Stand up and cheer A winter sports extravaganza brought to you by
The Times-Gazette Read all about it: Basketball previews of varsity boys and girls basketball teams from Hillsboro, McClain, Fairfield, Lynchburg-Clay and Whiteoak high schools, plus HHS and MHS wrestling and Tiger Shark previews
Page 2A Times-Gazette Thursday, November 24, 2011
TIPOFF 2011 Ta b l e o f Co nt en ts Page 1: Cover
HILLSBORO INDIANS BASKETBALL
Indians look to repeat with new coach
Page 2: Hillsboro Boys Basketball Page 3: McClain Boys, Girls Basketball Page 4:Whiteoak Boys Basketball Page 5: Fairfield Boys, Girls Basketball Josh Walker/The Times-Gazette
Page 6: Lynchburg-Clay Boys, Girls Basketball Page 7: Hillsboro, Whiteoak Girls Basketball Page 8: McClain, Hillsboro Wrestling Page 9: McClain Swimming
THE 2011-12 HILLSBORO INDIANS BASKETBALL TEAM –– Tyia Cumberland, Christian Cundiff, Jordan Captain, Chase Gilliland, Taron Captain, Tyrand Cumberland, Trevor Gleadle, Jarrod Hart, DeVante Ames and Reese Leibreich. By JOSH WALKER The Times-Gazette
The Hillsboro Indians are looking to defend their South Central Ohio League title with a new coach and a host of new players. “Our goal every season is going to be to win the league,” Hillsboro coach Brett Prince said. “After that, we want to go as deep as we can into the tournament.” Prince returns to a head coaching position after two years as an assistant at Newark Catholic High School. Prior to his time at NCHS, he was the head coach at Millersport High School for three years. He now takes over in Hillsboro, which went 14-8 last year.
Returning from last year’s cast are Tyrand Cumberland and Chase Gilliland, who both were in the starting lineup throughout the season, and Devante Ames and Jarrod Hart –– both of which started and came off of the bench last season. “Chase and Tyrand are coming back as starters,” Prince said. “They’ve got to lead us on the court. They have been through the battle. “… Hart played a lot last year and we are looking for him to be a leader out there. He is going to handle the ball a lot and we need him to be solid.” The Indians will also be looking for their new members to step in and make contributions. “We are looking for big things
from Ta’ [Captain],” Prince said. “He played a lot of jayvee last year. He is definitely a guy that can put the ball in the hole. “… [Christian] Cundiff might surprise some people this season. He is a lot bigger and stronger than he was a year ago.” Prince’s primary concern is his team’s defense. “We have to get better on defense,” he said. “Most of my coaching has to be done on the defensive end. With us, it is going to be all about defense and rebounding. We have some guys that are going to score, but if we are going to defend our title, we are going to have to rebound and get better on defense.” Standing in the way of the Indians is an evenly-matched SCOL lineup. “[Washington] should be strong.
TYRAND CUMBERLAND
Clinton-Massie should be strong. I know Madison-Plains is going to be solid this year,” Prince said. “Nobody is going to be weak.” The Indians will open the season at home for five of their first six home games beginning with Western Brown on Friday, Dec. 2.
HILLSBORO INDIANS SCHEDULE Date
Opponent
12/02/2011
Western Brown
12/03/2011
ZT Shootout
12/06/2011
Fairfield
12/09/2011
McClain
12/13/2011
Eastern Brown
12/16/2011
Washington
12/20/2011
@London
1/03/2012
Madison Plains
1/06/2012
@Miami Trace
1/17/2012
@C-Massie
1/20/2012
@McClain
1/24/2012
@Washington
1/27/2012
London
1/31/2012
Miami Trace
2/03/2012
@M-Plains
2/07/2012
@Lynchburg
2/14/2012
Goshen
2/17/2012
Clinton-Massie
Thursday, November 24, 2011 Times-Gazette Page 3A
TIPOFF 2011 MCCLAIN TIGERS BASKETBALL
Tigers will be young and inexperienced By JIM JONES The Times-Gazette
The McClain basketball team will be led into the 2011-12 campaign by Brent Eaton, who begins his third season as the Tigers' coach. McClain finished last season with a 9-12 overall mark (4-8 in the South Central Ohio League), but despite the losing record, most coaches will tell you that the Tigers were as competitive and played as hard as any team they faced all season. “My main concern is our youth,” Eaton said. “We lost nine seniors two years ago and eight last season. That’s 17 kids in two years. “Last year, we were very young in terms of experience, but they were older kids. This year, it’s just the opposite. We’re inexperienced and young.” Trey Lytle and Roger
Carroll are the only seniors on this year’s team and both played on the jayvee squad last year. Thomas Schrader and Jeremiah Savage –– both sophomores –– are the only two returning players with any varsity experience from last season. “We’ve got three sophomores and a freshman that are practicing with us full time and all four have a good chance to play,” Eaton said. “We have just two seniors and both of them played on the jayvee team last year, as did all of our juniors. So, outside of Thomas and Jeremiah, we don’t have anyone returning with varsity experience.” Evan Mustard, another talented sophomore, did see Jim Jones/The Times-Gazette limited varsity playing time toward the end of last sea- THE 2011-12 McCLAIN TIGERS BASKETBALL TEAM –– (front row, l-r) Trevor Gossett, Roger Carroll, John Turner, Brent Shannon, son. Isaac Savage; (back row) Nick Penwell (manager), Ryan Faulconer, Thomas Shrader, Tyler McGuire, Jeremiah Savage, Philip See TIGERS I 8B Thompson, Evan Mustard, Trey Lytle and Matt Miller (manager).
MCCLAIN LADY TIGERS BASKETBALL
MCCLAIN TIGERS SCHEDULE
MHS look to contend for title
Date
Opponent
12/02/2011 12/03/2011 12/09/2011 12/16/2011 12/27/2011 12/29/2011 1/03/2012 1/06/2012 1/07/2012 1/13/2012 1/14/2012 1/17/2012 1/20/2012 1/24/2012 1/31/2012 2/03/2012 2/10/2012 2/17/2012 2/18/2012
Jackson Westfall @Hillsboro Clinton-Massie @Fairfield Adena Washington @London @Zane Trace @Madison-Plains Unioto Miami Trace Hillsboro @Clinton-Massie London @Washington Madison-Plains @Miami Trace @Southeastern
MCCLAIN LADY TIGERS SCHEDULE
Jim Jones/The Times-Gazette
THE 2011-12 McCLAIN LADY TIGERS BASKETBALL TEAM –– (l-r) Dennis Overstake, Kaitlyn Faulconer, Sammy Rooks, Taylor Faulconer, Kate Crabtree, Jenna Perie, Tara Karnes, Brittany Mullikin, Shania Massie, Katy Unger and Caitlyn Lovett. By JIM JONES The Times-Gazette
Veteran basketball coach Dennis Overstake begins his 31st season as the Lady Tigers’ mentor and brings with him an impressive 475192 record. Last year, the McClain girls concluded the season with a 15-6 overall record and a second-place finish in the South Central Ohio League behind champion Miami Trace. Lost to graduation were
three backcourt specialists –– Chrissy Cobb, Frankie Wise and Megan Hogle. Cobb, who was a first team AllSCOL performer, averaged 13 points a game last year while dishing out four assists per game. Wise and Hogle were responsible for another eight points per game combined and both were very good defensively. Six seniors –– Jenna Perie, Kate Crabtree, Brittany Mullikin, Sammy Rooks, Kaitlyn Faulconer and Taylor Faulconer –– all return with
lots of varsity experience. “One of our biggest strengths is having six seniors back and almost all of them had lots of playing at the varsity level last year,” Overstake said. “Strengths for this year’s squad would be their experience as a whole and the fact that this group of girls has played together for many years and are very close. “Another big plus for them would be that we have several girls who can play multiple positions. They all
have strong work habits with the willingness to help each other out.” The only weakness on this team would possibly be its overall team size and the fact that only 15 girls make up the entire varsity and reserve squads. “Our main concern entering the season is our low numbers,” Overstake said. “We didn’t have any juniors come back out this year for one reason or another. See LADY TIGERS I 9B
Date
Opponent
12/03/2011 12/05/2011 12/07/2011 12/10/2011 12/14/2011 12/17/2011 12/21/2011 1/05/2012 1/07/2012 1/12/2012 1/18/2012 1/21/2012 1/25/2012 1/28/2012 1/31/2012 2/01/2012 2/04/2012 2/06/2012 2/11/2012
Hillsboro Lynchburg-Clay @Clinton-Massie @Eastern @Washington London @Whiteoak Unioto Madison-Plains @Miami Trace @Hillsboro Clinton-Massie @Jackson Washington @Zane Trace @London @Madison-Plains Eastern Miami Trace
Page 4A Times-Gazette Thursday, November 24, 2011
TIPOFF 2011 WHITEOAK WILDCATS BASKETBALL
Whiteoak blends youth with returning cast
Josh Walker/The Times-Gazette
THE 2011-12 WHITEOAK WILDCATS BASKETBALL TEAM –– (front row, l-r) Joe Isaac, Justin Emery, Doc Seip, Luke Taggert, Justin Butler, Steven Meyers, Leonard Becraft, Jesse Bradds; (back row) Wesley Stratton, Gage Carraher, Nick Wardlow, Zach Docter, Tyler Williams, Blake Trueblood, Graham Douglas and coach Tom Wessner. By JOSH WALKER The Times-Gazette
The Whiteoak Wildcats and coach Tom Wessner will be looking to fill the production of graduates Joe Michael and Mikey Carraher with a group that includes three returning starter –– Wes Stratton, Gage Carraher and Doc Seip –– and a host of up-and-coming ‘Cats that are to looking make their mark. “We lost
four seniors last year that were very good on defense,” Wessner said. “We are going to have to focus on our defense and get it where it needs to be. “… As a team, we are quicker and should be able to get good shots. We are probably going to try to run it a little bit more, but I always say that and then have to change things up.” Last year’s group finished just below .500 at 11-12. Along with the
three returning starters is Luke Taggert, who was a spark off of the bench last year. Zach Docter will join the returning letterman in the starting lineup in his junior season. “[Doc Seip] and Gage both started the majority of the games as sophomores last year,” Wessner said. “I look for their production to go up and help replace some of [Joe Michael and Mikey Carraher’s] offensive numbers. “… Wes returns and we are looking to him for some senior leadership. It
shouldn’t be hard for him to control things from the point. He knows our offense and knows what we want to do.” Whiteoak will also be hoping for support off of its bench. “Justin Butler and Blake Trueblood had really good summers,” Wessner said. “They hit the weight room and have benefitted a lot from our summer camps. “Steven Meyers and Tyler Williams are sophomores and should see some time too. They saw some of the sophomores getting
DOC SEIP
playing time last year and that has really motivated them. They are working hard and trying to get into the mix.” However, it is the strong returning cast that will need to set the example on the court if the Wildcats are to improve on last season’s effort, which ended in the Division IV Southeast
District Finals with a loss to Manchester. “You always want to see everyone playing hard,” Wessner said. “We have put a few new things in and I am hoping to see that stuff has been received [to open the season]. With three returning starters and Luke, we are definitely not starting from scratch.”
WHITEOAK WILDCATS SCHEDULE Date
Opponent
11/26/2011
@Clermont Northeastern
12/02/2011
North Adams
12/06/2011
@Oak Hill
12/09/2011
@West Union
12/16/2011
Lynchburg-Clay
12/20/2011
Fairfield
12/23/2011
@Hillsboro
12/29/2011
@Clermont Northeastern
12/30/2011
@Lynchburg-Clay
1/03/2012
Manchester
1/06/2012
@Eastern Brown
1/10/2012
@Portsmouth
1/13/2012
Ripley
1/20/2012
@Fairfield
1/24/2012
@Fayetteville
1/27/2012
Peebles
1/31/2012
@Ripley
2/03/2012
@Manchester
2/10/2012
@North Adams
2/14/2012
@Felicity
2/17/2012
Fayetteville
Thursday, November 24, 2011 Times-Gazette Page 5A
TIPOFF 2011 FAIRFIELD LIONS BASKETBALL
Fairfield looks to replace lost offense By JOSH WALKER The Times-Gazette
The Fairfield Lions are looking to replace 86 percent of their offense from a team that finished 11-12 a year ago. Gone from last year’s group are Cameron Rolark, Cody Ferrell, Cody Tolle, Ryan Evans, Ian Adams, Brandon Carmean and Chris Cox, who earned first team All-Southeast District and was honorable mention AllOhio. After beginning the season 0-6, the team closed out the season 11-6 to finish in the middle of the Southern Hills League. The Lions’ lone returning starter is Quentin Williams. Also returning are Cole Putnam and Blake Hildebrant –– who came off the bench last year. The two were looked to for defense and rebounding last season, but will be looked to for more scoring this year, according to coach Matt Carson. “I am looking for all three of them to possess good leadership qualities, leading by
example and vocally,” Carson said. However, if the Lions are to succeed, they will need a complete team effort. “I’m looking for everybody to contribute,” Carson said. “We don’t have a lot of superstars, but we have a lot of people that can step in and play defense. Offensively, we are just going to look to whoever has the hot hand that night. “… We’ll push the ball when it is there, but our focus is going to be on our defense and rebounding. We are going to try to be very efficient. Manage possessions. We need to get the most production we can out of every possession.” Despite returning few players from last year’s squad, Carson is already pleased with his team’s chemistry. “The kids have really came together,” he said. “We had a good summer. “The kids are not just playing for themselves or for the name on the front of the jersey. They are playing for Peanut [Stephen Barcus],
submitted photo
THE 2011-12 FAIRFIELD LIONS BASKETBALL TEAM –– (front row, l-r) Cody Bennett, Blake Hildebrant, Cole Putnam, Austin Hildebrant, Quentin Williams, Elijah Carmean; (back row) Moritz Hayler, Austin May, Wes Willey, Ryan Bates, Brad Clay and Gage Montgomery. who died last year. He was not just a great teammate, but he was an amazing person and an amazing friend. We
want to work hard and honor his memory this season.” That hard work is something that Carson hopes to
see reflected on the court early in the season. “I hope to see a team that plays as one,” he said. “I
want to look out on the court and see a team that plays harder and smarter than their opponent on a nightly basis.”
FAIRFIELD LADY LIONS BASKETBALL
Lady Lions enter season with host of underclassmen By JOSH WALKER The Times-Gazette
The Fairfield Lady Lions return zero starters from last year’s group that went 2-20. They have zero seniors. They have zero juniors. “With a young team, experience is the downfall, obviously,” Fairfield coach Matt Hodson said. “The benefit would be that they don’t know any better. “All they know is to come out here and play hard. They don’t know that Fayetteville and Eastern are the class of the [Southern Hills League]. They just know to come out here and play hard. If we do that, we will be okay.” Fairfield’s only players returning with experience are Shelby Smithson and Heather Cox. They are joined by Cynnamon Sova-Davy and Courtney Hodson, who have all stepped into leadership roles, according to Hodson. “My hope is that we continue to improve each and every week,” Hodson said. “I want to be competitive in our division and, by tournament
time, I expect us to be playing really well.” As with any young team, the Lady Lions can expect to take some lumps early in the season. “I just want them to come out and not be anxious and uptight,” Hodson said. “Most of them have not even played jayvee. I hope they don’t come out and get their confidence knocked around too much. “… The freshmen are a good group… but they’re freshmen.” In order to achieve their goals, the Lady Lions will hope to get the ball into the post to the combination of Cox and Smithson. “Our guard play is going to be huge for us to be a good team,” Hodson said. “Kaitlin Evans will be running the point as a freshman and we will need her to handle the press. We have not handled the press very well in the past and that means that teams are going to do it again. We have to have good play and be able to handle that. “Smithson and Cox are good in the post. We just need to get it to them.”
FAIRFIELD SCHEDULES Date BOYS
12/02/2011 12/03/2011 12/06/2011 12/09/2011 12/13/2011 12/16/2011 12/20/2011 12/23/2011 12/27/2011 1/06/2012 1/07/2012 1/13/2012 1/20/2012 1/24/2012 1/27/2012 2/03/2012 2/04/2012 2/07/2012 2/10/2012 2/17/2012 GIRLS 11/28/2011 12/01/2011 12/05/2011 12/08/2011 12/10/2011 12/12/2011 12/15/2011 12/22/2011 12/28/2011 1/05/2012 1/07/2012 1/09/2012 1/12/2012 1/19/2012 1/26/2012 1/30/2012 1/31/2012 2/02/2012 2/06/2012 2/09/2012
Opponent
East Clinton Southeastern @Hillsboro Eastern @Fayetteville @Ripley @Whiteoak @Washington McClain North Adams @Manchester Peebles Whiteoak Ripley Fayetteville @Lynchburg-Clay @Adena @Miami Trace Manchester @West Union –––––––––– East Clinton @Fayetteville @Ripley @North Adams Adena @Manchester West Union Lynchburg-Clay @Hillsboro Fayetteville @Lucasville Whiteoak @Eastern @Peebles Ripley Blanchester Southeastern @Whiteoak @Paint Valley Manchester
THE 2011-12 FAIRFIELD LADY LIONS BASKETBALL TEAM –– (front row, l-r) Kaitlin Evans, Courtney Hodson, Haley Bobb; (back row) Cynnamon SovaDavy, Shelby Smithson, Heather Cox, Lydia Sowders and Justice Hattan.
Josh Walker The Times-Gazette
Page 6A Times-Gazette Thursday, November 24, 2011
TIPOFF 2011 LYNCHBURG-CLAY MUSTANGS BASKETBALL
Lynchburg-Clay looks to gain experience By JOSH WALKER The Times-Gazette
Lynchburg-Clay coach Jason McLaughlin is hoping to get his young players acclimated to the varsity level with only two players returning with any varsity experience. “I’m just hoping to get good experience for the kids that played varsity,” haven’t McLaughlin said. “We have some sophomores that are very good in Gage Waits and Ryan Inman and some solid juniors. … We just want to build for the future by getting these guys out there.” The Mustangs’ only returning players are Tyler Davidson –– a four-year letterman –– and Wes Pierson, who came off of the bench last year. They finished second in the Southern Hills League and had an overall record of 8-14. “Tyler Davidson will run the offense for us at the point guard position,” McLaughlin said. “He is playing varsity for the fourth year and has three of our four total years of experience on varsity. We are going to look to him to play a lot of minutes. … He’s going to be the key to getting our offense going.” Lynchburg will also need juniors Alec Smith and Tyler Allen
to step up. “Alec Smith is 6-3 and has improved a heck of a lot,” McLaughlin said. “He has had a good summer for us. … Tyler Allen really worked on his outside shooting this summer and should give us some good minutes off of the bench.” Size will be an advantage for the Mustangs with Smith and Inman (6-4) controlling the post. “Ryan Inman could be one of our top players,” McLaughlin said. “He is dunking now and has a lot more confidence. He could be one of the better players in the league. “… We hope to have the size advantage for the next couple of years.” With a young group, Lynchburg’s success this season will depend on its ability to come together as a team, according to McLaughlin. “I just want to see how the young players fit into the roles we need them to play,” he said. “The summer has been a learning experience for them and for me. They have never played together and are still learning how to fit in as a team. “We can compete with any team in the league, it is just about THE 2011-12 LYNCHBURG-CLAY MUSTANGS –– (front row, l-r) Jake Skaggs, Gage Waits, Tyler Davidson, Austin Gorman; getting kids into their different (back row) Wes Pierson, Matt West, Ryan Inman, Alec Smith and Jesse VanVleet. roles.”
LYNCHBURG-CLAY LADY MUSTANGS BASKETBALL
LYNCHBURG-CLAY BOYS SCHEDULE
L-C looks to fill guard positions
Date
12/02/2011 12/06/2011 12/09/2011 12/16/2011 12/20/2011 12/23/2011 12/29/2011 12/30/2011 1/06/2012 1/10/2012 1/13/2012 1/14/2012 1/20/2012 1/24/2012 1/27/2012 1/31/2012 2/03/2012 2/07/2012 2/10/2012 2/17/2012
Opponent
Miami Trace @Blanchester Ripley @Whiteoak Peebles SCOL-SHL Shootout Wilkin Scholarship Tournament Wilkin Scholarship Tournament @Fayetteville West Union @North Adams @Huntington @Peebles @Eastern @Manchester North Adams Fairfield Hillsboro @West Union Eastern
LYNCHBURG-CLAY GIRLS SCHEDULE Date
Josh Walker/The Times-Gazette
THE 2011-12 LYNCHBURG-CLAY LADY MUSTANGS BASKETBALL TEAM –– (front row, l-r) Morgan Fittro, Karen Hilt, Sam Whitenack, Ginny Gadzinski, Madysyn Creighton; (back row) Emma Setty, Brooke Hertlein, Laney Lewis and Ashley Tenas. By JOSH WALKER The Times-Gazette
Whitney Lewis will make the leap from jayvee coach to varsity, becoming the third coach for Lynchburg-Clay in as many seasons. She inherits a team that went 15-8 a season ago. The Lady Mustangs return two starters in the post –– Laney Lewis and Brooke Hertlein –– but must fill in all three guard positions this season. “This is a good group of
kids,” Whitney Lewis said. “I am really lucky to have such a great group of girls in my first year. They want to be here and they want to do well. … I can’t comment enough on the type of kids we have in this program. They all work hard in practice and want to be here, which is important.” Lynchburg will also be looking to Karen Hilt, who with Hertlein are the only seniors on the team. Hilt
was the team’s sixth man a year ago and will fill in at the point. “We have two seniors that have been playing four years,” Whitney Lewis said. “They are the type of girls that … I fully trust both of them. They played soccer together and were both leaders on that team, which did really well. Hopefully, they can carry that over onto the basketball court. “… They are good role models and all of the freshmen look up to them. They are good to have on the team.” Also pencilled in to see significant time are juniors
Ashley Tenas and Emma Setty; however, Whitney Lewis insists, “Nothing is in cement.” “We are going to go with whoever is playing the best at the time,” she said. As the season approaches, Whitney Lewis is “excited” to begin the season. “It’s fun,” she said of coaching at the varsity level. “It’s challenging and there is a lot to it. I’m just looking forward to what the season is going to be like. “The hardest thing is making sure that I’m covering everything. We are approaching our first game and I’m just trying to make sure the ladies are prepared for each and every game.”
11/29/2011 12/01/2011 12/05/2011 12/08/2011 12/12/2011 12/15/2011 12/19/2011 12/21/2011 12/22/2011 12/28/2011 1/05/2012 1/12/2012 1/17/2012 1/19/2012 1/23/2012 1/26/2012 1/30/2012 2/02/2012 2/06/2012 2/09/2012
Opponent
Huntington @North Adams @McClain Fayetteville @West Union @Eastern Peebles SHL-SCOL Shootout @Fairfield @Paint Valley @Manchester @Ripley @Blanchester North Adams Georgetown Whiteoak Eastern @Peebles @Washington West Union
BROOKE HERTLEIN
Thursday, November 24, 2011 Times-Gazette Page 7A
TIPOFF 2011 HILLSBORO LADY INDIANS BASKETBALL
Lady Indians hope to continue progression By JOSH WALKER The Times-Gazette
The Hillsboro Lady Indians improved their record by three wins in their first year under coach JR Moberly last season. That still only led to a 4-17 record. However, the Lady Indians did show marked improvement in the second half of the season, defeating Whiteoak, Fairfield, East Clinton and London in the latter half after starting the season 0-7 prior to the Christmas break. In order to help his team continue its progression, Moberly is focusing on defense and effort. “I want to see them play hard. I want to see them execute on defense,” he said. “We are young, so we expect to make some bad decisions until we can grow into our offense, but the two things you can control are how well you play defense and how hard you work.” The Lady Indians return four players from last year’s group, including starters Whitney Earley and Carey Juillerat. Also coming back from last year’s group are Danielle Gillman and Taylor Moberly, who were the first two players off of the bench
Josh Walker/The Times-Gazette
THE 2011-12 HILLSBORO LADY INDIANS BASKETBALL TEAM –– (front row, l-r) Maddie Colliver, Trista Rhodes, Taylor Moberly, Whitney Earley, Taylor Stanforth, Whitlee Price; (back row) JR Moberly, Brian Hopkins, Hannah Kibler, Alex Stratton, Danielle Gillman, Carey Juillerat, Kaylynn Bell, Britney Bowen and Gary Breeden. –– Gillman in the post and Moberly at guard. “We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores to go along with our four returning players,“ JR Moberly said. “I hope they can pick the things we are teaching them up and challenge some teams. If the girls continue
to work at those things, we are going to see some positives in the wins, but it is going to take time and patience.” In order to achieve their goals, the Lady Indians will be looking to seniors Juillerat, Earley and Gillman to be the team’s
glue. “We are going to count on our seniors,” JR Moberly said. “They need to lead in practice by example. They need to overcome some of the frustration they are going to experience as we go.” Hillsboro will also
WHITEOAK LADY WILDCATS BASKETBALL
Josh Walker/The Times-Gazette
THE 2011-12 WHITEOAK LADY WILDCATS BASKETBALL TEAM –– (front row, l-r) Morgan Campbell, Emily Stratton, Courtney Cummings, Sunnie Lehr, Makayla Wescott; (back row) Amber Gorman, Misty McClure, Jessie Gilliland, Marissa Bohl, Jayde Parr and coach Mike Cooper. Not pictured: Clarrisa Johnson, Savannah Johnson and Brittany Luman. The Times-Gazette
The Whiteoak Lady Wildcats will build around seniors Jessie Gilliland and Marissa Bohl, who are the only two returners from a team that went 1-20 a season
ago. “I hope we continue to get better and improve,” Whiteoak coach Mike Cooper said. “This group is working hard in practice, even though the numbers aren’t great. If they con-
tinue to do that we will be better at the end of the season when it is time for the tournament. “The kids are focused, they are listening and they are very young. I just hope to continue to get better
off guard, and we are going to rely on her ball-handling to help us. “… Also, we have a lot of young players that we are going to rely on for their athleticism. We are younger this season, but we are also much more athletic than we have been. We want to use
HILLSBORO LADY INDIANS SCHEDULE
Gilliland, Bohl to lead Lady ‘Cats
By JOSH WALKER
expect to see progression from Taylor Moberly, who will see an increased role on this year’s team. “Taylor is a junior that played a lot last year,” JR Moberly said. “We want to see more out of her this year. She is going to be running the point, as well as some
and improve the way we have so far.” One key for the Lady ‘Cats this season will be closing out games, which they failed to do a season ago, according to Cooper. See LADY WILDCATS I 8B
Date
Opponent
11/29/2011
@Blanchester
12/03/2011
@McClain
12/07/2011
@Washington
12/10/2011
London
12/14/2011
@Madison Plains
12/17/2011
Miami Trace
12/19/2011
Western Brown
12/28/2011
Fairfield
1/04/2012
Fayetteville-Perry
1/07/2012
@Whiteoak
1/14/2012
Clinton-Massie
1/18/2012
McClain
1/21/2012
Washington
1/25/2012
@London
1/28/2012
Madison Plains
2/01/2012
@Miami Trace
2/04/2012
@East Clinton
2/07/2012
@Goshen
2/11/2012
@Clinton-Massie
Thursday, November 24, 2011 Times-Gazette Page 8A
TIPOFF 2011 HILLSBORO INDIANS WRESTLING
Horne: We should be hungry and ready to go By JOSH WALKER The Times-Gazette
Hillsboro wrestling coach Nathan Horne believes he has one of the most talented team’s in his eight-year tenure as head coach of the Indians this season. “I’m excited about this year,” he said. “I think we have a good chance to do some things. We have a team that is up there as far as the teams I’ve coached. We had some good teams a few years ago … but this is one of the most talented teams I’ve had.” The Indians return a strong core that performed well last year. Both Brandon Carter and Kordell Ford had their season end a match short of qualifying for the state wrestling tournament and Kaleb West was a sectional champion. “We should be hungry and ready to go,” Horne said. “Caleb is there; so are Kordell and Carter. They are
all on the bubble. Even Stephen Limbacher and Conner Johnston are right there. They are all really close to doing something special.” Horne sees his team’s experience as one of its biggest assets. “We’ve got more experience than we have in the past few years,” Horne said. “… This year, we have a good even mix throughout the weight classes.” As a team, Hillsboro has filled out its lineup this season after having to forfeit some weight classes last year. With its holes filled, Horne sees his team as having a chance to dethrone defending South Central Ohio League champion Miami Trace. “I think we’ll be competitive with everyone in the league,” he said. “I expect big things from West, Kordell and even Limbacher. It is pretty even throughout the league. “… Our goal is to win the
Josh Walker/The Times-Gazette
THE 2011-12 HILLSBORO INDIANS WRESTLING TEAM –– (front row, l-r) Ryan Kelley, Toby Warrington, Lee Browning, Josh Bice, DJ Davis, Stephen Limbacher, Kaleb West, Brandon Carter, Garrett Baldridge; (second row) Braden Puckett, Jacob Lerch, Craig Jackson II, Jeremy Crider, Cody VanHalen, Dakota Bullack, Cody Whaley, Matthew West; (back row) Jeremy Ratcliff, James Jones, Darian Schumacher, Raul I. Guerra III, Skylar Murphy, Drew Huffman, Dillon Hunick, Kordell Ford, Conner Johnston, Jesse Hale and Nathan Horne. league and have a shot at a sectional championship and to be competitive in the district tournament. And we want to send as many kids as possible on to the next level. I think we have four or five
kids that can get out to the state tournament.” Despite believing that the Indians will be at the top of the SCOL, Horne stated that there will be tough competition throughout the league.
“Trace is still the team to beat even though I think we will be right there with them,“ he said. “Court House will be good again. They have some good upper weight class wrestlers and a
MCCLAIN TIGERS WRESTLING
WO GIRLS SCHEDULE
Tigers look to continue building By JIM JONES The Times-Gazette
The McClain wrestling program will again be headed by Shane Paul, who enters his second season as varsity coach. Last year the Tigers finished the season with 12 victories, which was the most for a varsity wrestling team at McClain in several years. “I was really happy with how my first season as head coach here at McClain went,” Paul said. “We had 12 varsity team meet victories last year and that was far and away better than the two or three they had in previous seasons. “We also had two wrestlers –– Steven Barber and Joe Unger –– win over 30 matches each last year and Joe is one of the returning lettermen, while Steven graduated and is attending college.” The Tigers will be led by their two senior captains –– Gary Ryan and Unger. Ryan also had an impressive season last year for McClain with 29 victories, which was third-best on the squad. Other top returning lettermen are juniors Coty Barnhart and Cody Black. Barnhart had an overall record of 19-10 last season and Black was victorious in 10 matches. Another junior, Brandon Davis, also returns and will be counted on heavily to pick up some wins in the upper weight classes. Brandon Goble, a freshman newcomer, is also expected to be a bright spot on this year’s team after wrestling nationally last year. “I think Brandon (Goble) can really make an impact this season and I expect him to win a lot of matches,” Paul said. Inexperience is the main concern that Paul has heading into the 2011-12 campaign, although numbers are up a little from last year, which is encour-
state champion returning. I think they will all rally around him and be a tough team. London also has some good returners. “There will be some good competition this season.”
Jim Jones/The Times-Gazette
THE 2011-12 McCLAIN TIGERS WRESTLING TEAM –– (front row, l-r) Lonnie Adkins, Richie Rayburn, Gary Ryan, Ethan Paul, Kylee Stroud, James Lain, Coty Barnhart, Roscoe East; (back row) assistant coach Matt Unger, Brandon Davis, Dylan Wheaton, Jake Branham, Eric Rowe, Brendon Goble, Caleb Savage, Kaleb Osceola, Cody Black, Joe Unger, Dylan Trefz, assistant coach Scott Walker and coach Shane Paul. aging. “This year, we have somewhere around 20 kids out and that’s a pretty good number that should allow us to fill all of the weight classes except maybe for one or two,” he said. “Last year, we had to forfeit about eight weight classes in every match, which made it difficult to get team wins. “We still have a lot of inexperience entering the season even with our numbers being better, but these kids want to come to practice and work hard every night to get better. Until you have that, it’s very difficult to improve.” The main team goal for the Tigers is to improve on their overall record and get a few more wrestlers to the district tournament. “As a team, I would like to see us improve on our overall record,” Paul said. “Last year, we had 12 victories, so I want to see us bump that up a little bit this season.” Paul started a youth wrestling program in
Greenfield last year and knows it will take awhile to see the results, but thinks it will happen sooner than later. “I started a youth program last year and I know we won’t become a wrestling powerhouse overnight, but I think eventually it will come,” he said. “One thing that I have learned as a coach over the years is that if you want to get better, don’t expect too much all at once but build with small improvements and that’s how I look at things. “I want to see small improvements every second of every practice and that’s how you get better. Getting better is not a sprint, but more like a marathon. “We need to progress at the beginning of the season and build up momentum at the end heading into the league and district tournaments.” The South Central Ohio League is considered one of the best in this part of the state and this year should be no exception. Miami Trace, the defending
league champion, will once again be favored to repeat, but several teams return lots of experience and talent and should contend. “Every team is pretty solid from top to bottom and we’re closer to the bottom, even though we beat a lot of Division I teams in our nonleague schedule last year,” Paul said. “Miami Trace will be the team to beat and I think Washington Court House should be a close second. Hillsboro and Clinton-Massie are also very good and have lots of returning talent.” The Tigers, despite hosting last year’s league meet, don’t have any home matches scheduled to begin the season, but they hope to add one or two later in the season. “Our administration here at McClain is behind us and it would be great to see the community come out and support wrestling like they have over the years in other sports,” Paul said. “We know that the more success you have, the more people want to come out and be a part of it, so that’s exactly what we hope to accomplish.”
Date
Opponent
11/26/2011
@Ironton St. Joe
11/28/2011
@West Union
12/01/2011
Ripley
12/08/2011
Eastern Brown
12/12/2011
North Adams
12/15/2011
@Fayetteville
12/21/2011
@McClain
12/22/2011
Manchester
12/27/2011
@Williamsburg
12/28/2011
@Northwest
1/05/2012
@Peebles
1/07/2012
Hillsboro
1/09/2012
@Fairfield
1/12/2012
West Union
1/19/2012
@Ripley
1/23/2012
Fayetteville
1/26/2012
@Lynchburg-Clay
1/30/2012
@Manchester
2/02/2012
Fairfield
2/07/2012
Felicity
Lady ‘Cats: continued from Page 12A “We had eight games where we were tied or had a lead in the second half,” Cooper said. “I hope we can build off of what we learned last season and close out some of the games like that. We are going to keep the ball in the hands of our senior leadership and execute at the end of games. “… I hope to see a lot more composure on the court. And a lot more aggression. … Basically, I want us to play together. To play as one.” In order to achieve their goals, the Lady Wildcats are looking to their seniors. “Our senior leadership [is key for us],” Cooper said. “Jessie Gilliland and Marissa Bohl have really stepped up in practice. They have been leading by example and have stepped up as vocal leaders.” Cooper is also looking to Clarissa Johnson to lead on the court. “Clarissa Johnson has improved as a player,” he said. “She struggled a little at the jayvee level, but she has come a long way. She has shown that she can be a very good player for us.”
Tigers: Will continue to pride themselves on defensive end continued from Page 3B “Nobody knows what to expect from us because we are so young and most of the people in this community haven’t seen any of these kids play,” Eaton said. The Tigers will be a defensive oriented team again this season, which has been the trademark of McClain basketball for many seasons, beginning with legendary coach Rick VanMatre. “Our defense is very complicated,” Eaton said. “It’s a reacting kind of defense, so you really don’t have time to think. You have to know what you need to do and do it. We have a tradition here that was
established long before me: we defend and that’s what we do first.” A big concern for the McClain coaching staff will be finding a point guard to run the offense. It has been a problem over the last couple of seasons for Eaton, but it always seems to work out. “Finding a true point guard is another concern,” he said. “We had that struggle last season, but as the year went on we were able to find the one we needed. This year will be the same. We’ll find the guy we need through practice and effort, but right now it’s all about making good decisions and getting the offense start-
ed.” Six players will be competing for the point guard spot, led by Thomas Shrader, Evan Mustard and Roger Carroll. Trey Lytle, Brent Shannon and John Turner also have the ability to play the position. Inside the paint, Jeremiah Savage and freshman Ryan Faulconer are considered main-stays to begin the season, but finding a third post player is another concern for Eaton. “Jeremiah and Ryan are our two main post people right now, but we don’t have a third,” he said. “We need a backup post player and a point guard. Those are two things we need to make sure we find
and that’s going to be a process.” The style of offense that McClain plays will be a more ball-control type due to their youth and inexperience. “With all of the youth that we have, we will need to control possessions,” Eaton said. “We’re still going to have to defend and rebound well and make sure we get good shots every time down the floor. “... The kids really want to learn. They get along and are very supportive of each other in school and at practice, always willing to help out their fellow players and that’s a huge positive for us. “It’s going to take a lot
more teaching and not as much yelling and motivating this year. It’s about getting better in terms of understanding. “Our kids have to find a way to win and they will. I really believe that. We expect to win. “We may have some rocky roads here and there, but our main goal is simple: win the next one. The next drill. The next possession. The next shot. Just win the next one and that’s what we’re going to focus on. “I wouldn’t trade our kids for anyone and I feel like we have something to prove this year. We have to reload and restart and find a way to win and that’s the bottom line. No
Excuses. Just go get it done.” The SCOL should be very competitive and fun to watch again this season and Eaton believes that anybody can beat anybody on any given night. “Clinton-Massie has a lot of key players returning and Madison-Plains and London have almost everyone coming back, so those three teams return the most experience,” he said. “The kids Hillsboro and Miami Trace have returning are very good with experience at key spots. “I think anybody can beat anybody this year and I really believe that. Last year we beat a first-place team and played with everyone.”
Thursday, November 24, 2011 Times-Gazette Page 9A
TIPOFF 2011 MCCLAIN LADY TIGER SHARKS SWIMMING
Lady Tiger Sharks enter season with low numbers By JIM JONES The Times-Gazette
Natalie Eaton begins her ninth season as McClain girls swim coach, but with just six girls participating, she knows the program is in serious jeopardy. “It’s a little frustrating,” Eaton said. “Having only six girls swimming makes it very difficult to fill a lineup. Even with the low numbers, our main goal is to improve on our overall record from last season. “Having just six people makes it really hard to win meets, so my focus again this year will be more on individual achievement.” Three seniors –– Savannah Olaker, Gretta Reyer and Jeana Copas –– will be the nucleus to this year’s team and should account for most of the scoring. Olaker, who is a backstroke specialist and also competes in the individual medleys, was one of the more successful swimmers for the Lady Tiger Sharks last year. Reyer and Copas are primarily backstrokers, but will have to pick up some of the Jim Jones/The Times-Gazette slack in a couple other THE 2011-12 McCLAIN LADY TIGER SHARKS SWIM TEAM –– (front row, l-r) Savannah Olaker, events. Morgan Dettwiller is the Gretta Reyer; (back row) Kaylee Smith, coach Natalie Eaton, Morgan Dettwiller and Amber only junior on the team and Sowders. Not pictured: Jeana Copas. was also very impressive last
Lady Tigers: continued from Page 3B “We have three or four younger girls that will play both jayvee and varsity and we think they are very capable of handling that.” Rounding out the squad this year will be sophomores Tara Karnes, Katy Unger and Caitlyn Lovett, along with freshman Shania Massie and all of them have been impressive at the lower levels. “The fact that we have just 15 players could ultimately be a positive for us because we will be practicing together,” Overstake said. “Instead of having separate varsity and reserve practices, now they will be combined, along with having all four coaches together at the same time. Hopefully that will get ours kids better fundamentally and quicker.” Defense will again be the Lady Tigers’ biggest point of emphasis and key to their overall success on the season. “We will depend on our defense to keep our opposition from scoring, because we don’t have anyone right now that can score constantly for us like we did last year,” Overstake said. “We lost a little over 20 points a game scoring from last year's three seniors and that needs to be replaced, so we will have to sit down and play good solid defense and limit the other team’s scoring output if we
want to have a chance to win.” McClain should be a favorite to win the SCOL this year, along with defending champion Miami Trace and Clinton-Massie. “Every school in the league has the same coaches back and Clinton-Massie has a very strong program, returning with those two big sophomores coming back and both can play all over the floor,” Overstake said. “Miami Trace has low numbers like us, but has a program that is solid from top to bottom and they are wellcoached, so it’s going to be a dog fight by the end of the season to see who comes out on top. “Our last scrimmage is with North Adams, who has several key returning players and they have a good coach, so how we do in that one should give us a pretty good indication on how we might start the season.” The Lady Tigers open the season on Friday, Dec. 2 when they travel to Zane Trace to play Adena in the Tip-Off Classic with a 5 p.m. start time. McClain then returns home on Saturday Dec. 3 to host Hillsboro in a 6 p.m. start, followed by another home game against Lynchburg-Clay on the following Monday.
championship swim teams, takes over as junior high swim coach and should bring lots of experience and enthusiasm to the program. “Garrett will be a big asset to our program and he’s looking to build on technique and strength, so he’s heading in the right direction for us.” The Lady Tigers Sharks will once again be competing in two leagues: the newly formed South Central Ohio League and the Ohio Swim Southern League, which they have been a part of for several years. “The SCOL will be very competitive with Washington and Miami Trace continuing to have big numbers and building their talent levels which is huge for both programs. “Clinton-Massie is expected to be very good again this year and is always a big challenge for us. Cincinnati Christian Day will be a powerhouse and the team to beat in the SOSL, but several other schools are merging, which will make them very strong this season. “My main goal as a coach this year is to see our girls to continue to work hard and stay determined and hopefully get a couple of our swimmers to the districts.”
MCCLAIN TIGER SHARKS SWIMMING
MHS looks to contend for title
Jim Jones/The Times-Gazette
THE 2011-12 McCLAIN TIGER SHARK SWIM TEAM –– (front row, l-r) Daniel Mottie, Ronald Wright, Trevor Figgins, Jimmy Free, Tommy Free; (back row) Nick Tolbert, Adomas Fabin, Nick Lawson, Kyle Brown, Aaron Litteral and coach Bradley George. By JIM JONES The Times-Gazette
SAMMY ROOKS
season when she won several individual events and was a member of some relay teams that finished first. Two freshmen –– Kaylee Smith and Amber Sowders – – both were on the junior high squad last season and should also contribute to this year’s success. “This is a pretty closeknit group of girls and our three seniors are all really good role models, which is very important for our team unity,” Eaton said. “Another thing these girls are very good at is encouraging each other, especially in practice where they constantly push each other to get better. “Sometimes it’s extremely hard to stay positive if you’re not winning meets, but they have continued to be great at cheering each other on and being supportive of each other trying hard to keep the moral up. “It’s really disheartening to see a program that has been so successful over the last several years struggle to survive and I’m very concerned about the future of this sport here at McClain. I think the numbers are down in almost every girls sport except for soccer, which is also disappointing because there is nothing better than being a part of a team.” Garrett Smith, who was a member of several McClain
Bradley George enters his 13th season as McClain boys swim coach and, like his girl counterparts, sees his program struggling to survive due to poor participation. “My numbers are down again this year with only 10 boys swimming, so its kind of a carbon copy of last season when we finished the year with just eight boys,” George said. “In swimming, you need at least 12 to 14 people to field a good team and make it possible to compete in every event. “It’s really discouraging and I think the main reason for the low numbers is motivation. It’s the X-Box generation and kids today would rather sit on the couch or at a computer than be a part of a sport in which they would have to work.” McClain finished third in both the South Central Ohio
League and Southern Ohio Swim League last year, which was a big disappointment after being at the top for so many of the past seasons. Jimmy Free, Trevor Figgins and Kyle Brown are the three seniors returning from last year’s team and are all coming off of a successful season. Figgins is a talented back stroker and freestyle sprinter, while Free is a good 100meter and distance swimmer. Brown competes in the butterfly and was also a distance swimmer in the medley events. Other top returning swimmers are Adomas Fabin –– a sophomore who was a distance performer –– along with Aaron Litteral, who competed in the back stroke events. Daniel Mottie and Nick Tolbert are secondyear returners who should fit into the mix in several different events. Three new swimmers are
Ronald Wright –– a senior first-year member –– and freshmen Tommy Free and Nick Lawson, who should help sure up the Tiger Shark squad. “Tommy (Free) has lots of experience and speed coming up from our junior high program and hopefully will contribute on a couple of our relays,” George said. “I do have a little bigger core of returning kids and should be able to fill most of the relay events. “I’m looking to build up our endurance at the beginning of the season. I want speed too, especially at the end of the year, but right now we really need to get stronger.” George thinks that both the SCOL and SOSL will be very competitive and the numbers could be low for several teams. “It’s going to be interesting to start the season in both leagues, because there are a lot of unknowns,” he
said. “Washington and Miami Trace lost a lot of seniors last year, but still have some experience coming back, as does ClintonMassie. “In the SOSL, we should be able to compete pretty well, because most of those schools lost several swimmers to graduation. [Cincinnati Christian Day] and New Richmond have always been tough, but I think everybody this year is in the rebuilding stages.” The SCOL meet will be at the McClain pool again this year and coach George is encouraging everyone in the community to come out and support swimming. “I hope everyone in the community will come out and get behind these kids and give them the support and encouragement they deserve,” he said. “If we cannot compete on a team level this year, I would like to see us succeed individually, especially our seniors.”
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