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March 29, 2012 Bulldog Sports Round-up

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High hopes for girls softball

For the first time in two years, Yellow Springs High School will field a varsity girls softball team. Already the future looks bright for the program, according to first year Coach Jim DeLong.  DeLong is optimistic that his young team, consisting of five freshman, three seniors and one sophomore, can compete, he said.

“I’ve been real pleased with the enthusiasm and work ethic of the girls in practices,” Coach DeLong said. “They’ve been very receptive to all the drills that I have been using, and a lot of them want to stay after practice to work on their game and that shows they’re excited about playing softball.  The future looks bright.”

DeLong coached at nearby Greenon for six years and will be assisted by Kristen Kenney. Practices are going well.

“Since most of the girls haven’t played at the high school level, my approach this year has been to stress the very basic fundamentals of hitting, fielding and base-running and they are absorbing the information like sponges,” DeLong said.

The Bulldogs’ most experienced player is senior Leeann Holmes.  Holmes will play shortstop and pitcher and will be counted on to be a leader both offensively and defensively. Senior Katie Triplett also brings experience to the team. Coach DeLong said she is a natural at first base and the only player on the squad with varsity experience. Senior Kelsey Fox will play first base and catcher because she has both a “good glove” and good arm strength, he said.

Freshman players Evelyn Greene, Alex Bass, Maddie Gueth, Chelsea Horton, Ashlyn Burch and sophomore Olivia Ramage will all get extensive playing time this season, Coach DeLong said. Burch is a multi-dimensional athlete who will pitch, catch, play shortstop and bat in the lead off spot. Horton is a quick learner. Gueth is fast and improving rapidly. Greene has a great work ethic. Ramage has good fundamentals. Bass had made strides with her hitting and glove skills.

Girls track young,with promise

While the YSHS girls track and field team will have no seniors this year, they have a whole lot of potential, according to Coach Vince Peters. The team will have the leadership of its two juniors, Angela Allen and Lois Miller, who both qualified to the regional finals last year.

“What I like about this year’s team is the work ethnic of our two team leaders.” said Coach Peters.
On Allen: “She is hitting the weights and focusing even more on her technique in the discus. Look for her to bust some records this year.”

On Miller: “She has dedicated herself to improving as a distance runner. She has been running 40 to 50 miles per week and even completed a 10-mile road race. That endurance will reap dividends when the big meets at the end of the season come round.”

Other experienced runners who will back up Miller in the long distance events are fellow cross country stars Alexandria Brown and Christina Brewer along with the soccer team’s “most courageous player,” Keturah Fulton, Coach Peters said.

The sprinting and field event crews are both being rebuilt with some talented underclassmen including Taylor Beck, Camara Cross, Kennedy Harshaw, Rachel Orme, AnnDee Pettiford and Nicole Worsham. Other individuals who will provide the much needed depth that it takes to have a winning team are Rikado Rika and Emma Rohmohr.

“All these ladies have a great work ethnic and are practicing hard,” Coach Peters said. “And that is what it takes to excel and be winners in both the classroom and in athletics.”

Boys track looks to improve

The youngest boys track team in years is hoping to improve upon the team’s sixth-place finish at last year’s Metro Buckeye Conference meet.

Two letter-winners from last year’s YSHS boys track and field team return this year —Antone Truss and Charlie Fenimore. Truss, who recently took third place in the high jump at the Ohio Indoor Division II and III track meet by clearing 6´4˝, will also run in the sprints and relays.
Levi Perry, Cameron Henderson, Dylan Boczar, Max Mullin, Fenimore and Bryce White form the nucleus of a young sprint group while Nick Whalen, Devon Lewis, Kaloji Cross, Alex Strolger, Cole McNeil-Harding and Ed Thomas form a solid discus and shot put group, according to Coach John Gudgel. Connor Gravley-Norvello is the sole distance runner.

“This appears to be the youngest team in nearly 25 years but is energetic to perform at a competitive level,” Coach Gudgel said.

Antone Truss third at state

Senior Antone Truss brought home  third place in the high jump. at the Ohio High School Coaches-sponsored indoor track and field championships last weekend. Truss cleared 6´4˝ at the meet, a career best.

Truss easily cleared at 5´10˝ and 6´0˝ on his first attempt at each height. He missed his first attempt at 6´2˝ then buckled down, focused on technique, and with a quick approach easily cleared on his second attempt, according to Coach Peters. Truss  cleared his third attempt at 6´4˝.
“It was one ugly jump,” Coach Peters said. “He had a fast approach, stutter stepped, then flew up, inverted, and went over the bar, barely nicking it with his calf. The bar bounced once, then settled back down onto its pegs.”

And it stayed — resulting in a new lifetime best, indoors and out. Coach Peters said his performance was a positive indication for the outdoor season.

McKinney track to set records

The girls and boys McKinney track teams feature strong competitors in  sprints, distance and field events. In fact, the 2012 teams are likely the most well rounded teams in several years, according to Coach Peter Dierauer. Most of last year’s seventh graders have returned and are joined by a very talented and hard working group of newcomers.

The McKinney track teams will compete 4 times in Yellow Springs. Both teams will likely contend for first place in the Metro Buckeye Conference meet in May, and are poised to do well in their other four local meets. The annual McKinney intramural championships, in April, will find the top performers in a multi-event competition that includes sprints, jumps, throws and middle-distance runs.

In 2011, five McKinney School records were broken and in 2010 four all-time best marks were established. Coaches Isabelle and Peter Dierauer believe that the boys high jump record, a 5´4˝ jump set by Ahmad Wagner in 2010 is in jeopardy as Kaner Butler and Oluka Okia already scratched the mark in practice. The girls and boys pole vault records and the girls 4x100m- record are also within reach of McKinney athletes.

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