THE TOP 10
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
For the entire spectrum of 2011, Highland County high school athletics were a success. The county had numerous league, district and even regional runner-up teams.
The county welcomed new coaches, said goodbye to others, and another group of seniors left their mark on the landscape of Highland County athletics for years to come.
There were athletes who reached the state level of competition, and the Rotary Bowl has a new home this year.
Still, some stories stood out more than others … some good, some bad … but overall, here are the Top 10 sports stories of the 2011 year.
10. Coaching Milestones
During the fall soccer season, Leslie Molen and Dennis West each accomplished individual coaching milestones in their sport. Molen earned her 100th career varsity soccer coaching victory in a 10-0 Hillsboro Lady Indian win at Madison-Plains. West earned his 250th win in coaching boys and girls soccer as the Lady Mustangs of Lynchburg-Clay defeated Alexander, 8-0 for a sectional title.
9. Jeff Miller Resigns
In July, after a few discussions, Fairfield baseball had a change at the helm as Jeff Miller officially resigned after 19 seasons. Miller led the Lions to 245 wins in that span, averaging 13 wins per season. His teams won 158 SHL games. Miller's teams had 18 winning seasons, including his final season where the Lions reached the district semifinals.
8. Dave Young Coaches Final Game/Ernie Blankenship’s Final Broadcast
Dave Young, who coached many years at North Adams, got his varsity coaching start at Whiteoak for two seasons. Young coached his final game against Lynchburg-Clay in the Division III Sectional Tournament at Waverly. Young finished his career with 403 varsity coaching wins in 27 seasons, winning 356 at NAHS.
Ernie Blankenship wrapped up a 52-year broadcasting career following the 2010-11 High School Basketball season as he was honored by not only Hillsboro, but other schools including North Adams, McClain and Fairfield as he was the "voice" of Highland County high school sports.
7. VanMatre Earns Hall of Fame Honors
For 28 years, Rick VanMatre led the McClain boys basketball program to 428 victories and numerous honors. This year, he was selected to the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame for his accomplishments.
6. Numerous League Champions
In the '11 calendar year, Highland County had 11 SCOL or SHL league champions with HHS boys basketball, FHS softball, MHS softball, LC baseball, MHS boys soccer, HHS girls soccer, LC girls soccer, FHS cross-country, MHS girls golf, HHS boys golf and FHS volleyball.
5. Hillsboro Boys Basketball Wins SCOL Title
It came down to their final SCOL game and a little help from rival teams, but the 2010-11 Hillsboro boys basketball team won a share of their first SCOL championship since the 1989-90 season. They defeated the London Red Raiders 48-37 to clinch a share of the title. The season also turned out to be the last for head coach Tim Davis as he left the position following the season. HHS went 13-7 in the regular season.
4. Back-to-Back Lynchburg-Clay Baseball Championships
The Lynchburg-Clay baseball team went perfect in the SHL, winning their second consecutive league title. This was the first league title for first-year head coach Garyn Waits as he took over for longtime head coach Aric Fiscus who was at the helm for the previous title. The Mustangs won the title with a 12-3 win over North Adams on May 1. It was the 22nd SHL baseball championship for LC.
3. All-State Players
Earning All-State honors for Highland County were Luis Rivas in both Division II track & field (400-meter dash) and Division II second team in boys soccer; Felicity Peabody, Division II track & field (400-meter dash); Collin Rothwell, Division II cross-country; Michael Mangus and Blake Hildebrant, Division III cross-country; Karen Hilt, first-team All-Ohio in soccer; Colt West, second-team All-Ohio in soccer; and Nathaniel Miller in the Mizuno All-Ohio Game.
2. Three-Peat: McClain Boys Soccer
The McClain boys soccer team not only won their third consecutive SCOL soccer championship, they did it in an undefeated fashion by not losing a single game during the regular season. They not only won a league title, but won a sectional championship. The team also won the season series with their rival Hillsboro by defeating HHS twice and tying once. Their season came to an end in the district semifinals in a shootout.
1. Fairfield Softball Regional Runner-Up
The team of the year was the 2011 Fairfield Lady Lions softball team, who finished No. 2 in the Division IV State Poll. FHS went undefeated in the SHL (12-0), winning the league title and a district title and finishing as regional runners-up in Division IV. The team finished with an overall record of 19-3, falling to eventual state champion Strasburg-Franklin.[[In-content Ad]]
The county welcomed new coaches, said goodbye to others, and another group of seniors left their mark on the landscape of Highland County athletics for years to come.
There were athletes who reached the state level of competition, and the Rotary Bowl has a new home this year.
Still, some stories stood out more than others … some good, some bad … but overall, here are the Top 10 sports stories of the 2011 year.
10. Coaching Milestones
During the fall soccer season, Leslie Molen and Dennis West each accomplished individual coaching milestones in their sport. Molen earned her 100th career varsity soccer coaching victory in a 10-0 Hillsboro Lady Indian win at Madison-Plains. West earned his 250th win in coaching boys and girls soccer as the Lady Mustangs of Lynchburg-Clay defeated Alexander, 8-0 for a sectional title.
9. Jeff Miller Resigns
In July, after a few discussions, Fairfield baseball had a change at the helm as Jeff Miller officially resigned after 19 seasons. Miller led the Lions to 245 wins in that span, averaging 13 wins per season. His teams won 158 SHL games. Miller's teams had 18 winning seasons, including his final season where the Lions reached the district semifinals.
8. Dave Young Coaches Final Game/Ernie Blankenship’s Final Broadcast
Dave Young, who coached many years at North Adams, got his varsity coaching start at Whiteoak for two seasons. Young coached his final game against Lynchburg-Clay in the Division III Sectional Tournament at Waverly. Young finished his career with 403 varsity coaching wins in 27 seasons, winning 356 at NAHS.
Ernie Blankenship wrapped up a 52-year broadcasting career following the 2010-11 High School Basketball season as he was honored by not only Hillsboro, but other schools including North Adams, McClain and Fairfield as he was the "voice" of Highland County high school sports.
7. VanMatre Earns Hall of Fame Honors
For 28 years, Rick VanMatre led the McClain boys basketball program to 428 victories and numerous honors. This year, he was selected to the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame for his accomplishments.
6. Numerous League Champions
In the '11 calendar year, Highland County had 11 SCOL or SHL league champions with HHS boys basketball, FHS softball, MHS softball, LC baseball, MHS boys soccer, HHS girls soccer, LC girls soccer, FHS cross-country, MHS girls golf, HHS boys golf and FHS volleyball.
5. Hillsboro Boys Basketball Wins SCOL Title
It came down to their final SCOL game and a little help from rival teams, but the 2010-11 Hillsboro boys basketball team won a share of their first SCOL championship since the 1989-90 season. They defeated the London Red Raiders 48-37 to clinch a share of the title. The season also turned out to be the last for head coach Tim Davis as he left the position following the season. HHS went 13-7 in the regular season.
4. Back-to-Back Lynchburg-Clay Baseball Championships
The Lynchburg-Clay baseball team went perfect in the SHL, winning their second consecutive league title. This was the first league title for first-year head coach Garyn Waits as he took over for longtime head coach Aric Fiscus who was at the helm for the previous title. The Mustangs won the title with a 12-3 win over North Adams on May 1. It was the 22nd SHL baseball championship for LC.
3. All-State Players
Earning All-State honors for Highland County were Luis Rivas in both Division II track & field (400-meter dash) and Division II second team in boys soccer; Felicity Peabody, Division II track & field (400-meter dash); Collin Rothwell, Division II cross-country; Michael Mangus and Blake Hildebrant, Division III cross-country; Karen Hilt, first-team All-Ohio in soccer; Colt West, second-team All-Ohio in soccer; and Nathaniel Miller in the Mizuno All-Ohio Game.
2. Three-Peat: McClain Boys Soccer
The McClain boys soccer team not only won their third consecutive SCOL soccer championship, they did it in an undefeated fashion by not losing a single game during the regular season. They not only won a league title, but won a sectional championship. The team also won the season series with their rival Hillsboro by defeating HHS twice and tying once. Their season came to an end in the district semifinals in a shootout.
1. Fairfield Softball Regional Runner-Up
The team of the year was the 2011 Fairfield Lady Lions softball team, who finished No. 2 in the Division IV State Poll. FHS went undefeated in the SHL (12-0), winning the league title and a district title and finishing as regional runners-up in Division IV. The team finished with an overall record of 19-3, falling to eventual state champion Strasburg-Franklin.[[In-content Ad]]