Welcome

Welcome! I'm a high school football sports announcer for WOBL radio and I love to talk sports. You can connect with me via Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Thank you for visiting and please come again.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

AIW Wrestling Nightmare Before X-Mas 5

Results from last night's Absolute Intense Wrestling's "Nightmare Before X-Mas 5" event at Puritas Lutheran Church in Cleveland Ohio - all AIW wrestling blog posts | Detailed report | 2nd report.
  1. Preshow: Luis Diamante (with K Fernandez and Joey the Snake Diamante) beat Jason Gory

  2. Preshow: Jarek 1:20 pinned Maserati Rick

  3. The Duke defeated Jock Samsom by count-out when Duke clotheslined Samsom over the top rope and Samsom refused to re-enter the ring.

Friday, December 9, 2011

2011 Year in Review

This week is a series of posts recapping the 2011 season.
Here are the top stories of the 2011 Lorain County Ohio football season:
  1. Avon goes to State The Eagles made their first appearance in the football state championship game and the first Lorain-County school since 2004. Using a passing attack led by Justin O'Rourke (3168 yards passing, 40 touchdowns) and a running attack led by Ross Douglas (1019 yards rushing, 14 touchdowns), Avon was a well-balanced team offensively. Defensively, the team allowed 16 points average during their 15-game season. Head Coach Mike Elder in five years has an impressive 47-12 record and will likely to continue to win as long as Elder is around.

  2. Firelands is the only team in Lorain County to go 10-0 The Falcons were by far the biggest feel-good story of the year - making their first play-off appearance in school history. The team had nine returning starters (all seniors) on both offense and defense so expectations were high. Still no one would have guessed Firelands running the table especially given this team won only nine games over the previous seven years (9-61 record from 2004-2010).

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Top Players of 2011

This week is a series of stories recapping the 2011 high school football season in Lorain county Ohio.
First Team
QB: Dustin Stolarkski, Sr., Elyria
RB: Clay Wright, Sr., Wellington
RB: Dontez Smith, Sr., Avon Lake
WR: Matt Eckhardt, Sr., Avon
WR: Demetrius Walton, Sr., Elyria
TE: Greg Harrison, Sr., Avon
OL: Matt Cox, Sr., Lorain
OL: Doug Church, Sr., Black River
OL: Tad France, Sr., Elyria
OL: Marshall Mayhugh, Sr., Black River
OL: Alex Neilsen, Sr., Elyria Catholic

DL: John Guilford, Sr., Black River
DL: Arlington McClinton, Sr., Midview
DL: Tracy Sprinkle, Jr., Elyria
DL: Jared Williams, Sr., Elyria
LB: Joe Dempsey, Sr., Elyria Catholic
LB: Austin Jones, Sr., Black River
LB: Matt Tomlin, Sr., Avon
DB: Brett Bass, Sr., Avon Lake
DB: Jacob Mullins, Sr., Avon
DB: Alonso Southard, Sr., Clearview
DB: Christian Watkins, Sr., North Ridgeville
Kicker: Brad Young, Sr., Avon
Punter: Adam Horrocks, Sr., Avon

Second Team
QB: Justin O’Rourke, Sr., Avon
RB: Nick Deichler, Sr., Firelands
RB: Ross Douglas, Jr., Avon
WR: Jordan Altpater, Jr., Elyria Catholic
WR: Shane Lambert, Sr., Columbia
WR: Eric Lauer, Jr., Midview
OL: Ryan Byrne, Sr., Avon
OL: Frank Estep, Jr., Vermilion
OL: Dakota Tallman, So., Elyria Catholic
OL: David Gilchrist, Sr., Midview
OL: Foster Tucker, Jr., Columbia

DL: Jeremiah Burris, Jr., Avon
DL: Joe DeWitt, Sr., Firelands
DL: Cedric Peyton, Sr., Lorain
DL: Cody Sheets, Sr., Amherst
LB: Brandon Heidinger, Sr., Columbia
LB: Zack Hofecker, Jr., Firelands
LB: Collin Lucas, So., Avon Lake
LB: Matt Morgan, Sr., Elyria Catholic
DB: Zach Gilbert, Sr., Wellington
DB: Jason Moore, Jr., Oberlin
DB: Kyle Smith, Sr., Firelands
Kicker: Vincent Faraji, Sr., Elyria Catholic
Punter: Brad Bellman, So., Brookside

Receiving Consideration:
Chad Anderson, Clearview; Jason Anthony, Vermilion; Ryan Alspach, Wellington; James Baker, Elyria Catholic; John Banyasz, Columbia; Brad Brill, Avon Lake; Collin Bryant, Lorain; P.J. Bunevich, North Ridgeville; OL: T.K. Burk, Avon Lake; Cody Callaway, Midview; Brandon Davis, Lorain; Justin Dylan, Lorain; Holden Fasur, Elyria; Keyonte Francis, Brookside; Nathan Gray, Wellington; Tom Gula, Jr., Amherst; Jeremy Holley, Elyria Catholic; Quentin Horton, Clearview; Devin Hill, Lorain; Matt Jordan, Sr., Clearview; Joe Kudella, Sr., Firelands; Alec Medina, Lorain; Chad Metcalf, Brookside; Christian Nogueras, Lorain; Austin Phillips, Black River; Arin Pruitt, Brookside; Drew Randleman, Oberlin; Raeshaun Smith, Lorain; Nick Sutherland, Wellington; Gio Taw, Brookside; Andrew Vaughn, Black River; Holden Vazur, Elyria; Luke Williams, Elyria Catholic;

Coach of the Year: Kevin Fell, Elyria
Others: Mike Elder, Avon; Mike Passerello, Firelands; Matt Stoll, Wellington

Northeast Lakes All-District football teams | Northeastern Inland All-District football teams
All-Morning Journal Football Team

All-Ohio Football Honors:

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Final Lorain County Football Power Rankings

This week is a series of stories recapping the 2011 high school football season in Lorain county Ohio.
Here are my team rankings with their records, pre-season and mid-season rankings:
  1. Avon 13-2, (6-0 West Shore Conference), (1, 1) – The best school in Lorain County. The Eagles became the first Lorain-County school to play in a state championship game since 2004. The team used a 2010 week 11 loss to Sandusky and a 2011 week 10 loss to Lake Catholic as focus and motivation as they went through play-offs. Although the season ended in disappointment (42-28 loss to Trotwood-Madison), this Eagles team represented the city, county, and Northeast Ohio well.

  2. Avon Lake 8-2, (7-0 in Southwestern Conference), (2, 6) – Tough to put a non-playoff qualifer as the #2 team in this ranking but Avon Lake deserves it. The Shoremen were bumped up to Division I status by one student (494 boys) and thus had to compete in the perennially strong Region 2.. They still earned 23 computer which would been enough to get in the post-season in regions 1, 3 and 4. This year Shoremen team did have some solid players like Dontez Smith, Collin Lucas and Brett Bass but no superstars. They accomplished in 2011 what they always do -  win the SWC, their 17th conference title in 20 years under head coach Dave Dlugosz.

  3. Firelands 10-1, (7-0 in Patriot Athletic Conference, Stars Division), (14, 5) – The Falcons were by far the biggest feel-good story of the year. A team that won nine games over the previous seven years goes undefeated in the regular season and makes their first play-off appearance in school history. With nine seniors starting on offense and defense, several Falcon players such as QB Kyle Smith, RB Nick Deichler, WB Joe Kudela, DT Joe DeWitt, WR Cody Northeim, WR Jake Myers and TE Steve Bajcer had big seasons. The season ended abruptly in week 11 losing 66-14 at Chagrin Falls.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Final High School Football Regular Season Standings

This week is a series of stories recapping the 2011 high school football season in Lorain county Ohio.
Below are the final records of all teams in Northeast Ohio. Teams who made the post-season have their regular-season record and their combined final record.

Patriot Athletic Conference


Stars DivisionConf.Overall
Firelands7-010-0, 10-1
Wellington6-17-3, 7-4
Black River5-28-2, 9-3
Buckeye3-43-7
Brookside2-54-6
Keystone0-70-10

Monday, December 5, 2011

WOBL Radio Games

Finished my 5th year covering high school football in Lorain county Ohio.

This week is a series of stories recapping the 2011 season.
Below are the games I covered for WOBL radio.

Date Game Listen
8/26Clearview 6
at Elyria Catholic 45

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:01:50; 2nd half begins at 2:28:15





9/02Clearview 14
at Vermilion 21

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:12:35; 2nd half begins at 2:35:36


9/9Vermilion 0
at Firelands 34

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:10:18; 2nd half begins at 2:36:30


9/16Wellington 56
at Columbia 35

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 41:27; 2nd half begins at 2:19:13


9/23Firelands 20
at Oberlin 0

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 33:15; 2nd half begins at 2:01:15


9/30Keystone 8
at Brookside 13

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:08:15; 2nd half begins at 2:22:05


10/08Black River 21
at Wellington 48

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 43:05; 2nd half begins at 2:16:35


10/14Olmsted Falls 28
at Amherst 21

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:07:10; 2nd half begins at 2:42:30


10/21Brookside 0
at Wellington 52

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:00:00; 2nd half begins at 2:37:50


10/28Midview 41
at North Ridgeville 0

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:11:58; 2nd half begins at 2:42:40


 11/05Manchester 24
at Black River 49

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 44:53; 2nd half begins at 2:17:12


11/12Black River 14
at Girard 56

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 34:38; 2nd half begins at 2:10:10


Friday, December 2, 2011

Good luck to Avon tonight

Tonight is the final Lorain county high school football game as the Avon Eagles face off against the Trotwood-Madison Rams in the Division II state championship game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon, Ohio. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well).

Avon is going after their first football title and just the fifth in Lorain County history. The last Lorain County team to play for a state title was Avon Lake in 2004.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Urban Renewal at Ohio State - my thoughts

Yesterday Urban Meyer was announced as the new head football coach at Ohio State University. Meyer signed a six-year contract for around $4.4 million a year. His previous head coaching stops were at Bowling Green (2 years), Utah (2 years) and Florida (6 years) accumulating a 104-23 record (7-1 in bowl games).

During his time at Florida, he won two national titles and he resigned as Gators coach citing health concerns and desire to spend more time with his family. Meyer takes over a program tainted by an ongoing NCAA investigation, player suspensions and a 6-6 record in 2011.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Girls High School Basketball Results: 2011-2012

Playoff Brackets

DIVISION I

Elyria Catholic District includes Amherst, Avon, Avon Lake, Elyria, Lorain, Midview and North Ridgeville

Wednesday February 29, 2012
Westlake 51, Lorain 31 | 2nd Story | Listen

Magnificat 64, Avon Lake 30

Saturday February 25, 2012
Avon Lake 51, Avon 49 | Listen
Avon Lake (12-10), (9 9 16 17--51): Disbrow 1-0-2, Kollias 2-0-5, LeDuc 10-4-25, LeDuc 2-0-5, Nicholas 1-5-7, Zelonis 2-2-6
Avon (12-7), (9 8 19 13--49): Conroy 3-2-8, Davidson 3-2-8, Janollari 0-1-1, Julius 7-4-19, Neumann 2-0-4, Smith 2-0-4, Wilden 1-2-5

Lorain-Westlake Matchup

Wednesday February 22, 2012
Lorain 64, Olmsted Falls 49 | 2nd story | Listen
Olmsted Falls (12-11), (13 13 10 13--49): Fossen 7-20, Gasper 4-8, Gerycz 4-11, Koch 2-4, S 3-6
Lorain (17-3), (17 20 9 18--64): Arnold 1-2, Farris 1-2-4, Fields 1-2, Flores 1-3, Fortney 6-15, Harris 8-2-18, Hawthorne 3-6, Stoyka 6-1-14

Monday February 20, 2012
Avon Lake 52, Elyria 51 | 2nd story
Elyria (11-11), (14 8 9 15 5--51): Christian 2-3-12, Darden 1-1-4, Mary Jones 10-4-27, Middlebrooks 3-1-7, Read 2-0-5
Avon Lake (11-10), (7 8 15 16 6--52): Disbrow 3-0-6, Kollias 1-0-2, Lacy LeDuc 6-12-24, LeDuc 2-1-5, Nicholas 3-0-6, Kim Zelonis 4-1-9

Saturday February 18, 2012
Westlake 71, Midview 24 | 2nd story
Midview (3-17), (0 10 8 6--24): Benetto 1-2, Dobbins 1-2, Eichenlaub 1-0-2, House 3-1-7, Linn 3-6, Reith 1-2, bowman 1-1, russ 1-2
Westlake (18-3), (25 14 22 10--71): Bronikowski 1-1, COLLINSA 2-5, Carroll 2-4, CollinsR 1-2-5, Furci 2-5, Kobe 1-2, Labroo 1-2, Trujillo 11-1-25, Wichman 1-4-6, Zimmerman 6-16

Olmsted Falls 41, North Ridgeville 25 | 2nd story
North Ridgeville (9-12), (8 10 0 7--25): Daveant 1-0-2, Kovach 1-1-3, Montgomery 3-3-9, Pecchia 4-8, Riley 1-3
Olmsted Falls (11-10), (17 8 8 8--41): Black 1-2, Duber 1-1, Fossen 2-1-5, Gasper 3-1-8, Gerycz 5-1-13, Jacobs 2-4, Koch 3-6, S 1-2

Lorain Preview 

DIVISION II

Elyria District includes Brookside, Clearview, Firelands, Keystone & Vermilion

Thursday March 1, 2012
Keystone 44, Holy Name 42, 2 OT | 2nd Story | Listen
Holy Name (16-7), (4 8 11 7 4 8--42): Corrigan 2-4-8, Erica Davis 7-2-17, Day 2-1-7, Kucharczyk 1-0-2, Pineiro 2-0-5
Keystone (22-1), (9 5 6 10 4 10--44): Conrad 2-0-4, Kolar 2-2-6, Nagy 0-1-1, Emily Nagy 4-5-15 (8 in Ots), Silva 3-2-8, Wilmoth 5-0-10
Last year, Keystone and Holy Name went into overtime before Keystone pulled off a 48-36 win, advancing the Wildcats to the regional semifinal, where they lost to Lima Bath, 40-33.

Saturday February 26, 2012
Keystone 51, Cleveland Central Catholic 16 | Listen
Keystone (21-1), (16 13 16 6--51): Conrad 3-0-7, Kolar 2-0-6, Nagy 5-3-16, Nagy 3-4-8, Peters 1-0-2, Silva 2-1-6, Wilmoth 3-0-6
Cleveland Central Catholic (12-9), (5 4 2 5--16): Freely 1-0-2, Fuller 1-4-6, Holmes 3-0-8

Holy Name 64, Firelands 29
Holy Name (16-6), (20 13 17 14--64): Adams 1-0-2, Bode 3-0-6, Corrigan 3-2-8, Davis 6-2-14, Day 4-0-10, Day 1-0-2, DiGeronimo 2-0-4, Kucharczyk 3-2-11, Pineiro 2-1-5, Verba 1-0-2
Firelands (15-7), (9 8 6 6--29): Bari 1-2-4, Holowecky 2-2-7, Kelley 1-0-2, Lahetta 0-2-2, Melendez 2-0-4, Morrissette 3-0-6, Muniga 0-1-1, Samples 1-1-3

Thursday February 24, 2012
Bay 57, Clearview 31 | 2nd Story
Bay (14-8), (18 17 14 8--57): Grubach 1-0-2, Passalacqua 1-0-3, Taylor Seton 5-1-11, Kaleigh Sima 3-1-9, Steyns 1-0-2, Werblak 1-2-5, White 3-0-6, Williams 1-1-3, Claire Wilson 7-2-16
Clearview (16-5), (8 9 11 3--31): Blakely 2-1-5, Kokinda 1-1-3, Tamara McCoy 5-3-13, Mielcarek 0-2-2, Ray 3-0-6, Younkin 1-0-2

Wednesday February 22, 2012
Firelands 41, Fairview 38, OT
Fairview (12-9, 8-8), (10 0 7 19 2--38): Bilak 0-2-2, Coyne 2-1-5, King 1-2-5, Morrison 4-0-9, Smith 6-2-17
Firelands (15-6, 12-4), (10 8 4 14 5--41): Holowecky 1-2-4, Kudela 3-1-7, Lahetta 1-0-2, Melendez 2-0-4, Morrissette 3-6-12, Samples 4-4-12

Monday February 20, 2012
Keystone 72, Vermilion 31 | 2nd story
Vermilion (6-14), (3 12 9 7--31): Bartlome 2-0-6, Bonner 2-0-5, Cunningham 3-0-6, Dillon 1-0-2, Kowal 1-0-2, LaForce 2-0-6, Stainbrook 1-2-4
Keystone (20-1), (16 20 11 24--71): Mackenzie Conrad 4-3-11, Emily Kolar 4-1-11, Emily Nagy 8-5-26 (five 3-pointers), Nagy 1-2-5, Peters 1-0-2, Schaffer 1-1-3, Silva 1-1-3, Danielle Wilmoth 5-0-10

Rocky River 48, Brookside 23
Brookside, (4 11 6 2--23): Andorka 0-1-1, Elias 1-0-2, Gerding 1-2-5, Musall 4-1-9, O'Neal 0-1-1, Piwowar 1-0-3, Sanchez 1-0-2
Rocky River (14-6), (11 21 8 8--48): Helleis 1-2-4, Ciarra Kessler 6-2-14, Kocher 1-0-2, Krajcer 0-1-1, Hannah McCue 6-5-18, McNally 4-0-9

DIVISION III

Barberton District includes Black River, Columbia, Elyria Catholic, Oberlin & Wellington

Thursday March 1, 2012
Rootstown 54, Columbia 32: Listen

Saturday February 26, 2012
Columbia 42, Elyria Catholic 38

DIVISION IV

Norwayne District includes Open Door

Saturday, November 26, 2011

AIW Wrestling Hell on Earth 7

Results from last night's Absolute Intense Wrestling's "Hell on Earth 7" event at Puritas Lutheran Church in Cleveland Ohio - all AIW wrestling blog posts | Detailed report.
  1. Preshow: AERO won a fatal-4 way match defeating Jay Bly, Stitch Syper and Matt Atrayou.

  2. Preshow: Nick Talent defeated Danny Only.

    The show begins with the announcement that Absolute Owner Chandler Biggins and minority owner John Thorne have sold their collective interest in AIW to a unidentified trust who now owns a majority share. That person was revealed to be Matt Wadsworth.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Girard 56, Black River 14

The first trip to the play-offs in eight years for Black River ended abruptly as the fourth-seeded Pirates were thumped by the top seeded Girard Indians by a 56-14 at Lake High School in Hartville, Ohio in a Division 4, Region 13 semi-final matchup. You can listen to the replay online.

Girard was led by senior running back Ahmad Eggleston, senior quarterback Dan Graziano and senior receiver Branden Byrd.

The Indians took control of the game with a four touchdowns 2nd quarter. In that 12-minute period, Eggleston scored on three consecutive carries covering 34, 58 and 72 yards and finishing with 229 yards on just 12 rushes. 

Graziano contributed a 42-yard touchdown in the first quarter and threw touchdown passes of 37 and 68 to Byrd in the first half. Girard scored touchdowns on six of their seven first half possessions.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Black River 49, Manchester 24

Black River made a triumphant return to the OHSAA play-offs defeating visiting Manchester 49-24 last night in Sullivan, Ohio. You can listen to the replay online.

The Pirates, making their first post-season appearance since 2003, used a dominating rushing attack and an opportunistic defense to defeat the Panthers for the second time this season. Black River was victorious over Manchester in week 3 by a score of 29-28. That game Pirates QB Dakota Kuntz passed for a school-record 263 yards and four touchdowns.

Last night, Kuntz wasn't called upon to throw as often for Black River thanks to sophomore running back Andrew Vaughn who ran 23 times for 238 yards and three touchdowns. He was helped by junior Austin Phillips (13-148) who had two scores himself and senior Jake Sexton (4-48) who scored the first Pirate touchdown and later recorded an interception.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Midview 41, North Ridgeville 0

Visiting Midview used a punishing defense and a balanced offensive attack to rock their arch rivals North Ridgeville 41-0. You can listen to the replay online.

Both teams finished the year 8-2 and out of the OHSAA play-offs. The Middies bounce back from a 14-10 loss last week against Avon while the Rangers see their 5-game winning streak snapped. North Ridgeville had a 3-game winning streak against Midview come to an end.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Midview vs. North Ridgeville tonight

Tonight is the final regular season game of the high school football season 2011. I will be North Ridgeville, Ohio as the Rangers host the Midview Middies. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

These two teams are very familiar with each other. After facing off as rivals in the old Lakeland and Erie Shore Conferences, the two schools, only 8 miles apart from each other, are now foes in the West Shore Conference. North Ridgeville has won 3 straight and is 4-2 vs. Midview as WSC opponents. In 5 of the 6 meetings, the game has been decided as by one score including last year's 19-14 Ranger victory in which Ridgeville's Christian Watkins scored the game-winner on an interception return.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Lorain County High School Football Week 10 Predictions

Final week of the regular season is here. Here are the predicted winners this week in bold.

Midview at North Ridgeville - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Avon Lake at Amherst
Clearview at Columbia
Firelands at Brookside
Keystone at Black River
Lake Catholic at Avon
Lorain at Shaw
Mayfield at Elyria
Oberlin at Brooklyn
Vermilion at Elyria Catholic
Wellington at Buckeye


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3
Week 4 results: 7-4
Week 5 results: 8-6
Week 6 results: 9-4
Week 7 results: 10-4
Week 8 results: 13-1
Week 9 results: 10-3

Season Total: 84-32 (72%)

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Wellington 52, Brookside 0

Host Wellington dominated Brookside in the first half and then coasted to 52-0 victory defeating the Cardinals for the fourth year in a row. You can listen to the replay online.

The Dukes were led by senior running back Clay Wright who rushed for 199 yards on 14 carries and five touchdowns. Wright also threw a 62-yard touchdown to quarterback Dylan Weidrick. Alex Rush, substituting for the injured Chase Bealer, set a career high with 111 yards rushing on 14 attempts. Wright, in his final home game, now has 1208 yards rushing on the season and 23 scores.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Lorain County High School Football Week 9 Predictions

Home stretch of the high school football season. Here are the predicted winners this week in bold.

Brookside at Wellington - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Amherst at North Olmsted
Avon at Midview
Avon Lake at Olmsted Falls
Black River at Firelands
Brooklyn at Clearview
Buckeye at Keystone
Columbia at Fairview
Elyria Catholic at Bay
Hudson at Elyria
Lorain at Euclid
Lutheran West at Oberlin
North Ridgeville at Vermilion


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3
Week 4 results: 7-4
Week 5 results: 8-6
Week 6 results: 9-4
Week 7 results: 10-4
Week 8 results: 13-1

Season Total: 74-29 (72%)

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Olmsted Falls 28, Amherst 21

Olmsted Falls withstood an inspired Amherst team and hung to win 28-21. You can listen to the replay online. The Bulldogs are still undefeated in Southwestern Conference play (5-0, overall 6-2) while the Comets are winless in conference play (0-5, overall 1-7).

Amherst was smelling upset when leading 21-20, DB Stephen Hause intercepted Olmsted Falls quarterback Brennan Laird giving the Comets the ball at their own 44 with 6:56 left in the game. Unfortunately for the Comets, a bad snap on 3rd and 1 resulted in a 13 yard loss.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Olmsted Falls vs. Amherst tonight

I will be covering high school football tonight at Steele High School in Amherst, Ohio as the Comets host the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

The two teams are moving in opposite directions. Olmsted Falls (5-2, 4-0 SouthWestern Conference) comes into the game on a five-game winning streak after dropping the first two games of the season while Amherst (1-6, 0-4 SWC) is on a four-game losing streak.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Lorain County High School Football Week 8 Predictions

Here are my week eight predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Olmsted Falls at Amherst - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Bay at North Ridgeville
Brecksville at Avon Lake
Brookside at Black River
Clearview at Lutheran West
Columbia at Brooklyn
Elyria at Stow
Fairview at Oberlin
Firelands at Buckeye
Wellington at Keystone
Maple Heights at Lorain
Marion Harding at Midview
Rocky River at Elyria Catholic
Vermilion at Avon


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3
Week 4 results: 7-4
Week 5 results: 8-6
Week 6 results: 9-4
Week 7 results: 10-4

Season Total: 61-28 (68%)

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Wellington 48, Black River 21

Wellington used an opportunistic defense, strong running game and a timely passing game to defeat their arch rivals Black River 48-21. You can listen to the replay online.

The Dukes defeated the Pirates for the first time since 2007 were led by junior QB/CB Dylan Weidrick who opened the game with a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown, the first of three picks thrown by Black River quarterback Dakota Kuntz that turned into touchdowns. Weidrick also was a perfect 5-5 with two touchdowns passing along with 54 yards rushing which included several 3rd conversions in the 2nd half to ice the game.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Black River vs. Wellington preview

I will be covering high school football tonight in Wellington, Ohio as the Dukes host their arch rivals the Black River Pirates. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

Monday, October 3, 2011

AIW Wrestling at Puritas Lutheran Church


Results from last night's "They Live" event in Cleveland Ohio - all AIW wrestling blog posts.
  1. B.J. Whitmer defeated ROH Champion Davey Richards by submission.

  2. Michael Façade forced Archibald Peck (with Veronica) to tap out to win a six-pack scramble match that also inclued Tony Kozina, Mr. RBI Izeah Bonds, John Kermon and AERO.

  3. Eric Ryan pinned Josh Prohibition with a roll-up after Prohibition was distracted by a taunting Gregory Iron from the crowd.

Lorain County High School Football Week 7 Predictions

Here are my week seven predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Black River at Wellington - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Amherst at Brecksville
Avon at Bay
Avon Lake at Westlake
Bedford at Lorain
Brooklyn at Fairview
Buckeye at Brookside
Cuyahoga Falls at Elyria
Elyria Catholic at Bishop Hartley
Keystone at Firelands
Lutheran West at Columbia
Midview at Vermilion
North Ridgeville at Rocky River
Oberlin at Clearview


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3
Week 4 results: 7-4
Week 5 results: 8-6
Week 6 results: 9-4

Season Total: 51-24 (68%)

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Lorain County Football Power Rankings

Six weeks of high school football are complete and six Lorain County teams have more wins in 2011 then all of last year.

Here are my team rankings with their records and pre-season rankings:
  1. Avon 6-0, 3-0 (1) – The best school in Lorain County. The Eagles have dominated the competition including a 42-7 win last week vs. Rocky River. Senior quarterback Justin O’Rourke has 906 passing yards and 13 touchdowns.

  2. Elyria 5-1, 2-1 (10) – If the season ended today, head coach Kevin Fell is coach-of-the-year. Dustin Stolarski has every school passing record this year.

  3. North Ridgeville 5-1, 2-1 (6) – Only loss was to Avon. Have a shot at their 2nd ever post-season appearance despite moving up to Division 1 for the first time this season.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Brookside 13, Keystone 8

The Brookside Cardinals withstood poor weather and field conditions defeat the Keystone Wildcats 13-8. You can listen to the replay online.

The victory for Brookside:
  • 4th of the year matching their highest win total in a season since 2006
  • 3rd win in a row at home for the first time since 2004
  • snaps a six-game losing streak to Keystone.
Senior Keyonte Francis made his first varsity start at quarterback and scored two touchdowns rushing. His 42-yard run on the first play from scrimmage was set-up by a Josh Zenkert 40-yard kick-off return to open the game. The 2nd touchdown by Francis came two plays after Matt Gorta recovered a Keystone fumble at the Wildcat 1-yard line. Keystone trailing 13-6 was stopped on 4th and 1 at the Brookside 17 yard with 1:53 remaining.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Keystone vs. Brookside tonight

I will be covering high school football tonight at Brookside High School as the Cardinals host the Keystone Wildcats. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

The annual rivalry continues as these two teams have faced each other every season for several years currently as PAC Stars division rivals and before that Lorain County Conference rivals. Keystone has won six in a row dating back to 2005.

Both teams are in transition. Keystone suffered heavy losses due to graduation from a year ago. Brookside is on their third coach in the last three months. Both teams are starting a running back as their quarterback.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Lorain County High School Football Week 6 Predictions

Here are my week six predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Keystone at Brookside - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Avon at Rocky River
Bay at Midview
Berea at Avon Lake
Buckeye at Black River
Elyria Catholic at North Ridgeville
Fairview at Clearview
Midpark at Amherst
Oberlin at Columbia
Valley Forge at Elyria
Vermilion at Marion Harding
Warren Harding at Lorain
Wellington at Firelands


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3
Week 4 results: 7-4
Week 5 results: 8-6

Season Total: 42-20 (68%)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Firelands 20, Oberlin 0

The Firelands Falcons recorded their second shout-out of the year in defeating the Oberlin Phoenix 20-0. host the Firelands Falcons. You can listen to the replay online.

The game between the two schools just eight miles apart marks the first time the teams played each other since 2004. With the victory, Firelands is now 5-0 and won six straight going back to last year. Oberlin drops to 2-3.

Firelands is now 2-0 in the newly joined Patriot Athletic Conference. From 2005-2010, the Falcons were in the West Shore Conference and compiled a record of 2-40 against fellow WSC schools.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Firelands vs. Oberlin preview

It's the battle of Oberlin Ohio as the Oberlin High School Phoenix host the Firelands Falcons. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

For two schools who are only eight miles apart, both teams have already won two more games this year then all of last season. This game marks the first meeting between the two schools since 2004. Prior to that, they played each other every season.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Lorain County High School Football Week 5 Predictions

Here are my week five predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Firelands at Oberlin - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Avon Lake at Midpark
Berea at Amherst
Black River at Fairview
Brooklyn at Keystone
Brookside at Lutheran West
Clearview at Wellington
Columbia at Buckeye
Elyria at North Royalton
Elyria Catholic at Avon
Lorain at Shaker Heights (Sat.)
Midview at Rocky River
North Ridgeville at Willard
Vermilion at Bay


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3
Week 4 results: 7-4

Season Total: 34-14

Friday, September 16, 2011

Wellington 56, Columbia 35

Wellington used a strong rushing attack led by senior Clay Wright to defeat host Columbia 56-35. The Dukes rushed for 479 yards led by Wright's career-high 266 yards on 21 carries and 5 TDs. Sophomore Chase Bealer added 108 yards on 16 carries and junior quarterback Dylan Weidrick carried the ball 7 times for 76 yards.

Wellington vs. Columbia tonight

I will be covering high school football tonight at Columbia High School as the Raiders host the Wellington Dukes. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

This is believed to be the first ever meeting between the two teams. The game features some premier players in Lorain County.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Lorain County High School Football Week 4 Predictions

Here are my week four predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Wellington at Columbia - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Amherst at Westlake
Cleveland Hts at Lorain
Elyria at Strongsville
Elyria Catholic at Midview
Fairview at Firelands
Keystone at Clearview
North Olmsted at Avon Lake
North Ridgeville at Avon
Oberlin at Brookside
Rocky River at Vermilion


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3

Season Total: 27-10

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Firelands 34, Vermilion 0

Firelands were lead by senior RB Nick Deichler and senior QB Kyle Smith as they defeated their arch rival Vermilion 34-0. The Falcons are now 3-0 for the first time since 1989 - also the last year when Firelands had a winning record. The most recent year Firelands won three games was 2003.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Vermilion vs. Firelands tonight

I will be covering high school football tonight at Firelands High School as the Falcons host the Vermilion Sailors. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

This is a rivalry game that has lasted for decades. Vermilion has had the better of the match-up winning 17 straight from 1993-2009. That streak came to an end last year when Firelands was victorious 28-21 giving Falcons interim coach Mike Passerello his first head coaching victory.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Lorain County High School Football Week 3 Predictions

Here are my week three predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Vermilion at Firelands - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Amherst at Clearview
Avon Lake at Massillon Jackson
Brookside at Margaretta
Chippewa at Columbia
Edison at Wellington
Elyria at Elyria Catholic
Galion at Keystone
Garfield Hts at North Ridgeville
Lorain at Avon
Midview at Buckeye
Oberlin at Richmond Heights

Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4

Season Total: 18-7

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Vermilion 21, Clearview 14

Good win for the Vermilion Sailors who snap an 11-game (20 of 21 games) losing streak. It's the first win at home since 10/24/2008.

Clearview01400-14
Vermilion00021-21

Scoring
Clearview 26:08Emaje Payton 45 run (kick failed)
Clearview 2:45Roger Engle 1 run (Brown pass from Engle)
Vermilion411:56Jason Anthony 2 run (Joe Dillon kick)
Vermilion43:21Anthony 10 run (Dillon kick) - drive setup by Kyle Shrieves forced fumble and Austin Kazmer recovery
Vermilion42:14Anthony 5 run (Dillon kick) - drive setup by Garrett Shaw INT & 42 return


ClearviewVermilion
Plays5159
Total Yards188179
Time19:2428:36
First Downs1011
3rd Down Conversions:1-106-13
4th Down Conversions:1-30-1
Penalties3-204-30
Rushing32-162
(Chad Anderson 13-99)
41-134
(Jason Anthony 25-114, 3 TDs)
Passing36
(Roger Engle 6-14-36, 2 INTs)
67
(Seth Konrad 4-10-67)
Turnovers forced03
Points off
Turnovers
014

Friday, September 2, 2011

Clearview vs. Vermilion tonight

I will be covering high school football tonight at Vermilion High School as the Sailors host the Clearview Clippers. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

Both schools are reeling as Clearview lost 45-6 at Elyria Catholic while Vermilion lost 44-0 against Huron.

The two teams have in week 2 for the last six years. Vermilion won three games from 2005-2007 while Clearview has won the last three meetings from 2008-2010.

For Clearview, the team gets back to practice trying to eliminate mistakes that lead to big plays. All six Elyria Catholic touchdowns were longer than 30 yards.

For Vermilion, this is the first year for new head coach Ben Ohlemacher. The coach wants to instill a discipline, hard-nosed, tough attitude to the program - note: wants to build a football program and not just a team.

Both teams will have a big games in week 3. Clearview will host Amherst, a meeting for the first time in two decades. Vermilion will travel to Firelands, their arch rival.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Lorain County High School Football Week 2 Predictions

The High School season is underway. Here are my week two predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Clearview at Vermilion - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Amherst at Midview
Avon at Wellington
Brookside at Rittman
Columbia at South Central
Elyria Catholic at Buckeye
Firelands at New London
Lorain at Parma
McDonald at Oberlin
North Olmsted at Elyria
North Ridgeville at Lakewood
Norwalk at Keystone
Shaker Heights at Avon Lake

Week 1 results: 9-3

Friday, August 26, 2011

Elyria Catholic 45, Clearview 6

The Lorain vs. Elyria match-up turned into a big win for Elyria Catholic as they defeated Clearview 45-6. You can listen to the replay online.

Panthers Sophomore QB Jeremy Holley made his first varsity start and was 13-19 passing for 190 yards and three touchdowns including two scores to Jordan Alpater. Holley replaced the graduated Danny Reaser who was the top player in Lorain County last season and set several school and county records during his career at EC.

Clearview vs. Elyria Catholic tonight

I will be covering high school football tonight at Elyria Catholic High School as the Panthers host the Clearview Clippers. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

A lot of similarities between the two schools who are just six and half miles apart:
  • Both teams are in Division 4, Region 14
  • Both schools respective cities, Lorain and Elyria, are similar in size.
  • Clearview has posted consective winning seasons since 2006 (38-13 during that time period). Elyria Catholic has a streak going back to 2005 (46-18 record).
  • Both return their leading rusher from a year ago: Clearview's Matt Jordan and Elyria Catholic's Joe Dempsey.
  • Both teams need the replace their MVP quarterbacks. Elyria Catholic replaces Lorain County MVP Danny Reaser with sophmore Jeremy Holley and Clearview replaces Senior All-Star Game MVP Davon Daniels with Freshmen Roger Engle.
Clearview
  • Top players are: RB/LB Chad Anderson, RB/S Matt Jordan, LB Josh Molina, C Nick Osborn
  • Head Coach Mike Collier begins his 5th season and has a record of 31-10.

Elyria Catholic
  • Top players are TE/LB Matt Morgan, RB/LB Joe Dempsey, LT/DE Alex Nielsen, C Luke Williams.
  • New Head Coach Polevacik was promoted this past off-season after serving as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Panthers. He replaces Ben Malbassa who leaves EC for the head coaching position at Benedictine. Coach Polo has been assistant at EC since 2007.
  • Luke Williams, returning starting center, is out with a strained knee. David Smith, a standout defensive lineman will start at RG and Spencer George moves to center
The two teams played each other last year in week one. The Panthers prevailed 45-6 in a game when EC pulled away in the 2nd half. Reaser had a big game with 5 touchdown passes. Clipper fans used white Styrofoam cups to spell out BEAT EC! on the fence behind the end-zone. After the post game handshakes two Elyria Catholic players (Zach Rogers & Cory Campbell) sprinted to the fence and disassembled the cups which upset several on the Clearview sideline.

Lorain County Football Preseason Top Coaches

Here are my picks for the top high school football coaches in Lorain County:
  1. Mike Elder, Avon – The Eagles have the most talent in Lorain County. Every position on the team has a star player returning. Justin O'Rourke can be every bit of a QB like his older brother Ryan. Cory Furnas can be every bit of dominating LB like his older brother Patrick.

  2. Mike Polevacik, Elyria Catholic – Coach Polo feels he was hired as the new head coach because he wants the team to return to the EC tradition of tough, attitude, hard-nosed football as opposed to the fun-n-gun style under Ben Malbassa. Team will still throw the ball a lot because they have a QB with an arm to do it.

    Polevacik will need to find the next Danny Reaser (Jeremy Holley), Zach Rogers (James Baker) and Cory Campbell (Joe Dempsey). He will have to deal with the sanctions the program received by the Ohio High School Athletic Association last season for recruiting violations. The Panthers are also moving to the West Shore Conference from the North Coast Conference.

Lorain County Football Preseason Top Players

Top 10 Offensive Players:
  • Justin O'Rourke (Sr) – QB, Avon
  • Brennan Hosier (Sr) — QB, Amherst
  • John Banyasz (Sr) – QB, Columbia
  • Joe Dempsey (Sr) – RB / LB, Elyria Catholic
  • Dontez Smith (Sr) - RB, Avon Lake
  • James Baker (Sr) - WR, Elyria Catholic
  • Matt Eckhardt (Sr) - WR, Avon

Lorain County Football Conference Predictions

Patriot Athletic Conference
Stars DivisionOverallConf.
Buckeye8-26-1
Black River7-36-1
Wellington3-73-4
Keystone4-63-4
Firelands3-72-5
Brookside3-71-6
Patriot Athletic Conference
Stripes DivisionOverallConf.
Clearview8-27-0
Columbia9-16-1
Lutheran West5-54-3
Fairview3-72-5
Brooklyn2-81-6
Oberlin1-90-7
Southwestern ConferenceOverallConf.
Avon Lake8-27-0
Olmsted Falls9-16-1
Brecksville5-55-2
Amherst7-34-3
North Olmsted6-43-4
Westlake 3-72-5
Midpark2-81-6
Berea1-90-7
West Shore ConferenceOverallConf.
Avon10-06-0
Elyria Catholic8-25-1
Rocky River8-24-2
North Ridgeville7-33-3
Midview3-72-4
Vermilion3-71-5
Bay1-90-6
OtherOverall
Elyria3-73-4
Lorain2-81-6

Lorain County Football Preseason Team Rankings

Here are my pre-season rankings with their predicted final records:
  1. Avon 10-0, 6-0 – The Eagles graduated several players from last year's 10-0 team. There's still a lot of talent remaining. Will finish 2011 with 22 regular season wins.

  2. Avon Lake 8-2, 7-0 – Meet the new Shoremen superstars: QB/P Chris Jedlicka, RB Dontez Smith, FB/LB Nick Skuggen, TE/DT Jake Young, OT T.K. Burk, OG/NT Nick Stueber, C/DE Ryan Pivcevich and CB Brett Bass. Avon Lake will make it 13 play-off appearances in 14 years despite moving up to Division 1 in 2011.

  3. Elyria Catholic 8-2, 5-1 – Another team that will re-load after graduating several superstars. They should make an easy transition to a new offense and a new conference. Jeremy Holley replaces record-setting QB Danny Reaser. Panthers fans don't worry. Holley is 6-5 and has an arm every bit as strong as Reaser.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Lorain County High School Football Week 1 Predictions

Football starts tonight. Here are my predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Clearview at Elyria Catholic - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Avon Lake at Avon
Columbia at Cleveland Central Catholic
Elyria vs. Amherst
Firelands at Lutheran West
Keystone at Monroeville
Midview at Lorain
Oberlin at Lutheran East
Vermilion at Huron
Wellington at Norwayne
Westlake at North Ridgeville
Woodward at Brookside

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Ubaldo is coming to Cleveland

The Cleveland Indians made three trades in the last week.
  1. First they acquired Kosuke Fukudome and cash from the Chicago Cubs for minor leaguers Abner Abreu and Carlton Smith
  2. Then the Tribe picked up Ubaldo Jimenez from the Colorado Rockies for minor leaguers RHP Joseph Gardner, RHP Alex White, LHP Drew Pomeranz and 1B Matt McBride.
  3. Finally, they trade IF Orlando Cabrera to the SF Giants for minor league OF Thomas Neal.
No question, Jimenez was the big acquisition of the weekend and the subject of this post.

Why I like this deal:

Saturday, July 30, 2011

AIW Wrestling Girls Night Out 4

Results from last night's final card at St. Gregory's Byzantine Hall in Lakewood Ohio.
  1. Eric Ryan forced Michael Façade to pass out in a submission hold giving Ryan the victory in a triple-threat match involving Kobald.

  2. Rickey Shane Page defeated Mad Man Pondo (with Natalie) in a No Disqualification match.

  3. Bobby Beverly pinned Gregory Iron

  4. Johnny Gargano defeated Chest Flexor due to referee's decision when Flexor was unable to continue after receiving 13 consecutive chair shots at ringside.

Friday, July 22, 2011

2011 WOBL radio

This is my 5th year covering high school football in Lorain county Ohio. Below are the list of games on this year's schedule. You can also listen to 2010 games.

Date Game Listen
8/26Clearview 6
at Elyria Catholic 45

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:01:50; 2nd half begins at 2:28:15





9/02Clearview 14
at Vermilion 21

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:12:35; 2nd half begins at 2:35:36


9/9Vermilion 0
at Firelands 34

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:10:18; 2nd half begins at 2:36:30


9/16Wellington 56
at Columbia 35

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 41:27; 2nd half begins at 2:19:13


9/23Firelands 20
at Oberlin 0

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 33:15; 2nd half begins at 2:01:15


9/30Keystone 8
at Brookside 13

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:08:15; 2nd half begins at 2:22:05


10/08Black River 21
at Wellington 48

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 43:05; 2nd half begins at 2:16:35


10/14Olmsted Falls 28
at Amherst 21

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:07:10; 2nd half begins at 2:42:30


10/21Brookside 0
at Wellington 52

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:00:00; 2nd half begins at 2:37:50


10/28Midview 41
at North Ridgeville 0

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 1:11:58; 2nd half begins at 2:42:40


 11/05Manchester 24
at Black River 49

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 44:53; 2nd half begins at 2:17:12


11/12Black River 14
at Girard 56

Listen | Summary

Game begins at 34:38; 2nd half begins at 2:10:10


Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Jimmy Buffett Concert

Awesome night at Blossom Music Center for the show. Below is the set list and photos:

1 The Wino And I Know
2 Fruitcakes (Cuyahoga Falls version)
3 Off To See The Lizard (Aussie Lyrics)
4 Grapefruit-Juicy Fruit

Monday, June 27, 2011

AIW Wrestling at St. Gregory's Byzantine Hall

Results from last Sunday's card in Lakewood Ohio.
  1. Kobald (with the Batiri) won a six-pack scramble pinning AERO in a match also involving Sugar Dunkerton, Low Rider, the mighty Sabbath and Maximo Suave.

  2. B.J. Whitmer defeated Eddie Kingston via Peruvian necktie submission

  3. Tursas (substituting for Tommy Mercer) and The Chad went to a no contest. Afterward Tursas destroyed Chest Flexor.

  4. Team Duke (The Duke, Mr. RBI Izeah Bonds, Corey Winters, Ben Fruith and Dasher Hatfield) beat Team Castle (Dalton Castle, K-Fernandez, Joey the Snake, Luis Diamante and Isaac Montana) when the Duke pinned Fernandez after hitting a sit-down tombstone piledriver.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

WOBL / WDLW Football Schedule - 2011

High School Football is coming soon. Here's the upcoming radio schedule for 2011.

AM 1320 WOBLAM 1380 WDLW
Week 1: Clearview @ Elyria CatholicWeek 1: Avon Lake @ Avon (Thursday);
              Lorain @ Midview
Week 2: Clearview @ Vermilion Week 2: North Olmsted @ Elyria
Week 3: Vermilion @ FirelandsWeek 3: Lorain @ Avon
Week 4: Wellington @ ColumbiaWeek 4: North Ridgeville @ Avon
Week 5: Firelands @ OberlinWeek 5: Berea @ Amherst
Week 6: Keystone @ BrooksideWeek 6: Elyria Catholic @ North Ridgeville
Week 7: Black River @ WellingtonWeek 7: Cuyahoga Falls @ Elyria
Week 8: Olmsted Falls @ AmherstWeek 8: Brecksville @ Avon Lake
Week 9: Brookside @ WellingtonWeek 9: Avon @ Midview
Week 10: TBDWeek 10: TBD

Sunday, May 22, 2011

AIW Wrestling at St. Gregory's Byzantine Hall

Results from this weekend's card in Lakewood Ohio featuring Day 1 of Absolute Intense Wrestling’s Todd Pettengill Invitational. The big event of the weekend is a 24-man tournament. Night one included 12 opening round matches in the tournament and night two will see the quarter-final, semi-final, and final rounds of the tournament.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Avon Lake, North Ridgeville and Brookside moving up

Ohio High School Athletic Association released its divisional changes for football last year. In Lorain county, there were three teams affected. Avon Lake and North Ridgeville were moved from Division 2 to Division 1. Brookside moved from Division 4 to Division 3. All Ohio High School Regions (.pdf)

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Cleveland 10K race, 2011

Ran the 2011 Cleveland 10k race earlier today which marks my first ever race of that distance. Official time was 58:29 (91 seconds under goal). Below are some of the memories of the event.


Joel Peebles and Andrew Gerber getting psyched up for the race in front of the Great Lakes Science Museum.

Friday, April 29, 2011

NFL Draft Thoughts - Day 1

The Browns traded down in the first round too far and did not receive enough in return.

Let's look at this. Moved from #6 (WR Julio Jones) to #21 (DT Phil Taylor) in exchange for:
  • moving from #70 to #59,
  • pick #124,
  • 2012 first and fourth round draft picks approximately #27 and #120.
To compare, New England's Bill Belichick traded down from #28 to #56 in exchange for a 2012 first round draft pick.

Everyone on TV says history (Mike Ditka / Ricky Williams, Herschel Walker) will be on Cleveland's side in this trade. I point to two years ago when all the Browns have left from the Mark Sanchez deal is C Alex Mack.

I never heard of Phil Taylor and at least he fills a huge need. Colt McCoy still needs help offensively (WR, RT, RB). While we're at it, the Browns still need to plug holes on defense (DE, CB, S) as well.

Obviously, the Browns have plenty of holes so the extra picks will come in handy too bad only one of the extra three picks is in 2011's draft.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Another disappointment in the round of 16

My biggest fear coming into this weekend was OSU would go cold offensively and/or get into foul trouble. The former happened tonight as the Buckeyes couldn't buy a basket in a 62-60 loss to Kentucky.

Here are some random thoughts:
  • With Ohio State struggling from the field, it would make sense to let Jared Sullinger go to work on UK's Josh Harrelson. Instead, Harrelson was able to guard Sullinger straight up eliminating his passing skills and eliminating open looks for the Buckeye's three-point shooters.
  • William Buford was ice cold. Buford? Buford? (Ben Stein Ferris Bueller voice). Him taking the last shot was a mistake. OSU coach Thad Matta should have called a time out to get the ball into the hands of Jon Diebler, after all the senior from Upper Sandusky tied the game with a three. It would have been nice to see him attempt to the game-winner.
  • From a David vs. Goliath standpoint, a great game. Brandon Knight did nothing tonight until the game was on the line and hit the game-winner with 5 seconds left.
  • Jared Sullinger tells the media afterward he will return for his sophomore season. I'll believe that when I see it.
  • "I wonder if Jim Tressel received any emails about the whereabouts of the Buckeyes offense but just didn't tell anybody."

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Final High School Basketball stats

GIRLS

SCORING



Player, schoolgptsavg
Ashley Montgomery, North Ridgeville1943322.8
Lacy LeDuc, Avon Lake2036918.5
Shanique Ogle, Lorain1934318.1
Emily Julius, Avon1724114.2
Ashley Shuster, Elyria Catholic1823513.1
REBOUNDING


Player, schoolgptsavg
Ashley Shuster, Elyria Catholic1820911.6
Alexis McGhee, North Ridgeville1921311.2
Emily Julius, Avon1718310.8
Shanique Ogle, Lorain1920210.6
Alexandria Harris, Lorain191568.2
Christine Lyzen, Columbia191487.8
ASSISTS


Player, schoolgptsavg
Emily Taylor, Elyria Catholic181256.9
Hailey Schroeder, North Ridgeville19864.5
Martha Thompson, Lake Ridge17704.1
Natalie Wilden, Avon18724
Danielle Riolo, Columbia17583.4
STEALS


Player, schoolgptsavg
Briana Rogers, Open Door13866.6
Ashley Montgomery, North Ridgeville19975.1
Lacy LeDuc, Avon Lake20964.8
Martha Thompson, Lake Ridge17684
Shanique Ogle, Lorain19633.3
Emily Taylor, Elyria Catholic18553.1
BLOCKS


Player, schoolgptsavg
Alexis McGhee, North Ridgeville19683.6
Alexandria Harris, Lorain19633.3
Ashley Shuster, Elyria Catholic18583.2





BOYS

SCORING



Player, schoolgptsavg
Ron Willoughby, Avon Lake1832418
R.J. Kauffman, Avon2032516.3
Kody Bender, Elyria2032016
Shakeem Jones, Amherst1930416
Marvin Coleman, Avon2027813.9
Chase Farris, Elyria1825013.9
Michael Davila, Lorain1823913.3
REBOUNDING


Player, schoolgptsavg
Chase Farris, Elyria1818410.2
Jerome Golson, Lorain201859.3
Claude Gray, Avon201738.7
Cody Northeim, Firelands191568.2
ASSISTS


Player, schoolgptsavg
Brandon Murway, Avon Lake18834.6
R.J. Kauffman, Avon20854.3
Garrett Klekota, Amherst19764
STEALS


Player, schoolgptsavg
Kyle Smith, Firelands19804.2

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Amherst has familiar name, new head coach.

The final football opening in Lorain County was filled last night as the Amherst board of education approved Chad DiFranco as the new Comet head coach.

***Other Lorain County Head Coaching changes***

DiFranco, 37, started at Amherst in 1999 and has been an assistant coach for 12 years with the last six as the defensive coordinator. He has worked under Jeff Riesen – now the head coach at North Ridgeville, Keith Grabowski – now the offensive coordinator at Baldwin-Wallace College, and Kevin Fell – now the head coach at Elyria High School. Last year, DiFranco's unofficial title was assistant head coach.

He is also part of the legendary DiFranco family at Midview where his brother Troy is the head basketball coach. Chad DiFranco played football at Midview (class of 1992) and Ashland University. Middies head coach Bill Albright gave DiFranco his first assistant job out of college before going to Columbia where he is also was an assistant.

DiFranco will have some familiar faces in the early going next season. Week 1, Amherst plays Kevin Fell’s Elyria and in week 2, the Comets play Bill Albright’s Midview.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Cavaliers say no Mo

The Cleveland Cavaliers in the middle of a 10-47 season are looking for first round draft picks and they acquired one last night when they traded point guard Mo Williams and small forward Jamario Moon to the Los Angeles Clippers for a 2011 first round draft pick and point guard Baron Davis.

Usually fans get excited about big trades, I'm going to hold my excitement until the NBA Draft this coming June. I'm excited about more ping-pong balls in the hopper come NBA Lottery time (of course, the Clippers need to oblige by missing the play-offs). I'm indifferent about the players.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Triple H and the Undertaker return to the WWE, Ho-hum

Watched Monday Night Raw tonight for the first time in a while. I wasn't impressed.
I know it's early in the WrestleMania 27 build up but the card does not excite me and neither did this show.

First off, the return of the Undertaker. The return lacked a critical element - logic. Why was Taker at Raw? He's a Smackdown wrestler and what exactly was he going to announce? Since storyline-wise wasn't he put out of action by Kane? Shouldn't his vignettes been featured on the Friday night show and with the arena lights flickering at various times during the Smackdown broadcasts.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

AIW Wrestling at St. Gregory's Byzantine Hall


Results from last Friday's card in Lakewood Ohio.
  1. Benny Boone beat Knight Wagner & Joey "The Altercation" Luciano

  2. Da Latin Crime Syndicate defeated Lights Out, "Mr. RBI" Izeah Bonds, & Kombat Kid when Jake Marimberga pinned Ben Fruith.

    Afterwards Da Latins continued the beat down which lead to The Duke making the save and calling out Lamont Williams for their match.

  3. The Duke beat Lamont "Action" Williams. Afterward The Duke brought out a cake for Mr. RBI's birthday.

    Chest Flexor with Jessika Havok came out and interrupted Pedro during the opening announcements. Flexor announced he was not only going to find somebody in every title division for "Flexor Industries" but also just continue his goal of destroying AIW once and for all.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Yes, Cleveland. We do have a basketball team.

I'm just as stunned as the rest of the country over the Cavaliers win over the Lakers.

After the Varsity team delivered a 55-point beat down to a bunch of 8th graders, it was nice to see the "Cadavers" get mad and do something about it. They couldn't let that shellacking go unanswered. The team finally played some defense, played with a lot of energy, and for once acted like they cared.

I still find it hard to believe how Cleveland has laid down in games against Miami, LA, and most recently Detroit and Washington. After last Sunday, I had no reason to watch that team again this season. I guess that's how the NBA works.

Maybe even more stunning is how LA, aside from Pau Gasol, didn't get off the bus. They were terrible. I haven't seen Kobe Bryant play that poorly in a long time - probably because he wasn't facing LeBron James.

I know a lot of things were in Cleveland's favor:
  • last game for LA before All-Star break – final game of an East Coast trip,
  • LA has played a lot of games in recent years going to the NBA Finals in three straight seasons, 
  • Coach Phil Jackson has to pick and choose when to go through the motions to avoid burn-out.
  • LA is weak against young team like Cleveland because the Cavaliers can run and had two full days of rest since their last game at home. 

Still, Laker fan has to be gripping.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

SuperBowl Trivia

  1. The Oakland Raiders won the 1981 SuperBowl and became the wild card team to host the Lombardi Trophy. How many times has it happened since?
  2. NFC won 13 straight Super Bowls from 1985-1997. How many have they won since?
  3. The winning share for the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I was how much?
  4. In SBXXIX, Steve Young's first touchdown pass of the game went to which teammate?
  5. In SB IX, how were the first points of the game scored?
  6. USC was (a) the college SBXXVIII MVP  Marcus Allen attended or (b) the college where Raiders owner Al Davis was an assistant coach
  7. Which New York Jets player had 2 interceptions in SBIII?
  8. Name the defensive teammates who were co-MVPs of SBXII?
  9. Name the Cincinnati Bengals TE who had 11 receptions in SB XVI
  10. Which starting DB for the Kansas City Chiefs, who played in SBI, went on to have a career in movies and TV?
  11. Name the two Willies who started in the secondary in SBII?
  12. Who coached the Colts in SBIII?
  13. Which former Heisman Trophy winner started at running back for the Chiefs in SBIV?
  14. Which DB was SBVII MVP
  15. Which LB was SBV MVP?

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Elyria's Fell, Lorain's Solis and Firelands' Passarello named new football head coaches

February is here and January was a big month for Lorain County high school football coaching changes. Here's a recap.

Mark Solis, Lorain

This hire is a big win for the city of Lorain. Coach Solis has been a winner everywhere he has been including Ashland Crestview from 1999-2004 (42-11, two play-off appearances), Elyria from 2005-2007 (20-12, one trip to play-offs) and Twinsburg from 2008-2010 (32-14, three appearances). If Solis can win at Elyria, he can win at Lorain.

Monday, January 31, 2011

10th annual WWE Royal Rumble Party

Congratulations to Marc Iacianci and Stella Mismas as they were the big winners at last night's 10th annual Girod Royal Rumble party. Both had wrestler Alberto Del Rio who was the 38th entrant and the last man standing in a 40-man over the top rope battle royal. Marc randomly picked #38 in the Hearts Division and Stella had picked #38 in the Clubs Division.

All WWE blog posts
Wikipedia Royal Rumble page

UNDERCARD

Smackdown World Champion Edge pinned Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero)