But the Bison are probably a long shot to make the Division III, Region 10 playoffs, in which they’re currently No. 9. The top eight qualify.
Belmont has won six straight games since a season-opening loss at Hamilton Township (5-2). The Bison are 4-0 with a two-game lead and one contest remaining in the debut of the Southwest Ohio Public League National Division.
This is second go-around for the SWOPL, which initially was intact from 2002-07 and includes teams from the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference. It also is for football only.
Regardless of their playoff fate, it didn’t take the Bison long to reboot under second-year head coach Earl White. He left Thurgood Marshall after 13 mostly successful campaigns to revive Belmont football.
• A couple of fall seasons will come to a close this weekend when the girls tennis and girls and boys golf (Division II and III) complete their state tournaments.
The girls state tennis tourney shifts to the Lindner Family Tennis Center at Mason. First- and second-round play will be held on Friday. Winners advance to Saturday’s semifinals, followed by the finals.
D-II area singles qualifiers are district champ Jillian Milano (Carroll), Amanda Showalter (Alter) and Kelly Pleiman (Chaminade Julienne). Oakwood’s doubles team of Sarah Haluschak and Annika Aebker also qualified.
The Oakwood boys golf team will shoot for its sixth state title and fifth in D-II since 2009 on Friday and Saturday at NorthStar Golf Club in Columbus suburb Sunbury. Also aiming at D-II girls state team titles at the Ohio State University Gray Course are CJ, Alter and Versailles.
The D-I girls and boys golf districts will be played on Thursday at Weatherwax in Middletown. Those top three teams and top three individuals not on those teams will advance to next week’s season-ending D-I state tournaments also at OSU’s Scarlet (boys) and Gray (girls) courses.
The Southwest District golf tournaments will have to find a new home next fall. Weatherwax will remain open for play through the end of the year, then will join a long list of southwest public and private courses that have closed in the last decade.
Weatherwax also was the site of district and regional cross country meets back in the day.
• Tom Wiseman, the first-year varsity boys soccer coach at Lehman Catholic, has been selected as an Ohio District 2 (Dayton) instructor for the U.S. Youth Soccer’s Olympic Development Program. (ODP), in OSYSA (Ohio South Youth Soccer Association), District 2 (Dayton).
The program is geared toward the best area players and draws college recruiters.
“It’s really an honor to be selected and represent not only Lehman, but also Shelby County,” Wiseman said in a release. “I’m hoping that I can teach this great game while also learning some coaching methods myself through participation in this program.”
About the Author