Not off the Press: Getting back to a normal schedule
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
I forgot what it was really like to be busy, but this past week of high school athletics whipped me back into shape … schedule-wise, that is. I had the opportunity to watch six soccer matches, a football game and some volleyball action on Saturday to shake off the rust during the first week of the fall sports season.
All I'm saying is in games that involved just one Highland County team, I didn't see any of them lose with the Hillsboro boys and girls soccer teams defeating Miami Trace, the Fairfield boys and girls soccer teams defeating North Adams, the McClain boys and girls soccer teams defeating Madison-Plains and the McClain Tigers football team winning in double overtime at Adena. (I'll write more about this game later in the week in my football notebook.)
Maybe I'm a good luck charm … not really, but I'm gonna think that anyway, so just go with me, OK?
Also, congrats to the Lynchburg-Clay golf team and their strong 7-1 start to the season.
But this first full week of fall sports was one of getting used to not only the familiar faces, but learning new players and seeing them perform in their selected field of play.
I guess the best way to describe the first week of fall sports is wacky, and don't forget to send results with stats from any game this fall to sforsha@gmail.com or the other seven ways I wrote about last week in this column. I also printed those ways on the front sports page in the print edition of The Highland County Press.
I don't care if the results are a win or loss because my guess is someone in those games did something worth writing a sentence or two about. I've done all I can do to get folks with the stats and results to send them to me. For those who have sent in or called in results, I want to give you a big thank-you for your time and effort in promoting your teams and your schools.
• Soccer teams off to a nice start
From the matches I watched this week, and from those whose results were sent in, Highland County high school soccer is off to a nice start in '12. Like I said before, I watched six soccer games this week, and though some of the teams have little depth on the bench (I'm serious, one team had no bench players, and another one had just one player to sub in various times throughout the match), these teams played tough, and it showed they are well-conditioned because running that much against teams who are able to sub in players has to be tough.
Even those folks who don't like soccer have to respect the condition these student-athletes are in and how they work and work throughout the game, knowing there won't be many breaks on their side.
Following their win against Madison-Plains, McClain girls soccer head coach Luis J. Rivas said it was the first time this season (including scrimmages) that he had 11 players on the field at the same time.
In Dodsonville, watch out for the defense of the Lady Mustangs again because after two matches, they've allowed no goals and look to be pretty darn good offensively as well. I should get a chance to see this team later in the week.
As for the Hillsboro and McClain boys soccer teams, I liked how they've dealt with a variety of different levels of change this season. (On a side note, I want to wish McClain sophomore Zach Harper a full and speedy recovery from his leg injury he suffered against Miami Trace on Tuesday. Best of luck in your recovery process.)
HHS is 1-1-1 overall this season and 1-0-1 in the South Central Ohio League, and McClain is 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the SCOL. Though both teams are playing younger players than usual, they still have a chance to make a dent in the league this year.
The Fairfield teams played well when I saw them as well. I'm just not saying that because I cover them, but they both won, and in my book, that is playing well. The Fairfield boys team really impressed me, and though I'm far from a soccer expert, I liked how they continued to pressure their opponent and control the tempo of the game for a majority of the 80 minutes on the field.
I'll talk more about the Hillsboro Lady Indian soccer team in previewing the upcoming week, but let's just say they are still good.
• Volleyball Saturday
I think my article on the 8th Annual Highland County Spike and Dig volleyball tournament will do more justice than me actually speaking about the sport of volleyball.
I don't know a whole lot, or pretend to know the finer details of the sport, but I watched two matches on Saturday and saw an improved Whiteoak team take home the tournament championship plaque for their trophy case for the next year. It was the first time a school other than Hillsboro or McClain won it, and WHS defeated both of those schools to win. It was a passing of the torch, so to speak, at least for this year. Congrats to the Lady 'Cats on their victory.
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• Non-high school sports thoughts
- Had a chance to watch Peyton Manning and the Broncos (that was weird to write) on TV Sunday against the 49ers … to my untrained eye, Manning looked like he can still play very high-quality football.
- College football starts Thursday … can't wait.
- The Little League World Series title goes to Japan this year, and I can honestly say I didn't even watch an inning of it this year. (Sorry, too much NFL preseason this time around.)
- UFC has too many Pay Per Views, and their latest one is canceled … oh well.
- Speaking of college football … I bet former Notre Dame coach and current Kansas head coach Charlie Weis has prepared his Jayhawk team for battle this Saturday (Sept. 1) against South Dakota State. (This one is for my publisher.)
- My fantasy football draft is this coming Sunday … I need to keep focus … focus, I say!
- Yes, I'm addicted to fantasy football, but not as much as my friends (darn close, though.)
- September in MLB will be interesting, and after the Dodgers and Red Sox trade this weekend, is it OK to call the Dodgers the L.A. Red Sox since they added four members of the Red Sox to their team?
• Previewing the upcoming week
This week will be super busy compared to the next week as the Highland County Fair takes place that week, and high school sports for the most part shuts down for that week.
Anyway, what first stands out is a big SCOL match on Tuesday, both in boys and girls soccer when Clinton-Massie visits Hillsboro. Usually the girls match is one of, OK, is the best match of soccer I see on a yearly basis as both programs are the two best girls soccer programs in the league by far. I'm not just saying that, the championships prove that, and I'm guessing this year the match won't be any different as this is one of the best rivalries in the area. Last year, the two teams split the girls' SCOL title and split their season series with two tied scores.
On Wednesday, a match on the soccer field that stands out is McClain hosting Lynchburg-Clay in boys soccer as both programs are usually among the better ones in Highland County and the surrounding area each year.
Again on Thursday, it will be a rivalry day on the soccer field with McClain hosting Hillsboro, then of course Friday is Week 2 of high school football, and I'll have more details in my SCOL notebook that day.
• Stat of the Week
Fairfield junior Michael Mangus was first in his cross-country meet in Pickaway County Saturday with a time of 16:50. You can't even get a meal at a restaurant that quickly, and he ran a cross-country race in that time. Heck, once at a fast food chain restaurant a couple weeks ago, it took that long to get a pre-made iced coffee. I'm not kidding, either.
• A (second) Stat of the Week
This isn't the best of stats, but in football, the SCOL went 3-5 overall as a league to open the '12 season. It's basically the same as last season when the SCOL went 3-4 as a seven-team league.
• A (third) Stat of the Week
Already mentioned this earlier, but the LC girls soccer team, after two games this past week, outscored their opponents 9-0. Can you say shutout?
• A (fourth) Stat of the Week
The Hillsboro boys soccer team scored two late goals in under 10 minutes to force a 2-2 tie at Washington. It was the first time they haven't lost at Gardner Park in the last four years.
• Quote of the Week
"For us to face the adversity and for us to overcome our mistakes … for our kids to never quit, to go into double overtime and get a win on the road to open the season, it was huge. I'm proud of the kids, the coaches and the fans that we had here cheering for us. It was a great event for us." – Randy Closson, McClain head football coach, following the Tigers' 24-18 double overtime win at Adena Friday night.
• A (second) Quote of the Week
"It was good to get a win early on this year, and I am proud of how the girls played with effort and passion. We just have to continue to get stronger each time we play." — Luis J. Rivas, McClain girls soccer coach following their 2-1 win over Madison-Plains. MHS played with just 11 players total.
• A (third) Quote of the Week
"This group of seniors showed here how hard work can eventually pay off. Winning just once when they were in the eighth grade to how they've progressed now … they've made themselves players. They listen, practice hard and I just have a great group of kids here. Our seniors have shown great leadership." — Don Rahe, Whiteoak volleyball head coach, following the Lady 'Cats' Spike and Dig win Saturday afternoon at HHS.
• One last item of business
I can't lie, this past week wore me out. I'm just now used to the grind of the fall sports season, and this coming week won't be any easier. Best of luck to the Highland County teams this week. I'm going to go stock up on more coffee.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.
All I'm saying is in games that involved just one Highland County team, I didn't see any of them lose with the Hillsboro boys and girls soccer teams defeating Miami Trace, the Fairfield boys and girls soccer teams defeating North Adams, the McClain boys and girls soccer teams defeating Madison-Plains and the McClain Tigers football team winning in double overtime at Adena. (I'll write more about this game later in the week in my football notebook.)
Maybe I'm a good luck charm … not really, but I'm gonna think that anyway, so just go with me, OK?
Also, congrats to the Lynchburg-Clay golf team and their strong 7-1 start to the season.
But this first full week of fall sports was one of getting used to not only the familiar faces, but learning new players and seeing them perform in their selected field of play.
I guess the best way to describe the first week of fall sports is wacky, and don't forget to send results with stats from any game this fall to sforsha@gmail.com or the other seven ways I wrote about last week in this column. I also printed those ways on the front sports page in the print edition of The Highland County Press.
I don't care if the results are a win or loss because my guess is someone in those games did something worth writing a sentence or two about. I've done all I can do to get folks with the stats and results to send them to me. For those who have sent in or called in results, I want to give you a big thank-you for your time and effort in promoting your teams and your schools.
• Soccer teams off to a nice start
From the matches I watched this week, and from those whose results were sent in, Highland County high school soccer is off to a nice start in '12. Like I said before, I watched six soccer games this week, and though some of the teams have little depth on the bench (I'm serious, one team had no bench players, and another one had just one player to sub in various times throughout the match), these teams played tough, and it showed they are well-conditioned because running that much against teams who are able to sub in players has to be tough.
Even those folks who don't like soccer have to respect the condition these student-athletes are in and how they work and work throughout the game, knowing there won't be many breaks on their side.
Following their win against Madison-Plains, McClain girls soccer head coach Luis J. Rivas said it was the first time this season (including scrimmages) that he had 11 players on the field at the same time.
In Dodsonville, watch out for the defense of the Lady Mustangs again because after two matches, they've allowed no goals and look to be pretty darn good offensively as well. I should get a chance to see this team later in the week.
As for the Hillsboro and McClain boys soccer teams, I liked how they've dealt with a variety of different levels of change this season. (On a side note, I want to wish McClain sophomore Zach Harper a full and speedy recovery from his leg injury he suffered against Miami Trace on Tuesday. Best of luck in your recovery process.)
HHS is 1-1-1 overall this season and 1-0-1 in the South Central Ohio League, and McClain is 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the SCOL. Though both teams are playing younger players than usual, they still have a chance to make a dent in the league this year.
The Fairfield teams played well when I saw them as well. I'm just not saying that because I cover them, but they both won, and in my book, that is playing well. The Fairfield boys team really impressed me, and though I'm far from a soccer expert, I liked how they continued to pressure their opponent and control the tempo of the game for a majority of the 80 minutes on the field.
I'll talk more about the Hillsboro Lady Indian soccer team in previewing the upcoming week, but let's just say they are still good.
• Volleyball Saturday
I think my article on the 8th Annual Highland County Spike and Dig volleyball tournament will do more justice than me actually speaking about the sport of volleyball.
I don't know a whole lot, or pretend to know the finer details of the sport, but I watched two matches on Saturday and saw an improved Whiteoak team take home the tournament championship plaque for their trophy case for the next year. It was the first time a school other than Hillsboro or McClain won it, and WHS defeated both of those schools to win. It was a passing of the torch, so to speak, at least for this year. Congrats to the Lady 'Cats on their victory.
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• Non-high school sports thoughts
- Had a chance to watch Peyton Manning and the Broncos (that was weird to write) on TV Sunday against the 49ers … to my untrained eye, Manning looked like he can still play very high-quality football.
- College football starts Thursday … can't wait.
- The Little League World Series title goes to Japan this year, and I can honestly say I didn't even watch an inning of it this year. (Sorry, too much NFL preseason this time around.)
- UFC has too many Pay Per Views, and their latest one is canceled … oh well.
- Speaking of college football … I bet former Notre Dame coach and current Kansas head coach Charlie Weis has prepared his Jayhawk team for battle this Saturday (Sept. 1) against South Dakota State. (This one is for my publisher.)
- My fantasy football draft is this coming Sunday … I need to keep focus … focus, I say!
- Yes, I'm addicted to fantasy football, but not as much as my friends (darn close, though.)
- September in MLB will be interesting, and after the Dodgers and Red Sox trade this weekend, is it OK to call the Dodgers the L.A. Red Sox since they added four members of the Red Sox to their team?
• Previewing the upcoming week
This week will be super busy compared to the next week as the Highland County Fair takes place that week, and high school sports for the most part shuts down for that week.
Anyway, what first stands out is a big SCOL match on Tuesday, both in boys and girls soccer when Clinton-Massie visits Hillsboro. Usually the girls match is one of, OK, is the best match of soccer I see on a yearly basis as both programs are the two best girls soccer programs in the league by far. I'm not just saying that, the championships prove that, and I'm guessing this year the match won't be any different as this is one of the best rivalries in the area. Last year, the two teams split the girls' SCOL title and split their season series with two tied scores.
On Wednesday, a match on the soccer field that stands out is McClain hosting Lynchburg-Clay in boys soccer as both programs are usually among the better ones in Highland County and the surrounding area each year.
Again on Thursday, it will be a rivalry day on the soccer field with McClain hosting Hillsboro, then of course Friday is Week 2 of high school football, and I'll have more details in my SCOL notebook that day.
• Stat of the Week
Fairfield junior Michael Mangus was first in his cross-country meet in Pickaway County Saturday with a time of 16:50. You can't even get a meal at a restaurant that quickly, and he ran a cross-country race in that time. Heck, once at a fast food chain restaurant a couple weeks ago, it took that long to get a pre-made iced coffee. I'm not kidding, either.
• A (second) Stat of the Week
This isn't the best of stats, but in football, the SCOL went 3-5 overall as a league to open the '12 season. It's basically the same as last season when the SCOL went 3-4 as a seven-team league.
• A (third) Stat of the Week
Already mentioned this earlier, but the LC girls soccer team, after two games this past week, outscored their opponents 9-0. Can you say shutout?
• A (fourth) Stat of the Week
The Hillsboro boys soccer team scored two late goals in under 10 minutes to force a 2-2 tie at Washington. It was the first time they haven't lost at Gardner Park in the last four years.
• Quote of the Week
"For us to face the adversity and for us to overcome our mistakes … for our kids to never quit, to go into double overtime and get a win on the road to open the season, it was huge. I'm proud of the kids, the coaches and the fans that we had here cheering for us. It was a great event for us." – Randy Closson, McClain head football coach, following the Tigers' 24-18 double overtime win at Adena Friday night.
• A (second) Quote of the Week
"It was good to get a win early on this year, and I am proud of how the girls played with effort and passion. We just have to continue to get stronger each time we play." — Luis J. Rivas, McClain girls soccer coach following their 2-1 win over Madison-Plains. MHS played with just 11 players total.
• A (third) Quote of the Week
"This group of seniors showed here how hard work can eventually pay off. Winning just once when they were in the eighth grade to how they've progressed now … they've made themselves players. They listen, practice hard and I just have a great group of kids here. Our seniors have shown great leadership." — Don Rahe, Whiteoak volleyball head coach, following the Lady 'Cats' Spike and Dig win Saturday afternoon at HHS.
• One last item of business
I can't lie, this past week wore me out. I'm just now used to the grind of the fall sports season, and this coming week won't be any easier. Best of luck to the Highland County teams this week. I'm going to go stock up on more coffee.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.