OHSAA’s Competitive Balance Committee to extend study

By Marc Pendleton | Friday, February 3, 2012, 03:17 PM

The Competitive Balance Committee, headed by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, decided on Tuesday that it will continue to study the disproportional amount of state championships won by private schools compared to public schools.

The CBC was established in January 2010 after another study was presented to the OHSAA. That study concluded that a majority of titles were being won by non-public schools, even though those schools comprised just 17 percent of Ohio’s high schools.

A referendum was narrowly voted down by membership principals last spring. The proposal addressed school boundary, socioeconomic and tradition factors that would determine divisions for schools.

The committee also addressed a proposed referendum that would separate public and private schools in OHSAA tournaments.

“We had some very healthy, open dialogue,” OHSAA Commissioner Dan Ross said in a release on Friday.

“I believe everyone on the committee felt as though we had a chance to review all of the issues and concerns that have come up since last spring’s referendum voting, the August survey that was conducted with over 300 member school principals and recent meetings of both a competitive balance subcommittee and a committee to study the enrollment disparity that exists in Division I. We even addressed how some legislative issues that have been raised could impact Ohio’s schools.”

The CBC will provide an update to the OHSAA Board of Directors at their Feb. 15 meeting. The committee will meet later in February to determine what course of action to pursue following the Board of Directors’ review.

“It is possible a referendum issue dealing with competitive balance could be placed on the ballot for the May voting by the membership,” Dr. Ross said, “but at this point it’s premature to speculate what, if any, proposal the Board of Directors may approve.”

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Miamisburg chooses former Edgewood coach Steve Channell as football coach

By Marc Pendleton | Thursday, February 2, 2012, 05:19 PM

Longtime former Edgewood coach Steve Channell was chosen to be Miamisburg High School’s new head football on Thursday. His hiring is expected to be approved by the board of education at its Feb. 16 regular meeting.

Channell replaces Tim Lewis who resigned after the Vikings went 2-8 last season.

Steve Channell spent 21 seasons as the head coach at Edgewood H.S. Staff Photo by Samantha Grier

Channell’s hiring is the third of four head coach openings in the Greater Western Ohio Conference following the end of last season. Scot Brewer has succeeded Steve Nolan at Troy and most recently Chris Newman was hired at West Carrollton following the resignation of Rob Berger.

Springfield has yet to name a head coach after Adam Taylor announced that he would not be back after one season.

Channell was Edgewood’s head coach for 21 mostly successful seasons and compiled a 152-79 record. His teams won 11 conference titles and advanced to the playoffs 10 times. Edgewood was a state finalist in 2003 and played in state semifinals three other seasons.

He was an assistant at Middletown last season.

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Trotwood’s Bradley signs with Pitt, rejoins brother

By Marc Pendleton | Wednesday, February 1, 2012, 03:48 PM

George “Bam” Bradley will reconnect with older brother Nicholas “Freezer” Grigsby at the University of Pittsburgh.

Bradley, a prized defensive back recruit from Trotwood-Madison High School, signed with Pitt during Wednesday’s National Signing Day. Grigsby, a teammate of Bradley’s at Trotwood, was a freshman linebacker at Pitt this past season.

Among the many offers Bradley had were from Ohio State and Stanford. Just last weekend he visited the University of Arizona.

Bradley’s signing was the only surprise during Wednesday’s Greater Western Ohio Conference Signing Day ceremony at the Huber Heights Athletic Foundation Center. The event honored 15 players from throughout the conference who signed to play college football.

Ifeadi Odenigbo of Centerville did not attend because he’s at Austin, Texas, preparing for today’s International Bowl as a member of Team USA. He signed with Northwestern.

Also not attending were Marcus Foster of Troy (Cincinnati) and Kaleb Ringer of Northmont (Michigan), both of whom graduated early.

Those attending the ceremony were Taylor Decker (OSU), Mile Eaton (Ball State) and Nick Simones (Butler) of Vandalia Butler; Benny McGowan (Michigan State) and Jay Mastin (Miami) of Centerville; Jake Bennett (Bowling Green) of Lebanon; Zach Myers (Kentucky) of Miamisburg; Jordan Freeser (Youngstown State) and Travis Nees (Toledo) of Piqua; Armani Miller (Toledo) of Wayne; and James Sanford (Bowling Green) of Xenia.

The football signing period runs through April 1. The signing period for field hockey, soccer, track and field and cross country also began Wednesday and is extended through Aug. 1.

The early signing period for basketball was last November.

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Brawl at Fairborn results in season-ending injury to Miamisburg player

By Marc Pendleton | Monday, January 30, 2012, 12:40 PM

A brawl during last Friday’s boys high school basketball game between Fairborn and visiting Miamisburg has resulted in a season-ending facial injury to Vikings junior Austin McCoy.

The incident erupted following a loose-ball scramble midway through the fourth quarter in the contest at Fairborn’s Memorial Fieldhouse. Fairborn players rushed the court and were followed by a large contingent of Fairborn fans, mostly students. McCoy was struck in the face while standing near the pile of players and fans.

Miamisburg head coach Tim Fries said that McCoy remains at Sycamore Hospital and is scheduled to undergo facial surgery on Tuesday.

The male who allegedly struck McCoy was apprehended by Fairborn police at the game. He reportedly has been suspended from school for 10 days and will be recommended to be expelled. Fairborn prosecutors are reviewing the incident to determine if charges will be filed.

The incident remains under investigation.

The only on-court penalty assessed were two technical fouls on Fairborn’s Billy Jackson. As per Ohio High School Athletic Association rules, he’ll be ineligible to play Fairborn’s next two games. There were no player ejections, but seven Fairborn players and two Miamisburg players were suspended one game each for leaving their bench during the incident.

Tuesday’s junior varsity game at Fairborn against visiting Troy has been canceled because several JV players will suit up for the varsity game due to the suspensions. The freshman game will be played at 6 p.m., followed by the varsity game.

Miamisburg hosts Bellbrook on Tuesday.

GWOC Commissioner Eric Spahr said he’s still reviewing tape of the incident and more player penalties might be forthcoming.

The game was completed and Fairborn won, 69-55.

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Public all-session ticket sales begin Monday for state wrestling tournament

By Marc Pendleton | Tuesday, January 24, 2012, 02:59 PM

The following is a release:

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Public all-session ticket sales for the 2012 Ohio High School Athletic Association State Wrestling Tournament begin Monday, January 30, at 10:00 a.m., and plenty of tickets are expected to be available. The state tournament is March 1, 2 and 3 at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus. The cost for an all-session ticket book (five sessions) is $75 each for the Entry and Club Levels and $55 each for the Terrace Level.

Tickets can be purchased in person at Ticketmaster locations (including most Kroger stores), by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or by going on-line at ticketmaster.com. Ticketmaster orders will also include applicable service charges. To avoid service charges, tickets can be purchased in person at the OSU Athletic Ticket Office, located in the southeast corner of the Schottenstein Center with office hours Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Single-session ticket sales for the state tournament begin on Monday, February 20, at 10:00 a.m., with tickets priced at $15 each. Single-session tickets can be purchased by following the same procedures listed above for all-session ticket orders. A large quantity of single-session tickets is also expected.

The 75th Annual OHSAA State Wrestling Tournament schedule is as follows: Thursday, March 1: Session 1 — 3:00-Division III Preliminaries; 4:20-Division II Preliminaries; 5:50-Division I Preliminaries; 7:20-Division III Consolation Round 1; 8:00-Division II Consolation Rounds 1; 8:45-Division I Consolation Round 1; Friday, March 2: Session 2 — 10:00-Division III Quarterfinals; 10:40-Division II Quarterfinals; 11:25-Division I Quarterfinals; 12:15-Division III Consolation Round 2; 1:00-Division II Consolation Round 2; 1:45-Division I Consolation Round 2; Session 3 — 6:30-All Divisions Championship Semifinals; 8:50-All Divisions Consolation Quarterfinals; and Saturday, March 3: Session 4 — 10:00-All Divisions Consolation Semifinals; 11:00-All Divisions Third-, Fifth- and Seventh-Place Matches; Session 5 — 5:15-Hall of Fame Ceremonies and Parade of Champions; 5:45-All Divisions First-Place Matches.

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Troy to host 4 basketball games on Sat.

By Marc Pendleton | Monday, January 23, 2012, 07:00 PM

Troy will host four basketball games on Saturday, Jan. 28. The varsity boys game has been rescheduled from last Friday’s postponement.

3 p.m. Troy girls freshmen vs. Vandalia Butler.

4:30 p.m. Troy girls JV vs. Trotwood-Madison.

6 p.m. Troy girls varsity vs. Trotwood-Madison.

7:30 p.m. Troy boys varsity vs. Trotwood-Madison.

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No. 2 Creek facing schedule upgrade, beginning with No. 1 Boro on Tuesday

By Marc Pendleton | Monday, January 23, 2012, 06:00 PM

The following is from contributing writer Dave Long:

A crooked smile comes to John Ahrns face when he reflects on the current status of his Beavercreek boys high school basketball team

“Considering what we’ve been though the last couple of years, it’s pretty remarkable,” said the fourth-year coach. “I’m sure we’ll see some adversity in this stretch. How we handle it will show how much we’re growing as a team.”

Creek is in its most important stretch of games. Tuesday the Beavers (10-2), No. 2 in the DDN Division I ratings, host No. 1 Springboro (11-2).

That Greater Western Ohio Conference crossover game is the biggest home game for Creek in recent years. Thursday the Beavers, leaders in the GWOC Central at 6-0, host Wayne. The Warriors are 5-9, 3-3 in the GWOC Central.

Wayne, the defending divisional champs, started slow but is playing well, winning three of its last five. It should be interesting to see how Ahrns’ team reacts emotionally in that after the battle with Boro.

Next week Creek hosts Dayton Thurgood Marshall on Tuesday, Jan. 31, one of the best Division II teams in the state, before going to Northmont in a game that could decide the GWOC Central title.

Divisional championship talk is quite a difference from the last three seasons when the Beavers went 2-8, 1-9 and 0-10 in the GWOC Central. The overall records those seasons were 8-13, 2-19 and 3-18.

“It could be a completely different story at the end of the season, but right now it’s a darn good feeling being in this position,” said Ahrns. “These kids have come a long way and keep getting better.”

Ahrns won’t say it, but the present success is also part vindication for him and his coaching staff. They were seriously criticized in the community the past three years about the status of what had been a highly competitive program on a consistent level.

“This year we have basketball players — guards who can take care of the ball, decent shooters and good post players,” Ahrns said. “The last couple of years we’ve had good athletes, but not necessarily good basketball players.”

Creek’s Ryan Sedlar is a driving force on offense. Photo by E.L. Hubbard

And most of those good players are young. Ryan Sedlar, a 6-3 guard, is the only senior starter. Other starters are Jalen Camper (6-3, junior), Kyle Rader (6-2, junior), Tyler Reasoner (6-4, so.) and Jarred Waters (6-3, so). Airius Moore (5-11, so.) and Zack Rower (6-8, so.) are top players off the bench.

Sedlar is having an outstanding year, averaging 9.8 points, 6.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds.

“He’s our key,” said Ahrns. “Ryan is an old fashioned, take control point guard. Sometimes we tend to get a little out of control, get out of the flow of the offense and force things.

“Ryan has really stepped up and helped us maintain our composure. It showed last Friday in our win at Centerville (54-45). We struggled on offense the first half. But he made sure we got into that offensive rhythm the second half and kept hustling on defense. Real senior leadership.”

Camper is the leading scorer at 15.4 points and 6.6 rebounds. Rader is at 12.2 ppg, Reasoner at 9.5 ppg and 6.9 reb., Moore at 9.4 and Waters at 5.3 points and 4.9 boards.

Camper and Moore are the quickest and can score by attacking the basket or hitting the 3-pointer. Reasoner and Waters have become good inside players.

One aspect of the Creek offense that Ahrns puts emphasis on is taking the 12-15 foot jumper inside the 3-point circle. That is a quaint thought in much of basket now in which the only acceptable scoring modes are either the slam or the trey.

The Creek players don’t appear to be candidates to win dunk or 3-point shooting contests. So being good mid-range shooters may be old school, but it works. It also opens the floor for players attacking off the baseline.

Creek is averaging 65.1 points compared to 51.1 points last year.

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Versailles’ Prakel Gatorade Ohio cross country runner of the year

By Marc Pendleton | Monday, January 23, 2012, 05:00 PM

Sam Prakel of Versailles has been named the Gatorade Ohio Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. The junior won the Division II state title last fall (15:19.34).

Sam Prakel won the D-II state cross country title last fall. Staff Photo by Barbara J. Perenic

He also was 14th in the Nike Midwest Regional and 80th in the Foot Locker Midwest Regional.

Prakel owns a 4.0 GPA and is ranked No. 1 in his class.

“He is as driven, focused and self-motivated a student athlete as you will ever find,” said Tigers coach Mark Pleiman.

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Tipp softball standout CeCilia Alvarez to sign with Southeastern CC

By Marc Pendleton | Monday, January 23, 2012, 04:00 PM

Tippecanoe High School senior Cecilia Alvarez will sign a National Letter of Intent to play softball for Southeastern Community College at Burlington, Iowa.

Alvarez led Tipp (27-6) in batting average (.516), at-bats (122), runs (41), hits (63) and stolen bases (16). A pitcher/outfielder, she was the CBC’s player of the year last season. She had a won/loss record of 18-3 with 169 strikeouts in 143.1 innings.

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Thurgood Marshall, DC cited for violating OHSAA rules

By Marc Pendleton | Monday, January 23, 2012, 02:34 PM

Dayton Christian and Thurgood Marshall were among four schools that have received penalties from the OHSAA for violating association bylaws or regulations. The OHSAA board of directors announced the infractions and penalties during their January meeting.

Marshall’s varsity boys basketball team had to forfeit three victories because for violating the transfer bylaw 4-7-2. The Cougars also had to forfeit four junior varsity games.

DC’s middle school girls volleyball had five members participate in excess of the limit of non-interscholastic programs after the season’s completion. Those students are ineligible to play in seven regular-season matches next season.

Also, found in violation of OHSAA enrollment rules was the Richmond Heights girls varsity basketball team and Powell Olentangy Liberty for not providing proper transfer documents. Liberty was fined $100.

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Trotwood CB Cameron Burrows verbally commits to OSU

By Marc Pendleton | Thursday, January 19, 2012, 06:00 PM

TROTWOOD - Cameron Burrows of Trotwood-Madison High School verbally committed to play football at Ohio State University on Thursday afternoon.

Just a junior, he is the first Buckeyes recruit for the Class of 2013 to commit for new coach Urban Meyer.

Cameron Burrows picked OSU over Michigan, Alabama and LSU, among others. Staff photo by Marc Pendleton

Burrows is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback. He’s a consensus top five pick in the nation by national recruiting services at his position.

He plans on graduating early and enrolling at OSU in January 2013. He said that he chose the Buckeyes over LSU, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee and Oregon, among others.

He is the first Ram to commit to OSU since tight end John Lumpkin of the mid-1990’s.

Burrows was just one of many key Trotwood players in last fall’s 15-0 run to the Division II state championship.

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Fairmont girls knock off Canton McKinley

By Greg Billing | Sunday, January 15, 2012, 11:53 PM

BERLIN — Fairmont’s girls basketball team is ranked No. 10 in the state. But on Sunday night, they played like No. 1.

Fairmont handed Canton McKinley a 52-41 defeat at the Classic in the Country tournament late Sunday night, just the second Pups’ loss in the regular season since December of 2009. The Pups also lost last Thursday.

“Our kids were really unselfish. It was a huge team effort,” Fairmont coach Tim Cogan said. “This is great for us and gets us back on the map.”

The Firebirds led 45-24 entering the fourth quarter and enjoyed a significant height advantage. Fairmont has three players that stand 6-foot-2 with sophomores Makayla Waterman, Kathryn Westbeld and Emma Havener. McKinley’s tallest player is 5-10.

Fairmont junior Chelsea Welch held Ameryst Alston, the reigning Ms. Basketball and an Ohio State recruit, to 15 points on 3 of 12 shooting. Alston entered the game averaging 26.

Westbeld led Fairmont offensively with 23 points and added 12 rebounds in an otherwise balanced scoring attack.

On Saturday, McKinley had snapped Princeton’s 41-game regular season winning streak with a 59-53 win. Princeton is ranked No. 3 in the state.

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Vandalia’s Decker switches from ND to OSU

By Greg Billing | Sunday, January 15, 2012, 06:29 PM

Vandalia offensive lineman Taylor Decker has decided not to accept a scholarship from Notre Dame, instead giving his verbal commitment to Ohio State and new coach Urban Meyer, according to reports.

Decker gave a verbal commitment to Notre Dame in March of 2011. But since then Meyer has added Notre Dame’s offensive line coach (Ed Warinner) and ND’s primary recruiter (Tim Hinton) to the Buckeyes’ staff.

Decker — a 6-foot-8, 300-pound offensive tackle — visited Ohio State this weekend.

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