Top 12 moments during 2012
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
This past calendar year of Highland County athletics has been an interesting one, to say the least. In our sporting community, we've had the usual highs and lows of any sports season, but this year, there has been more success than usual in some aspects and less success than expected in other areas.
But that happens … and some of the usual happened this year with coaches coming and going, athletes placing at the state level and a couple teams nearly upsetting reigning or soon-to-be state champions.
This sports season didn't take any of us to Athens for basketball, but for soccer, which was a first for my travels. All in all, this athletic adventure we've taken for the past 12 months, though curvy in some areas, can be deemed a success by at least one person who spends a majority of his time watching it.
With all of that said, here are the Top 12 stories from the 2012 Highland County athletics season.
12. McClain football resurgence
The McClain football team went from 1-9 to 7-3 this season, along with being one spot away from making the state playoffs. The Tigers were third in the SCOL and had a resurgence to their football program this year as they nearly tripled their scoring output from the previous season, along with having four players named to the Associated Press All-State team.
11. Coaches resigning
Two of the more prominent coaching positions in the area had coaches resign their posts for varying reasons in former Fairfield boys basketball head coach Matt Carson and just last week, now-former Hillsboro head football coach Brian Spicer. Both coaches had their successful moments with their respective teams in their respective tenures, but changes and decisions were made.
10. Shaffer Park Funding
This summer, the folks in charge of the city decided to cut the funding at Shaffer Park. Things recently have been quiet on this topic, but it is easy to say the same amount of funding won't be provided by the City of Hillsboro this summer.
9. League champions
The success by Highland County teams included the following league champions: Hillsboro boys basketball, McClain boys swimming, Fairfield softball, Hillsboro boys track, McClain softball, Lynchburg-Clay baseball, Fairfield boys cross-country, Hillsboro boys cross-country, Lynchburg-Clay girls soccer and Lynchburg-Clay golf.
8. Athletes in state tournaments/players voted Top 3 ranks All-Ohio
Highland County had many athletes compete in respective state tournaments. In wrestling, there were five (Brandon Carter, Kordell Ford, Dillon Hunick, Conner Johnston, Kaleb West); in track, there were a total of eight (Luis Rivas from McClain and seven from Hillsboro, including: Brittany Ferrell, Autumn Hacker, Jarrod Hart, Hannah Kibler, Hannah Opst, Megan Overberg and Leah Pence. In tennis, there was Hillsboro's Reese Leibreich. In cross-country, running were Michael Mangus and Blake Hildebrant.
As for either coaches' state voting where players were in the top three All-Ohio teams, Highland County had six student-athletes make the cut with McClain's Jenna Perie (Division II) and Fairfield's Lauren Larrick (Division IV) in softball by the Ohio Softball Coaches Association and Whiteoak's Michael Smith in Division IV baseball as voted on by the Ohio Baseball Coaches Association. Voted by the Ohio Soccer Coaches Association were Lynchburg-Clay's Taylor Scott, first-team (Division III) and second-team, Madison Colliver (Division II) in girls soccer; and Jordan O'Connor (second-team) in Division II boys soccer.
7. McClain softball perfect in SCOL/FHS repeats in SHL softball
For the Fairfield Lady Lions, they lost just once in league play in their quest for their second straight SHL title. Fairfield had their season ended in the district finals. McClain was perfect in SCOL games this past season as they outscored their opponents 119-27 in 12 SCOL games.
[[In-content Ad]]6. Changes in the SCOL
This was a year of change for the South Central Ohio League, with Wilmington and Chillicothe being voted unanimously into the league, as London and Madison-Plains voted to leave the league at the end of the 2012-13 school year. This was also the first year East Clinton played games as a member of the league.
5. Hillsboro back-to-back boys basketball league titles/LC girls soccer repeats
In the competitive SCOL boys basketball league, the Hillsboro Indians battled a tough schedule and won the outright title with a win over Clinton-Massie to clinch the title under Brett Prince during his first year as HHS head coach. HHS went 10-2 in the league with both losses to Miami Trace and 15-6 overall.
In girls soccer, Lynchburg-Clay hasn’t lost in their league for two seasons but did tie once this past season en route to the championship. The Lady Mustangs were district runners-up at 13-5-1 overall.
4. LC baseball 3-peat in league
In a rare feat for any high school team in this area, the Lynchburg-Clay baseball team won their third consecutive SHL Division I baseball championship with an 11-2 league record. The Mustangs baseball team also finished district runners-up and nearly defeated state-ranked and eventual state champion Wheelersburg in the district final round.
3. Hillsboro girls soccer reach regionals
In what was the most impressive team tournament run of the year, the Lady Indians won a district title and almost won their regional game against the defending state champion Columbus St. Francis DeSales, losing 1-0 with the goal scored with under two minutes left in the game in their Division II regional semifinal match. HHS finished with an overall record of 17-2-1.
2. The passing of Shawn Jackson
This was the saddest, most heartbreaking and unexpected moment of the year. Shawn is missed after his unexpected passing in February, and following the final home soccer match this season, Coach Jackson was honored with an alumni game of past players playing in a game dedicated to his memory. Shawn will never be forgotten. As coach of the McClain boys soccer team, Jackson led them to three straight league championships.
1. All-Ohio placers
Highland County had a few elite athletes place in state tournaments this year. There was the state wrestling tournament in March with Kordell Ford placing fourth in the Division II state tourney at 152 pounds following three tough days of matches. In June, then-McClain senior Luis Rivas was seventh in the Division II State 400-meter dash, and then-Hillsboro junior Jarrod Hart was sixth in the 800m run. In November, Michael Mangus was 14th in the Division III State cross-country.
But that happens … and some of the usual happened this year with coaches coming and going, athletes placing at the state level and a couple teams nearly upsetting reigning or soon-to-be state champions.
This sports season didn't take any of us to Athens for basketball, but for soccer, which was a first for my travels. All in all, this athletic adventure we've taken for the past 12 months, though curvy in some areas, can be deemed a success by at least one person who spends a majority of his time watching it.
With all of that said, here are the Top 12 stories from the 2012 Highland County athletics season.
12. McClain football resurgence
The McClain football team went from 1-9 to 7-3 this season, along with being one spot away from making the state playoffs. The Tigers were third in the SCOL and had a resurgence to their football program this year as they nearly tripled their scoring output from the previous season, along with having four players named to the Associated Press All-State team.
11. Coaches resigning
Two of the more prominent coaching positions in the area had coaches resign their posts for varying reasons in former Fairfield boys basketball head coach Matt Carson and just last week, now-former Hillsboro head football coach Brian Spicer. Both coaches had their successful moments with their respective teams in their respective tenures, but changes and decisions were made.
10. Shaffer Park Funding
This summer, the folks in charge of the city decided to cut the funding at Shaffer Park. Things recently have been quiet on this topic, but it is easy to say the same amount of funding won't be provided by the City of Hillsboro this summer.
9. League champions
The success by Highland County teams included the following league champions: Hillsboro boys basketball, McClain boys swimming, Fairfield softball, Hillsboro boys track, McClain softball, Lynchburg-Clay baseball, Fairfield boys cross-country, Hillsboro boys cross-country, Lynchburg-Clay girls soccer and Lynchburg-Clay golf.
8. Athletes in state tournaments/players voted Top 3 ranks All-Ohio
Highland County had many athletes compete in respective state tournaments. In wrestling, there were five (Brandon Carter, Kordell Ford, Dillon Hunick, Conner Johnston, Kaleb West); in track, there were a total of eight (Luis Rivas from McClain and seven from Hillsboro, including: Brittany Ferrell, Autumn Hacker, Jarrod Hart, Hannah Kibler, Hannah Opst, Megan Overberg and Leah Pence. In tennis, there was Hillsboro's Reese Leibreich. In cross-country, running were Michael Mangus and Blake Hildebrant.
As for either coaches' state voting where players were in the top three All-Ohio teams, Highland County had six student-athletes make the cut with McClain's Jenna Perie (Division II) and Fairfield's Lauren Larrick (Division IV) in softball by the Ohio Softball Coaches Association and Whiteoak's Michael Smith in Division IV baseball as voted on by the Ohio Baseball Coaches Association. Voted by the Ohio Soccer Coaches Association were Lynchburg-Clay's Taylor Scott, first-team (Division III) and second-team, Madison Colliver (Division II) in girls soccer; and Jordan O'Connor (second-team) in Division II boys soccer.
7. McClain softball perfect in SCOL/FHS repeats in SHL softball
For the Fairfield Lady Lions, they lost just once in league play in their quest for their second straight SHL title. Fairfield had their season ended in the district finals. McClain was perfect in SCOL games this past season as they outscored their opponents 119-27 in 12 SCOL games.
[[In-content Ad]]6. Changes in the SCOL
This was a year of change for the South Central Ohio League, with Wilmington and Chillicothe being voted unanimously into the league, as London and Madison-Plains voted to leave the league at the end of the 2012-13 school year. This was also the first year East Clinton played games as a member of the league.
5. Hillsboro back-to-back boys basketball league titles/LC girls soccer repeats
In the competitive SCOL boys basketball league, the Hillsboro Indians battled a tough schedule and won the outright title with a win over Clinton-Massie to clinch the title under Brett Prince during his first year as HHS head coach. HHS went 10-2 in the league with both losses to Miami Trace and 15-6 overall.
In girls soccer, Lynchburg-Clay hasn’t lost in their league for two seasons but did tie once this past season en route to the championship. The Lady Mustangs were district runners-up at 13-5-1 overall.
4. LC baseball 3-peat in league
In a rare feat for any high school team in this area, the Lynchburg-Clay baseball team won their third consecutive SHL Division I baseball championship with an 11-2 league record. The Mustangs baseball team also finished district runners-up and nearly defeated state-ranked and eventual state champion Wheelersburg in the district final round.
3. Hillsboro girls soccer reach regionals
In what was the most impressive team tournament run of the year, the Lady Indians won a district title and almost won their regional game against the defending state champion Columbus St. Francis DeSales, losing 1-0 with the goal scored with under two minutes left in the game in their Division II regional semifinal match. HHS finished with an overall record of 17-2-1.
2. The passing of Shawn Jackson
This was the saddest, most heartbreaking and unexpected moment of the year. Shawn is missed after his unexpected passing in February, and following the final home soccer match this season, Coach Jackson was honored with an alumni game of past players playing in a game dedicated to his memory. Shawn will never be forgotten. As coach of the McClain boys soccer team, Jackson led them to three straight league championships.
1. All-Ohio placers
Highland County had a few elite athletes place in state tournaments this year. There was the state wrestling tournament in March with Kordell Ford placing fourth in the Division II state tourney at 152 pounds following three tough days of matches. In June, then-McClain senior Luis Rivas was seventh in the Division II State 400-meter dash, and then-Hillsboro junior Jarrod Hart was sixth in the 800m run. In November, Michael Mangus was 14th in the Division III State cross-country.