Not off the Press: Fall season arrives, weekly online column returns
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
I always mark my end of summer with the start of the fall sports season, and well, that time is here as golf and girls tennis have already begun their regular seasons, and starting today, the soccer regular season begins.
So with the return of all those high school sports (football regular season starts Friday and volleyball on Saturday), that means it is time for the weekly, online-only "Not off the Press" column in which I take a deeper, more in-depth look at the weekly world that is Highland County high school sports, along with thoughts on college and professional sports.
[[In-content Ad]]What a summer – busy, but fun – it was for Highland County athletics. I had the opportunity to watch some basketball with the boys and girls shootouts at Hillsboro High School. I had the chance to spend most of my summer at Richard Shaffer Park covering the American Legion Post 129 baseball team. Also, while at Shaffer Park I got to watch the first day of the annual "Tournament of Champions," and let's hope the upcoming budget cuts at the park by the city for past and current spending won't dampen the overall spirit of the park next summer.
Not to mention I spent the past three weeks preparing for the upcoming football season by visiting 11 schools in the area, and I won't blink by saying the First and Ten Football Preview is my favorite project of the year.
But my summer is in the rear view mirror, and I'm looking forward to the 2012-13 high school sports season, starting with the fall season as I've already covered some golf at Buckeye Hills, along with part of a Hillsboro boys soccer scrimmage last week when they took on Clermont NE.
Before I get too into this column, with the season starting, that means I can't be at every event on a nightly basis. As always, I ask for those in the coaching ranks or those who are in charge of keeping a book to please send ALL results of games to any of the following options as I'll be more than happy to write on the events sent to me. The following ways to reach me to send stats and game results are:
- By my e-mail: sforsha@gmail.com.
- By The Highland County Press email: hcpress@cinci.rr.com.
- By office phone: (937) 840-9490.
- By office fax: (937) 840-9492.
- By Twitter: a direct message to @hcpsportseditor.
- By a message to the HCP Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/highlandcountypress.
- By my personal phone, which most coaches and all athletic directors have access to.
- Or finally, the old-fashioned way of just bringing the results to the office.
Any of the above ways I wrote are the best ways to get me results of events that I'm not in attendance. I will say nightly, my office phone may not be the best way. I prefer either cell phone or email as I never know where I'm going to be on a given night or if I'll be at the office on a nightly basis.
Either way, any way possible to get ahold of me with stats is good for me, as for selfish reasons it makes my life and job easier. Thanks in advance for any and all athletic event results this fall, winter or spring.
• The upcoming week of sports
Some of the games have piqued my interest for the first week of games. On Tuesday, the Hillsboro girls soccer team starts their path to a repeat title as they are set to host the Miami Trace Lady Panthers, opening their home slate and regular season with a South Central Ohio League game at Richards Memorial Field. Also that night, the boys soccer team will take the field for their game vs. MT as well, and I feel the SCOL soccer in the boys is as wide-open as it has been in many years. Just my opinion, though.
On Wednesday in Highland County, there will be a doubleheader at Fairfield High School with the Lions and Lady Lions hosting North Adams in games between two Southern Hills League rivals.
For Thursday, what stands out on the schedule is the McClain Tigers, the defending 3-peat SCOL champions playing their first home match, which is their first home match without former head coach Shawn Jackson, who passed away earlier this year. The Tigers are in very good hands with new head coach Jon Chamblin, who was the Tigers' assistant coach the past eight seasons.
Then on Friday, the 2012 football regular season kicks off with McClain at Adena and Hillsboro at Western Brown. I'll have more on the first week of football later this week.
Saturday has the annual volleyball tournament at HHS with HHS, MHS, LC and WHS all playing a four-team tournament in volleyball for Highland County bragging rights. FHS will sit out the tournament this season. Here is the schedule: Reserve: Lynchburg-Clay vs. McClain, 10 a.m. and Whiteoak vs. Hillsboro, 11:30 a.m. Consolation and championship matches will follow.
Varsity: Lynchburg-Clay vs. McClain, 10:30 a.m. and Whiteoak vs. Hillsboro, noon. Consolation and championship matches to begin 30 minutes after completion of last match.
Any way you look at it, this will be a very exciting week to start the fall year. I can't wait.
• Random thoughts on high school sports
- Though this means I can't be "lazy" anymore, I'm glad to be back at actual games this fall. Fall is my favorite season of the four.
- Yes, I'm really excited about football returning, and yes, football is my favorite of any sport in the world … I won't change my mind, so don't try.
- I'm really interested to see if Highland County can have the same success in soccer as last year. In 2011, Highland County had three league champions with MHS being the boys champion, the HHS girls winning the SCOL girls title with Clinton-Massie and the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs winning the SHL girls title.
- I think the cross-country teams in Highland County can make some noise this season as well. Fairfield has two runners returning to their teams who reached the state meet one year ago as sophomores in Blake Hildebrant and Michael Mangus.
- I can't act like I know much about volleyball and girls tennis because as of right now, I don't. As for golf, I've seen most of the Highland County teams already at the McClain Invitational. They were fun to watch, though for me, I'd rather be playing golf myself.
- I'm not very good at golf … at all.
• Stat of the Week
I'm going with the 33-yard pass from HHS sophomore quarterback Logan Lesley to Michael Sulton (a transfer from Wilmington) for a 33-yard gain in their Friday scrimmage vs. Paint Valley.
• (A second) Stat of the Week
Kyler White's 25-yard reception for a touchdown from Lesley with 1:14 left in the first
quarter in their scrimmage vs. Paint Valley.
• (A third) Stat of the Week
The Hillsboro Lady Indians were led on the golf course by Haylee Wehrung and Mallory Mullenix with low scores of 48 each vs. McClain at the Hillsboro Elks golf course.
• Quote of the Week
"It's the fourth year I've been here, and to me, that's when you want to start seeing those things. If you step in and everything's great, that's one thing, but when you come in and you try to rebuild some things, it takes a bit of time. I think we're right there on the doorstep." — Brian Spicer, HHS head football coach during a preseason preview interview.
• (A second) Quote of the Week
"The one key is stay healthy. When you've got one of your two returning starters go down on your offensive line, your quarterback who's been a two-year starter go down in the backfield, that really hampers what you're planning on doing offensively." — Randy Closson, McClain head football coach, talking about how his teams must stay healthy this season during a preseason interview.
• Final Thoughts
This is the start of my seventh year covering high school athletics in Highland County (my sixth as a sports editor). I hope to make this year even better than last year as I plan to add more to my overall content in my game articles, game previews and columns each and every time I go to a game. Best of luck to all the student-athletes this fall. Here's to another fun year. Thanks for allowing me to be a very, very small part of it.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.
So with the return of all those high school sports (football regular season starts Friday and volleyball on Saturday), that means it is time for the weekly, online-only "Not off the Press" column in which I take a deeper, more in-depth look at the weekly world that is Highland County high school sports, along with thoughts on college and professional sports.
[[In-content Ad]]What a summer – busy, but fun – it was for Highland County athletics. I had the opportunity to watch some basketball with the boys and girls shootouts at Hillsboro High School. I had the chance to spend most of my summer at Richard Shaffer Park covering the American Legion Post 129 baseball team. Also, while at Shaffer Park I got to watch the first day of the annual "Tournament of Champions," and let's hope the upcoming budget cuts at the park by the city for past and current spending won't dampen the overall spirit of the park next summer.
Not to mention I spent the past three weeks preparing for the upcoming football season by visiting 11 schools in the area, and I won't blink by saying the First and Ten Football Preview is my favorite project of the year.
But my summer is in the rear view mirror, and I'm looking forward to the 2012-13 high school sports season, starting with the fall season as I've already covered some golf at Buckeye Hills, along with part of a Hillsboro boys soccer scrimmage last week when they took on Clermont NE.
Before I get too into this column, with the season starting, that means I can't be at every event on a nightly basis. As always, I ask for those in the coaching ranks or those who are in charge of keeping a book to please send ALL results of games to any of the following options as I'll be more than happy to write on the events sent to me. The following ways to reach me to send stats and game results are:
- By my e-mail: sforsha@gmail.com.
- By The Highland County Press email: hcpress@cinci.rr.com.
- By office phone: (937) 840-9490.
- By office fax: (937) 840-9492.
- By Twitter: a direct message to @hcpsportseditor.
- By a message to the HCP Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/highlandcountypress.
- By my personal phone, which most coaches and all athletic directors have access to.
- Or finally, the old-fashioned way of just bringing the results to the office.
Any of the above ways I wrote are the best ways to get me results of events that I'm not in attendance. I will say nightly, my office phone may not be the best way. I prefer either cell phone or email as I never know where I'm going to be on a given night or if I'll be at the office on a nightly basis.
Either way, any way possible to get ahold of me with stats is good for me, as for selfish reasons it makes my life and job easier. Thanks in advance for any and all athletic event results this fall, winter or spring.
• The upcoming week of sports
Some of the games have piqued my interest for the first week of games. On Tuesday, the Hillsboro girls soccer team starts their path to a repeat title as they are set to host the Miami Trace Lady Panthers, opening their home slate and regular season with a South Central Ohio League game at Richards Memorial Field. Also that night, the boys soccer team will take the field for their game vs. MT as well, and I feel the SCOL soccer in the boys is as wide-open as it has been in many years. Just my opinion, though.
On Wednesday in Highland County, there will be a doubleheader at Fairfield High School with the Lions and Lady Lions hosting North Adams in games between two Southern Hills League rivals.
For Thursday, what stands out on the schedule is the McClain Tigers, the defending 3-peat SCOL champions playing their first home match, which is their first home match without former head coach Shawn Jackson, who passed away earlier this year. The Tigers are in very good hands with new head coach Jon Chamblin, who was the Tigers' assistant coach the past eight seasons.
Then on Friday, the 2012 football regular season kicks off with McClain at Adena and Hillsboro at Western Brown. I'll have more on the first week of football later this week.
Saturday has the annual volleyball tournament at HHS with HHS, MHS, LC and WHS all playing a four-team tournament in volleyball for Highland County bragging rights. FHS will sit out the tournament this season. Here is the schedule: Reserve: Lynchburg-Clay vs. McClain, 10 a.m. and Whiteoak vs. Hillsboro, 11:30 a.m. Consolation and championship matches will follow.
Varsity: Lynchburg-Clay vs. McClain, 10:30 a.m. and Whiteoak vs. Hillsboro, noon. Consolation and championship matches to begin 30 minutes after completion of last match.
Any way you look at it, this will be a very exciting week to start the fall year. I can't wait.
• Random thoughts on high school sports
- Though this means I can't be "lazy" anymore, I'm glad to be back at actual games this fall. Fall is my favorite season of the four.
- Yes, I'm really excited about football returning, and yes, football is my favorite of any sport in the world … I won't change my mind, so don't try.
- I'm really interested to see if Highland County can have the same success in soccer as last year. In 2011, Highland County had three league champions with MHS being the boys champion, the HHS girls winning the SCOL girls title with Clinton-Massie and the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs winning the SHL girls title.
- I think the cross-country teams in Highland County can make some noise this season as well. Fairfield has two runners returning to their teams who reached the state meet one year ago as sophomores in Blake Hildebrant and Michael Mangus.
- I can't act like I know much about volleyball and girls tennis because as of right now, I don't. As for golf, I've seen most of the Highland County teams already at the McClain Invitational. They were fun to watch, though for me, I'd rather be playing golf myself.
- I'm not very good at golf … at all.
• Stat of the Week
I'm going with the 33-yard pass from HHS sophomore quarterback Logan Lesley to Michael Sulton (a transfer from Wilmington) for a 33-yard gain in their Friday scrimmage vs. Paint Valley.
• (A second) Stat of the Week
Kyler White's 25-yard reception for a touchdown from Lesley with 1:14 left in the first
quarter in their scrimmage vs. Paint Valley.
• (A third) Stat of the Week
The Hillsboro Lady Indians were led on the golf course by Haylee Wehrung and Mallory Mullenix with low scores of 48 each vs. McClain at the Hillsboro Elks golf course.
• Quote of the Week
"It's the fourth year I've been here, and to me, that's when you want to start seeing those things. If you step in and everything's great, that's one thing, but when you come in and you try to rebuild some things, it takes a bit of time. I think we're right there on the doorstep." — Brian Spicer, HHS head football coach during a preseason preview interview.
• (A second) Quote of the Week
"The one key is stay healthy. When you've got one of your two returning starters go down on your offensive line, your quarterback who's been a two-year starter go down in the backfield, that really hampers what you're planning on doing offensively." — Randy Closson, McClain head football coach, talking about how his teams must stay healthy this season during a preseason interview.
• Final Thoughts
This is the start of my seventh year covering high school athletics in Highland County (my sixth as a sports editor). I hope to make this year even better than last year as I plan to add more to my overall content in my game articles, game previews and columns each and every time I go to a game. Best of luck to all the student-athletes this fall. Here's to another fun year. Thanks for allowing me to be a very, very small part of it.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.