JA senior Mary Ferrito (4) takes a big step before laying in a score against Whitehall. Ferrito went off by scoring 35 points for the Lady Pioneers in their win over the Lady Rams. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) Jonathan Alder clubbed Whitehall 71-33 during a Division II tournament basketball game. The Lady Rams, however, wasted no time challenging the JA defense during the initial minutes of the sectional title contest. Whitehall, the No. 13 seed, climbed to a 9-3 lead, which forced No. 4 Alder to call a timeout to recollect itself. “That’s what I am the most proud…
Author: Aleksei Pavloff
JA senior Joey Walker (left) levitates with the Cardinals’ Chase Walker (right) at the tip-off of the game. Walker notched three points in the team’s loss to St. Charles. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) Jonathan Alder battled with visiting St. Charles on the basketball court. The Cardinals took care of business during the boys hoop game with a 41-33 triumph. “Losing sucks and that was a tough one,” said JA coach Zach Ross. “Hopefully this helps us for the tournament. “We were playing a good team and they were well-prepared.” Jonathan Alder fell behind early as the Cardinals jumped out…
Jonathan Alder’s Owen Crabtree (top) shrugs by Scotty Gaskin (bottom) in a last-minute scheduled match in Pioneer country. Crabtree won his match by pin in the second period. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — After the gym became free, Jonathan Alder invited the Logan Elm Braves for a last-minute dual wrestling meet to round out the regular season. The Pioneers took a 42-32 triumph. “We had half a point left,” JA head coach Tony Watson said in reference to the team’s limit on the number of duals in which it can compete. “I scheduled it just in case for some…
Jonathan Alder’s Trenton Moodispaugh (black) tries to break down North Union’s Gabe Hansen (orange) in the consolation semifinals for 126 pounds. The Wildcat eventually pinned the Pioneer in the third period of the match. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — In a day packed with wrestling, Jonathan Alder saw a host of Pioneers earn a spot on the podium along with some Wildcats from North Union during the Central Buckeye Conference tournament. Graham was crowned the champion by tallying 252.5 total team points. Jonathan Alder earned a second-place finish as a team with 192 and Indian Lake came in third…
North Union’s 190-pounder Shan Swank (top) hits a sprawl on Triad’s Tucker Webb (bottom) in their matchup during round three of the Triad Duals tournament. Webb went 4-1 on the day, with Swank going 5-0. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — North Union took second place as a team at the Triad Duals tournament. The Wildcats captured four of their five dual matches. The only loss for North Union came at the hands of Bucyrus by a 45-36 count. NU beat Bellefontaine 42-21, Triad 42-30, Urbana 54-18 and Northwestern 48-18. The first portion of the tourney proved to be quite…
Marysville’s boys varsity wrestling team dropped two matches during the Division I state duals tournament. The Monarchs opened competition at Lakewood St. Ed by falling 48-15 to eventual state runner-up Brecksville. They concluded the tourney with a hard-fought 36-33 setback to Cincinnati Moeller. Lakewood St. Ed defeated Brecksville 54-9 to claim the state duals championship. “While we didn’t get the results we wanted, we did have the opportunity to compete against some of the best programs in the state,” said MHS coach Shawn Andrews. “That type of competition has a way of revealing your weaknesses and areas we need to…
Marysville senior Kade Focht shoots a jumper against Harvest Prep. The forward tallied five points in the team’s loss to the Warriors. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — Marysville fell in a hard-fought boys basketball contest against state-ranked Columbus Harvest Prep, 62-51. The Warriors are currently rated as the No. 6 team in Division III by the Associated Press. The Monarchs, though, challenged Harvest Prep in all facets of the game. “Harvest Prep was a team we had to quickly prepare for,” MHS head coach Mark Tinklenberg said, as the game was a late addition to the schedule. “I remembered…
Marysville’s Colton Powers (bottom) hits a single leg shot on Aiden Smith (top) in their match at 175 pounds. The senior from Marysville won his matchup by way of a first period pin. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — MHS senior Jack Golla (left) hand fights with Josiah Brooks (right) as both grapplers battler for an opening on the other. The Monarch won the match at 150 pounds by way of third-period pin. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — Monarch senior Erryl Wil (right) secures a single leg takedown against Zach Smith (left) at 157 pounds. Will ended up winning…
Fairbanks senior Grant Rausch drives in for the layup with two Indians ready to take him on. Rausch scored four points in the team’s home win on Senior Night over Mechanicsburg. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — The Fairbanks boys basketball team is chomping at the bit for a chance to play for an Ohio Heritage Conference (OHC) North Division title after defeating Mechanicsburg 52-20. Fans and parents gathered at the high school to celebrate the school’s winter senior athletes ahead of the team’s divisional contests. Although the festivities were special, the team has bigger hopes leading into the postseason.…
Monarch senior Emilio Guerrero attempts a single-leg shot on Teays Valley’s Wesley Henderson during a regional match. The Marysville 126-pounder won the battle in the final seconds of the first period. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — Marysville’s 165-pounder Brady Seger goes for the pin against Grove City’s Zach Merz. Segner won by a 10-2 decision. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — After a delayed start, Marysville has advanced to the next round of the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association state duals after defeating Grove City (57-18) and Teays Valley (46-28) at home. Matches began at 4 p.m. due…
Fairbanks senior Cami Renicker tries to get to the neutral position against a Gahanna Lincoln lady grappler in a match at Fairbanks earlier this season. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — With a wealth of interest backing its cause, girls wrestling has now been sanctioned by the state. That gives local lady grapplers something to look forward to in the 2022-23 season as a varsity sport. The Ohio High School Athletic Association made the announcement Jan. 13. In its reasoning, the association stated the board of directors voted to unanimously add girls wrestling along with boys volleyball as “emerging sports,”…
North Union’s 113-pounder Trace Williams (left) ties up and hand fights with Centerburg’s Heath Merklin (right) in the second round of the Don Wasserbeck Invitational. The Wildcat eventually took first place in his bracket. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — Marysville’s 126-pounder Boston Burkardt reaches for a single leg against Whetstone’s Cole Basham in the third round of the Wasserbeck tournament. The Monarch went on to place second in the weight class. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — North Union wrestlers hosted the Don Wasserbeck Invitational. The event featured several Wildcats along with the visiting Monarchs from Marysville placing in…
JA’s 190-pounder Will Heisler attempts to get free of Norwayne’s Alex Berry with a sit-out. Heisler went on to place third in his weight class during Alder’s Ron Thomas Sr. Invitational. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — With one Jonathan Alder grappler taking first place, the Pioneers finished within the top five as a team while hosting the Ron Thomas Senior Invitational. Jonathan Alder grapplers combined for 146 points in the team’s fourth-place finish out of 21 teams present. Taking the team crown was Licking Valley, which scored a total of 170 team points. LV was followed by Mount Vernon…
Monarch Jack Golla secures a T-Bar tilt against Thomas Worthington’s 150-pounder Michael Blain, eventually defeating the Cardinal by a 6-1 decision in the final period. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — Marysville 132-pounder Zach Pfarr (left) is belly-to-back with Thomas Worthington’s Channing Thornton in the first period. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — MHS heavyweight Andrew Bentz (top) attempts to pin Cardinals’ Logan Gardner in the first period before the referee called for blood time. Bentz capped off the dual meet with a pin in the second period. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — Marysville claimed another Ohio Capital Conference…
At 165 pounds, JA’s Nick Finke (left) attempts to take down Marysville’s Alton Dobyns (right). Dobyns defeated the Pioneer by pin in the second period. (Journal-Tribune photo by Aleksei Pavloff) — In a late schedule change, Jonathan Alder went up against Marysville for the Pioneers’ senior wrestling night. Alder defeated the Monarchs 46-24. “We were supposed to face Marion Pleasant, which is ranked number one in the Division III district,” JA head coach Tony Watson said. Watson said he was notified five days prior that the Spartans would be unable to compete due to injuries and sickness. After discovering the…