Midview 41, North Ridgeville 0

Visiting Midview used a punishing defense and a balanced offensive attack to rock their arch rivals North Ridgeville 41-0. You can listen to the replay online.

Both teams finished the year 8-2 and out of the OHSAA play-offs. The Middies bounce back from a 14-10 loss last week against Avon while the Rangers see their 5-game winning streak snapped. North Ridgeville had a 3-game winning streak against Midview come to an end.

Midview vs. North Ridgeville tonight

Tonight is the final regular season game of the high school football season 2011. I will be North Ridgeville, Ohio as the Rangers host the Midview Middies. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

These two teams are very familiar with each other. After facing off as rivals in the old Lakeland and Erie Shore Conferences, the two schools, only 8 miles apart from each other, are now foes in the West Shore Conference. North Ridgeville has won 3 straight and is 4-2 vs. Midview as WSC opponents. In 5 of the 6 meetings, the game has been decided as by one score including last year's 19-14 Ranger victory in which Ridgeville's Christian Watkins scored the game-winner on an interception return.

Lorain County High School Football Week 10 Predictions

Final week of the regular season is here. Here are the predicted winners this week in bold.

Midview at North Ridgeville - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Avon Lake at Amherst
Clearview at Columbia
Firelands at Brookside
Keystone at Black River
Lake Catholic at Avon
Lorain at Shaw
Mayfield at Elyria
Oberlin at Brooklyn
Vermilion at Elyria Catholic
Wellington at Buckeye


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3
Week 4 results: 7-4
Week 5 results: 8-6
Week 6 results: 9-4
Week 7 results: 10-4
Week 8 results: 13-1
Week 9 results: 10-3

Season Total: 84-32 (72%)

Wellington 52, Brookside 0

Host Wellington dominated Brookside in the first half and then coasted to 52-0 victory defeating the Cardinals for the fourth year in a row. You can listen to the replay online.

The Dukes were led by senior running back Clay Wright who rushed for 199 yards on 14 carries and five touchdowns. Wright also threw a 62-yard touchdown to quarterback Dylan Weidrick. Alex Rush, substituting for the injured Chase Bealer, set a career high with 111 yards rushing on 14 attempts. Wright, in his final home game, now has 1208 yards rushing on the season and 23 scores.

Lorain County High School Football Week 9 Predictions

Home stretch of the high school football season. Here are the predicted winners this week in bold.

Brookside at Wellington - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Amherst at North Olmsted
Avon at Midview
Avon Lake at Olmsted Falls
Black River at Firelands
Brooklyn at Clearview
Buckeye at Keystone
Columbia at Fairview
Elyria Catholic at Bay
Hudson at Elyria
Lorain at Euclid
Lutheran West at Oberlin
North Ridgeville at Vermilion


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3
Week 4 results: 7-4
Week 5 results: 8-6
Week 6 results: 9-4
Week 7 results: 10-4
Week 8 results: 13-1

Season Total: 74-29 (72%)

Olmsted Falls 28, Amherst 21

Olmsted Falls withstood an inspired Amherst team and hung to win 28-21. You can listen to the replay online. The Bulldogs are still undefeated in Southwestern Conference play (5-0, overall 6-2) while the Comets are winless in conference play (0-5, overall 1-7).

Amherst was smelling upset when leading 21-20, DB Stephen Hause intercepted Olmsted Falls quarterback Brennan Laird giving the Comets the ball at their own 44 with 6:56 left in the game. Unfortunately for the Comets, a bad snap on 3rd and 1 resulted in a 13 yard loss.

Olmsted Falls vs. Amherst tonight

I will be covering high school football tonight at Steele High School in Amherst, Ohio as the Comets host the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

The two teams are moving in opposite directions. Olmsted Falls (5-2, 4-0 SouthWestern Conference) comes into the game on a five-game winning streak after dropping the first two games of the season while Amherst (1-6, 0-4 SWC) is on a four-game losing streak.

Lorain County High School Football Week 8 Predictions

Here are my week eight predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Olmsted Falls at Amherst - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Bay at North Ridgeville
Brecksville at Avon Lake
Brookside at Black River
Clearview at Lutheran West
Columbia at Brooklyn
Elyria at Stow
Fairview at Oberlin
Firelands at Buckeye
Wellington at Keystone
Maple Heights at Lorain
Marion Harding at Midview
Rocky River at Elyria Catholic
Vermilion at Avon


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3
Week 4 results: 7-4
Week 5 results: 8-6
Week 6 results: 9-4
Week 7 results: 10-4

Season Total: 61-28 (68%)

Wellington 48, Black River 21

Wellington used an opportunistic defense, strong running game and a timely passing game to defeat their arch rivals Black River 48-21. You can listen to the replay online.

The Dukes defeated the Pirates for the first time since 2007 were led by junior QB/CB Dylan Weidrick who opened the game with a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown, the first of three picks thrown by Black River quarterback Dakota Kuntz that turned into touchdowns. Weidrick also was a perfect 5-5 with two touchdowns passing along with 54 yards rushing which included several 3rd conversions in the 2nd half to ice the game.

Black River vs. Wellington preview

I will be covering high school football tonight in Wellington, Ohio as the Dukes host their arch rivals the Black River Pirates. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

AIW Wrestling at Puritas Lutheran Church

Results from last night's "They Live" event in Cleveland Ohio - all AIW wrestling blog posts.

1. B.J. Whitmer defeated ROH Champion Davey Richards by submission.
   
   
2. Michael Façade forced Archibald Peck (with Veronica) to tap out to win a six-pack scramble match that also inclued Tony Kozina, Mr. RBI Izeah Bonds, John Kermon and AERO.
   
   
3. Eric Ryan pinned Josh Prohibition with a roll-up after Prohibition was distracted by a taunting Gregory Iron from the crowd.

Lorain County High School Football Week 7 Predictions

Here are my week seven predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Black River at Wellington - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Amherst at Brecksville
Avon at Bay
Avon Lake at Westlake
Bedford at Lorain
Brooklyn at Fairview
Buckeye at Brookside
Cuyahoga Falls at Elyria
Elyria Catholic at Bishop Hartley
Keystone at Firelands
Lutheran West at Columbia
Midview at Vermilion
North Ridgeville at Rocky River
Oberlin at Clearview


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3
Week 4 results: 7-4
Week 5 results: 8-6
Week 6 results: 9-4

Season Total: 51-24 (68%)

Lorain County Football Power Rankings

Six weeks of high school football are complete and six Lorain County teams have more wins in 2011 then all of last year.

Here are my team rankings with their records and pre-season rankings:

1. Avon 6-0, 3-0 (1) – The best school in Lorain County. The Eagles have dominated the competition including a 42-7 win last week vs. Rocky River. Senior quarterback Justin O’Rourke has 906 passing yards and 13 touchdowns.
   
   
2. Elyria 5-1, 2-1 (10) – If the season ended today, head coach Kevin Fell is coach-of-the-year. Dustin Stolarski has every school passing record this year.
   
   
3. North Ridgeville 5-1, 2-1 (6) – Only loss was to Avon. Have a shot at their 2nd ever post-season appearance despite moving up to Division 1 for the first time this season.

Brookside 13, Keystone 8

The Brookside Cardinals withstood poor weather and field conditions defeat the Keystone Wildcats 13-8. You can listen to the replay online.

The victory for Brookside:

• 4th of the year matching their highest win total in a season since 2006
• 3rd win in a row at home for the first time since 2004
• snaps a six-game losing streak to Keystone.

Senior Keyonte Francis made his first varsity start at quarterback and scored two touchdowns rushing. His 42-yard run on the first play from scrimmage was set-up by a Josh Zenkert 40-yard kick-off return to open the game. The 2nd touchdown by Francis came two plays after Matt Gorta recovered a Keystone fumble at the Wildcat 1-yard line. Keystone trailing 13-6 was stopped on 4th and 1 at the Brookside 17 yard with 1:53 remaining.

Keystone vs. Brookside tonight

I will be covering high school football tonight at Brookside High School as the Cardinals host the Keystone Wildcats. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

The annual rivalry continues as these two teams have faced each other every season for several years currently as PAC Stars division rivals and before that Lorain County Conference rivals. Keystone has won six in a row dating back to 2005.

Both teams are in transition. Keystone suffered heavy losses due to graduation from a year ago. Brookside is on their third coach in the last three months. Both teams are starting a running back as their quarterback.

Lorain County High School Football Week 6 Predictions

Here are my week six predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Keystone at Brookside - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Avon at Rocky River
Bay at Midview
Berea at Avon Lake
Buckeye at Black River
Elyria Catholic at North Ridgeville
Fairview at Clearview
Midpark at Amherst
Oberlin at Columbia
Valley Forge at Elyria
Vermilion at Marion Harding
Warren Harding at Lorain
Wellington at Firelands


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3
Week 4 results: 7-4
Week 5 results: 8-6

Season Total: 42-20 (68%)

Firelands 20, Oberlin 0

The Firelands Falcons recorded their second shout-out of the year in defeating the Oberlin Phoenix 20-0. host the Firelands Falcons. You can listen to the replay online.

The game between the two schools just eight miles apart marks the first time the teams played each other since 2004. With the victory, Firelands is now 5-0 and won six straight going back to last year. Oberlin drops to 2-3.

Firelands is now 2-0 in the newly joined Patriot Athletic Conference. From 2005-2010, the Falcons were in the West Shore Conference and compiled a record of 2-40 against fellow WSC schools.

Firelands vs. Oberlin preview

It's the battle of Oberlin Ohio as the Oberlin High School Phoenix host the Firelands Falcons. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

For two schools who are only eight miles apart, both teams have already won two more games this year then all of last season. This game marks the first meeting between the two schools since 2004. Prior to that, they played each other every season.

Lorain County High School Football Week 5 Predictions

Here are my week five predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Firelands at Oberlin - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Avon Lake at Midpark
Berea at Amherst
Black River at Fairview
Brooklyn at Keystone
Brookside at Lutheran West
Clearview at Wellington
Columbia at Buckeye
Elyria at North Royalton
Elyria Catholic at Avon
Lorain at Shaker Heights (Sat.)
Midview at Rocky River
North Ridgeville at Willard
Vermilion at Bay


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3
Week 4 results: 7-4

Season Total: 34-14

Wellington 56, Columbia 35

Wellington used a strong rushing attack led by senior Clay Wright to defeat host Columbia 56-35. The Dukes rushed for 479 yards led by Wright's career-high 266 yards on 21 carries and 5 TDs. Sophomore Chase Bealer added 108 yards on 16 carries and junior quarterback Dylan Weidrick carried the ball 7 times for 76 yards.

Wellington vs. Columbia tonight

I will be covering high school football tonight at Columbia High School as the Raiders host the Wellington Dukes. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

This is believed to be the first ever meeting between the two teams. The game features some premier players in Lorain County.

Lorain County High School Football Week 4 Predictions

Here are my week four predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Wellington at Columbia - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Amherst at Westlake
Cleveland Hts at Lorain
Elyria at Strongsville
Elyria Catholic at Midview
Fairview at Firelands
Keystone at Clearview
North Olmsted at Avon Lake
North Ridgeville at Avon
Oberlin at Brookside
Rocky River at Vermilion


Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4
Week 3 results: 9-3

Season Total: 27-10

Firelands 34, Vermilion 0

Firelands were lead by senior RB Nick Deichler and senior QB Kyle Smith as they defeated their arch rival Vermilion 34-0. The Falcons are now 3-0 for the first time since 1989 - also the last year when Firelands had a winning record. The most recent year Firelands won three games was 2003.

Vermilion vs. Firelands tonight

I will be covering high school football tonight at Firelands High School as the Falcons host the Vermilion Sailors. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

This is a rivalry game that has lasted for decades. Vermilion has had the better of the match-up winning 17 straight from 1993-2009. That streak came to an end last year when Firelands was victorious 28-21 giving Falcons interim coach Mike Passerello his first head coaching victory.

Lorain County High School Football Week 3 Predictions

Here are my week three predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Vermilion at Firelands - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Amherst at Clearview
Avon Lake at Massillon Jackson
Brookside at Margaretta
Chippewa at Columbia
Edison at Wellington
Elyria at Elyria Catholic
Galion at Keystone
Garfield Hts at North Ridgeville
Lorain at Avon
Midview at Buckeye
Oberlin at Richmond Heights

Week 1 results: 9-3
Week 2 results: 9-4

Season Total: 18-7

Vermilion 21, Clearview 14

Good win for the Vermilion Sailors who snap an 11-game (20 of 21 games) losing streak. It's the first win at home since 10/24/2008.

Clearview	0	14	0	0	-14
Vermilion	0	0	0	21	-21

Scoring

Clearview	2	6:08	Emaje Payton 45 run (kick failed)
Clearview	2	:45	Roger Engle 1 run (Brown pass from Engle)
Vermilion	4	11:56	Jason Anthony 2 run (Joe Dillon kick)
Vermilion	4	3:21	Anthony 10 run (Dillon kick) - drive setup by Kyle Shrieves forced fumble and Austin Kazmer recovery
Vermilion	4	2:14	Anthony 5 run (Dillon kick) - drive setup by Garrett Shaw INT & 42 return

	Clearview	Vermilion
Plays	51	59
Total Yards	188	179
Time	19:24	28:36
First Downs	10	11
3rd Down Conversions:	1-10	6-13
4th Down Conversions:	1-3	0-1
Penalties	3-20	4-30
Rushing	32-162 (Chad Anderson 13-99)	41-134 (Jason Anthony 25-114, 3 TDs)
Passing	36 (Roger Engle 6-14-36, 2 INTs)	67 (Seth Konrad 4-10-67)
Turnovers forced	0	3
Points off Turnovers	0	14

Clearview vs. Vermilion tonight

I will be covering high school football tonight at Vermilion High School as the Sailors host the Clearview Clippers. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

Both schools are reeling as Clearview lost 45-6 at Elyria Catholic while Vermilion lost 44-0 against Huron.

The two teams have in week 2 for the last six years. Vermilion won three games from 2005-2007 while Clearview has won the last three meetings from 2008-2010.

For Clearview, the team gets back to practice trying to eliminate mistakes that lead to big plays. All six Elyria Catholic touchdowns were longer than 30 yards.

For Vermilion, this is the first year for new head coach Ben Ohlemacher. The coach wants to instill a discipline, hard-nosed, tough attitude to the program - note: wants to build a football program and not just a team.

Both teams will have a big games in week 3. Clearview will host Amherst, a meeting for the first time in two decades. Vermilion will travel to Firelands, their arch rival.

Cedar Point Trip

Visited Cedar Point yesterday. Here was the itinerary:

1. Magnum XL-200
2. Top Thrill Dragster
3. Corkscrew
4. Power Tower - shot
5. Power Tower - drop
6. Matterhorn
7. WindSeeker
8. Wicked Twister
9. Troika
10. MaXair
11. MaXair
12. Raptor
13. Raptor
14. Blue Streak
    LUNCH

Lorain County High School Football Week 2 Predictions

The High School season is underway. Here are my week two predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Clearview at Vermilion - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Amherst at Midview
Avon at Wellington
Brookside at Rittman
Columbia at South Central
Elyria Catholic at Buckeye
Firelands at New London
Lorain at Parma
McDonald at Oberlin
North Olmsted at Elyria
North Ridgeville at Lakewood
Norwalk at Keystone
Shaker Heights at Avon Lake

Week 1 results: 9-3

Elyria Catholic 45, Clearview 6

The Lorain vs. Elyria match-up turned into a big win for Elyria Catholic as they defeated Clearview 45-6. You can listen to the replay online.

Panthers Sophomore QB Jeremy Holley made his first varsity start and was 13-19 passing for 190 yards and three touchdowns including two scores to Jordan Alpater. Holley replaced the graduated Danny Reaser who was the top player in Lorain County last season and set several school and county records during his career at EC.

Clearview vs. Elyria Catholic tonight

I will be covering high school football tonight at Elyria Catholic High School as the Panthers host the Clearview Clippers. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well). I'll be working with play-by-play announcer Bob Karlovec and sideline reporter Darrin Goats.

A lot of similarities between the two schools who are just six and half miles apart:

• Both teams are in Division 4, Region 14
• Both schools respective cities, Lorain and Elyria, are similar in size.
• Clearview has posted consective winning seasons since 2006 (38-13 during that time period). Elyria Catholic has a streak going back to 2005 (46-18 record).
• Both return their leading rusher from a year ago: Clearview's Matt Jordan and Elyria Catholic's Joe Dempsey.
• Both teams need the replace their MVP quarterbacks. Elyria Catholic replaces Lorain County MVP Danny Reaser with sophmore Jeremy Holley and Clearview replaces Senior All-Star Game MVP Davon Daniels with Freshmen Roger Engle.

Clearview

• Top players are: RB/LB Chad Anderson, RB/S Matt Jordan, LB Josh Molina, C Nick Osborn
• Head Coach Mike Collier begins his 5th season and has a record of 31-10.

Elyria Catholic

• Top players are TE/LB Matt Morgan, RB/LB Joe Dempsey, LT/DE Alex Nielsen, C Luke Williams.
• New Head Coach Polevacik was promoted this past off-season after serving as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the Panthers. He replaces Ben Malbassa who leaves EC for the head coaching position at Benedictine. Coach Polo has been assistant at EC since 2007.
• Luke Williams, returning starting center, is out with a strained knee. David Smith, a standout defensive lineman will start at RG and Spencer George moves to center

The two teams played each other last year in week one. The Panthers prevailed 45-6 in a game when EC pulled away in the 2nd half. Reaser had a big game with 5 touchdown passes. Clipper fans used white Styrofoam cups to spell out BEAT EC! on the fence behind the end-zone. After the post game handshakes two Elyria Catholic players (Zach Rogers & Cory Campbell) sprinted to the fence and disassembled the cups which upset several on the Clearview sideline.

Lorain County Football Preseason Top Coaches

Here are my picks for the top high school football coaches in Lorain County:

1. Mike Elder, Avon – The Eagles have the most talent in Lorain County. Every position on the team has a star player returning. Justin O'Rourke can be every bit of a QB like his older brother Ryan. Cory Furnas can be every bit of dominating LB like his older brother Patrick.
   
   
2. Mike Polevacik, Elyria Catholic – Coach Polo feels he was hired as the new head coach because he wants the team to return to the EC tradition of tough, attitude, hard-nosed football as opposed to the fun-n-gun style under Ben Malbassa. Team will still throw the ball a lot because they have a QB with an arm to do it.
   
   Polevacik will need to find the next Danny Reaser (Jeremy Holley), Zach Rogers (James Baker) and Cory Campbell (Joe Dempsey). He will have to deal with the sanctions the program received by the Ohio High School Athletic Association last season for recruiting violations. The Panthers are also moving to the West Shore Conference from the North Coast Conference.

Lorain County Football Preseason Top Players

Top 10 Offensive Players:

• Justin O'Rourke (Sr) – QB, Avon
• Brennan Hosier (Sr) — QB, Amherst
• John Banyasz (Sr) – QB, Columbia
• Joe Dempsey (Sr) – RB / LB, Elyria Catholic
• Dontez Smith (Sr) - RB, Avon Lake
• James Baker (Sr) - WR, Elyria Catholic
• Matt Eckhardt (Sr) - WR, Avon

Lorain County Football Conference Predictions

Patriot Athletic Conference
Stars Division	Overall	Conf.
Buckeye	8-2	6-1
Black River	7-3	6-1
Wellington	3-7	3-4
Keystone	4-6	3-4
Firelands	3-7	2-5
Brookside	3-7	1-6
Patriot Athletic Conference
Stripes Division	Overall	Conf.
Clearview	8-2	7-0
Columbia	9-1	6-1
Lutheran West	5-5	4-3
Fairview	3-7	2-5
Brooklyn	2-8	1-6
Oberlin	1-9	0-7
Southwestern Conference	Overall	Conf.
Avon Lake	8-2	7-0
Olmsted Falls	9-1	6-1
Brecksville	5-5	5-2
Amherst	7-3	4-3
North Olmsted	6-4	3-4
Westlake	3-7	2-5
Midpark	2-8	1-6
Berea	1-9	0-7
West Shore Conference	Overall	Conf.
Avon	10-0	6-0
Elyria Catholic	8-2	5-1
Rocky River	8-2	4-2
North Ridgeville	7-3	3-3
Midview	3-7	2-4
Vermilion	3-7	1-5
Bay	1-9	0-6
Other	Overall
Elyria	3-7	3-4
Lorain	2-8	1-6

Lorain County Football Preseason Team Rankings

Here are my pre-season rankings with their predicted final records:

1. Avon 10-0, 6-0 – The Eagles graduated several players from last year's 10-0 team. There's still a lot of talent remaining. Will finish 2011 with 22 regular season wins.
   
   
2. Avon Lake 8-2, 7-0 – Meet the new Shoremen superstars: QB/P Chris Jedlicka, RB Dontez Smith, FB/LB Nick Skuggen, TE/DT Jake Young, OT T.K. Burk, OG/NT Nick Stueber, C/DE Ryan Pivcevich and CB Brett Bass. Avon Lake will make it 13 play-off appearances in 14 years despite moving up to Division 1 in 2011.
   
   
3. Elyria Catholic 8-2, 5-1 – Another team that will re-load after graduating several superstars. They should make an easy transition to a new offense and a new conference. Jeremy Holley replaces record-setting QB Danny Reaser. Panthers fans don't worry. Holley is 6-5 and has an arm every bit as strong as Reaser.

Lorain County High School Football Week 1 Predictions

Football starts tonight. Here are my predictions with the winner listed in bold.

Clearview at Elyria Catholic - I will covering this game for WOBL radio - tune in to 1320 AM or listen online

Avon Lake at Avon
Columbia at Cleveland Central Catholic
Elyria vs. Amherst
Firelands at Lutheran West
Keystone at Monroeville
Midview at Lorain
Oberlin at Lutheran East
Vermilion at Huron
Wellington at Norwayne
Westlake at North Ridgeville
Woodward at Brookside

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Pirates 5, Reds 3

The Big Dig

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Ubaldo is coming to Cleveland

The Cleveland Indians made three trades in the last week.

1. First they acquired Kosuke Fukudome and cash from the Chicago Cubs for minor leaguers Abner Abreu and Carlton Smith. 
2. Then the Tribe picked up Ubaldo Jimenez from the Colorado Rockies for minor leaguers RHP Joseph Gardner, RHP Alex White, LHP Drew Pomeranz and 1B Matt McBride.
3. Finally, they trade IF Orlando Cabrera to the SF Giants for minor league OF Thomas Neal.

No question, Jimenez was the big acquisition of the weekend and the subject of this post.

Why I like this deal:

AIW Wrestling Girls Night Out 4

Results from last night's final card at St. Gregory's Byzantine Hall in Lakewood Ohio.

1. Eric Ryan forced Michael Façade to pass out in a submission hold giving Ryan the victory in a triple-threat match involving Kobald.
   
   
2. Rickey Shane Page defeated Mad Man Pondo (with Natalie) in a No Disqualification match.
   
   
3. Bobby Beverly pinned Gregory Iron
   
   
4. Johnny Gargano defeated Chest Flexor due to referee's decision when Flexor was unable to continue after receiving 13 consecutive chair shots at ringside.
   

2011 WOBL radio

This is my 5th year covering high school football in Lorain county Ohio. Below are the list of games on this year's schedule. You can also listen to 2010 games.

Date	Game					Listen
8/26	Clearview 6		at	Elyria Catholic 45			Listen | Summary
	Game begins at 1:01:50; 2nd half begins at 2:28:15
9/02	Clearview 14		at	Vermilion 21			Listen | Summary
	Game begins at 1:12:35; 2nd half begins at 2:35:36
9/9	Vermilion 0		at	Firelands 34			Listen | Summary
	Game begins at 1:10:18; 2nd half begins at 2:36:30
9/16	Wellington 56		at	Columbia 35			Listen | Summary
	Game begins at 41:27; 2nd half begins at 2:19:13
9/23	Firelands 20		at	Oberlin 0			Listen | Summary
	Game begins at 33:15; 2nd half begins at 2:01:15
9/30	Keystone 8		at	Brookside 13			Listen | Summary
	Game begins at 1:08:15; 2nd half begins at 2:22:05
10/08	Black River 21		at	Wellington 48			Listen | Summary
	Game begins at 43:05; 2nd half begins at 2:16:35
10/14	Olmsted Falls 28		at	Amherst 21			Listen | Summary
	Game begins at 1:07:10; 2nd half begins at 2:42:30
10/21	Brookside 0		at	Wellington 52			Listen | Summary
	Game begins at 1:00:00; 2nd half begins at 2:37:50
10/28	Midview 41		at	North Ridgeville 0			Listen | Summary
	Game begins at 1:11:58; 2nd half begins at 2:42:40
11/05	Manchester 24		at	Black River 49			Listen | Summary
	Game begins at 44:53; 2nd half begins at 2:17:12
11/12	Black River 14		at	Girard 56			Listen | Summary
	Game begins at 34:38; 2nd half begins at 2:10:10

Jimmy Buffett Concert

Awesome night at Blossom Music Center for the show. Below is the set list and photos:

1 The Wino And I Know
2 Fruitcakes (Cuyahoga Falls version)
3 Off To See The Lizard (Aussie Lyrics)
4 Grapefruit-Juicy Fruit

AIW Wrestling at St. Gregory's Byzantine Hall

Results from last Sunday's card in Lakewood Ohio.

1. Kobald (with the Batiri) won a six-pack scramble pinning AERO in a match also involving Sugar Dunkerton, Low Rider, the mighty Sabbath and Maximo Suave.
   
   
2. B.J. Whitmer defeated Eddie Kingston via Peruvian necktie submission
   
   
3. Tursas (substituting for Tommy Mercer) and The Chad went to a no contest. Afterward Tursas destroyed Chest Flexor.
   
   
4. Team Duke (The Duke, Mr. RBI Izeah Bonds, Corey Winters, Ben Fruith and Dasher Hatfield) beat Team Castle (Dalton Castle, K-Fernandez, Joey the Snake, Luis Diamante and Isaac Montana) when the Duke pinned Fernandez after hitting a sit-down tombstone piledriver.
   
   

Parma 5K race, 2011

Ran the Parma 5k last weekend with my buddy, Kevin Kowel.

Outer Banks, North Carolina

View photos

WOBL / WDLW Football Schedule - 2011

High School Football is coming soon. Here's the upcoming radio schedule for 2011.

AM 1320 WOBL	AM 1380 WDLW
Week 1: Clearview @ Elyria Catholic	Week 1: Avon Lake @ Avon (Thursday);               Lorain @ Midview
Week 2: Clearview @ Vermilion	Week 2: North Olmsted @ Elyria
Week 3: Vermilion @ Firelands	Week 3: Lorain @ Avon
Week 4: Wellington @ Columbia	Week 4: North Ridgeville @ Avon
Week 5: Firelands @ Oberlin	Week 5: Berea @ Amherst
Week 6: Keystone @ Brookside	Week 6: Elyria Catholic @ North Ridgeville
Week 7: Black River @ Wellington	Week 7: Cuyahoga Falls @ Elyria
Week 8: Olmsted Falls @ Amherst	Week 8: Brecksville @ Avon Lake
Week 9: Brookside @ Wellington	Week 9: Avon @ Midview
Week 10: TBD	Week 10: TBD

AIW Wrestling at St. Gregory's Byzantine Hall

Results from this weekend's card in Lakewood Ohio featuring Day 1 of Absolute Intense Wrestling’s Todd Pettengill Invitational. The big event of the weekend is a 24-man tournament. Night one included 12 opening round matches in the tournament and night two will see the quarter-final, semi-final, and final rounds of the tournament.

Avon Lake, North Ridgeville and Brookside moving up

Ohio High School Athletic Association released its divisional changes for football last year. In Lorain county, there were three teams affected. Avon Lake and North Ridgeville were moved from Division 2 to Division 1. Brookside moved from Division 4 to Division 3. All Ohio High School Regions (.pdf)

Cleveland 10K race, 2011

Ran the 2011 Cleveland 10k race earlier today which marks my first ever race of that distance. Official time was 58:29 (91 seconds under goal). Below are some of the memories of the event.


Joel Peebles and Andrew Gerber getting psyched up for the race in front of the Great Lakes Science Museum.

NFL Draft Thoughts - Day 1

The Browns traded down in the first round too far and did not receive enough in return.

Let's look at this. Moved from #6 (WR Julio Jones) to #21 (DT Phil Taylor) in exchange for:

• moving from #70 to #59,
• pick #124,
• 2012 first and fourth round draft picks approximately #27 and #120.

To compare, New England's Bill Belichick traded down from #28 to #56 in exchange for a 2012 first round draft pick.

Everyone on TV says history (Mike Ditka / Ricky Williams, Herschel Walker) will be on Cleveland's side in this trade. I point to two years ago when all the Browns have left from the Mark Sanchez deal is C Alex Mack.

I never heard of Phil Taylor and at least he fills a huge need. Colt McCoy still needs help offensively (WR, RT, RB). While we're at it, the Browns still need to plug holes on defense (DE, CB, S) as well.

Obviously, the Browns have plenty of holes so the extra picks will come in handy too bad only one of the extra three picks is in 2011's draft.

Another disappointment in the round of 16

My biggest fear coming into this weekend was OSU would go cold offensively and/or get into foul trouble. The former happened tonight as the Buckeyes couldn't buy a basket in a 62-60 loss to Kentucky.

Here are some random thoughts:

• With Ohio State struggling from the field, it would make sense to let Jared Sullinger go to work on UK's Josh Harrelson. Instead, Harrelson was able to guard Sullinger straight up eliminating his passing skills and eliminating open looks for the Buckeye's three-point shooters.
  
• William Buford was ice cold. Buford? Buford? (Ben Stein Ferris Bueller voice). Him taking the last shot was a mistake. OSU coach Thad Matta should have called a time out to get the ball into the hands of Jon Diebler, after all the senior from Upper Sandusky tied the game with a three. It would have been nice to see him attempt to the game-winner.
  
• From a David vs. Goliath standpoint, a great game. Brandon Knight did nothing tonight until the game was on the line and hit the game-winner with 5 seconds left.
  
• Jared Sullinger tells the media afterward he will return for his sophomore season. I'll believe that when I see it.
  
• "I wonder if Jim Tressel received any emails about the whereabouts of the Buckeyes offense but just didn't tell anybody."

Final High School Basketball stats

GIRLS SCORING
Player, school	g	pts	avg
Ashley Montgomery, North Ridgeville	19	433	22.8
Lacy LeDuc, Avon Lake	20	369	18.5
Shanique Ogle, Lorain	19	343	18.1
Emily Julius, Avon	17	241	14.2
Ashley Shuster, Elyria Catholic	18	235	13.1
REBOUNDING
Player, school	g	pts	avg
Ashley Shuster, Elyria Catholic	18	209	11.6
Alexis McGhee, North Ridgeville	19	213	11.2
Emily Julius, Avon	17	183	10.8
Shanique Ogle, Lorain	19	202	10.6
Alexandria Harris, Lorain	19	156	8.2
Christine Lyzen, Columbia	19	148	7.8
ASSISTS
Player, school	g	pts	avg
Emily Taylor, Elyria Catholic	18	125	6.9
Hailey Schroeder, North Ridgeville	19	86	4.5
Martha Thompson, Lake Ridge	17	70	4.1
Natalie Wilden, Avon	18	72	4
Danielle Riolo, Columbia	17	58	3.4
STEALS
Player, school	g	pts	avg
Briana Rogers, Open Door	13	86	6.6
Ashley Montgomery, North Ridgeville	19	97	5.1
Lacy LeDuc, Avon Lake	20	96	4.8
Martha Thompson, Lake Ridge	17	68	4
Shanique Ogle, Lorain	19	63	3.3
Emily Taylor, Elyria Catholic	18	55	3.1
BLOCKS
Player, school	g	pts	avg
Alexis McGhee, North Ridgeville	19	68	3.6
Alexandria Harris, Lorain	19	63	3.3
Ashley Shuster, Elyria Catholic	18	58	3.2
BOYS SCORING
Player, school	g	pts	avg
Ron Willoughby, Avon Lake	18	324	18
R.J. Kauffman, Avon	20	325	16.3
Kody Bender, Elyria	20	320	16
Shakeem Jones, Amherst	19	304	16
Marvin Coleman, Avon	20	278	13.9
Chase Farris, Elyria	18	250	13.9
Michael Davila, Lorain	18	239	13.3
REBOUNDING
Player, school	g	pts	avg
Chase Farris, Elyria	18	184	10.2
Jerome Golson, Lorain	20	185	9.3
Claude Gray, Avon	20	173	8.7
Cody Northeim, Firelands	19	156	8.2
ASSISTS
Player, school	g	pts	avg
Brandon Murway, Avon Lake	18	83	4.6
R.J. Kauffman, Avon	20	85	4.3
Garrett Klekota, Amherst	19	76	4
STEALS
Player, school	g	pts	avg
Kyle Smith, Firelands	19	80	4.2

Amherst has familiar name, new head coach.

The final football opening in Lorain County was filled last night as the Amherst board of education approved Chad DiFranco as the new Comet head coach.

***Other Lorain County Head Coaching changes***

DiFranco, 37, started at Amherst in 1999 and has been an assistant coach for 12 years with the last six as the defensive coordinator. He has worked under Jeff Riesen – now the head coach at North Ridgeville, Keith Grabowski – now the offensive coordinator at Baldwin-Wallace College, and Kevin Fell – now the head coach at Elyria High School. Last year, DiFranco's unofficial title was assistant head coach.

He is also part of the legendary DiFranco family at Midview where his brother Troy is the head basketball coach. Chad DiFranco played football at Midview (class of 1992) and Ashland University. Middies head coach Bill Albright gave DiFranco his first assistant job out of college before going to Columbia where he is also was an assistant.

DiFranco will have some familiar faces in the early going next season. Week 1, Amherst plays Kevin Fell’s Elyria and in week 2, the Comets play Bill Albright’s Midview.

Cavaliers say no Mo

The Cleveland Cavaliers in the middle of a 10-47 season are looking for first round draft picks and they acquired one last night when they traded point guard Mo Williams and small forward Jamario Moon to the Los Angeles Clippers for a 2011 first round draft pick and point guard Baron Davis.

Usually fans get excited about big trades, I'm going to hold my excitement until the NBA Draft this coming June. I'm excited about more ping-pong balls in the hopper come NBA Lottery time (of course, the Clippers need to oblige by missing the play-offs). I'm indifferent about the players.

Triple H and the Undertaker return to the WWE, Ho-hum

Watched Monday Night Raw tonight for the first time in a while. I wasn't impressed.
I know it's early in the WrestleMania 27 build up but the card does not excite me and neither did this show.

First off, the return of the Undertaker. The return lacked a critical element - logic. Why was Taker at Raw? He's a Smackdown wrestler and what exactly was he going to announce? Since storyline-wise wasn't he put out of action by Kane? Shouldn't his vignettes been featured on the Friday night show and with the arena lights flickering at various times during the Smackdown broadcasts.

AIW Wrestling at St. Gregory's Byzantine Hall

Results from last Friday's card in Lakewood Ohio.

1. Benny Boone beat Knight Wagner & Joey "The Altercation" Luciano
   
   
2. Da Latin Crime Syndicate defeated Lights Out, "Mr. RBI" Izeah Bonds, & Kombat Kid when Jake Marimberga pinned Ben Fruith.
   
   Afterwards Da Latins continued the beat down which lead to The Duke making the save and calling out Lamont Williams for their match.
   
   
3. The Duke beat Lamont "Action" Williams. Afterward The Duke brought out a cake for Mr. RBI's birthday.
   
   Chest Flexor with Jessika Havok came out and interrupted Pedro during the opening announcements. Flexor announced he was not only going to find somebody in every title division for "Flexor Industries" but also just continue his goal of destroying AIW once and for all.

Yes, Cleveland. We do have a basketball team.

I'm just as stunned as the rest of the country over the Cavaliers win over the Lakers.

After the Varsity team delivered a 55-point beat down to a bunch of 8th graders, it was nice to see the "Cadavers" get mad and do something about it. They couldn't let that shellacking go unanswered. The team finally played some defense, played with a lot of energy, and for once acted like they cared.

I still find it hard to believe how Cleveland has laid down in games against Miami, LA, and most recently Detroit and Washington. After last Sunday, I had no reason to watch that team again this season. I guess that's how the NBA works.

Maybe even more stunning is how LA, aside from Pau Gasol, didn't get off the bus. They were terrible. I haven't seen Kobe Bryant play that poorly in a long time - probably because he wasn't facing LeBron James.

I know a lot of things were in Cleveland's favor:

• last game for LA before All-Star break – final game of an East Coast trip,
• LA has played a lot of games in recent years going to the NBA Finals in three straight seasons, 
• Coach Phil Jackson has to pick and choose when to go through the motions to avoid burn-out.
• LA is weak against young team like Cleveland because the Cavaliers can run and had two full days of rest since their last game at home. 

Still, Laker fan has to be gripping.

SuperBowl Trivia

1. The Oakland Raiders won the 1981 SuperBowl and became the wild card team to host the Lombardi Trophy. How many times has it happened since?
2. NFC won 13 straight Super Bowls from 1985-1997. How many have they won since?
3. The winning share for the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I was how much?
4. In SBXXIX, Steve Young's first touchdown pass of the game went to which teammate?
5. In SB IX, how were the first points of the game scored?
6. USC was (a) the college SBXXVIII MVP  Marcus Allen attended or (b) the college where Raiders owner Al Davis was an assistant coach
7. Which New York Jets player had 2 interceptions in SBIII?
8. Name the defensive teammates who were co-MVPs of SBXII?
9. Name the Cincinnati Bengals TE who had 11 receptions in SB XVI
10. Which starting DB for the Kansas City Chiefs, who played in SBI, went on to have a career in movies and TV?
11. Name the two Willies who started in the secondary in SBII?
12. Who coached the Colts in SBIII?
13. Which former Heisman Trophy winner started at running back for the Chiefs in SBIV?
14. Which DB was SBVII MVP
15. Which LB was SBV MVP?

Elyria's Fell, Lorain's Solis and Firelands' Passarello named new football head coaches

February is here and January was a big month for Lorain County high school football coaching changes. Here's a recap.

Mark Solis, Lorain

This hire is a big win for the city of Lorain. Coach Solis has been a winner everywhere he has been including Ashland Crestview from 1999-2004 (42-11, two play-off appearances), Elyria from 2005-2007 (20-12, one trip to play-offs) and Twinsburg from 2008-2010 (32-14, three appearances). If Solis can win at Elyria, he can win at Lorain.

10th annual WWE Royal Rumble Party

Congratulations to Marc Iacianci and Stella Mismas as they were the big winners at last night's 10th annual Girod Royal Rumble party. Both had wrestler Alberto Del Rio who was the 38th entrant and the last man standing in a 40-man over the top rope battle royal. Marc randomly picked #38 in the Hearts Division and Stella had picked #38 in the Clubs Division.

All WWE blog posts
Wikipedia Royal Rumble page

UNDERCARD

Smackdown World Champion Edge pinned Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero)

WWE Royal Rumble - Hearts Division

Payouts
$20 Marc Iacianci - Last Man Standing (a)
$5 Kevin Kowel - First to loose a wrestler (b)
$5 Carol Kalas - First to loose all four wrestlers (c)
$5 Monica Newell - Wrestler #13 (d)
$5 Monica Newell - Wrestler who eliminated Wrestler #13 (e)

The Match
(1) C.M. Punk - Katie Sobey
As Punk waited to see who drew no. 2, The Core walked out to the ring and surrounded Punk. They went after Punk in a five-on-one attack. The rest of the New Nexus ran out and joined in the brawl. The G.M. chimed in. Announcer Michael Cole stepped up to the podium and called for everyone's attention. He said the G.M. was ordering them to stop. Everyone stopped fighting after a few seconds. Cole said the G.M. declared that everyone other than Punk must return to the locker room immediately, and failure to comply would disqualify them from the Rumble. Everyone but Punk left.

WWE Royal Rumble - Clubs Division

Payouts

$20 Stella Mismas - Last Man Standing (a)
$5 Jerry Stepnicka - First to loose a wrestler (b)
$5 Dave LeGates - First to loose all four wrestlers (c)
$5 Doug Andrassy - Wrestler #13 (d)
$5 Jerry Stepnicka - Wrestler who eliminated Wrestler #13 (e)

The Match

(1) C.M. Punk - Buzz Schafer
As Punk waited to see who drew no. 2, The Core walked out to the ring and surrounded Punk. They went after Punk in a five-on-one attack. The rest of the New Nexus ran out and joined in the brawl. The G.M. chimed in. Announcer Michael Cole stepped up to the podium and called for everyone's attention. He said the G.M. was ordering them to stop. Everyone stopped fighting after a few seconds. Cole said the G.M. declared that everyone other than Punk must return to the locker room immediately, and failure to comply would disqualify them from the Rumble. Everyone but Punk left.

Holiday Basketball Tournament recaps

High School Basketball Tourneys have come and gone. Here are some of the results involving Lorain County schools.

Lorain County Holiday Tournament (Dec. 27 & 28) at Vermilion

Championship Game
Elyria 62, Sandusky 59 | 2nd recap | Listen
Sandusky (3-4) (11 15 22 11—59): Jefferies 4-1-9, Johnson 2-0-5, Smith 2-2-6, Stickland 5-0-11, Stovall 2-1-5, Turner 1-0-2, Turner 8-3-19, Williams 1-0-2
Elyria (6-1) (11 16 17 18—62): Bender 5-2-14, Dickerson 8-3-20, Horton 3-5-11, Latees 1-0-2, Swidecki 2-0-4, Walton 3-0-6, Zinimon 0-5-5

Consolation Game
Lorain 64, Vermilion 43 - Listen

First round games
Sandusky 64, Vermilion 61

WWE wrestling at the CSU Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio

Just returned from a Smackdown house show on the Cleveland State campus.

1. Kofi Kingston won a battle royal with the winner earning an Intercontinental Title shot later in the evening. The final four eliminations were Mason Ryan (eliminated by Ezekiel Jackson), Jackson (by Drew McIntyre), McIntyre (by Kingston) and Jack Swagger (by Kingston).
   
2. Womens Champion Natalya & Beth Phoenix defeated Layla El & Naomi when Phoenix pinned Layla after hitting the Glam Slam.
   
3. Mason Ryan (billed from Cleveland, Ohio) defeated Chavo Guerrero.
   
4. Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre defeated JTG and Trent Barreta when McIntyre pinned Barreta after hitting the Future Shock DDT.
   
5. Rey Mysterio defeated Alberto Del Rio
   
   Intermission
   
   
6. Chris Masters defeated Jack Swagger when Swagger tapped out to the Masterlock full-nelson submission.
   
7. Intercontinental Champion (and St. Edward graduate) Dolph Ziggler pinned Kofi Kingston.
   
8. Smackdown World Champion Edge defeated Kane and CM Punk to retain the title in a triple-threat steel cage match.

NFL needs to stop postponing games

Another week and another NFL game involving the Minnesota Vikings is changed. The blizzard that has hammered the United States East Coast has postponed the Vikings / Eagles game from Sunday night to Tuesday. The blizzard is expected to dump more than a foot of snow on Philadelphia.

Let me take you back to another famous game played in Philly: the 1948 NFL Championship game.

Philadelphia was already well in the midst of an actual blizzard. The Eagles played the Chicago Cardinals in for the championship game in an era where men were treated like men.

Steve Van Buren, Philly's star halfback who was in the fifth season of his Hall of Fame career, had to walk down 12 blocks down Broad Street after having ridden three trolleys from his home to the Eagles stadium. He then set a then-NFL record by running for 196 yards and scored the only touchdown of the game to help Philadelphia win their first championship.

Van Buren celebrated with his teammates, then walked up Broad Street 12 blocks and rode three trolleys home.

I understand most of NFL history prior to 1967 doesn't count but there was a time when NFL players were real men.

AIW Wrestling at St. Gregory's Byzantine Hall

1. Preshow: Mr. RBI/Kombat Kid beat Lights Out
   
   
2. Preshow: "The Aftermath" Justin Lee beat Nick Ando and Maximo Suave
   
   
3. Da Latin Crime Syndicate vs. Blackballed went to a no contest when they refused to wrestle causing Mr. RBI/Kombat Kid/Lights Out to attack. They were quickly out numbered by Da Latins and Blackballed, causing The Duke to make the save. Duke announced he's reforming Alpha Beta Duke and they would be his first pledges.
   

Happy 55th Birthday Steven Wright

OK - this is a sports blog but in honor of the comic's birthday today, here are some Steven Wright quotes to make you smile.

The eyes are the second thing to go. I forget the first ….

I planted some birdseed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.

I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart.

Last week I forgot how to ride a bicycle.

Photons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic.

All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

A beggar asked me for 50 cents for a sandwich. I said, "first let me see the sandwich."

What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free?

They told me I was gullible – and I believed them.

Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to edge his car onto a freeway.

Two can live cheaply as one, for half as long.

Experience is the thing you left when everything else is gone.

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

One nice thing about egotists: They don't talk about other people.

When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail.

A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries.

What was the greatest thing before sliced bread?

My weight is perfect for my height – which varies.

I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.

The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.

How can there be self-help "groups"?

Is there another word for synonym?

Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all?"

Don't look now. Tiger Woods is back.

After going winless for over a year, the man now more famous for his out of control adultery than his golfing is now leading the Chevron World Challenge golf tournament in Thousand Oaks. Tiger Woods shot a six-under 66 today at the par-72 Sherwood Country Club to lead Graham McDowell by four strokes.

It's not just the score that is impressive this weekend; it’s how Woods is playing. He is hitting fairways, he is hitting greens in regulation, and he is punishing the par-5 holes. 

Tiger started to find his golf swing again in the last two events finishing in the top-10 including a 65 in the final round in Australia. He has quietly kept the momentum going into this weekend. It will be nice to see Woods make headlines again for success on the golf course.

By the way, the Chevron World Challenge is an 18-player tournament that benefits Woods' charity, the Tiger Woods Foundation, and pays $1.2 million to the winner. Woods has won the event four times - nothing like having the home field advantage.

Boys High School Basketball Results: 2010-2011

Saturday March 12
Berea 64, Lorain 59 | 2nd story
Lorain hungry for more

(6) Lorain (15-9) (19 9 11 20--59): Cheers 3-0-6, Craighead 3-0-6, Mike Davila 7-6-23, Davis 3-0-7, Jerome Golson 4-3-11 (18 rebounds), Wilson 0-1-1, Winbush 2-1-5
(9) Berea (16-8) (12 16 21 15--64): Bates 1-0-2, Javon Cook 2-12-16 (12-14 FT, 4 steals, 5 assists), Hayes 2-5-9, Jared Paster 6-2-20 (18 pts. on 3-pointers, 11 rebounds, 2 steals), Perry 5-0-13, Swinnerton 1-0-2, Wade 1-0-2

Quitter at the Q tonight and it wasn't LeBron.

What a huge disappointment. The Cleveland Cavaliers have their biggest game of the year as LeBron James returns to the place where he spent his first seven NBA seasons. It was the biggest regular season home game in franchise history. All eyes in the sports world were on the north coast, the TNT game, hundreds of media credentials were issued.

Problem is no one apparently told the Cavaliers that this was a big game.

Maybe the Cavs were swept up in the LeBron hype. Maybe they were licking their wounds from last week's four games in five nights with Thanksgiving. Maybe they were trying to treat tonight like one of 82 games played.

Inexcusable. The team could go 1-81 and if the one win was tonight against the Miami Heat, Cleveland fans would be happy. If there was any game on the regular season to punch in, it was tonight. How can a professional with any kind of pride not get jacked up for tonight’s game?

The Cavaliers came out flat. A very uninspired first half, they shot 29% and did not play much defense. That was before the 3rd quarter debacle when they shot 4-21 and LeBron James scored 22 points. At that point it was time to locate the Hefty bags for garbage time.

Losses happen in pro sports. Just how the Cavaliers lost tonight is the most irritating. Where was the effort? Where was Mo Williams? Why was the Cleveland bench chatting with LeBron during the game?

Cleveland fan should be applauded for their behavior unfortunately the Cavaliers effort did the fans a disservice.

KIA Soul hamster commercial has grown on me

I guess I watch too much football. I used to hate this commercial and now I can't get enough of it ... weird.



Who's the Black Sheep, what's the Black Sheep?
Don't know who I am, or when I'm coming so you sleep
Wasn't in my room, wasn't in my sphere
Knew not who I was, but listen here

Then of course, the choice is yours

You can get with this, or you can get with that
I think you'll get with this, for this is where it's at

Where's the Black Sheep, here's the Black Sheep
Even if we wanted to the flock could not be weak
Watch me swing like this, why should I swing it like that,
Because in fact, on me it might not attract

You can get with this, or you can get with that
I think you'll get with this yes, for this is kinda fat

The Best of Lorain County High School Football

Congratulations to the following players for earning all-Ohio honors.

Division 1
1st team: Chase Farris, Elyria, DE, Sr.

3rd team: Tyler Parris, Amherst, WR, Sr.; Marty Thomas, Amherst, LB, Sr.; Mat Malloy, Amherst, DB, Sr.

Division 2
2nd team: Brian Mihalik, Avon Lake, DE, Sr.; Patrick Furnas, Avon, LB, Sr.

3rd team: Ronnie Willoughby, Avon Lake, WR, Sr.; Matt Eckhardt, Avon, WR, Jr.; Andrew Bohan, Avon Lake, OL, Sr.

Division 3
2nd team: Anthoney Budka, Vermilion, RB, Sr.; Joey Kudella, Firelands, LB, Jr.

3rd team: Carlton Watkins, Buckeye, WR, Sr.; Kyle Smith, Firelands, QB, Jr.; Nick Deichler, Firelands, RB, Jr.