Hannah Plybon, Orrville Alums & March Madness

Akron's Hannah Plybon (L) and Ball State's Brandy Woody fight for a loose ball in the first half March 15, 2014 during the championship game of the 2014 Mid-American Conference Women's Basketball Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. (John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer)

If you're a supporter of Red Rider athletics, you were no doubt smiling this past weekend at the news of 2013 OHS alum Hannah Plybon and the Akron Zips women's basketball team winning the Mid-American Conference tournament.

The win over Ball State at the Q Arena in Cleveland was not only the program's first MAC title since it's inception, but the win also clinched the first ever berth in the NCAA Women's Tournament for the Zips.
Hannah had 9 points (on three 3-pointers) in the win and continues to be a steady contributor.

The Zips received the 13th seed in the "Notre Dame" bracket and will face 4th seeded Purdue this Saturday on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN.

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Hannah & the Zips qualifying for "March Madness" got me thinking about how many other Red Rider alums have taken part in the pinnacle of college basketball.  Several names came to mind right away, but I needed reminded of others, and some I had completely forgot.  Thanks to several readers, my memory was jolted and I was able to research the rest.

Announcing the 2013 Orrville High School Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class

The 12th biennial induction class of the Orrville High School Sports Hall of Fame has been nominated and this year's class of 8, set to be inducted this September, is very impressive.

Without further ado...here is the 2013 induction class:

Tommy Brenner (Class of 2005)

• Football captain in 2004, 2-time All-Ohio, 2nd most receiving yards in school history
• Played football on scholarship at Ashland University. Was leading tackler in 2008 as well as All-GLIAC selection

Mike Burkholder (Coach)

• 18 years as track and football coach at OHS as well as science teacher.
• Head coach of 1999 Boys track team that won a state title. Had 2 runner-up finishes at state as well as a 3rd place finish. Coached numerous state title winners and placers.
• Longtime football defensive coordinator.

Marcell Denson (Class of 1996)

• Three year letterwinner in football. 1st team all-state
• Four year letterwinner in basketball. 1996 Div. 2 Player of the Year and State Tournament MVP.
• All-time leading scorer and rebounder in Orrville boys basketball history.
• One of OHS all-time greatest all-around athletes.
• Played in state football final in 1994 and won 2 state titles in basketball.

Tim Hiller (Class of 2005)

• All-time leading passer in school football history with over 7,000 career yards
• OCC basketball player of the year
• Record setting QB at Western Michigan University, throwing for over 11,000 career yards.
• Received prestigeous Wuerffel Award in 2009. Given to college athlete who best displays community service, athletic and academic achievement.

Renauld Ray (Class of 1996)

• 1995 1st Team All-Ohio & Beacon Journal Football Player of the Year
• 2-time All-Ohio in basketball. 3rd All-time in school history in points scored, 2nd in assists and 5th in rebounds. Feature member of back to back basketball championship teams.
• All-Ohio in track
• Played WR at Youngstown State and was member of 1997 Division I-AA National Championship team.

Chris Royer (Class of 1990)

• 4 year letterwinner in basketball. 1000 career point scorer, 1st team All-Ohio in 1990 and MVP of Wilbur Berkey Classic.
• Played on scholarship at Ashland University where he also scored over 1,000 career points and was co-captain his junior and senior years.

Doug Steiner (Class of 1994)

• Total of 11 letters at OHS (3 football, 4 wrestling, 3 baseball, 1 track).
• Team captain at Grove City College where he rushed for 2,700+ yards and 40 career touchdowns.
• Inducted into Grove City College Hall of Fame in 2011.

Bob Weltlich (Class of 1962)

• Played basketball at OHS
• Graduate of Ohio State
• Total of 30 years coaching college basketball. Head coach for 21 seasons, assistant coach at Indiana and Army. Head coach at Mississippi, Texas, Florida International and South Alabama.
• 7-time conference coach of the year
• Author of the book "Crooked Zebra."

Also to be honored on this night will be the 1995 and 1996 boys basketball state championship teams.

A very solid class if you ask me.  Very accomplished while at OHS and beyond.  Counting these 8, there are now 98 members of the OHSHOF, dating back to the first class inducted in 1991.  A list of prior inductees can be found here.

Once again allow me to remind my readers as to how the process works.  First and foremost, the OHSHOF Committee DOES NOT select nominees.  Nominations must be submitted by the general public.  Committee members cannot nominate anyone either.  This is done to preserve the integrity of the organization.

All nominations are voted on and the top 20 vote getters move on to the final voting round.  All committee members must then vote for 10 of the 20.  Of that top 20, all who receive a majority vote of present committee members (if there are 15 committee members present, a majority would be 8 votes) are selected for induction, with no more than 10 members per class being selected.  Inductees must accept the honor and be able to attend an induction ceremony.

There have been alumni who have turned down the honor...and there are deserving alums who have never been nominated.  There are some in this years class that have been on the nomination list since 1992 and are just now getting in and some that were just nominated a few years ago.

Success at Orrville is important, but success beyond Orrville is considered as well.  The mission of the committee reflects that:

"To select people who have distinguished themselves in one or more sports at Orrville High School, any college or university or other area of amateur and professional athletics or who have made meritorious efforts on behlaf of athletic programs in Orrville, Ohio."

Induction Ceremony
This year's induction will be held on Saturday September 14th at the high school.  The induction portion of the evening will take place in the newly renovated auditorium.  Very excited for that as it will be the first chance for many to see what I've heard is a beautiful space.  Tickets are $25.00 per person and that includes a meal.  More information will be forthcoming as we get closer to September.

OHSHOF Scholarships
The committee was again proud to present two $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors at last week's Senior Assembly.  This year's recipients were Kevin Weber and Tatiana Bullard.  Funds raised from the induction dinner and the annual golf outing fund these scholarship efforts.

Golf Outing
The annual OHSHOF Golf Scramble is in two weeks (June 8th) at Riceland.  Cost per player is $40 or $160 per 4-person team.  This is our one major fundraiser of the year and helps us continue to provide two $1,000 scholarships to graduating OHS seniors.  Click here for an information sheet as well as a hole sponsorship form.  Holes can be sponsored by individuals, businesses, graduating classes, etc.

Winter Sports Update

A super busy weekend of Red Rider sports is in the books and post-season tournaments are in full swing.  There's plenty to talk about, so let's get right to it.

Closing the Gym
It was great being part of one last night in the gym.  It felt like old times with a packed house and a buzz in the air.  It probably won't hit me until I see a game in the new gym.  It was also great to see players and coaches from some of Orrville's great teams come back to the gym that they helped make so many great memories.  Diane Shanklin and Erica Short represented the volleyball program, Dennis Hochstetler represented the wrestling program, Hannah Plybon and Stacie Howard represented the girls basketball program and Kevin Summers and Marcell Denson represented the boys basketball program.  Here are some pictures courtesy of former basketball player & current track coach Andy Vernon:

Pre-game ceremony

Panorama before National Anthem

The final jump ball

Final points scored by Luke Smith

The final points in the gym were scored by freshman Luke Smith, the grandson of Orrville coaching legend Steve Smith.  Amazing that in a gym Smitty made so famous, his grandson would be the one to close it down with a 3-pointer.

Girls Basketball
The girls breezed their way into the district rounds, notching easy wins over Rittman (72-19) and Loudonville (75-46).  Counting their last regular season game against Clear Fork, the Lady Riders have won their last 3 games by an average of 42 points per game.  Next up is Northwestern this Thursday.  They defeated the Huskies by a 79-38 score just a few weeks ago but tough to beat a team twice in a season.  Guessing they'll try to slow down the pace, but if we're hitting shots like we've been, it may not matter.  That would set up a district final between either Canton Central Catholic or undefeated Smithville on Saturday at 2pm at Triway for a trip to the sweet 16.

Senior Hannah Plybon is sitting at 1,974 points in her career.  She needs just 26 points to be just the 3rd in area history to score 2,000 career points.  That would put in the top 50 all-time in Ohio girls history in points scored.

She also needs just 6 points to top 600 points on the season, something no girl at Orrville has ever done and only 3 boys at OHS have done (Kevin Summers twice, Ron Wachtel and Chris Royer).

The ladies team is now 22-2 on the season, needing 1 more win to tie the record for wins in a season.  The district final could be the game they break that record, and if they win that game, it would be Coach Alberts' 100th win as Orrville girls coach in just his 5th season.  He's never won LESS than 18 games in his 5 years at Orrville...that's pretty impressive.

Boys Basketball
The boys team ended the season with a 5-17 record but will again seek to string together 4 wins and capture a 4th straight district crown.  They dispatched of Black River 53-32 in the sectional opener.  The win was only the 4th win in the last 3 seasons that have been by 20 or more points.  Three of those wins have come in tournament play (2011 & 2012 vs. Chippewa).

The win was the Riders 15th straight tournament win at Wooster High School dating back to 1995 when the school opened.  The Riders have never lost on that floor in a tournament game, but that will be tested this Friday night at they take on #2 seed Oberlin.

The team has played hard all year and seem to be playing some pretty good ball right now.  I'd say don't count them out, but it seems to motivate them when that happens...so continue to count them out I guess.

Wrestling
For the 7th straight year, a Red Rider will travel down I-71 to Columbus for the state wrestling tournament, and this year it's senior Brad Potter at the 152 lb. weight class.  He finished 2nd to Norwayne's Kollin Moore at districts and will seek to become the school's 33rd state placer.  OHS has now had 59 state qualifiers according to AD Kent Smith.  Since 1999 (15 seasons), Orrville has sent at least 1 wrestler to state in 12 of those years.

Potter is 42-5 on the season and will take on Tyler Williamson of Cin. Madiera in the first round of the Division 3, 152 lb. bracket.  The full list of brackets for Division 3 is here.  Basically it takes 4 wins to place in the top 8...and 4 straight wins to finish as state champ.

What is interesting about this year is that a wrestler from Dalton will also be making the trip with the Orrville contingent.  Dalton senior Drew Everett qualified for state at the 145 lb. weight class.  Dalton's wrestling program was disbanded earlier this year due to low numbers so Drew became sort of an adopted son of the Orrville program, practicing and traveling with the Orrville team.  He will still represent Dalton High School, but will have the support of Red Rider Nation behind him....even spawning these t-shirts from downtown Orrville business Expert T's.


Sports Hall of Fame Applications Due
Only a few days left to get your nomination in for the OHS Sports Hall of Fame.  Induction will be this September.  Here's a link to the application.  Once filled out, they can be mailed to the high school to the attention of the Athletic Office.

Just get the nomination form in...doesn't have to be pages and pages.

Last but not least, be sure to check out Rod Dilyard's pictures for purchase.  He does great work and puts in a lot of hours and miles providing this service.  Some really great shots of the final game in the gym.

Go Riders!!!

Nomination for 2013 Orrville Sports Hall of Fame Induction Due March 1st

It's that time again....the biennial induction to the Orrville High School Sports Hall of Fame will take place this year on September 14th at Orrville High School.  The class of 2013 will be the 12th induction class since the first class was enshrined in 1991.

The induction will be held in the newly refurbished OHS auditorium. It may be the first chance for the general public to see the completely renovated space, and will surely add a special touch to the evening.

As always, the Sports Hall of Fame committee needs your help in recognizing the great in OHS athletic history. No person can be inducted without first being nominated and nominations are not made by the committee.  That last part bears repeating....THE COMMITTEE DOES NOT MAKE NOMINATIONS.

Nominations typically come from a family member, friend, classmate, parent, child, grandchild or member of the Orrville community.

A nominee must be at least 25 years old.  Nominees can be coaches that weren't graduates of OHS, but coached at OHS.  Athletic success at OHS is an obvious requirement, but many inductees and nominees saw greater success at the college level, and that can sometimes strengthen a nominees chances for induction.  In short, it's not just what someone did while at OHS...it's sometimes what they do AFTER the leave OHS that can set them apart.

Once nominations are received, all nominees accomplishments are discussed and the list is trimmed down to 20 finalists, and from that 20, a maximum of 10 nominees are selected, by majority vote of the committee, for induction. 

Nominations for the 2013 induction class are due by March 1st, so now is the time to get someone you believe is worthy of induction on the list of nominees.

A nomination form is here...and if I can make a suggestion...just nominate the person...you don't need to have pages and pages of newspaper clippings and awards.  Just the basic info on someone will do to get them nominated.  Members of the HOF committee know Orrville greats from back in the 30's and 40's.  If they were an accomplished athlete at Orrville, someone on the committee will know of them.

Here is the list of current inductees.  I know there has been discussion in the past as to why an individual hasn't been inducted and usually it's two reasons....they were selected for induction but turned down the honor, or they have never been nominated.  Sometimes though there are a lot of deserving nominees and some get in and some fall a vote or two short.  It's a process and certainly not one taken lightly.

The OHS Sports Hall of Fame also provides two $1,000 scholarships to a male and female OHS senior at the Senior Assembly in May.  Funds for that scholarship are raised from the annual golf outing held at Riceland Golf Course.  This year's outing is set for Saturday June 8th...more info on that will be coming later.

Reminder: OHS Sports Hall of Fame Golf Outing is June 9th

We're just about a month away from the OHS Sports Hall of Fame's largest (and only) fundraiser of the year.

This year marks the 22nd annual 18-hole golf scramble at Riceland Country Club. This year's event will take place on Sunday June 9th with registration beginning at 7:30am & a shotgun start at 8am.

Click here for all the info on the event.  The funds raised from this event help go towards funding two $1,000 scholarships to a deserving male and female OHS senior at the Senior Assembly in May.  Contact AD Kent Smith for registration (see the flyer for contact info).

As another reminder, the next biennial OHS Sports Hall of Fame induction is set for September 14, 2013.  It's never too early to consider nominating someone for induction.  Here is a link for the nomination form. 

I mention this every year, but I'll repeat myself again...if someone isn't nominated, they can't be inducted.  If you know of a classmate, friend or family member who is deserving of induction, take the first step of nominating them.  You don't need to have a complete list of every accomplishment during their high school career, just some basic information.  The more information the better, obviously, but at least get the form in and get them on the list for consideration.

For a complete list of inductees, including the class most recently inducted in 2011, click here.

Both the induction form and the list of inductees can be found under the 'Booster Club' tab at the top of the page.

Hope to see a big group of golfers at Riceland on June 9th supporting the preservation of Orrville High School's rich athletic history.

Week 8 Preview + Fall Sports Update

***I'll do the update first, but read past the preview for some other interesting items of note.

Who: Orrville Red Riders (4-3, 2-2 in OCC) vs. Mansfield Madison Rams (6-1, 3-1)
Where: Ram Field - Mansfield (Directions Here)  
When: Friday October 14th, 7:00pm

All Time Series: Orrville leads 25-15-1.  Orrville has won 7 of the last 8 meetings dating back to 2003. (Click here for detail)

Last Meeting: 2010 (Orrville won 35-14)
Last Week: Orrville lost to Ashland 14-0, Madison beat Clear Fork 21-14

Coaches: Doug Davault is 46-21 and in his 6th year as Red Rider coach. Sean Conway is 8-9 in his 2nd year as Ram head coach.
Radio: Game will be broadcast live on WMFD out of Mansfield.  Click here for the live stream link.

Computer Points: Orrville sits 7th in Region 13, Madison is 10th in Region 6.

Make Plans to Attend the Orrville Sports Hall of Fame Induction

We're just a little over 3 weeks away from the bi-annual OHS Sports Hall of Fame induction, to be held Saturday Night October 8th at Orrville High School.  The event will start with a dinner at 6pm in the gym, followed by the induction in the OHS Auditorium.

Here's a ticket order form, and I'd recommend getting your order in ASAP so a final count can be given to the caterers.

It's a great night of Red Rider Tradition and in addition to the 8 inductees, the 1991-92 State Champion Boys Basketball team will be honored. It's been nearly 20 years since that team won Orrville's first ever team state title and it's hopeful that a good number of players from that team will be in attendance.

Hope to see everyone there.

Reggie Williams (Class of 1959) Article from OrrViews

Thought I'd post this for out-of-towners and those that don't get to read OrrViews.

It's from the July 15th issue and focuses on Orrville Class of '59 grad (and Orrville Sports Hall of Fame inductee) Mr. Reggie Williams. I'll let the article speak for itself, but wanted to point out what a great bit of depth is contained in this. Mr. Williams speaks of his upbringing in a single-parent household in Orrville, his days as a Red Rider under Coach Bill Shunkwiler and the numerous teachers, friends and other Orrvillites who befriended him through his adolescence and beyond.

There's so much more to mention, but take a minute and read the article...it's worth your time.

Here & There....Summertime Reading

Hope everyone is having a great summer so far. It seems amazing, but football season is only 2 months away. Wont be long until 2-a-days begin and another season of Friday nights at Red Rider Stadium will be upon us.

Got a few items of note below so lets get to it.

The 2011 Orrville High School Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class

The 11th induction class of the Orrville Sports Hall of Fame has been confirmed and will be inducted on October 8, 2011 at Orrville High School.

This year's class of eight inductees puts the total number of OHS-HOF inductees since the first induction in 1991 at 89 members.

My own personal opinion...this is a very solid class of high achievers, both at high school and in college, and as you'll read, some very solid classroom achievers as well.  Most excelled in multiple sports and a lot of the class saw success at the highest level of high school athletics, the state tournament.  In fact, 7 of the 8 either qualified for the state tournament or were named All-Ohio at some point of their high school career.

Once more, please let me clarify how this nomination and selection process works.  I know last time and probably every time this happens, there's some that think the inductees are handpicked, and that couldn't be further from the truth.

The Sports Hall of Fame committee (which I am honored to say I am a part of)...receives nominations from the general public.  Announcements were made on the radio, in the newspaper and on this very website to send in nominations.  Those nominations were compiled into a list, which I believe was over 50 this time around.

That list was narrowed by a vote to 20 finalists, and from that list, up to 10 finalists that receive a majority vote, are the induction class.  Inductees MUST ACCEPT the invitation for induction.

If you can't at least call that a fair process, I'm not sure what to tell you.

Join me in welcoming this year's class.......

The 2011 Orrville Sports Hall of Fame Golf Outing

See the link below for information on the OHS Sports Hall of Fame's biggest (and only) fundraiser of the year. Money raised from this event goes toward awarding two $1,000 scholarships (one male, one female) at the annual Orrville Senior Assembly.

Wrapping up Basketball Season

Let's put a wrap on the boys and girls basketball seasons.  Both teams made regionals, just a few schools in Ohio can say that.  Pretty good run for Orrville sports this season.  Tradition matters...simple as that.

Let's go over the post-season honors for our basketball teams and hit some other items.

Another Great Orrville Football Photo...

Photo first, then some background and details. (Click to see full size photo)

Beautiful, am I right?

Some details.....

What a Difference a Week Makes

Not the best week for Orrville sports was it? I guess that will happen from time to time. The girls saw their 11-game win streak snapped by Wooster (yuck!) and the boys dropped two straight.  But fear not, faithful reader. All is not lost.

Let's charge forward with some good news to go along with the not-so-good.

Onward....

Hoops Update & Other Random Acts of Red Riders

Almost forgot what this place looked like. It's been over three weeks since I've posted anything.  Sorry for the absence of late, been busy with family stuff the past few weekends.....and it's looking it might get a little busier for me over the next few months or so, which means less time here.  I apologize in advance, but won't make any apologies for trying to keep my priorities straight.

But life goes on, and so does Red Rider sports. Basketball is at it's halfway point and there's plenty to talk about, so let's get back at it.

My Top 10 of 2010 - #5 and #4

This is my Top 10 Red Rider Sports Blog Moments of 2010. See the full list of posts here. 

We're getting closer, and that means the choices are much harder to make. Every one of these top 10 are moments to be proud of as Orrville citizens, students & alumni.

I think this one might cause some people to question my thought process.  I'll try to explain the best I can.

OHS Sports Hall of Fame Nominations

I was asked to post this on behalf of the Orrville Sports Hall of Fame committee and am happy to help get the word out.

The next induction isn't until next October but now is the time to start thinking about nominations.

Read below for all the details and for the nomination form and the entire list of previous induction classes.