Orrville Red Rider Sports Blog

Great weekend to be a Red Rider!!

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:29:00 +0000

Some great accomplishments for Red Rider athletes & Red Rider alums over the weekend. It's tournament time, and that's apparently when Red Riders shine their brightest.

Swimming
Orrville junior Madison Monheim turned in two All-Ohio performances in her 2nd consecutive trip to the state finals in Canton. She placed 10th in the 200yd. freestyle in a personal best time of 1:55.37. I noticed that 6 of the 9 swimmers who finished ahead of her were seniors, so I'd like to think her chances of finishing in the top 5 next year are excellent.

She also finished 12th in the 500yd. freestyle event, also in a personal best time of 5:11.46.

Congrats Madison. Now a 3-time All-Ohioan. I hope she's getting some attention from colleges.

Wrestling
Orrville will again send wrestlers to the state meet in Columbus this coming weekend, as seniors Trevor White (2nd) and Ronnie Lehtomaki (3rd) both punched their tickets by finishing in the top 4 of their weight classes. Both are making their first appearance at state. With 3-time state champ Felipe Martinez (Genoa) withdrawing from districts due to a family obligation, the 170 lb. class seems to be wide open. Ronnie upset the #7 and #8 ranked wrestlers in the 2012 Brakeman Report to punch his ticket to Columbus, and then beat the #14 ranked wrestler for 3rd place just for good measure.

Congrats to both and to Coach Hamsher & his staff. It's now been 6 straight years that Orrville has sent at least 1 wrestler to state. Impressive.

In the college ranks, an Orrville grad made some noise over the weekend. Wabash College junior Jake Strasbaugh competed in the NCAA Midwest Regional that was held at Cleveland State University. From Wabash's article...

Strausbaugh entered the tournament as the top seed at 149 pounds. He dominated the early rounds, winning 12-3 in his opener followed by a pin at the 1:55 mark in his next match. A 7-3 victory sent him to the finals against Cameryn Brady. Strausbaugh battled throughout the contest, fighting to a 1-1 tie late in the match after trailing 1-0. Brady was able to hold on and score the final point to win 2-1. A 3-1 loss to Olivet's Gage Pederson in the "true second" bout eliminated Strausbaugh from alternate consideration. Strausbaugh finished the year with a record of 45-6. He entered the regional tied for second in the nation in total wins this season, and completes his junior year with a career mark of 131-26, placing him third on the all-time Wabash wins list behind Healy and Rhoads.

Tough way to end for Jake. That "True Second" match is interesting. In high school wrestling, the loser of the championship match is automatically awarded 2nd place, but in college, the loser of the championship match must face the winner of the consolation bracket to establish the "true second" finisher. Gives hope to a wrestler who loses a match that they can still earn 2nd place, but makes it double tough on the loser of the championship match to put that loss behind them and wrestle against an opponent who has won a few matches in a row.

Girls Basketball
The Lady Riders earned a sectional championship by beating Loudonville 62-42 and have advanced to the district semifinals against Dalton on March 1st at 8pm. That game will follow Smithville/Canton CC. Both games will be played at Triway HS.

Orrville junior Hannah Plybon ended the season with 396 points, and with 13 in the tourney opener against Tuslaw, has surpassed the 400 point mark for the 2nd straight season. Her current career points total is 1332 (437 for the season), which puts her in 3rd place all-time, just 36 points behind Rhonda Winters' total of 1368, and just 138 points shy of Stacie Howard's all-time record of 1470.

Boys Basketball
The Riders boys ended the season at 7-13 (for the second straight season) and will open tourney play against Chippewa on 2/29 at 6pm at Wooster High School. If they win, they would most likely play Loudonville on Saturday night at 7:30pm.

This is a wide open district that any of 5 or 6 teams could win it, so it will come down to which team is playing the best over the next 2 weeks. We've seen glimpses of what this team is capable of, it's just a matter of going out and executing.

I don't mean to make this a point of bragging, but I don't think an Orrville team has lost a district tournament game on the floor of the new Wooster HS. The school opened up in 1994, so the first district held there was in 1995, and we won that district on our way to state. In 1996, we moved up to division 2 and didn't play districts there, and I'm pretty sure we were division 2 ever since, up until 2009-10 when we dropped back down to Division 3, and we've won the last 6 tournament games on that court.

The 1995 district final win over Norwayne was held at the Canton Fieldhouse, so technically only 2 wins that year were at Wooster. And in 2010, the district final was held at the College of Wooster. So by my count, that's still an 8-0 record in tournament games played at Wooster HS since it first held a district tournament in 1995.

Bolyard shines at UNOH
It wasn't the best season for The University of Nortwestern Ohio men's basketball team, but it was an impressively good season for their leading scorer and Orrville grad, Jake Bolyard. Just a 7-23 record for the Racers, but Bolyard averaged a school record 22.4 points per game and was recently named 2nd Team All-Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) for his efforts. His scoring average was 3rd best in all of NAIA Division 2, and he ranked in the top 16 of eight different offensive categories among WHAC players.

Makes you wonder what a guy has to do to make the first team? Congrats Jake!!
College Riders
I mentioned to of our alumni excelling in college, but I'm always interested in hearing about others. Please check out my "College Riders" section and let me know if I've left anyone out. I just reviewed the list and had some new additions and removed some too.

Bob Knight Special
If you missed the premiere of the full 30 minute special of Coach Bob Knight coming back to Orrville, be sure to catch it. Excellently done. It will re-air Monday 2/27 at 6:30pm and Wednesday 2/29 at 6pm on ESPNU.

Winter Sports Tournament Update

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:53:00 +0000

Boys Basketball
Division 3 Wooster Bracket - Canton Region Bracket - Division 3 - All Divisions

The Orrville boys team drew the 6 seed in what appears to be a wide open district. Orrville opens with Chippewa on 2/29 (leap day) at 6pm and if they're able to win that game, it's possible they may not face another Wayne County team the entire tournament.

Number one seed Norwayne was just defeated by Wellington (Lorain County) in regular season play, who according to OhioBasketball.net is 17-2 on the season. Any team from out of the area will be an unknown to area fans, but 17 wins is 17 wins.

It's also possible that no Wayne County teams will meet in the finals...something that hasn't happened since Loudonville (Ashland County) beat Manchester (Summit County) in 2004. The only legit district finalist possibilities from Wayne County are Norwayne and Orrville. No disrespect to Smithville, but I don't see them stringing together 3 wins over Clearview, then Hillsdale, and then probably Orrville or Loudonville to get there.

Elyria Catholic and Orrville play the toughest schedules in the district, and both will come in with losing records. Will those tough schedules pay off?

Should be a great tournament as always, but something will be missing with Triway moving up to Division 2 and playing their district at the Fieldhouse over in Canton.

Girls Basketball
Division 3 Triway Bracket - Cuyahoga Falls Region Bracket - Division 3 - All Divisions

The Lady Riders ended the regular season 15-5 but lost 2 of their final 3. Their 5 losses were all to good teams (twice each to West Holmes and Wooster, and once to Canton Central Catholic) so no shame in those, but somewhere along the tournament trail, they're going to meet good teams and they have to figure out how to win those games.

They open tourney play on Weds. 2/22 at 7:45 vs. Chippewa and then play Loudonville on the 25th. I think they win both of those games handily and their first real test will be against (assuming) Dalton in the district semifinals.

The winner of the CCC/Smithville game will most likely be waiting in the district finals and the Riders would love a chance to defend their district title.

Wrestling
Garfield Heights District Pairings (Orrville Wrestlers in 106, 152, 170 & 285 weight classes).
Four Orrville wrestlers will look to advance to the state tournament this weekend in Garfield Heights. Alex Tschiegg (106), Brad Potter (152), Trevor White (170) and Ronnie Lehtomaki (285) will all be looking to secure the 6th straight berth in the state tournament by a Rider grappler.

Results should be posted here starting Friday.

Swimming
Last but not least, OHS junior Madison Monheim made it back-to-back appearances in the state swimming meet as she qualified for the 200 yd. freestyle by finishing 4th at districts and also the 500 yd. freestyle where she finished 6th at districts.

She is seeded 12th in the 200 and 16th in the 500. She will swim in Canton's Branin Natatorium this Thursday at 5pm (prelims) and in the finals on Friday also at 5pm. Keep an eye on my Twitter page Thursday and Friday for results as I get them.

This is the 4th straight year that Orrville has sent at least 1 swimmer to the state meet. Quite an accomplishment.

Here's that Bob Knight/ESPN video filmed in Orrville

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 01:31:00 +0000

Orrville never looked so good, huh?

If you missed it, here it is. Orrville's own Bob Knight, former Indiana University head basketball coach, former Texas Tech head basketball coach, current ESPN college basketball analyst and forever a Red Rider, comes back to his hometown with an ESPN camera crew to talk about growing up in Jellytown.

Click 'play' above to play the clip. Readers who get their updates via email will probably have to click here to see the clip.

I had heard he made stops at Buehler's and the Orrville Public Library along with what was shown in the clip at the Orr Park basketball courts and at the high school.

The piece of him helping the Orrville boys team at practice is classic Coach Knight. Forever a teacher. Say what you will about his methods, but you don't win the games and championships he has without being an excellent teacher of the game.

What a thrill for Coach Slaughter, his staff and the team to experience this.

The end of the clip was what I took away the most from the segment..."Learning to win, and learning how to win is very important." Amen. In a society that is increasingly becoming anti-competitive, and everyone wanting the same result regardless of the effort they put in, that's a refreshing quote from Coach Knight

Hard work & competition pays off...and it paid off for Coach Knight while he was a player at OHS and Ohio State, and in his coaching career and to this day at ESPN.

Booster Club Car Raffle Drawing is Feb. 18th

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:13:00 +0000

The final push is on for sales of $10 raffle tickets to benefit the Orrville Booster Club. The drawing will be held at halftime of the boys basketball game vs. Wadsworth on February 18th. This is also senior night for winter sports athletes, so there will be plenty going on that night.

Just to review, first prize is a red (of course) 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, like the one seen here, courtesy of Serpentini Chevrolet. It was on display during football season and is a very nice car.

Second prize is a 46" Flat Screen HDTV from Bennet's Appliance Store and 3rd prize is a recliner courtesy of Brown's Furniture.

In speaking to officers of the Booster Club, they're telling me that sales haven't been a swift as they'd have liked and only approximately a few thousand tickets have been sold. It's hard to get a true number of tickets sold since a lot were handed out for folks to sell.

The car raffle was done in 2010 and was just sold during football home games. The thought was that extending the sales through the basketball season would increase sales. I think the effect was that there was no sense of urgency to buy a ticket during football season so everyone just put it off, and attendance during basketball season isn't what it is during football season so sales have been slow.

One thing is for sure, your odds may never be better to win a 2012 Chevy Cruze or a Flat screen TV or a recliner.

These are all Orrville businesses donating in the neighborhood of $20,000 worth of goods to be raffled off in support of Orrville High School athletics. This is something that deserves to be supported or it could go away and with it, a major source of revenue. Funds are always in need for our athletic teams for equipment & uniforms and the Booster Club exists for just that reason...to support ALL athletic teams at OHS.

I don't want to say that fans should choose one over another, but maybe instead of buying a 50/50 ticket at the next home game, you consider buying a raffle ticket or two. Inquire about taking a stack & selling them at your place of employment and encourage your friends to buy a ticket. Worry about what you'd do with a new car AFTER you win it. Support the Booster Club first.

I'm in for a ticket...who else? To buy a ticket, call or stop in to Crown Investment Services on West High Street and see Tom Brenner or see Kent Smith in the OHS Athletic Department office. Tickets are $10 each.

Is Orrville looking to leave the OCC?

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:35:00 +0000

I typically don't like to dabble in speculation, but this is one of those cases where I've heard this from several different sources and right now the noise of this is just too loud to ignore.

It depends on who you talk to and what version of the story you're hearing, but the result in each case seems to be the same....Orrville is seeking to exit the Ohio Cardinal Conference and either join an existing league, or form a new one....possibly as soon as a year or two from now.

I'll review what I've heard and where I think our ENTIRE athletic program would fit the best.

For the record: The Daily Record's Aaron Dorksen wrote about this very topic in today's edition. What you'll read below is 100% my original thoughts, research and opinions and was actually completed yesterday before Aaron's article was read. Just don't want anyone thinking I'm reacting to his article or pulling information from the work he puts in.

Rumor #1
The first I had heard of this was just before Christmas...the rumor was that Orrville and Northwest would join the Principals Athletic Conference, currently made up of Tuslaw, Fairless, Manchester, Triway, Timken, CVCA, Indian Valley and Tusky Valley.

This rumor had the PAC kicking out CVCA and Indian Valley and adding Orrville and Northwest, making it basically a Stark County (Timken, Fairless, Tuslaw, Northwest) league with Manchester (Summit County), Tusky Valley (Tusc. County) and Orrville & Triway (Wayne County).

My initial thought on this proposal was that it was a little too much like the old All-Ohio league with Northwest, Triway, Fairless and Manchester being members of that, now defunct league.

My second thought about this proposal was "What about Wooster?" With them no longer a conference opponent, they'd now take up a spot on our non-conference schedule in football. We'd play weeks 1 and 2 against non-conference schools, play 7 weeks of conference games, and then have Wooster still in week 10. To do this, we'd have to have another school in the conference agree to play us in week 3. That, or Wooster would be played in week 3, before the 7 conference games...and that would just be weird.

Not to view this through the prism of football, but that's kind of how we do it in Orrville...but I think this would be good for football. Manchester & Northwest have been strong as of late, and Triway and Tuslaw have had good years lately too. I think we'd be among the top 3 favorites year in and year out, and it would be competitive among all teams most years.

Rumor #2
This isn't so much an additional rumor as it is other teams that are being tossed around as teams that Orrville may want to form a new conference with. Teams I've heard were Dover, Cloverleaf & New Philadelphia to go along with us, Wooster, Timken, Triway & Northwest. Interesting group of schools in that list, but I'm not sure it solves the travel problem. A drive from Cloverleaf to New Philadelphia doesn't sound fun at all.

Why leave the OCC?
I think the big dissatisfaction with the OCC is the travel times and competitiveness across all sports. Orrville will probably never win a conference wrestling crown. Same with soccer, tennis (girls & boys), golf or baseball. Not a slam on those teams, but the OCC is primarily a Division 2 conference and we just don't have the numbers across all sports to compete in that conference.

I didn't mention basketball or football, but we've only ever tied for a conference title in football and have never won a conference title in boys basketball. Girls volleyball has had some success, but will always have Madison, West Holmes and Wooster to worry about.

Travel times are just a headache and let's face it, a big expense. When you have teams traveling to Clear Fork or Lexington on school nights and not getting back until 8:30pm, that gets old real quick....and remember, our teams from 7th grade up make these trips all school year long. So parents with multiple kids in multiple grades get to make several trips per week. It adds up the miles on buses, and costs a lot in terms of fuel and labor costs for a bus driver.

OCC expanding West?
The following article was brought to my attention just this past week. The website is called SwankOnSports and appears to cover the Mansfield/Ashland area high schools. His recent blog post is below, and gives more credence to the OCC expanding to the west, and possibly giving rise to both Orrville and West Holmes jumping ship.

Here's the entire text to the blog post......

The “OCC” to Fold?

          Like a ten-point lead against Mansfield Senior on the basketball floor, the Ohio Cardinal Conference may cease to exist if the rumors are true anyway.

          The word is out that the Mansfield area schools (Mansfield Senior, Mansfield Madison, Lexington, Clear Fork and Ashland) are looking to perhaps sever their relationship with Orrville and West Holmes, and maybe Wooster. The group would then join with a combination to possibly include Ontario, Shelby , Galion or Willard. Ontario and Galion are currently members of the North Central Conference that will suspend operations after the 2013 and Willard and Shelby are with the Northern Ohio League.

          An administrator within the Ohio Cardinal Conference told Swankonsports.com that Orrville was seeking to form a league toward Stark County to reduce travel expenses. “If that happens I wouldn’t mind cutting lose Wooster and West Holmes and picking up Galion, Ontario and Shelby,” said that administrator. He said he looks for Orrville to leave the league within two years.

          Meanwhile, a coach in the “OCC” told Swankonsports.com that he understood that “OCC” was considering expansion with the addition of Ontario and Galion, but if that were the case the schools in the eastern part of the league, especially Orrville and West Holmes, would strongly consider dropping out due to the increased travel associated with adding two schools west of Mansfield. This source says the Mansfield area schools want to keep Wooster and the practicality of any new group may hinge on Wooster staying as part of the mix.

          Sources within the Northern Ohio League, currently with only six members, but adding Vermillion, say they have not been invited to any meeting to discuss any future affiliation outside of the “NOL.” Willard, last fall, held a press conference to announce its intension to stay as part of the “NOL” long term and Shelby has consistently said they want to keep the “NOL” going.

          Upper Sandusky, also out once the “NCC” closes shop, has been accepted by the Mid-Ohio Athletic conference and still another source has told Swankonsports.com that Ontario and Galion are considering entering that league, which would take it to 16 teams.

          Depending on who you talk to a meeting may, or may not, be held this week to discuss options regarding the Ohio Cardinal Conference."

I'd say take all of the above with a grain of salt, but it may be more proof that something is up...and it all appears to point to Orrville leaving the OCC.

What about the WCAL?
The simplest answer is also probably the one that has the least chance of happening. The WCAL would likely never vote Orrville into the league, and Orrville fans wouldn't like it either. Even after losing to Norwayne in the football playoffs, we still have a bit of a superiority complex and going to the WCAL would seem like a step down to many. I think across all sports, this would be a competitive fit and the travel would be great...but I just don't see it.

What would be interesting is if the WCAL expanded to 12 teams (adding Cloverleaf, Wooster, Orrville and Triway) and going to two divisions. One division being a "Big School" division made up of Wooster, Orrville, Norwayne, Triway, Cloverleaf and Chippewa...the biggest 6 schools in the area. The "Small School" division would be Smithville, Waynedale, Dalton, Rittman, Hillsdale and Northwestern.

An interesting proposal, but that's a lot of teams, and it would be a scheduling nightmare.

My Thoughts
I know we all like the competitiveness that the OCC provides. I think we'd all agree that it helps prepare us for post-season in sports like football and basketball...but I don't think that across all sports, it's the right fit. Too many miles and we're just not competitive enough. Orrville and Clear Fork are the two smallest schools in the conference, and in most sports, it shows.

I think a change is needed, but not just to make a change...it needs to be the right change. Here's my suggestion for teams to be in a conference with if I could just pick and choose from local teams.

1. Wooster (Div. 2) - Natural rival across all sports.
2. West Holmes (Div. 3) - Lots of history, competitive games in both boys and girls sports.
3. Dover (Div. 3) - Bigger school, but one that we've competed with well over the years.
4. Triway (Div. 4) - Backyard rival.
5. New Philadelphia (Div. 2) - Dover's rival, think they'd need to be part of any league that includes Dover.
6. Northwest (Div. 3) - Close to home, good programs across all sports.
7. Timken (Div. 2) - Get to play at Fawcett every other year, and once/year at the Fieldhouse for basketball.

Longest drive in that list would be New Philly, but that's only once per season and would be much better than a drive to Mansfield twice a year (for Senior and Madison) and to Clear Fork and Lexington too.

This imaginary league would still be one in which we were one of the smallest schools along with Triway, but it seems (on paper) to be one where we could compete for league titles year in and year out across lots of sports.

So what does Red Rider Nation think of this? Do you like the OCC (travel, competitiveness, etc.?) and think we should stay? Or do you think options should be explored for a new conference alignment? I'd love to hear some comments.

Looking Back on Signing Day

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:20:00 +0000

Sorry for the big gap in posting. Been a busy time in life lately.

My wife & I are expecting our 3rd child in May and our other two kids are busy in their own activities. I love doing the blog, but family comes first.

That being said, there's a lot going on in the world of Orrville sports, and I'm going to try and catch up one subject at a time.

First up is a recap of college signing day. We'll hit winter sports and a few other topics in the coming days, but now we'll focus on another great day for Red Rider Nation.

The first Wednesday in February used to mean hearing about Ohio State's latest recruiting class, and it's still that...but it's now becoming an annual tradition to hear about the next wave of OHS athletes to sign with Division 1 schools. This year was no different as 3 Orrville football players signed their name on the dotted line to continue their playing days at big-time colleges.

Mason Monheim signed his letter of intent to Illinois, Stewart Turner to Ball State, and Drew Brenner to Ashland. I think all three have a chance to be impact players and see their field very early in the college careers.

Here's a video from The Daily Record of the 3 Red Riders signing their letters and also some words from Orrville AD Kent Smith and head football coach Doug Davault. Email subscribers click here to see the video.

Mason
What's interesting about Mason's deal with Illinois is that it appears that Illinois is now offering 4-year scholarships, which the NCAA just allowed schools to do this past October.

In the past scholarships were just a one-year deal that had to be renewed by the school each year, pending a student-athlete meeting on and off-field requirements. This is a ton of extra security for Mason.

Illinois seemed to do a real nice job giving their recruits lots of press, both at the university and in the local media around the campus in Champaign. Mason was a phone guest on ESPN 1050 AM out of Decatur, IL and on the Tay and J show out of Champaign. The archive of that boradcast is here (start the podcast playing and skip ahead to the 29 minute mark). This is a really good interview.

Mason said in that interview that he's up closer to 230 lbs. now and I think he has a shot to play special teams as a true freshman and possibly work his way into the two-deep at inside linebacker by the end of the season. He's got all the work ethic in the world and I'd be shocked if he wasn't seeing regular playing time at LB sooner than later.

In another bit of related news, Mason has also been chosen to play for the Ohio team in the annual Big33 game held in Hershey, PA. The game will be held June 16th and will pit the Ohio All-Stars vs. the Pennsylvania All-Stars. Chase Hoobler & Sam Miller also played in this game in 2009. There's no mention of any Ohio players on the Big33 website, but trust me...he'll be there.

Drew
Here's an article released by Ashland University with bios on all their recruits, including Drew. Notice all the kids from Ashland High School and Norwayne's QB Adam Wallace on the list, and at the bottom of the list, notice Alex Winters from Massillon. He is the son of Orrville grad Reggie Winters.

I think Drew has a shot to play right away, and someone who can help Ashland win games.

Stewart
Lastly, here's a rundown of the Ball State recruits, including Stewart. He clearly has the talent and speed to make an impact at Ball State, just a matter of getting an opportunity and grabbing that chance and showing coaches that he's too valuable to not be on the field.

This makes 3 years in a row now that Orrville has sent at least 1 player to the BigTen. In 2010 it was Chase Hoobler signing up to be a Hoosie, then Max Pirman in 2011 signing up to be a Nebraska Cornhusker and now Mason. Not sure too many Division 4 schools in the state can boast that...if any.

This brings the total number of Division 1 football players from Orrville to six. Mason, Stew plus Rhyne Ladrach at Akron, Sam Miller at Kent State,Chase Hoobler at Indiana and Max Pirman at Nebraska.

Having three alums in the MAC and three alums in the BigTen (or whatever it's called now) creates some potential for head-to-head matchups. The one I know of is Saturday October 27th when Indiana & Chase Hoobler will travel to Illinois.

Unfortunately for Orrville fans, that's the same night at the Wooster game, which will again be on a Saturday this year.

I'm sure there will be other chances to see these Riders play, and I'd be first on the bus (or RV...) to watch any of them.

Congrats to all three and best of luck at the next level.

"The Shot" going viral

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:47:00 +0000

I think we've got a viral video on our hands....it's even got it's own nickname (The Shot).

Not even three days after being posted on YouTube, Drew Brenner's full court swish against West Holmes has garnered more than 6,000 hits on YouTube and has created a Twitter buzz among local sports fans and in workplaces like nothing I've seen before.

As far as this site goes, the day the video was posted generated the 2nd most hits this website has ever had...only the day of the 100th Orrville-Wooster football game in 2010 had more hits.....and after today, that record may fall.

Just this afternoon, Steve Montoya (@SMontoyaMP on Twitter) at MaxPreps (@MaxPreps on Twitter) picked up Drew's shot (after being told be a little birdie) and are now featuring the shot on their national blog.

Here's the picture proof....

...and here's the link to the actual blog post.

Awesome stuff...and more proof of the power of social media. It's how a video from little Orrville ends up on a national website, and how amateur athletes are discovered and recruited.

Congrats again to Drew.

Here's that full-court shot by Drew Brenner

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:49:00 +0000

Not much more needs said. Orrville senior Drew Brenner threw up a 90-foot prayer and had it answered just before halftime of last night's game with West Holmes.

Email subscribers will have to click here to see the video.

NOTHING. BUT. NET. Thanks to John Fleming for getting this on tape and to student videographer Dylan Tanner for getting this uploaded to YouTube.

If this had been a Harlem Globetrotters game, that would have been worth more than 3 points.

Just as important was that it was pretty much the difference in the game as the Red Riders won their 2nd game of the year, 66-64 over the Knights.

He could do that 100 times in practice today and be lucky to hit the rim or backboarad a few times.

Congrats to Drew on the shot of his life...and just in case anyone cares...he's also a pretty good football player that has yet to make his mind up on a college.

Found on YouTube: 1997 Boys Basketball Games

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:48:00 +0000

Always love to find old Orrville sports videos on YouTube. The following three videos were from the 1997 boys basketball season and certainly don't disappoint.

The '96-'97 Red Riders were fresh off a back-to-back run of state titles in 1995 and 1996 and finished the season 16-5.

They were led in scoring that year by junior Brian McDaniel (#12). Other members of the team were Emmanuel Stone (#40), Cedric Simpson (#25), Aaron Dotson (#10), DK McDonald (#14), Dru Robinson (#20) and of course...Coach Smitty on the sidelines.

The first two clips were from the Damon's Classic that pitted Canton McKinley and Orrville against each other in the championship game. The Riders won the Classic the year before and repeated this season.

Here's Part 1...

Here's Part 2...

The final clip is from a home game that season against Mansfield Madison. I love seeing the gym the way it used to be...wood bleachers, old floor, packed stands. A REAL home court advantage. I know that period of time was special and may never happen again, but I feel like our home court advantage isn't near what it used to be.

The announcer in all three of these videos is Bob McGuire.

Whoever uploaded the videos (guessing YouTube user Adef101 is an Orrville grad)...thanks so much and keep the videos coming.

Here's that Scoreboard Video from Football Season

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:30:00 +0000

Call it an early Christmas present.

I feel bad for not getting this ready in time for the football banquet a few weeks ago, but I just didn't have the time to dedicate to it.

But it's done now, and I hope you enjoy. It's not the EXACT version, but it's the same song and the 90% of the pictures are the same too.

The video is embedded below.

..if you're an email subscriber, and can't see the video, click here to view the video.

If you'd like the file emailed to you to burn to a CD or just have on your hard drive so you don't have to log on to YouTube, just shoot me an email and I'll send you the file.

I know the season didn't end like any of us wanted, but this video brought back some good memories. Orrville Football is still Orrville Football and I think we've got some good years coming...and isn't that what RTR is about? Carrying on the tradition.

Merry Christmas to all my readers and followers. It's been a privelige to meet some of you in person and to hear your positive comments towards what I do.

Remember the Reason for the Season this Christmas. Blessings from my family to yours.

Mason Monheim verbals to Illinois

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 23:31:00 +0000

Will have more on this later, but just got the word & wanted to share it with Red Rider Nation.

Mason Monheim, the 2-time OCC defensive player of the year and 2-time 1st team All-Ohioan, gave his verbal commitment to the University of Illinois and new coach Tim Beckman today.

Congrats to Mason & his family on a well deserved honor. Couldn't happen to a nicer young man. Illinois is getting a winner with a great work ethic and attitude.

This is now the 3rd Red Riders in 3 years to commit to a Big10 school. Chase Hoobler was the first (to Indiana) in 2009, then Max Pirman (to Nebraska) in 2010, and now Mason.

All happen to be linebackers...a credit to LB coach Jason Haley and a credit to head coach Doug Davault for the continued exposure he brings to the football program.

Thanks to the Monheim family for keeping me in the loop all through the recruiting process & to Mason himself for letting me know the news of his verbal.

Some Catching Up To Do...

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:15:00 +0000

Apologize for the absence lately, but I kind of needed a battery recharge. I'm going to do as much catching up as I can in one post. Winter Sports Season is in the early stages, the Smitty Classic is this weekend, and there's been some turnover among the ranks of the Ohio Cardinal Conference football coaching fraternity.

So let's hit it...

Oh, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you. Another great year of being a Red Rider!!

Girls Basketball
The Lady Riders are off to a quick 4-0 start and are looking like a nice team capable of another run to regionals. Junior Hannah Plybon is leading the team in scoring just like she's done the past two season, but teammates Maggie Davault, Ciera McCreary and Jacque Ray are stepping up as well.

I've got Hannah at 968 points for her career, which puts her in 7th place all-time, and just 15 points away from 5th place. If she averages 20 points per game for another 20 games this season, she'll have 1368 points, exactly tied with Rhonda Winters for 2nd all-time and 103 points away from Stacie Howard's all-time scoring record of 1470.

Boys Basketball
The boys are off to an 0-2 start and still feeling there way it seems. I don't think it's another season of trying to find the right mix all the way up to tournament time. I think there are some changes we'll see very soon until the right mix is found. In my opinion, the right mix should be irregardless of class. The best 5 need to start or at least see significant minutes.

A matchup with defending state champ Hiland is looming this Saturday at the Smitty Classic. The Riders were ran off the court in last year's Smitty by Hillsdale...hopefully a repeat of that won't happen.

Smitty Classic
Speaking of the Smitty. It's time for another classic day of basketball. Hard to believe it's already the 8th year for this showcase, and seems to get better every year. Here's a historical list of every game played in the Smitty Classic. The schedule this year is as follows.

12:00 pm Triway vs. Newark Catholic
1:45 pm Northwestern vs. Lutheran East
3:30 pm Norwayne vs. West Holmes
5:15 pm Hillsdale vs. Norwalk
7:00 pm Wooster vs. North Canton Hoover
8:45 pm Orrville vs. Hiland

Tickets can be bought at the OHS athletic office in advance ($6 adults/$4 students) or at the gate ($8 adults, $6 students). Not a better value anywhere to watch up to 6 games of basketball.

Orrville is 5-1 in Smitty Classics, losing last year to Hillsdale.

OCC Football Coaching Changes
Tis the season for coaches resigning I guess. On Monday it was Wooster Coach Mike McCreary (I had the scoop a few hours before anyone else.) and just yesterday it was Lexington coach BJ Payne who resigned.

I think in both cases, the school and the former coach will be better off in the long run, and wish both coaches luck in the future.

With this turnover, it now means that Orrville coach Doug Davault is the 2nd most tenured OCC coach behind Ashland's Scott Valentine.

Survey
Still taking responses to the survey I put together back at the end of November. Here's the link. Have gotten some great feedback so far.

PS - I promise a college Rider update is coming...hopefully by the weekend.

2011 Post-Season Football Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:09:00 +0000

Time to pass out some post-season football awards. Here's everything from All-OCC all the way up to the All-Ohio team that was just released yesterday.

Congrats to all the honorees.

All-Ohio Cardinal Conference
Defensive Player of the Year - Mason Monheim
Special Teams Player of the Year - Drew Brenner
1st Team - Stewart Turner, Dylan Lemon, Ronnie Lehtomaki, Trevor White, Trevor Summers
2nd Team - Lareece Woods, Zane Vierheller, Cody Weaver, Alex Samson, Nick Graber
Honorable Mention - Dakota Herrington, Kyle Lichti, Brandon Johnson
NOTE: This is the 2nd year in a row Mason was the OCC's Defensive Player of the Year honor and the 4th year in a row that the honor went to an Orrville linebacker. Chase Hoobler shared the award in 2008 and won it outright in 2009.

All-Daily Record
1st Team Offense - Stewart Turner
1st Team Defense - Mason Monheim, Dylan Lemon
1st Team Punter - Drew Brenner
2nd Team Offense - Ronnie Lehtomaki
2nd Team Defense - Lareece Woods, Trevor Summers
Honorable Mention - Kyle Lichti, Cody Weaver, Zane Vierheller, Joel Zook, Alex Samson, Dylan Tanner, Matt Davis, Nick Graber

Division 4 Northeast Inland District(Full list here courtesy of The Daily Record's blog WoosterSports.com)
Defensive Player of the Year - Mason Monheim (2nd year in a row)
1st Team Offense - Stewart Turner
1st Team Defense - Trevor White, Dylan Lemon, Mason Monheim
1st Team Punter - Drew Brenner
Honorable Mention - Trevor Summers, Ronnie Lehtomaki, Joel Zook

Division 4 All-Ohio(Full list here courtest of WoosterSports.com)
1st Team Offense - Stewart Turner (2nd All-Ohio honor)
1st Team Defense - Mason Monheim (2nd year in a row as a 1st teamer)
1st Team Punter - Drew Brenner
2nd Team Defense - Trevor White
Special Mention - Dylan Lemon

This marks the 4th year in a row that Orrville has had at least one first team All-Ohioan and the 8th time in the last 9 years that's happened. This also marks the just the 2nd time in school history that we've placed 3 players on the first team. First time was in 1995 when Marcell Denson, Renauld Ray and Dan Stultz all made the first team.

I'm in the process of working on an all-time All-Ohio list and should have that done in the next few days.

UPDATED: Thoughts and Prayers to the Tipton Family

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:27:00 +0000

UPDATE: Here are some links to local news coverage of his passing. Ohio.com (Akron Beacon) & Daily Record. Here is Mo's obituary and information on services from Auble Funeral Home's website.

*******************************************************************************
A coaching legend has passed. Morris "Mo" Tipton passed away today after a short period of declining health while in South Carolina with his family.

Thoughts and prayers to his wife Suzanne, children and grandchildren. The architect of "Red Rider Tradition," Coach Tipton is the all-time winningest coach in Orrville history, compiling 168 wins from 1965 to 1987. His all-time record at Orrville was 168-69-5 in 23 seasons (He was 203-84-6 in 28 seasons counting his time at Akron Hoban and Coventry).

He led 13 Orrville teams to conference titles, 7 teams to undefeated regular seasons, boasted 6 playoff appearances, 8 playoff wins, 4 regional titles and 2 state runner-up finishes.

The Orrville football program is what it is thanks to Coach Tipton....and it was great seeing him this past October at his son Clay's induction into the Orrville Sports Hall of Fame.

Thoughts and prayers to the Tipton family, and all who called Coach Tipton a friend.

Photo Memories (click on each picture for a full-size version)

1. Smitty and Mo...Two coaching legends.

2. Family

3. "When the Coach talks, player listen."

4. The refs listened too...

5. Just being Coach...

Rest in Peace, Coach.

Share your "Mo"-ism. The comments section is wide open for anyone who knew Coach to express their sympathies or to simple share a story or fond memory. I've removed the registration requirements, so you don't need to sign up with an email address in order to comment. I'll still review and approve all comments for appropriateness.

Mo Reading. Here are two articles I did on Mo..the first from January 2009 and one from April of 2010 when he was inducted into the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Survey Says....!!

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:33:00 +0000

First one of these I've done in over 3 years running this site, so I guess it's overdue.

See below for a 10 question reader survey. I'm trying to get a grasp of how the site is perceived and what you the reader would suggest as improvements to the site.

It's anonymous, so please be honest in your responses.

I've heard it said that you shouldn't ask a question if you're afraid of what the answer might be or if you're not prepared to do something about it. I guess I'm not afraid of any answer I might get, but I am really curious of where this may take the site.

I figure between my twitter & facebook followers, those who subscribe by email and just general readers...I'd love to get over 100 responses, and that shouldn't be hard to do considering the site stats I see on a monthly basis.

Shouldn't take you more than 5 minutes to complete. I'll collect results through the end of the year and see where we go from there.

Thanks in advance for participating. Here's the link to the survey website if it doesn't load below.

2011 Football...In Review

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:47:00 +0000

Saturday's playoff didn't end like anyone wanted...or even thought it would.

The 34-19 loss to the Bobcats was a tough loss, no getting around it. It was one of those nights that nothing went right for us and everything went right for Norwayne.

I'm not going to spend time delving on what could have and should have happened....just going to say congratulations to the Bobcats and good luck the rest of the way.

We didn't play close to our best game of football, Mason Monheim was clearly less than 100% and when we fell behind, transformed QB Drew Brenner did all he could running and throwing the ball...but we were basically a one dimensional offense, and it was easier for Norwayne to defend.

Even so, up until the clock reached zero...I thought we could still pull it out, one more miracle comeback...but it wasn't to be.

As is the case every year, Red Rider football says farewell to a talented group of seniors. I want to personally thank each and every one of them for their contributions to Red Rider Tradition over the past 4 years and for their hours of sacrifice and hard work. 39 games over the past 3 years is special. It was touching to see several players showing emotion after the game, hugging parents and friends, coming to grips with the fact that their days wearing a Red Rider helmet were over. It's refreshing to see that kind of passion...it told me that these kids wanted to do nothing but keep on playing for their school and for this community.

Being a Red Rider football player has to be somewhat of a blessing and a curse. It's great because you get to don the red, white and black and represent one of the most accomplished programs in the state. You're a RED RIDER. Unfortunately, to whom much is given, much is expected. Orrville teams through the years and not just expected to make the playoffs, but to make deep runs and bring home state titles.

That's what 22 playoff appearances and 596 wins brings with it. Your goals are measured against two things...the 1998 team that DID bring home a title, and the team before you.

This year's team was coming off a state semifinal berth and that much and more was expected this year...and that might not have been fair. Nothing but a state title game appearance or a 2nd state title would have satisfied some. I think we all learned that no matter what last year's team achieved, each year can have it's own challenges...and this year was all about injuries. From Matt Davis to Joel Zook to Mason to Kyle Lichti to Stewart Turner and Drew Brenner's nagging injuries...it was just one of those years where it wasn't just injuries, but injuries to key players.

I'll take 8 wins and 2 weeks of playoff football each and every year....so would most programs, but this is Orrville and some years, even with all the reasons in the world, we don't take it well when our Red Riders don't achieve what WE think they should. That's how we've become spoiled as fans, and how we've become a tad ingrateful as fans too.

Not saying that it wasn't right to put expectations on this team, because on paper, this was a talented team with 3 or 4 guys with Division I type talent. It was a team with a dominant defense and a quick strike offense, gamechangers and solid special teams players...it was the recipe that you couldn't help but look at and say "this might be THE year."

Only 6 teams out of over 700 in Ohio get to call themselves state champions each December...you just hope when those once or twice a decade teams come along, the stars can align and you can flirt with destiny.

I think next year will be interesting....we have some returning talent and experience on the line, but I think some kids will need to be shifted around to fill needs at skill positions and to best use their talent.

We'll do it all again next year....it just stinks that this year is done.

NOTES
The Riders ended the year with 596 wins and 992 games played in program history. Next year will for sure see the 1,000th game played in school history..week 8 at home against Mansfield Madison....and hopefully the 600th win in school history well before that.

I'm going to spend the next few months posting very sporadically. I'm going to be busy behind the scenes updating historical information. I'll post the post-season honors for football and get information up about the WQKT Smitty Classic coming up in mid-December, but that might be it as far as content goes between now and the end of the year.

I'll be updating the "College Riders" section of the site sometime in the next month.

The winter sports schedules can be seen here. On-sale date for basketball season tickets is November 30th.

Maybe even a reader survey coming over the winter months...keep an eye out for that.

Orrville vs. Norwayne - Ten Things You Need to Know

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 04:44:00 +0000

Thought I'd share some facts/stats and helpful hints for this Saturday's Regional Semifinal game between Orrville and Norwayne...I posted thoughts on the game itself earlier...but wanted to focus on all the extra "stuff" associated with this matchup.

1. There was a rumor that Orrville would be the home team on the scoreboard, but sit on the visitor side grandstands. There's ZERO truth to that. Orrville will sit on the home side and be the home team on the scoreboard. In both games at Medina last year, against Elyria Catholic and against Chagrin Falls, the Riders sat on the visitor side....but this week, they'll sit on the home side. Both sides look familiar, but the home side is the one with the bigger press box....and opposite the main ticket gates.

Here's a Google Maps overhead picture of the stadium...click to view full size.

2. Per the OHS student body, Saturday's game is a "black out." All Orrville fans (not just students) are encouraged to wear black. Bring noisemakers (milk jugs w/ rocks, cowbells...whatever..just be noisy)

3. As far as driving directions...I'd heavily advise against taking Route 57 all the way into Medina. With Norwayne fans likely coming up Route 3, and the fact that Routes 3 and 57 intersect in downtown Medina, anyone taking 57 into downtown Medina runs the risk of heading straight into gridlock. Here's what I'd recommend...click here for driving directions.

This would avoid downtown Medina and make your drive a lot smoother in my opinion.
4. Gates at Medina's Ken Dukes Stadium will open at 6pm...but guessing that the line to get in the gate will begin forming much earlier. Get there early, do some tailgating and enjoy the day.

5. Orrville has played Norwayne twice...once in 1958, which was actually the first game ever at Red Rider Stadium. Orrville won that game 46-0, and the 2nd game was 1981 in which the Riders also won 29-0.

6. All-time...Orrville holds a 49-8-2 record against Wayne County League Schools. The WCAL team they've played the most is Rittman (28-5-1). Orrville has never played Smithville or Hillsdale. They've played Apple Creek (4-0-1) and Doylestown (9-0), but never Waynedale or Chippewa. So technically...Orrville has only played 4 WCAL schools as they currently exist. They've played Rittman 34 times, Dalton 9 times, Norwayne twice and Northwestern once.

7. This will be the 9th playoff game in the last 3 years for seniors Mason Monheim, Drew Brenner and Matt Davis. Not sure any class of seniors can boast 9 playoff games. Only one stretch of Orrville history saw more playoff games in a 3-year period and that was from 1997-1999 when Orrville played a total of 10 playoff games.
8. This will be Orrville's 14th second-round playoff game....and in the previous 13 games, Orrville is a stellar 9-4. Week 12 is also when we beat defending state champ Wauseon in 1994, Ursuline in 1998, the Lima Bath mudbowl in 1985, and the classic win over Genoa in 2009.

My point...we've had LOTS of big week 12 games.

9. If Orrville is able to win Saturday, they will be making their 3rd straight appearance in a regional final game....and at most, they'd be one of only 11 teams in the state that could boast 3 straight regional final appearances in 2009, 2010 and 2011. That's less than 2% of the football playing schools in Ohio that could boast that honor.

10. Enjoy the game Saturday...be loud, POSITIVE and support these kids. It's been a great run over the last 3 seasons, and I'd like it to continue for another 3 weeks....but enjoy the moment Saturday night. Should be an awesome atmosphere, one that all us fans should appreciate and savor.

Orrville has never played a WCAL school in the playoffs and who knows when it might happen again.

Week 12: Orrville Red Riders vs. Norwayne Bobcats

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:56:00 +0000

Who: Orrville Red Riders (#2 seed, 8-3) vs. Norwayne Bobcats (#3 seed, 10-1)
What: An OHSAA Division 4 Regional Semifinal
Where: Medina High School's Ken Dukes Stadium
When: Saturday November 12, 2011, 7pm

Last Week: Orrville beat LaBrae 53-14, Norwayne beat Brookfield 42-7
Series: 3rd Meeting, Orrville leads 2-0 (1958 - Orrville won 46-0, 1981 Orrville won 29-0)

Radio/TV: Game will be live on 104.5 WQKT and also streamed at www.wqkt.com
Updates: I'll be sending updates through Qwixcore, a service of the high school website MaxPreps.com, click here to follow along online. I'll post the link on Saturday where you can follow along.

Coaches: Doug Davault for Orrville (50-21 in his 6th season, 8-3 playoff record) and Joe Harbour for Norwayne (19-4 in his 2nd season, 2-1 playoff record).
Playoff History: Orrville is making their 22nd appearance and have a 29-20 playoff record. Norwayne is making their 4th playoff appearance and is 2-3 all time.

Well...the talk is pretty much over, time to see this matchup actually happen. This is what playoff football is all about. Two good teams from supportive communities who will lay it all on the line to be one step closer to a state championship. I'll talk briefly about what each team needs to do well and give my thoughts on how I think this one plays out.

Orrville
It's pretty simple with Orrville...they need to take care of the ball, and play sound defense. Lately, both of those things have happened as the Riders haven't turned the ball over once since the 2nd half of the week 9 game against Clear Fork...so they're working on 10 turnover-free quarters of football. Penalties are down too...two things that were hallmarks of this team in the early part of the season.
If the Riders can get a few early scores and lean on their defense to slow down the Bobcat attack, I think the night goes well for Orrville.
The Riders will look for seniors Mason Monheim, Stewart Turner and Drew Brenner to lead the way. Brenner has filled in well for injured junior Kyle Lichti in the quarterback department. Turner is a game changer anytime he's on the field of play....his game against LaBrae last week was what Orrville fans have been spoiled with since he came to Orrville two years ago....he had an interception, a long receiving touchdown and several nice punt returns. Monheim is steady as they come from his RB and LB positions. Closing in on 500 tackles, he'll no doubt keep an eye on Norwayne QB Adam Wallace.
All three are gamechangers and playmakers.

Norwayne
The Bobcat's success may live and die with what Adam Wallace is able to do on both sides of the ball. From his quarterback spot, Wallace can throw to a talented core of receivers or he can escape the pocket and pick up yards running the ball. He'll also anchor the Bobcat defense and look to stuff the Orrville run game.
The Norwayne receivers are a solid bunch and may present the most well-rounded group of wideouts the Riders have seen this season. If Wallace can find them in space, they have the size to make plays and pick up yards in chunks.
The Zimmerly brothers at running back present another option for Wallace, and I think it will be important for at least 1 other running threat besides Wallace to make an impact on offense for Norwayne.

Game
I think it's important for Norwayne to get off to a hot start. An early score will get their crowd in the game and also boost their confidence that they can hang with Orrville. The Rider defense has given up the first score in each of their last 3 games, but have settled down in each and wore down the opposing offense as the game progressed. The Bobcats need someone else to step up besides Wallace or the Rider defense will key on him and no one else.
On defense, the Bobcats need to guard against the big play by Orrville's playmakers. If they can make the Riders have long, sustained drives, their chances for stops increase immensely.
For the Riders, stopping Adam Wallace will be key on defense, and I think the Riders have plenty of talent on defense with which to do that. The Rider defense line led by senior nose guard Trevor White will look to chase Wallace from the pocket and make him throw the ball under distress.
On offense, the Riders need to continue making effective choices and diversifying their options. I think receivers Cody Weaver and Alex Samson could make a big impact as the Bobcat D focuses on Turner. If the Riders can get consistent gains from Brenner and Monheim, the Bobcats will be forced to load the box to stop the run and that will open the passing game for the Riders.

There's so much more that we could talk about, but I just want this game to happen, so I'm going to let the kids do the talking on the field. Can't wait to see the turnout in Medina for this showdown...and I think in the end, the Riders athleticism, size and skill players are enough for them to post a 27-14 victory and earn a 3rd straight regional championship berth.

Go Riders!!! Beat Norwayne!!

Pancake Breakfast to Support Soccer Field Improvements

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:26:00 +0000

Wanted to get this out there before the craziness of this weekend hits.

Aaron Simon, an OHS junior and Troop 60 Boy Scout is putting together a pancake breakfast this Saturday (November 12th) from 7:30am to 12pm at Trinity United Methodist Church in Orrville.

Donations will be accepted for the breakfast and the proceeds will be used to fund an Eagle Scout project at the OHS soccer field behind the Orrville Boys and Girls Club.

A new flag pole will be constructed at the field as well as the construction and installation of a soccer kickboard.

Please consider supporting this worthwhile effort. Fill up on some pancakes and then head to Medina to watch the Orrville/Norwayne playoff game. Sounds like a good day to me.

Good luck with the project Aaron!!

Vikings Vanquished...Bobcats Next

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 03:11:00 +0000

Another chapter in Red Rider Football playoff history is in the books, and what a night it was. An action packed 53-14 win over LaBrae and Orrville is back in familiar territory, week 12...something only 16 teams in Division 4 can say at this moment.

The win was the 29th win in the history of Orrville playoffs, the 596th overall and the 50th for head coach Doug Davault.

Let's look back on the win and look ahead to the much anticipated week 12 matchup with the ~~Nor-what?~~ Norwayne Bobcats.

Pics courtesy of Rod Dilyard. Full Gallery here. Thanks Rod!

Orrville 53 - LaBrae 14
It was an interesting first half, but you had the feeling the game was on the verge of being broken open and we witnessed that in the 3rd quarter as the Riders took a 10-6 lead at halftime and turned it into a 38-6 lead after 3 quarters. From then it was elementary as the Riders played mostly reserve players in the 4th quarter and cruised home to their 29th playoff win in school history. (Here's the Daily Record article)

Drew
Another nice game for senior WR turned QB Drew Brenner. He adds a dimension of being capable of running the ball that makes Orrville's offense very dynamic and he threw the ball very well too. Kyle Lichti sat out the game due to the concussion he suffered against Wooster, but should be back this week. Great to have two guys capable of running the most important position on the field.

Stew & Mason
There's a reason both of these guys will be playing D-1 football a year from now...both were difference makers. Stew had a great first half with an interception, a long touchdown reception and several good punt returns to set up Rider scores. Mason was his usual self on defense and made a Willie Mays-esque catch in the first half that set up a Rider score. Both are studs who can change the game at any time.

Defense
Another game, another strong defensive effort. The first string only gave up 6 points, and again shut down a strong runner in LaBrae's Matt Szorady, limiting him to just 33 yards on 17 carries. The Rider D is absolutely locked in right now, only giving up 43 points in their last 4 games (all wins)..for an average of just under 11 per game.

No Turnovers
For the 2nd straight week, the Riders have not turned the ball over a single time....and that's been the case in 3 of their last 4...so maybe we've got that figured out? One thing I know...playoff turnovers can kill a team's season. Let's hope the trend continues.

Almost Record Setting
The 53 points scored by Orrville was 3rd most all-time in terms of points scored in a playoff game. The 59 scored by the 1999 Riders in a win over Akron Hoban is the record and the 54 scored by the '94 Riders against Benedictine was 2nd most.

Coach Davault's 50th
Congrats to Coach Davault on his 50th win last night. Mo Tipton took 77 games to win his first 50, and Coach McMillan took 75 games to get to 50 wins, and Coach Shunkwiler took 78 games to get to 50. Last night was Coach Davault's 71st game as Red Rider head coach....so he actually reached 50 wins faster than head coach in Orrville history...and I guess that's saying something.

Scoreboard Video
I was like a kid at Christmas playing that scoreboard video last night. So great to hear all the positive response to it. The goal was to play it as the team came out of the locker room, but we had a glitch in the audio and decided to play it at halftime. Liked seeing the students enjoying it as well as the players as they were stretching for the 2nd half. I've been asked to post it here, and I'm working on it, but the video format is proprietary to the scoreboard so it's not as simple as uploading it to YouTube.

Norwayne
So this brings us to the long awaited matchup with WCAL's Norwayne Bobcats. It's the first time since 1981 that Orrville will play a Wayne Co. Athletic League team (the 1981 game was also against Norwayne and was a 29-0 Orrville win). The last time before 1981 was in 1966 when Northwestern beat an Orrville team 8-6 (Orrville was 0-9-1 that year). So it's been 55 years since a WCAL team has been able to claim victory over an Orrville team. I'd like to keep that streak in tact this week.

The game will be played at Medina's Ken Dukes Stadium with Orrville being the home team. (Here's the rest of the week 12 matchups from the rest of the state.) We sat on the visitor side both times we played there last year (against Elyria Catholic and Chagrin Falls) but will be on the opposite side this year. Lots of parking on the Medina campus, but the lots on the north side of the high school will be the closest to our side of the field.

This link says the stadium sits 5400, and I'm guessing every one of those seats will be full well before kickoff. This game has been so anticipated and hyped....I'm thinking an easy 7,000-8,000 fans could be there at kickoff. Get there early is all I'm saying.

As far as the game itself...it will be a great atmosphere and be played by two teams who have earned their way there. I like Orrville's chances with our defense and playmakers, but hope the turnover bug stays away from us.

This is the biggest game in Norwayne history, but for Orrville, another week 12 game like it's been for the past 3 seasons. This is not the ultimate goal of our season, but a test that must be passed. I have faith in our coaches that they will prepare the kids well and it will be all business leading up to Saturday.

I'd say this is easily the biggest game in Wayne County since Smithville and Dalton hooked up in a regional championship game in 2002....and the added involvement of the OCC vs. WCAL angle makes this one even more interesting.

Tickets
All three Orrville district buildings will sell tickets through the end of school on Friday. Tickets will also be sold at Carmichael Sports and at Expert T's on Main St. Presale is $7 with the school getting a cut of the presale revenue. All tickets at the gate will be $9.

OHSAA Playoffs
Something that struck me as I watched scores come in from around the state, and that was the lopsided scores, especially from games pitting #1 seeds versus #8 seeds and #2 seeds against #7 seeds. Only 1 #8 seed won a game (1 for 24) and only six (out of 24) #7 seeds were able to spring an upset.

In the #1 vs. #8 games, the average margin of victory was 31 points, and in the #2 vs. #7 games (with the #2 seed winning) the margin was 29 points.

My point is...there are teams that don't deserve to be called playoffs qualifiers and 8 teams per region is too many.

Sorry, when a team loses 79-6, as was the case in Division 5 when Marion Pleasant beat Cincinnati Summit Country Day...that's not a playoff game....that's a scrimmage that turned in to a JV game in the 2nd half.

My solution...either go back to only 4 teams making the playoffs per region, or knock it down to 6 teams per region and give the top 2 seeds a bye for the first week as a reward.

But then again, the OHSAA will never agree to less teams (and less revenue) so why waste my breath?

Mauk sets passing mark
If you' keep your eye on other Division 4 teams, you no doubt know about Kenton's Maty Mauk. They slammed Wellington 74-22 (another case for too many playoff teams) last night and Mauk's performance was not only amazing, but record setting. The Missouri recruit was an amazing 27-for-29 for 505 yards and NINE touchdowns in the Wildcats win. Read this article for more stats from his amazing career.

Kenton takes on Genoa this Saturday at Bowling Green.

Week 11 - LaBrae Vikings at Orrville Red Riders

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 03:20:00 +0000

Who: Leavittsburg LaBrae Vikings (6-4, #7 seed) at Orrville Red Riders (7-3, #2 seed)

What: OHSAA Division 4, Region 13 Quarterfinal

Where: Red Rider Stadium, Orrville

When: Saturday November 5, 2011, 7pm

Series: First Meeting

Last Week: Orrville beat Wooster 35-7, LaBrae beat Steubenville Central Catholic 27-13

Coaches: Doug Davault for Orrville (49-21, 6th season, 7-3 in 3 playoff appearances) - Bill Bohren for LaBrae (287-153-6, 46th season, 8th year at LaBrae, 0-1 in 1 playoff appearance at LaBrae)

Radio/TV: Game will be broadcast on Wooster's AM 960 and also streamed at www.wqkt.com

Playoff Appearances: Orrville - 22nd appearance (28-20 Record), Labrae - 3rd Appearance (1-2 Record)

Conference Affiliation: Orrville is a member of the Ohio Cardinal Conference while LaBrae is a member of the All-American Conference, Blue Division

Points per Game/Allowed: Orrville - 25.2 scored, 15.2 allowed....LaBrae - 24.18 scored, 18.1 allowed

Like I mentioned the other today...I don't know anything about this team, so I won't even try to play the role of expert....but I did find this video from the MyValleySports.com website. The video is below (email subscribers click here to see the video)

Obviously, this video was shot in August, so a lot has changed since then probably, just like it has with us...but you get the gist..

LaBrae will try to run the ball with senior Matt Szorady (Zor-ah-dee) who has ran for nearly 2000 yards over the last 2 seasons. Here's a link to his highlight video on YouTube. Looks like a hard-working kid, but nothing the Rider defense hasn't seen several times this season.

The Vikings QB is 6'6" Peyton Aldridge, who has throw 12 TD passes on the year.

LaBrae head coach is a legend, closing in on 300 career wins. Orrville's greatest coach (Mo) had barely 200 wins in his 30 year coaching career. Coach Bohren has probably forgotten more about football than any of us will ever know.

Seems like the Vikings preference is to run the ball, and that plays right into the Red Riders hand as they've stuffed the run all year against some good running teams.

Plain and simple, this game SHOULD be about how well the Riders can execute on offense. If they can score points like they did against Wooster and Lexington, then this game should be an easy win for the Riders. If it's the turnover and penalty prone offense we've also seen at times this year, then LaBrae will hang around and anything can happen.

The Orrville defense has been staunch all season, and seemingly better in the final month of the season, allowing less than 13 points per game in the last 4 outings.

In terms of strength of schedule, the indispensable Fantastic50.net website rates Orrville as having the #5 toughest schedule in all of Division 4, while LaBrae brings the 47th toughest schedule to Orrville.

Orrville has only lost 1 home playoff game, in 2005 to Akron St. V., and I think they make it 5 of 6 at home in the playoffs this week. Too many weapons and too tough a defense for the Vikings to overcome. I don't think it's a rout, but the Riders advance and that's all the playoffs are about...surviving and advancing.

A win would be Coach Davault's 50th as a head coach, in only 6 seasons, meaning he's averaging over 8 wins per season. That's an average that most any coach in Ohio would take.

Predictions:
I say Orrville 28-7
CalPreps.com says Orrville 28-10
Fantastic50.net says Orrville by 15

Hate to think this is the last time we'll see great players like Mason Monheim, Stewart Turner and Drew Brenner suit up at Red Rider Stadium...but that's the case. Hoping for one more night of memories from the senior class, and hopefully the start of another classic Orrville playoff run.

Looking back on Wooster, ahead to playoffs

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 01:39:00 +0000

It's November 1st, leaves and temperatures are falling, Orrville just beat Wooster and helmets are full of skulls....yep...it's playoff time.

For the 22nd time in the 39 year history of the OHSAA state football playoffs, the Orrville Red Riders will once again be playing in week 11 (and hopefully beyond).

Some quick notes about the Wooster game, and we'll look ahead to the 2nd season.

Orr-Woo
1. Never before has an Orrville team captured 7 straight wins over Wooster...until now. The 35-7 win was the 7th straight in the 101 year history of the series and 4th in the last 7 meetings that have been won by 25 points or more.

2. This year's senior class also gets to be the 4th straight class to say that they never lost a varsity football game to Wooster in their 4 years of high school.

3. I thought the atmosphere was electric. Fans were loud, band was great, students showed up...and it all added up to a playoff-like atmosphere. Great lead in for the playoffs.

4. Heard from a few folks during the game that the FoxSportsOhio webcast was pretty much unwatchable. I tried to watch the archived version on their website Sunday, and understood what people were talking about. In speaking to people at FSO, they're saying it was the weather that night that affected the streaming of the webcast. I have trouble believing that a 20-minute rain affected the entire night's broadcast, but I don't know how all that works. Pretty disappointing nonetheless.

5. Here are pictures from the game courtesy of Rod Dilyard, and some from the Wooster side courtesy of Marty's Studio.

6. It's now 50-42-9 in the all-time series and the Wikipedia page has been updated accordingly.

7. I like this photo.

Playoffs
1. So this brings us to week 11....we finished 2nd in the region (with 3 losses). Only 8 teams in Ohio finished with 3 losses and had more computer points that the Red Riders...and 5 of those 8 are Division 1 schools.

2. Our 22 playoff appearances is 7th best among the 192 playoff teams in 2011..and 3rd most among the 32 Div. 4 playoff teams.

3. The three other Region 13 matchups on Saturday are as follows (my predicted winner in bold)...(8) Canton Central Catholic at (1) Girard, (5) Manchester at (4) Black River and (6) Brookfield at (3) Norwayne. The Norwayne/Brookfield game will be played at Cloverleaf High School due to the condition of Norwayne's home field. Of course I'm picking (2) Orrville to beat (7) Labrae as well.

Given that scenario...Manchester would play Girard and Orrville would face Norwayne in week 12. Both of those games would be at neutral sites to be determined.

4. I know nothing about Labrae, so I wont pretend I do. I know their school is technically in Leavittsburg, which is a suburb of Warren, actually Warren Township. I'm told kids in Warren Twp. attend Labrae, while kids in Warren city attend Harding. I know they're the Vikings, and their colors are red, grey and black.

Here's their team page on the Youngstown Vindicator's Blitz site. Stats are inaccurate, so pay no attention to those.

Their QB is 6'6" sophomore Peyton Aldridge...who is more of a basketball player than a football player, but he'll be an interesting challenge for our defense. Can't let him drop back and pick out targets. Have to pressure him and make him uncomfortable.

Their feature back is senior Matt Szorady (5'10", 170 lbs.). He's been hurt a little this year, but was back to near 100% for their week 10 win over Steubenville Central Catholic.

Head coach is Bill Bohren who has been coaching for nearly 50 years, and is a legend in the Mahoning Valley. He has nearly 300 career wins and has coached at Ottawa-Glandorf (1971-75), Steubenville (1975-78), Cortland Lakeview (5 seasons), Boardman (9 seasons), Butler PA (1 season), Salem (2 seasons), Niles Mckinley (7 seasons) and now for Labrae.

I guess that's it....looking forward to another home playoff game this Saturday and hopefully the start of a long playoff run. Win or lose, the LAST home game ever at Red Rider Stadium for a group of seniors that has seen their share of playoff football and been a part of so much Rider Tradition.

Orrville Playoff Ticket Information

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Here are the details related to the sale of presale tickets for the Labrae/Orrville playoff game this Saturday at 7pm at Red Rider Stadium.

Tuesday- Beginning at 7:00 p.m. through 7:30 p.m. in the OHS lobby tickets to current reserved season ticket holders will be sold. Season ticket holders will be able to purchase the same reserved seats in which they had during the fall. Beginning at 7:30 p.m. through 8:00 p.m. general admission tickets and all other reserved seats will be available.

Wednesday - Friday- Tickets will be sold out of all 3 Orrville school buildings during school hours. They will also be sold during business hours at Carmichael Sports and Expert T's in Orrville.

Saturday- Tickets will be sold at Carmichael Sports & Expert T's from 9:00 a.m.- Noon

ALL presale tickets are $7.00. ALL tickets at the gate are $9.00. Fans are encouraged to purchase presale because Orrville gets a percentage of the presale and nothing that is sold at the gate.

FoxSportsOhio to Webcast Orrville-Wooster Game

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:56:00 +0000

Found this out just the other night and wanted to share with all of you, especially the out-of-towners who can't see the game live tonight.

Fox Sports Ohio will be broadcasting the game live tonight on their website. It's like a TV broadcast, but online instead of on TV. They'll have a camera in the pressbox as well as sideline cameras.

The link is below, click play and you should be able to see the game as it happens. Make sure your internet settings aren't blocking Flash Player or any other setting needed to broadcast the game.

http://www.foxsportsohio.com/pages/prepzone_streaming_north

As if this game can't get any bigger.

Wooster's WKVX will also be streaming the audio of the game. Link for that broadcast is here.

Week 10 Preview: The Game - Orrville vs Wooster

noreply@blogger.com (Red Rider Sports Blog (Tim Snyder)) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 03:32:00 +0000

Who: Wooster Generals (4-5, 2-4 in OCC) at Orrville Red Riders (6-3, 4-2 in OCC)
When: Saturday October 29, 2011, 7pm
Where: Red Rider Stadium

Series: Wooster leads 50-41-9 (Click here for detail)
Last Year: Orrville won 42-17
Last Week: Orrville beat Clear Fork 20-13, Wooster beat West Holmes 35-14

Coaches: Doug Davault is 48-21 in his 6th season for Orrville, he is 5-0 vs. Wooster. Mike McCreary is 69-62 in his 13th year for Wooster, he is 5-7 vs. Orrville.
TV/Radio: Game will be broadcast on WKVX AM 960 and will also stream at www.wqkt.com

All-Time Records: Wooster is 542-466-53 in their 111th season of football...while Orrville is 594-344-41 in 102 seasons of football. Thanks to Aaron Dorksen at the Daily Record for the Wooster info.

I think we all know the overlying theme to this game...backyard rivals, throw the records out the window, blah, blah, blah. Looking deeper, I believe this has the potential to be one of the better Orrville/Wooster games in recent memory, and local fans would expect nothing less from the 6th longest running rivalry in all of Ohio.
Wooster has been pretty consistent on offense, averaging right around 35 points per game, while the Orrville defense has been just as good, allowing just 16 points per game through 9 weeks.

Wooster features a talented tailback in Devonta Anderson, who missed last year's game with injury. Orrville defends the run like no other team in the area.

Wooster's defense has struggled to stop opposing offenses all season, while Orrville's offense has sputtered this season at times.

Some very interesting matchups will decide this game. Can Orrville's offense get on track against a Wooster D that's prone to giving up points and big plays? Can Anderson run on an Orrville defense that's held down everyone on the ground all season.

One thing is certain, if Orrville continues to turn the ball over like it's done all season, it could be "off to the races" for the Generals offense. To win the game, the Riders have to keep the ball like they did against Madison, and not like they did against Clear Fork.

Orrville has home field wrapped up for the playoffs and Wooster will need a miracle just to get a shot at week 11...but neither team will use that as an excuse to not put their best effort forward...if anything it makes the Generals that much more dangerous. They have nothing to lose.

I love the fact that since 2006, both schools have been led by alumni of their schools. Coaches Davault and McCreary know what this rivalry means because they played in it. There's a deep respect for the rivalry from both, and I think that translates to the kids as well.

I think this game will be back and forth for a half and then it will be up to the defenses and Orrville certainly holds an edge there. This one will be close. And looking back through the records, there has never been an Orrville/Wooster game decided in overtime...perhaps this is the year?

That's what I'm going with...Riders charge into week 11 with a 7th straight win over Wooster....24-21 in overtime.

Daily Record picks Orrville 6 to 3.
Fantastic50.net says Orrville by 5
CalPreps.com says Orrville by 10

Last up...here's a video by the Daily Record previewing the game and also some comments from coaches and players. The DR has done a great job with adding the online piece to their high school football coverage this year.