Not off the Press: Three-day weekend of sports
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
There isn't much on the high school slate this week because of the Highland County Fair, and to be honest, that is OK with me. It's not that I don't want to cover sports this week, but I'm all for taking it easy after this past month of football notebooks, previews and fall sporting events.
Take, for example, this past Saturday. It was in the mid-to-high 90s at the Ohio Classic Cross-Country Meet, and to see all the athletes run in that heat, and to run a tough course with hills … and did I mention all that heat … well, they earned more of my respect. Just covering the event, my shirt was drenched, and all I did was take pictures.
The way these athletes work to make it across the finish is just amazing.
Then Saturday night was a chance to watch a former McClain Tiger make his first college start in football against Wilmington College. The McClain grad was Brian Pitzer, and he is currently the starting quarterback for the Mount St. Joseph Lions. It was fun getting to see him playing at the collegiate level, but we'll talk about that later on in this column.
This three-day weekend of sorts also allowed me to draft my No. 1 fantasy football team. For those who take part in fantasy football drafts, here is what happened to me.
We have it set up where the champion from the previous season has the last pick and the worst team has the first pick in the yearly draft. We also have it where if any team owner wants, they can keep one player on their roster from a year ago.
Anyways, six of us kept a player, six of us decided not to. I kept Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, and since I kept a player, that was my first-round pick. Being that I got lucky and won last season, I was the first person who drafted in the second round (reverse order) and who was there waiting for me at the No. 13 pick … Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson.
For those who take part in fantasy football … that is like getting to open a Christmas present in September.
Drafting Chris Johnson in the second round was basically Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's all combined into one, because I was thankful for the gift I received, so I celebrated.
Enough about fantasy sports because in the landscape of area high school sports in the past seven days the McClain Tigers and Hillsboro Indians tied in their soccer match at Richards Memorial Field, the Clinton-Massie Falcons lost a regular-season football game for the first time since 2007, the Hillsboro Indian squad put up a good effort against Goshen and the MHS football team responded well with a win at Unioto, even though they had to wait for the lights to come back on as they surged out for around 20 minutes in the first half.
• SCOL football teams stumble on Friday
Only two South Central Ohio League football teams came away with wins on Friday, and for the first time since 2007, one of those teams were not named the Clinton-Massie Falcons. The Falcons lost to Waynesville, 17-2. The two teams who did win were the McClain Tigers and Washington Blue Lions, each gaining their first win of the season.
As of the first two weeks, the SCOL in non-league games are 5-9 overall. I can easily say I didn't see this coming at the start of the season. All but two SCOL teams have wins this season, and it isn't because they aren't scoring points. LHS, who have lost two games by a combined eight points, have scored 61 points and allowed 69 in two games. Hillsboro, also 0-2, have scored 44 points (third most in the SCOL) and have allowed 77. The rest of the league is 1-1 overall.
Though the SCOL overall record isn't what I thought it would be at this point of the season, this still has been a solid football season.
Take, for example, Friday, when the Tigers of MHS rebounded in a big way with a 21-7 win over Unioto.
What impressed me about McClain on Friday was their excitement and how once they got the lead, they didn't lose it. Sure, it was a sloppy first quarter from both teams, but still I saw improvement from the previous week, and that is always a good thing to see in any team.
This week, MHS will host the East Clinton Astros in what will be a preview to a league game next season when the Astros are in the SCOL. As of right now, it is really tough to know exactly what type of team EC is for the fact they have played two good teams to start the '11 season. But I'll talk more about that in Thursday's SCOL notebook.
• Cross-country on a very hot Saturday
How they do it I will never know. The way the student-athletes ran Saturday morning-afternoon at Liberty Park in Hillsboro during the cross-country meet … I'll never know.
I parked somewhat far away just to have a walk on a sunny and hot day, but my goodness, the distance the runners ran, with the heat on Saturday, while running in a competitive environment … I'll be the first to tell you they are better than me.
The girl who won from London beat the field by a good margin, and she didn't even seem that tired when she crossed the finish line.
I guess I like sweets a little too much to be able to run the times and distance they do in those type of conditions.
• Former McClain QB scores 2 touchdowns for MSJ
I want to send a big congrats to Mount St. Joseph quarterback Brian Pitzer, who helped lead the Lions to a 26-16 win over the Wilmington College Quakers on Saturday night in Wilmington.
It was a very solid game to take in. There were good hits, nice running plays and overall it was just a good way to spend a few hours on a Saturday night. Pitzer had two rushing touchdowns and 92 yards rushing.
It was just nice to see not only Pitzer, but there were others with ties to either Highland County or the SCOL involved with the game. Former CM quarterback Logan McCormick is a wide receiver/punter for the Quakers, and MHS grad Thorne Hester is a freshman on the WC team.
Also, WC quarterback Brandon Arehart played summer baseball for the Post 129 Legion team a couple season's ago. He made a very nice throw for a touchdown in the first quarter for the Quakers.
Best of luck to all those players this season. If you ever get a chance, go watch a Division III football game. These players play for the simple fact they just want to continue to play the game.
Visiting my old college campus and seeing all the changes in the five years since I've graduated is a neat thing to see. Makes me wonder: where did all the time go?
• 10 Thoughts on high school sports
1. This will be one of my last "slow" weeks of the fall sports season with the Highland County Fair in town. I'm not complaining one bit.
2. The McClain vs. Hillsboro boys soccer rematch at McClain later this month will go a very long way in deciding which team will end the season with the SCOL championship trophy.
3. The Hillsboro girls golf team is really good.
4. I'm thinking Highland County is shifting to being a soccer hotbed. In this county, there are the six straight SCOL boys soccer trophies, and there are multiple teams in both the SHL and SCOL who are at or near the top of their leagues from Highland County.
5. Once fair week is complete, the fall sports schedule will be in full force again.
6. Congrats to McClain's Morgan Dettwiller for setting a girls golf nine-hole high school record at Buckeye Hills this season.
7. I am horrible at predicting high school football games.
8. When HHS and CM play in their girls soccer rematch this season, it will also go a very long way to who will be crowned SCOL girls soccer champions. Should be a very good soccer match to watch at Richards Memorial Field. In their first meeting last week at CM they tied 1-1.
9. Here's to hoping the Indians continue to improve on the gridiron each week. A 26-point effort is a positive headed into Week 3.
10. So far, the high school fall sports season has been enjoyable.
• Stat of the Week
One week after having 23 yards rushing, the McClain Tigers football team bounced back with 189 yards rushing and 224 total yards of offense (50 yards in Week 1). As coach Randy Closson said following the game, his team showed their character.
• (A second) Stat of the Week
Mount St. Joseph quarterback Brian Pitzer used the passing game, but mostly put on a show for the 2,111 fans in attendance with his feet, rushing for 92 yards on 16 carries (5.8 ypc) for two touchdowns.
• Quote of the Week
"Our kids responded well after last week … we struggled early offensively, but the o-line dug in and established itself. Our defense had a heck of a game, and Unioto posed a lot of challenges with their offense." — Randy Closson, McClain football head coach.
• One last item of business
Since there isn't much going on this week, I just want to thank the coaches who have called, faxed or emailed me team results this season.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]
Take, for example, this past Saturday. It was in the mid-to-high 90s at the Ohio Classic Cross-Country Meet, and to see all the athletes run in that heat, and to run a tough course with hills … and did I mention all that heat … well, they earned more of my respect. Just covering the event, my shirt was drenched, and all I did was take pictures.
The way these athletes work to make it across the finish is just amazing.
Then Saturday night was a chance to watch a former McClain Tiger make his first college start in football against Wilmington College. The McClain grad was Brian Pitzer, and he is currently the starting quarterback for the Mount St. Joseph Lions. It was fun getting to see him playing at the collegiate level, but we'll talk about that later on in this column.
This three-day weekend of sorts also allowed me to draft my No. 1 fantasy football team. For those who take part in fantasy football drafts, here is what happened to me.
We have it set up where the champion from the previous season has the last pick and the worst team has the first pick in the yearly draft. We also have it where if any team owner wants, they can keep one player on their roster from a year ago.
Anyways, six of us kept a player, six of us decided not to. I kept Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, and since I kept a player, that was my first-round pick. Being that I got lucky and won last season, I was the first person who drafted in the second round (reverse order) and who was there waiting for me at the No. 13 pick … Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson.
For those who take part in fantasy football … that is like getting to open a Christmas present in September.
Drafting Chris Johnson in the second round was basically Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's all combined into one, because I was thankful for the gift I received, so I celebrated.
Enough about fantasy sports because in the landscape of area high school sports in the past seven days the McClain Tigers and Hillsboro Indians tied in their soccer match at Richards Memorial Field, the Clinton-Massie Falcons lost a regular-season football game for the first time since 2007, the Hillsboro Indian squad put up a good effort against Goshen and the MHS football team responded well with a win at Unioto, even though they had to wait for the lights to come back on as they surged out for around 20 minutes in the first half.
• SCOL football teams stumble on Friday
Only two South Central Ohio League football teams came away with wins on Friday, and for the first time since 2007, one of those teams were not named the Clinton-Massie Falcons. The Falcons lost to Waynesville, 17-2. The two teams who did win were the McClain Tigers and Washington Blue Lions, each gaining their first win of the season.
As of the first two weeks, the SCOL in non-league games are 5-9 overall. I can easily say I didn't see this coming at the start of the season. All but two SCOL teams have wins this season, and it isn't because they aren't scoring points. LHS, who have lost two games by a combined eight points, have scored 61 points and allowed 69 in two games. Hillsboro, also 0-2, have scored 44 points (third most in the SCOL) and have allowed 77. The rest of the league is 1-1 overall.
Though the SCOL overall record isn't what I thought it would be at this point of the season, this still has been a solid football season.
Take, for example, Friday, when the Tigers of MHS rebounded in a big way with a 21-7 win over Unioto.
What impressed me about McClain on Friday was their excitement and how once they got the lead, they didn't lose it. Sure, it was a sloppy first quarter from both teams, but still I saw improvement from the previous week, and that is always a good thing to see in any team.
This week, MHS will host the East Clinton Astros in what will be a preview to a league game next season when the Astros are in the SCOL. As of right now, it is really tough to know exactly what type of team EC is for the fact they have played two good teams to start the '11 season. But I'll talk more about that in Thursday's SCOL notebook.
• Cross-country on a very hot Saturday
How they do it I will never know. The way the student-athletes ran Saturday morning-afternoon at Liberty Park in Hillsboro during the cross-country meet … I'll never know.
I parked somewhat far away just to have a walk on a sunny and hot day, but my goodness, the distance the runners ran, with the heat on Saturday, while running in a competitive environment … I'll be the first to tell you they are better than me.
The girl who won from London beat the field by a good margin, and she didn't even seem that tired when she crossed the finish line.
I guess I like sweets a little too much to be able to run the times and distance they do in those type of conditions.
• Former McClain QB scores 2 touchdowns for MSJ
I want to send a big congrats to Mount St. Joseph quarterback Brian Pitzer, who helped lead the Lions to a 26-16 win over the Wilmington College Quakers on Saturday night in Wilmington.
It was a very solid game to take in. There were good hits, nice running plays and overall it was just a good way to spend a few hours on a Saturday night. Pitzer had two rushing touchdowns and 92 yards rushing.
It was just nice to see not only Pitzer, but there were others with ties to either Highland County or the SCOL involved with the game. Former CM quarterback Logan McCormick is a wide receiver/punter for the Quakers, and MHS grad Thorne Hester is a freshman on the WC team.
Also, WC quarterback Brandon Arehart played summer baseball for the Post 129 Legion team a couple season's ago. He made a very nice throw for a touchdown in the first quarter for the Quakers.
Best of luck to all those players this season. If you ever get a chance, go watch a Division III football game. These players play for the simple fact they just want to continue to play the game.
Visiting my old college campus and seeing all the changes in the five years since I've graduated is a neat thing to see. Makes me wonder: where did all the time go?
• 10 Thoughts on high school sports
1. This will be one of my last "slow" weeks of the fall sports season with the Highland County Fair in town. I'm not complaining one bit.
2. The McClain vs. Hillsboro boys soccer rematch at McClain later this month will go a very long way in deciding which team will end the season with the SCOL championship trophy.
3. The Hillsboro girls golf team is really good.
4. I'm thinking Highland County is shifting to being a soccer hotbed. In this county, there are the six straight SCOL boys soccer trophies, and there are multiple teams in both the SHL and SCOL who are at or near the top of their leagues from Highland County.
5. Once fair week is complete, the fall sports schedule will be in full force again.
6. Congrats to McClain's Morgan Dettwiller for setting a girls golf nine-hole high school record at Buckeye Hills this season.
7. I am horrible at predicting high school football games.
8. When HHS and CM play in their girls soccer rematch this season, it will also go a very long way to who will be crowned SCOL girls soccer champions. Should be a very good soccer match to watch at Richards Memorial Field. In their first meeting last week at CM they tied 1-1.
9. Here's to hoping the Indians continue to improve on the gridiron each week. A 26-point effort is a positive headed into Week 3.
10. So far, the high school fall sports season has been enjoyable.
• Stat of the Week
One week after having 23 yards rushing, the McClain Tigers football team bounced back with 189 yards rushing and 224 total yards of offense (50 yards in Week 1). As coach Randy Closson said following the game, his team showed their character.
• (A second) Stat of the Week
Mount St. Joseph quarterback Brian Pitzer used the passing game, but mostly put on a show for the 2,111 fans in attendance with his feet, rushing for 92 yards on 16 carries (5.8 ypc) for two touchdowns.
• Quote of the Week
"Our kids responded well after last week … we struggled early offensively, but the o-line dug in and established itself. Our defense had a heck of a game, and Unioto posed a lot of challenges with their offense." — Randy Closson, McClain football head coach.
• One last item of business
Since there isn't much going on this week, I just want to thank the coaches who have called, faxed or emailed me team results this season.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]