Not off the Press: A big hello in 2012
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Though 2011 was a good year for Highland County sports as a whole, that is done and over with, and it is now time to look forward to what 2012 has in store for us. I, for one, am excited for the remainder of the winter sports season.
In looking forward to the '12 part of the '11-12 season, there is a nice slate of games on the schedule this week, along with the first home wrestling meet of the season for the Hillsboro Indians as they host the Washington Blue Lions and McClain Tigers at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
Before Thursday, there are some quality basketball games to be played, starting on Tuesday with McClain hosting the Washington Blue Lions and the Hillsboro Indians hosting the Madison-Plains Golden Eagles.
More on the week ahead in a little bit.
Since I have pretty much been in basketball mode since the final fall sports event was completed … here is what I like about each Highland County team as we basically head into the second half of the regular season.
Boys Basketball
Hillsboro — They didn't let the first two games of the year get to them. Since those two losses against quality teams, they have won six in a row, defeating three county rivals in the process. Another thing that I like about this team thus far is how someone, not always the same player, steps up and gives them a spark they need at the most critical time of the game.
McClain — They continue to work at their skills throughout the year and don't make any game easy for their opponent with their defense. Gotta love the defense by MHS. The Tigers of 2011-12 could be just like the Tigers of 2010-11 where they turned things around in the second half, which if you remember made a big difference in the SCOL standings last season.
Lynchburg-Clay — I think it is OK to say they are a surprise team after the '11 calendar year. This team has some athletes, uses a little flash and won two straight games before the New Year's break with just eight players suited up. Fun team to watch, and I like the play from a few players on the team.
Fairfield — Tough and dedicated … those are the first two adjectives that come to mind. Like MHS, they don't make games easy for their opponents with their defense, and they have players who have great potential as they season continues.
Whiteoak — Though the Wildcats have struggled to gain a W lately (they broke a three-game losing streak on Thursday), the Wildcats have the ability to battle in the Southern Hills League, and their division of the league isn't the easiest league to play in the area.
Girls Basketball
Hillsboro – They are improving and from the last couple games I've watched, I don't sweat in saying the Lady Indians are playing some of the better HHS girls basketball that I've seen in recent years. There is room for more improvement, but they have continued to get better every year for the past couple seasons.
McClain — The last time I saw the Lady Tigers play, they defeated Whiteoak in the Highland County Shootout on Dec. 21. They don't play again until this Thursday, so they will be coming off a long break of actual regular-season games the next time they take the court. MHS is 5-3, 2-2 in league games as they near their halfway point of the year. Before I forget, I like the play from some of their underclassmen as they continue to mesh with their senior class. Could set the tone for the remainder of the regular season.
Lynchburg-Clay — I like the duo of Brooke Hertlein and Laney Lewis thus far, with each player usually scoring in double figures in a majority of their games. This team seems to be picking up some steam after a 1-3 start as they won their last three games they've played against Hillsboro, Fairfield and Paint Valley.
Fairfield — The Lady Lions are a team I just want to see succeed. They play hard, work hard and no matter what the score has been this year, they continue to play the entire game.
Whiteoak — When I last watched WHS, they played McClain at the HC Shootout, but they have had some close games. WHS continues to work hard as they look to earn their first win of the season.
With that … let's just take a look at the week ahead.
[[In-content Ad]]• Previewing the Upcoming Week
On Tuesday, there are two very interesting South Central Ohio League boys basketball games that will be played in Highland County in Greenfield and Hillsboro.
The Tigers are coming off their second win of the season on Thursday against Adena by a 54-31 score. A fun fact: Did you know or realize the Tigers' two wins this season have both come on their home court? McClain is looking for their first SCOL win of the season, as their last SCOL contest was a 73-70 loss to the Clinton-Massie Falcons on Dec. 16. The Blue Lions are coming off a 65-63 overtime loss to the Unioto Shermans on Friday.
As for the Hillsboro Indians, they are at the top of the SCOL with league wins over McClain, Washington and London thus far. When HHS hosts MP, it will be their sixth game at home of their last seven games. This season (eight games), the Tribe has scored 482 points for an average of 60.2 ppg. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 52-51 loss to the London Red Raiders on Friday. Hillsboro hasn't played since Dec. 23, so this game should be interesting for the fact the Indians have had a bit of a break in game action but are currently on a six-game winning streak. Plus, it always makes things interesting when a game is an in-league game.
Also on Tuesday (Jan. 3), the Whiteoak Wildcats host Manchester. I've covered the last five Whiteoak games, and they are on the brink of breaking through. They have the talent, but like coach Tom Wessner said following their game against Lynchburg-Clay on Friday, it is about intensity with this team. I still see good things with this team as the season continues.
On Wednesday, the Hillsboro Lady Indians will host the one-loss Fayetteville Lady Rockets of the Southern Hills League. Fayetteville's loss came to a very good Georgetown team, and by very good I mean very good team. Besides their game against Georgetown, Fayetteville has dominated teams this season with a 9-1 overall record. As for the Lady Indians, they have two wins this season, ending the '11 calendar year with a win against Fairfield.
Thursday is full of girls basketball, swimming and wrestling. The wrestling meet at Hillsboro (their first home meet of the season) will be a tri-meet between the Indians, MHS Tigers and Washington Blue Lions with SCOL standings on the line. McClain has been led this season on the mat by Brandon Davis, who has 20 wins thus far and just three losses. I have received no information on the Hillsboro squad this season, so I have no clue how they are doing this winter.
The Tiger-Sharks travel to New Richmond on Thursday and will swim at home on Saturday at 10 a.m. MHS is having a productive swimming season this year as they have game league and non-league wins thus far.
Also on Thursday, there are four girls basketball games with McClain hosting Unioto, Whiteoak at Peebles, LC at Manchester and Fairfield hosting Fayetteville.
If Thursday wasn't enough, Friday is all boys basketball with all five Highland County teams playing in respective league games. FHS will host North Adams, LC is at Fayetteville, HHS at Miami Trace, MHS at London and WHS at Eastern Brown.
Saturday is a mixture of games with FHS traveling for boys basketball to Manchester and MHS traveling to Zane Trace in boys basketball. The FHS girls travel to Valley (Lucasville) and HHS travels to Whiteoak in a Highland County rivalry matchup. MHS girls basketball will host Madison-Plains in girls basketball, and bright and early at 10 a.m. on Saturday the McClain swimming team hosts a home meet.
• The Week in Review
This past week, Lynchburg-Clay hosted their second annual Wilkin Memorial Scholarship Tournament with them, WHS, Paint Valley and Clermont Northeastern in a four-team, two-day tournament during which LC defeated WHS on day two for the tournament championship.
I like this event for the fact it is for a good cause, it is a combined four games at most … and yes, for selfish reasons, I got a free sandwich and diet soda.
In all seriousness, this event goes for a very good cause to honor the memory of Greg Wilkin, and I hope this event stays at LC for a very long time.
Also this past week, those who attended got to see the Fairfield Lions take on the Tigers in boys basketball to start the week last Tuesday. The game wasn't the prettiest, but it was full of free throws. I liked how the Lions took advantage of their trips from the free-throw line in that game because it is rare to see teams get 33 attempts at the free-throw line.
Wednesday was a game between the Lady Indians and Lady Lions where it was Hillsboro gaining their second win, breaking a five-game losing streak. It was a good win for HHS, and the Lady Lions didn't have their full team.
Thursday and Friday was the aforementioned Wilkin Memorial Scholarship Tournament where LC won their event for the first time. Second place was WHS, followed by CNE and PV. CNE won the third-place game, and this event allowed me the opportunity to see these teams for the first time this season. Again, this was a great event.
• Non-high school sports thoughts
- Looks like I was wrong about the Cincinnati Bengals not making the playoffs … and I'm glad I was. Though they didn't beat the Baltimore Ravens, the Bengals made the playoffs nonetheless. They have a good matchup against the Houston Texans this coming Saturday, and I'm saying it right now, they will be meeting the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the AFC Playoffs.
- The Big Ten is nothing but a tease once the college bowl season begins. At least Michigan State won on Jan. 2. Purdue and Illinois also represented the Big Ten with a win … from what I watched, a lot of the teams checked out.
- Florida used all of the offensive-minded knowledge Charlie Weis left behind to gain the win over OSU on Jan. 2.
- The wide receiver group headed into the NFL will make the league even better.
- The Dallas Cowboys found another way to ruin a football season for me. I'm naming them my underachievers of the year, even more so than the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Other NFL Wild Card Round predictions: Saints over Lions, Steelers over Broncos and Falcons over Giants.
- It was strange watching all the "New Year's Day" bowl games on Jan. 2, but I still had an enjoyable day off. My two favorite games were the overtime games when Michigan State won over Georgia in the Outback Bowl in three overtimes, and the Stanford-Oklahoma State Fiesta Bowl where OK State won in overtime, 41-38. Great game to watch, unless you are in complete in love with defense. Again, great game.
- I still believe the bowls games would still mean something and be able to have a playoff … all I want is a four-team playoff. That is all I want. Think about what this playoff would have been Stanford, Oklahoma State, Alabama and LSU.
- With above paragraph I just proved I was a dreamer.
- Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State) is slowly becoming my favorite college football coach. Remember his press conference for a few years ago about being a man and being 40!?"
- I wonder if Justin Blackmon will sell his FIESTA BOWL Offensive MVP trophy? I've heard it has happened before, right?
- I finally entered the 21st Century and got a touch screen phone last week. Still getting used to it, but thanks for the great service from John Weber and Cellular Solutions in Hillsboro.
- I like the recent changes at my favorite chain restaurant to watch sports.
- Anyone else think the new show "Work It" will last more than a season? I don't give it 10 episodes and all I've seen is the preview.
• Stat of the Week
In the Wilkin tourney, Gage Waits, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the tourney, finished with 33 points in consecutive nights. He averaged 16.5 ppg with a 20-point effort against Paint Valley and 13 points against Whiteoak.
• Quote of the Week
"Having five wins this early in the season … I didn't expect it since we have players who entered the season with inexperience at the varsity level. This is a very nice start for us, and we'll use these last two days as momentum headed into this coming week." — Jason McLaughlin. Lynchburg-Clay boys basketball head coach following a win against Whiteoak on Friday.
• (A second) Quote of the Week
"I want us to hopefully keep playing hard, and we still need to do a better job of executing some smaller things. They are growing up and still have a lot of growing to do. I want us to keep getting better every day." — JR Moberly, Hillsboro girls basketball head coach following a win against Fairfield on Wednesday.
• (A third and final) Quote of the Week
"We fouled way too much tonight, especially at the end, but this was a good team. This ball game was exactly like I thought it was going to be. It was a nip-and-tuck affair, and both teams played hard tonight." — Matt Carson, Fairfield boys basketball head coach after a win against McClain on Tuesday.
• One last item of business
Anyone else ready for the next part of the winter sports season? If 2012 equals or exceeds what occurred in 2011 for Highland County sports, well we are in store for another fun ride.
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 looking forward to the '12 part of the '11-12 season, there is a nice slate of games on the schedule this week, along with the first home wrestling meet of the season for the Hillsboro Indians as they host the Washington Blue Lions and McClain Tigers at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
Before Thursday, there are some quality basketball games to be played, starting on Tuesday with McClain hosting the Washington Blue Lions and the Hillsboro Indians hosting the Madison-Plains Golden Eagles.
More on the week ahead in a little bit.
Since I have pretty much been in basketball mode since the final fall sports event was completed … here is what I like about each Highland County team as we basically head into the second half of the regular season.
Boys Basketball
Hillsboro — They didn't let the first two games of the year get to them. Since those two losses against quality teams, they have won six in a row, defeating three county rivals in the process. Another thing that I like about this team thus far is how someone, not always the same player, steps up and gives them a spark they need at the most critical time of the game.
McClain — They continue to work at their skills throughout the year and don't make any game easy for their opponent with their defense. Gotta love the defense by MHS. The Tigers of 2011-12 could be just like the Tigers of 2010-11 where they turned things around in the second half, which if you remember made a big difference in the SCOL standings last season.
Lynchburg-Clay — I think it is OK to say they are a surprise team after the '11 calendar year. This team has some athletes, uses a little flash and won two straight games before the New Year's break with just eight players suited up. Fun team to watch, and I like the play from a few players on the team.
Fairfield — Tough and dedicated … those are the first two adjectives that come to mind. Like MHS, they don't make games easy for their opponents with their defense, and they have players who have great potential as they season continues.
Whiteoak — Though the Wildcats have struggled to gain a W lately (they broke a three-game losing streak on Thursday), the Wildcats have the ability to battle in the Southern Hills League, and their division of the league isn't the easiest league to play in the area.
Girls Basketball
Hillsboro – They are improving and from the last couple games I've watched, I don't sweat in saying the Lady Indians are playing some of the better HHS girls basketball that I've seen in recent years. There is room for more improvement, but they have continued to get better every year for the past couple seasons.
McClain — The last time I saw the Lady Tigers play, they defeated Whiteoak in the Highland County Shootout on Dec. 21. They don't play again until this Thursday, so they will be coming off a long break of actual regular-season games the next time they take the court. MHS is 5-3, 2-2 in league games as they near their halfway point of the year. Before I forget, I like the play from some of their underclassmen as they continue to mesh with their senior class. Could set the tone for the remainder of the regular season.
Lynchburg-Clay — I like the duo of Brooke Hertlein and Laney Lewis thus far, with each player usually scoring in double figures in a majority of their games. This team seems to be picking up some steam after a 1-3 start as they won their last three games they've played against Hillsboro, Fairfield and Paint Valley.
Fairfield — The Lady Lions are a team I just want to see succeed. They play hard, work hard and no matter what the score has been this year, they continue to play the entire game.
Whiteoak — When I last watched WHS, they played McClain at the HC Shootout, but they have had some close games. WHS continues to work hard as they look to earn their first win of the season.
With that … let's just take a look at the week ahead.
[[In-content Ad]]• Previewing the Upcoming Week
On Tuesday, there are two very interesting South Central Ohio League boys basketball games that will be played in Highland County in Greenfield and Hillsboro.
The Tigers are coming off their second win of the season on Thursday against Adena by a 54-31 score. A fun fact: Did you know or realize the Tigers' two wins this season have both come on their home court? McClain is looking for their first SCOL win of the season, as their last SCOL contest was a 73-70 loss to the Clinton-Massie Falcons on Dec. 16. The Blue Lions are coming off a 65-63 overtime loss to the Unioto Shermans on Friday.
As for the Hillsboro Indians, they are at the top of the SCOL with league wins over McClain, Washington and London thus far. When HHS hosts MP, it will be their sixth game at home of their last seven games. This season (eight games), the Tribe has scored 482 points for an average of 60.2 ppg. The Golden Eagles are coming off a 52-51 loss to the London Red Raiders on Friday. Hillsboro hasn't played since Dec. 23, so this game should be interesting for the fact the Indians have had a bit of a break in game action but are currently on a six-game winning streak. Plus, it always makes things interesting when a game is an in-league game.
Also on Tuesday (Jan. 3), the Whiteoak Wildcats host Manchester. I've covered the last five Whiteoak games, and they are on the brink of breaking through. They have the talent, but like coach Tom Wessner said following their game against Lynchburg-Clay on Friday, it is about intensity with this team. I still see good things with this team as the season continues.
On Wednesday, the Hillsboro Lady Indians will host the one-loss Fayetteville Lady Rockets of the Southern Hills League. Fayetteville's loss came to a very good Georgetown team, and by very good I mean very good team. Besides their game against Georgetown, Fayetteville has dominated teams this season with a 9-1 overall record. As for the Lady Indians, they have two wins this season, ending the '11 calendar year with a win against Fairfield.
Thursday is full of girls basketball, swimming and wrestling. The wrestling meet at Hillsboro (their first home meet of the season) will be a tri-meet between the Indians, MHS Tigers and Washington Blue Lions with SCOL standings on the line. McClain has been led this season on the mat by Brandon Davis, who has 20 wins thus far and just three losses. I have received no information on the Hillsboro squad this season, so I have no clue how they are doing this winter.
The Tiger-Sharks travel to New Richmond on Thursday and will swim at home on Saturday at 10 a.m. MHS is having a productive swimming season this year as they have game league and non-league wins thus far.
Also on Thursday, there are four girls basketball games with McClain hosting Unioto, Whiteoak at Peebles, LC at Manchester and Fairfield hosting Fayetteville.
If Thursday wasn't enough, Friday is all boys basketball with all five Highland County teams playing in respective league games. FHS will host North Adams, LC is at Fayetteville, HHS at Miami Trace, MHS at London and WHS at Eastern Brown.
Saturday is a mixture of games with FHS traveling for boys basketball to Manchester and MHS traveling to Zane Trace in boys basketball. The FHS girls travel to Valley (Lucasville) and HHS travels to Whiteoak in a Highland County rivalry matchup. MHS girls basketball will host Madison-Plains in girls basketball, and bright and early at 10 a.m. on Saturday the McClain swimming team hosts a home meet.
• The Week in Review
This past week, Lynchburg-Clay hosted their second annual Wilkin Memorial Scholarship Tournament with them, WHS, Paint Valley and Clermont Northeastern in a four-team, two-day tournament during which LC defeated WHS on day two for the tournament championship.
I like this event for the fact it is for a good cause, it is a combined four games at most … and yes, for selfish reasons, I got a free sandwich and diet soda.
In all seriousness, this event goes for a very good cause to honor the memory of Greg Wilkin, and I hope this event stays at LC for a very long time.
Also this past week, those who attended got to see the Fairfield Lions take on the Tigers in boys basketball to start the week last Tuesday. The game wasn't the prettiest, but it was full of free throws. I liked how the Lions took advantage of their trips from the free-throw line in that game because it is rare to see teams get 33 attempts at the free-throw line.
Wednesday was a game between the Lady Indians and Lady Lions where it was Hillsboro gaining their second win, breaking a five-game losing streak. It was a good win for HHS, and the Lady Lions didn't have their full team.
Thursday and Friday was the aforementioned Wilkin Memorial Scholarship Tournament where LC won their event for the first time. Second place was WHS, followed by CNE and PV. CNE won the third-place game, and this event allowed me the opportunity to see these teams for the first time this season. Again, this was a great event.
• Non-high school sports thoughts
- Looks like I was wrong about the Cincinnati Bengals not making the playoffs … and I'm glad I was. Though they didn't beat the Baltimore Ravens, the Bengals made the playoffs nonetheless. They have a good matchup against the Houston Texans this coming Saturday, and I'm saying it right now, they will be meeting the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the AFC Playoffs.
- The Big Ten is nothing but a tease once the college bowl season begins. At least Michigan State won on Jan. 2. Purdue and Illinois also represented the Big Ten with a win … from what I watched, a lot of the teams checked out.
- Florida used all of the offensive-minded knowledge Charlie Weis left behind to gain the win over OSU on Jan. 2.
- The wide receiver group headed into the NFL will make the league even better.
- The Dallas Cowboys found another way to ruin a football season for me. I'm naming them my underachievers of the year, even more so than the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Other NFL Wild Card Round predictions: Saints over Lions, Steelers over Broncos and Falcons over Giants.
- It was strange watching all the "New Year's Day" bowl games on Jan. 2, but I still had an enjoyable day off. My two favorite games were the overtime games when Michigan State won over Georgia in the Outback Bowl in three overtimes, and the Stanford-Oklahoma State Fiesta Bowl where OK State won in overtime, 41-38. Great game to watch, unless you are in complete in love with defense. Again, great game.
- I still believe the bowls games would still mean something and be able to have a playoff … all I want is a four-team playoff. That is all I want. Think about what this playoff would have been Stanford, Oklahoma State, Alabama and LSU.
- With above paragraph I just proved I was a dreamer.
- Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State) is slowly becoming my favorite college football coach. Remember his press conference for a few years ago about being a man and being 40!?"
- I wonder if Justin Blackmon will sell his FIESTA BOWL Offensive MVP trophy? I've heard it has happened before, right?
- I finally entered the 21st Century and got a touch screen phone last week. Still getting used to it, but thanks for the great service from John Weber and Cellular Solutions in Hillsboro.
- I like the recent changes at my favorite chain restaurant to watch sports.
- Anyone else think the new show "Work It" will last more than a season? I don't give it 10 episodes and all I've seen is the preview.
• Stat of the Week
In the Wilkin tourney, Gage Waits, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the tourney, finished with 33 points in consecutive nights. He averaged 16.5 ppg with a 20-point effort against Paint Valley and 13 points against Whiteoak.
• Quote of the Week
"Having five wins this early in the season … I didn't expect it since we have players who entered the season with inexperience at the varsity level. This is a very nice start for us, and we'll use these last two days as momentum headed into this coming week." — Jason McLaughlin. Lynchburg-Clay boys basketball head coach following a win against Whiteoak on Friday.
• (A second) Quote of the Week
"I want us to hopefully keep playing hard, and we still need to do a better job of executing some smaller things. They are growing up and still have a lot of growing to do. I want us to keep getting better every day." — JR Moberly, Hillsboro girls basketball head coach following a win against Fairfield on Wednesday.
• (A third and final) Quote of the Week
"We fouled way too much tonight, especially at the end, but this was a good team. This ball game was exactly like I thought it was going to be. It was a nip-and-tuck affair, and both teams played hard tonight." — Matt Carson, Fairfield boys basketball head coach after a win against McClain on Tuesday.
• One last item of business
Anyone else ready for the next part of the winter sports season? If 2012 equals or exceeds what occurred in 2011 for Highland County sports, well we are in store for another fun ride.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.