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Welcome to our twelfth annual edition of Trail Trash. When Trail Trash
was started way back in 1994, it was just one guy drawing up some
brackets and another guy making some predictions. On second thought, it
remains exactly the same today. As our readership has grown from single
digits to double figures, Trail Trash has become much more politically
correct as we attempt to use facts rather than rumors and innuendos.
This also marks the second year for the Internet version of Trail Trash
at
www.davey1.com. Trail Trash is the ultimate source for Northwest
Ohio tournament information.
This
has been a season of transition for Northwest Ohio basketball. A number
of leagues have made significant changes in their schedules in order to
give girls’ teams the opportunity to play their games on Friday nights.
The Northern Lakes League probably made the most radical changes
shifting a number of boys’ league games to Tuesday and Saturday nights
along with playing several boy/girl varsity doubleheaders. Both the
Northwest Ohio Athletic League and Buckeye Border Conference moved a
large portion of their boys’ league games to Thursday nights so the
girls could play on Friday nights. The response has been somewhat
mixed, but change of such magnitude is always difficult. We expect more
leagues to follow suit in the coming years.
This
has also been a season with Christmas and New Year’s Day falling on a
weekend, an early Easter, and the football playoffs running through the
second week of the basketball season. Throw in several winter storms,
and a scheduling nightmare was the result for many NW Ohio athletic
directors. Hardly a night goes by without at least several high school
basketball games being played around NW Ohio.
For
the second year, the Northwest District is using a seeding process where
all teams get seeded. The top seed has the first choice to place
themselves on the bracket, followed by the second seed, the third seed,
etc. Any team may pass with the only restriction being that the top two
seeds cannot go to the same bracket. This system is more equitable than
the old system and rewards teams that have good seasons but don’t get
one of the top two seeds. It also makes for some interesting
politics.
For
those of you new to Trail Trash, we also print a second edition each
year previewing the regional and state tournaments. That edition comes
out immediately following completion of the district tournaments. If
you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for Trail Trash, please
contact
Davey1. The Swami can be contacted at
swamisig@aol.com. Time to fire up the ouija board. It’s Swami
time.
DIVISION
I
It
looks like the usual suspects in D1 for NW Ohio. Toledo St. John’s
received much of the pre-season hype with the return of three starters
from their 2004 D1 state runner-up team. SJ has losses to Canton
McKinley, Clayton Northmont in a surprise, and Cincinnati North College
Hill, but the Titans should be formidable in the tournament. Lima
Senior ran off twelve straight wins to start the season before a loss at
Findlay and was briefly the top ranked team in the state according to
the Associated Press. Mansfield Senior dropped their opener to
Cincinnati Princeton but has not lost since. Toledo Scott won their
first twelve games and was ranked in the top five statewide before
reality set in for the Bulldogs. A young Toledo Libbey squad might very
well be the most dangerous D1 team in NW Ohio. An additional eleven D1
teams were above .500 at the time of the draw with Perrysburg, Bowling
Green, Celina, and Tiffin Columbian leading the way. The
Liberty-Benton sectional appears to be the most balanced from top to
bottom. Once again in 2005, the sectional champs at Willard and
Liberty-Benton will remain at those sites to play their district
semi-final games. The district final will be played at Ohio Northern.
Winners from the two Toledo sectionals will advance to the district at
UT’s Savage Hall with the Waite winners playing in one semi-final and
the Libbey winners playing in the other. The two NW Ohio district
champs will advance to the UT regional with the ONU district winner
taking on the Grafton district winner (Lakewood St. Edward, Lorain
Admiral King, and Lorain Southview are top contenders) while the Toledo
winner gets the Berea district winner (Cleveland St. Ignatius, Solon,
and Midpark are the favorites).
SECTIONALS
WILLARD: Mansfield Senior and Tiffin Columbian are the top seeds.
Defending district champ Mansfield has quietly put together an
outstanding season. Other than Jonathan Avery, the Tygers don’t have a
great deal of size but Mansfield is deep and extremely quick. Playing
in the new Ohio Cardinal Conference, questions exist about the strength
of their schedule. Tiffin Columbian has put together a solid season in
the D2 dominated NOL. Robert Kisabeth is the top player for the
Tornadoes. Sandusky and Fremont Ross are having disappointing seasons
but remain dangerous. Take Ashland over Marion Harding, Mansfield
Madison over Fremont Ross, and Tiffin Columbian over Sandusky to avenge
a regular season loss in the first round. In the finals go with
Mansfield Senior over Ashland and Tiffin Columbian over Madison.
LIBERTY-BENTON: Lima Senior and Perrysburg are the top seeds. Every
team at L-B was at least .500 at the time of the draw. Lima is led by
four year starter Travis Walton (Michigan State) and 6’9” Keith
Jackson. The Spartans own a win over D2 power Akron SVSM. Bowling
Green is currently battling Perrysburg for the NLL title with Maumee on
their heals. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for
junior-dominated Bowling Green. Junior Ryan Hoehner leads the Bobcats
in scoring. The Swami likes Celina over Anthony Wayne, Bowling Green
over Findlay, and Perrysburg over archrival Maumee in the semi-finals.
Take Lima Senior over Celina in one final. The Spartans won Celina’s
holiday tournament with a win over the Bulldogs. Go with Bowling Green
over Perrysburg in the other final.
TOLEDO WAITE: Toledo Libbey and Toledo Scott are the top seeds. Even
though the top two seeds in Toledo went to the Libbey site, the Waite
sectional might be a little stronger from top to bottom. Libbey starts
two sophomores (Nate Miles, Phillip Pearson) and a freshman (William
Buford). Libbey also added Chris Poellinitz (formerly of Scott and
Maumee) in the off-season. The Cowboys’ five losses have been by a
total of ten points including a two-point loss to Akron SVSM and a
one-point loss to St. John’s. Libbey has wins over Lima Senior and
Columbus Africentric. Joe Suboticki is in his first year coaching at
Scott. Scott’s top player, Darrion Griffin, followed Suboticki from
Waite to Scott. Toledo Central Catholic has been one of the better
teams in the City League the second half of the season while Start and
Bowsher are having surprising success this year. Take Scott over
Springfield, Central over Sylvania Southview, Libbey over Sylvania
Northview, and Start over Bowsher in the first round. The Swami likes
Central Catholic over Scott in an upset and Libbey over Start in the
finals.
TOLEDO LIBBEY: Toledo St. John’s and Toledo St. Francis are the top
seeds. The top two seeds both decided to play at Libbey rather than
Waite. B.J. Raymond (Xavier) and Zach Hillesland (Notre Dame) lead the
Titans. Hillesland broke a bone in his hand prior to the North College
Hill game but returned this weekend. SJ’s success in the tournament
will depend on how the “other guys” perform. St. Francis has been a big
surprise with wins over Libbey and Scott. The Knights have an
outstanding player in junior guard Darryl Roberts, the Toledo City
League’s leading scorer. Bowling Green, Start, and Elida have defeated
St. Francis. Oregon Clay is also very sound. The Swami likes Rogers
over Waite, Clay over Whitmer, and St. Francis over Woodward in the
semi-final games. In the finals, take St. John’s over Rogers and St.
Francis over Clay in a tight battle.
DISTRICTS
Mansfield and Tiffin Columbian will meet in a district semi-final at
Willard while Lima Senior and Bowling Green will play in a district
semi-final at Liberty-Benton. Take Mansfield Senior over Columbian and
Lima Senior over Bowling Green to set up the showdown in Ada.
OHIO
NORTHERN: Mansfield Senior and Lima Senior meet again in the district
final. The Tygers and Spartans have had a number of great tournament
battles over the years with the 2000 game probably the most memorable.
These two teams present a lot of similarities. Look for Lima to avenge
last year’s loss in the district final with a tight win over Mansfield.
UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO: Unlike last year, St. John’s won’t be playing the
district on their “home” floor when they played thirteen games at Savage
Hall. Look for Libbey to avenge a regular season defeat at the hands of
Central Catholic. In the other semi-final St. John’s will face
archrival St. Francis for the second time (and possibly third depending
on the Toledo City League playoffs) in a matter of weeks. Take St.
John’s over St. Francis. The district final will be played on Sunday
afternoon when SJ and Libbey meet. St. John’s edged Libbey for the 2004
district title. St. John’s is the three-time defending district
champion. Take a young but talented Libbey team over St. John’s for the
district crown.
Top of Page
DIVISION
II
 When
the 2004 season closed, it appeared that Fostoria and Willard would be
the top D2 clubs for the 2005. That changed when Keith Diebler took the
coaching job at Upper Sandusky and took sons Jake and Jon with him. The
Rams are currently undefeated and no opponent has come within single
digits of Upper. Willard returned four starters from their ’04 district
championship team, but the Flashes have stumbled a bit in the very tough
Northern Ohio League. State champ Ottawa-Glandorf suffered heavy graduation losses i.e.
the Pollitz twins and has fallen to the middle of the pack in the
Western Buckeye League. State-ranked Van Wert and St. Marys Memorial
are the top WBL teams this season. Elida and Norwalk are also top-notch
D2 teams, but there is a real drop-off after that with only three other
teams above .500 at the time of the draw. D2 basketball in NW Ohio
continues to be dominated by the NOL and the WBL. Although maybe not as
strong from top to bottom as in previous years, the sectional at Lima
Senior remains the strongest while the sectional at Springfield is
arguably the weakest. The new gymnasium at Lima Senior will host the
sectional after a one-year stay at Ohio Northern while Springfield has
replaced Perrysburg as a D2 site. The two NW Ohio district winners will
face off in the regional at the University of Toledo. The Barberton
district winner (Akron SVSM, Akron Buchtel, Akron Hoban) will play the
Olmsted Falls district winner (Firelands, Rocky River?) at Canton in the
other semi-final. The winner (which the
Swami guarantees will
come out of Barberton) will face the NW Ohio survivor in a regional
final at UT.
SECTIONALS
LIMA
SENIOR: Van Wert and St. Marys Memorial are the top seeds. This all-WBL
sectional is excellent as usual. Injuries have hindered Van Wert
starters John Moonshower and Kyle Holliday late in the season. The
Cougars will need to get healthy if they are to be a force in the
tournament. Van Wert has an excellent guard in Rian Rainey. St. Marys
got a late start following their successful run in the football
playoffs. St. Marys had lost only to Ottawa-Glandorf and St. Henry at
the time of the draw. Wes Clark leads a balanced scoring attack for the
Roughriders. Elida also is having an outstanding season. Dustin
Mathias leads the Elida attack. Wapakoneta had high expectations but
started slowly after an injury to leading scorer Austin McCormick. With
McCormick back, Wapak has become a force. It is difficult to fathom O-G
having a down year. The Titans have had some problems scoring this year
but remain dangerous. Take Ottawa-Glandorf in a tight one over Wapak,
Elida over Shawnee, and St. Marys over Bath in the semi-finals. The
Swami likes Van Wert over defending state champ O-G, and Elida over St.
Marys for sectional titles.
SPRINGFIELD: Wauseon and Napoleon are the top seeds. Wauseon is the
only team with a winning record at Springfield. The Indians suffered
heavy graduation losses from last year’s district runner-up but return
leading score Jake Reckner. Wauseon has found it difficult at times to
put points on the board. Napoleon and Defiance are having inconsistent
seasons. Larry Ward leads Napoleon while Graham Wagner is Defiance’s
leading scorer. Eastwood has been a disappointment. Injuries and
illness have hurt the Eagles, and any success Eastwood might have in the
tournament will depend on the health of leading scorer Kevin Leady.
Take Eastwood over Rossford, Defiance over Paulding, and Napoleon over
Bryan in the semi-finals. In the finals, look for Wauseon to edge
Eastwood and Defiance to nip Napoleon.
SANDUSKY: Norwalk and Port Clinton are the top seeds. Expectations were
high this year for Norwalk after winning a sectional title in 2004 with
no seniors on the roster. Stephon Hunter and Shane Johnston are the big
guns for Norwalk. The Truckers recently ended a seventeen game losing
streak to Willard. Port Clinton is young with only two seniors on the
squad. The Redskins have talent but have been inconsistent. Clyde and
Oak Harbor are middle of the pack SBC teams. Bellevue is having their
third consecutive down year while Perkins starts four sophomores.
Norwalk opted to play in the first round rather than taking the bye.
Take the Truckers over Fostoria in one semi-final and over Bellevue in
the final. The bottom bracket is anyone’s guess. Take Oak Harbor over
Clyde and Port Clinton over Perkins in the semi-finals. Take Oak Harbor
over Port Clinton in the other final in a mild upset.
MANSFIELD MADISON: Upper Sandusky and Willard are the top seeds. Keith
Diebler inherited a veteran team at Upper. Greg Micheli recently
surpassed 1,000 points for his career and complements Jake and Jon
Diebler. The Rams recently clinched their first NOL title in 40 years.
Willard junior Jimmy Langhurst is one of the top guards in the state.
Despite being an experienced team, the Flashes start four juniors.
Shelby has been solid despite heavy graduation losses while Galion has
an excellent player in J.B. Shuck. Lexington holds a win over Willard
while Ontario still has a shot at sharing the North Central Conference
crown. Kenton has not won a game since beating Toledo Woodward late in
the 2002-2003 season. Take Galion over Kenton, Willard over Lex, and
Shelby over Ontario in the first round. The Swami likes Upper Sandusky
over Galion and Willard over Shelby in the title games.
DISTRICTS
BGSU:
WBL teams have dominated this district for years with Wauseon in 1994
being the last non-WBL team to win the district crown. 2005 should be
no exception with three WBL teams at BG. Don’t expect Van Wert to have
much trouble with Defiance in one semi-final. The same will hold true
in the other semi with Elida handling Wauseon. In the district final,
look for a mild upset as Elida defeats Van Wert.
ASHLAND UNIVERSITY: Three NOL teams dominate the field at AU. This
district features a great semi-final with Norwalk facing Willard. The
Swami says go with tradition and take Willard in a close battle. In the
other semi-final, take Upper Sandusky big over Oak Harbor. Upper
Sandusky has too many weapons and too much size for Willard. Take Upper
although it will be close.
Top of Page
DIVISION III
 This
has been an excellent year for D3 basketball in NW Ohio even though you
wouldn’t know it from looking at the AP poll. Defending D3 state champ
St. Henry and Delphos St. John’s have been fixtures in the AP top ten
with Archbold the only other team getting regular mention in the poll.
St. Henry got a late start after their football championship. The
Redskins returned two starters and some key players off the bench from
last year. Delphos has losses to D2 Elida and Van Wert, and owns a win
over St. Henry. Woodmore and New London each currently have only one
loss while Spencerville has a pair of losses, but none have gotten any
love statewide. Twenty-two of the thirty-three D3 teams in NW Ohio had
records above .500 at the time of the draw. The sectionals at Elida,
Norwalk, and Galion all figure to be outstanding. The sectional at
Sylvania Northview appears to be the weakest. There are no venue
changes for ’05 in D3. The three district winners will advance to the
regional at BG’s ancient Anderson Arena. The Ohio Northern winner will
play the Ontario winner, and the Toledo Waite winner will play the
Elyria winner in the regional semi-finals. Rocky River Lutheran West,
Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, Wellington, and Oberlin appear to be
the top teams at Elyria. Lutheran West is led by one of the top juniors
in Ohio in 6’9” Richard Semrau.
SECTIONALS
ELIDA: Delphos St. John’s and St. Henry are the top seeds. Excellent
sectional. Nate Stahl and 6’9” Kurt Huelsman are returning starters
while Ross Niekamp was the first player off the bench last year for
defending D3 champ St. Henry. Chad Reynolds and Matt Webb lead Delphos
St. John’s. Spencerville has a win at Elida, and has lost only to
Minster and Columbus Grove. Logan Nourse leads a balanced scoring
attack for the Bearcats. Lima Central Catholic is a typical Bob
Seggerson coached team. The T-Birds are fundamentally sound and play
great defense. LCC will be moving into the Northwest Conference next
year. Coldwater has been a disappointment. Take Spencerville over
Parkway and LCC over Coldwater in the first round. Coldwater defeated
LCC earlier in the season. In the finals, the Swami likes Delphos St.
John’s over Spencerville and St. Henry over Lima Central Catholic
NAPOLEON: Archbold and Liberty Center are the top seeds. Archbold has
one of the top guards in NW Ohio in Dan Borcherdt. Freshman Gene
Goering joins Borcherdt as a double-figure scorer for the Streaks.
Archbold’s only loss was early in the season to Evergreen. Liberty
Center remains a contender in the NWOAL race. Kasey Bodenbender leads
the Tigers in scoring. Liberty has been bolstered by the return of two
players who missed their junior seasons because of injury and illness
respectively, Eric Wymer and Brennen Flory. A young Wayne Trace team is
chasing Holgate for the GMC title. Take Wayne Trace over Tinora in the
only semi-final. In the finals, Swami likes Wayne Trace over Liberty
Center and Archbold over Fairview.
SYLVANIA NORTHVIEW: Delta and Evergreen are the top seeds. Another five
team sectional. This is the only D3 sectional where the combined
records of the participants fall below the .500 mark. After a number of
sub-par seasons, Delta has been a surprise in the NWOAL and still has a
shot at the league title. Evergreen has quality wins at Archbold and
Patrick Henry, but the Vikings have been inconsistent. Lake, Genoa, and
Swanton are all having down years. Genoa has no seniors on their squad,
while it appeared Lake might not have any extracurricular activities
this year because of money problems. Swanton is improved over last
season. Take Lake over Swanton in the only semi-final. Take Evergreen
over Lake and Delta over Genoa in the finals.
FINDLAY: Otsego and Elmwood are the top seeds. Otsego received a great
deal of notoriety early in the season when one of their players jumped
into the stands to battle a heckler from Woodmore. Casey Donald leads
Otsego in scoring while Matt Warner, a transfer from Toledo Central
Catholic, has been a key to the Knights’ late season surge. Elmwood has
put together a solid season with Chad Reynolds and sophomore Dustin
Reynolds (the son of the head coach) leading the way. Defending
district champ Liberty-Benton has started to come on late in the
season. Sophomore Nathan Hyde is the top player for a smallish L-B
squad. Patrick Henry got a late start to their season after advancing
to the state football semi-finals. PH has been inconsistent but owns
wins over Elmwood and L-B. The Patriots are looking to get Marc Krauss
back from an injury for the tournament. BGSU football signee Mike Ream
leads Bluffton while Lakota’s Trevor Hohman is one of the better players
in the SLL. Take L-B over Lakota and PH over Bluffton in the first
round. Tradition takes over in the finals with L-B over Otsego and PH
over Elmwood.
NORWALK: Woodmore and Huron are the top seeds. This is another very
solid sectional. Woodmore is in the midst of an outstanding season with
only an early season loss at Otsego marring their record. Tyler
Rosenberger is Woodmore’s top player while Joe Nowak and Brian Perkins
join Rosenberger as double-figure scorers. Huron is currently on a
ten-game winning streak. Gibsonburg has been solid in the SLL while
junior-dominated Western Reserve has been a contender in the Firelands
Conference. Edison is much improved this season. Margaretta is the
only team with a losing record, but the Polar Bears sport an outstanding
player in Ben Boos. Take Edison over Margaretta and Western Reserve
over Gibsonburg in the semi-finals. The Swami likes Woodmore over
Edison and looks for Huron to edge Western Reserve in the finals.
GALION: New London and Wynford are the top seeds. Yet another solid D-3
sectional. All five teams were at least at .500 as of the tournament
draw. New London has an outstanding big man in Eric Marschall (BGSU).
The Wildcats only loss to date was at Western Reserve. New London has
clinched at least a share of the Firelands Conference while Wynford is
currently the leader in the NCC. Joe Kalb is the leading scorer for the
Royals. Clear Fork is playing its first season in the Ohio Cardinal
Conference. Clear Fork is the smallest school in the OCC, but the Colts
have held their own against teams such as Mansfield Senior and
Orrville. Josh Fraley is Clear Fork’s top player. Bucyrus and Ashland
Crestview are having very solid seasons. Take Bucyrus over Ashland
Crestview in the only semi-final. Take Wynford over Bucyrus in one
final. Clear Fork eliminated New London in last year’s sectional, and
it is very tempting to take the Colts again given their schedule. Take
New London over Clear Fork but it will be close.
DISTRICTS
OHIO
NORTHERN: Three outstanding teams at the ONU district. Delphos St.
John’s takes on Archbold in a great semi-final. The Swami likes Delphos
St. John’s in a nail-biter. St. Henry should have little trouble with
Wayne Trace in the other semi-final. Delphos St. John’s won the regular
season battle with St. Henry. St. Henry advances with a win over
Delphos St. John’s in the district final.
TOLEDO WAITE: Three NWOAL teams and Liberty-Benton make the trek to East
Toledo. Evergreen already has a one-point win at Patrick Henry. Look
for PH to bounce back against Evergreen in the district semi-final.
Liberty-Benton will edge Delta in the other semi-final. Patrick Henry
easily defeated L-B at PH back in December. An improved Liberty-Benton
team takes the district final with a narrow win over Patrick Henry.
ONTARIO: Two of the top D3 teams in NW Ohio, New London and Woodmore,
meet in one semi-final. Woodmore has too many weapons and defeats the
Wildcats. Wynford has historically given Huron fits in the tournament.
Nothing new in 2005 as Wynford eliminates Huron in the other
semi-final. The Swami likes Woodmore over Wynford in the district
final.
Top of Page
DIVISION
IV
 Every year ad nauseam, we preach that the best D4 basketball in the
state is played in NW Ohio. Last year proved the Swami correct once
again as two NW Ohio teams, Holgate and Marion Local, played for the
state championship. You can forget your Columbus Africentric’s, 2005 is
no exception. Van Buren started the season with thirteen straight wins
and was the state’s top ranked team before losing to Pandora-Gilboa.
Undefeated Danbury, Pettisville, and Ayersville have all been ranked
throughout the year with defending state champ Holgate, Minster, and
Continental all getting mention. Ottoville, Columbus Grove, Arlington,
Pandora-Gilboa, New Bremen, Fort Recovery, Fostoria St. Wendelin, and
Tiffin Calvert have all put together solid seasons and just validate
what we have been saying for years. The sectionals at Coldwater and
Wauseon appear to be the strongest with the infamous Waynesfield-Goshen
and Bryan sectionals being the weakest. No changes in location in
either the sectionals or districts for 2005. District winners from
Napoleon, Fostoria, Elida, and Liberty-Benton will advance to the
regional at BG’s Anderson Arena with the Napoleon and Fostoria winners
in one semi-final and the Elida and Liberty-Benton winners in the
other. The Wapakoneta district winner advances to the University of
Dayton to take on one of the three Dayton district winners (Ansonia?)
while the Willard district winner advances to the Fairgrounds Coliseum
aka “The Barn” in Columbus to face one of the two Athens district
winners (South Webster?).
SECTIONALS
COLDWATER: Minster and Fort Recovery are the top seeds. This is once
again a top-notch sectional featuring five MAC teams. Every team was at
.500 or above as of the draw. Minster is chasing Delphos St. John’s for
the MAC crown. Dane Sommer is Minster’s top player. Travis VanSkyock
leads Fort Recovery. New Bremen got off to a quick start but cooled off
after getting into their MAC schedule. Marion Local didn’t get one of
last year’s top seeds, but advanced all the way to the state
championship before losing to Holgate. Marion won the 2003 D4 state
championship, and Ryan Winner returns from that team. New Knoxville and
Waynesfield-Goshen are both very solid this year. Take New Knoxville
over Waynesfield-Goshen and New Bremen over Marion Local in the
semi-finals. The Swami likes Minster over New Knoxville and New Bremen
over Fort Recovery in the finals.
WAYNESFIELD-GOSHEN: Allen East and Ada are the top seeds. Teams from
this sectional are normally dominated by the MAC teams at the district.
Allen East got the top seed despite a 6-10 record while Ada took the
second seed with a 7-8 record. Upper Scioto Valley had the best record
at the draw but didn’t get a top seed. Damien Plaugher from
Hardin-Northern scored 56 against Arcadia earlier in the month, but the
Polar Bears have only scored 58 total in their two games since. Take
USV over Lima Perry and Hardin-Northern over winless Ridgemont in the
first round. The Swami likes Upper Scioto Valley over Ada and Allen
East over Hardin-Northern in the finals.
VAN
WERT: Ottoville and Convoy Crestview are the top seeds. Ottoville
continues to chase Continental for the PCL title. Josh Vorst is the top
player for the Big Green. Both Convoy Crestview and Kalida are playing
well as the tournament approaches, while Fort Jennings appears to be on
the downswing. Dick Kortokrax of Kalida recently coached the 1,000th
game of his career. Big Luke Lichtensteiger leads Crestview while Luke
Swartz is the top player for Fort Jennings. Take Kalida over Fort
Jennings and Lincolnview over Delphos Jefferson in the first round. The
Swami likes Convoy Crestview over Kalida in a close one and Ottoville
over Lincolnview in the finals.
LIMA
BATH: Arlington and Columbus Grove are the top seeds. There are four
very evenly matched teams at Bath. This looked to be a rebuilding year
for Arlington, but the Red Devils still have a shot at the BVC crown.
Kyle Meyer leads a balanced Grove squad. Pandora-Gilboa handed Van
Buren their first loss of the season. Riverdale is above .500 for the
first time since the mid-90’s. Take Pandora-Gilboa over Lima Temple
Christian and Riverdale over winless Cory-Rawson in the first round.
Take Pandora-Gilboa over Arlington and Columbus Grove over Riverdale in
the finals.
OTTAWA-GLANDORF: Continental and Van Buren are the top seeds.
Continental is currently leading the PCL. The Pirates have an
outstanding guard in Kurtis Brown and a nice inside player in Nick
Wilson. Van Buren won thirteen straight before losing back-to-back
games to Pandora-Gilboa and Kalida. The Black Knights bounced back with
wins over Liberty-Benton and Fostoria St. Wendelin. Marty Baird and
Blake Tucker have started on VB’s district championship teams the past
two seasons. Not much separates the other four teams playing at O-G
although McComb has a win over Arlington. Take McComb over Miller City
and Leipsic over North Baltimore in the semi-finals. Take Continental
over McComb and Van Buren over Leipsic in the finals.
SYLVANIA SOUTHVIEW: Ottawa Hills and Toledo Christian are the top
seeds. The TAAC invitational returns to Southview for a second year.
Ottawa Hills and Toledo Christian are battling for second place behind
undefeated Danbury in the TAAC. Toledo Christian opened the season with
a win over Holgate. This was to be a rebuilding year for Ottawa Hills
after heavy graduation losses, but the Green Bears have been
competitive. Cardinal Stritch has also remained competitive despite
several player suspensions. Craig Choka from Maumee Valley is one of
the top players in the TAAC. Take Maumee Valley over Monclova Christian
and Cardinal Stritch over Northwood in the first round. In the finals,
the Swami likes Toledo Christian over Maumee Valley and Ottawa Hills
over Cardinal Stritch.
BRYAN: Hicksville and Antwerp are the top seeds. Edgerton is the only
team at Bryan with a winning record, but the Bulldogs failed to get a
top seed. Hicksville got a late start following an extended run in the
football playoffs, but the Aces are having a solid season. Antwerp’s
top player is Aaron Taylor. Edgerton started the season at 5-0
including a win over Holgate. Big A.J. Hephner leads Montpelier. North
Central was not going to have a team this year until extracurricular
activities were reinstated in mid-November. Take Edgerton over Edon and
Montpelier over North Central in the first round. The Swami likes
Edgerton over Antwerp and Hicksville over Montpelier in the finals.
WAUSEON: Pettisville and Holgate are the top seeds. Pettisville started
the season 8-0 before losing at Stryker. Justin Rufenacht leads the
Blackbirds. Holgate returned three starters from last year’s state
championship team, but the Tigers started off 2-3. Holgate is currently
on a twelve-game winning streak giving up just 27.5 points per game
during that period. Ayersville has been state-ranked since the first
poll, but the Pilots have been faltering of late. Anthony Jackson is
Ayersville’s top player. Stryker is currently undefeated in the BBC.
Take Stryker over Hilltop and Ayersville over Fayette in the
semi-finals. The Swami likes Pettisville over Stryker and Holgate over
Ayersville in the finals.
RIVERDALE: Fostoria St. Wendelin and Colonel Crawford are the top
seeds. The sectional returns to Riverdale for a second year. Fostoria
St. Wendelin recently had an eleven game winning streak broken by Van
Buren. Colonel Crawford started off 8-1 but has staggered since the
early January. Jake Hessey is the big gun for the Eagles while Duane
Posey leads the Hopewell-Loudon attack. Vanlue is having a rare winning
season. Take Hopewell-Loudon over Vanlue and Carey over Arcadia in the
first round. The Swami likes Colonel Crawford over Hopewell-Loudon and
Fostoria St. Wendelin over Carey in the finals.
HOPEWELL-LOUDON: Tiffin Calvert and New Riegel are the top seeds.
Calvert jumped off to a 7-0 start and was ranked in the statewide polls
before a mid-season swoon. It appears the Senecas have righted the
ship. Aaron Mass leads a balanced Calvert attack. New Riegel for a
time appeared to be the team to beat in the MAL, but the Blue Jackets
are currently struggling. Junior Travis Kinn leads NR. Mohawk has
been coming on strong late in the season. Kaleb Farber tops the
Warriors in scoring. Take Old Fort over Seneca East and Mohawk over
Bettsville in the semi-final games. Look for Calvert over Old Fort and
New Riegel over Mohawk in a close one in the finals.
PORT
CLINTON: Danbury and Fremont St. Joseph are the top seeds. Danbury
remains one of two undefeated teams in NW Ohio. The Lakers have their
highest state ranking since 1965 (when they were eliminated in the
sectional at PC). Jake Fanning, the all-time leading Danbury scorer,
does everything for the Lakers. Jarret Ensign is having a solid senior
season for Danbury. Fremont St. Joseph already has had eleven games
decided by five points or less. The Crimson Streaks feature a solid
post player in David Rice. The other four teams at PC appear to be very
evenly matched. Take Sandusky St. Mary’s over South Central and Norwalk
St. Paul over Monroeville in the first round. The Swami likes Fremont
St. Joe over Sandusky St. Mary’s in one final and Danbury with a win
over Norwalk St. Paul in the other.
LEXINGTON: Mansfield St. Peter’s and Lucas are the top seeds. Mansfield
St. Peter’s is the defending district champ. Junior Brandon Speck of
St. Pete is one of the outstanding D4 players in NW Ohio. Lucas started
off slowly but is currently playing extremely well. Plymouth has been
somewhat of a disappointment in the Firelands Conference. Brett Turson
leads the Big Red. Take Plymouth over Buckeye Central and Crestline
over winless Mansfield Christian in the first round. In the finals, the
Swami likes Plymouth in an upset of Mansfield St. Peter’s and Lucas over
Crestline.
DISTRICTS
WAPAKONETA: The MAC teams typically have little trouble with the teams
from the Waynesfield-Goshen sectional. Take Minster big over Allen East
and New Bremen big over Upper Scioto Valley in the semi-final games. In
the final, Minster eliminates New Bremen for the trip to the Dayton
regional.
ELIDA: Take Columbus Grove over Convoy Crestview in one semi-final and
Ottoville over Pandora-Gilboa in the other semi-final. Columbus Grove
and Ottoville is almost too close to call in the final. Grove has an
early season win over the Big Green in a game played at Columbus Grove.
Go with Grove over Ottoville in overtime in the final.
LIBERTY-BENTON: The TAAC teams haven’t had much luck at L-B. Ottawa
Hills probably had the best chance in 2004 losing to district champ Van
Buren in overtime after losing their big man to an injury early in the
game. Take Continental over Ottawa Hills and Van Buren over Toledo
Christian in the semi-finals. Van Buren edged Continental for the
district title last year. Take Continental this year with a win over
Van Buren in the final.
NAPOLEON: The semi-finals are a mere formality with Holgate avenging a
regular season loss to Edgerton and Pettisville knocking off
Hicksville. Last year, Holgate beat Pettisville at the buzzer in
overtime for the district championship. Always take Holgate in the
district at Napoleon. Holgate defeats Pettisville in the final for the
Tigers’ fifth consecutive district championship.
FOSTORIA: This is always a difficult district for the Swami. Take
Tiffin Calvert and they don’t win it. Take somebody other than Calvert
and the Senecas win it. New Riegel nipped Colonel Crawford during the
regular season and both teams are slumping as the tournament
approaches. Take Colonel Crawford over New Riegel in one semi-final.
Calvert has a regular season win over Fostoria St. Wendelin. Take
Tiffin Calvert over St. Wendelin in the other semi-final. Go with
Tiffin Calvert over Colonel Crawford for the district championship.
WILLARD: Take Lucas over Fremont St. Joseph in one semi-final. Danbury
playing Mansfield St. Peter’s would have been a great story line for
this district given all the problems the Lakers have had against St.
Pete. Take Danbury over Plymouth in the other semi-final. The Swami
likes Danbury over Lucas in the final for the trip to the regional.
That’s it. We hope you enjoyed this edition of Trail Trash. All
records and statistics are current as of February 7, 2005. The facts
and opinions stated in Trail Trash are those of the Swami and may not
necessarily be factual or interesting. See you along the tournament
trail. Rock on.
Publisher: Davey1.com
Brackets: Davey1.com
Predictions: The Swami
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