Palmer leaving? I don't think so. Remember several years ago when Ocho Cinco threatened to leave? And look where he is now. I don't see the tight grip of Mike Brown relaxing. And I don't see any teams picking up the expensive contract of Palmer after a less than stellar year. So my bet is on number 9 being back next year.

Public vs Private

OSHAA has a panel that has been looking at the public vs. private school debate. It is well known that private schools have dominated the state playoffs - particularly in football. And although schools are not allowed to actively recruit students for athletics, they can recruit for 'academics'. However it happens, good athletes seem to get attracted to certain schools and they excel. Meanwhile public schools have to play with the cards they dealt - only working with kids from their school district.

Over the years debate has swung back and forth. Some say leave things as is, it makes everyone better because you have to compete against the best. Another view is to go the opposite direction. To have completely separate divisions and playoffs for public and private schools.

OSHAA seems to have come up with a compromise between these two views. Everyone stays in the same pool. But there is a multiplier placed on schools that can pull students from a wider area than just their school district. So a school with 200 male students put can pull in students from outside their area may have a 10% multiplier giving them a total of 220 students for assignment to a division. NOt always enough to push them up into the next largest division, but it is a step in the right direction.

So at least OSHAA is addressing an issue - its a compromise. Not everyone will be happy. But this is a step in the right direction. Something needs to be done to give public schools some sense of fairness. Otherwise someday it could be that if you want to be on a championship team, then just go sign on with a Catholic school.

Got to watch the Holiday tournament at Shawnee. A nice opportunity to see 4 teams in one night. Shawnee impressed with their quickness on defense. Turnovers were a problem for Trail. The full court press of the Arrows wore Trail down. South looked strong against North, but they almost didn't finish. Had a 15 point lead that evaporated away late in the fourth quarter. North had problems hitting the three all night, but late in the game they went to a quick lineup and started to dribble penetrate on offense. A few more South turnovers and a few more made North shots and the outcome may have been different. South got their first win of the season although they did lose a close game the next night to Shawnee in the Championship game.

Got to watch the UD Lady Flyers this weekend too. They play exciting basketball. Man to man defense, they run the court, and can shoot the three. They put up over 100 points against Harvard. They have a winning record right now and from what I saw, they should finish the season on the plus side.

Basketball season is in full swing. Both Miami East boys and girls teams are looking strong this season. On the boys side Arcanum looks tough and on the girls side Tri County North is off to a strong start. TVS boys are off to a slow start 0-3. First season in a long time that there is not a Spitler on the team. But look for good things to come, there are some good players in the pipeline. The TVS girls team has a winning record.

Ohio State - the only professional sports team in Ohio. Didn't know it was a violation to sell things that you own like championship rings and trophies. I guess I can see the autographs being a problem. Gee there sure are a lot of restrictions on the athletes. I still say the college athletes should get a monthly stipend. Some athletes come from a poor background and so having a little pocket change isn't going to hurt. Anyway 5 game suspensions seems a bit much.

And speaking of professional football, both Cleveland and Cincy are struggling mightily. A good bit of the Bengals offense will be leaving after this season. Unless they put the franchise tag on someone, they will lose wide receivers TO and Chad and running back Benson. Some say Palmer should follow them out the door. It may not hurt to draft a QB to start developing them to be his replacement.

November Wrapup - Eaton wrapped up a stellar season against Saint Nickolaus. Sure the outcome was not the best. But they were undefeated until that regional final game. And they have the championship from the SWBL big school division to hang their hat on. It was the first time I had seen French play. He threw some pics into coverage, but when he was on target, it was nice. He can throw a long ball accurately, and he is back next year. He may not be a blue chip prospect, but I can see MAC schools having an interest. Congrats to coach Neanon for a memorable season.

South girls basketball opened their season against Carlisle. The Indian defense was pretty tough, South's leading shooters were held in check. The Panthers made a good run in the 4th quarter, but Carlisle did a good job of managing the game and the clock. They couldn't find an answer for Carlisle's leading scorer and offense rebounding was lacking. Season is young and with a senior loaded team, I am expecting better from the Panthers as the season progresses.

Rodriguez at Michigan - The Wolverine faithful must be ready to storm the campus gates. Another sub par season and they just did not do well against Ohio state. Whatever he had going for him at WV did not follow him North.

Bengals - did not think they would be a playoff team this year, but thought that they would be better than this. Johnsons gold shoes really look out of place on a team with 2 wins. Palmer is putting up the passing yards when you look at the average yards per game. But the interceptions are a problem. I didn't think they lost that much on defense, but they have gone down the tubes as well. Injuries made things worse as well. What I am waiting for is the Bengals to make that late season push where they win like 3-4 meaningless games. Giving some optimism that - hey we can make this work. And we stand pat with no changes for next season, just like the Bengals have done for last umpteen years.

Regular Season Wrapup.

Curtis Enis has the RailRoaders going the right direction. Bradford has been the doormat of the CCC for a long time. But in his first year Enis has them going the right direction. The team finishes 5-5 but that is a lot better than they have done and if they have a winning season next year it would have to be their first winning season in at least a decade. They were 5 points away from a winning season this year in a shootout with Bethel in the last game.

Trail - Graher has a reputation for turning programs around. Maybe Trail is a mountain too steep to climb. Usually by his second year you can see progress. But Trail finishes winless.

Bethel had a solid season and losing that overtime game to Ansonia cost them a shot at the playoffs.

South - Shondelmeyer caught lightening in a bottle at Arcanum and left for greener pastures in Versailles. Didn't have success there and finally returned to the CCC, getting the job at South. Still hasn't found his groove. This years team was light on Seniors - started a lot of freshmen and soph's, there is some talent in the pipeline. But he needs to get his mojo back.

North - Another success story, made the right move in allowing Derringer back at head coach. I think they won like 2-3 games last season. North came the closest of any CCC team of knocking off Covington - the Bucc's had to break a sweat to finally win over North. They graduate some big linemen, but have enough talent coming back to reload. Can Derringer take them back to the playoffs next season???

Once again Covington and Ansonia represent the CCC in the playoffs. I would like to see Covington pass more, tough to be one dimensional in the playoffs. Wish both programs success.

Eaton - one of the bigger teams in the SWBL. Neanon has been making adjustments to his style over the year and they are bearing fruit this year. They have a lot of talent. I really think that they have a shot at district.

Bellbrook - biggest school in the SWBL - and the last time you won league was... well I can't remember. Another disappointing season by the 800 pound gorilla. I can see why they are afraid to leave the SWBL for a bigger league. If you can't beat the small schools, you would really get thrashed by the big schools.

Dixie - Another feel good story. Tall receivers and a flame throwing sophomore quarterback. First winning season in forever. Just missed the playoffs. It is tough to be the smallest school in the league(D5), but they overachieved this season. Congrats to Coach Tarpley for turning the program around.

Valley View - Credit them with making the SWBL as strong a league as it is. Everyone had to play catch up to them - and they have. It used to be automatic that the Spartans would be in the post season. And their last state title was what - over a decade ago by now. And when was the last time you heard of football players transferring OUT of Valley View. Lots of good football to come from the Spartans, but I wonder if their championship years are behind them.

South ends Season against Riverside

South won their first round match against Bethel, but fell to Riverside in 4 sets.

Stated coach Roberts after the season ended, "It was good to be able to get the younger players some tournament experience tonight as they will be the leaders of the team in the next couple of years and need to know first hand the level of play they will be expected to bring to the match." Against Riverside, "We just didn't have enough defense to stop their top player. She was the difference in the match. TVS had a good season finishing 21-3 overall and tied for second w/ TCN in Cross County Conference play at 8-2. Thank you to everyone who supported the girls on and off the court this season. Your support is greatly appreciated!"




TVS def. Bethel 25-11, 25-17, 25-12
Jordan Hickey 2 aces, 4 digs, 15 assists
Laura Ingram 3 aces, 12 digs, 5 kills
Taylor Baker an ace, 11 kills
Katherine Leach an ace, 10 for 10 on serve receive, 4 digs, 3 assists, 2 kills
Emily Burge 4 aces, 3 digs, 2 kills
Emily Froment 2 aces, 4 kills
Kim Perry 9 of 11 on serve receive, 11 digs
In off of the bench:
Gentry Gates 5 assists
Skyler Lain a kill
Danielle Kreitzer a kill
Angela Nushawg a dig
Kaelee Rivers a dig

Riverside defeats TVS 25-15, 24-26, 25-12, 25-21

RailRoaders Steamroll South 67-8

It was senior night for TVS and its not the way you would like to leave your home field. Penalties were a factor for South. Their second drive of the night went deep into Bradford territory, but a delay of game and a hold left South with a fourth and forever. And the defense aided Bradford's offense with late hits and a facemask. When South went to the pass to try to generate some offense, Bradford was ready and had a couple of picks in the first half. The second half was more of the same and when all was done, Bradford under first year coach Curtis Enis had an easy victory. This makes their record 5-4, assuring them of a at least a .500 season. South will fight Trail for the bottom of the CCC next week.

North made a better show on their home field against Ansonia, but still came up short. It was a 19-14 game at the half, but the Tigers pulled away in the second half for a comfortable win. I think it was like 42-21. Eaton looks like a lock for the post season with their latest win over Valley View. That also gives them the SWBL league championship. They have a chance to do some damage in their district. Nice to see them make the post season.

Local Volleyball teams did not fare well in the post season. Everyone is done at this point. So except for Eaton football, the rest of us are waiting on basketball season. I will be coaching junior high again, looking forward to the start of the season.

Volleyball for the Cure

First up this week for South was Franklin Monroe - they got the win but it wasn't easy. Coach Roberts, "We're happy to get out of here tonight with a win. Their middles tested us and we struggled a little with our block defensively."

TVS def. Franklin Monroe 25-11, 20-25, 25-15, 25-22
Jordan Hickey 41 assists
Laura Ingram 17 digs and 10 kills
Taylor Baker 2 aces, 17 kills
Katherine Leach an ace, 15 digs and eight kills
Emily Burge an ace, 11 digs, 8 kills
Emily Froment an ace, 6 digs and 6 kills
Kim Perry 3 aces, 32 digs and two saves

TVS defeated Bradford in straight sets on the night of Volleyball for the Cure - which was for Breast cancer awareness week.

TVS def. Bradford 25-9, 25-13, 25-14 Overall record - 20-2 League 10-2

Stated Coach Roberts, "Individual stats were not our focus tonight our main focus was the event and raising awareness and raising funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I'm really proud of my girls and their efforts to get the word out about this
devastating disease. If you were anywhere close to the event you saw true teamwork in action.

We would like to thank all of the parents for their efforts associated with this event, we couldn't have done it without you. A big thank you goes out to Tammy Jackson and Tim Beneke for being a part of our event. We would also thank
the school administration, all the businesses and individuals who donated to the cause. We raised just over $5,000 between the website and the night of the event. Thank you to everyone who made contributions this year."

North v South: another one for the Ages.

North, South – those words by themselves symbolize rivalry. And for Tri County North it was also their homecoming, which added to the already tense atmosphere. For years the two Panther teams have dueled on the field. These games are usually battles and this year’s edition added another page to that legacy. The two teams kept the crowd on the edge of their seats all four quarters.

North came into the game with momentum, winning their last two games – one of those being an upset of Miami East. South has struggled this season and has only a single victory. But as always, records are meaningless when these two teams take the field. The offensive fireworks would happen in the first half and the game would become a defensive stalemate in the second half.

North went to work on their opening drive, and aided by a couple of South penalties would score first on a JJ MacPherson 20 yard run. But South bounced back and scored on their first drive as well. Michael Burke connected with Tony Combs on a pass to put the ball in North territory. They ran the ball, then went back to the pass where this time Combs caught a 19 yard TD. The extra point was missed, so North stayed ahead 7-6.

The next score was set up when North quarterback Austin Hustchins was pressured in the pocket and had to scramble. When he done running, he had gone about 40 yards and put the ball on the 2 yard line where he would run a quarterback sneak for the score. On the ensuing South series North’s Eli Davidson would have the defensive play of the night when he snagged a South pass and ran about 37 yards for a North touchdown. This defensive touchdown would turn out to be a big one and put North on top 21-6.

But South’s Michael Burke wanted to show that North didn’t have the only quarterback who run and score. In the last half of the second quarter, he ran a keeper about 45 yards for a touchdown. And in their last possession of the quarter it looked like South had ran a hook and ladder play for a score, only to have it called back on an illegal forward lateral. Then Jacob Schneider sacked the South quarterback on the next play to end the South drive and hopes to draw even before halftime. South's Bobby Green also had a tackle for loss in the first half.

So at halftime the score stood 21-14 in favor of North. Now the two teams hunkered down and played some tough nosed defensive football. North ended one South drive at the 20 yard line when Austin Hutchins intercepted a pass from his counterpart. Both teams defenses held tough on 4th down situations numerous times. North ended another South drive at midfield on a big 4th down play and South ended a North drive on a 4th and 3 play on their own 12. But at the other end of the field North stopped South on a 4th and 2 inside their 30. Neither defense was breaking and both offenses were using all of their downs - shooting all their bullets each series.

There was about a minute and half left in the game when the North coach decided to go for it on 4th and 7 at midfield. The quarterback keeper was denied and South was back in business. They moved the ball to about the North 30 – and time was counting down. But the North defense stepped it up once again when Caleb Lawson pulled down a South pass to end their hopes with about 17 seconds left in the game. This was definitely a memorable game for the grit and determination showed by these two teams from the opening kickoff to the final horn.

Coach Derringer had this to say about the game, “South was very prepared for us. They came out and played a great ball game. We came out on the opening drive and stuck it in the endzone. But then they responded on their first drive stuck in the endzone too. From that point on it was pretty much a dogfight. We told the kids this week that the North South game you can throw out the records. It’s a big rivalry game and it doesn’t matter who has the better record at the time.”

"Our defense has been playing well. We had some breakdowns against Bethel, but from the Covington game on, they have been getting after people. We had the three interceptions, and on Davidson’s, he is a defensive end and recognized the half back pass and dropped back underneath and made an outstanding play – running it back in for a touchdown. Michael Olinger, our fullback, was really relied upon in the 4th quarter when we were trying to chug out positive yardage and hoped to get an insurance score. “ Next week North plays at winless National Trail, while South hosts Miami East.

TVS def. Arcanum in a non-league contest in straight sets: 25-16, 25-13, 25-13
Jordan Hickey 6 digs, 2 saves, 27 assists, 2 kills, a solo block and a block assist
Laura Ingram an ace, 8 digs, 10 kills
Taylor Baker 3 digs, 8 kills and a block assist
Katherine Leach an ace, 7 digs, 6 kills
Emily Burge 3 aces, 5 digs, 3 kills
Emily Froment an ace, 5 kills
Kim Perry an ace, 18 of 20 on serve receive, 25 digs
Gentry Gates an ace, 2 assists
Coach Roberts Stated that, "Everything tonight was evenly distributed. As with any match we continue to strive to play our best volleyball and work on ball control issues."

10/5 TVS def. Newton in league play 25-12, 25-22, 25-18
Jordan Hickey 17 digs, 3 saves, 25 assists, 3 kills, a solo block
Laura Ingram an ace, 10 digs, 12 kills, and a block assist
Taylor Baker 9 kills, 3 solo blocks and a block assist
Katherine Leach an ace, 8 digs, two assists, 3 kills
Katherine was key for us tonight. When she controlled her serve we were able to execute our offense very well.
Emily Burge 3 aces, 10 digs, 5 kills
Emily Froment an ace, 2 digs, 4 kills and two solo blocks
Kim Perry 2 aces, 22 digs
Coach Roberts, "Hats off to Newton, they served us tough. As a result we had some problems on serve receive. A good reminder to keep our practice performance focus. . . drill, "baby," drill . . ."

At the Dixie Tri meet with Stebbins
10/9 TVS def Dixie 25-14, 25-9

10/9 TVS def Stebbins 25-19, 25-15
Coach Roberts, "Individual stats were not as important today as the total team effort. Everyone saw a little time today and that might
become key down the stretch. It continued to be all about team in the match against Stebbins as well." TVS improved its overall record to 18-2, league 8-2 (2nd is still a three way tie)

Upcoming matches for the final week of regular season (DRAW is tomorrow www.swdab.org)
10/11 Franklin Monroe
10/14 VOLLEY FOR THE CURE with Bradford doors open for raffle ticket purchases at 4:45PM
On behalf on the event, the TVS volleyball team would like to invite you to our
match in support of breast cancer awareness, education and all who have been touched
by this devastating disease.
THANK YOU sincerely for considering a donation.
Please make your checks payable to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
You can forward all contributions for the match to:
Twin Valley South
c/o Volley for the Cure
100 Education Dr.
West Alexandria, OH 45381

Thanks to Coach Roberts

North Over Pats, Newton

On Tuesday, TCN traveled to Tri-Village for a league match up. Tri-Village was a little short handed with a couple of suspensions, and I think that showed up in their play. Their serve reception really struggled, and their communication on the court struggled as they had several balls hit the floor. They had a couple of nice hitters, but were unable to get the ball to them because of their poor ball control. On our side of the court, he thought Megan had her best game of her career as she led us in aces and kills. He thought Sara did a good job of getting her the ball, as Megan had the hot hand for us. Katie really did a good job on defense for us as she led us with 15 digs. Katie continues to improve her ability to read hitters, and she does a good job of placing herself in position to make defensive plays. He thought Carly Schriever also had a solid night with 6 aces and 4 blocks. Carly's blocking has been pretty strong all season long, as she rarely mistimes her block. Emily has continued to get better as our opposite hitter as she contributed with 6 kills. Aukerman liked how my team stayed focus with the lopsided scores and he felt like they played pretty strong all the way through. It was also a night for TCN to take a look at a couple of my subs at the Varsity level, and he thought they handled things pretty well. We defeated Tri-Village by the scores of 25-14, 25-12, and 25-13. Stats for the game are Bierly 1 ace, 4 digs, 23 assists, 2 blocks; Kelly Schriever 9 digs, 4 kills; Johnson 5 aces, 3 digs, 9 kills 2 blocks; Broughton 1 ace, 3 aces, 6 kills; Carly Schriever 3 aces, 1 dig, 6 kills, 4 blocks; Ullery 4 kills, 1 block; Whitaker 4 aces, 15 digs; Vanover 1 dig.

On Thursday, TCN hosted Newton. Newton has had some solid wins this year, and the first game was a challenge all the way through. North trailed all the way through the first game and found a way at the end to win. North was very fortunate to win that first game. Coach Aukerman thought North made some pretty good plays down the stretch to win that game, and if we hadn't won that first game, the night could have been completely different. He wish my team would have stepped up their play sooner, but he gave to give credit to Newton, they hit the ball pretty well, and their defense was impressive. After that first game, Newton lost their confidence. Coach Aukerman thought his servers stepped up and created passing problems for Newton, which always helps our offense as they gave us several freeballs. Megan once again had a solid night as she continues to improve her hitting game, but Aukerman thought we were more balanced in this game. Aukerman thought Sara did a better job of getting all of her hitters involved, which always makes us more competitive. We had good production out of Kelly on the outside and Mallorie in the middle that kept Newton offbalance. Katie did a good job with her serving as she led us in aces. By the third game, Newton had trouble with all aspects of the game, and we were leading them 17-2. At that point, Aukerman thought we should see our subs for the rest of the match. After a couple of shakey plays, he thought they did a good job of settling down, and they played pretty well. We finished off Newton by the scores of 25-23, 25-10, and 25-12. Stats for the game are Bierly 4 digs, 20 assists, 1 block; Kelly Schriever 2 aces, 9 digs, 3 assists, 6 digs; Johnson 9 digs, 1 assist, 9 kills, 2 blocks; Broughton 5 digs, 2 kills, 2 blocks; Carly Schriever 2 aces, 2 digs, 2 kills, 2 blocks; Ullery 4 kills, 3 blocks; Whitaker 7 aces, 15 digs; Schoen 1 dig, 1 kill; Marshall 2 digs, 1 kill; Vanover 2 digs.

Special Thanks to Coach Aukerman

South volleyball seems to be building to a peak as they continued their winning ways this week. A solid front line and a tenacious defense were the trademarks of a hungry South team as they look to the end of regular season play and the beginning of the state tournament. The Panthers are firmly in second place in the CCC, league leading Miami East shows no signs of faltering. So now the prize is a strong tournament run.

Preble Shawnee was the first team up for the Panthers. The Arrows were no slouches, arriving with a respectable 10-2 record. But South went after Shawnee, winning in straight sets 25-16, 25-13, 25-14. Highlights for the match were Jordan Hickey’s 21 assists and both Laura Ingram and Taylor Baker had 10 kills, while Kim Perry had 21 digs.

Next up for the Panthers were the Ansonia Tigers. A young team that the experienced Panthers were able to dispatch with a stalwart defense as pointed out by Coach Roberts. And when you look at the stats, Jordan Hickey, Laura Ingram, Katherine Leach, and Kim Perry were all in double figures for digs. Proof that the Panthers can defend as well as attack. For the second match in a row, both Ingram and Baker matched with 12 kills. And Kim Perry was 18 of 20 on serve receive. It was another trifecta for the Panthers who won 25-17, 25-9, 25-14.

The week ended with a match against CCC league foes the Tri-Village Patriots. The Panthers would complete a hat trick going three for three for the week. The Panthers won in three straight sets 25-8,25-11,25-23. Coach Roberts had these comments after the match, “Our front line - Baker, Froment and Ingram act as Three Musketeers along the net versus the Patriots. These three young ladies
plus Jordan Hickey's set distribution coupled with their supportive defensive cast of Burge and Perry did a fine job of controlling play against TV. Some of their kills were like lightning! Froment had one of her more impressive nights. We will need more performances like this from all of these young women to make a run in the tournament."

Finally the TVS team wants to remind everyone about their VOLLEY FOR THE CURE with Bradford , doors open for raffle ticket purchases at 4:45PM. The TVS coaching staff and the TVS volleyball team invite you to our event in support of breast cancer awareness and education. THANK YOU sincerely for considering a donation. Please make your checks payable to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

TVS vs. Preble Shawnee
Jordan Hickey 3 aces, 9 digs, 21 assists
Laura Ingram an ace, 10 digs, 10 kills
Taylor Baker 2 digs, 10 kills
Katherine Leach 6 digs, 2 assists, 5 kills and a solo block
Emily Burge an ace, 10 for 10 on serve receive, 9 digs, four kills
Emily Froment an ace, 5 kills and 3 solo blocks
Kim Perry 2 aces, 21 digs
Gentry Gates (freshman-in off the bench) four assists

TVS vs. Ansonia

Jordan Hickey 10 digs, 2 saves, 32 assists
Laura Ingram 2 aces, 10 digs, a save, 12 kills
Taylor Baker 12 kills, 2 solo blocks
Katherine Leach 3 aces, 10 digs, 4 kills
Emily Burge an ace, 3 digs, 2 saves, 2 kills
Emily Froment 7 kills
Kim Perry 2 aces, 18 of 20 on serve receive, 27 digs

TVS vs. Tri Village

Jordan Hickey 6 digs, 36 assists
Laura Ingram 5 aces, 9 digs, 11 kills
Taylor Baker 12 kills
Katherine Leach 9 of 10 on serve receive, 3 digs, 2 assists, 2 kills
Emily Burge an ace, 100% on serve receive, 9 digs, 5 kills
Emily Froment 3 aces, 3 digs, 9 kills, 3 solo blocks
Kim Perry 24 digs



You can forward all contributions for the match to:
Twin Valley South
c/o Volley for the Cure
100 Education Dr.
West Alexandria, OH 45381

A dominating Tri County North volleyball team made short work of the visiting Ansonia Tigers this week. The hosts did a good job on defense - almost always getting a hand on the ball. And on offense, they set up some nice spikes that the Tigers had a rough time handling. With more experience and a slight advantage on overall team height, the Panthers dispatched the Tigers in three sets.

The young Ansonia team fell behind 7-3 in the first set. A time out was called, then a second one when North doubled up Ansonia 16-8. But when Ansonia tried to rally and mount an attack, North blockers were ready at the net. Ansonia seemed to do well when they had a lot of touches to set up their offense, while North seemed to do better on the attack – punching the ball back over the net. North won the first set 25-16.

In the second set, North took command. During one run, North scored 3 points in a row off of serves. The Tigers took a time out at that point to get organized. That stopped the North run, but not the final outcome. North did falter a little down the stretch. They allowed Ansonia to score 6 unanswered points in a row and made the set interesting 21-15. But North settled down and went to work. Scoring points off of serves and spikes, they shutdown Ansonia and won 25-15.

Finally North went to work for the final set. On the Ansonia side, there were a lot of balls that hit the floor, while North kept the ball in play. This time Ansonia could not muster a rally. They would lose the final set to North 25-9. One good thing about Ansonia was their team spirit. They played hard and celebrated every hard won point. This team should get better as they mature.

“We did a real good and served aggressively”, stated coach Aukerman after the game, “the kids really worked well together. We’ve really been working hard on our serves and serve zones. I think Ansonia got frustrated towards the end of the match, as they struggled because of their errors. I thought our serve reception looked pretty good in this match, which is extremely important for our offense. Megan Johnson, Kelly Schriever, Emily Broughton, and Katie Whitaker have done a good job all year for us with passing the ball in serve reception.”

North won against Bethel on Tuesday – “We had some problems hitting around their block, but I thought my hitters did a good job of adjusting to hit around them. My middles also did a good job of running one balls to freeze their middles, which made things easier on my outsides. I thought Kate Whitaker and Emily Broughton had good serving nights as we scored a lot of our points when they were serving. Megan Johnson had a good night with her hitting as she led us in kills, and my middles ( Carly Schriever and Mallorie Ullery) provided good blocking. “

North had a clean sweep for the week, visiting Brookville for their last victory of the week. “Brookville has a good defensive team, as we had problems with putting the ball down against them. Every kill we recorded, we earned. We caught a break with Brookville's setter being out of the lineup with an injury. They had some nice hitters, especially outside hitter Taylor Woodworth. She used our block several times to get her kills, and seemed to get better as the match progressed, but I thought my players answered the call. Kelly Schriever stepped up big with her serving as she recorded 7 aces. Katie Whitaker had a good defense morning recording 25 digs. Sara Bierly kept the our offense rolling, and she also kept Brookville's defense honest by throwing in several dumps that scored points for us. I thought Megan Johnson and Kelly Schriever did a good job of adjusting their defense to pick up balls hit by Brookville. We defeated Brookville in 3 games 25-19, 25-18, 25-18. “


Bethel Stats:
Bierly 1 ace, 2 digs, 18 assists, 3 kills, 1 block; Kelly Schriever 2 aces, 3 digs, 4 kills; Johnson 2 aces, 2 digs, 7 kills, 1 block; Broughton 1 ace, 1 dig, 2 kills, 1 block; Carly Schriever 2 digs, 5 kills, 4 blocks; Ullery 2 kills, 3 blocks; Whitaker 3 aces, 9 digs.

Ansonia Stats:
Bierly 3 aces, 10 digs, 18 assists, 3 kills; Kelly Schriever 1 ace, 8 digs, 4 kills; Johnson 3 aces, 9 digs, 5 kills; Broughton 1 ace, 7 digs, 2 assists, 2 kills, 2 blocks; Carly Schriever 2 aces, 2 digs, 8 kills, 2 blocks; Ullery 2 digs, 3 kills, 1 block; Whitaker 3 aces, 9 digs; Schoen 1 dig, 1 assist, 2 blocks.

Brookville Stats:
Bierly 1 ace, 7 digs, 22 aces, 6 kills; Kelly Schriever 7 aces, 7 digs, 6 kills; Johnson 15 digs, 6 kills, 2 blocks; Broughton 1 ace, 7 digs, 5 kills; Carly Schriever 9 digs, 2 kills, 1 block; Ullery 4 digs, 5 kills, 3 blocks; Whitaker 2 aces, 25 digs.

South took one on the chin from Covington. The Buccs scored on their first three possessions in the first quarter as they went on to rout the Panthers. Their offense was crisp and precise with the run. Not so smooth with the pass. Which could hurt them in the playoffs. The Panther offense was able to move the ball at times. But penalties and fumbles ended drives in the first half. The Panthers put it all together in the 3rd quarter and finally found the endzone. The Panthers were without Steve Balthis which hurt them on both sides of the ball. Although I don't see his presence making a difference in the outcome.

The Buccs scored on special teams too. Returning a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns. Without the services of Balthis's toe, the Panthers resorted to a quick kick from a running formation on 4th down. On the other side of the ball, the Buccs seemed to punt OK, but they need someone to kick a bit deeper. The coverage was good on the kickoffs, which made up for the lack of distance on the kickoffs.

On the other hand, I saw that North upset Miami East. I saw their close score earlier in the season against Covington and figured that maybe they played a whale of a game and Covington was looking past them. It looks like North is for real.

So the upcoming North - South game will be interesting. Will North be overconfident after their upset win, maybe let down against South? Will South get Balthis back - he is a big help on both offense and defense.

Oh and speaking of play offs, I can't see any D5 schools in the CCC making it this year. With so many D6 schools in the conference, you can only have 1 loss at most. I don't it happening this season.

As the 2010 season comes to a close, the American Junior Golf Association recognizes outstanding junior golfers and their achievements over the past year. Below, please find a press release announcing Hubert Heights native Michael Bernard as a 2010 HP Scholastic Junior All-American.

The HP Scholastic Junior All-America team honors 12 young men and 12 young women who demonstrate the ability to excel both on the golf course and in the classroom.

Twin Valley South was aggressive with their front line against league rival Covington this past week. Despite the Buccaneers deploying a taller front line, South was able to set up some nice kills. Although South won the match, it was not in straight sets as Covington refused to lose easy and fought back. And the South team had an extra player in a boisterous home town crowd that was loud and proud throughout the match.

The first set would foretell the rest of the night. South took a lead, but Covington stayed on their heels – nipping away at the lead until late in the match where they tied South 21 all. Coach Roberts took a time out to set things right and several points later Laura Ingram, in another trend for the night, put the match away with a vicious spike for the game point. So South would win a close set 25-23.
The second set was a runaway for South. Covington took two time outs to try and stop the hemorrhaging, but South had an 11-2 lead at the 2nd timeout and Covington never did recover. They had problems handling South serves, and were making too many mental mistakes. They made a short run, but South easily put them away 25-14 to go up 2-0 over the Bucc’s.

Covington played with resolve in the third set. Taking an early lead until South woke up and battled back. And as it had happened in the first match, South then set the pace and Covington stayed on their heels. But this time, Covington tied the set at 24 all which woke up the visitor side of the stands and got them in the game. South had a mental lapse – letting the ball hit the ground on the ensuing serve, and giving up the winning point on poor play. Critical mistakes at a key point in the match allowed Covington to win this set 26-24.

For a volleyball match, the stands were about as loud as I have heard them for the start of the 4th set. A loose but purposeful South team gradually quieted down the visitors side as they started the set with a 6-0 run. They did allow the Bucc’s to catch up when they made some mistakes and let them close the gap 12-10. The Panthers composed themselves and went on another run thanks to aggressive play at the net. Sizzling spikes sliced thru the Covington defense. They did allow the Bucc’s to draw close yet again late in this set. South seemed to stall out and Covington inched back and closed the gap 21-19. South caught their breath and went on finish strong to close out the set and win the match 25-20.

After the match coach Roberts was asked if she was disappointed that the team didn’t win in straight sets. “ We were up 24-17 at one point in the third set. I was extremely disappointed that we couldn’t put them away and I let the team know that. We needed to step it up defensively at the net and not allow so many touches by Covington. “ Next she was asked about the team keeping their composure even as Covington tried to rally: “They are learning to focus on the next point, not the one that just happened. We don’t want them to just let things slide, but we don’t want them stone faced either.”

Next she was asked to comment on the play of the front line, “Laura [Ingram] and Taylor [Baker] played the roles of Batman and Robin tonight "The Dynamic Duo." They came out offensively stronger than any match in the past. We need them to do this consistently match in, match out.”

South also had wins against Bellbrook and Bethel this week – winning in straight sets each time. Asked to respond, coach Roberts stated, “It has been a total team effort this week. Everyone looks at the attackers, but we had players with digs and sets that got the ball in play for us. The role players really did well this week. “

Stats provided by the TVS coaching staff: TVS vs Bellbrook: Jordan Hickey 30 assists
Laura Ingram 15 digs and 12 kills ; Taylor Baker and Emily Froment 8 kills each;
Katherine Leach 2 aces, 11 of 11 on serve receive, with 7 digs, 3 assists, 3 saves and 7 kills.

TVS vs Covington: Laura Ingram 3 aces, 8 digs and 18 kills;Taylor Baker 2 aces, 15 kills and 2 solo blocks; Kim Perry 23 digs 2 saves; Emily Burge stepped up defensively going 22 of 23 on serve receive with 20 digs and a block assist with Emily Froment who was 100 percent off of serve with an ace, 8 digs and 4 kills. Katherine Leach chipped in with 2 aces, 6 digs and 5 kills.

TVS vs Bethel: Jordan Hickey 3 aces, 8 digs and 20 assists; Taylor Baker 11 kills; Emily Froment 8 kills; Kim Perry 15 digs; Katherine Leach 9 digs and 4 kills; Angela Nushawg 3 digs; Laura Ingram 4 digs and 4 kills;
Emily Burge chipped in with 6 digs and 6 kills.

Upcoming matches: 9/27 at Preble Shawnee, 9/28 at Ansonia, 9/30 w/ Tri Village, 10/4 w/ Arcanum, 10/5 at Newton. Reminder October 14th at 5:30PM VOLLEY FOR THE CURE MATCH between Bradford and TVS breast cancer awareness, education, door prizes, raffles, serving contest and breast cancer survivor story. All proceeds from the event to go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. To make an online donation visit www.tvs.k12.oh.us. Thank you in advance for your support!

Twin Valley South won their first game of the season, but had some second half drama on way to a 33-22 victory. Both Mississinawa Valley and TVS were 0-3 entering the game. And the Black Hawks had yet to score a touch down in their first three games. But after giving up a first half lead to South, they would find a groove in the second half and prevent a fourth straight shut out.

Steve Balthis put South up early with 71 yard touchdown run on the very first play from scrimmage. The Black Hawks tried to respond and despite three penalties, they drove to the South red zone. But South made a nice play on 4th and 11 to end the threat. The next South touchdown drive began when Ashley Dillon fell on a Black Hawk fumble in the second quarter. Tyler Leach would then carry the ball 45 yards to the 5, and he would later punch it in on a 1 yard carry. Steve Balthis would score the final touchdown of the half to put South up 20-0 at the 4:26 mark. He would turn around and end a Black Hawk drive with an interception.

In the third quarter it looked like the rout was on. South’s Michael Burke scored a TD on South’s first possession of the half. It was 26-0 South and it sure looked like another drubbing for the visitors. That drive consumed a good bit of clock time as well. When the Black Hawks got the ball back, there was only 3:20 left in the third quarter.

But at halftime, the Black Hawks must have googled “spread offense”, because they then began to run the spread and air it out. Gary Pease would run the ball in from 2 yards out. In a quick 2 minutes they had found the endzone for their first score of the season. But South responded with another clock eating touchdown drive. Balthis scored again on a 2 yard carry midway thru the 4th quarter. This put South up 33-6 entering the final quarter.

So South began substituting while the Black Hawks stayed with their starters. Now the game got a little sloppy with the Panthers giving up some late fumbles while the Black Hawks starters took advantage of the mismatch to score twice more. South freshman Kodey Hawthorne managed to block a Black Hawk extra point and help preserve a 33-22 victory. So it made the game entertaining in the 4th quarter, but South managed to win easily - the game was not as close as the score would indicate. Steve Balthis would score a total of three touchdowns to lead the team offensively. And Grant Kreitzer would lead the team in tackles on the other side of the ball.

Coach Shondelmeyer was happy to get the victory, “…good to get the first win – we were so close the week before. We had to practice this whole week that game in the back of our minds. And all of guys got to play and get some experience.” Next he was asked about the clock chewing drives, “Our line is our strong point. We believe that we can control the ball and that is all due to the guys up front.” Steve Balthis’s three scores, “He had a great run on that first sweep for a touchdown. He has been getting better this season, despite fighting injury. He was actually playing hurt in the Arcanum game, but he has been playing with toughness.”

Next Coach Shondelmeyer was asked about the defense. “I thought that both of our outside linebackers had good games, Dillon Ashley and Tony Combs. We played better team defense this game and really swarmed the ball and gang tackled.” Finally he was asked to look ahead to next week, “Bethel is 2-2, but they are an improved team. Their two losses are to Covington and Miami East, two teams that at the top of the league. Our defense will need to continue to improve. This will be a huge game for us.”

North: Not unnoticed was the North game against Covington. The game was scoreless at halftime and even though they lost, they played an always tough Covington team close.

Dixie wins against Shawnee, a tough test against Brookville this coming Friday.

Some more good games this next week, but I think that I will shift gears and cover volleyball this coming week.

Ohio State - Despite giving up the points on special teams, I thought they played a great game. Pryor had a few moments, but overall I thought he did well. He still seems to do well when he creates from broken plays. Still would like to see more from him being a straight drop back passer. Running game was good from both Seine and Herron. Defense was on - take away the special teams points and you have a blow out. I liked the interceptions. Who didn't like Heyward lumbering down the field with his takeaway - a lineman's dream moment. I think this team has the possibility of being top 10 or better.

Bengals - Ugh, what a lame game. Defense looks nothing like they did last year. The Patriots were tearing big holes in the front line and passed at will. What happened here? And the offense did recover in the second half, but they never did establish that solid running game that was their trademark. Team seemed flat for the first game of season, hopefully Marvin can get them revved up next week.

Michael Vick. Had some company over, left the TV in the family room on and forgot about it. Came back and their was an injury timeout. I was going to change channels, but then Vick came on the field. Well, I'll just watch and see what happens. He played like a guy with nothing to lose. Made the most of his minutes, and almost lead a comeback. I think he made a statement that he can still lead a team. Fun to watch, time will tell if he gets his chance.

Twin Valley South and Arcanum played a hard fought game on Friday night. By nights end, the winner would be decided by a single point. Each team sported a 0-2 record coming into the game. And each team featured their running attack on offense. Both teams are known for using a double wing offense although South would lean to a wishbone formation. In a lot of respects the teams were mirror images of one another, which made for such a close game. Scoring was lean for the first part of the game, with the fireworks occurring from the third quarter on.

The first half saw Arcanum dominate everywhere except for the scoreboard. They had the ball for almost the entire first quarter. But to South’s credit, Arcanum made three trips into the TVS red zone and came back empty handed each time. South made some big plays on 4th down. Steve Balthis had an interception to end one drive, another drive ended one foot short of first down on the 1 ½ yard line of TVS, the last ended at about the 20. So the South defense was bending, but showed no signs of breaking. In the first half, Arcanum had 3 pass attempts – one complete, one incomplete, and one interception. So I could see why they were leery of the pass. The rest of their yardage, they ground out with the run.

While the Trojans were racking up the yardage, the Panthers were having problems moving the ball. About midway thru the second quarter, the team did put together a drive into Arcanum territory. But the South could not stand good fortune – they fumbled on two consecutive plays, recovering the first one, but giving it up the second time. It was looking like a good old fashioned slugfest as the teams stood at 0-0 at half time.

But the game opened up in the second half. South came roaring back in their first posession when quarterback Michael Burke burst thru the center of the Arcanum line and sprinted 63 yards for a TD. The next score was set up by an Arcanum miscue. A high snap on a punt gave the ball back to the Panthers. A pass interference call on Arcanum gave the ball to TVS on the 10. From there Dillon Ashley plunged thru the line and scored. But South had problems with extra points – they whiffed on their first two attempts on way to a 12-0 lead.

But big plays would be the bane of the Panthers. Arcanum bounced back with a 67 yard TD run and nailed the extra point. South’s next score was set up in part by a Arcanum penalty for knocking over the returner on a fair catch during a punt. This put the Panthers at midfield. Again they took advantage of a short field, capping their drive with a Dillon Ashley carry for his second TD of the night. This time South went for two and got it.

Arcanum mixed the pass and run on their next drive with effectiveness. Capping the drive with a touchdown pass. Then late in the fourth quarter, South gave up another big play. Allowing a punt return to be carried all the way to the 4 yard line where Trojan quarterback Derrick Baker punched it in. They made good on their extra point attempt. With 2:26 left in the game, Arcanum had their first lead of the night up 21-20. South finally had to give up the ball on downs on their next possession and Arcanum would win a close one, taking a knee to run out the clock. Next week South will play against winless Mississinnewa Valley.