Not off the Press: A weekend of many emotions
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
If there has ever been a weekend of as many different emotions wrapped up into two days for Highland County sports, I can't recall one in my time as a sports editor in this county.
I'm starting with Friday night where the McClain Tiger football team regained possession of the Rotary Bowl trophy with a dominating 54-6 win at Richards Memorial Field in Hillsboro.
On one hand, you had a jubilant team of Tigers celebrating after they were presented the trophy by Jim "Chief" Winner in the pouring rain. Not only were the Tigers celebrating the win over their cross-county rival, but they were celebrating their best regular season in recent memory with a 7-3 overall mark, and at the time had a chance to make the postseason.
Well, the joy of two of the three occurrences stayed true, but the postseason hopes collapsed later in the evening as the final scores rolled in, and it was projected (then official) the Tigers fell one spot short of being the first MHS team to reach postseason play.
As for the other side of the Rotary Bowl … while photographing the victors, I stopped and took a look at the other side of the equation … seeing the Hillsboro season end with the rain gaining strength, in a team huddle … as they ended their football year without a win.
At that moment, I felt for that team because it's not like the players didn't work their butts off this season … they did. They went through the heat of the two-a-days in August, they battled for 10 games, they just didn't gain the higher score at the end of a given game.
It's not like the coaches didn't work hard this season ... they did. A lot of breaks didn't go the way of the Indians … being outnumbered player-wise, playing physically larger opponents, injuries and rebuilding a football program all added up to this season.
Building a football program takes time, and you never know what can happen next season. Want an example … look at McClain — 2011: 1-9; 2012: 7-3. It takes patience, excitement, players, hard work in the weight room for a period of years and an involved community sticking behind a team no matter if they are 0-10 or 10-0 to build a positive, quality football program.
With the excitement and variety of emotions from Friday night came Saturday morning in Jackson, where I saw the best soccer match finish I think I've witnessed in person, and I've covered shootouts in the sectional round in nearly pitch-black darkness.
Let me try to set the scene … it was the district final, a round the Lady Indians have had problems getting past in previous visits. HHS trailed 1-0 at the half, and later in the second half trailed 2-0. But a goal by Cheyney Myers and a heck of a corner kick by Kaylynn Bell tied the score, forcing overtime.
Then in the OT period, a rebound tap inches away from the net by Kaylee Achor brought out a massive number of cheers from the fans, hugs and tears from the players and turned a dreary day into one of joy for a team that advances to the Sweet 16 of the regional soccer bracket.
After close to an hour drive to Athens, I covered the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs in their district final loss by a 5-2 score. So, again, there was a bit of a somber feeling, but I have the feeling the Lady Mustangs knew they accomplished a lot this season.
Not to mention I received an email informing me Fairfield had two runners advance to the Division III State Cross-Country Championships on Saturday … so there again, more joy through email.
That's the great thing about not only high school sports, but all levels of athletics: the change of emotions from any given moment.
• The SCOL football season that was …
It's really hard to believe football season is over in Highland County. I love covering football during the fall. For one, fall is my favorite season of the four, followed by summer, spring and I'm not a fan of winter and the ice and snow it brings.
But really, I had a blast covering the football season this year. I saw more of McClain this season than Hillsboro, but I did see the final two HHS games, along with a game at Miami Trace. First, thanks to my publisher Rory Ryan and his son Colin for all their help this season with their coverage of the Indians.
As for on the field action, I think my favorite game of the season would either be the Week 1 double overtime game at Adena when McClain rallied for the win … or the McClain win at Washington.
I think the toughest player to tackle alone award goes to MHS running back Roscoe East, and the learning on the fly award goes to HHS sophomore QB Logan Lesley as he gained very valuable experience he can hopefully use in the next two seasons.
As for East, I remember talking with him during a break in a summer two-a-day practice while I was working on preseason notebooks and previews. In a random conversation, he told me they would be much better than a one-win team like they were a year before … Roscoe was right. The Tigers proved a lot a people wrong this season with their play on the field.
I'll have more thoughts on that team later in the week.
Now with football finished, one soccer team left and two cross-country runners left … once their seasons are completed, it will be time to prepare for basketball season.
• Looking at the week ahead
The schedule is a little light with fall sports as the Division II Regional Girls Soccer Semifinal takes place this Tuesday in Upper Arlington as the Hillsboro Lady Indians (17-1-1) will take on Columbus St. Francis DeSales. DeSales is the No. 2 seed from their district as they defeated Granville 1-0 in overtime Saturday for their district title. DeSales has also defeated Columbus Bishop Hartley 3-0, Jonathan Alder 2-1 and Columbus East 13-0 this postseason.
This is the furthest a HHS soccer team has been in over a decade, so weather permitting, let's hope there is a solid turnout for this match. As of today, the weather forecast for this game looks bleak, so we'll see.
Then there is the Division III State Cross-Country Championships this Saturday held at National Trail Raceway in Hebron on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 11 a.m.
Fairfied juniors Blake Hildebrant and Michael Mangus both return to the state championship race one year removed from racing as sophomores.
Best of luck to all the area athletes in their regional and state competitions.
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• A even quicker Week 8 NFL Review
- Buccaneers 36, Vikings 17 — This game was the coming out party for Bucs rookie running back Doug Martin. The Vikings' Jared Allen got hit in the face, then sacked the QB.
- Steelers 27, Redskins 12
The Steelers' uniforms looked like the Bumblebee Man from "The Simpsons" … but they won and played a good game, so maybe they should keep them.
- Falcons 30, Eagles 17
The Falcons are turning me into a believer … the Eagles are having another year like last season, and well, that didn't turn out in their favor.
- Dolphins 30, Jets 9
The Jets are the most over-covered, unproductive team in the NFL today. So tired of Sanchez, Rex Ryan, Tebow and the gang.
- Patriots 45, Rams 7
They did what the Patriots do a majority of the time … win football games. The Rams are a big work in progress.
- Colts 19, Titans 13 (OT)
Give them a couple years, and the Colts will be back in the playoffs. The Titans aren't bad, but they are in rebuilding mode, too.
- Packers 24, Jaguars 15
Not a power win by the Packers, but they didn't have their best day against a young team. But in today's NFL, every win means something, and nothing is a given …
- Lions 28, Seahawks 24
Like this one … the Lions are underperforming this season and the Seahawks are better than usual, but the Lions won even though Calvin Johnson didn't have his best game … he is on the cover of Madden '13 this year, and maybe it's the Madden Curse working its magic.
- Browns 7, Chargers 6
Wonder what excuse the Chargers will have this week … any win by the Browns is a good win these days.
- Bears 23, Panthers 22
Da' Bears squeaked away with this one thanks to the foot of kicker Robbie Gould. Still, at 6-1, that's what championship teams do … win the games that are close.
- Raiders 26, Chiefs 16
Didn't see a snap of this game, but c'mon, it is the Raiders and Chiefs, so not much interest. Did you know the Chiefs have not held a lead in the regular season this year? Their only lead was their win, where they gained it in overtime.
- Giants 29, Cowboys 24
The Giants should get the naming rights to Cowboys Stadium since it is their home away from home … they won all four times at the home of the Cowboys. As for the Cowboys … I'm just gonna be quiet.
- Broncos 34, Saints 14
Peyton Manning is looking like his old self in a variety of ways, and that's good for the Broncos. The Saints don't have much of a defense.
Monday Night Football Prediction: 49ers 17, Cardinals 7
• Random Thoughts
- The Giants are the World Series Champions … not much of a World Series, thought it would have been more competitive.
- Just think, an error and passed ball by the Reds in Game 3 of the NLDS woke up the sleeping Giants.
- NBA starts Wednesday, and my Rockets actually have a few players worth watching … maybe they can finally compete this year, if nothing else.
- Jimmie Johnson gained the NASCAR points lead with three races remaining … I don't see him relinquishing the lead, but I do see him winning his sixth championship in a seven-year span.
- Was glad to see Dale Jr. racing again.
- Notre Dame in the BCS National Title game … stay undefeated, and it will seem like the late '80s and early '90s all over again.
- Speaking of the Fightin' Irish … can't wait until their game against USC in a couple weeks … that will be must-see TV.
- Even in a loss to Ohio State … I still think Bill O'Brien deserves an award for what he's done with the Penn State football program this year.
- Speaking of college football … is anyone able to defeat Alabama this year?
• Stat of the Week
In three postseason games, the Hillsboro Lady Indians soccer team has outscored their opponents 14-2.
• Quote of the Week
"I'm so proud of the girls. They gutted it out, played hard and Kaylee's goal couldn't have come at a better time. That goal was needed at that time." — Leslie Molen, HHS girls soccer head coach, following their 3-2 overtime win against Warren Saturday in the district final.
• (A second) Quote of the Week
"When it comes to rivalry games, it is always great to get a win in the Rotary Bowl. We gained momentum headed into next season with this win, and we wanted to send the seniors out with a win. It was big to get that last win, and this team played well." — Randy Closson, MHS head coach, following the Tigers' 54-6 win over Hillsboro.
• One last item of business
Just wanted to thank all the coaches who were kind enough to email, fax, phone or otherwise submit stats and games results this fall. Makes my life easier, and thank you for wanting to promote your teams.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.
I'm starting with Friday night where the McClain Tiger football team regained possession of the Rotary Bowl trophy with a dominating 54-6 win at Richards Memorial Field in Hillsboro.
On one hand, you had a jubilant team of Tigers celebrating after they were presented the trophy by Jim "Chief" Winner in the pouring rain. Not only were the Tigers celebrating the win over their cross-county rival, but they were celebrating their best regular season in recent memory with a 7-3 overall mark, and at the time had a chance to make the postseason.
Well, the joy of two of the three occurrences stayed true, but the postseason hopes collapsed later in the evening as the final scores rolled in, and it was projected (then official) the Tigers fell one spot short of being the first MHS team to reach postseason play.
As for the other side of the Rotary Bowl … while photographing the victors, I stopped and took a look at the other side of the equation … seeing the Hillsboro season end with the rain gaining strength, in a team huddle … as they ended their football year without a win.
At that moment, I felt for that team because it's not like the players didn't work their butts off this season … they did. They went through the heat of the two-a-days in August, they battled for 10 games, they just didn't gain the higher score at the end of a given game.
It's not like the coaches didn't work hard this season ... they did. A lot of breaks didn't go the way of the Indians … being outnumbered player-wise, playing physically larger opponents, injuries and rebuilding a football program all added up to this season.
Building a football program takes time, and you never know what can happen next season. Want an example … look at McClain — 2011: 1-9; 2012: 7-3. It takes patience, excitement, players, hard work in the weight room for a period of years and an involved community sticking behind a team no matter if they are 0-10 or 10-0 to build a positive, quality football program.
With the excitement and variety of emotions from Friday night came Saturday morning in Jackson, where I saw the best soccer match finish I think I've witnessed in person, and I've covered shootouts in the sectional round in nearly pitch-black darkness.
Let me try to set the scene … it was the district final, a round the Lady Indians have had problems getting past in previous visits. HHS trailed 1-0 at the half, and later in the second half trailed 2-0. But a goal by Cheyney Myers and a heck of a corner kick by Kaylynn Bell tied the score, forcing overtime.
Then in the OT period, a rebound tap inches away from the net by Kaylee Achor brought out a massive number of cheers from the fans, hugs and tears from the players and turned a dreary day into one of joy for a team that advances to the Sweet 16 of the regional soccer bracket.
After close to an hour drive to Athens, I covered the Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs in their district final loss by a 5-2 score. So, again, there was a bit of a somber feeling, but I have the feeling the Lady Mustangs knew they accomplished a lot this season.
Not to mention I received an email informing me Fairfield had two runners advance to the Division III State Cross-Country Championships on Saturday … so there again, more joy through email.
That's the great thing about not only high school sports, but all levels of athletics: the change of emotions from any given moment.
• The SCOL football season that was …
It's really hard to believe football season is over in Highland County. I love covering football during the fall. For one, fall is my favorite season of the four, followed by summer, spring and I'm not a fan of winter and the ice and snow it brings.
But really, I had a blast covering the football season this year. I saw more of McClain this season than Hillsboro, but I did see the final two HHS games, along with a game at Miami Trace. First, thanks to my publisher Rory Ryan and his son Colin for all their help this season with their coverage of the Indians.
As for on the field action, I think my favorite game of the season would either be the Week 1 double overtime game at Adena when McClain rallied for the win … or the McClain win at Washington.
I think the toughest player to tackle alone award goes to MHS running back Roscoe East, and the learning on the fly award goes to HHS sophomore QB Logan Lesley as he gained very valuable experience he can hopefully use in the next two seasons.
As for East, I remember talking with him during a break in a summer two-a-day practice while I was working on preseason notebooks and previews. In a random conversation, he told me they would be much better than a one-win team like they were a year before … Roscoe was right. The Tigers proved a lot a people wrong this season with their play on the field.
I'll have more thoughts on that team later in the week.
Now with football finished, one soccer team left and two cross-country runners left … once their seasons are completed, it will be time to prepare for basketball season.
• Looking at the week ahead
The schedule is a little light with fall sports as the Division II Regional Girls Soccer Semifinal takes place this Tuesday in Upper Arlington as the Hillsboro Lady Indians (17-1-1) will take on Columbus St. Francis DeSales. DeSales is the No. 2 seed from their district as they defeated Granville 1-0 in overtime Saturday for their district title. DeSales has also defeated Columbus Bishop Hartley 3-0, Jonathan Alder 2-1 and Columbus East 13-0 this postseason.
This is the furthest a HHS soccer team has been in over a decade, so weather permitting, let's hope there is a solid turnout for this match. As of today, the weather forecast for this game looks bleak, so we'll see.
Then there is the Division III State Cross-Country Championships this Saturday held at National Trail Raceway in Hebron on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 11 a.m.
Fairfied juniors Blake Hildebrant and Michael Mangus both return to the state championship race one year removed from racing as sophomores.
Best of luck to all the area athletes in their regional and state competitions.
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• A even quicker Week 8 NFL Review
- Buccaneers 36, Vikings 17 — This game was the coming out party for Bucs rookie running back Doug Martin. The Vikings' Jared Allen got hit in the face, then sacked the QB.
- Steelers 27, Redskins 12
The Steelers' uniforms looked like the Bumblebee Man from "The Simpsons" … but they won and played a good game, so maybe they should keep them.
- Falcons 30, Eagles 17
The Falcons are turning me into a believer … the Eagles are having another year like last season, and well, that didn't turn out in their favor.
- Dolphins 30, Jets 9
The Jets are the most over-covered, unproductive team in the NFL today. So tired of Sanchez, Rex Ryan, Tebow and the gang.
- Patriots 45, Rams 7
They did what the Patriots do a majority of the time … win football games. The Rams are a big work in progress.
- Colts 19, Titans 13 (OT)
Give them a couple years, and the Colts will be back in the playoffs. The Titans aren't bad, but they are in rebuilding mode, too.
- Packers 24, Jaguars 15
Not a power win by the Packers, but they didn't have their best day against a young team. But in today's NFL, every win means something, and nothing is a given …
- Lions 28, Seahawks 24
Like this one … the Lions are underperforming this season and the Seahawks are better than usual, but the Lions won even though Calvin Johnson didn't have his best game … he is on the cover of Madden '13 this year, and maybe it's the Madden Curse working its magic.
- Browns 7, Chargers 6
Wonder what excuse the Chargers will have this week … any win by the Browns is a good win these days.
- Bears 23, Panthers 22
Da' Bears squeaked away with this one thanks to the foot of kicker Robbie Gould. Still, at 6-1, that's what championship teams do … win the games that are close.
- Raiders 26, Chiefs 16
Didn't see a snap of this game, but c'mon, it is the Raiders and Chiefs, so not much interest. Did you know the Chiefs have not held a lead in the regular season this year? Their only lead was their win, where they gained it in overtime.
- Giants 29, Cowboys 24
The Giants should get the naming rights to Cowboys Stadium since it is their home away from home … they won all four times at the home of the Cowboys. As for the Cowboys … I'm just gonna be quiet.
- Broncos 34, Saints 14
Peyton Manning is looking like his old self in a variety of ways, and that's good for the Broncos. The Saints don't have much of a defense.
Monday Night Football Prediction: 49ers 17, Cardinals 7
• Random Thoughts
- The Giants are the World Series Champions … not much of a World Series, thought it would have been more competitive.
- Just think, an error and passed ball by the Reds in Game 3 of the NLDS woke up the sleeping Giants.
- NBA starts Wednesday, and my Rockets actually have a few players worth watching … maybe they can finally compete this year, if nothing else.
- Jimmie Johnson gained the NASCAR points lead with three races remaining … I don't see him relinquishing the lead, but I do see him winning his sixth championship in a seven-year span.
- Was glad to see Dale Jr. racing again.
- Notre Dame in the BCS National Title game … stay undefeated, and it will seem like the late '80s and early '90s all over again.
- Speaking of the Fightin' Irish … can't wait until their game against USC in a couple weeks … that will be must-see TV.
- Even in a loss to Ohio State … I still think Bill O'Brien deserves an award for what he's done with the Penn State football program this year.
- Speaking of college football … is anyone able to defeat Alabama this year?
• Stat of the Week
In three postseason games, the Hillsboro Lady Indians soccer team has outscored their opponents 14-2.
• Quote of the Week
"I'm so proud of the girls. They gutted it out, played hard and Kaylee's goal couldn't have come at a better time. That goal was needed at that time." — Leslie Molen, HHS girls soccer head coach, following their 3-2 overtime win against Warren Saturday in the district final.
• (A second) Quote of the Week
"When it comes to rivalry games, it is always great to get a win in the Rotary Bowl. We gained momentum headed into next season with this win, and we wanted to send the seniors out with a win. It was big to get that last win, and this team played well." — Randy Closson, MHS head coach, following the Tigers' 54-6 win over Hillsboro.
• One last item of business
Just wanted to thank all the coaches who were kind enough to email, fax, phone or otherwise submit stats and games results this fall. Makes my life easier, and thank you for wanting to promote your teams.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @hcpsportseditor.