3 things were learned from Mahoning Valley sports scene last week
Three things we learned around the Mahoning Valley sports scene last week:
Mahoning-area star leads North to win in Div. IV-VII contest in annual North-South Game in Massillon
Graduated West Branch receiver Joey Jackson caught the only touchdown of the game as the North defeated the South 10-6 in the annual Division IV-VII North-South All-Star Football Game played over the weekend at Massillon’s Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
Jackson, who will play his college football at Lake Erie College, caught a perfectly placed pass in the right corner of the end zone and the North defense was outstanding in carrying them to the win.
West Branch head coach Tim Cooper, who has racked up a 34-5 record in his three seasons as the Warriors’ head coach, served as the head coach of the Division IV-VII North team.
South Range head coach Dave Rach was an assistant coach in the game for the winning North squad and several players from Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana County played in the contest.
In the Division I-III game, the South defeated the North 24-6.
Boardman head coach DJ Dota, who led the Spartans to a 6-4 record and the Division II playoffs last fall, served as the head coach of the North team in the Division I-III game. Several players from the tri-county area represented the North in the game.
This year’s North-South Game was the 80th in the long series and is sponsored by the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association.
Top seven teams in mahoningmatters.com softball poll sport an impressive overall record
If you want to get a good idea of how dominant area softball teams in the mahoningmatters.com Super 7 poll have been this spring, consider this:
The top 7 teams in the rankings, including Austintown Fitch, Boardman, Canfield, Lakeview, Warren Champion, West Branch and Mathews, own a combined overall record of 89-16-1, and that record has been achieved against loaded schedules that area schools play to prepare themselves for long postseason tournament runs.
The greater Mahoning Valley produced half of the state’s state softball champions last spring as Fitch won the D1 state title and Canfield claimed the Division II crown. Several area teams are poised to make deep tournament runs again this season when the tourney season gets underway May 10.
Area schools hosting district track again
Several area schools will serve as hosts once again when the area postseason gets under way the week of May 19-24.
Austintown Fitch, which has hosted the big school Division I district for decades, will once again be a host site. Schools competing there include Alliance, Austintown Fitch, Aurora, Boardman, Youngstown Chaney, Youngstown East, Akron Ellet, Warren Howland, Hudson, Kenston, Lakeside, NDCL, Kent Roosevelt, Solon, Stow, Tallmadge Twinsburg and Warren Harding.
Two area schools, Salem and Lakeview, will host Division II districts once again.
Teams competing at Salem’s Bob Sebo Stadium include Akron Buchtel, Canton Central Catholic, Canton South, Coventry, CVCA, Fitch, Garrettsville Garfield, Akron Manchester, Marlington, Northwestern, Poland, Salem, South Range, Akron Springfield, Struthers, Youngstown Ursuline and West Branch.
Schools entered at Lakeview High School include Berkshire, Warren Champion, Conneaut, Crestwood, Ashtabula Edgewood, Girard, Hubbard, Jefferson, Lakeview, Liberty, Niles, Pymatuning Valley, Southeast, Streetsboro and Woodridge.
Springfield will host the Division III district.
Schools competing there are Cardinal Mooney, Columbiana, Crestview, Lisbon, East Palestine, Heartland Christian, East Palestine, Jackson-Milton, Leetonia, Liberty, Lowellville, Mathews, McDonald, Sebring, Campbell Memorial, Mineral Ridge, South Range, Southern Local, Springfield, United, Valley Christian and Wellsville.