Not off the Press: A big homecoming win, Volley for the Cure and more on high school sports
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
What a week we just had in the Highland County athletic community. The McClain Tigers gained a big homecoming win over London, Hillsboro raised money for their annual Volley for the Cure event and there was plenty of high school action that shook up the standings in league play, including a few golf teams reaching the district tournament.
Where to start?
I'm in the mood to write about football … more like the McClain defensive performance the past couple weeks.
This defense is head and shoulders above their defense from last season, plus if you didn't realize at the game, it was their first shutout since the '04 season in Week 3. That's a span of 72 games, or to kind of date it, I was a sophomore in college, or the Red Sox still hadn't won their first World Series since 1918 (they were on their way, though).
The McClain defense should be very pleased, and the fans should be proud of the Tigers' defense for the past two weeks and for five of the games this season. They are playing extremely well, and just from my view, it looks like they are improving each week … will be very interesting to see them this week and beyond.
I'll write more about them later this week.
• Reviewing the past week
I started last week in Leesburg with a Fairfield Lady Lion soccer win vs. Peebles by a 5-0 score. It was a fun match to watch for the fact Kaitlin Evans had a hat-trick, Heather Huff got the scoring started in the first half and the final goal was the first of the career of Briana Evans, and what made that great was the reaction following the goal …. it is what makes high school sports so great to cover. You can tell these games and accomplishments mean something to the players.
I had the chance to watch the rivalry games this week with Hillsboro hosting McClain in soccer and Lynchburg-Clay hosting Fairfield in soccer. The best of these four matches was LC over FHS 2-1 in a very entertaining and physical match. Those are the type of matches that are worth watching as the score was tied at 1-1, and one goal in the second half proved to be the difference. That's exciting. Add to that the teams are rivals and the players take the rivalry seriously all year (not just in soccer) makes for an exciting 80 minutes of sport.
Though the match wasn't exciting on Thursday in the HHS vs. Clinton-Massie volleyball match, the night was more important than a win or loss as the main win was the Volley for the Cure event itself as the event raised $1,300 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure. Very classy event, and all of those involved should be proud of their efforts.
Also, congrats to all the golfers who played well in sectionals to move to the district tournament as Hillsboro's Austin Bagshaw was medalist of the sectional tournament he played in with a 72 on an 18-hole course.
• A look at the upcoming week
The week starts off with a rivalry volleyball match in Greenfield with McClain hosting Hillsboro. Earlier this season, HHS won in three sets (at Hillsboro) by scores of 25-21, 25-22, 25-19. Could be another close match tonight.
Tuesday is a day of running for long distance as the Highland County Cross-Country Invitational takes place at Fairfield High School. Thus far, Michael Mangus is dominating this season, so I'm interested in seeing him run again this year.
Also on Tuesday, McClain will host Fairfield in volleyball as FHS is battling for their league title in the Southern Hills League but taking time out to play in this Highland County matchup. The McClain soccer team is also at Washington that day in a match where the Tigers could help shake up the league standings. Currently, Clinton-Massie is in the driver's seat in both the boys and girls soccer standings as if each win out for the remainder of the league season, they are the champs. HHS soccer hosts London that same evening as both HHS soccer teams are second in the SCOL.
There is more SCOL volleyball action on Wednesday with London hosting MHS and Hillsboro hosting Miami Trace.
One of the better volleyball matches this week will be played on Thursday with Whiteoak vs. Fayetteville and Fairfield vs. Peebles … both matches are very important in the SHL volleyball standings as they are all really close.
On Friday, besides football there is a good, and important, soccer match with Fairfield hosting Lynchburg-Clay. If it is as good as the match last week … then those in attendance should have a good time.
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• Week 4 NFL thoughts
- Ravens 23, Browns 16: Ravens didn't play their beest, and the Browns made things interesting. Maybe the Browns won't be as bad as I thought.
- Texans 38, Titans 14: Didn't think the Texans would be this good … they are completely dominating on defense, and their offense is above average. A very dangerous combo as the season continues.
- 49ers 34, Jets 0: I heard on TV the Jets have lost their identity … I agree. Plus, the 49ers' defense is the best in the NFL, in my opinion.
- Rams 19, Seahawks 13: Sure didn't see this happening. How can the Seahawks beat the Patriots and Cowboys, but lose to the Rams? Gotta love the NFL.
- Chargers 37, Chiefs 20: Figured the Chargers would get this win … still, I think the AFC West is a toss-up.
- Vikings 20, Lions 13: Still another one of those results that leave you shaking your head … or at least me. The Lions are 1-3 … didn't think I'd see that this year. Not even close. Also, how about Christian Ponder of the Vikings looking improved? For the Lions, when Calvin Johnson has 54 yards and 0 TDs, something is wrong.
- Patriots 52, Bills 28: The Patriots are who I thought they were … same with the Bills.
- Falcons 30, Panthers 28: This was a really fun game to see, especially the fourth quarter. The Falcons are a fun team to watch in the passing game, and the Panthers (besides that final drive) played well.
- Bengals 27, Jaguars 10: Not much to say, but I think A.J. Green is a Top 5 NFL wide receiver, and the Jaguars aren't very good.
- Cardinals 24, Dolphins 21 (OT): Wish I could have watched this game, but the Cardinals are 4-0 … that's four more wins than I thought they would have at the start of the season. I was WRONG on the Cardinals.
- Broncos 37, Raiders 6: Peyton Manning is really good, and the Raiders are the Raiders. What can ya say about a 37-6 game, except the Broncos or Chargers will win the AFC West.
- Redskins 24, Buccaneers 22: RGIII moved his team downfield when he needed to the most, and a field goal won the game. The NFC East is gonna be tough this season with the Redskins, Cowboys, Giants and Eagles all having at least two wins after four weeks.
- Packers 28, Saints 27: What a fun game this was. Very surprised the Saints are 0-4 … with or without Sean Peyton as their coach this year, they should be better than this. The Packers rebounded nicely after what happened Monday night.
- Eagles 19, Giants 17: As a fan of the NFC East, I loved this game … very fun football game to watch. Loved it. It is the type of football game as a fan of the NFC East I've come to expect. Actually, any time two teams from this division play each other this season, I see them all being just as competitive. And for the win to come down to a couple inches on a missed field goal … great way to end the weekend.
- Monday Night Football Prediction: Cowboys 27, Bears 17
• Some non-high school sports thoughts
- The season premiere of "Family Guy" Sunday could have been better, but season premieres of "NCIS" and "How I Met Your Mother" were good. Those are the only three I've seen.
- Thanks to Netflix, I'll finally be able to start watching season 2 of "The Walking Dead." Finally!
- Take a look at the season Airic Steagall is having at Bluffton: http://bit.ly/Suhodc
- As a fan of Green Day … has anyone else listened to their new album, "UNO?" I like it … what about you? It's not "American Idiot," but that will be tough to top.
- Happy 5-year anniversary to "The Dan Patrick Show" on radio (and on TV). Best sports talk show around.
- Did anyone see West Virginia and Baylor's football game Saturday? If you love defense and watched it … I'm sorry, and I hope you recovered. The way Geno Smith (the WVU QB) played was simply amazing. I love defense, but goodness, that game was fun to watch. What was weird was flipping back-and-fourth between that game and the slower game of Penn State and Illinois.
- Ohio State fans … I have a question … though undefeated, what are your thoughts on the team this season? Just curious.
• Stat of the Week
This has to be the MHS defensive performance Friday. Not only being the first shutout since '04, but they held LHS to 27 yards of total offense with negative 16 yards in the rushing game.
• Quote of the Week
"I tell the girls to take advantage of opportunities, and (last Monday) they did that. I tell them when they see an opportunity on the field, go for it." — Sam Spargur, Fairfield girls soccer coach, following the match vs. Peebles.
• (A second) Quote of the Week
"In 17 years as a football coach, I've never been more proud with a team. This was a great hard-hitting football game to be a part of. I'm proud this team was part of a game like this." — Pete Hollon, Paint Valley head football coach talking about last Friday's game vs. Westfall.
• (A third) Quote of the Week
"I'm proud of the kids. With all the homecoming activities, this week has been exciting. It was great to play in front of such a great crowd (Friday)." — Randy Closson, McClain head football coach, following Friday's win over London.
• One last item of business
I'm still excited about the SCOL in football. Though it looks like Clinton-Massie is well on their way to a seventh title, the real battle could be for second in the league. WCH and MT are 3-0 in the league, MHS is 2-1 and MP is 1-2 … the final four weeks of the season will be exciting to keep track of to see who can gain that second-place spot. I'm not saying CM can't be beat in the SCOL, but it hasn't happened in 28 consecutive weeks, and this is the best CM team I've seen. For anyone to beat CM this season in the SCOL, a LOT would have to go the way of their opponent. Still, the standings from second place on is the race to watch.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.
Where to start?
I'm in the mood to write about football … more like the McClain defensive performance the past couple weeks.
This defense is head and shoulders above their defense from last season, plus if you didn't realize at the game, it was their first shutout since the '04 season in Week 3. That's a span of 72 games, or to kind of date it, I was a sophomore in college, or the Red Sox still hadn't won their first World Series since 1918 (they were on their way, though).
The McClain defense should be very pleased, and the fans should be proud of the Tigers' defense for the past two weeks and for five of the games this season. They are playing extremely well, and just from my view, it looks like they are improving each week … will be very interesting to see them this week and beyond.
I'll write more about them later this week.
• Reviewing the past week
I started last week in Leesburg with a Fairfield Lady Lion soccer win vs. Peebles by a 5-0 score. It was a fun match to watch for the fact Kaitlin Evans had a hat-trick, Heather Huff got the scoring started in the first half and the final goal was the first of the career of Briana Evans, and what made that great was the reaction following the goal …. it is what makes high school sports so great to cover. You can tell these games and accomplishments mean something to the players.
I had the chance to watch the rivalry games this week with Hillsboro hosting McClain in soccer and Lynchburg-Clay hosting Fairfield in soccer. The best of these four matches was LC over FHS 2-1 in a very entertaining and physical match. Those are the type of matches that are worth watching as the score was tied at 1-1, and one goal in the second half proved to be the difference. That's exciting. Add to that the teams are rivals and the players take the rivalry seriously all year (not just in soccer) makes for an exciting 80 minutes of sport.
Though the match wasn't exciting on Thursday in the HHS vs. Clinton-Massie volleyball match, the night was more important than a win or loss as the main win was the Volley for the Cure event itself as the event raised $1,300 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure. Very classy event, and all of those involved should be proud of their efforts.
Also, congrats to all the golfers who played well in sectionals to move to the district tournament as Hillsboro's Austin Bagshaw was medalist of the sectional tournament he played in with a 72 on an 18-hole course.
• A look at the upcoming week
The week starts off with a rivalry volleyball match in Greenfield with McClain hosting Hillsboro. Earlier this season, HHS won in three sets (at Hillsboro) by scores of 25-21, 25-22, 25-19. Could be another close match tonight.
Tuesday is a day of running for long distance as the Highland County Cross-Country Invitational takes place at Fairfield High School. Thus far, Michael Mangus is dominating this season, so I'm interested in seeing him run again this year.
Also on Tuesday, McClain will host Fairfield in volleyball as FHS is battling for their league title in the Southern Hills League but taking time out to play in this Highland County matchup. The McClain soccer team is also at Washington that day in a match where the Tigers could help shake up the league standings. Currently, Clinton-Massie is in the driver's seat in both the boys and girls soccer standings as if each win out for the remainder of the league season, they are the champs. HHS soccer hosts London that same evening as both HHS soccer teams are second in the SCOL.
There is more SCOL volleyball action on Wednesday with London hosting MHS and Hillsboro hosting Miami Trace.
One of the better volleyball matches this week will be played on Thursday with Whiteoak vs. Fayetteville and Fairfield vs. Peebles … both matches are very important in the SHL volleyball standings as they are all really close.
On Friday, besides football there is a good, and important, soccer match with Fairfield hosting Lynchburg-Clay. If it is as good as the match last week … then those in attendance should have a good time.
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• Week 4 NFL thoughts
- Ravens 23, Browns 16: Ravens didn't play their beest, and the Browns made things interesting. Maybe the Browns won't be as bad as I thought.
- Texans 38, Titans 14: Didn't think the Texans would be this good … they are completely dominating on defense, and their offense is above average. A very dangerous combo as the season continues.
- 49ers 34, Jets 0: I heard on TV the Jets have lost their identity … I agree. Plus, the 49ers' defense is the best in the NFL, in my opinion.
- Rams 19, Seahawks 13: Sure didn't see this happening. How can the Seahawks beat the Patriots and Cowboys, but lose to the Rams? Gotta love the NFL.
- Chargers 37, Chiefs 20: Figured the Chargers would get this win … still, I think the AFC West is a toss-up.
- Vikings 20, Lions 13: Still another one of those results that leave you shaking your head … or at least me. The Lions are 1-3 … didn't think I'd see that this year. Not even close. Also, how about Christian Ponder of the Vikings looking improved? For the Lions, when Calvin Johnson has 54 yards and 0 TDs, something is wrong.
- Patriots 52, Bills 28: The Patriots are who I thought they were … same with the Bills.
- Falcons 30, Panthers 28: This was a really fun game to see, especially the fourth quarter. The Falcons are a fun team to watch in the passing game, and the Panthers (besides that final drive) played well.
- Bengals 27, Jaguars 10: Not much to say, but I think A.J. Green is a Top 5 NFL wide receiver, and the Jaguars aren't very good.
- Cardinals 24, Dolphins 21 (OT): Wish I could have watched this game, but the Cardinals are 4-0 … that's four more wins than I thought they would have at the start of the season. I was WRONG on the Cardinals.
- Broncos 37, Raiders 6: Peyton Manning is really good, and the Raiders are the Raiders. What can ya say about a 37-6 game, except the Broncos or Chargers will win the AFC West.
- Redskins 24, Buccaneers 22: RGIII moved his team downfield when he needed to the most, and a field goal won the game. The NFC East is gonna be tough this season with the Redskins, Cowboys, Giants and Eagles all having at least two wins after four weeks.
- Packers 28, Saints 27: What a fun game this was. Very surprised the Saints are 0-4 … with or without Sean Peyton as their coach this year, they should be better than this. The Packers rebounded nicely after what happened Monday night.
- Eagles 19, Giants 17: As a fan of the NFC East, I loved this game … very fun football game to watch. Loved it. It is the type of football game as a fan of the NFC East I've come to expect. Actually, any time two teams from this division play each other this season, I see them all being just as competitive. And for the win to come down to a couple inches on a missed field goal … great way to end the weekend.
- Monday Night Football Prediction: Cowboys 27, Bears 17
• Some non-high school sports thoughts
- The season premiere of "Family Guy" Sunday could have been better, but season premieres of "NCIS" and "How I Met Your Mother" were good. Those are the only three I've seen.
- Thanks to Netflix, I'll finally be able to start watching season 2 of "The Walking Dead." Finally!
- Take a look at the season Airic Steagall is having at Bluffton: http://bit.ly/Suhodc
- As a fan of Green Day … has anyone else listened to their new album, "UNO?" I like it … what about you? It's not "American Idiot," but that will be tough to top.
- Happy 5-year anniversary to "The Dan Patrick Show" on radio (and on TV). Best sports talk show around.
- Did anyone see West Virginia and Baylor's football game Saturday? If you love defense and watched it … I'm sorry, and I hope you recovered. The way Geno Smith (the WVU QB) played was simply amazing. I love defense, but goodness, that game was fun to watch. What was weird was flipping back-and-fourth between that game and the slower game of Penn State and Illinois.
- Ohio State fans … I have a question … though undefeated, what are your thoughts on the team this season? Just curious.
• Stat of the Week
This has to be the MHS defensive performance Friday. Not only being the first shutout since '04, but they held LHS to 27 yards of total offense with negative 16 yards in the rushing game.
• Quote of the Week
"I tell the girls to take advantage of opportunities, and (last Monday) they did that. I tell them when they see an opportunity on the field, go for it." — Sam Spargur, Fairfield girls soccer coach, following the match vs. Peebles.
• (A second) Quote of the Week
"In 17 years as a football coach, I've never been more proud with a team. This was a great hard-hitting football game to be a part of. I'm proud this team was part of a game like this." — Pete Hollon, Paint Valley head football coach talking about last Friday's game vs. Westfall.
• (A third) Quote of the Week
"I'm proud of the kids. With all the homecoming activities, this week has been exciting. It was great to play in front of such a great crowd (Friday)." — Randy Closson, McClain head football coach, following Friday's win over London.
• One last item of business
I'm still excited about the SCOL in football. Though it looks like Clinton-Massie is well on their way to a seventh title, the real battle could be for second in the league. WCH and MT are 3-0 in the league, MHS is 2-1 and MP is 1-2 … the final four weeks of the season will be exciting to keep track of to see who can gain that second-place spot. I'm not saying CM can't be beat in the SCOL, but it hasn't happened in 28 consecutive weeks, and this is the best CM team I've seen. For anyone to beat CM this season in the SCOL, a LOT would have to go the way of their opponent. Still, the standings from second place on is the race to watch.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.