http://www.cleveland.com The latest Plain Dealer Feed from Cleveland.com. en-us Copyright 2009, Cleveland.com editor@cleveland.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1240318741147260.xml&coll=2 Wake Forest senior Michelle Sikes completed a remarkable weekend on Monday when she finished 15th overall to earn All-American honors in the NCAA Division I national cross country championships in Terre Haute, Ind. Sikes ran 21:09 on the 6-kilometer course in muddy conditions. The top 25 individuals are recognized as All-Americans. On Saturday, the 2003 Lakewood graduate learned she had been selected as a Rhodes Scholar, one of 32 in the nation. OSU gets support: Eighteen universities and the Big Ten, Pacific-10 and Big 12 sports conferences filed a brief in state appeals court supporting Ohio State University in its bid to overturn a $2.4 million award to former men's basketball coach Jim O'Brien. The universities and conferences argue the Ohio Court of Claims' ruling earlier this year that Ohio State improperly fired O'Brien limits their ability to comply with NCAA rules and discipline employees who violate them. Bengals clean house: Idaho State University fired football coach Larry Lewis and his entire coaching staff, a day after the Bengals completed a 2-9 season. This season's record is the Bengals' worst since 1988, when the team went 0-11. McCoy ready: Texas freshman quarterback Colt McCoy, knocked out of the No. 11 Longhorns' loss to Kansas State on Nov. 11 with a shoulder and neck injury, was cleared to play this week against Texas A&M. Cardinal sidelined: Louisville guard Andre McGee will miss the next three to six weeks of the basketball season with a knee injury. McGee will have arthroscopic surgery today to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. Akron recruits: Akron women's basketball coach Jodi Kest announced her first recruiting class at the school. Guards Kara Murphy (St. Vincent-St. Mary), Amanda Sedlack, and Keyla Snowdon will join Victoria Arndt, a transfer from Illinois, for the 2007-08 season. Case takes 10th: Case Western Reserve's women's cross country team placed 10th at the 2006 NCAA Championship in West Chester, Ohio, this past weekend. The Spartans scored 295 points. Middlebury took home the national championship with 144. Case senior Stephanie Nothelle and junior Esther Erbboth earned All-American honors. Nothelle placed 33rd with a time of 23:53. Erb finished 34th with a time of 23:54. Also, Case coach Kathy Lanese has been named NCAA Great Lakes Region Women's Coach of the Year. Notable: Baldwin-Wallace College senior defender Tommy Ehrnfelt, a graduate of Strongsville High School, and junior forward Matt Pietro, a graduate of Canfield High, have been named as second-team ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-Americans in soccer. . . . Akron junior Krystin Wilson (Hudson) and sophomore Christine Vacha (Magnificat) were two of 25 student-athletes named to the Mid-American Conference Women's Soccer Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:01:00 EST 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1240318709147260.xml&coll=2 Wake Forest senior Michelle Sikes completed a remarkable weekend on Monday when she finished 15th overall to earn All-American honors in the NCAA Division I national cross country championships in Terre Haute, Ind. Sikes ran 21:09 on the 6-kilometer course in muddy conditions. The top 25 individuals are recognized as All-Americans. On Saturday, Sikes learned she had been selected as a Rhodes Scholar, one of 32 in the nation. "I was in a state of shock and I still am," said Sikes, a 2003 Lakewood graduate, who earned NCAA All-American honors in track last spring when she finished fifth in the 5,000 meters. OSU gets support: Eighteen universities and the Big Ten, Pacific-10 and Big 12 sports conferences filed a brief in state appeals court supporting Ohio State University in its bid to overturn a $2.4 million award to former men's basketball coach Jim O'Brien. The universities and conferences argue the Ohio Court of Claims' ruling earlier this year that Ohio State improperly fired O'Brien limits their ability to comply with NCAA rules and discipline employees who violate them. Bengals clean house: Idaho State University fired football coach Larry Lewis and his entire coaching staff, a day after the Bengals completed a 2-9 season. This season's record is the Bengals' worst since 1988, when the team went 0-11. The Bengals have had three consecutive losing seasons. McCoy ready: Texas freshman quarterback Colt McCoy, knocked out of the No. 11 Longhorns' loss to Kansas State on Nov. 11 with a shoulder and neck injury, was cleared to play this week against Texas A&M. Akron recruits: Akron women's basketball coach Jodi Kest announced her first recruiting class at the school. Guards Kara Murphy (St. Vincent-St. Mary), Amanda Sedlack, and Keyla Snowdon will join Victoria Arndt, a transfer from Illinois, for the 2007-08 season. Case takes 10th: Case Western Reserve's women's cross country team placed 10th at the 2006 NCAA Championship in West Chester, Ohio, this past weekend. The Spartans scored 295 points. Middlebury took home the national championship with 144. Case senior Stephanie Nothelle and junior Esther Erbboth earned All-American honors. Nothelle placed 33rd with a time of 23:53. Erb finished 34th with a time of 23:54. Also, Case coach Kathy Lanese has been named NCAA Great Lakes Region Women's Coach of the Year. Notable: Baldwin-Wallace College senior defender Tommy Ehrnfelt, a graduate of Strongsville High School, and junior forward Matt Pietro, a graduate of Canfield High, have been named as second-team ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-Americans in soccer. . . . Akron junior Krystin Wilson (Hudson) and sophomore Christine Vacha (Magnificat) were two of 25 student-athletes named to the Mid-American Conference Women's Soccer Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:01:00 EST 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256718977233280.xml&coll=2 Tim Warsinskey Representatives for Cleveland Heights' football team were in court Tuesday with the Ohio High School Athletic Association seeking an injunction to overturn three forfeits. The case was heard in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court by Judge Carolyn B. Friedland, who has not yet issued a ruling. The OHSAA, the state governing body for high school sports, ruled Oct. 12 that Cleveland Heights must forfeit victories against Maple Heights, Southview and John Adams after it determined the Tigers used an ineligible player, knocking Cleveland Heights out of the playoff picture. Cleveland Heights, now 4-5, lost an appeal with the OHSAA's board of directors last week. The case centered on a player who transferred from Maple Heights to Cleveland Heights this past spring. The unnamed player would have been eligible had Cleveland Heights submitted paperwork to the OHSAA documenting his change of residency and guardianship. Cleveland Heights officials said they had the paperwork on file and overlooked sending it to the OHSAA. They are arguing forfeits are too harsh a penalty for an administrative oversight. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: twarsinskey@plaind.com, 216-999-4661 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256718843233280.xml&coll=2 Not bad for a guy who almost got canned last winter. Two consecutive losing seasons put Independence football coach John Shirilla on the hot seat during the off-season. He was rehired by a 3-2 vote at a school board meeting in February. Eight months later, Shirilla and his 9-0 Blue Devils are firing on all cylinders going into Friday's showdown against rival Cuyahoga Heights, which also is 9-0. Both teams have clinched playoff berths. It's difficult to imagine Shirilla not on the Independence sidelines for this game. "He's somewhat of a beloved figure," Principal Roger Howard said. "The kids all have had him in [elementary physical education] class, and he's a good human being. That's critical in my opinion. As a coach, he has passion not only for winning and losing, but also for the kids." Shirilla nearly was done in by every coach's worst nightmare - the anonymous letter. An unsigned letter was mailed to parents and administrators urging he be fired after last season. Almost immediately, players responded with a petition supporting the coach. Superintendent David Lau renzi, Athletic Director Tim Skoczen and Howard recom mended the school board hire Shirilla for his 12th season. Board members Tony Avila and Jerry Narduzzi voted against renewing Shirilla's coaching contract. Avila could not be reached Monday, and Narduzzi declined comment on his vote. "I'm pretty happy with what they're doing, and I'm going to leave it at that," Narduzzi said. Shirilla, 45, was blindsided by the close vote and still does not understand it. "What bothered me was that neither [Avila or Narduzzi] talked to me and said, 'Hey coach, give me your take on things,' " said Shirilla, whose record at Independence is 77-45. Even without the benefit of hindsight today, it would have been shortsighted to fire Shirilla in February. Independence had a rare downswing, going 2-8 in 2007 and 4-6 in 2008, but anyone paying attention would have realized the Blue Devils were caught in the cyclical nature of small-school football. Two small and moderately talented classes graduated while Shirilla built toward 2009 with the biggest senior class in 20 years. But that did not guarantee success this fall. "It's a credit to the kids who hung in there," Shirilla said. "They kept working and working, and that's why we've had the success we've had this year." The same should be said about Shirilla. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: twarsinskey@plaind.com, 216-999-4661 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256718924233280.xml&coll=2 Who is Northeast Ohio's best high school football player? You make the call every week in The Plain Dealer's season-long contest at cleveland.com/hssports. Vote until 5 p.m. Thursday. Each week, the player with the fewest votes is eliminated from the contest. We'll announce the results in Friday's Locker Room. The contenders Darryl Baldwin, Solon: The senior tight end/defensive end and Ohio State recruit accounted for a solo tackle and two assists, including three sacks, in about 2½ quarters of action during Friday's 38-7 win over Medina. Cameron Ontko, Walsh Jesuit: The senior tailback/linebacker rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, caught one pass for 7 yards, made two solo tackles and had four assists, and blocked at a 93 percent efficiency rating in Saturday's 58-0 victory over Canisius, N.Y. Chris Trinetti, Chagrin Falls: He did not play in a win over Orange. He suffered a concussion against West Geauga on Oct. 16 and was held out as a precaution. - Bob Fortuna, Tim Rogers and Tim Warsinskey Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256719048233280.xml&coll=2 Records through Sunday. Previous week's ranking in parentheses: 1. St. Ignatius, 9-0 (1): At No. 18 St. Edward on Saturday. 2. Glenville, 8-1 (2): At East on Friday. 3. Solon, 9-0 (3): Hosts Strongsville on Friday. 4. Mayfield, 8-1 (4): At Nordonia on Friday. 5. Lake Catholic, 8-1 (5): At St. Peter Chanel on Friday. 6. Chagrin Falls, 9-0 (6): Hosts Perry on Friday. 7. Twinsburg, 8-1 (7): At Elyria on Friday. 8. West Geauga, 8-1 (9): Hosts Wickliffe on Friday. 9. Brunswick, 6-3 (8): Hosts Medina on Friday. 10. Wadsworth, 8-1 (11): At Barberton on Friday. 11. Mentor, 5-4 (10): Hosts Cleveland Heights on Friday. 12. Archbishop Hoban, 6-3 (12): At Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin on Friday. 13. St. Vincent-St. Mary, 6-3 (14): At Youngstown Ursuline on Friday. 14. Hudson, 7-2 (15): Hosts Lakewood on Friday. 15. Shaw, 6-1-1 (16): At No. 19 Euclid on Friday. 16. Aurora, 7-2 (18): Hosts Kenston on Friday. 17. Walsh Jesuit, 5-3 (20): Hosts Cincinnati LaSalle on Friday. 18. St. Edward, 4-5 (17): Hosts No. 1 St. Ignatius on Saturday. 19. Euclid, 5-4 (--): Hosts No. 15 Shaw on Friday. 20. Maple Heights, 7-2 (13): At Shaker Heights on Saturday. 21. Padua, 6-3 (21): Hosts Holy Name on Friday. 22. Cuyahoga Heights, 9-0 (23): At No. 25 Independence on Friday. 23. North Royalton, 8-1 (19): Hosts Normandy on Friday. 24. Parma, 6-3 (--): At Valley Forge on Friday. 25. Independence, 9-0 (25): Hosts No. 22 Cuyahoga Heights on Friday. Dropped out: Elyria Catholic, Field. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256718982233280.xml&coll=2 Defending Division I state champion St. Ignatius remained fifth in the National Top 25 Prep Poll after Saturday's 30-21 victory over visiting Cincinnati St. Xavier, but Cincinnati Moeller moved up from 25th to 15th after its 40-10 win over St. Edward. St. Ignatius is still the top-ranked Midwest Region Top 10 team, followed by Moeller (2), Glenville (5), St. Xavier (6) and Dublin Coffman (9). National volleyball poll: Magnificat moved up from No. 65 to No. 51 in the latest PrepVolleyball.Com Century National Top 100 Poll and is the lone area school in the rankings. Other Ohio teams ranked are Cincinnati Ursuline (No. 2), Dublin Coffman (No. 7), Lakota West (65th), Toledo St. Ursula (66th), Maria Stein (69th) and Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame (82nd). -- Bob Fortuna Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256718724233280.xml&coll=2 LINDSAY FRUMKERSPECIAL TO THE PLAIN DEALERMayfield High School girls soccer players line up before their sectional tournament match against Brush last week. Mayfield won, 1-0. What's going on at your high school? Go to cleveland.com/hssports to send your pictures of varsity teams from your school. We'll publish the best picture Tuesdays on The Start page, and the entire photo gallery is featured on the Web site. For more high school sports coverage in your community, pick up your Sun News. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/12565458466450.xml&coll=2 Magnificat and Walsh Jesuit won state titles Sunday in the coaches' state tennis tournament in Columbus. Magnificat won the Division I title, beating Dublin Jerome, 3-2, in the semifinals and Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame, 3-2, in the finals. Magnificat also won the team title in 2007. Walsh Jesuit won the Division II championship, beating Columbus Academy, 3-0, in the semifinals and Lexington, 3-1, in the finals. It was the Warriors' third victory in the event; they also won in 2002 and 2006. Winning for Walsh Jesuit against Columbus Academy were Cristin Reed and Alexis Schlosser at first doubles, Kelsie Senuta and Katelyn Hissong at second doubles and Molly Wells at third singles. Against Lexington, the winners were Wells at second singles, Reed at third singles and Nancy Joyce and Schlosser at first doubles. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ For the Blue Streaks, Stephanie Hollis and Noelle Kaufmann won in singles along with the doubles team of Hannah Shiekh and Chelsea Girgash against Dublin Jerome. Against Mt. Notre Dame, the winners were Hollis and Madison Hromada in singles and Shiekh and Girgash in doubles. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/12565459606450.xml&coll=2 Vote for last week's top performer at cleveland.com/hssports until noon Thursday. The winner receives a Game Balls T-shirt. See who won Friday in The Locker Room. The contenders: George Blake, Parma: Senior QB completed 13 of 24 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns, and had 133 yards rushing, including the game-winning TD on an 11-yard run with 1:30 remaining as the Redmen upset previously unbeaten North Royalton, 47-41. Levi Bost, Cleveland East: Sophomore RB ran for 156 yards, including an 83-yard TD, as the Blue Bombers broke an 18-game losing streak and beat Lincoln West, 28-22. Trynell Davis, Elyria: Senior RB gained 233 yards and scored on runs of 1, 43 and 55 yards in a 24-20 victory over Lakewood. Bobby Grebenc, St. Ignatius: Senior RB rushed for 143 yards, including one touchdown, in a 30-21 victory over Cincinnati St. Xavier. Miles Iverson, Madison: Senior QB totaled 374 yards and six touchdowns in a 51-28 victory over Eastlake North. He had 242 yards and four TDs rushing and completed 7 of 10 passes for 159 yards and two TDs. Brandon Mahaffey, Avon: Senior WR caught seven passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-24 overtime victory over Fairview. His lateral to Kevin Krakora after an 8-yard catch resulted in a 58-yard touchdown play. Mahaffey also had a key fumble recovery on defense. Devon McGowan, Euclid: Senior scored on runs of 62, 46 and 35 yards and finished with 183 yards in a 34-30 win at Maple Heights. Sebastian Neikirk, Garrettsville Garfield: Sophomore QB threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Baumgardner in overtime - the G-Men's first TD pass of the season - as Garfield beat Rootstown, 6-0. Alex Nydza, Trinity: Scored on runs of 64 yards and 1 yard in the Trojans' 15-13 upset of Elyria Catholic. He had 123 yards combined running and passing. Marc Remy, North Olmsted: Sophomore TB had 234 yards on 15 carries and scored on runs of 18, 80 and 28 yards in a 34-27 win over Berea. Ronnel Spates, VASJ: Senior RB set a school record (281 yards rushing) and tied another (six touchdowns) in a 42-13 triumph over Chanel. Parnell Taylor, Ravenna: Scored three touchdowns and ran for 282 yards in 19 carries as the Ravens beat Field, 39-0. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256459519281790.xml&coll=2 Tim Rogers Ricky Powers will be the first one to tell you that his Buchtel football program has a long way to go. He won't be the first to tell you how far the program has come. The Griffins scored 21 points in the third quarter to break open a close game and went on to defeat visiting Firestone, 37-13, Saturday at Griffin Stadium, setting up a showdown with cross-town foe Akron Garfield for all the City Series marbles. Garfield and Buchtel, both 6-3 overall and 5-0 in the league, will play Friday at InfoCision Stadium on the campus of the University of Akron. Garfield will be gunning for its 32nd title, Buchtel for its 19th. "Ricky has taken the Buchtel program full-circle," said Garfield coach Bob Sax, whose team defeated Kenmore, 37-12, also on Saturday. "From where the program was, to where it was when Ricky took over three years ago, to where it is today. He has done a real good job." That is not to say that Powers hasn't had his bumps along the way since being named head coach for the 2007 season following the dismissal of Claude Brown. The Griffins were 2-8 in his first season while Powers cleaned house. The team improved to 5-5 last year, and the victory over Firestone assured another increased bottom line. "I feel good," Powers said, before instructing his players to clean up the field. "We have one more to go, and we'll see after that. But, we still have a long way to go." The win over Firestone (2-3, 3-5) was especially satisfying because the Griffins were without seven starters - including senior Da'Jon Lewis, the team's best receiver - because of illness or injury. Lewis is through for the season after breaking his ankle in practice last week. Firestone coach Tim Flossie, who coached Powers when both were leading the Griffins to back-to-back state titles in 1987-88, had praise for his former star. "He is doing things the right way," said Flossie, who has always been a strong Powers supporter. "But that's Ricky." Junior quarterback Tyler Jones completed 7 of 11 passes for 102 yards and three touchdowns and added 27 yards on the ground, and the Griffins struck for three touchdowns in about a five-minute span in the third quarter to turn a 10-6 halftime lead into a 31-13 bulge. Jones began the surge when he found a wide-open Corey Smith on an 18-yard scoring play that capped a six-play, 57-yard drive that was aided greatly by a roughing-the passer penalty. A little more than two minutes later, John Coleman scored on a 33-yard run in which he took an option pitch heading to his left, reversed his field and found clear sailing. That came after junior Chevin Meadows recovered a Firestone fumble. The Griffins, who also have an outside shot at the playoffs if they get a win next week, completed the surge when senior Desmond McCoy intercepted a pass and returned it 55 yards. Cody Grice led the Falcons with 83 yards rushing on 19 carries. The 6-1, 230-pound junior scored both his team's touchdowns on 2-yard runs. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: trogers@plaind.com; 216-999-5169 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256459506281790.xml&coll=2 Joe Magill Both the girls and boys cross country teams from Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy dominated their respective races Saturday at the district meet at Lakeland Community College, as 20 teams and 80 individuals earned spots in next week's regional meet at Boardman High School. The CVCA girls won a stacked Division II race with 35 points, followed by Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin with 65 points. The CVCA boys (with 25 points) were even more dominant, taking the Division II race by a 74-point margin over Chagrin Falls. As expected, the Mentor boys easily won the Division I race, as did the Shaker Heights girls, who won the first cross country district title in school history. A long time ago, coaches gave up trying to understand how or why the Northeast District Board assigns schools to their district meet. So when CVCA girls coach George Hallis found out his defending state champions were being shipped to Lakeland for the first time, he responded with a frustrated shrug. Frustrated because Lakeland is located farther away from the school than any of the other district sites. A shrug because there was nothing he could do about it. "We've been to all the different districts," Hallis said. "We've been to Goodyear Park, Malone, Edgewater, Lorain and Trumbull. I don't know why we got sent here, but it really doesn't matter." Well, it might not have mattered to the Royals, who rode the 1-2 finish of Christina Blair and Joy Talbott to their team victory, but it certainly mattered to the other teams in the field. In fact, CVCA, which is ranked first in the state, defeated three other teams that are ranked in the top 15 in the state - No. 6 Perry, No. 12 NDCL and No. 15 Chagrin Falls. The biggest problem the Royals faced in coming to Lakeland was that none of them had ever run on a course that was marked solely by flags. They were used to competing on courses marked by lines, rather than flags that you are required to run around and that tell you which way to turn based on their color, either red or yellow. Of course, the difficulty is compounded by the fact that the flags often blend in with the fall colors, making Hallis and his crew more than a little apprehensive. "We just wanted to get out there and stay together as long as we could and not get disqualified," said Blair, who won the meet's first race by nearly 30 seconds with a time of 19:36.42. "It was pretty muddy out there," said Greg Jantzen of University School, who was the individual winner in Division II for the second consecutive year. "It wasn't as bad as it has been, but it was ugly." Also, the flu decimated the field. Some coaches had less than half of their teams at practice this past week and most had at least one runner that did not compete Saturday. Participation numbers were down, a combination of the flu as well as the fact that Saturday was an ACT testing day. "Our goal for today was to live to see another week and to hopefully get healthy once again," said Perry coach Bill Sarvis. The Pirates were only half successful, as their girls moved on but the boys, who placed sixth in the state last year, did not. The individuals winners in the Division I races were Mayfield's Deanna Godby, who won her second consecutive district title with a time of 19:30.78, and Riverside's Dan Shafer, who crossed the line first in 17:01.94. Joe Magill is a free-lance writer in University Heights. Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256459614281790.xml&coll=2 Todd Stumpf When she first found out her team was moved to the Lorain Division I District, Wadsworth girls cross country coach Jen Echols wasn't overwhelmed by the prospect. Immediately after watching her team run the race Saturday, Echols still wasn't exactly jumping for joy. Amazing what a copy of race results can do. With Magnificat's first-place finish almost a foregone conclusion, the rest of the 14-team field was racing for second. Wadsworth topped that group, holding off state-ranked Brunswick and Medina. "Now I'm really happy," Echols said as the race results were posted. "The most important thing we had today is almost everyone was healthy. Yeah, hey, apparently we did well." The Grizzlies finished with 97 points. They were well behind Magnificat, which had 22 - seven more than a perfect score. Brunswick was third and Medina fourth. Avon Lake and Amherst came in fifth and sixth, respectively, grabbing the last two berths in the Tiffin Regional, to be held next week. The two berths were added to the district along with Magnificat and Wadsworth, which greatly added to the field's depth. The switch to Lorain had the Grizzlies nervous beforehand, even though they'd run competitive races with Medina and Brunswick this season. "We've run at Goodyear so many times, and we really knew that course," said Wadsworth senior Nicole Cargill, referring to the site of the Akron District, which Wadsworth left. "We didn't know how we were going to feel here." The Grizzlies ran a race on the Lorain course earlier this season, but overwhelmed the field. That was similar to what Magnificat did Saturday. The Blue Streaks took the first three places, five out of nine and had all seven runners among the first 20 of the 98 finishers. Senior Madeline Chambers won easily, with senior twins Clare and Abby Fischer coming in second and third, respectively. "We have packs we can run in together," Abby Fischer said. "We try and push each other." Avon Lake sophomore Katy Link was the first non-Blue Streak to cross the line. She finished fourth. Wadsworth sophomore Paige Szabat was fifth, followed by Medina sophomore Anna Boyert and Magnificat junior Katherine Stultz. In the Division I boys race, Medina defended its title, with senior Hunter Heaton capturing the individual gold. Heaton held off Wadsworth junior Russell McCune down the stretch. "We kept going 1-2, then the other Wadsworth kid [Monty Fuss] came up," said Heaton, who out-kicked McCune over the last 200 yards to win by less than two seconds. Avon Lake, Wadsworth and St. Edward joined Medina as regional-qualifying teams in Division I. Elyria Catholic, ranked second in the state coaches poll, won the Division II boys race with 46 points, edging Bay's 56. Rocky River (73) and Black River (108) also will head to Tiffin. Bay junior Michael Brajdic won the individual title with the fastest race of the day in either division. His time of 16:25.99 was more than 31 seconds ahead of Elyria Catholic senior Marty Coolidge. In the girls Division II race, the state rankings held to form. No. 4 Rocky River won with 29 points, edging No. 12 Avon, which totaled 42. No. 20 Bay was third with 86, but boasted individual champion Hanna Sterle. "I'm exactly where I need to be," said Sterle, a sophomore who is hoping to contend for a state title in two weeks. "I'm really happy with my PR [personal record]. Now going to regionals, I feel pretty good." Rocky River sophomore Elyse Bierut and freshman Madison Connelly finished second and third, respectively. Elyria Catholic claimed the fourth regional team berth. Todd Stumpf is a free-lance writer in Rittman. Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256459436281790.xml&coll=2 Magnificat senior Stephanie Hollis was the lone medal winner of the 27 area players who advanced to the state tennis tournament. Hollis placed third in the Division I singles tournament, defeating Olentangy Liberty's Alex Power, 6-4, 6-1, for the bronze medal Saturday at the Elysium Tennis Center in Plain City, Ohio. Hollis saw her chances of winning a state title end with a 6-3, 6-1 loss to Upper Arlington junior and eventual state champion Niki Flower during Saturday's semifinals. That came after Hollis had won her first two matches, in cluding a come-from-be hind two-set victory that required a tie-breaker over Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame's Andrea Wolf on Friday. Hollis trailed, 3-0, in the opening set but rallied to a 7-6 (7-4) victory. "I was very happy that I was able to come back to finish third," said Hollis, who made her fourth straight appearance in the state tournament, which was moved indoors because of inclement weather. "I was very excited with how far I got. It has been a four-year project, and I was happy with the finish." The 2009 tournament was not the best as far as Northeast Ohio was concerned. It marked the first time since 1999 that a representative from the area did not reach the finals in either singles or doubles in either division. Hollis, who has not decided on her college plans, was the only player from Northeast Ohio to make it to the semi- finals. Waynesville junior Alyssa Ritchie won the Division II singles crown with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 victory over Lexington sophomore Courtney Earnest. The New Albany team of Meghan Buell and Maddie Kobelt won the Division I doubles title by beating Lakota East's Carolyn Pitman and Taylor Holden, 6-2, 6-2. The Division I doubles championship was won by the team of Kim Li and My Li of Columbus DeSales, who defeated the Bexley team of Maddie Morton and Corinne Rauck, 6-2, 6-7 (7-9), 6-2. Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256459416281790.xml&coll=2 Pat Galbincea Columbus -- A 315 team total in high school golf will easily win most tournaments. That wasn't the case Saturday in the Division I boys state golf championship on the Ohio State University Scarlet Course, where pre-tournament favorite St. Ignatius posted a fine 315 stroke total on a cold and blustery day. Instead, the Wildcats finished third in the one-day shootout after Friday's opening round was washed out because of heavy rain. Columbus St. Charles, a team the Wildcats beat twice in regular-season tournaments, won with a 309 total as four golfers broke 80. Cincinnati St. Xavier was second at 313. St. Ignatius got rounds of 76 from senior Kyle Kmiecik and sophomore Beau Titsworth, who tied for sixth in the state to earn All-Ohio honors, while sophomore Matt Gerard and senior Andrew Bailey posted respectable rounds of 81 and 82. The Wildcats' fifth golfer, junior Connor McCafferty, had an 87. Kmiecik summed up the Wildcats' disappointment at not winning state when he said: "We didn't play bad at all. It's just that St. Charles played better. It's a bit disappointing because we felt we were well prepared and ready to win state." "I thought we had a good chance at winning state because we had decent individual scores," Titsworth said. "Little things hurt us. I had four three-putt greens today. In our effort to beat St. Charles for the state title, St. Xavier also made a run and passed us." Weather for the field was far from last week's projected 65 degrees and sunshine, which players had in Thursday's practice round. Titsworth said he dressed in layers -- and never removed one piece of clothing -- had hand warmers in his pocket the entire round and stood under trees to protect himself from the wind. Bailey bemoaned the fact he played his worst golf of the season at district and state. He was 1 over through five holes on the front nine and 1 over through four holes on the back when he started making bogeys. "I started well on both nines, but my driver wasn't really up to par, and I had a couple of wayward iron shots which cost me. . . . I couldn't get up and down," Bailey said. "It was very discouraging. That's not the way I wanted to finish off the year." Medina finished 10th in the 12-team field at 333, and Stow was in last place with a decent 335 total. Among individual golfers, Chardon sophomore Holden Pahr shot an 81, while Westlake senior Chris Nader had an 85 and Avon Lake freshman Brendan Aussem an 86. Best of the Medina golfers was sophomore Austin Schreiber with an 81, while senior Kyle Smith shot 82, sophomore Bobby Koch 83, and sophomore Mike Bishop 85. Senior leader Mark Maynard, suffering from bronchitis, shot 87. "I hit the ball as well as I've hit it all year," said Schreiber, who tied for 25th in the state. "But I had my worst putting day of the year . . . 40 putts. Funny, I thought the wind didn't affect ball-striking, but once they were on the green, it was like walking into a tornado." Stow also had five respectable scores as junior Cody Nickson had a 79, senior Brandon Giaimo 84, sophomore Brandon Nixon 85, senior Connor McCaulley 87 and senior Tom Miano 88. "Our kids were so pumped up and ready to go on Friday, and they were playing well . . . then the first day was called off," Bulldogs coach Ken Miller said. "It's hard to get that edge back two days in a row, and we struggled today. "The Scarlet Course is tough enough without added wind gusts of over 40 miles an hour, and breaking 80 was a big accomplishment here. I felt Cody Nickson would do it because he hits a low ball that stays under the wind." To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: pgalbincea@plaind.com, 216-999-5159 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256459510281790.xml&coll=2 Bob Fortuna Two words describe St. Ignatius' 23rd straight victory Saturday afternoon: turnovers, adjustments. The Wildcats forced Cincinnati St. Xavier into four turnovers and made the correct second-half adjustments to muster a 30-21 win in front of a capacity-crowd of more than 5,200 fans inside John Carroll University's Don Shula Stadium. "Our defense played solid in the first half, but they made plays when they needed to," said St. Xavier coach Steve Specht, who saw those turnovers account for 12 Wildcats points. "We didn't make the plays and that's what it comes down to in games like this." The Wildcats (9-0), ranked No. 1 in The Plain Dealer and the state poll, took a 16-7 lead midway through the third quarter when senior linebacker George Newrones picked off Luke Massa's third-down pass and raced 33 yards for the score. St. Xavier (7-2), ranked third in the state, pulled within 16-14 three minutes later when Massa found Jeff Kraemer in the right-hand corner of the end zone for a 17-yard scoring strike, capping a six-play, 80-yard drive that got a boost when the same combo connected for a 37-yard gain two plays before. A 9-yard touchdown pass from St. Ignatius quarterback Mark Myers to David Joseph pushed the Wildcats' lead to 23-14 with 8:07 left, but a 1-yard touchdown run by Bombers senior Nigel Muhammad four minutes later again made it a two-point game, 23-21. When St. Ignatius got the ball on its 20 with 4:20 left, its goal was to control the ball. It did better than that when Grebenc broke the tension after two first downs by busting loose for a 56-yard touchdown. "We were just trying to get stops because they have a very good running game," said Wildcats senior linebacker Jake Ryan, who recovered one of two Bombers fumbles. St. Xavier held a first-half rushing edge, 95 yards to 47, but managed just 31 yards in the second half because of Wildcats adjustments, namely giving senior linebacker/Ohio State recruit Scott McVey more freedom to cause more havoc. "Scott was coming from more like a safety position in the second half, but the other guys also responded well when we called a blitz," said St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle. Grebenc finished with a game-best 143 yards while Myers, a Pitt recruit, completed 18 of 28 passes for 172 yards and spread the wealth among seven receivers. Massa, a Cincinnati recruit, made good on 20 of 31 passes for 208 yards. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: bfortuna@plaind.com, 216-999-4665 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256459862281790.xml&coll=2 Pat Galbincea Columbus- Amid the golden yellow, amber red and burnt orange leaves which graced the Ohio State University Gray Course, one thing was obvious while perusing team and individual results at the Division I girls state golf championships. That is, Saturday was a lousy day to play golf - particularly if you were from Northeast Ohio. There were some bright spots other than the dazzling trees which were dulled by a gray and overcast sky. A youthful Medina Highland squad, with no seniors and a program only 3 years old, placed eighth in the 12-team field (350 stroke total), which was led by repeat champion Cincinnati Mason (315). Kenston junior Nicki Henry shot a 78 to earn All-Ohio honors. The medalist was Alliance senior Tiana Jones with a 73. It was a disappointing tournament for Walsh Jesuit in that the Warriors finished last in the field of 12 at 364, and senior Ariel McNair shot 81 to miss All-Ohio honors by a mere two strokes. Among other area individuals, Hudson junior Natalie Goodson had an 82, Shaker Heights senior Caitlin Kempton an 85 and Magnificat senior Victoria Bello an 87. Henry, considered one of Northeast Ohio's best golfers, made her initial visit to the state tournament a profitable one despite failing to post a birdie. She is involved in Birdies Fore ALS, a program which helps people like her grandmother, who has Lou Gehrig's disease. Her 55 birdies this season have raised $7,000 for the program. "I scrambled well today," said Henry, who tied for 10th place. "My driving, chipping and putting saved me. My goal today was to shoot a respectable score. Next year, I want to do better. Win state? I'd love to win it. . . . Wouldn't anyone? "But I was more nervous trying to qualify for state than I was playing here. I was proud of that 76 at district [where she was medalist] because the weather was even worse than it was here." McNair, hoping to win state, said her putter failed her. "It's so weird . . . my putting was clicking all year, yet today it was totally dead," McNair said. "I had five three-putt greens. It's sad. . . . My last time playing high school golf and not [being] able to make a putt. I did give it my best." A higher finish at state is something the Hornets at Highland are pointing for next season. Jessica Porvasnik, a freshman, shot a team-low 81, while sophomore Stephanie Horvath had an 86, sophomore Lauren McKinzie 91, freshman Jessica McRae 92 and junior Sarah Sniff 100. "None of us played our best golf," Horvath said. "We all know we can play a lot better.." Porvasnik played her final seven holes in 1 under. She nearly holed out a 7-iron on the par-4 seventh hole, and tapped in a 1-foot putt. "Playing at state has encouraged me to play more tournament golf," she said. "I'll start doing that next weekend in Cincinnati and two weeks from now in Kentucky. I want to do better next year, and so do my teammates." As for last-place Walsh Jesuit - a place the three-time state champs are unaccustomed to? "It's tremendous we got here with a team so young," Warriors coach Bill Reilly said. "I saw good things like [sophomore] McKenzie Bell shooting a 50 on her front nine, then hanging in there with a 41 on the back nine. "But were we satisfied with what we did today in general? No, not at all. But time is on our side. . . . We'll improve." Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256373154147440.xml&coll=2 Bill Lubinger Brunswick senior quarterback Jess Smatana was ruled ineligible indefinitely by the school, administrators announced just before Friday's game at Mayfield. Smatana's father, John Smatana, said his lawyer was told the decision involved documents required in a recent Ohio High School Athletic Association investigation. Last week, the OHSAA concluded a probe into residency issues involving Jess Smatana's midseason transfer last year to Brunswick from Nordonia. The OHSAA found no violations. Brunswick Athletic Director Pete Demonte and principal Tracy Wheeler provided the following statement before Friday's game: "After meeting with the OHSAA regarding residency concerns, Brunswick High School was cleared of any residency violations and Jess was eligible to participate. However, his participation is contingent upon several requirements that were put into place by the OHSAA. Until all of the requirements are met and we are comfortable with our findings, we are not allowing Jess to participate." Demonte and Wheeler declined further comment. Brunswick entered Friday's game ranked eighth by The Plain Dealer. The Blue Devils were sixth in the Division I, Region 2 computer poll used to determine the playoff field. The top eight teams qualify for the postseason. Smatana also did not play in last week's game after suffering a hamstring injury two weeks ago. Free-lance writer Joe Magill contributed to this report. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: blubinger@plaind.com, 216-999-5531 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256459796281790.xml&coll=2 Bill Lubinger Brunswick senior quarterback Jess Smatana was ruled ineligible indefinitely by the school, administrators announced just before Friday's game at Mayfield. Smatana's father, John Smatana, said his lawyer was told the decision involved documents required in a recent Ohio High School Athletic Association investigation. Last week, the OHSAA concluded a probe into residency issues involving Jess Smatana's midseason transfer last year to Brunswick from Nordonia. The OHSAA found no violations. Brunswick Athletic Director Pete Demonte and principal Tracy Wheeler provided the following statement before Friday's game: "After meeting with the OHSAA regarding residency concerns, Brunswick High School was cleared of any residency violations and Jess was eligible to participate. However, his participation is contingent upon several requirements that were put into place by the OHSAA. Until all of the requirements are met and we are comfortable with our findings, we are not allowing Jess to participate." Demonte and Wheeler declined further comment. Brunswick entered Friday's game ranked eighth by The Plain Dealer. The Blue Devils were sixth in the Division I, Region 2 computer poll used to determine the playoff field. The top eight teams qualify for the postseason. Smatana also did not play in last week's game after suffering a hamstring injury two weeks ago. Free-lance writer Joe Magill contributed to this report. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: blubinger@plaind.com, 216-999-5531 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1256373236147440.xml&coll=2 Norm Weber Highland scored the first 20 points and hung on to outlast Copley, 39-21, in a crucial Suburban League football contest Friday on InfoCision Field in Copley Stadium. The Hornets' two-man running attack drew Highland (6-3, 4-2 Suburban) even with the Indians (6-3, 4-2), tied for second in a crowded league race. Mixing the running of Aaron Maslowski and Jeremy Scholle, Highland took a 7-0 lead in the first 3:40. Maslowski started it with a 45-yard kick return, and Scholle, who ran for 195 yards, capped it with a 15-yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown. After a short Copley series in which the Indians had the ball for 1:25, Highland kept possession for 11 plays to take a 14-0 lead with 1:01 left in the first quarter. Maslowski, who finished with 216 yards and four touchdowns, scored on a 9-yard run. For the third consecutive series, the Hornets began a drive with desirable field position near midfield. They moved 55 yards in seven plays, with Maslowski scoring from 1 yard out to make it 20-0 with 8:46 to go in the half. Copley finally scored with 2:29 until halftime when Lou Gigliotti threw 22 yards to Martel Durant, cutting the Indians' deficit to 13 points. Using a two-minute drill that featured the run, Highland was able to answer the score before the end of the half. Scholle threw 3 yards to Andrew Kronenberger to make it 27-7 with seven seconds left. By halftime, Maslowski (115) and Scholle (105) each had surpassed 100 yards rushing. Copley took only 12 seconds to score in the second half, Gigliotti throwing 60 yards to Durant for a TD on the half's first offensive play. Using only two runs and no passes again, Highland answered five minutes later. Maslowski went in for his third TD that left the count at 33-14. Then he added his fourth score with 9:21 left in the game to make it 39-21. For the third time of the night, Gigliotti found Durant for a score, this time on a fourth-down play from the 11 to make it a 12-point game, 33-21, with 4:29 to go in the third. Defensively, Tramel McMillan had a sack and Trevor Cannon had a tackle for loss for Copley. Maslowski had an interception for Highland. Copley's Argeros Turner had a 55-yard kick return, and Kevin Ivaska had a 68-yard punt. Norm Weber is a free-lance writer in Lakewood. Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:01:00 EDT 2009-12-21 Sports