Welcome to the fifteenth annual
edition of Trail Trash and The Swami. This also marks the fifth year of
our online edition on
www.davey1.com. Thank you Al Gore. While we may
not be entertaining, we try to be somewhat accurate and informative.
How did it get to be tournament
time already? It seems like the season just started. Here we are
making tournament predictions and we’re talking about the Super Bowl.
Last year, the OHSAA began having tournament draws all around the state
on the same Sunday. Since some of the other districts around the state
start their tournament a week to 10 days (nothing beats February
madness) before the tournament gets going around here, the Northwest
Ohio draw got moved up a week. In a normal year, that would have moved
the draw up to around February 3. Add in this year’s early Easter
pushing the boys state tournament up a week, and here we are in late
January and early February talking about a tournament set to get started
on February 19. Hopefully, it was the Easter weekend pushing the state
tournament up a week rather than the Smucker’s Stars on Ice taking over
the Value City Arena. On second thought, why doesn’t the OHSAA just
move Easter back a week?
In addition to the early start
date for the tournament, 2008 will see a number of changes. These
include teams in different divisions, new tournament sites, and the
elimination of one of the D4 districts. In the new enrollment figures
that are being used for the 2008 and 2009 tournaments, Northwest Ohio
experienced a reduction in the number of D4 teams. Applying this number
to the statewide numbers, it was determined that NW Ohio’s regional
representation would decrease from 6 to 5 teams. That is the reason why
the district winner at Willard will now be headed to the regional at BG
rather than the usual trip to the beloved Barn in Columbus. There was
no conspiracy by the boys at the OHSAA on this one, just simple
mathematics. We will highlight the changes in the teams and tournament
sites as we break down the divisions.
The Swami feels an editorial
comment coming on so you may just want to skip down to the next
paragraph. Two topics that have surfaced this season are whether a shot
clock is necessary in high school basketball and whether the three point
line should be moved from 19’9” to 20’9” in order to be consistent with
the change that will take place in college basketball next season. Talk
of a shot clock in Northwest Ohio basketball is typically synonymous
with Holgate. In the Swami’s opinion, there is no reason to add it.
Teams don’t often hold the ball for more than thirty-five or forty-five
seconds (or whatever number that would be used on a shot clock) without
firing up a shot. There isn’t enough of a problem to offset the game
management and financial issues, and it would not add to the quality or
excitement of the game. The Swami also sees absolutely no reason to
extend the three-point line. Shooting skills, at least the mid-range
game, have eroded since the implementation of the current line twenty
years ago. Why make it even worse?
The ouija board ended up in the
dumpster after last year’s picks, so we’ll just have to wing it. Let’s
go to our predictions.
DIVISION
I
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The changes in D1 from last
season are relatively few, but one of those changes will have a major
impact on the ‘08 tournament landscape in NW Ohio. Toledo Libbey
dropped from D1 to D2, and the Cowboys have to be considered one of the
favorites to win a D2 state title. Although it significantly weakens
the Toledo D1 district field, the move gives five or six teams a
legitimate shot at winning the district crown. Celina also dropped out
of D1 this season.
Perrysburg and Mansfield have
gotten the most notoriety statewide. Perrysburg is undefeated as of
this writing while Mansfield’s losses are to Lexington and Orrville.
Perrysburg has been tested on several occasions and there are questions
about the strength of Pburg’s schedule and of the Northern Lakes League
as a whole. Mansfield Senior has an impressive win over Warren Harding,
but they too face questions about the caliber of play in the Ohio
Cardinal Conference.
Similar to previous years, the
D1 tourney in NW Ohio will use a “super sectional” format. Sectional
winners at Willard and Liberty-Benton will remain at those sites for
district semi-final games with the district final played at BGSU. The
winners from the two Toledo sectionals will advance to the University of
Toledo for the district with the winners from Waite playing in one
semi-final and the winners from Central Catholic playing in the second
semi-final game. The two district winners from NW Ohio will advance to
the regional at the University of Akron eliminating the “home court
advantage” that the Toledo teams have enjoyed over the past several
years. District winners from Canton (Massillon Perry, Canton Timken,
Uniontown Lake) and Copley (Akron Firestone, Barberton, Kent Roosevelt)
will join the two NW Ohio district winners at the JAR. The Toledo and
Bowling Green district winners are currently scheduled to play each
other in Akron. With a full slate of regional games in D2, D3, and D4
at BG along with questions about the availability of Savage Hall, it
appears the game will indeed be played in Akron.
SECTIONALS
WILLARD: Mansfield Senior and
Ashland are the top seeds. Mansfield Senior has not lost a game at the
new Pete Henry Gymnasium since moving into the new school in 2004. T.J.
Lindsey and Di’Nero Ramseur are the top players for the Tygers.
Mansfield is going for their 7th straight sectional
championship. Ashland got a late start after a deep run in the football
playoffs and slumped in early January. It looks like the Arrows have
their second wind with wins over Orrville and Lexington and have a good
chance to advance. 5’5” Cole Prophet is the top player for Sandusky,
but inconsistency has plagued the Blue Streaks. The rest of the teams
at Willard had already reached double figures in losses at the time of
the draw, although Mansfield Madison could pull an upset.
Semifinals-Mansfield Madison
over Marion Harding; Sandusky over Fremont Ross
Finals-Mansfield Senior over
Mansfield Madison; Ashland over Sandusky
LIBERTY-BENTON: Perrysburg and
Findlay are the top seeds. Perrysburg is very balanced with four
players averaging between twelve and fifteen points per game to go along
with a veteran point guard in David Boyce. Findlay’s Luke Kraus is the
lone starter back from the 2007 regional runner-up team. The Trojans
currently lead the Greater Buckeye Conference. Lima Senior is the wild
card in this sectional. The Spartans’ success will depend on which team
decides to show up. Sophomore Anton Hutchins is the top player for
Lima. Speaking of showing up, Anthony Wayne’s team bus recently showed
up for a game at Lima Shawnee. Only problem was that the Generals were
playing at Lima Senior. Let’s hope AW can find their way to
Liberty-Benton. The other NLL teams shouldn’t be a factor at
Liberty-Benton.
Semifinals-Anthony Wayne over
Maumee; Lima Senior over Bowling Green
Finals-Findlay over Anthony
Wayne; Lima Senior over Perrysburg
TOLEDO WAITE: Toledo St. John’s
Jesuit and Sylvania Southview are the top seeds. St. John’s is in a
rare rebuilding year and normally starts five underclassmen. The Titans
are still in contention for the Toledo City League title. Coach Ed
Heintschel got his 500th career win earlier in the season.
St. John’s has won 10 consecutive sectional championships. Southview is
chasing Perrysburg in the NLL. 5’6” Tim Hausfeld is the top player for
the Cougars. Shaun Joplin of Southview is ineligible and out for the
season, but the Cougars haven’t skipped a beat in his absence. It
appears the most excitement at Scott was finding out what transfers
would make their way to Collingwood Avenue during the off-season. This
year it’s David Sweeney (Whitmer) and Antwan Jones (Woodward) becoming
Bulldogs. Scott has been disappointing. 6’9” Zac Taylor missed the
first half of the season for Clay. The Eagles are better since Taylor
returned, but don’t expect them to have much of an impact on the
tournament
Semifinals-Scott over
Springfield; St. John’s Jesuit over Woodward; Clay over Bowsher
Finals-Southview over Scott; St.
John’s Jesuit over Clay
TOLEDO CENTRAL CATHOLIC: Toledo
Waite and Toledo Whitmer are the top seeds. Waite has a nucleus of
seniors that decided to stay at Waite rather than jumping ship when the
vultures from other TCL schools came calling. Khari Riley became the
first player in Waite history to score 1,000 career points when he hit
that mark earlier this season. Whitmer is near the top in the TCL, but
hasn’t shown they can contend with Libbey and St. John’s. Ryne Smith of
the Panthers signed with Purdue during the early signing period. St.
Francis has been coming on strong since the beginning of the new year.
Kevin Henry is one of the top players in the TCL. Start was the
pre-season pick for 11th in the TCL, but has been much more
competitive than expected. The bracket including Start, St. Francis,
and Whitmer should be very interesting with any of the three having a
shot at advancing.
Semifinals-Rogers over Northview;
St. Francis over Start
Finals-Waite over Rogers; St.
Francis over Whitmer
DISTRICTS
Mansfield Senior will meet
Ashland in a district semi-final at Willard while Findlay and Lima
Senior play in the semi-final at Liberty-Benton.
Semifinals-Mansfield Senior over
Ashland; Findlay over Lima Senior
BGSU: Findlay broke Mansfield
Senior’s streak of three consecutive district championships last
season. Note: The district final won’t start until 8:00 p.m. since the
BG men and women both have games on March 1.
Finals-Mansfield Senior over
Findlay
UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO: St.
John’s is the two-time defending district champ and has 5 district
championships in the past 6 seasons. With Libbey in D2, any of the four
teams has a great shot at the championship. Note: The district final on
March 1 is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
Semifinals-St. John’s Jesuit
over Southview; St. Francis over Waite
Finals-St. John’s Jesuit over
St. Francis
Top of Page
DIVISION
II
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We’ve already discussed Libbey
dropping down to D2 and their impact on the ’08 tourney. In addition to
Celina dropping from D1 to D2, Ontario and Port Clinton have gone from
D2 to D3.
Libbey has been near the top in
the Associated Press poll all season. The Cowboys spent one week as the
state’s top-ranked team in D2, but a four-point loss to Saginaw, the top
ranked big school in Michigan, dropped Libbey in the poll. That shows
how meaningful the polls are. Fostoria and Lexington have also been
fixtures in the top ten. To date, Fostoria has only a November overtime
loss to Norwalk while Lexington has losses to Ontario and Orrville.
Although not in the top ten, Lima Shawnee has also been included in the
poll.
With renovations scheduled to
begin at the University of Toledo’s Savage Hall in early March, the D2
regional has been moved to Bowling Green’s ancient Anderson Arena. The
Ashland district winner will meet the winner of a weak Westlake district
(Parma Heights Holy Name, Vermilion, Avon) and the BG district winner
will play one of the Columbus district winners (Columbus Eastmoor,
Columbus St. Francis DeSales, Buckeye Valley) in the semifinals. Canal
Winchester is playing in the other Columbus district with the winner of
that district heading to the regional at Wright State.
SECTIONALS
LIMA SENIOR: Lima Shawnee and
Van Wert are the top seeds. Shawnee is currently leading the Western
Buckeye League. Shawnee’s chance of moving into the top ten in the
statewide poll took a blow with a big loss to D4 New Knoxville.
Shawnee’s other loss is to Toledo Start. Jerin Butler (Jamar’s brother)
is the top player for the Indians. Van Wert had heavy graduation losses
from their ’07 regional team, but the Cougars return leading score Chris
Morrow. Morrow recently surpassed the 1,000 mark in career points. Van
Wert is chasing Shawnee in the WBL race. The rest of this sectional is
mediocre at best, as the WBL is a bit down this season. Shawnee appears
to be a lock for the district. The upset bug could bite Van Wert.
Semifinals-Elida over St. Marys;
Van Wert over Wapakoneta; Celina over Lima Bath
Finals-Lima Shawnee over Elida;
Van Wert over Celina
ANTHONY WAYNE: Toledo Libbey
and Toledo Central Catholic are the top seeds. OSU recruit William
Buford leads Libbey. The Cowboys are big and deep and get double figure
scoring from Julius Wells and Brad Sandridge in addition to Buford. In
addition to their loss to Saginaw, Libbey received an early season
wakeup call from Central Catholic. The next four seeds at AW (Central
Catholic, Napoleon, Wauseon, and Defiance) all jumped into the other
bracket in order to avoid the Cowboys. Central is on the verge of
falling out of the Toledo City League race, but the Irish have the win
over Libbey. Napoleon is in contention in the GBC. Wauseon suffered a
big blow when Elliott Mealer was injured and lost for the season after
being involved in a tragic auto accident. The Indians have won 5
straight sectional titles. Defiance is much improved, and the Bulldogs
are chasing Shawnee in the WBL race. Central, Napoleon, Wauseon, and
Defiance in the same bracket will result in a great night of basketball
in the semifinals.
Semifinals-Rossford over Bryan;
Central Catholic over Napoleon; Defiance over Wauseon
Finals-Libbey over Rossford;
Defiance over Central Catholic
SANDUSKY: Fostoria and Norwalk
are the top seeds. This is a good sectional with 6 of the 8 teams above
.500 at the time of the draw. Fostoria leads the Northern Ohio League.
The Redmen are deep and experienced. Chase Munoz leads a veteran cast
for Fostoria. Kyle Kurtz and 7’ Kyle Smith are top players for
Norwalk. The Truckers have recently fallen out of the hunt for their
first NOL title since 1962. Clyde leads the Sandusky Bay Conference.
Alex Gillett is the top player the Fliers. Eastwood is a newcomer to
Sandusky and happy to get away from the AW sectional. The Eagles are
currently tied for the Suburban Lakes League lead. Tiffin Columbian is
much improved while Perkins is above .500 despite heavy graduation
losses. Bellevue is down this season, but Norwalk better not be looking
ahead.
Semifinals-Fostoria over Oak
Harbor; Tiffin Columbian over Perkins; Norwalk over Bellevue; Clyde over
Eastwood
Finals-Fostoria over Tiffin
Columbian; Norwalk over Clyde
MANSFIELD SENIOR: Lexington and
Shelby are the top seeds. This is another solid sectional. Lexington
is deep and balanced with three starters averaging in double figures.
Lex handed Mansfield Senior their only loss. Shelby is chasing Fostoria
in the NOL. Matt Sommer is one of the top players in the league.
Although out of the WBL race, Kenton is having their best season in
years. 6’9’ Garrick Sherman is one of the top juniors in the state.
Following a slow start, Willard has put together a solid season. Kevin
Deidrick is the top player for the Flashes. 2005 D2 state champ and
2007 D2 state runner-up Upper Sandusky is giving up a whopping 89 points
per game (the Rams are scoring just under 83). Junior Alex Falk
recently went over 1,000 career points for the Rams.
Semifinals-Upper Sandusky over
Galion; Willard over Kenton; Shelby over Clear Fork
Finals-Lexington over Upper
Sandusky; Shelby over Willard
DISTRICTS
BGSU: Van Wert is the defending
district champion. Will anyone challenge Libbey?
Semifinals-Shawnee over
Defiance; Libbey over Van Wert
Finals-Libbey over Shawnee
ASHLAND UNIVERSITY: Upper Sandusky is the defending district champion.
Bellevue in ’02 was the last team other than Upper or Willard to win
this district.
Semifinals-Shelby over Fostoria;
Lexington over Norwalk
Finals-Shelby over
Lexington
Top of Page
DIVISION III
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D3 is where we start seeing
plenty of changes. Ontario and Port Clinton both dropped down from D2
to D3. Colonel Crawford, Hicksville, Liberty Center, Marion Local,
Mohawk, Montpelier, Ottawa Hills, South Central, and Wynford all moved
up from D4 to D3. Ayersville, Convoy Crestview, Delphos Jefferson,
Patrick Henry, Seneca East, and Wayne Trace have moved down to D4.
Needless to say, the D3 tournament looks much different this season.
With these changes come some new tournament locations. Defiance,
Wapakoneta, Findlay, and Galion have replaced Napoleon, Norwalk, Elida,
and Lima Central Catholic as sectional sites. All the district sites
are new with Napoleon, Elida, and Mansfield Senior replacing Toledo
Waite, Ohio Northern, and Fostoria.
Liberty-Benton is undefeated and
the top-ranked team in the state according to the Associated Press.
Archbold, Marion Local, and St. Henry have also been included in the top
ten throughout the season with St. Henry’s appearance primarily based on
reputation. Ontario and Wynford have also been receiving votes.
The three district winners from
NW Ohio will join the Elyria district winner (Rocky River Lutheran West,
Peninsula Woodridge, Lorain Clearview) at the Bowling Green regional.
The Elyria district winner will take on the Elida district winner in one
semi-final with the Mansfield district winner playing the Napoleon
district winner in the other game. You have to like the chances of a NW
Ohio team advancing to the state in D3.
SECTIONALS
DEFIANCE: Archbold and Tinora
are the top seeds. Archbold has clinched at least a tie for the NWOAL
championship. Gene Goering became Archbold’s all-time leading scorer
earlier in the season. The Blue Streaks have won 7 straight sectional
championships. Tinora, Hicksville, and Fairview are evenly matched in
the other bracket with Tinora getting the second seed based on their
wins over Hicksville and Fairview. Both Hicksville and Tinora have
torched the Swami in the past. Any of those three GMC rivals has a real
shot at advancing. Josh Vandemark is the top player for Hicksville.
Paulding is improved but likely won’t be a factor. Montpelier belongs
in the D4 sectional at Bryan. Enough said.
Semifinals-Paulding over
Montpelier; Fairview over Hicksville
Finals-Archbold over Paulding;
Fairview over Tinora
SYLVANIA SOUTHVIEW: Genoa and
Ottawa Hills are the top seeds. Genoa has been a surprise in the SLL
with the Comets currently tied for the league lead. Ottawa Hills is
tied with Toledo Christian for the TAAC lead. Phillip Beans and Brent
Abendroth are two of the top players in the TAAC although the 6’7” Beans
has recently been slowed by injury. Swanton has enjoyed a solid
season. Earlier in the season, Brad Betz became the second player in
Swanton basketball history to surpass 1,000 points in a career. After
returning two starters from their district championship team, more was
expected from Evergreen. The Vikings have three starters averaging in
double figures but not much beyond that. Evergreen does appear to be
improving as the tournament approaches so don’t be surprised if the
Vikings pull the upset for their 5th straight sectional
championship.
Semifinals-Swanton over Delta;
Ottawa Hills over Liberty Center; Evergreen over Lake
Finals-Ottawa Hills over
Evergreen; Swanton over Genoa
WAPAKONETA: Marion Local and St.
Henry are the top seeds. Both Marion Local and Coldwater got off to
late starts after winning state championships in football. Marion Local
is heading for a showdown with New Knoxville for the MAC title. An
inexperienced St. Henry team jumped out to a 7-0 start but has cooled of
late. St. Henry has five consecutive sectional championships and two
straight district titles. Parkway is having a solid season and has one
of the top players in the MAC in Josh Fisher. The Panthers could be the
surprise team at Wapak. Lima Central Catholic is in the midst of a rare
down year, but the T-Birds are very young. When the T-Birds entered the
Northwest Conference a year ago, there were those who thought that LCC
would dominate the league.
Semifinals-Parkway over Lima
Central Catholic; Coldwater over Spencerville
Finals-Marion Local over
Parkway; Coldwater over St. Henry
FINDLAY: Liberty-Benton and
Ottawa-Glandorf are the top seeds. Wasn’t this supposed to be a
rebuilding year at L-B with only Aaron Craft returning as starter from
the 2007 state runner-up? The Eagles have been tested on several
occasions but have found a way to remain undefeated. L-B’s last loss
during the regular season was to Wapakoneta back in February ’06.
Liberty-Benton has won 17 consecutive sectional titles under Steve
Williman. Ottawa-Glandorf was a bit inconsistent earlier in the season
and is fighting to stay in the WBL race. O-G has played a rugged
schedule for a D3 team and appears to be peaking as the tournament
approaches. Elmwood was the overwhelming favorite to take the SLL
title, but dug themselves a hole during the first half of the season.
The Royals have been playing much better of late. Bluffton has put
together a solid season. Mohawk’s streak of 4 straight sectional titles
is likely to end this season.
Semifinals-Mohawk over Otsego;
Ottawa-Glandorf over Lakota; Elmwood over Bluffton
Finals-Liberty-Benton over
Mohawk; Ottawa-Glandorf over Elmwood
GALION: Ontario and Wynford are
the top seeds. Perennial North Central Conference powers Ontario and
Wynford are back together in D3. Ontario leads the NCC thanks to two
close wins over the Royals. Jake Mochaskay is the top player for
Ontario. Wynford has 12 straight sectional championships to go along
with district championships in each of the past two seasons while
playing in D4. Surprising Colonel Crawford is having an excellent
season. The Eagles have one of the better players in the NCC in Austin
Smith. South Central has put together a solid season while New London
has been disappointing after being considered a favorite for the
Firelands Conference title. New London has been playing better
recently.
Semifinals-New London over
Bucyrus; Wynford over Ashland Crestview; Colonel Crawford over South
Central
Finals-Ontario over New London;
Wynford over Colonel Crawford
OLD FORT: Western Reserve and
Gibsonburg are the top seeds. Western Reserve is currently leading the
Firelands Conference. The only loss for the Roughriders came at the
hands of Sandusky Perkins. WR has 4 straight sectional titles under
coach Chris Sheldon. Gibsonburg is currently battling Genoa and
Eastwood for the SLL lead. The Bears won a district title in ’06.
Gibsonburg’s Matt Kreglow is one of the top players in the SLL. Port
Clinton is very young with 5 sophomores and a freshman seeing
significant playing time. The Redskins appear to be a year away from
making some noise. The remaining four teams all had losses in double
figures at the time of the draw. Edison and Margaretta are the best of
that group. The opening game will be a shootout between Vince Palka of
Huron and Corey Witker of Woodmore.
Semifinals-Woodmore over Huron;
Gibsonburg over Margaretta; Port Clinton over Edison
Finals-Western Reserve over
Woodmore; Gibsonburg over Port Clinton
DISTRICTS
NAPOLEON: Evergreen won the
Waite district in 2007.
Semifinals-Archbold over Ottawa
Hills; Fairview over Swanton
Finals-Archbold over Fairview
ELIDA: St. Henry won the Ohio Northern district in ‘07.
Semifinals-Ottawa-Glandorf over
Marion Local; Liberty-Benton over Coldwater
Finals-Ottawa-Glandorf over
Liberty-Benton
MANSFIELD SENIOR: This district replaces the Fostoria district that
Liberty-Benton won in 2007. Wynford and Western Reserve is a great
match-up.
Semifinals-Ontario over
Gibsonburg; Wynford over Western Reserve
Finals-Ontario over Wynford
Top of Page
DIVISION
IV
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There are plenty of changes in
D4 as well. We previously explained the “downsizing” of D4 resulting in
the elimination of two sectionals and one of the districts. While the
coffee was still working for the Swami, we also mentioned that 9 teams
moved up from D4 to D3 with 6 teams dropping down to D4 from D3. If you
want the details, you can find them in our D3 narrative. Bluffton,
Bowling Green, and Tiffin Columbian are in as new sectional sites while
Wauseon, Sylvania Northview, Riverdale, Hopewell Loudon, and Kenton are
out as sectional sites. The Fostoria district has been eliminated.
Undefeated New Knoxville is the
state’s top ranked D4 team according to the Associated Press. New
Knoxville was also the D4 poll champion in 2007. As usual, D4 in NW
Ohio is getting plenty of love with Ayersville and Ada also in the top
ten and Fort Recovery knocking on the door. Toledo Christian, Van
Buren, and Pandora-Gilboa have also been receiving votes.
District winners from Willard
and Liberty-Benton will play in one regional semifinal at BG’s Anderson
Arena with the Elida and Napoleon district winners meeting in the other
game. The Wapakoneta district winner will be headed to the University
of Dayton to be joined by the winners of the three Dayton districts.
The Wapak winner will meet the winner of the Dayton district that
includes Springfield Catholic Central, New Madison Tri-Village, and
Houston in a regional semifinal.
SECTIONALS
COLDWATER: New Knoxville and
Fort Recovery are the top seeds. Top ranked New Knoxville has dominated
their opponents so far this season outscoring them almost 30 points per
game. The Rangers have great balance with five players averaging in
double figures and another chipping in more than 9 a game. The last
regular season loss for New Knoxville was back in February ’06 to St.
Henry. Fort Recovery has put together a solid season. In Greg Kahlig,
the Indians have one of the top players in the MAC. New Bremen and
Minster are mired in the second division of the MAC, but both are
capable of pulling off the upset. 6’9” Scott Schnelle is the top player
for New Bremen. Minster recently handed Marion Local their first MAC
defeat.
Semifinals-Lima Perry over
Waynesfield-Goshen; New Bremen over Minster
Finals-New Knoxville over Lima
Perry; Fort Recovery over New Bremen
LIMA BATH: Ada and Lima Temple
Christian are the top seeds. Ada got off to a late start following a
deep run into the football playoffs. Ada is undefeated in the
Northwest Conference and has lost to New Knoxville and Kenton outside
the league. Zac Dysert is the top player for the Bulldogs. Ada is an
overwhelming favorite to garner their 5th straight sectional
crown. Lima Temple Christian got the second seed because somebody had
to. Temple is the NWCC champion and has a fine player in Clayton
Leimeister. The rest of this sectional is not a pretty sight. Allen
East, Hardin Northern, Upper Scioto Valley, and Ridgemont are a combined
7-59 as of this writing. Ouch. Three of those schools have never been
basketball powers, but it is hard to believe how far USV has fallen.
Semifinals- Hardin Northern over
Ridgemont; Allen East over Upper Scioto Valley
Finals-Ada over Hardin Northern;
Lima Temple Christian over Allen East
VAN WERT: Wayne Trace and
Antwerp are the top seeds. The lineup at Van Wert is always full of
traditional powers. Top seed Wayne Trace is the only one of those
traditional powers that is above .500 at the present time. Wayne Trace
is currently battling Ayersville for the GMC title. Aaron Hockenberry
is the top player for the Raiders. Antwerp is also in the upper half of
the GMC. Boston Hormann and Bob Bragg lead the way for the Archers.
Delphos Jefferson is the third team at VW that is currently over .500.
Convoy Crestview, Delphos St. John’s, Ottoville, and Lincolnview have
all been inconsistent. Delphos St. John’s recently lost their leading
scorer, Bob Koester, for the season with a knee injury. Ottoville has a
streak of 4 consecutive sectional titles that is likely to end.
Semifinals-Ottoville over
Lincolnview; Antwerp over Delphos St. John’s; Convoy Crestview over
Delphos Jefferson
Finals-Wayne Trace over
Ottoville; Antwerp over Convoy Crestview
BLUFFTON: Pandora-Gilboa and
Arlington are the top seeds. A very good sectional. Not much separates
Arlington, Pandora-Gilboa, Kalida, and Fort Jennings so there should be
some great sectional final games barring an upset in the semi-finals.
Pandora-Gilboa and Arlington are both in the upper half of the BVC. The
top 5 teams (L-B, Van Buren, P-G, Arlington, Vanlue) in the BVC are
currently 42-2 against non-conference opponents with those 2 losses to
Ada. Kalida has 8 wins in a row as of this writing. Fort Jennings has
been a mystery as they have wins over Ayersville and Antwerp but have
lost to mediocre teams. Derek Geise is the top player for the
Musketeers. Riverdale is having their best season in several years
while Columbus Grove’s streak of 5 straight sectional titles is coming
to an end. Don’t be too surprised if one of the PCL teams “upsets” a
BVC team.
Semifinals-Kalida over Columbus
Grove; Arlington over Cory-Rawson; Fort Jennings over Riverdale
Finals-Pandora-Gilboa over
Kalida; Arlington over Fort Jennings
BRYAN: Pettisville and Stryker
are the top seeds. Once upon a time when the late Don Huber was
coaching at Continental, the tournament at Ottawa-Glandorf (or wherever)
was packed with strong teams. When it was his turn to place the Pirates
on the bracket, Coach Huber said “I’ll pass and go to the Bryan
sectional.” That’s typical of the lack of respect that the Bryan
sectional has received over the years. There are more than a few who
attribute Holgate’s string of district titles to the Tigers being in the
same district as the Bryan sectional teams. Edgerton, Fayette, North
Central, and Hilltop aren’t having stellar years, but they’re probably
better than the bottom four at Bath. This was supposed to be a
rebuilding year for Pettisville but the Blackbirds are leading the BBC.
Stryker is chasing Pettisville in the BBC and is playing well of late.
Edon could sneak up on Stryker.
Semifinals-North Central over
Hilltop; Stryker over Edgerton; Edon over Fayette
Finals-Pettisville over North
Central; Stryker over Edon
OTTAWA-GLANDORF: Ayersville and
Patrick Henry are the top seeds. Ayersville lost in overtime to Fort
Jennings back in November and hasn’t been beaten since. The Pilots have
clinched at least a share of the GMC title and are headed for a showdown
with Wayne Trace. Patrick Henry got off to a bit of a slow start
following a deep run in the football playoffs. The Patriots have played
a brutal schedule for a D4 team. Twins Kyle and Kevin Tietje pace PH.
It has been a typical season for Holgate. The Tigers are averaging
around 34 points per game (including outburst of 18, 20, 21, and 23)
while giving up around 31 per game (including games of 25, 24, 18, and
7). Holgate is out of the GMC race but very dangerous come tournament
time. McComb is a middle of the pack BVC team despite being young.
Miller City held Holgate to 20 in a big win. Continental might be the
youngest team in the state with freshmen and sophomores joining a lone
senior. Leipsic is much improved under long-time O-G assistant Scott
Maag.
Semifinals-Holgate over Leipsic;
McComb over Miller City; Patrick Henry over Continental
Finals-Holgate over Ayersville;
Patrick Henry over McComb
BOWLING GREEN: Toledo Christian
and Van Buren are the top seeds. The Swami used to make fun of the old
BG sectional with its weak teams and the poor lighting in the Bowling
Green gym. BG returns as a sectional site, and the poor lighting in the
gym has been replaced by “Fear Von” t-shirts. That’s another story for
another day. The field of teams is no longer weak with a cast headed by
Toledo Christian and Van Buren. Toledo Christian experienced heavy
graduation losses from their ’07 team that was undefeated until losing
to VB in the district final. The Eagles return an excellent big man in
6’6” Ethan Michael. Two other Eagles have stepped up to join Michael as
double figure scorers this season. TC’s only loss to date is to Ottawa
Hills. VB returns most of its regional runner-up team from 2007. 1,000
point scorer Matt Phillips leads the Black Knights. VB is currently
tied for second in the BVC. Cardinal Stritch has been solid in the TAAC
while Arcadia is having their best season in a number of years.
Semifinals-Arcadia over
Northwood; Van Buren over North Baltimore; Cardinal Stritch over Maumee
Valley Country Day
Finals-Toledo Christian over
Arcadia; Van Buren over Cardinal Stritch
TIFFIN COLUMBIAN: Vanlue and
Tiffin Calvert are the top seeds. Vanlue joins the best of the MAL at
Columbian. Vanlue has put together a solid season losing only to
Liberty-Benton, Van Buren, and Pandora-Gilboa. Josh Kloepfer and Nick
Lee form a solid one-two punch for the Wildcats. Really tough to figure
out these MAL teams come tournament time so there come be some upsets.
Calvert is currently undefeated in the MAL while both Carey and New
Riegel are playing well of late. Hopewell-Loudon got their usual late
start due to football. The Chieftains have done well in league play but
haven’t fared as well outside the MAL. Carey’s 6’7”Mike Dennis recently
shattered a backboard while “shooting around” with his varsity teammates
prior to the start of a junior varsity game. Needless to say, both the
varsity and jv games were delayed. Bring it home Jerome.
Semifinals-New Riegel over
Fostoria St. Wendelin; Tiffin Calvert over Seneca East; Carey over
Hopewell-Loudon
Finals-Vanlue over New Riegel;
Carey over Tiffin Calvert
PORT CLINTON: Sandusky St.
Mary’s and Norwalk St. Paul are the top seeds. Sandusky St. Mary’s is
battling Clyde and Port Clinton for the SBC crown. Ryan Heath of the
Panthers went over 1,000 career points earlier in the season. Norwalk
St. Paul trails only Western Reserve and Plymouth in the Firelands
Conference. The Flyers appear to be peaking as tournament time
approaches. Monroeville might not be Augie’s Eagles but this version of
the Eagles is having their best season in years. Monroeville plays
up-tempo and is averaging over 83 points per game. St. Paul beat
Monroeville 100-93 back in January despite St. Paul committing an
astounding 44 turnovers in the game. Danbury is the best of the rest at
PC. Bettsville has already racked up 6 wins this season which is a good
season for the Bobcats. Sophomore Andrew Hartsel of Bettsville is
averaging over 22 points per contest.
Semifinals-Fremont St. Joseph
over Old Fort; Monroeville over Danbury; Norwalk St. Paul over
Bettsville
Finals-Sandusky St. Mary’s over
Fremont St. Joseph; Norwalk St. Paul over Monroeville
LEXINGTON: Plymouth and Lucas
are the top seeds. Much was expected of Plymouth this year despite the
Big Red fielding a relatively young team. Plymouth’s only losses are to
Western Reserve in Firelands Conference play. Sophomore Brook Turson is
probably the top player in the FC while 6’7” Jacob Furr provides
support. There were some shenanigans involving the North Central
Conference coaches at the tournament draw with a five-win Lucas team
getting the second seed over Mansfield St. Peter’s. That’s why they
play the games. To their credit, Lucas does have a win over NCC power
Ontario. Earlier in the season it appeared that Buckeye Central be a
contender in this sectional, but the Bucks have hit the skids.
Semifinals-Buckeye Central over
Mansfield Christian; Mansfield St. Peter’s over Crestline
Finals-Plymouth over Buckeye
Central; Mansfield St. Peter’s over Lucas
DISTRICTS
WAPAKONETA: New Knoxville won
the district in 2007.
Semifinals-New Knoxville over
Lima Temple Christian; Fort Recovery over Ada
Finals-New Knoxville over Fort
Recovery
ELIDA: Fort Jennings won the
district in 2007.
Semifinals-Wayne Trace over
Arlington; Pandora-Gilboa over Antwerp
Finals-Wayne Trace over Pandora-Gilboa
NAPOLEON: Holgate won the
district in 2007. It was the 7th consecutive district title
for the Tigers.
Semifinals-Patrick Henry over
Pettisville; Holgate over Stryker
Finals-Patrick Henry over
Holgate
LIBERTY-BENTON: Van Buren won the district in 2007. Toledo Christian
has been the district runner-up the past three seasons.
Semifinals-Toledo Christian over
Carey; Van Buren over Vanlue
Finals-Van Buren over Toledo
Christian
WILLARD: Buckeye Central won the
district in 2007.
Semifinals-Sandusky St. Mary’s
over Mansfield St. Peter’s; Plymouth over Norwalk St. Paul
Finals-Plymouth over Sandusky
St. Mary’s
This has to be like
reading War and Peace. If any of you made it this far, we hope
you enjoyed it. Records and statistics are current as of February 2,
2008. All facts, fiction, errors, and opinions in Trail Trash are those
of the Swami. We’ll have our regional and state (and much shorter)
edition ready to go some time before the regional tournament begins.
Hope to see you somewhere down the tournament trail. Rock on.
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