They did it again Simply the best

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Product: ENQUIRER PubDate: 06-16-2004 Zone: Late Edition: 1 Page Name: C6.0
Time: 06-15-2004 19:39 User: jslavens
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C6 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2004
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2004C7
XXXXSPORTS
2 0 0 3 – 2 0 0 4
S C H O O L
MOELLER:
STILL MIGHTY
Y E A R
SALUTE TO CHAMPIONS
16 area teams capture state titles
MIKE SIMONS for the Enquirer
Moeller rolled to its fourth state
baseball title. Aces Andrew
Brackman and Eric Surkamp
combined to go 15-0, with
Brackman named Ohio Division
I player of the year by state
coaches. Along with timely hitting (team average .351) led by
GCL South player of the year
Cameron Satterwhite, the Crusaders finished the year 28-3.
David Oberly (left) jumps on
Surkamp after winning the title.
FALL
MASON:
SPECIAL DELIVERY
MT. NOTRE DAME:
COUGAR POWER
The Cincinnati Enquirer/GARY LANDERS
ELDER:
THE SEQUEL
Mason shared the Division I
girls’ state track title, the first
Cincinnati-area team to win a
girls’ state track championship since 1989. Star hurdler
LeAuna Sistrunk (left), who
won two golds and distance
ace Angela Bizzarri, who won
one gold, led the Comets.
Cleveland Collinwood was
co-champ.
In the fall, Mount Notre Dame
won its second consecutive state
golf title. In the winter, the Cougars’ basketball team rolled to an
unbeaten season and the Division I state title, led by Ohio Ms.
Basketball Mel Thomas (left), who
hugs coach Scott Rogers after
winning state. The team finished
No. 2 in the USA Today Super 25
ratings but was named national
champion by both Student Sports
magazine and iHigh.com.
GREG LORING for the Enquirer
The Cincinnati Enquirer/ERNEST COLEMAN
Elder rode the passing of
quarterback Rob Florian (1,922
yards and 20 TDs) and the
running of Bradley Glatthaar
(2,217 yards and 33 TDs) to its
second consecutive Division I
state football title. Glatthaar
set a Division I state championship-game record with 252
yards rushing . He also scored
three TDs in the game. He was
named first-team all-state and
has signed to play for the
University of Cincinnati.
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
WINTER
Girls’ Tennis
Another high school phenom?:
North College Hill freshman O.J.
Mayo had an average year – for
an NBA all-star. Mayo averaged
30.9 points per game in his
first season with the Trojans.
The Cincinnati Enquirer/
MEGGAN BOOKER
The next UConn star?:
Mount Notre Dame
basketball player
Mel Thomas led the
Cougars to an undefeated season and a
state title.
Wiegand
Boys’ Cross Country
Flannery
See
Boys’ Swimming
The Cincinnati Enquirer/
GARY LANDERS
Leeper
Jeff See, Middletown
Division I champ
Kylee Wiegand, Jessica Flannery,
Badin Division II
doubles champs
Girls’ Cross Country
Thompson
Sarah Leeper, Loveland Division I
champ; Emily Thompson, Taylor
Division II champ
Wrestling
In memory ...
THOMAS E. WITTE for the Enquirer
Bradley Glatthaar had a record 252 rushing yards in the Division I
state title game. Elder beat St. Edward, 31-7.
E
Thoman
They did it again
lder became the first Cincinnati school to repeat as Ohio
big-school football champion
since Moeller in 1979-80.
The day after the second title, a
zealous Panther fan approached
coach Doug Ramsey at a celebratory pep rally and said, “Can you do
it again?” Ramsey just smiled and
said, “We’ll try.”
Ramsey later said, “I don’t know
when the next one’s going to come,
but right now we’re in some elite
company.”
WHAT IF: St. Xavier was 4-0 when
running back Elliot Walker went
down with a knee injury. The
Bombers finished 6-3 and missed
the football playoffs for the first
time in seven years.
WHAT’S IN A NAME: Lakota West
soccer star John Mellencamp,
nephew of the rock star with the
same name, will play for Indiana
University this fall. Mellencamp
the musician lives in Bloomington,
home of IU.
MOVING ON: Football icons Terry Malone (Badin) and Steve Rasso (St. Xavier), with more than 600
coaching wins between them, both
retired after the 2003 fall season.
Also retiring is OHSAA commissioner Clair Muscaro, after 15
years on the job.
GONE TOO SOON: Lakota West
boys’ soccer coach Steve Cummins died unexpectedly at age 50
in September.
Reading junior Andy Ramsey,
nephew of Elder football coach
Doug Ramsey, was killed in a car
accident while heading to watch
the state wrestling tournament.
Nick Thoman, Mariemont
100 backstroke champ
T
his kind of “double” might
have happened before, but
not in recent memory. Moeller senior Andrew Brackman
was the No. 1-rated prep player in
the state in two sports – basketball
(by national recruiting analyst Bob
Gibbons) and baseball (by Baseball
America).
Brackman was the Enquirer
boys’ basketball player of the year
and is a leading contender as a
pitcher for baseball player of the
year when the Enquirer soon announces that team. Brackman will
attend North Carolina State in the
fall on both a basketball and baseball scholarship.
DOUBLE NO-NO: McAuley softball
star Amanda Pick threw consecutive no-hitters on two different occasions this season. Pick threw backto-back perfect games at one juncture, then followed thereafter with
consecutive no-hitters.
COOL KEIR: Lakota West softball
pitcher Keir McEachern has an engaging personality to go with her
status as one of the area’s top players. McEachern, signed with Kent
State, ended her prep career on a
tough note by hitting Mason’s Erin
Gilbert in the knee with the bases
loaded, forcing in the winning run
in the 10th inning of a 1-0 loss.
What did she learn by the de-
HAMILTON:
GOLDEN YEAR
The Cincinnati Enquirer/STEVEN M. HERPPICH
feat? Just minutes afterward,
McEachern smiled and said, “I
learned you shouldn’t pitch inside
in that situation, that’s for sure.”
THANKS FOR MEMORIES: Landmark Trinity announced it will
close its doors due to declining enrollment. The school produced
numerous standout athletes in recent years, including Sonny Snell,
Mick Shannon and Amy Sebastian
(basketball) and Tiffany Burlew
(softball).
1,000K GOLD: Bethel-Tate softball pitcher Taryn Beck became
just the ninth player in Ohio girls’
fast-pitch history to strike out
1,000 batters for her career.
Hamilton won the boys’
Division I state basketball title,
exactly 50 years after the Big
Blue’s last championship.
Coach Larry Allen, who gets a
hug from players Derrick Huff
(left) and Latez Williams, is a
product of the Hamilton system, includes the words “Big
Blue” in seemingly every sentence and was thrilled to have a
son, Billy, on this year’s team.
“I can’t ask for anything more,”
Allen said.
Tony Johnson, Lakota East
Division I 275-pound champ;
Nathan Thobaben, Clinton-Massie
Division III 215-pound champ
French
Carothers
Andy Ramsey
1986-2004
Reading junior football player
Lindsay
Wagster
Pete Carothers, Kit French, Ryan
Lindsay, Jared Wagster, St. Xavier
200 medley relay champs;
Carothers also 100 freestyle
and 100 butterfly champ
Girls’ Track
Simply the best
Thobaben
Boys’ Track
SPRING
Moeller pitcher Andrew Brackman finished the baseball season 7-0
with a 0.60 ERA. His fastball has been clocked at 94 mph.
Steve Cummins
1952-2003
Lakota West boys’ soccer coach
Andy Ramsey was slated to be
Reading’s starting quarterback
next season.
QUIRKY COACH: Edgewood football coach Steve Channell admits
to many superstitions, including
wearing the same coaching attire
(shorts, short-sleeved shirt) no
matter the weather. He also did not
get a haircut all during the 2003
season, trying to keep his luck
alive as unbeaten Edgewood advanced to the Division II title game.
“My wife says the first thing I
have to do next week, win or lose,
is get a haircut,” Channell said just
before the title game. Edgewood
lost 10-7 on a snowy night in the finals, and Channell had to wear
long pants and a windbreaker because of the nasty weather.
He also got that haircut.
The Cincinnati Enquirer/ERNEST COLEMAN
Johnson
I
O.J.’S HERE: Freshman basketball star O.J. Mayo arrived as a
transfer to North College Hill amid
huge hype, and he delivered. He
averaged 30.9 points a game, was
named Division III state player of
the year, and charmed the masses
with an engaging, down-to-earth
persona.
And yes, he really is that good.
After Mayo dropped 44 points
on a strong Wyoming team, Cowboys coach Tony Gentry said, “O.J.
is the best player in the state, in any
class.”
NCH was upset by Reading in
the sectional tournament, but
Mayo will return with classmate
Bill Walker for 2004-05. Both players are ranked among the nation’s
top 10 sophomores-to-be by Hoop
Scoop recruiting service.
ANGELS AMONG US: At the Greater Catholic League boys’ swim
meet, Moeller sophomore Matt
Angelini won the 100 backstroke
but made headlines for giving his
gold medal to Purcell Marian sophomore Alex Hamm.
Hamm, who has Down syndrome, also competed in the 100
backstroke and his gutsy effort was
cheered wildly by spectators.
Moeller’s Angelini, also touched
by the scene, slipped out of the
crowd and gave his race-winning
medal to Purcell coach Wade Davis. “For Alex,” Angelini said. The
story was front-page news in the
Enquirer.
WHAT IF: La Salle was 19-0 and
ranked No. 1 in Division I state basketball when star forward Justin
Orr was lost to a knee injury. The
Lancers made a gallant run in postseason play but were stopped short
of a possible state tournament final
vs. Moeller, which was upset in the
regional final while trying to repeat
as state champ.
GIRL POWER: Amanda Breezley,
ST. URSULA:
DOUBLE ACES
MADEIRA:
SCORES BIG
The Madeira boys’
soccer team won its
second straight Division III state title and
established a boys’
state-record 46-game
unbeaten streak.
Coach Jon Unger did
not want the streak
publicized, but his
players ignored the
pressure and won
another state trophy.
Associated Press
a 4-foot-11, 103-pound wrestler at
Blanchester, became the first female wrestler to win a varsity high
school tournament in Cincinnati
when she won the Reading Invitational. That was according to Blanchester coach Bryan Pennix, and
no one could prove him wrong.
“There have been quite a few boys
that walked off the mat in tears,”
Breezley’s father said. “I recall one
boy crying after she pinned him in
21 seconds.”
PRIORITIES STRAIGHT: Kudos to
David Lumpkin, who stepped
down as Winton Woods boys’ varsity basketball coach to become
head coach of the girls’ team.
Lumpkin, a highly successful
boys’ coach with a state runner-up
finish on his resume, stepped
down because he wants to watch
his son play varsity basketball at
Colerain and because he wants to
coach his daughter, who will enter
Winton Woods’ program next season. In his coaching prime at age
44, Lumpkin put family first.
The Cincinnati Enquirer/ERNEST COLEMAN
In September, St. Ursula
briefly had the nation’s
No. 1-rated teams in both
girls’ volleyball (PrepVolleyball.com) and girls’ soccer
(National Soccer Coaches
Association/adidas poll).
The Bulldogs’ unbeaten
volleyball team won the Division I state championship
and was declared national
champion by PrepVolleyball.com. The soccer team lost
in the state semifinals.
Graessle
Sistrunk
Bizzarri
LeAuna Sistrunk, Mason
Division I 100-, 300-meter hurdles
champ; Angela Bizzarri, Mason
Division I 3,200-meter champ
Cooper
Jones
Mike Chia, La Salle Division I pole
vault champ; Harold Jones, Wyoming
Division II 800-meter champ
Boys’ Tennis
McCarthy
Edgell
Lindsay Graessle, Kings
Division I 100 breaststroke champ;
Ashlee Edgell, Madeira
Division II 200 IM champ
Sweet seasons
t has been another fabulous year in Cincinnati prep sports. The area captured
16 team state championships in the 2003-04 school year, compared to 13
the previous school year.
There were also numerous individual state champions, and many athletes
won national honors, including St. Ursula’s Bryn Kehoe as PrepVolleyball.com’s
U.S. girls’ volleyball Player of the Year. Here is a look at some of the highlights
and offbeat happenings from the 2003-04 school year:
Girls’ Swimming
Chia
Hagen
Mike McCarthy, Indian Hill
Division II singles champ
Allare
Matthews
Doug Matthews, Matt Allare, Kings
Division I doubles champs
16 champs
Sixteen Cincinnati-area teams won
state titles in the 2003-04 season.
1. St. Ursula volleyball
2. Mount Notre Dame golf
3. Mount Notre Dame basketball
4. Elder football
5. St. Xavier swimming
6. Madeira boys’ soccer (Div. III)
7. Hamilton boys’ basketball
8. Mason girls’ track
9. St. Xavier cross country
10. Moeller baseball
Non-sanctioned by OHSAA
11. Indian Hill boys’ tennis (Div. II)*
12. Sycamore boys’ lacrosse (Div. II)
13. Mason boys’ lacrosse (Div. IV)
14. Moeller volleyball
15. Oak Hills boys’ bowling
16. Fairfield girls’ bowling
* Team tennis is not sanctioned,
though individual titles are.
Dickenson
Nance
Shanna Dickenson, Mercy
Division I discus champ;
Jenna Nance, Middletown Madison
Division I pole vault champ
Lipari
Krone
Abby Cooper, Jenny Hagen, Sarah
Krone, Tiffany Lipari, Ursuline
Division I 200 free relay champs
Havens
Shidler
Stephen Havens, Ryan Shidler,
CHCA Division II doubles champs
Stories compiled by Tom Groeschen
Coming for Kentucky ...
Go online
m For a list of where the Class of
2004 athletes are going
m Rosters of title teams
m Stories to date on teams,
individual champs and more
AND THE OTHERS ...
ST. XAVIER: TWICE THE FUN
Josh Walters and the
St. Xavier cross
country team went
the distance,
winning a state
championship.
The St. Xavier
swimming
team made it
look easy
again, winning
its sixth
straight state
title, led by
Ohio swimmer
of the year
Pete Carothers
(left).
The Associated
Press
GREG RUFFING for the Enquirer
Coming next Friday, the Enquirer will present its Northern Kentucky Salute to Champions. The page will recap the area’s top stories
from the fall season through this week’s state
baseball tournament and give a nod to all of
Northern Kentucky’s state champions – team
and individual.
Greater Cincinnati also produced six state
team champions in events not sanctioned
by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. In these events, various state coaches’ associations run their own tournaments
and crown champions.
The local state champions in the non-sanctioned events were Oak Hills boys’ bowling,
Fairfield girls’ bowling, Sycamore boys’
lacrosse (Division II), Mason boys’ lacrosse
(Division IV), Moeller volleyball and Indian
Hill boys’ tennis (Division II). Boys’ tennis is
a sanctioned sport and produces singles
and doubles state champions, but the
OHSAA does not sponsor the team competition – that is a coaches’ event.