley (whose mother, Debbie, is a nurse) said she enjoys volunteering and helping people. Christy considered becoming a teacher, but she chose a career in nursing instead. She said her participation on the lacrosse team, and her college experience in general, has been awesome.

“I didn’t expect to come to college and play lacrosse at all,” Dazley said. “I’m having a lot of fun. I’ve met a lot of different people from different places. I’ve met people in lacrosse and not in lacrosse. Lacrosse is time consuming. We have two-hour practices and you have to work on your own to improve your skills. Even if it is time consuming, it’s good to be committed to something.”