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Sunday, April 24, 2011

South Football Under a New Head Coach

South Football will be under the helm of a new coach this fall. Lance Engleka was recently voted in by the school board after the resignation of the old coach and has hit the ground running. He has already met with the team and is implementing a strength and conditioning program for the kids. “Even with baseball and track in season, the workouts have been well attended. I like the leadership that I am seeing from the seniors.”

He has an Ohio background, but has spent some time out of state. He spent 4 years in the Navy, and coached at Buford high school outside of Atlanta, Georgia where he helped coach the offense. In Ohio he graduated from Miamisburg high school, he attended Miami University where he played baseball, and coached football in Centerville and most recently in Middletown – again on the offensive side of the ball.

Middletown was his most recent coaching position and they featured the spread offense. Coach Engleka stated that most fans think of a spread offense as constantly throwing the ball. But the system at Middletown allowed more flexibility and so there times when they ran more out of the spread than passed. It was adjusted according to the players you had at time. At different times they had strong players in various positions and so they adapted the offense to match the skillsets they had to work with. So the spread offense is something that we could be seeing more of from South.

It is noteworthy that Engleka has been with winning programs – Buford had a phenomenal run where they made the playoffs several years in row, the football team even received a letter of commendation from the Georgia state legislature and Middletown has made the state playoffs the last two years, even defeating perennial powerhouse Moeller the year before last. This year Wayne beat them on the way to the State Championship. Although he has a lot of experience with large Division I schools like Centerville and Middletown, he stated that Buford was closer to TVS in size – so that gives him some perspective on small school football where there will be many players going both ways.

Although he comes in with a lot of coaching experience on the offensive side of the ball, he is not neglecting the defense. Coach Householder, an alum of New Mexico State University, and who has spent about 30 years in football either as a player or coach will be in charge of defensive duties. He was most recently coaching in Springfield. Coach Engleka is expecting big things from him. Coaches Maddox and Albright are being retained and will round out the coaching staff.

One thing that struck me is that towards the end of our conversion he stated that he enjoyed seeing the players during the strength and conditioning sessions. It gave him a chance to meet and get to know the kids off the field – so that that they knew that this was more than just about football. That is a perspective that I like to see. He also came off as sincere and focused. Attributes that we like to see in our coaches. South football has been very cyclical with long valleys between the peaks. Here’s hoping that South rides to a new peak with their new coach.

Sunday, April 17, 2011


Brookville One - Two at TVS Invitational

The Brookville boys and girls track teams had a strong showing at the Twin Valley South Invitational Friday night. The girls team finished first and the boys team was second – edged out of first by only half a point by Covington which scored 98 while Brookville scored 97.5. Despite the threat of bad weather by the local forecasters there was a good sized crowd on hand. The parking lot at the school was full and people were parking along the access road. The umbrellas popped up like mushrooms as a couple of bands of rain passed thru – but each time it rained for about 30 minutes and was gone. Temperatures were reasonable for this time of year and overall it was well ran track meet.

Team finishes for local girls teams: Brookville 1st,Eaton 3rd, Valley View 4th,Madison 5th, National Trail 8th, Dixie 9th, TCN 10th, TVS 10th(tie). Boys teams finishes: Covington 1st,Brookville 2nd, TVS 3rd, Dixie 4th, Eaton 5th, Valley View 6th, Madison 8th, TCN 13th,National Trail 15th.

Girls 4X800 Brookville 1st,Valley View 3rd,Eaton 5th,Dixie 7th; Boys 4X800 Brookville 1st, Valley View 3rd,TVS 4th,Eaton 5th,Dixie 7th; Girls 100m hurdles Ashley Neavin Eaton 1st, Kari Shank VV 3rd, Mackenzie Lingenfe BV 4th, Zanna Spears Eaton 6th; Boys 100m hurdles Steve Balthis TVS 1st, De’aaron Isaac DX 3rd, Jordan Krickenbarger TVS 4th, Deon Smith Eaton 5th.

Girls 100m Dash Michelle McKinney Eaton 1st, Danielle Sedwick BV 2nd,Myranda Schoen TCN 3rd, Allison Bundy MD 4th, Katie Clark VV 5th, Kari Shank VV 6th,Hayley Glander TVS 7th, Katherine Leach TVS 8th; Boys 100m dash Trent Vore BV 1st, Ryan Jordan DX 3rd, Joe Lang VV 4th, Nathan Clark Eaton 6th, Kody Eby TCN 7th.

Girls 4X200 Brookville 1st, Madison 3rd, Valley View 4th, TVS 5h, Dixie 6th, Eaton 7th; Boys 4X200 Eaton 1st, Dixie 4th, Valley View 5th,Trail 6th, TCN 7th; Girls 1600m Samantha Combs VV 2nd, Courtney Swink BV 3rd, Stephanie Robinson MD 5th, Andrea Hunt NT 7th, Alissa Mayrer BV 8th; Boys 1600m George Holman TVS 1st,Todd Hewitt Eaton 2nd, Sam Bench BV 3rd, Nathan Lee VV 4th, William Stapleton DX 6th, Nick Guehring TVS 7th.

Girls 4X100m Madison 1st, Valley View 3rd, Brookville 5th, TVS 6th, Eaton 7th, Dixie 8th. Boys 4X100m Dixie 1st, Brookville 3rd, TVS 4th, TCN 5th, Madison 6th,Eaton 7th, Valley View.

Girls 400m Michelle McKinney Eaton 2nd, Lilly Malcolm Madison 4th, Lydia King BV 6th, Ally Rutherford BV 7th, Makayla Conley 8th TCN. Boys 400m Ethan Leonard BV 1st, Jake Simpkins VV 3rd, Andre Eddy Eaton 5th, JJ MacPherson 8th TCN; 300m Zanna Spears Eaton 3rd, Kari Shank VV 5th, Ashley Neavin Eaton 6th, Mackenzie Lingenfe 7th, Kelsey Limbert 8th. Boys 300m De’Aaron Isaac DX 1st, Jacob Hemmelgarn TVS 2nd, Billy McGuire 5th, John Nguyen DX 7th.

Girls 800m Samantha Combs 4th VV. Andrea Hunt NT 5th,Kim Perry TVS 6th, Chelsea Tiley 8th; boys 800m Nathan Clark Eaton 1st, Jake Simpkins VV 2nd, George Holman TVS 4th, Jacob Bench BV 5th, Lee Bricker BV 6th, Josh Perry TVS 7th. Girls 200m Michelle McKinney 1st, Allison Bundy Madison 2nd,Brindy Northcutt BV 4th, Katie Clark VV 5th, Taylor Whiteman Madison 6th, Rachel Vore BV 8th;Boys 200m Dash Ethan Leonard BV 2nd, Ryan Jordan DX 3rd, Joe Lang VV 6th, Andre Eddy Eaton 7th.

Girls 3200m Samantha Combs VV 2nd, Courtney Swink BV 3rd, Alissa Mayrer BV 4th,Stephanie Robinson MD 5th, Victoria Stapleton DX 7th. Boys 3200m Todd Hewitt Eaton 1st, Nathan Lee VV 2nd, Matt Sewell BV 3rd, William Stapleton DX 7th. Girls 4X400m BV 1st, Eaton 2nd, VV 5th, DX 7th, MD 8th. Boys 4X400m BV 1st, Eaton 3rd, VV 5th,8th TCN.

Girls Discus Myranda Schoen TCN 2nd, Caitlin Highley Eaton 3rd, Mikayla Daniel MD 4th, Brooke Lewis VV 6th, Kate Deaton NT 7th, Katie Epperson VV 8th; Boys Discus Josh Behnken BV 2nd, Drew Othersen Eaton 4th, Dylan Steffey TVS 6th, Mike Smiley 7th DX. Girls Shot Andrea Brower Eaton 1st, Kate Yeazel NT 2nd, Mikayla Daniel MD 3rd, Myranda Schoen TCN 4th, Katie Epperson VV 5th, Lainey Linville BV 6th. Boys Shot Logan Shell BV 2nd, Austen Alber 3rd BV, Mike Smiley 4th DX, Drew Othersen Eaton 7th. Robert Green TVS 8th.

Girls Long Jump Alyx Duning NT 3rd, Katherine Leach TVS 4th,Rebekah Stout BV 5th, Andrea Hunt NT 6th, Emily Robbins TVS 7th, Katie Bliss VV 8th. Boys Long Jump Steve Balthis TVS 1st, Chris Daniel MD 3rd, Jacob Hemmelgarn TVS 4th, Ryan Jordan 6th DX, Billy McGuire MD 7th. Girls High Jump Kate Yeazel NT 1st, Haleigh White DX 3rd, Rebekah Stout BV 4th,Stacey Nutt Eaton 5th, Jordan Hickey TVS 6th, Andi Long MD, Kelly Schriever TCN. Boys High Jump Steve Balthis TVS 1st, John Isaacs DX 2nd, Ryan Thobe Madison 3rd, Nick Gillis BV 4th, Nathan Friesel VV 4th,Jacob Hemmelgarn 4th(tie).

Girls pole vault Megan Uzzel DX 2, Cortney Cobb MD 5th, Emma Kroger VV 6th,Heather Thomas TVS VV. Boys pole vault Jordan Krickenbarger TVS 1st, Cody Falldorf DX 2nd, Kyle Forth MD 3rd, Alan Sarver Eaton 5th, John Nguyen DX 7th, David Day VV 8th.
A Shepard in Afghanistan Part 2

This is the second part of a dialogue between myself and Mark Shepard, a retired Army Colonel who is working with the Afghanistan Government. Some of the projects that he has worked on include developing a national firefighting curriculum and also a National Disaster Management Plan. So he interacts with Afghani’s on a daily basis when he is in country. He has been shuttling back and forth from the US, to Europe, and the middle East as part of his work. And he has been forthcoming with his observations and thoughts on Afghanistan and the Middle East in general.

In Marks words -What I can tell you that there are some educational, economic and cultural obstacles that it will take years to fix, not months. A country that has been without an education system since the Soviet Union invaded and not much of one prior to that has a long way to go. The younger generation of Afghans are more easily accepting of us, at least more accepting of the educational and need to join the world community. And, in a community that respects its elders, change comes very slowly. Marriages are still arranged and obeying of elders continues until the sons and daughters reach middle age.

In a country with few jobs, there is not much opportunity for the younger generation to advance. So educated young people are leaving the country to seek their fortunes. So this exasperates the problems in that country, when your best and brightest leave it is a drain on the society. Also he noted that half the society is marginalized – women have few opportunities to participate outside the home. He also noted that the Afghani’s liked Western things, but did not particularly like Western society. The further away from Kabul one gets, I believe the less they think Americans are doing the country much good, unless they are directly connected with a Provincial Reconstruction Teams that are a mix of Military and State Department people that are out in the provinces trying to establish stable forms of local government.

As noted before corruption has been a problem in Afghanistan. There is a move afoot to introduce a more Western style rule of law with a local system integrated with a regional and national justice system where the laws are standardized and enforced equally. Rule of law
includes the entire legal complex of a modern state, from a constitution and a legislature to
courts, judges, police, prisons, due process procedures, a commercial code, and anticorruption measures. All things we take for granted here but simply don’t exit there.

Another aspect of their culture that impedes the growth of knowledge is the reluctance to share information. A technician knows that he is invaluable so long as he is the only one in a unit to have that knowledge; once he dispenses it to others he no longer is the only font of knowledge and his power dissipates. This explains the commonplace hoarding of manuals, books, training pamphlets, and other training or logistics literature. So whether it is a private company or a military unit, there this hoarding of knowledge.

Mark feels that it will take generations of Western influence to profoundly influence the culture of Afghanistan. Historically, Afghanistan has been characterized as a nation of loosely confederated warlords who rule over geographically separate domains. And there has been pressure from voices within the national government to revert to the old ways and permit provincial governors to field their own militias. But this would upset the concept of a Republic style of government. So far they have resisted this urge to go back to the way things were. Hopefully with the coalition leaving around 2014, the international community will pick up where we left off and continue to guide the Afghans toward legitimacy. Without that guidance, it will plunge back into civil war. Until this generation of Afghans are gone, I get the feel of despotism more than democracy. The recent unrest in the Middle East has been long in coming. There has always been resentment against the ruling families in nearly every Middle Eastern Country. I see a real danger of the rise of radical Islam given the vacuum created by the recent coupes and change of government. Chances of this are very high. Time will tell if we have planted a seed of Democracy or if Afghanistan will revert back to their centuries old ways once we have left. I think we all wish for that seed to take root.

Saturday, April 16, 2011



A Shepard in Afghanistan

In a country in need of guidance, Mark Shepard, a graduate of now Tri-County North has been a shepherd of sorts – helping Afghanistan get organized and moving into the right direction. A retired colonel from the military, he had been sent back to the Mideast as a military contractor and is helping the Afghanistan government build a nationwide disaster response organization – sort of like our FEMA. I had lost track of Mark since school – I remember him as a quiet, somber guard on the football team. But we reconnected on facebook and so I was able to find out what he has been up these many years and what he is doing now. Wow has he been busy!
After joining the army he initially underwent training as a combat engineer, learning Demolitions, diving, freefall parachuting, and rappelling from helicopters. During his career he also saw action in the Panama invasion and the first war in Iraq – Desert Storm where he was a scout/sniper platoon leader for the 82nd airborne division. He eventually became a Ranger, an elite unit in the US army and was also a member of the special forces, the Green Beret. He rose thru the ranks, becoming a squad leader, a sergeant, then an officer and finally working his way to colonel. An impressive career for a humble lineman from Lewisburg.

So when we reconnected I asked him what he was doing in Afghanistan. Recent events in Libya and Egypt have overshadowed this war, but I wanted to find out more from someone who was there. Well after retiring from the military he went looking for another job. Turns out that a defense contractor was helping the government of Afghanistan build a FEMA-like organization to be ready for disasters. Things like earthquakes, avalanches(lots of them in the mountains of Afghanistan), fires, and floods. He was helping develop a ‘tashkil’ an afghan term for organizational structure and equipment for the new agency.

Being curious about the country and the culture – I wanted to draw from Mark’s experience to get his thoughts and views since he was living in the country and working with Afghani’s every day. First I asked him to contrast Iraq and Afghanistan. “Iraq and Afghanistan are miles apart. Iraq had an education system and are very much ahead in the areas of infrastructure and public services. Education is the central component that is missing in Afghanistan. There is over a 70% illiteracy rate here. Many people that I work with have very basic reading and writing skills. Some not at all.”

So this could be a problem when working with the officers, “Many of them were mujahedeen fighters that learned to handle a weapon and live in caves or other structures but were never afforded a chance to read or right. Because of their bravery on the battlefield or because of the Afghan Government connections many of the officers have, being illiterate is not necessarily a disqualification and the ministries would rather be interested in ethnic balancing instead of skill sets that will help their ministry.”

Despite obstacles there have been some successes, there had been no nationally organized fire fighting units. Now thanks to equipment being donated, there is a rudimentary fire fighting organization in existence. They are given intensive training and are being deployed as equipment and funding allow.
And the population likes these new firefighters they are seen as hero’s – just like in the US, who doesn’t like a fireman? In contrast, the existing national police force (Afghan National Police) needs some more improvement, an area that is getting attention. Mark noted the ANP are often at road checkpoints asking for bribes to get from truckers and also ask for other “favors” in exchange for “protection”. The corruption is seen as so rampant that the public will rely on the military as a champion of their cause. Since the ANP is an essential part of the disaster response effort, a lot of attention is being focused on changing their ways and thereby changing public attitudes.

There are some aspects of Afghan culture which are puzzling for instance, “The Afghan ethnic wars are things of legend among the Afghan people. Grudges hold for many years and are generational. One tribe may not like another because a great uncle or cousin from 150 years ago may have been killed by another tribe and according to Afghan Custom and law, this act must be endured generationally until some sort of settlement is made”. So getting tribes in the outlying areas to cooperate can be difficult because of this.

To be openly critical of a higher officers plan was unheard of several years earlier but now is tolerated. And being a ‘top down’ sort of culture it is ingrained to respect and listen to your elders – to not question authority. This still proved a problem in a recent exercise where the junior officers knew there was a flaw in the plan but did not question it and of course things went awry. But an avalanche and a plane crash were examples of where the fledgling agency was able to respond effectively. Even coordinating support with the Afghan Commando’s to do high altitude rescues. In a tightly structured country it can be difficult to reach out across departments like this.

So Mark is making progress despite some of the difficulties that he has encountered. We will continue this discussion in part two of ‘A Shepard in Afghanistan’ where we will explore more of Afghanistan and the Middle East thru his eyes.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Congrats to Franklin Monroe for carrying the banner for the CCC deep into the playoffs. They were finally knocked off in the Regional finals by Houston. They only had one loss in the regular season, so an exceptional season for the Jets. Proving once again that the CCC is strong in basketball.

Geeze this Tressel deal at Ohio State. Lots of pressure on the head coach to win at a school like OSU where the fans are many and are fervent. To me the violation is one of those ticky tack things. Why can't players sell playoff rings and memorabilia? It's their property. I guess that I can see the autograph deal being a problem. Anyway rules are rules whether or not you agree with them. But I think that Tressel looked the other way because he was potentially going to lose a lot of talent for X amount of games. But getting caught after the fact may put a damper on what I thought could be a Championship season. Pryor will be a senior next year. Decent talent returning, but with this turmoil it will be hard for the team to focus.

How is everyone's brackets looking? Gotta brag I am in 10th place out of 107 people in my pool. Even though I blew Louisville - but then who saw that coming. I did have Pittsburgh being the first number season to crash and burn - albeit one round later. Anyway I have a habit of sprinting out early but getting it wrong in the later rounds and crashing and burning myself. Ohio State is running away from George Mason right now - just so that they make it to the final 4, but no further...

Rumor has it that Shondelmeyer is leaving TVS as football coach. He had a good run at Arcanum where the right coach with the right group of kids made it to the playoffs. Tried to fill the shoes of a legend at Versailles and just couldn't match up to the success that the Tigers had in the past. Never really got much traction at TVS. Used the pass sparingly and used the double wing offense for a run dominated attack. But who is going to take over now? It would be nice to have Cottingim again, but I am not sure he wants to do the duties of principal and head coach again. Doing it all takes lots of time. So then they will just have to find a young coach willing to come to a small school for experience and hope that he catches fire.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Double Win Night for Shawnee. Both Varsity basketball teams won in exciting fashion in a mens and womens double header. South was the unlucky recipient of tough losses. South's women's team is based on seniors while Shawnee's is based on sophomores. The Shawnee team has been able to string together some wins while South has a winning season and hope to enter the post season season on an upnote with a win for their last regular season game. After a first half with a lot of turnovers, the tables were turned as the Arrows began to take advantage of the Panthers errors. Down the stretch Shawnee hit their shots while South whiffed. Shawnee came away with a 5 point win.

Coached this bunch of sophomores when I did junior high at Shawnee. And at times there were 4 sophomores on the court. Not much height, but some athleticism and that intangible that you either have or don't have - a desire to win no matter what the odds. If this bunch stays together, look for good things to happen in Arrow country the next couple of years.

As for the boys game, South has got to wondering what happened. They had a comfortable lead at half time. But Shawnee kept chipping away at that lead. If my memory is right South had an 8 point lead with about 2 minutes left. I was getting my coat and making plans for heading out the door. But Shawnee made their shots down the stretch, including an incredible three pointer launched about midway shot form between the three point line and midcourt. South had a tough time making foul shots, the Arrow crowd was definitely a six man as at least three players bricked the front end of 1 and 1's partly due to the loud crowd.

This tied the game and I think the air left South's sails at this point. They were trying to force the ball on offense and this caused turnovers. Plus it did not help to miss some easy shots. Shawnee did hit their free throws and won comfortably by 8. It has been a tough season for the South boys squad and this loss was a real heart breaker.

Monday, January 24, 2011

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.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

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.

Saturday, January 01, 2011

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.

Friday, December 24, 2010

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.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

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.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

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.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

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

Saturday, October 23, 2010

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.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

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."

Sunday, October 10, 2010

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

Sunday, October 03, 2010

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.