Winter Sports Update & Merry Christmas!

Wanted to update the happenings with the Red Rider winter sports teams, but first let me wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.  Thanks so much for all your positive comments and for following me on Facebook on Twitter, which are great mediums to get out quick blasts of news.  I do a lot more posting there, than here on the blog.  Score updates and links are much easier to share via social media rather than here.

With only 54 posts this year, 2012 was the slowest year for me doing the blog....and it continues to be tough to find the time and energy to put into the site like I did back in 2008 & 2009 when I first started the site.

Not sure what 2013 will bring as far as this site will be concerned, but I'll do my best to keep it up and running.  It may evolve into more of a reference site, with less focus on the week to week happenings.  I still plan to continue the Football Playoffs series, and have a few other things of a historical nature that you'll enjoy reading.

On to the update....

Girls Basketball
The girls hoops squad is off to a fast 5-1 start, counting tonight's win over Mansfield Senior.  Their only loss was to undefeated West Holmes.  Senior Hannah Plybon became the school's all-time leading scorer last week against Lexington.  Plybon's career points stand at 1,496 points through the West Holmes game, and for her record breaking effort, she was nominated for the JJHuddle/Ohio National Guard Player of the Week honor, and in a voting poll, won the award with over 80% of the vote.  Likely the first of many awards she will receive this year, including a very impressive 4th consecutive All-Ohio honor.

The girls will travel to Danville this Saturday (2pm, varsity only), take on Madison at home next Thursday and then travel to North Canton to play Norton in the Lady Vikes Classic on Saturday the 29th.

Boys Basketball
The boys team is off to a tough start, dropping their first four games, two being OCC contests.  They travel to Wooster this Friday and then face Northwest in the annual WQKT Smitty Classic over at the College of Wooster on Saturday.  They will then face Clear Fork at home on Friday Dec. 28th, which is also the night for the Booster Club car raffle.  Tickets are $10 ea. or 3 for $20 and make great stocking stuffers.  On sale at Serpentini's, Crown Investments and out of the OHS Athletic office.  Assuming they'll be sold the night of the drawing in the high school lobby.

(Click here for an info sheet for the Smitty and the Lady Vikes Classic, including game times and ticket prices)

Wrestling/Swimming
On Thursday Dec. 27th, the wrestling team will participate in the Manchester Invitational and on Saturday Dec. 29th the swim team will participate in the Cloverleaf Invite at Wooster High School.

Moment of the Year?
Not going to run down a top 10 like I did a few years ago...but a few events in Red Rider sports in 2012 stick out as special.  In no particular order...the baseball team going to regionals, the softball team dominating and winning the OCC, the turf project at Red Rider Stadium, another district title for boys basketball, the volleyball team making the final 4, Hannah Plybon breaking the school scoring record.  I think out of all those, the turf project and the volleyball final 4 run stick out as the two big stories of the year.  All were great accomplishments though.

Have a blessed and Merry Christmas!!

Winter Sports Schedules, Car Raffle, Flag Football & More

Lots going on in this post...grab a cup of coffee.

Winter Sports
Hard to believe that the winter sports season is upon us with all winter sports regular seasons beginning this week.

Courtesy of the Orrville Booster Club Website, here are the links to the boys basketball, girls basketball and wrestling schedules.

A new wrinkle in both boys and girls basketball is that the regular seasons will now be 22 games instead of 20. Not sure why the change was made. I'd think it will lead to more weeknight games and back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. I can't think coaches are too keen on either situation...especially if winter weather forces some rescheduling. Teams could be playing a weeknight game AND a Friday and Saturday game.

For the boys, their two extra games will be at Smithville on December 15th and against Carrollton in the Timken Mercy Classic in North Canton, on Sunday Jan. 20th. It's been since 1994 that an Orrville boys team has played in Smithville's Berkey Fieldhouse..but that was a tournament game (a loss) against Norwayne. Wonder how long it's been since we played Smithville at their gym? Decades for sure. That will be an interesting evening of basketball.

The boys will again participate in the WQKT Steve Smith Holiday Hoops Classic at the College of Wooster. They'll be the final game of the evening at 8:45 and will face the Northwest Indians. Here's a great link to WQKT showing the lineup for this year and for all games since the Classic's inception in 2004.  Orrville has lost the last 2 games in the Classic, to Hillsdale and Hiland, after winning the first 5 beginning in 2005.

The girls will be a part of the Classic in the Country at Hiland HS, this year against Reedsville Eastern at 10am on the first day of the classic, Saturday January 19th.  Reedsville made regionals last season in Division 4 and this past fall in volleyball...so guessing they're primed for another strong run in basketball.

Plybon Points
One of the more interesting storylines this basketball season will be senior (and University of Akron commit) Hannah Plybon's pursuit of the all-time girls scoring record.  By my count, she has 1,380 points heading into the season.  Stacie Howard has the current record of 1,480, so Hannah is exactly 100 points away from the record.  If she maintains her roughly 20 points per game average, she should get the record in game 4 (at Lexington, Thursday Dec. 13th) or at home against West Holmes on Saturday December 15th.

Just for fun, the all-time boys record is Marcell Denson's 1,722, and that record could be in danger as well if Hannah averages 20 points per game over 20+ games.  She's got an outside shot at 2,000 points, something that no Wayne County player has ever done according to the OHSAA. I'd love to know Wooster grad Marcie Alberts' career total (EDIT: Her career total is 1695 per this link), but no other Wayne County girl comes to mind that could have broken the 2,000 point barrier.  Chippewa's Tonya Smoot holds the career scoring mark among county schools with 1,745.  Fellow Lady Chipps Charbea Haller & Sue Porter have 1,723 & 1,533 respectively.  Smithville's Jenna Pew had 1,679.

To get to 2,000, she'd have to average around 25 points per game and the team would have to make a deep run to at least the regional final.

House That 'Smitty' Built
This will also be the final season for winter sports in the current gym.  Next season, events will be held in the new gym currently being built.  Boys basketball season ticket holders this year will get first crack at season tickets in the new gym next year.  The date to remember is Tuesday December 11th at 6pm, that's when first time season ticket holders can get seats, or existing season ticket holders can change their current seats for new ones.

I've been told that the "Bob Knight Gymnasium" name will follow the move to the new gym, and that's fine, but a bigger part of me says that there needs to some sort of recognition of Smitty, the coach who put Orrville basketball on the map and hung 3 state title banners in the 1990's.

What about "Steve Smith Court at Bob Knight Gymnasium?"  I know that's a little wordy, but I don't think anyone would mind.  Would be a great honor to a great coach.  At least some sort of recognition in the gym for his accomplishments, maybe on a banner listing his time at Orrville, his wins, league titles, district titles, regional titles and of course the 3 state titles.

Whatever is done, I sure hope we see banners like this at one end of the gym...and it needs to recognize ALL sports, not just winter sports.  Recognize league titles, district titles, regional titles, final four appearances and state titles of all sports...and have another banner listing individual state champs in golf, cross country, wrestling, etc.  We're all proud of our tradition, so lets put it where people can see it and be proud of it. 

Car Raffle
One more reminder about the Booster Club raffle.  The drawing for the new Chevy Cruze courtesy of Serpentini Chevrolet will be held on Friday December 28th at halftime of the boys basketball game against Clear Fork.  2nd prize is a 47" LG brand TV from Bennet's Appliance and 3rd prize is a recliner from Browns Furniture.  Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from any Booster Club officer or at Tom Brenner's Crown Investments office on West High St.

Alumni Game
This past Friday, 21 Orrville football alumni gathered on the turf at Heartland Field for a friendly game of flag football.  Each player tossed in $10 to benefit the turf replacement fund.  This is just one more event that could not have been held on a grass field.  The red team beat the white team 34-28.  It is hoped that this tradition will continue and grow next year.  Thanks to Stephen Carozza, Mike McMorrow and Tommy Brenner for organizing this event.

Turf Picture
Speaking of turf, here's a real nice panorama of the turf field that was taken last week.  Looks like there was some frost on the field so it must have been early in the morning.  Looks great, especially with everything around it (trees, grass) dying off for the season.  Feel free to download and view offline as the file is 6 MB big and shows some great detail if you zoom in.

That's all for now...good luck to the winter sports teams.  Go Riders!!

Some Catching Up To Do...

Apologize for the absence lately, but I kind of needed a battery recharge.  I'm going to do as much catching up as I can in one post.  Winter Sports Season is in the early stages, the Smitty Classic is this weekend, and there's been some turnover among the ranks of the Ohio Cardinal Conference football coaching fraternity.

So let's hit it...

Oh, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you.  Another great year of being a Red Rider!!

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.

Guess who's coming to the 2011 Smitty Classic??

Another WQKT/Steve Smith Holiday Hoops Classic is coming our way this December, like it has for the past seven years, and this one looks to be pretty special. I know I'm way early on this, but like two years ago when I got wind of the Orrville/Smithville matchup, this year's lineup is just too interesting to sit on all summer.

Now in it's 8th year, the Smitty Classic has become a staple of Wayne County basketball and is run so well by Mike Breckenridge of WQKT radio and his many helpers. In every year but the first, the classic has featured Orrville, and the Riders have won all Smitty Classic games but one (2010 vs. Hillsdale).

The Red Riders will again take part in this year's featured game. This year's classic will also mark the debut of a team that has never participated in the event before...but is a team that local fans are very familiar with...and one that I've stated needs to be a part of the classic each and every year...and this year the stars have finally aligned.

Wooster District : Semifinal Predictions

We're down to just four teams in the Boys Division Three Wooster District Tournament. A week from now, one team will be making travel plans to the Canton Fieldhouse, and three others will be planning post-season banquets.

The tournament thus far has been a tale of two sides of the bracket. The top half has seen both top seeds (#1 Hillsdale and #4 Orrville) advance for probably the most anticipated game of the tournament so far. The bottom half has been (as expected) very unpredictable with #9 seed Wellington knocking off both Smithville and Norwayne and #7 seed Triway pulling the biggest upset of the fortnight (a two week period) with a shocking win over #2 seed Northwestern. The loss not only knocked the Huskies out, but also prevented senior Brennan McKean from becoming the schools all-time leading scorer, finishing his career just shy of Nate Gaubatz's record.

Let's look at each game and make some predictions, but let's first look at how Andrew of OhioBasketball.net and I are stacking up in terms of head to head predictions.

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.

Hey...Smitty Classic is this weekend.

The 7th Annual WQKT/Steve Smith Holiday Hoops Classic is set for this Saturday at the College of Wooster's Timken Gymnasium. This year's Classic is sponsored by Orlo Auto Parts.

Orrville Boys Basketball Ticket Info

Straight from Kent Smith & the ever-valuable Booster Club e-mail list.....

OCC Ticket Sales
For all OCC games we will do presale out of the OHS Athletic Office. Presale is $4.00/students and $6.00/adults. ALL tickets at the gate are $6.00. (Remember we have student passes available for home games that make the cost only $2.00)

The Smitty
The WQKT/Steve Smith Classic is coming up soon. (Dec. 18th) We play the feature game at 8:45 p.m. vs. Hillsdale. Presale tickets are $4.00/students and $6.00/adults. At the gate ticket prices go up to $5.00/students and $8.00/adults. One ticket is good for the entire day of basketball. Proceeds go toward scholarships given in Smitty’s name at our Senior Assembly in the spring. Here is the schedule for the day:

Noon- Norwayne vs. Manchester
1:45 p.m.- Northwestern vs. Avon
3:30 p.m.- Dalton vs. Lutheran East
5:15 p.m.- Wooster vs. Olentangy Liberty
7:00 p.m.- Triway vs. Brunswick
8:45 p.m.- Orrville vs. Hillsdale

Season Ticket Sales
Home season tickets will go on sale to those that haven’t renewed by mail this coming Monday. (Dec. 13th) Here is the schedule of sales:

6:00 p.m. - Renewals for those that did not renew by mail.
6:30 p.m. - Previous season ticket holders that wish to change seat locations
6:45 p.m. - Anyone Interested In Season Tickets For The First Time!

That Smitty ticket may be the best deal anywhere for an entire day of high school basketball. Even if you buy at the gate, it's still only $8 for 6 games. Send the girls Christmas shopping and stake out a seat at Timken Gym at the College of Wooster. They're building that SCOT Center that will connect to the gym, so that area of the college is a mess when it comes to parking. Plan accordingly.

Still wish Hiland would be a part of the Smitty. I'm of the understanding that they've been reached out to by tournament organizers, but maybe their schedule doesn't allow it. Maybe the fact that it's on a Sunday has something to do with it, too.

Happy Friday.

A little bit of everything

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.  Been a great one for me.  I'm trying to get out from under all these projects I'm half-started on before another football season gets underway and I'm slowly but surely getting there.  Made some nice progress that I'll share. Also have some football scrimmage dates, the latest Smitty Classic lineup, some new faces on the "College Riders" list.

Let's go.

Nope, no pressure here.

Since there's nothing else going on (I'm flattered that so many of you have clicked over here hoping to read my take on "the story", sorry to disappoint you.) let's talk about the post-season, specifically the expectations being put on this years team. 

The Ohio High School Hoops blog has been a fan of the Red Riders all season, consistently ranking us in the top 10 of his D3 poll, and the love continues in their post-season predictions.

Sidebar: How about that picture? Good old St. John Arena. That's about the view that fans had for our state games. What a great barn that was.

12 Days of Red Rider Christmas

Here you go...dorky as anything I've ever done.  But it's all I can muster up.  Sort of a Christmas wish list.  Merry Christmas & Happy Festivus to all my readers.

Hoops Preview: Why 2009-10 will be a good year.

There's renewed interest in the Orrville basketball program, and for good reason, and I'm not the only blogger who thinks it. We'll talk about that, the new regime, the schedule and the roster...and one more interesting tidbit.

Basketball: WQKT/Smitty Classic Lineup Finalized

The lineup for the 5th annual WQKT/Steve Smith Holiday Hoops Classic has been finalized, and while the tournament shrinks to just one day this year, the quality of games and level of talent among the 12 teams may be the best ever.

2009-10 Boys Basketball Schedule

Interesting little find over at HighSchoolSports.net, seems the 2009-10 boys basketball schedule has been posted for anyone to view.

Prepare yourself for amazing-ness......

Prepared?? Ok, check it out HERE.

Some very interesting developments...lets review.

1. A game against Smithville at the WQKT/Steve Smith Holiday Classic. Finally, a worthy opponent at the Smitty. Mark your calendars....Saturday December 19th, 8:00pm.

2. Read #1 again.......let it sink in.

3. The typical Cleveland team to open the season is being replaced by the Whippets from Shelby High School.

4. Canton Timken is no longer on the schedule, taking their place is a home game with Wadsworth.

5. Final game of the season is a conference game at Wooster.

6. Northwestern (Away), Triway (Away), Akron East (in addition to Smithville, Wadsworth and Shelby) make up our non-conference schedule.

Take it for what it's worth, but this seems to be a sure thing. Orrville High School links to HighSchoolSports.net for schedule information.

I'm sure the Daily Record will pick up on it soon enough, as usually around late March or April, the full slate of games for the Smitty Classic is announced.

In my opinion, this game is a year late, but Smithville has 2 starters back from this years team, and with Derek Orr hopefully returning, Smithville will be anything but depleted....and will be more than ready to prove themselves.

4th Annual Smitty Classic Lineup

Edit: This was originally posted back in May, but figured I'd bump it to the front of the line since it's so close.

Per The Daily Record, the lineup for the 4th annual Steve Smith/WQKT Classic is set, and the organizers have delivered another solid lineup of teams and matchups. I'm basing times on how the schedule has been set in previous years.

Saturday December 13h
Norwayne (D3) vs Claymont (D2) - 12:30pm
Northwestern (D3) vs Coshocton (D2) - 2:15pm
Liberty-Benton (D3) vs Tallmadge (D2) - 4:00pm
Smithville (D3) vs Columbus Africentric (D4) - 5:45pm
(College) Wooster vs Albion - 7:30pm

Sunday December 14th
Wooster (D1) vs Wadsworth (D1) - 12:30pm
Orrville (D2) vs East Liverpool (D2) - 2:00pm
Toledo St Johns (D1) vs Cleveland Heights (D1) - 3:30pm
N. Canton Hoover (D1) vs Dublin Scioto (D1) - 5:00pm
Triway (D3) vs Plymouth (D4) - 6:30pm

The day 1 game between Smithville and Cols. Africentric will be one to watch. The Smithies return many talented starters from their district title team in 2007-08.....the Nubians will give the Smithies a great measuring stick as to where they stand on a statewide level, as well as give them a solid non-conference test.

This will be Orrville's 4th appearance in the Classic named after legendary Orrville coach Steve Smith. Orrville has never lost a game in the Classic, beating Loudonville in 2005, Walsh-Jesuit in 2006 and Lima Senior in 2007, with all 3 victories being double digit wins.

In regards to Orrville's opponent, East Liverpool, (another mediocre opponent IMO), they are 6-4 in tournament play in the last 4 seasons, making a district final once.