Winter Sports Tournament Update

Boys Basketball
Division 3 Wooster Bracket - Canton Region Bracket - Division 3 - All Divisions

The Orrville boys team drew the 6 seed in what appears to be a wide open district.  Orrville opens with Chippewa on 2/29 (leap day) at 6pm and if they're able to win that game, it's possible they may not face another Wayne County team the entire tournament. 

Number one seed Norwayne was just defeated by Wellington (Lorain County) in regular season play, who according to OhioBasketball.net is 17-2 on the season.  Any team from out of the area will be an unknown to area fans, but 17 wins is 17 wins.

It's also possible that no Wayne County teams will meet in the finals...something that hasn't happened since Loudonville (Ashland County) beat Manchester (Summit County) in 2004.  The only legit district finalist possibilities from Wayne County are Norwayne and Orrville.  No disrespect to Smithville, but I don't see them stringing together 3 wins over Clearview, then Hillsdale, and then probably Orrville or Loudonville to get there.

Elyria Catholic and Orrville play the toughest schedules in the district, and both will come in with losing records.  Will those tough schedules pay off?

Should be a great tournament as always, but something will be missing with Triway moving up to Division 2 and playing their district at the Fieldhouse over in Canton.

Girls Basketball
Division 3 Triway Bracket - Cuyahoga Falls Region Bracket - Division 3 - All Divisions

The Lady Riders ended the regular season 15-5 but lost 2 of their final 3.  Their 5 losses were all to good teams (twice each to West Holmes and Wooster, and once to Canton Central Catholic) so no shame in those, but somewhere along the tournament trail, they're going to meet good teams and they have to figure out how to win those games.

They open tourney play on Weds. 2/22 at 7:45 vs. Chippewa and then play Loudonville on the 25th.  I think they win both of those games handily and their first real test will be against (assuming) Dalton in the district semifinals.

The winner of the CCC/Smithville game will most likely be waiting in the district finals and the Riders would love a chance to defend their district title.

Wrestling
Garfield Heights District Pairings (Orrville Wrestlers in 106, 152, 170 & 285 weight classes).
Four Orrville wrestlers will look to advance to the state tournament this weekend in Garfield Heights.  Alex Tschiegg (106), Brad Potter (152), Trevor White (170) and Ronnie Lehtomaki (285) will all be looking to secure the 6th straight berth in the state tournament by a Rider grappler.

Results should be posted here starting Friday.

Swimming
Last but not least, OHS junior Madison Monheim made it back-to-back appearances in the state swimming meet as she qualified for the 200 yd. freestyle by finishing 4th at districts and also the 500 yd. freestyle where she finished 6th at districts.

She is seeded 12th in the 200 and 16th in the 500.  She will swim in Canton's Branin Natatorium this Thursday at 5pm (prelims) and in the finals on Friday also at 5pm.  Keep an eye on my Twitter page Thursday and Friday for results as I get them.

This is the 4th straight year that Orrville has sent at least 1 swimmer to the state meet.  Quite an accomplishment.

2011 Football...In Review

Saturday's playoff didn't end like anyone wanted...or even thought it would.

The 34-19 loss to the Bobcats was a tough loss, no getting around it. It was one of those nights that nothing went right for us and everything went right for Norwayne.

I'm not going to spend time delving on what could have and should have happened....just going to say congratulations to the Bobcats and good luck the rest of the way.

Orrville vs. Norwayne - Ten Things You Need to Know

Thought I'd share some facts/stats and helpful hints for this Saturday's Regional Semifinal game between Orrville and Norwayne...I posted thoughts on the game itself earlier...but wanted to focus on all the extra "stuff" associated with this matchup.

Week 12: Orrville Red Riders vs. Norwayne Bobcats

Who: Orrville Red Riders (#2 seed, 8-3) vs. Norwayne Bobcats (#3 seed, 10-1)
What: An OHSAA Division 4 Regional Semifinal
Where: Medina High School's Ken Dukes Stadium
When: Saturday November 12, 2011, 7pm

Last Week: Orrville beat LaBrae 53-14, Norwayne beat Brookfield 42-7
Series: 3rd Meeting, Orrville leads 2-0 (1958 - Orrville won 46-0, 1981 Orrville won 29-0)

Radio/TV: Game will be live on 104.5 WQKT and also streamed at www.wqkt.com
Updates: I'll be sending updates through Qwixcore, a service of the high school website MaxPreps.com, click here to follow along online.  I'll post the link on Saturday where you can follow along.

Coaches: Doug Davault for Orrville (50-21 in his 6th season, 8-3 playoff record) and Joe Harbour for Norwayne (19-4 in his 2nd season, 2-1 playoff record).
Playoff History: Orrville is making their 22nd appearance and have a 29-20 playoff record.  Norwayne is making their 4th playoff appearance and is 2-3 all time.

Well...the talk is pretty much over, time to see this matchup actually happen.  This is what playoff football is all about.  Two good teams from supportive communities who will lay it all on the line to be one step closer to a state championship.  I'll talk briefly about what each team needs to do well and give my thoughts on how I think this one plays out.

Vikings Vanquished...Bobcats Next

Another chapter in Red Rider Football playoff history is in the books, and what a night it was.  An action packed 53-14 win over LaBrae and Orrville is back in familiar territory, week 12...something only 16 teams in Division 4 can say at this moment. 

The win was the 29th win in the history of Orrville playoffs, the 596th overall and the 50th for head coach Doug Davault.

Let's look back on the win and look ahead to the much anticipated week 12 matchup with the Nor-what? Norwayne Bobcats.

Pics courtesy of Rod Dilyard.  Full Gallery here.  Thanks Rod!

Week 11 - LaBrae Vikings at Orrville Red Riders

Who: Leavittsburg LaBrae Vikings (6-4, #7 seed) at Orrville Red Riders (7-3, #2 seed)

What: OHSAA Division 4, Region 13 Quarterfinal

Where: Red Rider Stadium, Orrville

When: Saturday November 5, 2011, 7pm

Series: First Meeting

Last Week: Orrville beat Wooster 35-7, LaBrae beat Steubenville Central Catholic 27-13

Coaches: Doug Davault for Orrville (49-21, 6th season, 7-3 in 3 playoff appearances) - Bill Bohren for LaBrae (287-153-6, 46th season, 8th year at LaBrae, 0-1 in 1 playoff appearance at LaBrae)

Radio/TV: Game will be broadcast on Wooster's AM 960 and also streamed at www.wqkt.com

Playoff Appearances: Orrville - 22nd appearance (28-20 Record), Labrae - 3rd Appearance (1-2 Record)

Conference Affiliation: Orrville is a member of the Ohio Cardinal Conference while LaBrae is a member of the All-American Conference, Blue Division

Points per Game/Allowed: Orrville - 25.2 scored, 15.2 allowed....LaBrae - 24.18 scored, 18.1 allowed

Looking back on Wooster, ahead to playoffs

It's November 1st, leaves and temperatures are falling, Orrville just beat Wooster and helmets are full of skulls....yep...it's playoff time.

For the 22nd time in the 39 year history of the OHSAA state football playoffs, the Orrville Red Riders will once again be playing in week 11 (and hopefully beyond).

Some quick notes about the Wooster game, and we'll look ahead to the 2nd season.
 

Orrville Playoff Ticket Information

Here are the details related to the sale of presale tickets for the Labrae/Orrville playoff game this Saturday at 7pm at Red Rider Stadium.


Tuesday- Beginning at 7:00 p.m. through 7:30 p.m. in the OHS lobby tickets to current reserved season ticket holders will be sold. Season ticket holders will be able to purchase the same reserved seats in which they had during the fall. Beginning at 7:30 p.m. through 8:00 p.m. general admission tickets and all other reserved seats will be available.

Wednesday - Friday- Tickets will be sold out of all 3 Orrville school buildings during school hours. They will also be sold during business hours at Carmichael Sports and Expert T's in Orrville.

Saturday- Tickets will be sold at Carmichael Sports & Expert T's from 9:00 a.m.- Noon


ALL presale tickets are $7.00. ALL tickets at the gate are $9.00. Fans are encouraged to purchase presale because Orrville gets a percentage of the presale and nothing that is sold at the gate.

Crunching the Playoff Numbers

The unofficial computer points standings are out on the indispensable Joe Eitel's website..and the Orrville Red Riders are now officially in the playoffs for a 22nd time.

Here is the snapshot of Region 13 after 9 weeks, showing the Riders in 2nd place. So now that we can officially say "we're in," let's talk about who we might play in week 11. It's not mathematically certain, but it might as well be so I'll just say it....Orrville WILL host a week 11 home game regardless of the outcome against Wooster. Even if we received no 2nd level points from teams we've already beaten, I think we drop no further that 4th place, still earning us a week 11 home game.

Football: Playoffs a 99% Certainty

According to statistics guru Drew Pastuer (http://www.fantastic50.net), the Orrville football team could actually lose their last two games and still have a 99% chance of making the OHSAA state playoffs. As of now, he says we have a 91% chance of hosting a home first-round game.

So it leads me to assume that a win over Clear Fork this Friday will lock up a first-round home playoff game regardless of the outcome of the Wooster game. Read below for more playoff talk, including my projections of where we'll end up in the region, and what team may be making the trip to Orrville in week 11.

Week 7 Preview: Ashland Arrows at Orrville Red Riders

Who: Ashland Arrows (2-4, 2-1 in OCC) at Orrville Red Riders (4-2, 2-1)
When: Friday October 7th
Where: Red Rider Stadium (Ashland Fans: Click here for Directions)

Series: Ashland leads 12-8, there was 1 tie (Click Here for Detail)
Last Year: Ashland won 42-28
Last Week: Orrville beat West Holmes 28-21, Ashland beat Mansfield Senior 38-6

Radio/TV: WQKT 104.5 will boradcast the game on the radio and also at http://www.wqkt.com
Coaches: Orrville's Doug Davault is 46-20 in his 6th season, Ashland's Scott Valentine is77-33 in his 10th season with the Arrows

Computer Points:  Orrville sits 5th in Region 13 while Ashland sits 17th in Region 7.

Week 7 already? Really?? Unbelievable. Week 7 also means you can smell the playoffs right around the corner. It's fall, weather is cooler, leaves are falling, it just feels like football weather now.

It's also officially cruunch-time in Rider country. This is where the destiny of our team and many others across the state begins to take shape. The Riders simply control their own destiny...win out and win the OCC and host a first-round playoff game. It sounds so simple doesn't it? Unfortunately, there's 16 quarters (at least) of football in between us and raising an OCC title at midfield of Red Rider Stadium after a 7th straight win over Wooster. I'll guarantee nobody but me is looking past Ashland though.

After Week 6...More Big Games to Come

Friday's 28-21 win over West Holmes was just gutsy. No other way around it. Riders made plays and stopped the Knights from doing the same. It was a game we had to have, and we got it. Give the kids and coaches credit for steadying the ship and to the seniors for speaking through their words and actions in what might have been a season-saving win (#592 in school history).

Let's talk about it all...but not until we look at the pictures from the game courtesy of Rod Dilyard. Rod does great work and is very dedicated to Orrville sports.

2011 Week 5 Preview - Orrville Red Riders at Mansfield Senior Tygers

Who: Orrville Red Riders (3-1, 1-0) at Mansfield Senior Tygers (1-3, 0-1)
Where: Mansfield's Arlin Field (Directions Here)
When: Friday September 23, 2011
Last Week: Orrville beat Lexington 35-12, Senior lost to Clear Fork 35-28.

Series History: Orrville leads 9-5 (click here for detail)
Last Year: Orrville beat Senior 28-14.

Coaches: Orrville coach Doug Davault is 45-19 in his 6th year. Chioke Bradley is 7-7 in his 2nd season as Tyger head coach.
Radio/TV: The game will be broadcast on WRGM AM1440/97.3 FM starting at 6:45pm. It will also be streaming online...click here Friday evening to stream the game on your computer.

Overview: Two teams seemingly headed in opposite directions will meet up Friday night in Mansfield at the beautifully renovated Arlin Field.  The Tygers are 1-3, losers of three straight games, and last week lost the focal point of their offense in senior running back Terrell Dorsey to a season ending leg injury.  Orrville is fresh off a 35-12 drubbing of Lexington and is looking to stay perfect in the Ohio Cardinal Conference behind a quick-strike offense and a defense that has allowed the fewest total points (59) of any OCC team through 4 weeks.  Orrville has won the last 5 meetings between the schools.

After Week 4: Football and Everything Else

Well, Friday night after Week 4 sure felt better than Friday night after week 3 didn't it? A nice bounce back performance by the Riders. Doesn't it seem when this program is counted out or doubted that they always respond? Not just sometimes...ALWAYS. Again....TRADITION.

Let's review the game, the rest of the OCC, some Region 13 chatter and a little bit of volleyball, golf and Tim Hiller sprinkled in for good measure.

Pics, as always, courtesy of Rod Dilyard. Lexington gallery here. Thanks Rod.

Orrville Football: 2011 Season Preview

Here is my season preview football article that will also appear in this Friday's (8/26) OrrViews. I know a lot of my readers are out of the area, so I figured I'd post it here to reach those not in or around Orrville.

Enjoy.  Oh, here's a roster, schedule and a Region 13 map for your reference.

Now enjoy....

Red Rider Playoffs: 1994 (Part 1)

Back at it....hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Football season is right around the corner, and it's time to knock the rust off this site. What better way to get back in the groove than to dust off the Red Rider Football Playoff History series?

Next up on the docket, the 1994 playoff run.  This one was fun...and it just happened to be my senior year, so the memories run thick and deep.  Get ready for tons of minutiae.

District Champs....Back to Back.

(Thanks to Rod Dilyard for the excellent photo and great work all season.  Check out his pictures from last night and from all season)

Talk about a fun night.  Beating Triway (again) on Wooster's home court for a district title (again).  Doesn't get much better than that does it?

Wooster District Preview - Thoughts and Round 1 Predictions

So you've read a snippet about each team, now let's get down to the overall thoughts on this year's district tournament and the matchups for round one.

Once more, here's the tournament bracket full of dates and times.

Boys Basketball: Wooster District Preview

It's that time of year again...tournament time. I know this year hasn't been what any of us in Orrville thought it would be, but hopefully we'll still show up at Wooster High School (and Triway High School for the girls) to support our Red Riders.

It's also time for the 2nd Annual Wooster District Preview, brought to you by this site and Andrew Marcum's OhioBasketball.net. Andrew does a great job in tracking local basketball so we'll once again put our heads together and see if we can provide some sort of roadmap. Call it a fan guide if you will.

Winter Sports Tournament Info/Brackets

Here's all you need for the upcoming Winter Sports tournaments. Please, please, please consider buying tickets presale (when available) as the school keeps a portion, but does not get anything from tickets purchased at the gate.

Girls - Triway District Bracket - Northeast Ohio Regional Bracket - Statewide "Sweet 16" Bracket

Boys - Wooster District Bracket - Northeast Ohio Regional Bracket - Statewide "Sweet 16" Bracket