Cleveland Browns Shopping List

Today the NFL starts free agency. The Cleveland Browns said they won't be active but that doesn't mean we can't speculate. Here are the positions of need and who could fill them.

QB:

Chad Henne, Miami – Only 26 but seems like he has been around forever. Picking up a veteran will (1) provide competition for Colt McCoy in training camp and (2) remove the pressure of having to get a QB in the NFL Draft. I'm not sold on Green Bay's Matt Flynn he's the same age as Henne but will command way too much money this off-season. He has only started two games in his career. He can't play against Detroit's secondary every week.

AIW Gauntlet For The Gold 7

Results from last night's Absolute Intense Wrestling's "Gauntlet For The Gold 7" event at Turner Hall in Cleveland Ohio - all AIW wrestling blog posts.

1. Preshow: AERO defeated Benjamin Boone when AERO reversed a body slam into a small package for the pin.
   
   
2. Da Latin Crime Syndicate (K-Fernandez, Luis Diamante & Joey "Snake") defeated The Submission Squad (Gary Jay, Evan Gelistico & Pierre Abernathy) when Diamante pinned Jay
   
   
3. Colin Delaney beat Marion Fontaine when Delaney hit Fontaine with his crutch leading to the pinfall.
   
   
4. The original match between Ophidian and Eric Ryan was changed to a triple threat match when Kobald joined in. Eric Ryan pinned Ophidian

Monster Hill Conquered

For those of you who read this blog know that I have taken up running. From time to time I set goals and today's run and achieving one of them. Residents of Parma Ohio may know this hill on Broadview Road just south of Ridgewood Drive. You can get a view of downtown Cleveland at the top of the hill.

My best guess is the hill has a 200 foot elevation. My friend James Ryan requested a visual so here we go.


View Larger Map

LeBron returning to Cleveland? Yeah right

LeBron James is in Cleveland for a game Friday night between the Heat and the Cavaliers. After practice at the Q on Thursday, LeBron tells reporters: "If I decided to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me."

Asked further about Cavs owner Dan Gilbert: "I don’t hold grudges., he said what he said out of anger. He'll probably want to take that back. I made a mistake too."

At first glance it seems like LeBron is extending an olive branch to the Cavalier organization. However we know better.

During the entire 2009-2010 season, LeBron teased the home fans in every city the Cavaliers visited. Whether it was New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Miami or Chicago, James talk about his impending free agency.

Now he is doing it again. LeBron can opt of his contract after the 2013-2014 year and if the Heat haven't won a championship (or two, three, seven) by then LeBron may need to get out of dodge.

Don't believe it for a second. As long as Gilbert is still the owner, the only time James will come to Cleveland is as a visiting player.

With rookie Kyrie Irving running the offense, the ball moves around and the rest of the players on the floor are in the flow. Too many times with LeBron he would dribble, dribble, dribble and then launch a panic three-pointer. Not saying the Cavaliers are a better team with Irving instead of LeBron – just pointing out that the franchise has moved on and so should we.

The build toward the game tonight could have been about the Cavaliers past (James) and Cavaliers present and future (Irving) and instead James made it about himself like the selfish player that he is.

11th annual WWE Royal Rumble Party

Congratulations to Laura and George Zilka as they were the big winners at last night's 11th annual Girod Royal Rumble party. Both had wrestler Sheamus who was the 22nd entrant and the last man standing in a 30-man over the top rope battle royal. Laura picked #22 in the Mirage Division and George had picked #22 in the Bellagio Division.

All WWE blog posts
Wikipedia Royal Rumble page

UNDERCARD

Yoshi Tatsu pinned Heath Slater after a spinwheel kick from the top rope.

Smackdown World Champion Daniel Bryan defeated Mark Henry and The Big Show in a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match.

WWE Royal Rumble - Mirage Division

Payouts

$20 Laura Zilka - Last Man Standing (a)
$5 Judy Manke - First to lose a wrestler (b)
$5 Darrin Goats - First to lose all three wrestlers (c)
$5 Darrin Goats - Wrestler #13 (d)
$5 Darrin Goats - Wrestler who eliminated Wrestler #13 (e)

The Match

(1) The Miz - Laura Zilka
Cue up The Miz's music as the #1 entrant, per the final Raw before the PPV. Miz emerged through his "Awesome" bubble letters from WM27 last year as Cole declared that Miz will go coast-to-cast tonight. In the ring, Miz took the mic and said everyone backstage is laughing and snickering at him for being #1. He said those same people doubted him when he first set foot in WWE and he will prove everyone wrong tonight.

(2) Alex Riley - Judy Manke
Riley came out as #2 to begin the match. After a brief exchange, Miz dumped Riley over the top rope, eliminating Riley. [RILEY: 1 Judy Manke (b)] Miz then danced around in the ring, waiting for his next foe.

WWE Royal Rumble - Bellagio Division

Payouts

$20 George Zilka - Last Man Standing (a)
$5 Marc Iacianci - First to lose a wrestler (b)
$5 Jack Newell - First to lose all three wrestlers (c)
$5 Jack Newell - Wrestler #13 (d)
$5 Marc Iacianci - Wrestler who eliminated Wrestler #13 (e)

The Match

(1) The Miz - Andy Rigo
Cue up The Miz's music as the #1 entrant, per the final Raw before the PPV. Miz emerged through his "Awesome" bubble letters from WM27 last year as Cole declared that Miz will go coast-to-cast tonight. In the ring, Miz took the mic and said everyone backstage is laughing and snickering at him for being #1. He said those same people doubted him when he first set foot in WWE and he will prove everyone wrong tonight.

(2) Alex Riley - Marc Iacianci
Riley came out as #2 to begin the match. After a brief exchange, Miz dumped Riley over the top rope, eliminating Riley. [RILEY: 1 Marc Iacianci (b)] Miz then danced around in the ring, waiting for his next foe.

Say Goodbye Fausto .. er .. Roberto

Cleveland Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona was arrested in the Dominican Republic for using a false identity. Apparently his name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia and his age is 31 not 28.

Carmona has been with the Indians organization since 2000 when he was signed as an amateur free agent.

I'm sure the Indians will do their due diligence regarding this matter but my opinion is the Tribe should void his contract.

A similar situation is unfolding involving Leo Nunez of the Miami Marlins who left the team in September to sort out these issues. He has still not been re-instated.

I understand crime and poverty in Dominican Republic is incredible. I understand baseball is the only way out for many kids. You can make the argument that MLB exploits Latin Players by paying higher signing bonuses to younger players. 

Bottom line
This man is a liar. He has been living a lie for 11 years. He is a 7-15 pitcher with questionable character. It's time to cut him loose. He is just not worth it.

Ohio State Buckeyes: 2015 National Champions

Tonight is the College Football National Championship Game between #1 LSU and #2 Alabama. On the other hand, the Ohio State Buckeyes are licking their wounds after suffering the most losses in a season since 1897.

Have no fear Urban Meyer is here. I'm going on record right now saying that Ohio State will be crowned national champions three years from tonight. Am I basing this on quarterback Braxton Miller having an outstanding senior season? Do I like Meyer's first recruiting class? Not necessarily.

Bottom line: young (new) football coaches win championships

Over the last 11 years, the college football winner on average was coached by someone in their 3rd year on the job. The list below contains the winners during the BCS era of College Football.

2011 Auburn Gene Chizik (2nd)
2010 Alabama Nick Saban (3rd)
2009 Florida Urban Meyer (4th)
2008 LSU Les Miles (3rd)
2007 Florida Urban Meyer (2nd)
2006 Texas Mack Brown (8th)
2005 USC Pete Carroll (4th)
2004 LSU Nick Saban (4th)
2003 Ohio State Jim Tressel (2nd)
2002 Miami Larry Coker (1st)
2001 Oklahoma Bob Stoops (2nd)

Akron fans, don't get too excited with Terry Bowden on board. This doesn't apply to you. There's a reason your nickname is the Zips.

The formula is simple: Big time program + big time coach = championship very soon.

Although the sample size is much smaller, the recent trend in the NFL is conference championship team come from coaches in their first few years on the job.

2011 Green Bay Packers Mike McCarthy (5th) / Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Tomlin (4th)
2010 New Orleans Saints Sean Payton (4th) / Indianapolis Colts Jim Caldwell (1st)
2009 Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Tomlin (2nd) / Arizona Cardinals Ken Whisenhunt (2nd)

2012 Running Schedule and Goals

Most of you know I took up running and exercising around the same time I started this blog. Today I’m laying out all the races I’m targeting in 2012. The Cleveland race is a definite – the others are races I may or may not run depending on running partners. Be sure to follow my blog all season to see how I am performing.

March:
3/10/12 - St. Malachi Run - 5 mile road race
3/17/12 - Strongsville Super Saturday 5K Run

April:
4/14/12 - Run for your Life, Berea – 5k

May:
5/20/12 - Cleveland 10K

June:
6/23/12 - Dean DePiero 5k, Parma

July:
7/7/12 - Run for the Pierogies, Parma – 5k

August:
8/4/12 - Cleveland Clinic 5K Run

September:
9/15/12 - Cleveland Race for the Cure, 5k race
9/29/12 - Akron Marathon, team relay event

October:
10/13/12 – Monster Mutt Dash, Berea – 5k

November:
11/22/12- Cleveland Turkey Trot

Training for St. Malachi has already started. I hope to break 48 minutes. My 5k and 10k goals this season are to break 27 and 55 minutes respectively. Keep your fingers crossed.

AIW Wrestling Nightmare Before X-Mas 5

Results from last night's Absolute Intense Wrestling's "Nightmare Before X-Mas 5" event at Puritas Lutheran Church in Cleveland Ohio - all AIW wrestling blog posts | Detailed report | 2nd report.

1. Preshow: Luis Diamante (with K Fernandez and Joey the Snake Diamante) beat Jason Gory
   
   
2. Preshow: Jarek 1:20 pinned Maserati Rick
   
   
3. The Duke defeated Jock Samsom by count-out when Duke clotheslined Samsom over the top rope and Samsom refused to re-enter the ring.

2011 Year in Review

This week is a series of posts recapping the 2011 season.

• Part 1: WOBL Radio Games
• Part 2: Final High School Football Regular Season Standings
• Part 3: Final Team Power Rankings
• Part 4: Top Players of 2011
• Part 5: Top Stories of 2011

Here are the top stories of the 2011 Lorain County Ohio football season:

1. Avon goes to State The Eagles made their first appearance in the football state championship game and the first Lorain-County school since 2004. Using a passing attack led by Justin O'Rourke (3168 yards passing, 40 touchdowns) and a running attack led by Ross Douglas (1019 yards rushing, 14 touchdowns), Avon was a well-balanced team offensively. Defensively, the team allowed 16 points average during their 15-game season. Head Coach Mike Elder in five years has an impressive 47-12 record and will likely to continue to win as long as Elder is around.
   
   
2. Firelands is the only team in Lorain County to go 10-0 The Falcons were by far the biggest feel-good story of the year - making their first play-off appearance in school history. The team had nine returning starters (all seniors) on both offense and defense so expectations were high. Still no one would have guessed Firelands running the table especially given this team won only nine games over the previous seven years (9-61 record from 2004-2010).

Top Players of 2011

This week is a series of stories recapping the 2011 high school football season in Lorain county Ohio.

• Part 1: WOBL Radio Games
• Part 2: Final High School Football Regular Season Standings
• Part 3: Final Team Power Rankings
• Part 4: Top Players of 2011
• Part 5: Top Stories of 2011

First Team
QB: Dustin Stolarkski, Sr., Elyria
RB: Clay Wright, Sr., Wellington
RB: Dontez Smith, Sr., Avon Lake
WR: Matt Eckhardt, Sr., Avon
WR: Demetrius Walton, Sr., Elyria
TE: Greg Harrison, Sr., Avon
OL: Matt Cox, Sr., Lorain
OL: Doug Church, Sr., Black River
OL: Tad France, Sr., Elyria
OL: Marshall Mayhugh, Sr., Black River
OL: Alex Neilsen, Sr., Elyria Catholic

DL: John Guilford, Sr., Black River
DL: Arlington McClinton, Sr., Midview
DL: Tracy Sprinkle, Jr., Elyria
DL: Jared Williams, Sr., Elyria
LB: Joe Dempsey, Sr., Elyria Catholic
LB: Austin Jones, Sr., Black River
LB: Matt Tomlin, Sr., Avon
DB: Brett Bass, Sr., Avon Lake
DB: Jacob Mullins, Sr., Avon
DB: Alonso Southard, Sr., Clearview
DB: Christian Watkins, Sr., North Ridgeville
Kicker: Brad Young, Sr., Avon
Punter: Adam Horrocks, Sr., Avon

Second Team
QB: Justin O’Rourke, Sr., Avon
RB: Nick Deichler, Sr., Firelands
RB: Ross Douglas, Jr., Avon
WR: Jordan Altpater, Jr., Elyria Catholic
WR: Shane Lambert, Sr., Columbia
WR: Eric Lauer, Jr., Midview
OL: Ryan Byrne, Sr., Avon
OL: Frank Estep, Jr., Vermilion
OL: Dakota Tallman, So., Elyria Catholic
OL: David Gilchrist, Sr., Midview
OL: Foster Tucker, Jr., Columbia

DL: Jeremiah Burris, Jr., Avon
DL: Joe DeWitt, Sr., Firelands
DL: Cedric Peyton, Sr., Lorain
DL: Cody Sheets, Sr., Amherst
LB: Brandon Heidinger, Sr., Columbia
LB: Zack Hofecker, Jr., Firelands
LB: Collin Lucas, So., Avon Lake
LB: Matt Morgan, Sr., Elyria Catholic
DB: Zach Gilbert, Sr., Wellington
DB: Jason Moore, Jr., Oberlin
DB: Kyle Smith, Sr., Firelands
Kicker: Vincent Faraji, Sr., Elyria Catholic
Punter: Brad Bellman, So., Brookside

Receiving Consideration:
Chad Anderson, Clearview; Jason Anthony, Vermilion; Ryan Alspach, Wellington; James Baker, Elyria Catholic; John Banyasz, Columbia; Brad Brill, Avon Lake; Collin Bryant, Lorain; P.J. Bunevich, North Ridgeville; OL: T.K. Burk, Avon Lake; Cody Callaway, Midview; Brandon Davis, Lorain; Justin Dylan, Lorain; Holden Fasur, Elyria; Keyonte Francis, Brookside; Nathan Gray, Wellington; Tom Gula, Jr., Amherst; Jeremy Holley, Elyria Catholic; Quentin Horton, Clearview; Devin Hill, Lorain; Matt Jordan, Sr., Clearview; Joe Kudella, Sr., Firelands; Alec Medina, Lorain; Chad Metcalf, Brookside; Christian Nogueras, Lorain; Austin Phillips, Black River; Arin Pruitt, Brookside; Drew Randleman, Oberlin; Raeshaun Smith, Lorain; Nick Sutherland, Wellington; Gio Taw, Brookside; Andrew Vaughn, Black River; Holden Vazur, Elyria; Luke Williams, Elyria Catholic;

Coach of the Year: Kevin Fell, Elyria
Others: Mike Elder, Avon; Mike Passerello, Firelands; Matt Stoll, Wellington

Northeast Lakes All-District football teams | Northeastern Inland All-District football teams
All-Morning Journal Football Team

All-Ohio Football Honors:

• Divisions I and II  
• Divisions III and IV 
• Divisions V and VI

Final Lorain County Football Power Rankings

This week is a series of stories recapping the 2011 high school football season in Lorain county Ohio.

• Part 1: WOBL Radio Games
• Part 2: Final High School Football Regular Season Standings
• Part 3: Final Team Power Rankings
• Part 4: Top Players of 2011
• Part 5: Top Stories of 2011

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

1. Avon 13-2, (6-0 West Shore Conference), (1, 1) – The best school in Lorain County. The Eagles became the first Lorain-County school to play in a state championship game since 2004. The team used a 2010 week 11 loss to Sandusky and a 2011 week 10 loss to Lake Catholic as focus and motivation as they went through play-offs. Although the season ended in disappointment (42-28 loss to Trotwood-Madison), this Eagles team represented the city, county, and Northeast Ohio well.
   
   
2. Avon Lake 8-2, (7-0 in Southwestern Conference), (2, 6) – Tough to put a non-playoff qualifer as the #2 team in this ranking but Avon Lake deserves it. The Shoremen were bumped up to Division I status by one student (494 boys) and thus had to compete in the perennially strong Region 2.. They still earned 23 computer which would been enough to get in the post-season in regions 1, 3 and 4. This year Shoremen team did have some solid players like Dontez Smith, Collin Lucas and Brett Bass but no superstars. They accomplished in 2011 what they always do -  win the SWC, their 17th conference title in 20 years under head coach Dave Dlugosz.
   
   
3. Firelands 10-1, (7-0 in Patriot Athletic Conference, Stars Division), (14, 5) – The Falcons were by far the biggest feel-good story of the year. A team that won nine games over the previous seven years goes undefeated in the regular season and makes their first play-off appearance in school history. With nine seniors starting on offense and defense, several Falcon players such as QB Kyle Smith, RB Nick Deichler, WB Joe Kudela, DT Joe DeWitt, WR Cody Northeim, WR Jake Myers and TE Steve Bajcer had big seasons. The season ended abruptly in week 11 losing 66-14 at Chagrin Falls.

Final High School Football Regular Season Standings

This week is a series of stories recapping the 2011 high school football season in Lorain county Ohio.

• Part 1: WOBL Radio Games
• Part 2: Final High School Football Regular Season Standings
• Part 3: Final Team Power Rankings
• Part 4: Top Players of 2011
• Part 5: Top Stories of 2011

Below are the final records of all teams in Northeast Ohio. Teams who made the post-season have their regular-season record and their combined final record.

Patriot Athletic Conference
Stars Division	Conf.	Overall
Firelands	7-0	10-0, 10-1
Wellington	6-1	7-3, 7-4
Black River	5-2	8-2, 9-3
Buckeye	3-4	3-7
Brookside	2-5	4-6
Keystone	0-7	0-10

WOBL Radio Games

Finished my 5th year covering high school football in Lorain county Ohio.

This week is a series of stories recapping the 2011 season.

• Part 1: WOBL Radio Games
• Part 2: Final High School Football Regular Season Standings
• Part 3: Final Team Power Rankings
• Part 4: Top Players of 2011
• Part 5: Top Stories of 2011

Below are the games I covered for WOBL radio.

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

Good luck to Avon tonight

Tonight is the final Lorain county high school football game as the Avon Eagles face off against the Trotwood-Madison Rams in the Division II state championship game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon, Ohio. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well).

Avon is going after their first football title and just the fifth in Lorain County history. The last Lorain County team to play for a state title was Avon Lake in 2004.

Boys High School Basketball Results: 2011-2012

Thursday June 7, 2012
Former Elyria Catholic coach pleads no contest to disorderly conduct charge

Urban Renewal at Ohio State - my thoughts

Yesterday Urban Meyer was announced as the new head football coach at Ohio State University. Meyer signed a six-year contract for around $4.4 million a year. His previous head coaching stops were at Bowling Green (2 years), Utah (2 years) and Florida (6 years) accumulating a 104-23 record (7-1 in bowl games).

During his time at Florida, he won two national titles and he resigned as Gators coach citing health concerns and desire to spend more time with his family. Meyer takes over a program tainted by an ongoing NCAA investigation, player suspensions and a 6-6 record in 2011.

Girls High School Basketball Results: 2011-2012

Playoff Brackets

DIVISION I

Elyria Catholic District includes Amherst, Avon, Avon Lake, Elyria, Lorain, Midview and North Ridgeville

Wednesday February 29, 2012
Westlake 51, Lorain 31 | 2nd Story | Listen

Magnificat 64, Avon Lake 30

Saturday February 25, 2012
Avon Lake 51, Avon 49 | Listen
Avon Lake (12-10), (9 9 16 17--51): Disbrow 1-0-2, Kollias 2-0-5, LeDuc 10-4-25, LeDuc 2-0-5, Nicholas 1-5-7, Zelonis 2-2-6
Avon (12-7), (9 8 19 13--49): Conroy 3-2-8, Davidson 3-2-8, Janollari 0-1-1, Julius 7-4-19, Neumann 2-0-4, Smith 2-0-4, Wilden 1-2-5

Lorain-Westlake Matchup

Wednesday February 22, 2012
Lorain 64, Olmsted Falls 49 | 2nd story | Listen
Olmsted Falls (12-11), (13 13 10 13--49): Fossen 7-20, Gasper 4-8, Gerycz 4-11, Koch 2-4, S 3-6
Lorain (17-3), (17 20 9 18--64): Arnold 1-2, Farris 1-2-4, Fields 1-2, Flores 1-3, Fortney 6-15, Harris 8-2-18, Hawthorne 3-6, Stoyka 6-1-14

Monday February 20, 2012
Avon Lake 52, Elyria 51 | 2nd story
Elyria (11-11), (14 8 9 15 5--51): Christian 2-3-12, Darden 1-1-4, Mary Jones 10-4-27, Middlebrooks 3-1-7, Read 2-0-5
Avon Lake (11-10), (7 8 15 16 6--52): Disbrow 3-0-6, Kollias 1-0-2, Lacy LeDuc 6-12-24, LeDuc 2-1-5, Nicholas 3-0-6, Kim Zelonis 4-1-9

Saturday February 18, 2012
Westlake 71, Midview 24 | 2nd story
Midview (3-17), (0 10 8 6--24): Benetto 1-2, Dobbins 1-2, Eichenlaub 1-0-2, House 3-1-7, Linn 3-6, Reith 1-2, bowman 1-1, russ 1-2
Westlake (18-3), (25 14 22 10--71): Bronikowski 1-1, COLLINSA 2-5, Carroll 2-4, CollinsR 1-2-5, Furci 2-5, Kobe 1-2, Labroo 1-2, Trujillo 11-1-25, Wichman 1-4-6, Zimmerman 6-16

Olmsted Falls 41, North Ridgeville 25 | 2nd story
North Ridgeville (9-12), (8 10 0 7--25): Daveant 1-0-2, Kovach 1-1-3, Montgomery 3-3-9, Pecchia 4-8, Riley 1-3
Olmsted Falls (11-10), (17 8 8 8--41): Black 1-2, Duber 1-1, Fossen 2-1-5, Gasper 3-1-8, Gerycz 5-1-13, Jacobs 2-4, Koch 3-6, S 1-2

Lorain Preview 

DIVISION II

Elyria District includes Brookside, Clearview, Firelands, Keystone & Vermilion

Thursday March 1, 2012
Keystone 44, Holy Name 42, 2 OT | 2nd Story | Listen
Holy Name (16-7), (4 8 11 7 4 8--42): Corrigan 2-4-8, Erica Davis 7-2-17, Day 2-1-7, Kucharczyk 1-0-2, Pineiro 2-0-5
Keystone (22-1), (9 5 6 10 4 10--44): Conrad 2-0-4, Kolar 2-2-6, Nagy 0-1-1, Emily Nagy 4-5-15 (8 in Ots), Silva 3-2-8, Wilmoth 5-0-10
Last year, Keystone and Holy Name went into overtime before Keystone pulled off a 48-36 win, advancing the Wildcats to the regional semifinal, where they lost to Lima Bath, 40-33.

Saturday February 26, 2012
Keystone 51, Cleveland Central Catholic 16 | Listen
Keystone (21-1), (16 13 16 6--51): Conrad 3-0-7, Kolar 2-0-6, Nagy 5-3-16, Nagy 3-4-8, Peters 1-0-2, Silva 2-1-6, Wilmoth 3-0-6
Cleveland Central Catholic (12-9), (5 4 2 5--16): Freely 1-0-2, Fuller 1-4-6, Holmes 3-0-8

Holy Name 64, Firelands 29
Holy Name (16-6), (20 13 17 14--64): Adams 1-0-2, Bode 3-0-6, Corrigan 3-2-8, Davis 6-2-14, Day 4-0-10, Day 1-0-2, DiGeronimo 2-0-4, Kucharczyk 3-2-11, Pineiro 2-1-5, Verba 1-0-2
Firelands (15-7), (9 8 6 6--29): Bari 1-2-4, Holowecky 2-2-7, Kelley 1-0-2, Lahetta 0-2-2, Melendez 2-0-4, Morrissette 3-0-6, Muniga 0-1-1, Samples 1-1-3

Thursday February 24, 2012
Bay 57, Clearview 31 | 2nd Story
Bay (14-8), (18 17 14 8--57): Grubach 1-0-2, Passalacqua 1-0-3, Taylor Seton 5-1-11, Kaleigh Sima 3-1-9, Steyns 1-0-2, Werblak 1-2-5, White 3-0-6, Williams 1-1-3, Claire Wilson 7-2-16
Clearview (16-5), (8 9 11 3--31): Blakely 2-1-5, Kokinda 1-1-3, Tamara McCoy 5-3-13, Mielcarek 0-2-2, Ray 3-0-6, Younkin 1-0-2

Wednesday February 22, 2012
Firelands 41, Fairview 38, OT
Fairview (12-9, 8-8), (10 0 7 19 2--38): Bilak 0-2-2, Coyne 2-1-5, King 1-2-5, Morrison 4-0-9, Smith 6-2-17
Firelands (15-6, 12-4), (10 8 4 14 5--41): Holowecky 1-2-4, Kudela 3-1-7, Lahetta 1-0-2, Melendez 2-0-4, Morrissette 3-6-12, Samples 4-4-12

Monday February 20, 2012
Keystone 72, Vermilion 31 | 2nd story
Vermilion (6-14), (3 12 9 7--31): Bartlome 2-0-6, Bonner 2-0-5, Cunningham 3-0-6, Dillon 1-0-2, Kowal 1-0-2, LaForce 2-0-6, Stainbrook 1-2-4
Keystone (20-1), (16 20 11 24--71): Mackenzie Conrad 4-3-11, Emily Kolar 4-1-11, Emily Nagy 8-5-26 (five 3-pointers), Nagy 1-2-5, Peters 1-0-2, Schaffer 1-1-3, Silva 1-1-3, Danielle Wilmoth 5-0-10

Rocky River 48, Brookside 23
Brookside, (4 11 6 2--23): Andorka 0-1-1, Elias 1-0-2, Gerding 1-2-5, Musall 4-1-9, O'Neal 0-1-1, Piwowar 1-0-3, Sanchez 1-0-2
Rocky River (14-6), (11 21 8 8--48): Helleis 1-2-4, Ciarra Kessler 6-2-14, Kocher 1-0-2, Krajcer 0-1-1, Hannah McCue 6-5-18, McNally 4-0-9

DIVISION III

Barberton District includes Black River, Columbia, Elyria Catholic, Oberlin & Wellington

Thursday March 1, 2012
Rootstown 54, Columbia 32: Listen

Saturday February 26, 2012
Columbia 42, Elyria Catholic 38

DIVISION IV

Norwayne District includes Open Door

AIW Wrestling Hell on Earth 7

Results from last night's Absolute Intense Wrestling's "Hell on Earth 7" event at Puritas Lutheran Church in Cleveland Ohio - all AIW wrestling blog posts | Detailed report.

1. Preshow: AERO won a fatal-4 way match defeating Jay Bly, Stitch Syper and Matt Atrayou.
   
   
2. Preshow: Nick Talent defeated Danny Only.
   
   The show begins with the announcement that Absolute Owner Chandler Biggins and minority owner John Thorne have sold their collective interest in AIW to a unidentified trust who now owns a majority share. That person was revealed to be Matt Wadsworth.

Girard 56, Black River 14

The first trip to the play-offs in eight years for Black River ended abruptly as the fourth-seeded Pirates were thumped by the top seeded Girard Indians by a 56-14 at Lake High School in Hartville, Ohio in a Division 4, Region 13 semi-final matchup. You can listen to the replay online.

Girard was led by senior running back Ahmad Eggleston, senior quarterback Dan Graziano and senior receiver Branden Byrd.

The Indians took control of the game with a four touchdowns 2nd quarter. In that 12-minute period, Eggleston scored on three consecutive carries covering 34, 58 and 72 yards and finishing with 229 yards on just 12 rushes. 

Graziano contributed a 42-yard touchdown in the first quarter and threw touchdown passes of 37 and 68 to Byrd in the first half. Girard scored touchdowns on six of their seven first half possessions.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

View all blog posts not related to sports

Black River 49, Manchester 24

Black River made a triumphant return to the OHSAA play-offs defeating visiting Manchester 49-24 last night in Sullivan, Ohio. You can listen to the replay online.

The Pirates, making their first post-season appearance since 2003, used a dominating rushing attack and an opportunistic defense to defeat the Panthers for the second time this season. Black River was victorious over Manchester in week 3 by a score of 29-28. That game Pirates QB Dakota Kuntz passed for a school-record 263 yards and four touchdowns.

Last night, Kuntz wasn't called upon to throw as often for Black River thanks to sophomore running back Andrew Vaughn who ran 23 times for 238 yards and three touchdowns. He was helped by junior Austin Phillips (13-148) who had two scores himself and senior Jake Sexton (4-48) who scored the first Pirate touchdown and later recorded an interception.

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