ThisWeek Community Newspapers Westerville
Page B2
July 7, 2011
Golf
AJGA’s Columbus Junior returns to Scarlet ThisWeek Community Newspapers
The eighth Columbus Junior presented by the Memorial Tournament will be held Tuesday, July 12, through Thursday, July 14, at the Ohio State Golf Club Scarlet Course. It is the third time that the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) event will be played on the Scarlet Course after stops in 2004 and 2009. The Columbus Junior has been held at four venues, also including Dornoch Golf Club (2005-06), Tartan Fields (2008) and the County Club at Muirfield Village (2007, 2010). Last year, Nicholas Grubnich of Crown Point, Ind., shot a 6-under-par 210 and survived five playoff holes to win the boys division and Lindsey Weaver of Scottsdale, Ariz., posted an 11-under 205 to cruise to a 12-stroke victory in the girls division. Neither player will be in the field this season.
There are 18 central Ohio players scheduled to take part in the 84-player field, which features top junior players (ages 12-18) from 16 states, Canada and Colombia. Area players on the boys side are Garrett Brickley (Pickerington), Alex Carpenter (Westerville), Thomas Dunne (Dublin), Joo-Young Lee (Hilliard), Matthew Moosavian (Westerville), Mert Selamet (Dublin), David Shepherd (Dublin), Blake Stewart (Dublin), Drew Thompson (Pickerington) and Nate Yankovich (Blacklick). Dunne (Dublin Coffman), Carpenter (St. Charles), Lee (Hilliard Darby), Thompson (Pickerington North) and Yankovich (St. Charles) all competed in the event last season. Carpenter was one of three others who joined Grubnich in the playoff after all four finished with 210s. Dunne (215) tied for 15th, Lee (219) tied for 33rd, Thompson (221) was 37th and Yankovich (222) tied for 38th.
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“My goal is to finish in the top five,” said Thompson, a 2011 graduate who will play for Guilford College (Greensboro, N.C.), which is a highly ranked NCAA Division III program. “It will be my sixth AJGA event this season, it’s on a fun course and I’ve been playing pretty well.” Yankovich, who will be a senior in the fall, is familiar with the Scarlet Course after playing in the state tournament with the Cardinals the past two seasons. St. Charles won the title both seasons and Yankovich tied for second (75) in the tournament in 2009, when rain canceled the second round. Last season he tied for 10th (155) and teammate Michael Ricaurte (144) was medalist. Carpenter (159) tied for 18th as St. Charles won by 11 strokes. “I’ve played that course several times, but I don’t have a (score) in mind because it depends on how it’s playing then,” said Yankovich, who has made college visits to Miami Uni-
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LaToya Turner, Pickerington girls basketball (March 19, 1999) — The 6-foot-4 senior helped the Tigers advance to the Division I state final and exact revenge for a painful defeat with her 29-point performance in a 51-35 win over Wadsworth. They had lost to the Grizzlies in a 1997 state semifinal. The Ohio State recruit made 12 of 14 shots from the floor and was 5-for-6 from the freethrow line while adding five rebounds, four steals and two assists. The Tigers beat Mason 4630 the next day to earn their sixth state title. Darcy Fishback, Upper Arlington girls swimming (Feb. 27-28, 2009) — The 2009 Division I state meet in Canton was full of memories for this senior as she led the Golden Bears to their fifth consecutive team championship. During preliminaries Feb. 27, Fishback broke the state record in the 100-yard butterfly when she finished in 53.38 seconds. She won her fourth state title in the event the next day in 54.17 seconds. Fishback also swam on two state-record relays, the 200 medley (1:43.59) and the 200 freestyle (1:34.24). Charles Johnson, Watkins Memorial boys basketball (Feb. 24, 1995) — There have been few more surprising performances than what this 5-8 senior guard accomplished in leading the Warriors to a 93-87 overtime upset of second-seeded and stateranked London in the second round of the Division II district tournament.
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JAKE BLANKENSHIP, Gahanna boys track and field (June 4, 2011) — The junior cleared 17 feet in the pole vault to capture the Division I state championship. That set the state-meet record in the event and helped him win a yearlong battle with Olentangy Liberty twin brothers Joey and Chris Uhle, who took second and third, respectively. TROY BOWERS, Westerville South wrestling (March 4-6, 1999) — A broken hand sidelined him for a month of the regular season, but Bowers went on to pin three of his four opponents at state and win the Division I title at heavyweight. In the final, Bowers pinned future NFL player Alex Stepanovich of Berea in 1:03. CLAIRE DURKIN, Worthington Kilbourne girls cross country (Nov. 3, 2007) — Durkin completed a stellar prep career by winning the state championship in 17:10.5. The time set the state-meet record in Division I. MINDY HAMMOND, DeSales girls soccer (Nov. 5, 1997) — During a state semifinal against defending champion Chagrin Falls, the senior goalkeeper made a diving save to preserve a one-goal lead with 17:38 remaining. Three minutes later, she scored on a penalty kick to seal what would become a 3-0 win. JACK RAFFERTY, Dublin Coffman football (Oct. 31, 2003) — The senior quarterback who would become the district’s Player of the Year in Division I and the ThisWeek Super 25 captain threw for 152 yards and rushed for a school-record 285 yards with four touchdowns as the Shamrocks beat Marion
Watkins Memorial was just 1-19 entering the matchup but got 57 points from Johnson, who made 19 of 34 from floor, including eight 3-pointers, and was 11-for-15 from the freethrow line. His point total broke the all-divisions district tournament scoring mark. Johnson added eight rebounds, six steals and five assists. Khalilah Carpenter, Brookhaven girls track and field (June 2-3, 2000) — At the 2000 Division I state meet in Dayton Welcome Stadium, the junior broke the
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Harding 31-22 in their playoff opener. KRISTA KEIR, Westerville South girls track and field (June 6-7, 1997) — Two weeks after setting the state record in the discus (176-5), Keir threw 166-10 on June 6 to break the state-meet record. The next day, she threw 50-4 3/4 in the shot put to capture another title. WENDY LYONS, Westerville South girls tennis (Oct. 19-20, 1990) — Lyons capped a career in which she went 126-6 by losing just one set in the 1990 Division I state tournament. Her 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 win over Centerville’s Melissa Zimpfer in the final gave her a 41-0 record for the season. B.J. MULLENS, Canal Winchester boys basketball (Jan. 21, 2008) — At the Flyin’ to the Hoop Classic in Fairborn, the senior and future Ohio State and NBA player had 62 points, 24 rebounds and three blocked shots to lead the Indians to a 79-69 win over New York (N.Y.) Our Savior New American. AUSTIN STAAB, Westerville Central boys swimming (Feb. 23-24, 2007) — In his final prep meet, Staab tied the national record and won the 100 butterfly in 47.1 on Feb. 23. The next day, the Stanford recruit clocked a time of 43.93 to win the 100 freestyle. ESTABAN WEAVER, Hartley boys basketball (March 18, 1995) — The Hawks advanced to a Division III state semifinal with a 72-68 victory over Germantown Valley View, led by the play of Weaver. He scored 36 points and teamed with Matt Lowery on two key defensive stops down the stretch.
Continued from page B1 Central under former coach Scott Walberry. “I’m not surprised at all,” Walberry said of Thomas’ success. “When he was a freshman (at Central) I saw the potential that he had. He works hard and he’s very competitive, so he wants it as bad as anybody and that’s probably what has really helped him along the way. “Playing baseball is probably his lifelong dream, so he is getting everything that he wants right now.” As a high school senior, Thomas was first-team all-OCCCentral Division and Division I all-district. Thomas led the team in batting (.520), hits (39), runs (24), home runs (10) and RBI (34).
meet and state records in the 100 meters with a time of 11.59 seconds on June 2. That time eclipsed her 1998 meet record of 11.74 and broke the all-time mark of 11.63 set in 1993 by Dayton Dunbar’s Danielle Twitty. The next day, she won the 100 in 11.71 and captured the 200 title in 23.69, a time that lowered the state mark she already held. Carpenter also helped Brookhaven’s 400 relay to a seventh-place finish. www.ThisWeekSPORTS.com
WILLIAMS and becoming a graduate assistant with a college program. “They can be hard to come by,” she said. “I want to go back and get a master’s degree in school psychology or social work.” But for now, Williams satisfies her yearning for basketball by serving as an assistant coach with the Ohio Glory, a group of AAU teams based in central Ohio. “I’m definitely going to miss being around my teammates and our fans and there is nothing like bonding and being a part of the team,” she said. “Right now, I’m getting out there coaching and finding any way I can to get out there and stay a part of the sport.”
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18 (18-13 in 2008-09), 25 (25-9 in 2009-10) and 29 games,” Cullop said. “J. and Melissa helped us bring back a winning tradition and a winning mentality to the program.” For her career, Williams averaged 7.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals. She scored in double figures 43 times and made three or more 3-pointers in 34 games. “J. got better and better each year and she really was a clutch shooter,” Cullop said. “That wasn’t easy because she usually was guarding the opponent’s best shooter. Playing defense like that can wear down a player’s legs, but I can name several games when she hit key baskets for us late in the game.” shennen@thisweeknews.com Williams is focusing on going back to school www.ThisWeekSPORTS.com
Sports briefs Central offering cross country camp Westerville Central High School is offering a cross country camp from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday, July 11, through July 14 for boys and girls entering grades 5-8. A registration form is available at www.wchsxc.com. For more information, contact coach Jason Loughman at (614) 371-4850.
Central football holding golf outing The Westerville Central football program is holding its first golf scramble at 1 p.m. Friday, July 8, at Bent Tree Golf Club, 350 Bent Tree Road in Sunbury.
For information on cost and registration, contact Nathan Shimp at (614) 316-8055. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Central football program.
Westerville tennis camp scheduled The 17th annual Westerville tennis camp will be held Monday, July 11, through July 14 at the South High School courts. The camp, for ages 6-16, includes instruction for beginner, intermediate and advanced players. For more information, contact South boys tennis coach John Fill at (614) 799-2472 or (614) 797-6004.
versity, Michigan State, Illinois and Purdue. “It’s the closest AJGA event, but I want to go in there like I do every tournament — all business. I want to focus on my game, play my best and have fun doing it.” In the girls field, area competitors include Sierra Everson (Gahanna), Tess Fraser (Marysville), Lauren Grogan (Columbus), Erin Harper (Dublin), Natalie Irwin (Columbus), Julie Lechner (Powell), Morgan Ransom (Columbus) and Gina Son (Westerville). Ransom (Columbus Academy), Fraser, Grogan (Watterson) and Lechner (Olentangy Liberty) competed in the event last season. Ransom (227) was fifth, Grogan (229) tied for seventh, Lechner (240) was 18th and Fraser (243) was 19th. Ransom, a senior, was the Division II state champion (140) last season on OSU’s Gray Course after finishing runner-up as a sophomore and freshman. Grogan finished third (151) in the
Division I state tournament as Watterson was eighth. Fraser (160) tied for 18th overall as an individual qualifier. “I didn’t play to my ability (in the Columbus Junior) last season,” said Fraser, a senior who won the Tanglewood Junior on the Future Collegians World Tour with a 157 on March 1920. “Competing in the AJGA is a little stressful, but it is opening my eyes some. I hope to make a name for myself and I’m getting contacts, but I haven’t really heard seriously from any colleges yet. “I hope to finish in the top five in Columbus and I’m working hard trying to hit greens in regulation. I’m hitting fairways, but I need to get to the green to give myself more birdie opportunities.” bemerine@thisweeknews.com www.ThisWeekSPORTS.com
THOMAS
Honorable mention
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By BRAD EMERINE
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On the mound, he had a 5-4 record with a 1.24 ERA. He struck out 77 and walked 17. “When I got to high school, it was just freshmen and sophomores, so you had to jump into a leadership role for the guys
right away,” Thomas said. “I was going to be a leader from day one in high school and that carried me through college.” fdirenna@thisweeknews.com www.ThisWeekSPORTS.com
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