Trail Trash

Issue #1 for the 2006 OHSAA Boys High School

Basketball Tournament

Published exclusively by Davey1

Welcome to the thirteenth annual edition of Trail Trash.  This also marks the third year of the Internet version on www.davey1.com.  While we may not be very entertaining, we do attempt to be informative.  Trail Trash is the source for tournament information for Northwest Ohio.

The 2005-2006 season has seen a continued increase in the movement of boys’ basketball games away from Friday nights.  At last count, ten leagues around Northwest Ohio now play some girls’ games on Friday nights.  Not sure what the impact has been on gate receipts, but it is a trend that will continue.   Whether you love it, hate it, or are indifferent about it, you better have a schedule handy because you might find a game being played almost every night of the week.

Once again, Northwest Ohio is using a seeding process where all teams are seeded.  The top seed has the first choice to place itself on a bracket followed in the order of seeding by the remaining teams.  In Toledo, the coach of a team with four wins allegedly voted for his own team as the top seed among fourteen teams.  That may be a good way to avoid the bottom seed, but not a way to gain any respect.  Even with knuckleheads like that and the usual politicking, it is basically equitable and rewards the better teams.

DIVISION I 

Mansfield Senior and Toledo Scott are at the head of the class in D1 as the tournament approaches.  Mansfield has several veterans from their 2005 state qualifier and is currently on a 36 game regular season winning streak.  Scott was a regional qualifier in 2005.  The addition of three transfers to the starting lineup has been a big help to the Bulldogs.  Toledo St. Francis opened the season by winning their first thirteen games before losing to Scott.  Toledo St. John’s remains formidable despite being in a “rebuilding” phase.  There are an additional eight teams in D1 above .500 at the time of the draw with Perrysburg, Fremont Ross, and Bowling Green the best of the bunch.  Again in 2006, sectional winners at Willard and Liberty-Benton will remain at those sites for district semi-final games with the district final returning to BGSU.  Toledo Central Catholic has replaced Toledo Libbey as the site for a D1 sectional.  The winners from the two Toledo sectionals will advance to the district at the University of Toledo with the Waite winners playing in one semi-final and the Central Catholic winners playing in the other semi-final.  The two NW Ohio district winners will face off in a regional semi-final at UT.  The winner will play the winner of the regional semi-final between the Berea (Baldwin-Wallace) district champ (Lakewood St. Edward, Midpark, Cleveland Rhodes) and the Grafton Midview district champ (Strongsville, Brunswick, Elyria) for the regional title.  The regional semi-final involving the teams from NE Ohio will be held at the Canton Civic Center.  The regional final will be held at the University of Toledo.

SECTIONALS 

WILLARD: Mansfield Senior and Fremont Ross are the top seeds.  Mansfield is experienced, quick, and deep.  Rashad “Shabby” Reed and Javario Byrd are the top players for the Tygers.  There are concerns about the strength of their schedule.  Fremont Ross leads the Greater Buckeye Conference; the Little Giants recently had an eleven game winning streak snapped by Willard.  Post player Adam Gries leads Fremont.  Ashland lost leading scorer Anthony Bell to grades at the semester while Madison has four players averaging in double figures.  Take Sandusky over Marion Harding in one semi-final and Madison over Ashland in the other.  The Swami likes Mansfield over Sandusky and Ross over Madison in the finals.

LIBERTY-BENTON:  Perrysburg and Bowling Green are the top seeds.  Perrysburg and Bowling Green are battling for the Northern Lakes League crown with Perrysburg holding a one game lead.  Pburg lives by the three-pointer; Scott Perkins and Andrew Wood are the top players for the Jackets.  BG was the NLL pre-season favorite; Ryan Hoehner is BG’s top player.  Maumee has been somewhat of a surprise.  Twins Lamonte and Kipp Dawson lead the Panthers.  Lima Senior has been inconsistent.  Dathan Lyles and Brandon Cooks are returning starters from Lima’s 2005 district runner-up.  Take Findlay over Maumee, Bowling Green over Celina, and Lima Senior over Anthony Wayne in the semi-finals.  In the finals, it will be Perrysburg over Findlay and Bowling Green over Lima Senior in two very close games.

TOLEDO WAITE: Toledo Scott and Toledo Libbey are the top seeds.  Scott’s only loss so far is to Lawrence Woodmere Academy of New York back in December.  The Bulldogs lead the Toledo City League.  Kyle Lightner and Grant Maxey, a transfer from Start, are Scott’s top players.  They are joined as starters by a pair of transfers from Libbey in Marcus Outlaw and Terry Sandridge.  Libbey also lost starters Nate Miles to Waite (currently ineligible) after a quick stop at Oak Hill Academy, Chris Poellinitz to a prep school in North Carolina, and Phillip Pearson to grades.  Sophomore William Buford is an outstanding player.  Libbey is young (at least 7 sophomores on the roster) and has played a demanding schedule (Akron SVSM, Dayton Dunbar, Canton McKinley, Detroit Redford).  Start has been a surprise; Terrell West is the top player for the Spartans.  Guard Fletcher Noble leads Springfield.  Take Rogers over Whitmer, Libbey over Southview, and Start over Springfield.  In the finals, go with Scott over Rogers and Libbey over Start. 

TOLEDO CENTRAL CATHOLIC: Toledo St. Francis and Toledo St. John’s are the top seeds.  Darryl Roberts is one of the best, if not the best, players in Toledo.  The Knights are deep and get major contributions from Nick Meinert and transfer Chris Wyse.  St. John’s lost B.J. Raymond (Xavier) and Zach Hillesland (Notre Dame) to graduation.  The Titans have simply reloaded.  Jonathan Dunn and Andrew Taylor are the top players for SJ.  Wes Taylor of Clay is one of the best big men in the CL.  Waite has some talent but is young.  Take Northview over Waite, St. John’s over Bowsher, and Clay over Woodward in the semi-finals.  In the finals, it will be St. Francis over Sylvania Northview and St. John’s Jesuit over Oregon Clay.

DISTRICTS

Mansfield Senior will meet Fremont Ross in a district semi-final at Willard while Perrysburg and Bowling Green will meet in a district semi-final at Liberty-Benton.  Take Mansfield Senior over Fremont Ross and Bowling Green over Perrysburg to set up the district final at BGSU.

BGSU:  Mansfield Senior is a fixture in district finals while Bowling Green is making their first appearance in a district final since 1996.  Mansfield Senior advances to the regional with a win over BG.

  Top of Page

DIVISION II 

One word summarizes D2 in NW Ohio this season. Willard.  The Flashes are undefeated and have not been tested many times.  Defending D2 state champ Upper Sandusky with Jon Diebler looms on the horizon.  Upper started slowly but has been gaining momentum of late.  The highlight game in D2 this season was arguably Upper’s 105-100 win over Tiffin Columbian on January 13.  Diebler dropped in 77 points in that game while Columbian’s Josh More scored 52.  The Northern Ohio League and the Western Buckeye League have long dominated district play in NW Ohio.  While the NOL has held up their end of the bargain this season, the WBL is down somewhat.  In addition, perennial power Ottawa-Glandorf is now in D3.  Elida and Wapakoneta are the class of the WBL in D2 this season.  A total of fourteen D2 teams were at or above .500 at the time of the draw.  Anthony Wayne and the new Pete Henry Gymnasium at Mansfield Senior have replaced Springfield and Mansfield Madison as sectional sites this season.  The two NW Ohio district winners will advance to play each other in a regional semi-final at the University of Toledo.  The winner will play the winner of the regional semi-final between the Westlake district champ (Rocky River, Parma Padua) and the Barberton district champ (Akron SVSM, Akron Buchtel, Akron Hoban) for the regional title at the University of Toledo.  The regional semi-final involving the teams from NE Ohio is scheduled for the Canton Field House.

SECTIONALS

LIMA SENIOR: Elida and Wapakoneta are the top seeds.  There is more parity in this sectional even though it is not as strong as it has been in previous years.  Elida currently leads the WBL.  Aaron Thompson and Dustin Mathias are the top players for Elida.  Wapakoneta has been a big surprise; post player B.J. Reed leads the Redskins.  Shawnee has won eight of their past nine after a slow start; Jerin Butler (Jamar’s brother) and 6”9” Justin Leimeister lead the Indians.  Van Wert started quickly, but has been in a tailspin; the Cougars have a fine sophomore in Chris Morrow.  Adam Johns is the only returning starter from St. Marys 2005 district championship team.  Kenton is led by 6’8” freshman Garrick Sherman.  Take St. Marys over Van Wert, Wapak over Lima Bath, and Shawnee over Kenton in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes Elida over St. Marys and Shawnee over Wapakoneta in the finals.

ANTHONY WAYNE: Toledo Central Catholic and Wauseon are the top seeds.  Central Catholic dropped to D2 this year.  The Irish got a late start after winning the Division II state championship in football; Sam Bastian is the top player for the Irish.  Wauseon trails Archbold and Patrick Henry in the NWOAL; Chris Villalovos is the top player for the Indians.  Napoleon has been inconsistent; Dustin Smith and Jeremy Davis are the top players for the Wildcats.  Defiance started the season 0-12.  Take Bryan over Rossford, Wauseon over Eastwood, and Napoleon over Defiance in the semi-finals.  Go with Toledo Central Catholic over Bryan and Napoleon in a mild upset over Wauseon in the finals.

SANDUSKY: Clyde and Port Clinton are the top seeds.  There are seven teams at Sandusky with a shot at advancing to the district.  Clyde has played most of the season without their head coach, Steve Keller, as his son fights a serious illness.  Coach Keller recently returned to the team; Nick Tea is the top player for Clyde.  PC was the prohibitive favorite to win the SBC.  The Redskins have underachieved; Justin Horne and Justin Francis are the top players for PC.   Norwalk has an outstanding player in Shane Johnston while Bellevue has a win against Upper Sandusky.  Kyle Hallock leads Perkins in scoring, and Josh Moore is Tiffin Columbian’s top player.  Take Clyde over Norwalk, Bellevue over Perkins, Tiffin Columbian over Fostoria, and Port Clinton over Oak Harbor in the semi-finals.  In the finals, Clyde edges Bellevue and Tiffin Columbian upsets Port Clinton.

MANSFIELD SENIOR: Willard and Upper Sandusky are the top seeds.  Jimmy Langhurst leads Willard.  The four-year starter averages right around thirty points a game.  The Flashes lost another four-year starter, Brandon Oney, to injury earlier in the season, but other players including three-year starter Kevin Johnson have stepped up.  Willard has only had four games where the margin of victory was less than ten points.  Upper started off the season at 4-4, but have lost only to Willard since.  Jon Diebler is one the top scorers in the state.  Shelby got the third seed and opted to go on the same side of the bracket as Willard.  Shelby’s losses to Willard are by four and five points; Josh Calver is the top player for the Whippets.  Ontario currently leads the NCC.  Lexington has had injury problems, but the Minutemen are currently playing well.  Lexington can be a factor if healthy for the tournament; Dillon Cooper is the leading scorer for Lex.  Take Shelby over Clear Fork, Upper Sandusky over Galion, and Lexington over Ontario in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes Willard by six over Shelby and Upper over Lexington in the finals.

DISTRICTS

BGSU: WBL teams have dominated this district for years with Wauseon in 1994 being the last non-WBL team to win a district title.  Take Elida over Napoleon in one semi-final and Lima Shawnee over Toledo Central Catholic in a very close game in the other semi-final.  In the final, look for Elida to squeeze past Shawnee for the district crown.  One of these years, the Swami will get it right with Elida.

 Top of Page

DIVISION III

D3 basketball in NW Ohio has again been very solid in 2006.  Although there is no team that will challenge Cincinnati North College Hill for a state crown, more than half (22 to be exact) the D3 teams in NW Ohio were at or above .500 at the time of the draw.  2004 D3 state champ St. Henry, Collins Western Reserve, 2004 D2 state champ Ottawa-Glandorf, Lima Central Catholic, Patrick Henry, 2005 state qualifier Archbold and Spencerville lead the pack.  The Elida sectional will be particularly outstanding, but all the sectionals with the exception of the one being played at Sylvania Southview appear to be strong.  Lima Central Catholic, Southview, and Old Fort are new sectional sites and Fostoria is a new district site for 2006.  With several changes in the lineup of D3 schools this season, the districts will look a bit different.  The Elida and Lima Central Catholic sectional winners will advance to Ohio Northern.  The Napoleon sectional winners last year advanced to ONU.  This year they will play in the Toledo Waite district.  The Norwalk and Old Fort sectional winners will advance to Fostoria.  The NW Ohio district champions will advance to the regional at BG’s Anderson Arena where they will be joined by one of the Columbus district winners.  The Columbus district winner replaces the Elyria district winner, a long-time fixture at D3 regional tournaments at both BG and Toledo.  The top two seeds in the Columbus district, Johnstown Monroe and Columbus Africentric, have opted to play in the lower bracket with the chance to advance to BG rather than possibly playing North College Hill in the regional in Dayton.

SECTIONALS 

ELIDA: St. Henry and Spencerville are the top seeds.  What a great sectional.  St. Henry’s losses are to New Bremen and Minster; 6’9” Kurt Huelsman, a Dayton signee, leads the Redskins.  Spencerville’s losses are to New Knoxville and Ottoville; the Bearcats have outstanding guards Logan Nourse and Isaac Bowers.  Lima Central Catholic’s losses are to Ottawa-Glandorf and Elida; LCC is giving up less than 40 points per game.  Coldwater got a late start after winning the Division IV state football championship.  6’6” Mark Snyder is Parkway’s top scorer.  Take Coldwater over Parkway and Lima Central Catholic big over Delphos Jefferson in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes St. Henry over Coldwater and LCC over Spencerville in the finals.

LIMA CENTRAL CATHOLIC: Ottawa-Glandorf and Convoy Crestview are the top seeds.  This is a five team sectional.  O-G is chasing Elida in the WBL.  The Titans have lost to Bowling Green, Perrysburg, and Elida.  Ronnie Maynard and Jordan Pothast lead a balanced O-G attack.  Crestview was 3-5 headed into the new year before getting hot.  Wayne Trace has already clinched the GMC crown.  Take Bluffton over Paulding in the only semi-final game.  Go with Ottawa-Glandorf over Bluffton and Convoy Crestview over Wayne Trace in the finals.

NAPOLEON: Patrick Henry and Archbold are the top seeds.  Patrick Henry got a late start on the season after winning the Division V state football championship.  Kyle Brubaker and Marc Krauss lead a deep and balanced PH team.  The Patriots recently had a ten game winning streak snapped by Holgate.  PH currently leads the NWOAL.  Archbold’s Gene Goering leads the NWOAL in scoring.  He is joined by David Borcherdt and Josh Johnson as regulars from the 2005 regional championship team.  Kyle Bostater leads Delta in scoring and rebounding.  Tinora and Ayersville are part of the battle for second place in the GMC.  Kyle Weber leads Tinora.  Take Ayersville over Fairview and Tinora over Delta in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes PH over Ayersville and Archbold over Tinora in the finals.

SYLVANIA SOUTHVIEW: Genoa and Evergreen are the top seeds.  Genoa has been a surprise in the SLL.  Anthony Robertson and Cory Hornyak are the top players for the Comets.  Evergreen is very deliberate; Andrew Pinkelman is the top player for the Vikings.  Otsego was picked to finish second in the SLL but has been a disappointment. Casey Donald of Otsego is one of the top scorers in the SLL.  Take Otsego over Swanton and Woodmore over Lake in the semi-finals.  In the finals, go with Otsego in an upset over Genoa and Evergreen over Woodmore.

NORWALK: Western Reserve and Huron are the top seeds.  Western Reserve’s only loss to date is to New London in overtime.  Seniors Todd Fannin, Ben Winkler, and Danny Wright lead WR.  Huron was expected to finish in the middle of the pack in the SBC.  The Tigers are on a ten game winning streak and have clinched the SBC title. Big Matt Grieves and Trevor Greenawalt lead Huron.  New London starts all underclassmen including leading scorer Troy Coombs while Matt Zahel is the top player for Margaretta.  Take Margaretta over Edison and New London over Ashland Crestview in the semi-finals.  Go with Western Reserve over Margaretta and Huron over New London in the finals.

OLD FORT: Liberty-Benton and Gibsonburg are the top seeds.  Liberty-Benton is tied with Arlington for the BVC lead.  Nathan Hyde of L-B recently went over 1,000 points for his career.  Gibsonburg currently leads Elmwood in the SLL title chase.  Nathan Kirwen and Brent Ernsthausen are top players for the Golden Bears.  Their only losses are to Otsego and Toledo Christian.  Elmwood won a district title in 2005 and returns 4 starters from that team.  Dustin Reynolds is the top gun for the Royals.  Seneca East has played almost exclusively against D4 competition.  Greg Phillips is the top player for Seneca East while Kyle Teynor leads Bucyrus in scoring.  Take Bucyrus over Seneca East and Elmwood over winless Lakota in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes Gibsonburg over Bucyrus and Elmwood over Liberty-Benton in a slight upset in the finals. 

DISTRICTS 

OHIO NORTHERN:  Three outstanding teams in the ONU district.  Take St. Henry over Convoy Crestview in one semi-final.  Ottawa-Glandorf gets their second win of the season over Lima Central Catholic in the other semi-final.  Ottawa-Glandorf takes home a D3 district title with a win over St. Henry in the championship game.

TOLEDO WAITE: Patrick Henry already has an easy win over Evergreen during the regular season.  Take PH over the Vikings.  Archbold big over Otsego in the other semi-final.  The Swami likes Patrick Henry over Archbold in a very close game for the district title.

FOSTORIA: Should be a very competitive district.  Take Western Reserve over Elmwood and Huron over Gibsonburg in the semi-finals.  Western Reserve lost in the district final to Woodmore in 2005 after losing to eventual district champ Clear Fork in a 2004 semi-final.  Western Reserve wins the district title with a hard fought victory over Huron.

 Top of Page

DIVISION IV 

Year after year, the Swami preaches that the best D4 basketball in the state is played in NW Ohio.  Even though a NW Ohio D4 team did not play in the state finals in 2005, two NW Ohio teams qualified for the state tournament and there are many that will argue that a NW Ohio team should have reached the finals given what played out in Columbus.  Last year marked the first year since 1992 that a NW Ohio D4 team did not play for the state championship.  For our veteran readers, that was the Jr. Raber of Berlin Hiland year.  This season undefeated Ottoville is the top ranked D4 team in the state according to the Associated Press. Surprising Ada, 2004 state champ Holgate, New Knoxville, and New Bremen have received plenty of mention in the polls while there are a number of other strong teams including Columbus Grove, Wynford, and New Riegel.  Kenton and Sylvania Northview are new sectional sites for 2006 replacing Waynesfield-Goshen and Sylvania Southview respectively.  District winners from Napoleon, Fostoria, Liberty-Benton, and Elida will advance to BGSU’s venerable Anderson Arena for the regional with the Napoleon and Fostoria winners in one semi-final and the Liberty-Benton and Elida winners in the other semi-final.  The Wapakoneta district winner will advance to Miami University in Oxford to play one of the three Dayton district winners (Covington, Houston?) while the Willard district winner advances to the Fairgrounds Coliseum in Columbus to play the Athens district winner (South Webster). 

SECTIONALS

COLDWATER: New Bremen and New Knoxville are the top seeds.  New Bremen currently leads the MAC with St. Henry, New Knoxville, Minster, and Versailles in hot pursuit.  The Cardinals have won 14 of their last 15 games; Scott Steineman leads a balanced New Bremen team.  New Knoxville appeared to be in the driver’s seat in the MAC before recent losses to Versailles and St. Henry.  Dustan Kruse is the top player for the Rangers.  Minster has three starters back from the 2005 state qualifier.  Marion Local has been a major disappointment dropping their first nine games.  Take Marion Local over Fort Recovery and Minster over Waynesfield-Goshen in the semi-finals.  Go with New Bremen over Marion Local and Minster over New Knoxville in the finals.

KENTON: Ada and Lima Perry are the top seeds.  Ada started the season with ten consecutive wins before a loss to Columbus Grove.  The Bulldogs are chasing Spencerville in the NWC; Chris Singleton is Ada’s top player.  Lima Perry is undefeated in the NWCC and has clinched at least a tie for the conference title.  Big Daniel Raines leads the Commodores.  Perry has lost to Ada, St. Marys, and Spencerville.  The remaining four teams at Kenton are a combined 12-53 at the time of the draw.  Take Hardin-Northern over winless Ridgemont and Allen East over Upper Scioto Valley in the semi-finals.  Go with Ada big over Hardin-Northern and Lima Perry over Allen East in the finals.

VAN WERT: Ottoville and Kalida are the top seeds.  This is a five team sectional.  Undefeated Ottoville currently leads the PCL.  Josh Vorst is the top player for the Big Green.  Big Jason Wehri is much improved in the middle for Ottoville who lost point guard Tyler Miller to a knee injury earlier in the season.  Dick Kortokrax from Kalida is the winningest coach in state history with over 700 wins.  Delphos St. John’s started slowly after winning the Division VI state football championship, but the Blue Jays have been playing better of late.  Take St. John’s over Fort Jennings in the semi-final.  Go with Delphos St. John’s over Kalida and Ottoville over Lincolnview in the finals.

LIMA BATH: Columbus Grove and Arlington are the top seeds.  Grove is battling Spencerville and Ada in the NWC; Kyle Meyer is the top player for Columbus Grove.  Arlington is tied with Liberty-Benton for the lead in the BVC; Nick Rode is the top player for the Red Devils.  Pandora-Gilboa handed Arlington its only loss in the BVC; Tyler Braidic leads the Rockets in scoring.  Take Cory-Rawson over Lima Temple Christian and Pandora-Gilboa over Riverdale in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes Columbus Grove over Cory-Rawson in one final.  Look for Arlington to avenge a regular season loss to P-G in the other final.

OTTAWA-GLANDORF: Continental and North Baltimore are the top seeds.  Continental returns three starters (Nathan Schmidt, Scott Keck, and Ben Miller) from their 2005 regional championship team.  North Baltimore was expected to finish near the bottom of the MAL.  The Tigers have an outstanding player in Josh Eichar.  Jason Kryling and Dar Niederhiser lead McComb while Andrew Baney is the top player for Van Buren.  Leipsic’s Kevin Brandt resigned from his coaching position earlier in the season but later returned.  Nick Bardell is the top player for the Vikings.  Take Leipsic over Miller City and Van Buren over McComb in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes Continental over Leipsic and Van Buren in an upset over North Baltimore in the finals.

SYLVANIA NORTHVIEW: Toledo Christian and Cardinal Stritch are the top seeds.  TC is undefeated in the TAAC.  Four players average in double figures for Toledo Christian led by Kyle Bensch.  Juniors Eric McCloskey and Michael Ameling lead Stritch.  Andrew Wolff from Ottawa Hills is the leading scorer in the TAAC.  Take Northwood over Maumee Valley Country Day and Cardinal Stritch over Monclova Christian in the semi-finals.  Go with Toledo Christian over Northwood and Cardinal Stritch in a close one over Ottawa Hills in the finals.

BRYAN: Edgerton and Hicksville are the top seeds.  Probably the weakest of the D4 sectionals although Edgerton is having an excellent season.  Edgerton gives up just over 40 points per game and is part of the battle for second place in the GMC.  The Bulldogs have a road win at Holgate.  Hicksville may be the only team in the state with co-head coaches.  The other four teams at Bryan have a combined 15-56 record at the time of the draw.  Matthew Smith is the top player for Edon.  Take Montpelier over North Central and Edon over Antwerp in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes Edgerton over Montpelier and Hicksville over Edon in the finals.

WAUSEON: Holgate and Fayette are the top seeds.  Four-year starter Lee Brubaker and Logan Brubaker lead the way for 2004 D4 state champ Holgate.  The Tigers are giving up just over 34 points per game.  Fayette is the leader in the Buckeye Border Conference; Heath Armstrong went over 1,000 career points earlier in the season.  Pettisville and Stryker are chasing Fayette in the BBC.  Casey Bodenbender is the leading scorer for Liberty Center.  Take Pettisville over Hilltop and Liberty Center over Stryker in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes Holgate over Pettisville and Liberty Center over Fayette in the finals.

RIVERDALE: Wynford and Carey are the top seeds.  Wynford dropped down to D4 this year.  The Royals were the unanimous pick to win the NCC but have not quite lived up to the high expectations.  Joe Kalb is the top player for Wynford.  Carey is a middle of the pack MAL team; Jordan Blair is the top player for the Blue Devils.  Vanlue has been somewhat of a surprise; Josh Kloepfer is the top player for the Wildcats.  Take Wynford over Arcadia and Vanlue over Colonel Crawford in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes Wynford over Hopewell-Loudon and Vanlue over Carey in the finals.

HOPEWELL-LOUDON: New Riegel and Mohawk are the top seeds.  New Riegel has lost only to Margaretta in the opener and Buckeye Central.  The Blue Jackets are undefeated in the MAL.  Travis Kinn is an outstanding post player while Brandon Bouillon gives NR an outside threat.  Mohawk has won ten of their last twelve after an 0-3 start.  Kaleb Faber is the top player for the Warriors.  Despite heavy graduation losses, Tiffin Calvert remains in contention for the MAL title.  Take Calvert over winless Bettsville and Old Fort over Fostoria St. Wendelin in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes New Riegel over Calvert and Mohawk over Old Fort in the finals.

PORT CLINTON: Sandusky St. Mary and South Central are the top seeds.  Sandusky St. Mary was recently eliminated from the SBC title chase.  Nick Felter is the top gun for the Panthers.  South Central is battling Plymouth for the second spot in the Firelands Conference; Ian Franks and Cole Risner are the top players for the Trojans.  2005 district champ St. Joe started the season at 0-5, but has gone 9-3 since; Brad Gabel leads St. Joe in scoring.  Take Norwalk St. Paul over winless Monroeville and Fremont St. Joe over Danbury in semi-final games.  The Swami Likes Sandusky St. Mary over Norwalk St. Paul in a tight game in one final and Fremont St. Joe over South Central in the other final.

LEXINGTON: Plymouth and Mansfield St. Peter are the top seeds.   Plymouth has been the surprise team in the Firelands Conference currently holding the second spot behind Western Reserve.  Mike Lacroix and Dakota Durbin are the top players for the Big Red.  Brandon Speck from St. Pete is one of the top D4 players in the state.  Buckeye Central has put together a solid season while Crestline has faded after a quick start.  Tyler Kreim is the top player for Buckeye.  Take Crestline over Mansfield Christian and Buckeye Central over Lucas in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes Plymouth over Crestline and Mansfield St. Pete over Buckeye Central in the finals.

DISTRICTS

WAPAKONETA: The MAC typically dominates this district and 2006 will be no exception.  Go with New Bremen over Lima Perry and Minster over Ada in a close game in the semi-finals.  The Swami likes New Bremen over defending champ Minster in the title game.

ELIDA: Look for Delphos St. John’s to upset Arlington in one semi-final.  The other semi-final game could very well be for the championship.  Take Ottoville over Columbus Grove in a thriller.  The Swami likes undefeated Ottoville over Delphos St. John’s for the district title.

LIBERTY-BENTON: The same four teams that made the L-B district in 2005 return.  Continental embarrassed Oregon Cardinal Stritch a year ago.  It will be closer this time around but Continental will defeat Stritch in one semi-final.  Take Toledo Christian over Van Buren in the other semi-final.  Look for Toledo Christian to surprise Continental for the district title.

NAPOLEON: Holgate has won the past five district championships.  Stryker in 2000 was the last team other than the Tigers to win at Napoleon.  Take Edgerton over Liberty Center in one semi-final and Holgate over Hicksville in the other semi-final.  Holgate takes a sixth consecutive district title with a win over Edgerton in the finals.

FOSTORIA: Take Wynford over Mohawk and New Riegel over Vanlue in the semi-finals.  Fostoria had the best D4 district championship game a year ago when Calvert edged Colonel Crawford at the buzzer.  Expect more of the same this year when Wynford nips New Riegel for the district title.

WILLARD: Take Mansfield St. Peter over Sandusky St. Mary in one semi-final.  Look for Plymouth to edge Fremont St. Joseph in the other semi-final.  The Swami looks for Brandon Speck to lead Mansfield St. Peter past Plymouth in the district championship game.

That’s it.  We hoped you enjoyed this edition of Trail Trash.  All records and statistics are current as of February 13, 2006.  The facts opinions stated in Trail Trash are those of the Swami and may not necessarily be factual or interesting.  We hope to see you somewhere down the tournament trail.  Rock on. 

Publisher:  Davey1.com

Brackets: Davey1.com

Predictions: The Swami

Top of Page