Rumor Mill: DeSalvo agrees to terms with Atlanta

Evidently Matt is negotiating the terms of a new deal with Atlanta.

The deal would pay him 440,000 over one year, with a club option for year two.

Still awaiting official news, and more specifics. Stay tuned.

Great 80's video compilation to pass the time

Layoff has me jaded

Is it me or is the layoff between the end of the college football season and the major bowls too long.

People have begun to ask me who is playing when, and I am dumbfounded. In the last 50 days so much has happened, I completely forgot Illinois made the Rose Bowl and when asked which bowl Hawaii was playing in I started to cry.

Look what you have done to me time, I am a worthless mountain of a man.

btw, Hawaii is playing in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia (slaughter)

Hopefully New Years day gets here soon, I may forget just why I am parking myself in front of my television at 8 am.




just after Hawaii and Georgia stink up the turf in that old abandoned homeless shelter we call the Superdome, LSU and OSU will battle to see which team out underperform the other

Thompson 20 Powers Cadets over Buckeye Trail

BEVERLY-- For nearly three quarters of basketball Buckeye Trail coach Dave Linn had executed his game plan to perfection. Instead of wide open driving lanes Fort Frye found in their previous match-up, the Warriors had created an interior log-jam for Cadet cagers. Unfortunately for Linn, Fort Frye coach Dan Liedtke had an old fashioned remedy for the bunched up Buckeye Trail defense.

Thanks to Derek Thompson’s 8 fourth quarter points, all of which coming via the high low post entry, Fort Frye outlasted visiting Buckeye Trail by a score of 44-35.

Thompson, a senior, played bookend on the Cadet attack notching the teams first 6 points of the contest and the final 6 to seal the victory.

Entering the contest averaging a stout 17 ppg. Thompson failed to disappoint home crowd posting 20 points and 11 boards while also collecting three blocks. The twenty points fell twelve short of his highest output of the season (32) which was posted in the first meeting with Buckeye Trail.

“We found Derek in a different set than we normally go to,” said Liedtke. “We felt the match-up was one where we could enter the ball into him from the high post better than we could from the wings. Brandt did a great job of pulling defenders off Derek to the high post, allowing him to get good looks inside.”

The Cadets high low offense was dusted off for the occasion, as Liedtke noticed Buckeye Trail fronting post players in the Cadets victory in Old Washington earlier this season.

“We haven’t run that type of offense in 12 or 13 years. We usually run it when we have bigger players, but we saw how well we ran it in defensive practice drills, and with the way Buckeye Trail defended us up there, we figured this would open things up down low.”

Thankfully for Liedtke the post production came at the most crucial of times as it seems the combination of a deliberate Warrior offense and relentless back-court pressure defense made the Cadet guards uncharacteristically impatient. With Cadet scoring typically guard dominated, Fort Frye ball handlers fell victim to the intense defensive pressure allowed by the game’s officials. As a result of the allowed defensive proximity Fort Frye guards combined for a dismal 3-14 from the field, and turned the ball over seven times.

Missing all five of their first quarter three point attempts, and the first three of the second quarter, Fort Frye drew little production from its back-court trio of Arnold, Bates, and Stevens. By half’s end the guard-initiated offense of the Cadets had mustered just 18 points, astonishingly enough they did still manage to lead by one.

Were it not for consecutive buckets by Thieman at the 2:12 mark in the second, Fort Frye would have finished the quarter missing its last twelve field goal attempts, eight of those coming from beyond the arch.

After neglecting the low-post in the second quarter, Fort Frye again went to the bread and butter this time dumping the ball into Thompson for consecutive buckets pushing the lead to 30-24. The six-point margin would only increase from there as Thompson’s four 4th quarter buckets proved fatal for the size deprived Warriors.


With the victory Fort Frye moved to 8-1 on the season and improved its conference record to 6-0. Having already beaten Buckeye Trail twice, the Cadets find themselves atop the end loaded PVC with one of the league favorites already dispatched.

The Cadets next travel to Hannibal for a contest with River on January 4th.

Fort Frye 44, Buckeye Trail 35

Fort Frye 10 8 15 11 --44
Buckeye Trail 4 13 9 9 –35

Fort Frye (8-1, 6-0)
Tyler Stevens 2-5, 0-0, 5; Derek Thompson 10-15, 0-0, 20; Brandt Thieman 6-11, 2-5, 16; Jarrod Arnold 1-7, 0-0, 3; Jarid Bates 0-2, 0-0, 0.

Buckeye Trail (5-4, 3-3)
Tim Nealey 1-1, 0-0, 2; Brock Davis 3-12, 0-2, 7; Nick Warnock 2-5, 0-0, 4; Bobby Beros 5-16, 1-1, 11; Cody Nelson 1-2, 0-0, 2; Joe Collart 2-5, 2-2, 6; Tommy Allen 0-1, 0-0, 0; Jedd Beros 1-1, 0-0, 3.

Team Stats:
Fort Frye: Shooting 19-40 (47%); 3pt Shooting 4-11 (36%); Free Throws 2-5; Rebounds 31 (Thompson 8); Steals 5 (Stevens 3); Assists 8 (Thieman 3); Turnovers 9; Blocks 3 (Thompson 2)

Buckeye Trail: Shooting 15-41 (36%); 3 pt Shooting 2-9 (22%); Free Throws 3-5; Rebounds 17 (3 players with 4); Assists 8 (Davis 4); Turnovers 8; Blocks 6 (Collart 3)

JV Game: Fort Frye 43, Buckeye Trail 34
Fort Frye- Donald Hilverding 14
Buckeye Trail- Gregg Strasser 18

Maysville Outlasts Host Warren

VINCENT- In their 37 point trouncing of Athens last Friday, tenacious Warren defense forced 31 bulldog turnovers and yielded a paltry 42 percent shooting from the field.

To visitors, the rims in Vincent have seemed miniscule to say the least. After Thursday night’s contest with Maysville, the Warriors felt more like a visitor than a homebody.

Before a near capacity crowd in Vincent Thursday night, Warren found their home iron unkind as the friendly confines yielded a season low 28 percent shooting from the field, grounding the host Warriors by a final score of 53-45.

Warren (5-2) entered the contest averaging a shade under 60 points per game, good enough for 4th in the ten team SEOAL. After posting a season high 86 points against Athens last Friday, Warren players and coaches found themselves wishing a few of those buckets could carry over.

It was clear from the tip that reaching the magical 60-point plateau would be a struggle as Jesse Rupe’s squad extended the Warriors via the 2-3 match-up zone. As has been the trend in recent years, baiting Warren into shooting over top the outstretched defense again proved to be the Warriors Achilles heel, as on the night Warren would connected on just 5 of its 29 three point attempts.

The poor shooting didn’t deter the Warriors early as despite hitting just 2 of their 12 first half three point tries, Warren managed to hold a 24-21 lead at intermission.

Their largest lead (4) came at the 1:21 mark when David Lemon forced a Jared Cox turnover near mid-court. The lanky Senior picked up the loose ball and raced to the hoop lobbing a pass off the back board to teammate Craig Call, who stirred the home crowd into a frenzy with a thunderous two handed slam. The alley-oop dunk capped a 6-0 Warren run, and gave the Warriors a slim 19-18 lead. After an exchange of buckets, the score remained tied at 21 when just before the half time buzzer junior Devan Anderson corralled a loose ball and connected from the right wing as time expired.

After half, Maysville (7-2) stormed out of the gate posting an 11-3 run to start the frame. Notching 13 third quarter points, five of which coming from Cox, the Panthers turned defensive pressure into offense, forcing two turnovers and holding the Warriors to just six points.

The 34-30 lead would prove to be a comfortable margin as the Warriors shooting woes extended throughout the remainder. Hitting just 2 of 13 third quarter field goal attempts, and missing 7 of its first 8 in the fourth, Warren did little to aid its defense.

“We just didn’t shoot it very well, and we didn’t do anything else extremely well to overcome our poor shooting,” said Maddox. “I think we can do a better job at getting post entries and working the inside outside game. We just didn’t get enough shots to fall tonight.”

After falling behind by as many as 9, Warren crept back into the contest thanks to triples by Anderson and Lemon. Cutting the lead to 47-42 with 56 seconds remaining it appeared as if Warren had forced a ten second call, however as time was expiring Cox rifled a distance pass to a wide open Max Huddleston who converted the lay in sealing the victory for Maysville.

On the night Maysville converted 15 of 20 free throw attempts, including 9 of 12 in the fourth quarter. The panthers were led in scoring by the junior Cox who posted 16 points in addition to his three assists.

Warren returns to action Saturday when they travel to Belpre for an inter-county clash.

Maysville 53, Warren 45

Maysville 12 9 13 19 --53


Warren 12 12 6 15 --45





MAYSVILLE (8-2) Eastin Lewellen 4-5, 2-2, 10; Jared Cox 5-9, 6-8, 16; Corey Denman 4-8, 0-0, 8; Kris Hayes 0-0, 3-5, 3; Alex Sidwell 3-4, 2-2, 8; Max Huddleston 3-6, 1-3, 8; Tyler Calihan 0-2, 0-0, 0; Kody Fulkerson 0-1,0-0, 0. 



WARREN (5-2)

 Sam Majoy 4-10, 2-5, 10; Craig Call 4-10, 1-2, 9; Tyler Horner 0-8, 0-0, 0; Cory Hooper 1-8, 0-0, 2; David Lemon 3-10, 0-0, 8; Boyd Brown 0-1, 0-0, 0; Brandon Fivecoat 0-2, 0-0, 0; Jonathan Hebb 3-4, 3-5, 10; Steven Hunter 0-8, 0-0, 0; Devan Anderson 2-2, 0-0, 6.

Team stats:


Warren: Shooting 19/33 (28 percent); 3pt. shooting 5-29 (Anderson, Lemon 2); Free throws 6-14; Rebounds 36 (Call 16); Steals 7 (Hooper, Majoy 2); Assists 8 (Lemon 3); Turnovers 8; Blocked shots 3 (Hebb 2). 



Maysville: Shooting 19/35 (54 percent); 3pt. shooting 0-4; Free throws 15-20; Rebounds 22 (Huddleston 7); Steals 4 (Cox 3); Assists 10 (Cox 3, Sidwell 2); Turnovers 4; Blocked shots 1.

JV Game: Warren 65, Maysville 51
Warren (Wolfe 18) Maysville (Wilson 19)

2008 MOV Race Schedule

This is for all the runners out there

In an effort to bring you more coverage of races, and the dates of the races themselves Rivertown Ramblings will be posting need to know information concerning the 2008 racing schedule.

Tues, Jan 1
Polar Bear 5K/10K Run
8:00 AM
Race begins behind Lafayette Cinemas in Marietta
Contact- Rick Brown, 740-373-8643, runrickrun@suddenlink.net

Sun, Jan 6
Icicle Run 5K Run/Walk
2:00 PM Bingo Hall - Belpre, OH, Flat fast course.
Contact: Ira Buckalew

Sat, Jan 5
3rd Annual Run to Read Half Marathon
12:00 PM Prickett's Fort State Park near
Fairmont, WV,
Contact phone numbers are 304/366-6055 or 304/825-6311,
web site: www.runningintheusa.com/r2hm

for more information on all races, and all upcoming events check out the rivercity runners website at
www.rivercityrunners.com

Late Rally Sinks Fort Frye

BEVERLY- Trailing by just five points after a half of basketball, Fort Frye coach Bobbi Webb knew her players had to remain focused on each and every possession in order to topple the favored Seminoles from Monroe Central.

For much of the final two quarters it appeared as if Webb’s squad was focused in on an upset victory. Unfortunately for the Cadets, two and a half minutes of mental miscues put a probable upset bid to rest.

Thanks to Aleisha Guiler’s 7 fourth quarter points, and the Noles’ decisive 16-4 game ending run, Monroe Central edged host Fort Frye by a final score of 64-43.

Monroe Central (5-1) fired out of the gates quickly, hitting 5 of 12 first quarter shots. Two Karlie Davis three pointers and a Taylor Jorris runner at the 3:43 mark gave the Noles an early 6-point lead. However, a trio of turnovers just before half opened the door for the Cadets, as Senior Kourtney Booth would connect on consecutive possessions, ending the first quarter with the Noles leading 14-12.

After an exchange of missed three pointers by each squad, the Lady Cadets jumped out to a 20-16 lead as over the next 1:23 jumpers by Kaitlin Huck and Kourtney Booth would find the nets playing bookends on an 8-0 Fort Frye run.

The four point lead however, would be the last lead of the evening for the Cadets as Monroe Central would post the first of its three double digit scoring runs, outlasting Fort Frye 14-5 for the duration of the half.

Trailing 30-25 at halftime, Fort Frye (3-6) sought to pick up the defensive intensity in the second half opting to extend a trapping zone to half court. After posting a series of turnovers to start the third, Seminoles’ coach Troy Baker positioned his team in a 4 out 1-in offense, maximizing height advantages in the frontcourt. The change ultimately paid off as the trio of Guiler, Taylor Jorris, and Morgen Ramage would control the offense, twice finding freshman Alex Kuhn for uncontested lay-ins.

It appeared as if the Seminole run to close the quarter crushed the will the Lady Cadets, as turnovers to start the quarter saddled Fort Frye with its largest deficit. However, back-to-back steals by Huck and Fouss narrowed the margin to 11, and following two Booth free throws the Cadets trailed by only 9.

Following a Monroe Central timeout, Booth would again spark the Cadets as a steal of a full-court pass, gave Fort Frye the ball with a chance to climb to within seven. Unfortunately for Booth the home iron would prove unkind, as her short jump shot would rim out. The nine-point margin would balloon from there, as Monroe Central would post consecutive transition buckets by Kuhn and Kimberly LaFerre and would subsequently bury free-throws down the stretch, connecting on ten of eleven fourth quarter attempts.

After the game Webb was disappointed with her team’s execution down the stretch.
“When we had a chance to get within 7, we made some real bad decisions. Those bad decisions allowed them to get quick scores.”

What confounds Webb even more so than the questionable decision making late in games is the Cadets struggles from three-point range. After seeing a school record for triples broken in the home opener, the Lady Cadets have gone ice cold from deep, tonight connecting on just 2 of 18 attempts.

“We are struggling from the outside, specifically in the last couple games,” said Webb. “If we can get on track get a few of those to fall, we will help ourselves out some.”

Fort Frye returns to action Thursday as the Morgan Raiders will make the trip down Rt. 60 for an out of conference tilt.

Monroe Central 64, Fort Frye 43

Monroe Cent. 14 16 14 20- 64
Fort Frye 12 13 6 12- 43

Monroe Central (5-1)
Morgen Ramage 0-3, 1-2, 1. Taylor Jorris 4-9, 5-5, 16. Aleisha Guiler 5-9, 3-7, 11. Karlie Davis 5-6, 2-2, 15. Kimberly LaFferre 2-2, 0-0, 4. Justine LaFollette 0-2, 4-4, 4. Alex Kuhn 5-9, 2-2, 13.

Fort Frye (3-6)
Kourtney Booth 3-14, 9-10, 17. Whitney Gerber 0-13, 2-2, 2. Krista Brockmeier 0-2, 0-0, 0. Marcie Fouss 3-5, 4-6, 11. Kaitlin Huck 3-7, 5-5, 10. Ashley Okey 0-1, 0-0, 0. Danielle Lang 1-4, 1-2, 3.

Team Stats:
Monroe Central: Field Goals 21/40=52%; Free Throws 17/22=77%; Rebounds 43 (Guiler 10); Assists 12 (Jorris 4); Steals 13 (Jorris 4); Blocks 3.

Fort Frye: Field Goals 10/46=22%; Free Throws 21/25=84%; Rebounds 23 (Huck 5); Assists 6 (Fouss 2, Brockmeier 2); Steals 9 (Booth 3); Blocks 1.

Next Game: Morgan at FORT FRYE Thursday 7 pm.
Barnesville at MONROE CENTRAL Thursday 7pm.

JV Game- Fort Frye 30, Monroe Central 17

Warren Falls to Zanesville 64-42

VINCENT-Warren coach Blane Maddox knew his team had to play a near perfect basketball in order to beat SEOAL juggernaut Zanesville. Unfortunately for Maddox and the Warriors, it took just 90 seconds for them to realize tonight would not be one catering to perfection.

Behind defending league player of the year and University of Albany signee Logan Aronhalt’s 17 first quarter points, the Blue Devils waylaid host Warren by a final score of 64-42.

Zanesville (6-0) entered the contest the prohibitive favorite in the SEOAL’s North division, and on this night it failed to disappoint. Posting the game’s first 16 points, 11 of those coming from Aronhalt, the blue devils maximized size and speed advantages forcing Warren to execute their offense from far beyond the three point line. Failing to post a score until the 3:23 mark in the first, Warren saw the majority of its shots altered or deflected by superior Zanesville defenders.

“The length and the quickness that Zanesville has allows them to overplay everything,” said Maddox. “We were forced to make some adjustments, tried to get some guys moving and working back door cuts, but we just struggled to get open shots.”

Despite yielding 26 first quarter points, Warren (4-1) managed to creep back into the ball game thanks to the heady play of Junior Boyd Brown. Brown, a soccer dynamo this fall, sparked the Warriors comeback by creating opportunities for himself in the paint, four times baiting Blue Devil defenders into fouls. Connecting on 7 of 8 attempts in the second quarter, Brown paced Warren scorers in the quarter and helped the Warriors draw to within as many as 13.

Trailing 37-23 at halftime Warren sought to cut further into the lead, however paltry shooting proved to be its demise. Posting a meager 4 third quarter points, Warren failed on 6 of its 7 shot attempts, and lost six of its 13 turnovers during the third frame.

“We battled and got it down to thirteen, and we kinda got out of our rhythm, turned the ball over a couple times took a couple rushed shots, and their dribble penetration hurt us when it counted,” added Maddox.

Offensively, Aronhalt led all scorers with 30, connecting on 9 of his 18 field goal attempts. Backline mates Andre and Cedric Harris chipped in 13 and 11 points respectively. For Warren, Brown led the way with 10 points while Seniors Craig Call and Cory Hooper added 7 points and 9 points, while each collected 8 boards.

With the loss Warren fell to 4-1 on the season, and 2-1 in league play. Warren entertains Athens Tuesday in what will be the Bulldogs final appearance as a member of the league.

Zanesville 64, Warren 42

Warren 10 13 4 15- 42
Zaneville 26 11 10 17- 64

Warren (4-1)
Craig Call 2-5, 3-5, 7. Devon Anderson 1-1,0-0,3. Tyler Horner 1-5, 0-0, 3. Steven Hunter 0-4, 3-4, 3. Jonathan Hebb 1-7, 4-6, 6. Brandon Fivecoat 0-2, 0-0, 0. Boyd Brown 1-1, 8-10, 10. Cory Hooper 4-12, 0-2, 9. Eric Hoon 0-0, 1-2, 1.

Zanesville (6-0)
Logan Aronhalt 9-18, 9-9, 30. Cedric Harris 5-14, 1-2, 11. Brice Howell 1-1, 0-0, 2. Braond Mills 0-2, 2-2, 2. Andre Harris 3-8, 6-7, 13. Joey Prati 0-2, 0-0, 0. Shame Centers 1-4, 1-2, 3. Zach Watts 1-1, 0-0, 3.


Team Stats:
Warren: Field Goals 10-37=27%; Free Throws 20-29=69%; Rebounds 30 (Call 8, Hooper 8); Assists 2; Steals 2; Turnovers 13; Blocks 2.

Zanesville: 20-51=39%; Free Throws 19-22=86%; Rebounds 36 (A. Harris 10); Assists 13 (C.Harris 7); Steals 6 (C.Harris 4); Blocks 3.

Next Game: Athens at WARREN Tuesday 7pm.

Duke nabs Cutcliffe as coach

Good Hire for my beloved Blue Devils

Lost out on Johnson from Navy, got turned down by the coach at Vandy, but we got a good one in David Cutcliffe from Tennessee.

Cutcliffe trained Peyton while at UT, and was at Ole Miss for Eli. Good offensive coordinator, and will no doubt be able to recruit well within the area. Bottom line is admission standards must come down a bit.

If that happens, no reason the Devils won't be more competitive.

Go Duke

DeSalvo Released By Yanks

Yesterday Matt was given his outright release from the Yankees, to make room on the 40 man roster for Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera.

Testing free agent waters will be a welcomed change for DeSalvo as in the Yankee organization he quickly fell behind more notable prospects Colter Bean, Joba Chamberlain, and Phil Hughes.

The last time I talked to Matt he mentioned Kansas City as being an ideal location. At this point DeSalvo will be looking for a team that will let him start or work in long relief.

Baseball Doomsday

Poster child for the Roids movement in recent years, Mr. Brady Anderson

Well, Clemens and Pettite have already been named in the Mitchell Report, that was obvious no one has a prime at age 37.
Consider the 96 Yankees
Brosius
Tino Martinez
John Wettland
Ruben Sierra
Jim Leyritz
Ruben Rivera
Dwight Gooden... all suspected juicers

What bothers me is what I don't know yet. I have heard that the late 90's Cleveland Indians teams are all over this list.
Jim Thome
Matt Williams
Brian Giles
Chad Curtis
Trenidad Hubbard
Robbie Alomar
Wil Cordero.......

While that would stink for Indians fans, I think I could survive.

What would really get me is if I found out that my childhood hero, Ken Griffey, Jr. was on the juice.

Never thought he would have taken any performance enhancing drugs given his profile, but I have been fooled before.

Hopefully this day passes and Junior's name isn't on this list.

Waterford Shines But Eagles Come Away With Title

By Andy Kuhn
Special To the Times

VINCENT- Last year Belpre came out on the short end of the Washington County Quad Meet thanks to a lack of depth in the middle-weights. Consecutive forfeits at 103, 112, and 119-pound classes gave Marietta the deciding points in the 42-39 decision. For Belpre coach Scott Adams the loss was tough to take given the fact Belpre produced seven individual champions at the meet. Call it karma that this time around, as Adams and his Golden Eagle grapplers got the decisions needed for the coveted County Championship trophy.

Before a packed Warrior Gymnasium in Vincent, Belpre manhandled opponents Marietta and Warren, and slipped by the Wildcats of Waterford 42-40 picking up their first meet victory of the season.

In the opening round Belpre with stood Marietta victories by Kerr, Hupp, and Sturm before taking the seven classes, posting a decisive 47-18 victory. In the match, Belpre wrestlers Tyler Cooper, Tim Randolph, Ashton Packard, and Mike Waderker each posted victories, the wins by Cooper, Randolph, and Waderker coming via pin.

In the other first round match Waterford rode the coattails of Corey Farley’s and Dennis Jones’ pins to post a 42-30 victory over host Warren. Picking up 18 points via forfeit, Waterford made up for the 24 it gave away.

Round two featured the most exciting match of the night, Waterford’s Jones versus Belpre’s Tyler Cooper in the 145-pound class. Billed as the match-up between arguably Washington County’s two best wrestlers, Jones dominated third and final round posting 7 of his 11 points over the final two minutes.

Despite Jones’ victory, Waterford was unable to secure the victory, as forfeits at 152, 160, 189, 215, and heavyweight spelled doom for the depleted Wildcats. Of the matches wrestled (4), Waterford claimed 3, all of them by a pin.

After the meet, Waterford wrestlers Farley and Jones both spoke of the importance of picking up pin victories in the middle-weight classes.

“We are always working for pin points, we realize that we are missing some guys, and we are wanting six points every time out because we only have eight guys,” said Jones.

“No body gives up for a second because we all know we need six points. We have guys out there in the third period working for a pin because we know we need the points.” said Farley.

In round two’s consolation match, Warren and Marietta wrestled to a 21-21 draw, the final points being decided in a hard fought match between Warren’s Andrew Dunfee and Marietta’s Chris Pierce.

The final rounds provided two of the more exciting matches of the evening as Marietta’s Scott Tebay edged Waterford’s Justin Smith in overtime, picking up two points via takedown with :20 seconds remaining. Unfortunately for Tebay and the Tigers, Marietta was unable to overcome the Wildcats, falling 28-26.

The second notable match came in the final minutes when Warren’s Dunfee moved up a class to wrestle Belpre’s Mike Waderker in the 215 division. For much of the contest, Dunfee and Waderker exchanged locks, each failing to bring the other to the mat for a possible pin. With the match tied at 2 entering the final period, Waderker managed a fall to score the go-ahead points in the 11-3 victory.

The Waderker victory put a cherry on top of what turned out to be a memorable night for the Eagles.

“This was our first match of the year, and we came along pretty well. We are happy with the way things turned out, we did find some stuff to work on, but the victory over Waterford was nice. They have a great group, coach Paxton does, and it is a shame it came down to a forfeit,” said Adams. “Tonight was good for our whole team.”

Statistics:
Round 1
Belpre d. Marietta 47-18
103- Lockhart (B) won by forfeit, 112- dual forfeit, 119- Cline (M) dec. Kerr , 125- Hupp (M) p. Hess :45, 130- Sturm (M) p. Parish 3:06, 135-dual forfeit, 140-dual forfeit, 145- Cooper (B) p. Tebay (M) 1:59, 152- Randolph (B) p. Pierce (M) :51, 160- Packard (B) dec. Shields (M), 171- Walker (B) p. Bauman (M) 3:00, 189- Wiggers (B) won by forfeit, 215- Waderker (B) won by forfeit, HWY-Karr (B) p. Mireles (M) 2:26.

Waterford d. Warren 42-30
forfeit, 119- Branham (Wat) p. Harlow (War) 4:17, 125- dual forfeit, 130- Miller (Wat) p. Douglass (War) 2:31, 135- Farley (Wat) p. Bennett (War) 1:18, 140- Gilliand (War) p. Smith (Wat) 5:37, 145- Jones (Wat) p. Mason (War) 1:40, 152- Dunfee (War) won by forfeit, 160- Najewicz (War) won by forfeit, 171- Rohr (War) won by forfeit, 189- Bauerbach (Wat) won by forfeit, 215- Sebring (War) won by forfeit.

Round 2
Warren, Marietta 21-21 draw
(stats unavailable at this time)

Belpre d. Waterford 42-40
103- Reed (Wat) won by forfeit, 112 Croote (Wat) p. Lockhart (B) 1:35, 119- Branham (Wat) won by forfeit, 125- Miller (Wat) p. Hess (B) 1:57, 130- Parish (B) won by forfeit, 135- Farley (Wat) won by forfeit, 140- Smith (B) won by forfeit, 145- Jones (Wat) dec. Cooper (B) 11-1, 152- Randolph (B) won by forfeit, 160- Packard (B) won by forfeit, 171-Waker (B) p. Bauerbach (Wat) :53, 189- Wiggers (B) won by forfeit, 215- Waderker (B) won by forfeit, HWY- Karr (B) won by forfeit.

Round 3
Belpre d. Warren 54-18
103- Lockhart (B) won by forfeit, 112- dual forfeit, 119- Harlow (War) won by forfeit, 125-Hess (B) won by forfeit, 130- Parish (B) p. Douglass (War) :57, 135- Bennett (War) won by forfeit, 140- Gilliand (War) won by forfeit, 152- Randolph (B) dec. Dunfee (War), 160- Packard (B) p. Najewicz (War) 2:22, 171- Walker (B) dec. Rohr (War), 189- Wiggers (B) won by forfeit, 215-Waderker (B) dec. Sebring (War), HWY- Karr (B) won by forfeit.

Waterford d. Marietta 28-26
103- Reed (Wat) won by forfeit, 112- Croote (Wat) won by forfeit, 119- Branham (Wat) p. Kerr (M) 5:14, 125- Hupp (M) dec. Miller (Wat), 130-dual forfeit, 135- Farley (Wat) dec. Sturm (M), 140- Tebay (M) dec. Smith (Wat), 145- dual forfeit, 152- Jones (Wat) p. Pierce (M) 1:09, 160- Shields (M) dec. Fulton (Wat), 171- Bauman (M) dec. Bauerbach (Wat), 189-dual forfeit, 215-dual forfeit, HWY-Mireles (M) won by forfeit.

Quad Meet champion: Belpre

Cadets Fast Start Sinks Caldwell

By Andy Kuhn
Special to the Times

BEVERLY- If you sat down with Caldwell coach Bryian Burson he would probably tell you that when it rains for his ball club, it pours. After road losses to Marietta and Buckeye Trail the clouds were threatening when they hit the road again Tuesday night.

Unfortunately for Burson and the Redskins, the skies opened up again, only this time around Fort Frye junior Jarrod Arnold provided the precipitation.

Thanks to Arnold’s three first quarter treys and the Cadets stifiling full-court man to man defense, Fort Frye dismantled visiting Caldwell by a score of 54-40.

Fort Frye (3-1) opened the game hitting on all cylinders, making 5 of its first 7 shots, four of those coming from long range. Taking full advantage of a packed in 2-3 zone, Arnold and teammate Jarid Bates each connected from long range, all of those coming from the top of the key.

“We don’t put the clamps on any of our guys. We want them to take good shots within the offense, and I think tonight we did that,” said Cadet signal caller Dan Liedtke. “Shot selection is really important, and tonight we were hitting so there weren’t many bad shots out there.”

After the Arnold and Bates barrage, Burson called his second timeout of the quarter just 4 minutes in hoping to stop the Cadet run. Unfortunately the 14-3 tally proved too much for the Redskins on this night, as the three points would be all Caldwell would muster in the first period.

Caldwell’s lone offensive highlight came at the start of the second quarter when Robbie Lamp hit consecutive buckets, and then a three pointer from the wing personally posting a 7-0 Caldwell run. The seven points would pull the Redskins to within seven of Fort Frye, but that would be as close as they would come.

Trailing by 20 to start the fourth, Caldwell would again mount a charge this time getting key buckets by Ryan McKee and Ryan Keith. After a second McKee runner, Caldwell inched within 10, but back to back turnaround jumpers by Fort Frye senior Derek Thompson finally pushed the game out of reach.

After the game Liedtke was pleased with his team’s overall defense.
“Defensively we did a great job of getting in passing lanes, our guys were able to get their hands on a number of passes, we came away with a few easy buckets late because of that.”

On the evening the Cadets tallied 11 steals, five of those coming from junior guard Brandt Thieman. In to his five steals, Thieman notched nine rebounds, seven assists, and nine points. Offensively the Cadets were paced by Arnold who tallied 16 points, and Thompson who added 14, 8 of those coming in the fourth quarter. For the Redskins, Robbie Lamp led the way with 12 points, and Ryan McKee added 10. With the victory Fort Frye moves to 3-1 and will travel to Monroe Central on Friday.

NEXT GAME: Fort Frye @ Monroe Central Friday 7:30. 


Fort Frye 54, Caldwell 40



Fort Frye 17 13 16 8- 54

Caldwell 3 12 11 14- 40



FORT FRYE (3-1)

Tyler Stevens 2-7 4-6 9, Jarid Bates 1-2, 0-0, 3, Isaiah Warren 1-2, 0-0, 2, Derek Thompson 5-7, 4-4, 14, Cory Gerber 0-0,0-0,0, Brandt Thieman 3-6, 2-2, 9, Jarrod Arnold 6-12, 0-0, 16, Ryan Mincks 0-0, 1-2, 1. TOTALS-18/35=51%

CALDWELL (0-3)

Ryan McKee 4-11, 0-0, 10, Aaron Lucas 1-3, 0-0, 2, Ryan Keith 2-5, 2-3, 7, Austin Schott 2-2, 0-0, 5, Dillon Warner 0-0, 0-1, 0, Cody Crum 1-2, 2-2, 4, Dalton Frederickson 0-1, 0-0, 0, Robbie Lamp 5-9, 0-0, 12, Scott Palaygi 0-1, 0-0, 0. TOTALS-15/34=44%

Team stats:

Fort Frye: 3 pt. shooting 5-14; Free Throws 1-15; Rebounds 15 (Thieman 9); Steals 11 (Thieman 5, Arnold 3); Assists 13 (Thieman 7); Turnovers 4; Blocks 3 (Thieman 2)


Caldwell: 3 pt shooting 6-19; Free throws 4-6; Rebounds 14 (Schott 5); Steals 6 (Schott 4); Assists 6 (Lucas 2); Turnovers 6; Blocks 2

Gilbert Arenas' ideal shoe commercial

“You know how I always throw my jersey into the stands after a game? In Washington, they just go crazy for it. So in this commercial, that's what I'm gonna do with my shoes. I've just hit a game winner, and I throw these shoes. Everyone starts to react, and you see everything in slow motion. Everyone's pushing, shoving, doing whatever it takes to try to get to these shoes. People from the 400 level, they're jumping off the ledge, they're missing the pile, hitting nothing but chairs, and you can just see in people's faces like, Ooooh, that hurt. While all this stuff's going on, one of the shoes pops out of the crowd, and a little girl gets it and she takes off. A couple of people see she has it, and they start chasing her, and she's looking back running—and then she gets clotheslined by a kid in a wheelchair. So he picks the shoe up and says—he's gonna have the only line in there—"They said I couldn't get it. Heh. Impossible is nothing." And then he rolls off."

I love this guy.

Lady Wildcats Throttle Fort Frye

WATERFORD- Coming off her record setting 36 point, seven three point bucket game versus Shenandoah Monday, Fort Frye Senior Kourtney Booth knew a similar effort would be needed in order to top the favored Lady Wildcats on the road.

Unfortunately for Booth and her teammates Saturday night, a forgettable first quarter quickly dispelled any notions of another record setting night.

Thanks to a 25 point opening frame, and consistent production from “the big three”, the Waterford Lady Wildcats cruised to their third victory of the season, quickly dispatching rival Fort Frye 68-37.

Waterford (3-0) jumped out to an early 15-0 lead thanks to a stifling full court man-to-man defense spearheaded by swarming ball pressure from Ashleigh Tornes and Jessi Drayer. Forcing six Fort Frye turnovers in their first ten possessions, the Lady Cats poured it on early hitting 8 of their first 11 shot attempts, six of those coming from seniors Sina King and Britany Brown.

After a Cadet timeout the momentum appeared to be shifting when Booth would hit consecutive jumpers cutting the lead to 11. However, back to back buckets would prove hard to come by for the duration as Waterford would again flex its defensive muscle, limiting the opposition to only 15 first half points.

“We really wanted to get going early and then sit on a lead tonight,” said Waterford Coach ____ Close. “I think we did a nice job of that tonight, and most of that was due to our pressure and our ability to rotate on defense.”

While defensively the Lady Cats made easy work of Fort Frye, it was hard not to take notice of their precision on the offense end.

Shooting a blistering 57% (15 of 26) in the first half, Waterford executed their open post sets to perfection. After the game, Close was complimentary of the job his girls did when they got the ball.

“I am blessed with 8 different girls who can score. All I have to do is put them in a good position, and they pretty much do the job. We have shot well in every game we’ve played this year, granted we’ve only played three, all of them at home, but I think we are doing a great job offensively.”

Waterford was again led by its’ senior triumvirate, Britany Brown, Jessi Drayer, and Sina King. Brown led all scorers with 18 points while Drayer and King each chipped in with 17. For the Cadets, Brown again led the way scoring notching 16 before fouling out late in the 3rd quarter. Whitney Gerber added 11, nine of those coming in a 1:13 second span in the third quarter.

NEXT GAME: Fort Frye @ Buckeye Trail, Monday 7:30 pm.
Waterford @ Trimble, Thursday 7:30 pm.


Waterford 68, Fort Frye 

37

Fort Frye 6 9 18 4 --37
Waterford 25 16 18 9--68

FORT FRYE (3-3)
 Kaelee Griffin 0-0 0-0 0, Whitney Gerber 11, Marcie Fouss 2, Krista Brockmeier 0, Kourtney Booth 13-18 3-4 16, Danielle Lang 0, Darcie Combs 0, Amanda Reiter 2, Ashley Okey 0-1 0-0 0, Kaitlin Huck 4, Kelsie Brooker 2.

WATERFORD (3-0)

 Kaitlyn Stewart 4, Ashleigh Tornes 9, Jessi Drayer 17, Britany Brown 18, Sina King 17, Haley Ellis 1 Bethany Dailey 2, Janetta Lang 0, Lauren Bosner 0, Sabrina Macatee 0.

Team stats:


Fort Frye: 3pt. shooting 4-12; Free throws 0-7; Rebounds 18 (Thieman 6); Steals 2 (Warren, Arnold 1); Assists 7 (Arnold 5); Turnovers 19; Blocked shots 0.

Waterford: Shooting: 3pt. shooting 2-4; Free throws 12-20; Rebounds 22; Steals 10 Assists 9; Turnovers 8; Blocked shots 1

Buckeyes Tigers Could Look Eerily Familiar

I don’t mind sticking my neck out there when it comes to prognostication. Up to this week I was leading my hotly contested Yahoo Fantasy pick-em poll. However despite the air of confidence I have when it comes to college football, I admit there is one thing that keeps me from jumping the shark come January………Buckeye backlash.

The worst thing about writing about sports in Ohio is that giant vacuum in Columbus. From July to January, the entire state eats, drinks, and sleeps Buckeye football (at least it does when guys named Bellasari aren’t playing quarterback). This fact makes it difficult to tell anyone much less a scarlet and grey clad fanatic, that the grass is much greener in the SEC. I tried to last year for much of the season, but as the year wore on I found myself drunk with Tressel-punch by midseason.

Last year I stated that OSU would be favored and would likely defeat any college football team pitted against them in the BCS championship game. I didn’t give Florida much credit, and to be honest I had to bow to the Buckeye altar in order to get people to read my column. The same cannot be said this year.

I have since learned my lesson regarding the Big Ten and Ohio State and their purported successes against the SEC. Consider recent history:

• With Last year’s 41-14 defeat at the hands of Florida, Ohio State moved to 0-8 all time versus the SEC, 0-6 in bowl games.

• The SEC maintains a .582 winning percentage all-time versus the Big Ten. The lone Big Ten team with a winning record against the SEC in bowl games is Penn State at 5-2.

• Over the last 3 years the Big Ten has won just 8 of 20 bowl games, including going 2 and 5 last year.

• Since 2000 the Big Ten has won only once in its three BCS bowl games versus the SEC (Michigan in 2000 over Alabama on a botched extra point in O.T.)

Given this I am hard pressed to consider the Buckeyes a worthy foe in New Orleans. When you incorporate factors such as the location of the Sugar Bowl in proximity to Baton Rouge, the lack of success experienced by OSU when playing in SEC foes, and the unpredictable nature of the LSU offense, January 7th may well look like the perfect storm.

Does anyone remember what happened the last time the Tigers got to play a national championship at the Sugar Bowl? Sure you don’t because you were still fuming over Maurice Clarett’s suspension. Let me refresh your memory.

In 2004 LSU and Oklahoma got to play in New Orleans for the BCS title game. Going into the contest Sooner coach Bob Stoops demanded that tickets be dispersed 50/50 between Tiger and Sooner fans. However, repeated calls to the NCAA and Bowl Championship committee went ignored and the Superdome ended about 80/20 purple to red. After LSU took a 21-7 lead, you couldn’t tell that it wasn’t a home game for the Bayou Bengals.

Why No BCS Game in Northern City

Ah Behold.....Lovely Clinton Michigan
Drink it in, it always goes down smooth.
Personally I couldn’t think of a better place to play next years BCS title game.

In recent days OSU fans have clamored for a BCS title game to be played closer to their abode. Trips to Tempe and New Orleans have become tiring. There seems to be no love for northern teams come January..........................Oh Woe is me.

Obviously it stems from Buckeye fans discontent with having to play LSU in New Orleans.

It does begat a good question, if the Super Bowl can be played in domes in Minneapolis and Detroit why not play the BCS title game in Detroit?

Well from a fans perspective it would make sense to shorten travel time for Big Ten teams scheduled to play in the title game. And given what has transpired for LSU, it stands to reason that if Michigan ever gets things squared away they should be entitled to a similar advantage.

But the question can be answered, why do they not have a BCS bowl game up north?

Simply put, corporate america and college football writers would rather have a root canal than have to spend a week in Detroit covering college football.

Honestly, if given the choice do you think the Gameday crew would want to do live TV from Tempe, Miami, Pasadena, New Orleans, or Toledo. That's a no brainer.

Until global warming turns Detroit or Cleveland into a subtropical climate, you can forget any idea of moving a BCS bowl game north of the Mason Dixon line.

.Mac blog Operational

Well, as you all well know I converted to Mac back in september. (Yes I am officially a wuss)

In an effort to provide you with a more user friendly experience, I am putting all of my posts on my .mac blog.

You can find it here

http://web.mac.com/markakuhn/Rivertown_Ramblings/Rivertown_Ramblings/Rivertown_Ramblings.html

I know the text is long, and searching for it is a bear, but it is a good thing. And if it sucks, I will delete it eventually

Feel free to stop by, tell me what you think.

I am not a Buckeye Fan

Nor am I an LSU fan

Nor am I a Mountaineer Fan for that matter.

I am a Duke fan, and we don't have a football team.

I am also a fan of good games, and I think this might be a good one. OSU vs. WVU

Unfortunately tonight, the Eers dropped the ball (literally) and now we are going to leave the decision of who is playing in the national championship up to a system that includes voters like Steve Spurrier who every year vote for Duke in the top 25.

Something has to change. I really would like to be looking at a playoff bracket right now with football teams, but alas that would be too easy.

I guess we will just wait till tomorrow night, since the BCS standings come out then and we will all be wondering who OSU will play in the title game.

Lest anyone forgets, OSU is 0-9 all time vs. the SEC in bowl games. I am hoping they play LSU so they can get embarrassed.

Tigers Cruise Past Caldwell

By Andy Kuhn
Special to the Times

Frigid temperatures outside managed to creep inside Sutton Gymnasium Saturday night, as cold shooting plagued both teams in the game’s opening quarter. After posting a total of fifteen first quarter points, a staunch Tiger defense sparked a frenzied 18-0 run, paving the way for Marietta’s 52-40 pasting of visiting Caldwell.

Leading 8-7 at the end of one, Marietta (2-0) picked up the defensive intensity early in the second period, opting to extend their suffocating 2-3 zone to half court. Applying a half-court trap of Caldwell guards, the play-call turned a close game into a walk through.
Frustrating Redskin ball-handlers Robbie Lamp and Austin Schott, the Tigers forced the majority of the Redskins’ twenty turnovers in a mere six-minute span.

Sparked by the stingy defense of sixth man Evan Brockmeier, the Tigers raced up and down the floor filling the rim uncontested lay-up after lay-up. The junior paced Tiger scorers on the night, netting 11 points, 8 of those coming in transition. Twice, the speedster outran Caldwell defenders, going coast to coast for the score.

“I was just being aggressive tonight”, said Brockmeier. “I was just looking for opportunities to make something happen, and when I saw an opening I took it.”

Caldwell (0-2) struggled from the outside, failing to get a basket for just over five minutes in the second quarter. Opting to shoot the three over the outstretched zone, Caldwell dug itself into quite a hole, falling behind by as many as 23 in the contest.

After the game, Marietta Coach J.D. Secrest attributed the victory to the hustle of his role players.

“We wanted to show Caldwell a bunch of looks and get our bench guys a lot of minutes tonight. It seemed that once our bench got on the floor they gave us lots of momentum”, They all did a great job, and Evan (Brockmeier) did real well for us tonight. His intensity was good from start to finish. He gives it everything he’s got the minute he steps on the floor.”

With the win the Tiger program notched its 1200th victory all-time, becoming only the fifteenth team to do so in Ohio High School History.

“It shows the tradition we have here at Marietta” said Secrest. “This is the product of hard work from many many people. I feel honored to be a part of it. This isn’t just a compliment to me or these players it is a compliment to all the coaches who made this program what it is; Coaches Warner, Tolzda, Paxton, and even Coach Sutton.”

With the victory Marietta advances to 2-0 and hopes to carry that momentum into its SEOAL opener Tuesday night at Zanesville.

“We know we have to play real well to give us a shot. We’ve got a lot of things to work on, but we are happy with how we’ve started.”


Marietta 52, Caldwell 40

Marietta 8 20 12 12- 52
Caldwell 7 5 14 14- 40


JV Game- Marietta 41, Caldwell 34