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Welcome to year sixteen of Trail
Trash as well as our sixth year online at
www.davey1.com.. We appreciate the support and
compliments we have received over the years.
This has been the season of
postponed games. To date, well over 180 games around Northwest Ohio
have been postponed due to bad weather. Hopefully, we won’t be flirting
with the 200 mark by the end of the season. The crack staff at
davey1.com has done an outstanding job of keeping track of all the
scheduling changes this winter. Kudos to all the Athletic Directors
throughout NW Ohio who not only have done a great job in rescheduling
all the postponed boys basketball games, but also with all the other
postponed athletic events as well. Last year, the weather hammered us
at tournament time especially during the week of the regional tourney.
Let’s hope that the worst of the winter weather is behind us.
As the Swami has traveled around
Northwest Ohio this season, he has heard a recurring theme. The NWOAL
is down. The NOL is down. The Toledo City League is down. The SBC is
down. This league is down. That league is down. The Swami has heard
from a number of people that this is a down year for high school
basketball in NW Ohio in general. Is it? Without going into a long
dissertation, the Swami has a simple theory (and we all know that the
Swami and simple are synonymous). There are a bunch of middle of the
road teams along with the usual number of not so good and really bad
teams, but there aren’t the usual number of marquee teams around NW
Ohio. Throw in a handful of traditional powers having losing seasons as
well as what seems to be a large number of underclassmen playing varsity
basketball throughout the district, and it plays into the belief that
this might be a down year.
Before we close, we need to say
something about the potential changes in league memberships. Lakota’s
exit from the SLL to the MAL as well as the NCC’s interest in Upper
Sandusky and Galion have fueled the fire this time around. The Swami is
still trying to comprehend the idea that Fostoria could be a member of
the SLL. It is naïve not to think that there will be some movement, but
it remains to be seen whether there will be the wide spread
ramifications that some have predicted. Since we started this
publication back in 1994, new leagues have been formed and leagues have
gone by the wayside with plenty of schools switching leagues. Since
it’s happened in the past, it will continue to happen in the future.
The Swami feels a Bob Dylan quote coming so we better end this before
everyone stops reading.
The Swami found a new ouija
board at a garage sale in Rollersville over the summer, so it’s time to
dust it off. Let’s go to the picks.
DIVISION
I
Since this is not a year for new
enrollment numbers, there is no need to talk about schools moving among
the divisions. We can save that for next season.
Not a lot of statewide
recognition for NW Ohio D1 teams this season. Lima Senior began the
season with eleven straight wins becoming a fixture in the AP’s top
ten. The Spartans have disappeared from the poll during their recent
slide. Sylvania Southview also has received some recognition in the
polls. The Cougars, with 8 football players dotting their roster, lost
their opener to Columbus Brookhaven one week after defeating Cincinnati
Anderson for the D2 state football title. Much was expected of Toledo
St. John’s, but the Titans got off to a slow start. Toledo Waite has
been running under the radar while Perrysburg and Mansfield Madison are
also in the process of putting together outstanding seasons.
Similar to previous seasons, 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 semifinal games with the district final played at BGSU. The
winners from the two Toledo sectionals will advance to the beautiful new
Savage Arena (the Swami hasn’t seen it yet but that’s what they said on
the “T” Sports Report) at the University of Toledo with the winners from
Waite playing in one semifinal game and the winners from Central
Catholic playing in the second semifinal game. The two district winners
from NW Ohio will advance to the regional at the University of Akron
where they are slated to play each other in a semifinal game. Last
season, Perrysburg and Toledo Whitmer traveled all the way to Akron to
meet in a semifinal contest. There was plenty of complaining in the
Toledo area about the decision to keep the game in Akron. Savage Hall
was not available and BGSU had three regional tournaments scheduled so
there were some logistical issues. Some of the comments coming out of
the OHSAA didn’t make it their finest public relations moment. Let’s
hope some common sense prevails this year. If Mansfield Madison plays
Toledo St. John’s, it should be no big deal playing in Akron. If it’s
between Lima Senior and one of the Toledo schools, the OHSAA should move
the game to Northwest Ohio. District winners from Copley (Barberton)
and Canton (Canton Timken, Canton GlenOak) will join the two NW Ohio
district winners at the JAR.
SECTIONALS
WILLARD: Mansfield Madison and
Mansfield Senior are the top seeds. Madison hadn’t received the top
seed since 1980 when Joe Jakubick was scoring in bunches for the Rams.
Madison currently leads a tight OCC race. Mansfield Senior is in a
reloading year, but will still be a force at Willard. Effie James is in
his first year as head coach of the Tygers. Mansfield is gunning for
their 8th straight sectional crown. Fremont Ross has been
inconsistent but appears to be the best of the rest. Ashland was hit
with heavy graduation losses from their district runner-up squad..
Marion Harding is improved, and has an upset win over Lima Senior, but
.500 seasons and tournament success haven’t been a tradition for the
Presidents. Sandusky is in the midst of a down year.
Semifinals-Marion Harding over
Ashland; Fremont Ross over Sandusky
Finals-Mansfield Senior over
Marion Harding; Mansfield Madison over Fremont Ross
LIBERTY-BENTON: Perrysburg and
Lima Senior are the top seeds. Perrysburg has returning starters
Charlie Hughes and David Hieber back from last year’s district
championship team. Pburg’s only losses to date are to Southview and O-G
with another game against Southview looming. Lima Senior was rarely
tested during their eleven game winning streak to start the season. The
Spartans have come back to the pack with losses to Napoleon, Grove City,
and Marion Harding.. Anton Hutchins is the top player for Lima.
Findlay has a D1 recruit in Luke Kraus (BGSU). The Trojans’ Jim Rucki
is one of the top coaches in NW Ohio. Bowling Green is talented but
young while Anthony Wayne and Maumee have had difficult seasons.
Semifinals-Bowling Green over
Anthony Wayne; Findlay over Maumee
Finals-Lima Senior over Bowling
Green; Findlay over Perrysburg
TOLEDO WAITE: Sylvania Southview
and Toledo St. John’s are the top seeds. Waite is one of the Swami’s
favorite venues, but don’t forget to wear the deodorant. Tim Hausfeld
is Southview’s all-time leading scorer while Shaun Joplin might be the
most athletic player in NW Ohio. The Cougars have five players tossing
in at least nine points a game. St. John’s was expected to be the
dominant team in Toledo after returning all five starters from last
year’s district runner-up. The Titans look like they have righted the
ship, but is it partly because they’ve hit the soft part of their
schedule? Time will tell. SJJ has won 11 straight sectional titles.
Springfield has some good young talent while Clay is competitive but
finds a way to lose close games.
Semifinals-Northview over
Bowsher; Clay over Springfield
Finals-St. John’s Jesuit over
Northview; Southview over Clay
TOLEDO CENTRAL CATHOLIC: Toledo
Waite and Toledo Rogers are the top seeds. Add Central to the Swami’s
list of favorite tournament sites. Waite lost all five starters from
their 2008 district qualifier. Darius Glover might be the top player in
the City League while Ke-Sean Harris is one of the top sophomores in NW
Ohio. The Indians just find a way to win. Rogers has as much talent as
anyone in the CL. The Rams missed 6 consecutive free throws in a span
of 3.6 seconds during the final minute of a one-point loss to Start.
Coach Earl Morris said after the game that the Rams aren’t a very good
foul-shooting team. Thanks Earl. Who would have ever guessed? Start
has two of the better players in Toledo in Anthony Henderson and 6’9”
Devin Russell. St. Francis and Scott are both sleepers in the
tournament due at least in part to some key players regaining their
eligibility for the second semester.. Whitmer lost their top 8 players
from last year’s surprise state qualifier.
Semifinals-St. Francis over
Scott; Rogers over Woodward; Start over Whitmer
Finals-Waite over St. Francis;
Start over Rogers
DISTRICTS
Mansfield Senior and Mansfield
Madison will play in the district semifinal at Willard while Lima Senior
and Findlay will meet in the district semifinal at Liberty-Benton.
Semifinals-Mansfield Madison
over Mansfield Senior; Lima Senior over Findlay
BGSU: Perrysburg won this
district in 2008. There have been 4 different winners (Mansfield
Senior, Ashland, Findlay, Perrysburg) in the past 7 seasons at the BG
district.
Finals-Lima Senior over
Mansfield Madison
UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO: Whitmer
won this district in 2008. St. John’s has won 5 district championships
in the past 7 years.
Semifinals-St. John’s Jesuit
over Southview; Waite over Start
Finals-St. John’s Jesuit over
Waite
Top of Page
DIVISION
II
No D2 teams from Northwest Ohio
are currently being shown in the statewide D2 poll. Napoleon who handed
Lima Senior their first loss of the season, Eastwood, and 2007 state
runner-up Upper Sandusky are all having outstanding seasons but there
has been no love for any of them statewide. Celina and several other
teams are also having solid seasons, but parody appears to be the word
when describing D2 hoops in NW Ohio this year. Toledo Libbey advanced
to the state championship game in D2 last season before suffering a
stunning loss to Chillicothe in the final. Libbey experienced heavy
graduation losses including Mr. Basketball William Buford, and the
Cowboys are not expected to make a long tournament run this season.
Swanton replaces Anthony Wayne
as a sectional site in one of the few venue changes for 2009. The
sectional had been held at AW for the past three seasons.
The D2 regional tournament will
again be played at Bowling Green’s ancient Anderson Arena. The Ashland
district winner will play the Westlake district winner (Vermilion. Parma
Heights Holy Name) and the BG district winner will play one of the
Columbus district winners (Columbus St. Francis DeSales, Columbus
Eastmoor) in regional semifinal games at Bowling Green.
It’s not completely out of the
question that a NW Ohio team could make it to Columbus this season, but
they will certainly have their work cut out.
SECTIONALS
LIMA SENIOR: Celina and Lima
Shawnee are the top seeds. Seven WBL teams comprise the Lima Senior
sectional. Celina is the surprise leader in the WBL and is headed for a
late season showdown with Ottawa-Glandorf. Derek Gagle and Jake Green
are the top players for the Bulldogs who have found a way to win the
close games. Shawnee also remains a contender in the league race. The
Indians’ strength is in guards Cody Smith and Garrick Warthem. Elida is
the sleeper in this sectional.. The Bulldogs handed O-G their first
loss of the season back in January. Van Wert is in a rebuilding year
while Bath always seems to be rebuilding. St. Marys and Wapak won
back-to-back district titles in ’05 and ’06. That was a long time ago.
Semifinals-Van Wert over Lima
Bath; Lima Shawnee over Wapakoneta; Elida over St. Marys
Finals-Celina over Van Wert;
Elida over Lima Shawnee
SWANTON: Napoleon and Defiance
are the top seeds. Swanton is one of those boring new cookie-cutter
gyms. A boring gym but a very good sectional. Napoleon has been a
major surprise under new coach Tim Badenhop. The Wildcats have a strong
backcourt led by the Hunter twins. Last year Defiance had a bunch of
little guys who shot the 3. This year, the Bulldogs have some big guys
and don’t shoot the 3 all that well. Just shows that a good coach can
adapt to the talent on hand. Toledo Central Catholic has been a
surprise under former Owens Community College boss Jim Welling. How did
Toledo Libbey lose to Chillicothe in last year’s D2 state championship
game? The Cowboys have only one player, Brandon Ham, with much varsity
experience, but seven sophomores are contributing. The Cowboys appear
to be a year away. Wauseon and Bryan have been competitive in the NWOAL
while Tommy Kralovic and Zach Leahy of Rossford are both scoring close
to 20 a game.
Semifinals-Defiance over Libbey;
Central Catholic over Bryan; Rossford over Wauseon
Finals-Central Catholic over
Defiance; Napoleon over Rossford
SANDUSKY: Eastwood and Tiffin
Columbian are the top seeds. The Big House (it’s really not all that
big) is another one of the Swami’s favorite gyms. Seven teams (sorry
Oak Harbor) appear to have a shot in this sectional. Eastwood has
already clinched the SLL title. The Eagles’ only losses to date are to
Napoleon and Margaretta. Columbian, Bellevue, Fostoria, and Norwalk
have taken turns beating up on each other in the NOL. D1 football
recruit Micah Hyde is an outstanding player for Fostoria, the pre-season
NOL favorite. Clyde has played as well as anyone in this sectional
since the return of multi-talented Alex Gillett from an injury. Shon
Alexander from Perkins is a big-time scorer who recently dropped in 51
points in a game.. Oak Harbor has an excellent wrestling program.
Semifinals-Eastwood over
Norwalk; Bellevue over Perkins; Tiffin Columbian over Oak Harbor;
Fostoria over Clyde
Finals-Bellevue over Eastwood;
Tiffin Columbian over Fostoria
MANSFIELD SENIOR: Upper Sandusky
and Lexington are the top seeds. Surprising Upper Sandusky is in the
driver’s seat in the NOL. Upper’s Alex Falk will end his career as one
of the top scorers in NOL history. The Rams aren’t putting up (or
giving up) the mind-numbing numbers that we have grown accustomed to
although they will never be confused with Holgate. Lexington has been
consistently inconsistent. Courtney Avery is a top-notch player for Lex.
Kenton’s 6’10” Garrick Sherman (Michigan State) is one of the top
seniors in Ohio. The Wildcats don’t have the supporting cast to make a
tournament run. Galion got off to a blazing start, but is now part of
the six-team fight for 2nd place in the NOL. Shelby is young
and continues to improve. Look out for the Whippets. Clear Fork has a
win over Lexington but little else to show. Willard is down although
the Flashers took Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary to the wire. Whatever
happened to the Willard elephant?
Semifinals-Lexington over Clear
Fork; Kenton over Willard; Shelby over Galion
Finals-Lexington over Kenton;
Upper Sandusky over Shelby
DISTRICTS
BGSU: Libbey won this district
in 2008. Libbey’s win marked the first time since 1994 that one of the
teams coming from the Lima sectional had not advanced to the regional.
Semifinals-Toledo Central
Catholic over Celina; Napoleon over Elida
Finals-Toledo Central Catholic
over Napoleon
ASHLAND UNIVERSITY: Lexington
won this district in 2008. Lexington’s win broke up an eleven year run
by the NOL at Ashland.
Semifinals-Bellevue over
Lexington; Tiffin Columbian over Upper Sandusky
Finals-Tiffin Columbian over
Bellevue
Top of Page
DIVISION III
Northwest Ohio has three of the
top D3 teams in the state in Liberty-Benton, defending D3 state champ
Ottawa-Glandorf, and St. Henry. All three should end up playing in the
district at Elida. Milan Edison has also received some recognition in
the AP poll.. Colonel Crawford, Tinora, and Ottawa Hills are also
having excellent seasons.
There are two site changes for
2009 in D3. Toledo Whitmer replaces Sylvania Southview and Norwalk
replaces Old Fort (love those chair backs) as sectional locations.
The three NW Ohio district
winners will join the Elyria district winner (Cuyahoga Valley Christian
Academy, Lorain Clearview) for the Bowing Green regional. The Napoleon
district will take on the Elyria district winner in one semifinal with
the Elida district winner playing the Mansfield district winner in the
second semifinal contest.
The Swami will be shocked and
mystified if the Elida district winner does not advance to the state in
D3.
SECTIONALS
DEFIANCE: Tinora and Hicksville
are the top seeds. Tinora is the frontrunner in the GMC. The Rams’
only losses have been to Pettisville and Evergreen. Tinora is deep and
balanced. Josh Vandemark recently became the all-time leading scorer at
Hicksville. He has a chance to become the first player in Hicksville
history to go over 1,000 career points.. Fairview and Archbold (at
least until they met Tinora) have both been on a roll. They both jumped
at the chance to play the Aces and avoid Tinora making for what should
be a very interesting lower bracket. Archbold’s string of 8 straight
sectional titles could be in jeopardy. It’s been business as usual at
Paulding as it appears that coach Chuck Schroeder has been suspended for
the remainder of the season. Speaking of Locos, it’s been another long
year in Montpelier.
Semifinals-Paulding over
Montpelier; Archbold over Fairview
Finals-Tinora over Paulding;
Archbold over Hicksville
TOLEDO WHITMER: Ottawa Hills and
Evergreen are the top seeds. The Swami’s last tournament memory from
Whitmer is Elmwood beating big, bad Rossford in the 1976 “AA” district
final. Whitmer remained a tournament site for a couple more years after
that, but that was a long time ago. Ottawa Hills is in a fight with
Toledo Christian for the TAAC. 6’8” Phil Beans from OH is a D1 recruit
(Holy Cross). Evergreen will get no worse than a share of the NWOAL
crown. 6’9” Brock Bates and Chad Mossing are the top players for the
Vikings. Genoa jumped on Evergreen’s side of the bracket. The Comets
have the size and talent to compete with the Vikes. Swanton’s Chad
Lewis has returned from a serious knee injury that sidelined him for the
first part of the season. Swanton has shown a great deal of improvement
with Lewis, one of the top players in the NWOAL despite not being 100%.
Delta could pull an upset while Liberty Center recently won their first
game of the season.
Semifinals-Evergreen over
Liberty Center; Genoa over Swanton; Delta over Lake
Finals-Evergreen over Genoa;
Ottawa Hills over Delta
WAPAKONETA: St. Henry and
Coldwater are the top seeds. This is an excellent sectional. St.
Henry’s only losses are to Delphos St. John’s and Coldwater. The
Redskins close the season at New Knoxville. St. Henry has their usual
assortment of Niekamp’s and Post’s. Coldwater is another team from the
MAC to be reckoned with. Junior Eric Lefeld is the leading scorer and
rebounder for the balanced Cavaliers. A young Lima Central Catholic
team is in the driver’s seat in the NWC. T-Bird coach Bob Seggerson is
in his 31st year at LCC with very few wardrobe changes.
Parkway is an also ran in this season’s MAC race but could easily finish
the regular season with 15 wins. Despite a down year, Marion Local has
enough tournament history to pull off an upset at Wapak.
Semifinals-Parkway over
Spencerville; Lima Central Catholic over Marion Local
Finals-St. Henry over Parkway;
Coldwater over Lima Central Catholic
FINDLAY: Liberty-Benton and
Ottawa-Glandorf are the top seeds. L-B and O-G are prohibitive
favorites to advance to the district tournament. Junior Aaron Craft of
L-B may be the top player in NW Ohio. He has already made a verbal
commitment to the University of Tennessee. L-B’s only loss to date is
to D2 Tallmadge. L-B has won an astounding 18 consecutive sectional
championships. O-G returns two starters (with one of them currently
coming off the bench) and several other experienced players from last
year’s D3 state champions. The Titans’ lone losses are to Elida and
Lima Senior. Taylor Kuhlman is the leading scorer for O-G. Elmwood
appears to be the best of the rest at Findlay while Mohawk and Otsego
are also having solid seasons. Keith Zeigler from Mohawk is one of the
top scorers in NW Ohio.
Semifinals-Ottawa-Glandorf over
Lakota; Mohawk over Bluffton; Elmwood over Otsego
Finals-Ottawa-Glandorf over
Mohawk; Liberty-Benton over Elmwood
GALION: Colonel Crawford and
Wynford are the top seeds. Colonel Crawford is the current leader in
the NCC. Austin Smith recently became the all-time leading scorer for
Crawford. Wynford and Ontario are experiencing rare down seasons
although they will both be factors at Galion. Wynford has won 13
straight sectional titles as well as three straight district titles (one
in D3 & 2 a pair in D4). In the years that Ontario and Wynford have
been D3 schools (Ontario has been in both D2 and D3 while Wynford has
been D3 and D4), they have dominated this sectional. New London and
South Central are both middle of the pack Firelands Conference teams.
Sectional titles and seasons over the .500 mark are foreign to Bucyrus.
Semifinals-Bucyrus over South
Central; Wynford over Ashland Crestview; Ontario over New London
Finals-Colonel Crawford over
Bucyrus; Wynford over Ontario
NORWALK: Edison and Margaretta
are the top seeds. Surprising Edison currently enjoys a narrow lead in
the SBC. Edison has never won a league title in basketball. Margaretta
is having a solid season. The Polar Bears will play Sandusky Perkins on
back-to-back nights February 19 and 20. The game on the 19th
is a makeup game, but that is truly some strange scheduling. For once,
Western Reserve isn’t a factor in the Firelands Conference race. If you
had asked the Swami back in September, he would have told you that Port
Clinton was the favorite to win the Mansfield district. That was before
junior guard Tory Horne was suspended for the season and later “moved”
to Portsmouth to continue his basketball career. More suspensions and
injuries have followed for PC. Gibsonburg’s Tony Egbert is one of the
top players in the SLL. Woodmore has shown steady improvement during
the season.
Semifinals-Port Clinton over
Huron; Margaretta over Gibsonburg; Western Reserve over Woodmore
Finals-Margaretta over Port
Clinton; Edison over Western Reserve
DISTRICTS
NAPOLEON: Archbold won this
district in 2008. Archbold also won back-to-back district titles in
2005 and 2006.
Semifinals-Tinora over
Evergreen; Ottawa Hills over Archbold
Finals-Tinora over Ottawa Hills
ELIDA: Ottawa-Glandorf won this
district in 2008. St. Henry won back-to-back district titles in ’06 and
’07. Liberty-Benton last won a district title in 2007 when they were
part of the Fostoria district.
Semifinals-Ottawa-Glandorf over
St. Henry; Liberty-Benton over Coldwater
Finals-Ottawa-Glandorf over
Liberty-Benton
MANSFIELD SENIOR: Wynford won
this district in 2008.
Semifinals-Colonel Crawford over
Margaretta; Edison over Wynford
Finals-Colonel Crawford over
Edison
Top of Page
DIVISION
IV
Defending state champion New
Knoxville is the state’s top ranked D4 team according to the Associated
Press. The Rangers were also D4 state poll champs in 2007 and 2008.
New Knoxville has not lost a regular season game since St. Henry beat
them in February 2006. Other than New Knoxville, NW Ohio isn’t
receiving a great deal of state recognition. Plymouth has finally
broken into the top ten while Delphos St. John’s, Pettisville, and
Pandora-Gilboa have all received some recognition in the poll. Several
other teams including Ada, Antwerp, McComb, and Continental are also
having solid seasons.
Fostoria has replaced Tiffin
Columbian as a sectional site. The remaining tournament locations as
well as the team assignments are unchanged from the 2008 season.
District winners from
Liberty-Benton and Napoleon will play in one regional semifinal at BG’s
Anderson Arena with the Willard and Elida district winners meeting in
the other semifinal. The Wapakoneta district winner will travel to
Kettering Fairmont’s Trent Arena to be joined by the winners from the
three Dayton districts. The Wapak winner will meet the winner of the
Dayton district that includes Cincinnati Seven Hills and Sidney Lehman.
SECTIONALS
COLDWATER: New Knoxville and
Fort Recovery are the top seeds. Four starters return from New
Knoxville’s undefeated 2008 state champs with all four averaging in
double figures this year.. Although undefeated, the Rangers appear to
be mere mortals this season with 6 single digit wins including triple
overtime over Fort Recovery. New Knoxville has a D1 signee in 6’8” Brad
Piehl (Robert Morris). Junior Greg Kahlig from Fort Recovery recently
went over 1,000 career points. New Bremen is another MAC team with a
double-digit win total. Although mired near the bottom of the MAC,
Minster has been playing well and took New Knoxville down to the wire.
Lima Perry is undefeated in the NWCC, but will be hard pressed to
challenge any of the MAC teams at Coldwater.
Semifinals-Lima Perry over
Waynesfield-Goshen; Minster over New Bremen
Finals-New Knoxville over Lima
Perry; Fort Recovery over Minster
LIMA BATH: Ada and Lima Temple
Christian are the top seeds. Ada is having another solid season. They
threw a scare into New Knoxville with their other losses to Pandora-Gilboa
and NWC rival Lima Central Catholic. Lima Temple Christian gets the
second seed basically by default. With Allen East, Hardin Northern,
Upper Scioto Valley, and Ridgemont, you have a combined win/loss record
of 8-60 and counting. This isn’t the first time the Bath sectional has
been blessed with records like that, and it probably won’t be the last
time either. What happened to the USV program? Anyone who wants to
make an argument in favor of switching to a combined sectional/district
format need only look at the Coldwater and Bath sectionals
Semifinals-Allen East over Upper
Scioto Valley; Hardin-Northern over Ridgemont
Finals-Lima Temple Christian
over Allen East; Ada over Hardin-Northern
VAN WERT: Delphos St. John’s and
Antwerp are the top seeds. After a couple of down years, Delphos St,
John’s is back. The Blue Jays aren’t going to win the MAC, but they
could do some damage in the tournament. Antwerp began the season with
11 straight wins before losing to North Central. The Archers are
chasing Tinora in the GMC. Ottoville is having an excellent season as
well. Take away a 3 game losing streak in early February, and the Big
Green are a top ten D4 team statewide. The other Delphos team has put
together a solid season as well. It’s mind blowing (does anyone ever
say that anymore?) that both Convoy Crestview and Wayne Trace will end
up with at least 15 losses. Wayne Trace made it to the state in 2008
but was obviously hurt by the graduation of several key players. Former
D4 state champ Lincolnview rounds out the cast at Van Wert.
Semifinals-Convoy Crestview over
Wayne Trace; Ottoville over Lincolnview; Antwerp over Delphos Jefferson
Finals-Delphos St. John’s over
Convoy Crestview; Ottoville over Antwerp
BLUFFTON: Pandora-Gilboa and
Kalida are the top seeds. The top two seeds are the clear-cut
favorites, but this is a good sectional nonetheless. Pandora-Gilboa is
near the top in the BVC and still has a shot at winning the PCL.
Pandora was in a similar situation record-wise in 2008, but the Rockets
were “upset” by Kalida in their sectional opener. Long-time (only his
49th year as a head coach at Fort Jennings, Ottoville, and
Kalida) coach Dick Kortokrax is winding down his career at Kalida. We
haven’t been checking the Kettering Alter results lately, but we’ll go
out on a limb and proclaim Coach Kortokrax as the all-time winningest
coach Ohio. The Wildcats weren’t playing up to expectations earlier in
the season but appear to be peaking at the right time. If you sit
anywhere near Korto when he’s watching a game, make sure you hold on to
your program. Riverdale has put together a nice season. Playing in the
NCC, you don’t see the Falcons going head-to-head with many of the BVC
or PCL teams. Both Arlington and Columbus Grove have been playing under
the radar this season. Both are over .500 and could spring a tournament
upset. 2000 D4 state champ Fort Jennings is another dangerous team at
Bluffton.
Semifinals-Kalida over
Arlington; Columbus Grove over Riverdale; Fort Jennings over Cory-Rawson
Finals-Kalida over Columbus
Grove; Pandora-Gilboa over Fort Jennings
BRYAN: Pettisville and North
Central are the top seeds. The six BBC teams are joined by Edgerton at
the Bryan sectional. Pettisville ran off 9 straight wins to open the
season before losing at North Central. The Blackbirds are poised to
take their seventh straight BBC crown. Pettisville doesn’t have much
size, but the Blackbirds are quick and deep. Surprising North Central
hasn’t lost since mid-January. Derick Wyrick and freshman Anthony
Kidston are leading the turnaround for the Eagles. Inconsistent Stryker
has been a disappointment. Both Fayette and Hilltop are much improved
this season, but either of them winning a sectional title would be
considered an upset. There were years when you couldn’t pay the Swami
to watch this sectional, but things have gotten much better.
Semifinals-Fayette over Hilltop;
Stryker over Edgerton; North Central over Edon
Finals-Pettisville over Fayette;
North Central over Stryker
OTTAWA-GLANDORF: McComb and
Continental are the top seeds. With L-B and P-G getting most of the
publicity in the BVC, McComb has quietly put together an outstanding
season. Continental was very young last season and really took their
lumps. The Pirates are still junior and sophomore dominated but the
youth movement has paid off. Ayersville has been somewhat of a
disappointment. The Pilots have a player named Magic Trapps? Please
tell me that’s an alias, and his name is really Gary Bradds or Larry
Senvisky. Miller City got off to a quick start, but the last month has
not been kind to the Wildcats. Leipsic could be the surprise team at
O-G. When was the last time that both Patrick Henry and Holgate had
losing seasons? Maybe PH should now be considered a football school.
Could we have a repeat of the 1973 season when Holgate had a 4-14
regular season before advancing to the regional tournament where they
lost to Wapak St. Joe’s? No. Where have all the Jesse Mendizabal’s and
Earnest Ferguson’s gone?
Semifinals-Ayersville over
Leipsic; Continental over Patrick Henry; Miller City over Holgate
Finals-Continental over
Ayersville; McComb over Miller City
BOWLING GREEN: Toledo Christian
and Van Buren are the top seeds. Toledo Christian has reached the
district final in each of the past four seasons, but has been unable to
capture that elusive district championship. The Eagles have beefed up
their schedule this season as they try to get over the hump. 6’7” Ethan
Michael is the top player for a veteran TC team. Van Buren experienced
heavy graduation losses following two straight district championships.
The Black Knights are a middle of the pack BVC team, but will be
competitive at BG. Cardinal Stritch looks like the sleeper in this
sectional. The Cardinals have been very inconsistent. The very veteran
Jim Robinson has taken the reins at Maumee Valley but the results are
yet to show in the win column.
Semifinals-North Baltimore over
Northwood; Cardinal Stritch over Maumee Valley Country Day; Van Buren
over Arcadia
Finals-Toledo Christian over
North Baltimore; Van Buren over Cardinal Stritch
FOSTORIA: New Riegel and Carey
are the top seeds. Six teams have a shot at advancing in this mostly
MAL sectional. New Riegel got the top seed despite trailing Carey by a
game in the MAL race. To add insult to injury, Carey beat New Riegel
when they went head-to-head earlier in the season. Go figure. Carey
has played very well since Brock Tong returned from a suspension at the
beginning of the season. The Blue Devils (not to confused with the Blue
Jackets) also have backboard breaking big man Michael Dennis.
Hopewell-Loudon, Tiffin Calvert, Vanlue, and Fostoria St. Wendelin are
all slightly above .500. Calvert looked like a contender in both the
MAL and at FHS before a recent 5 game skid. Those 1970 vintage
bleachers at Fostoria sure are uncomfortable.
Semifinals-Carey over Tiffin
Calvert; Vanlue over Fostoria St. Wendelin; Hopewell-Loudon over Seneca
East
Finals-Carey over Vanlue; New
Riegel over Hopewell-Loudon
PORT CLINTON: Sandusky St.
Mary’s and Norwalk St. Paul are the top seeds. Not a great sectional at
PC. Sandusky St. Mary’s is a middle of the pack SBC team, but the
Panthers are undefeated against D4 teams. 5’4” Dane Windisch is the top
player for SMCC. Norwalk St. Paul has 5 overtime losses so far this
season. Danbury is having a solid season, but trails the big 2 (Toledo
Christian and Ottawa Hills) in the TAAC. Michael Hamann, a D1 baseball
recruit, is the leading scorer for the Lakers. Monroeville has gone
over 80 points in seven games this season while giving up 80 or more in
a like number of games including 120 to Edison. The three teams at the
bottom of the MAL round out the sectional. The bleachers at PC are just
as uncomfortable as Fostoria and older too.
Semifinals-Danbury over
Monroeville; Norwalk St. Paul over Old Fort; Bettsville over Fremont St.
Joseph
Finals-Sandusky St. Mary over
Danbury; Norwalk St. Paul over Bettsville
LEXINGTON: Plymouth and Buckeye
Central are the top seeds. Junior Brook Turson averages a double double
(points and rebounds) for Plymouth as well as leading the team in
assists. Plymouth’s lone loss is to Wooster Triway. Buckeye Central is
chasing Colonel Crawford in the NCC race. Blaine Erwin of the Bucks
recently went over 1,000 career points. Expectations were high at
Mansfield St. Peter’s with the hiring of veteran coach Gregg Collins.
Collins owned a long record of success at Mansfield Senior as well as 2
state championships at Lexington. Unfortunately for the Spartans, the
Collins era was very short as he stepped down midway through his first
season at St. Peter’s. Mansfield Christian is much improved.
Semifinals-Mansfield St. Peter’s
over Crestline; Lucas over Mansfield Christian
Final-Plymouth over Mansfield
St. Peter’s; Buckeye Central over Lucas
DISTRICTS
WAPAKONETA: New Knoxville won
this district in 2008.
Semifinals-New Knoxville over
Lima Temple Christian; Fort Recovery over Ada
Finals-New Knoxville over Fort
Recovery
ELIDA: Wayne Trace won this
district in 2008.
Semifinals-Kalida over Delphos
St. John’s; Pandora-Gilboa over Ottoville
Finals-Pandora-Gilboa over
Kalida
NAPOLEON: Ayersville won this
district in 2008. Prior to that, Holgate had won seven straight
district titles.
Semifinals-Pettisville over
Continental; McComb over North Central
Finals-McComb over Pettisville
LIBERTY-BENTON: Van Buren won
this district in 2008. It was the second straight district title for
VB. Toledo Christian lost district title games to Continental in 2005
and 2006 and Van Buren in 2007 and 2008.
Semifinals-Toledo Christian over
Carey; New Riegel over Van Buren
Finals-Toledo Christian over New
Riegel
WILLARD: Plymouth won this
district in 2008.
Semifinals-Plymouth over
Sandusky St. Mary; Buckeye Central over Norwalk St. Paul
Finals-Plymouth over Buckeye
Central
That appears to be all for now.
We will be back with our much shorter regional and state edition just
before regional tournaments begin. Records and statistics are current
as of February 18, 2009. All facts, fiction, and opinions in Trail
Trash are those of the Swami. Brackets are courtesy of davey1 himself,
Dave Spengler. Hope to see you somewhere along the tournament trail.
Rock on.
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