ThisWeek Dublin Villager
Page A18
October 31, 2013
Sponsored by:
CALL 740-888-6054
WEB www.ThisWeekSPORTS.com
FAX 740-888-6006
Cross Country
Jerome boys capture regional ByAARON BLANKENSHIP THISWEEKSPORTS.COM
Against Scioto, middle hitter Zoe Birnbrich had 12 kills, Hannan and middle hitter Mahlia Blair both had 11 kills, Barrett had eight kills and five aces, setter Megan Flaherty had 36 assists and libero Sydney Eiselt had 15 digs. “When Becca went down, we moved Kacey from (opposite hitter) to the outside and there was no better person we could have turned to to get the job done,” coach Mary Anne Souder said. “Kacey usually doesn’t serve for us, but she came up big with five aces in this match.
Led by Jake Mandel and Mitchell Leitch, the Dublin Jerome High School boys cross country team cruised to its first Division I regional championship. The Celtics will be making their first state appearance as a team after finishing first (66 points) in the 16-team regional meet Oct. 26 at Pickerington North, well ahead of runnerup Hilliard Davidson (100). The top four teams and top 16 individuals from each regional site advanced to the state meet Saturday, Nov. 2, at National Trail Raceway. Mandel paced the Celtics, placing second of 122 runners in 15 minutes, 48.24 seconds, and Leitch finished sixth (16:02.46). Also scoring were Chase Stewart (11th, 16:12.69), Bradley Davis (15th, 16:17.75) and Nick Schleter (38th, 16:56.96). “I felt like the team ran well at regional,” coach Dave Wadenstierna said. “Coming in, we knew that we were going to encounter stiff competition, but we felt confident that we had what it took to capture the regional title. “Despite windy conditions, Jake Mandel, Mitchell Leitch, Chase Stewart and Bradley Davis ran smart yet aggressive races and all battled their way to top 15 finishes.” Mandel and Stewart competed at state last year as individuals, finishing 15th (program-record 15:42.93) and 27th (15:53.51), respectively.
VOLLEYBALL >> A24
REGIONAL >> A25
Coffman’s Beatrice Hannan (center) leads the celebration after the Shamrocks won a point during a 20-25, 25-16, 25-15, 25-9 victory over Scioto on Oct. 26 in a Division I district final. JOSHUA A. BICKEL/THISWEEKSPORTS
Girls Volleyball
’Rocks top Irish in district final
By AARON BLANKENSHIP THISWEEKSPORTS.COM
Members of the Dublin Coffman High School girls volleyball team appeared distraught when outside hitter Becca Sabol injured her right ankle while warming up moments before a Division I district final against Dublin Scioto. Watching one of their leaders hobble off the court on crutches seemed to affect the second-seeded Shamrocks early in the match Oct. 26 at BloomCarroll, as they lost the first game. But with Sabol cheering on her team-
mates from the sidelines, Coffman rallied to beat the 12th-seeded Irish 2025, 25-16, 25-15, 25-9 to capture their seventh consecutive district title. “Seeing Becca go down right before the start of the match was definitely a shock for us and it took a bit of our focus off the (match) for a while,” libero Kelsey Kiley said. “But we bounced back well in the second game and got back to playing the way we usually play and that was good enough to win the match.” Since the district tournament began in 1975, no central Ohio team in the big-school division has won more con-
secutive titles than Coffman. Reynoldsburg won six in a row from 1984-89 and Watterson matched that streak from 2002-07. “This means a lot to us because we were able to carry on our tradition ...,” outside hitter Beatrice Hannan said. “After the first game, we didn’t miss as many serves and we had better servereceiving and passing. Our offense started to click and we played really well together.” “Winning district means a lot to us, especially our seniors because we’ve been able to do it all four years,” outside hitter Kacey Barrett said.
Mobile Internet data charges may apply. Please contact your mobile service provider for details. Subject to internet banking terms and conditions. Fifth Third Bank, Member FDIC.