Division I regional track finals
Fenwick graduation 2012
Ponitz graduation 2012
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Sunday, August 1, 2010
Football preview: Bellbrook
This is another in a series of capsules previewing area high school football for the 2010 season:
BELLBROOK (D-III, Region 12)
League: SWBL Southwestern
Coach: Kevin Basinger, 14 years
2009 record: 2-4, 2-8
Key returners:
Bryan Baird, sr., OL/DL
Jake O’Boyle, sr., DL
Josh Easter, jr., LB
Nate Eater, jr., LB
Daveon Greene, soph., RB
Matt Longo, sr., TE
Justin Nevitt, sr., RB/LB
Extra points:
The Golden Eagles suffered just their second losing season under Basinger, who went 4-6 in his first season.
“It just seemed like we couldn’t figure out how to win. That was concerning. We’ve always been a team over the years where we found a way to win. I think our luck kind of ran out on that,” Basinger said.
Five offensive starters and six defensive starters return, a good foundation to helping Bellbrook earn its first winning season since going 6-4 in 2006. The program also recorded 5-5 seasons in both 2007 and 2008.
It’s not a stretch to say Bellbrook had playoff potential in 2009. Of those eight losses, six were by seven points or less. A seventh was by 13 points. And those two wins were no slouches, either. Bellbrook beat Valley View and Milton-Union, which both finished with winning records.
“Last year was such a strange year with the number of losses we had by a touchdown or less. We were in every game. Our big thing we’re trying to stress is we competed last year but we didn’t do what we needed to win the games,” Basinger said.
Baird - a 6-foot-4, 227 pound lineman - has verbally committed to Ball State. He had 88 tackles, nine for loss (including five sacks) and forced five fumbles. He also looks be a leader on an offensive line that should be improved from last season.
BELLBROOK
Fri., Aug. 27 Miamisburg
Fri., Sept. 3 at Xenia
Fri., Sept. 10 at Carroll
Fri., Sept. 17 Milton-Union
Fri., Sept. 24 Franklin
Fri., Oct. 1 at Valley View
Fri., Oct. 8 at Eaton
Fri., Oct. 15 Brookville
Fri., Oct. 22 Oakwood
Fri., Oct. 29 at Monroe
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TweetFootball preview: Alter
This is another in a series of capsules previewing area high school football for the 2010 season:
ALTER (D-IV, Region 16)
League: GCL North
Coach: Ed Domsitz, 12 years (19 years total in two stints with Alter)
2009 record: 7-0, 15-0
Key returners:
Dylan Ames, sr., DL/LB
T.J. Dorow, sr., DB
Matt Hurtubise, sr., RB
Teddy Link, sr., DB
Zane Pitzer, sr., QB
Joe Thuney, sr., OL
Justin Winters, sr., RB
Extra points:
Alter enters the season as the two-time defending state Division IV champion on a 30-game winning streak (although two of those victories were later forfeited for using an ineligible player for the first two games of the 2008 season). It’s difficult to make expectations higher than that.
Nine starters return for the Knights, who expect six players from last season’s team — defensive back Cody Byers (Wisconsin), wide receiver Connor Cummins (Wisconsin), running back Cody Taulbee (Brown), offensive lineman Ryan Cronin (Dayton), safety Nolan Plate (Akron) and defensive lineman Cody Conley (Cincinnati) - to be on NCAA Division I rosters this season.
That leaves plenty of holes to fill, as well.
Thuney is the most highly regarded recruit of the current Alter seniors. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound lineman holds offers from Vanderbilt and Michigan State, among others, partially because of his 4.2 grade-point average.
“I think Joe’s as good of a lineman as we’ve had around here in awhile,” Domsitz said.
Pitzer ran the ground-oriented offense last season, but there’s no guarantee he’ll return to the starting job. Domsitz said sophomore Malik Zaire, also a highly regarded basketball player, will compete to start when practices open. Pitzer could also be used as a running back, Domsitz said.
“He’s taller than Zane, but of course he doesn’t have the experience,” Domsitz said. “But he went to a lot of camps, and he did well at every camp.”
Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of the Knights’ state championship run last season was the defense. In 15 games, Alter allowed an average of just 6.7 points per game, including a total of 20 points in five postseason games. In one streak, the Knights recorded four shutouts in five games. Returners Dylan Ames, Teddy Link and T.J. Dorow will attempt to lead another strong group.
But, that’s how Alter has been so dominant in the past two season, with frustrating defense and a running game that can eat up plenty of time.
The Knights will get a shot at two of the area’s biggest schools when they open at Fairmont in Week 1 and then travel to Centerville for one of the Miami Valley’s most anticipated games in recent seasons on Sept. 10. Then, it’s into the meat of the Greater Catholic League schedule.
As far as the pressure of defending two straight titles, Domsitz said each team is different.
“There’s always a challenge in trying to put something together coming off a championship or a great year,” he said. “There are a lot of intangibles, and each team has to figure that out.”
ALTER
Fri., Aug. 27 at Fairmont
Fri., Sept. 3 Cleveland East Tech (at Fairmont High School)
Fri., Sept. 10 at Centerville
Fri., Sept. 17 at Purcell Marian
Fri., Sept. 24 Badin (at Springboro High School)
Fri., Oct. 1 at McNicholas
Fri., Oct. 8 at Carroll
Fri., Oct. 15 Fenwick (at Franklin High School)
Fri., Oct. 22 Roger Bacon (at Centerville High School)
Fri., Oct. 29 Chaminade Julienne (at Fairmont High School)
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TweetFootball preview: Centerville
This is another in a series of capsules previewing area high school football for the 2010 season:
CENTERVILLE (D-I, Region 4)
League: GWOC Central
Coach: Ron Ullery, 11 years (34th season overall with Elks, including assistant years)
2009 record: 4-1, 8-3
Key returners:
Michael Bennett, sr., OL/DL
Tristan Boykin, sr., RB
Connor Donnini, sr., DL
Jay Mastin, jr. DB
Benny McGowan, jr., OL/DL
Mike Replogle, sr., LB
Brandon Reese, sr., DB
Kyle Rose, sr., DL
Extra points:
Plenty of offensive and especially defensive starters return from last season’s junior-dominated team. Bennett (OSU), Rose (West Virginia) and Replogle (Indiana) have already committed and will be joined by McGowan, out all last season with an elbow injury, on a fearsome defensive front. Boykin rushed for 749 yards in ‘09 and was the leading receiver (17 catches, 396 yards) in the Elks’ run-heavy attack.
The key unknown is at quarterback, which will be decided between sr. Chris Kuzma, sr., Jon Overstreet and jr. Janson Matthews. An old story there: Each of the last two seasons the Elks had first-year QB’s - Logan Hanes (‘08) and Zak Bertram (‘09) - and each were good for nearly 1,000 yards rushing and passing. “I’ll take that again,” said Ullery.
The Elks picked a great time to return a loaded team. They’ll host six games, including neighboring rival and two-time defending state D-IV champ Alter on Friday, Sept. 10 in what should be an epic showdown.
“It was kind of neat,” Ullery said in recalling when he broke the Alter game to the Elks. “It was what you could imagine.
“In a team meeting I told them that we were working on the schedule. I had nine games on the white board. As chance would happen, I got 3 letters out - ALT - and the room just erupted. Both schools have so many players who know each other and hang out together. It’s just a great game. It’s a game that needs to be played.”
And that’s just a warmup.
On Saturday, Sept. 18, 2008 D-I state champ Cleveland St. Ignatius visits. There’s also consecutive home games with GWOC Central rivals Northmont (Oct. 8) and Wayne (Oct. 14). Centerville’s first home game is Sept. 3 vs. Mason. Springboro also visits on Sept. 24 for its first game vs. the Elks.
Elks Stadium seats 8,000 and can hold an SRO crowd of 10,000-plus. Ullery, also the athletic director, expects capacity crowds at all the home games.
“That’s what the AD’s hoping for,” he said. “It’s a great home schedule. I should have tripled the price of season tickets.”
CENTERVILLE
Fri., Aug. 27 at Lakota East
Fri., Sept. 3 Mason
Fri., Sept. 10 Alter
Sat., Sept. 18 Cleveland St. Ignatius
Fri., Sept. 24 Springboro
Fri., Oct. 1 at Fairmont
Fri., Oct. 8 Northmont
Thu., Oct. 14 Wayne, ESPNU
Fri., Oct. 22 at Springfield
Fri., Oct. 29 at Beavercreek
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