May 27, 2004

SPORTS

8 qualify for track regionals

All five girls and three boys from the YSHS track teams scored well enough in three events each at the Division III Dayton district meet last Saturday to advance to the regional competition at Piqua High School.

The girls team, which finished with 29 points and in ninth place at districts, advanced in the 4x200 relay, the 3200 meter run and the long jump.

The boys team, which finished in eighth place with 36 points, advanced in the 3200 meter run, the 300 meter hurdles and the pole vault.

Franklin-Monroe finished first with 113.5 points in the girls competition, Twin Valley South was second with 99 points and Bethel was third with 71. Twin Valley South finished first with 126 points in the boys meet, Jefferson was second with 80 and Franklin-Monroe was third with 66 points.

The biggest success for the YSHS girls team on Saturday was the 4x200 relay team of Evin Wimberly, Sierra Benning, Sarah Finn and Tricia McLinden, who shaved two seconds off their time in the preliminaries the previous Tuesday to take second place with a time of 1:51.8. The foursome also took fifth place in the 4x100 relay in 52.3, which garnered points for the team but was just shy of the fourth-place finish needed to qualify for regionals.

Wimberly placed fourth in the long jump with a leap of 15 feet 5.5 inches and Tina Peters finished third in the 3200 meter run. Both qualified for regionals, where Peters will run against Minster’s Sunny Oldham, currently the No. 1 female high school distance runner in the country.

Other outstanding performances included Benning’s fifth-place finish in the 200-meter dash and two eighth-place finishes by McLinden, who threw the discus a personal best 80 feet four inches, and Peters, who ran the 1600 in 6.06.86.

On the boys team, Alban Holyoke qualified for regionals by clearing 10 feet for third place in the pole vault. Sam Borchers finished second in the 3200 in 10:53.68, and Brad Benning-Clark placed third in the 300 meter hurdles to qualify for regionals.

David Warren finished sixth in the 3200 and fifth in the 1600, with his best time of the year, 4:54.33. The 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams placed for points but did not advance to regionals. John Pamplin placed seventh in the discus with a personal best 108 feet.

The regional preliminaries for events of 400 meters and less took place on Wednesday, May 26. The finals will be held at Piqua High on Friday, May 28, beginning at 4 p.m.

At the Metro Buckeye Conference Meet on Saturday, May 15, both the girls and boys teams from YSHS finished third out of seven teams in the league, which also includes Troy Christian, Xenia Christian, Jefferson, Middletown Christian, Miami Valley and Ridgeville Christian.

Troy finished first in the boys competition and Jefferson came in second. Troy also won the girls meet, followed by Xenia.

Benning-Clark finished second in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, followed by Issa Walker in fourth. Benning-Clark also finished second in the 300 hurdles in 42.65.

Holyoke took second in the pole vault, clearing 10 feet. Three relay teams finished in third place in their events: the 4x200, 4x100 and 4x400.

In the 800-meter run, David Warren finished third in 2:19.85 and Matt Halm finished sixth. In the 3200, Rory Hotaling finished second in 10:20.11, and Sam Borchers took third in 10:38.81. Warren finished second in the 1600 in 4:58.06, and Borchers came in third in 4:59.38.

Both girls 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams placed second. Wimberly won the long jump with a 15-foot 1.5-inch leap, and Peters won the 1600 in 6:03.06 and placed second in the 3200 in 13:11.38.

McLinden took third in the 400. Finn finished second in the 800 in 2:41.27, and Benning took second in the 200 in 28.29.

YSHS spring sports awards

YSHS coaches held the spring sports awards ceremony at the high school Monday to honor the athletes who participated in baseball, softball, tennis and track.

Baseball coach Chris Rainey presented senior Dustin Rudegeair with the Silver Slugger award for his 0.676 batting average and a fourth-year achievement award. Right fielder Kyle Truitt received the Gold Glove and a second-year award, and Jake Fulton was honored with the Bulldog Award. Lance Rudegeair was also recognized for his volunteer services as assistant coach.

Jansen Adkins was also recognized with a fourth-year award. Jake Fulton and Noah Woodburn received third-year awards. Second-year awards went to Martin Bakari, Ian Ferguson, Issa Walker, Aaron Willis and Clayton Wolfe. First-year awards went to Marty Gasho, Will McCuddy and Alex Wambaugh.

In softball, sophomore Heather Wagers received the Bulldog Award and a second-year award. First-year awards went to Rhiannon Carver, Olivia Dixon, Ellie Ferguson, Michaela McCuddy, Katy McEvoy, Devinne Melecki and Jennifer Smith. Second-year awards went to Rose Blakelock, Lydia Gerthoffer, Dana Ingham, Katie Lovering and Janell Martin.

Tennis team coaches Allen McCullough, Cy Tebbetts and Donna Silvert created five awards to honor the individual talents on the team. Singles player Cary Dixon received the True Grit Award for his “determination, doggedness and sheer strength of mind to run down every ball” like a “human dynamo.” Singles player Mori Rothman received the Iron Man Award for being one “who hangs in there.”

Doubles player Nick Rittenhouse was named Most Improved Player for making the swiftest and most effective change on a two-handed backhand. Doubles player Amy Price received both the Bulldog Award and the Top Gun award for developing “explosive” ground strokes and a “wicked net game.” Doubles player Scott Keyes received the Most Tenacious Player award for his “fiery competitiveness...unequaled by anyone else on the team.”

Duncan Silvert-Noftle also received a third-year award, and Paia LaPalombara received a second-year award. Tina Chen, Hallie Cranos, Laura Garcia, Stephanie Goode, Nic Huneck, Lila Jensen and Erin Silvert-Noftle received first-year awards.

Track coaches John Gudgel and Vince Peters presented Bulldog Awards to sophomores Brad Benning-Clark and Tina Peters. Third-year awards went to Sarah Finn, Tricia McLinden, Evin Wimberly, Brandon Frye and David Warren. Second-year recognition went to Anthony Brandon, Jon Bullock, Alban Holyoke, Joe Lawhorn, John Pamplin and Issa Walker. Sierra Benning, Sam Borchers, Matt Halm and Anthony Matheny received first-year awards.

Alum beat current ’Dogs

After a two-game losing streak, this year’s YSHS alumni baseball team easily beat the 2004 YSHS baseball team in the annual alumni baseball game last Friday at Gaunt Park.

Mark Breza, a member of the Class of ’93, led the alumni with two home runs.

Mercifully, said coach Chris Rainey, no one kept score.

Summer women’s basketball open gym

During the summer, women 18 years and older may play basketball on the first and third Fridays of each month from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Bryan Community Center gym.

Batter up! Tee-ball league prepares for opening day

By Jimmy Chesire

Perry League, the Yellow Springs tee-ball program, opens its 2004 season Friday, June 4, at 6:30 p.m., in Gaunt Park.

It’s the village’s noncompetitive beginners’ baseball program for girls and boys 2 to 9. Two- and three-year-olds are welcome if accompanied on the diamond by an adult. There are no fees, no sign-ups, no registrations and no requirement to play every week. (We play on 10 consecutive Friday nights, June 4–Aug. 6, and you can begin on any of those 10 nights.)

If you’ve got one of those remarkable creatures, one of those Hi Energy-Love Beings exploding with exuberance (a.k.a. toddlers, pre-schoolers, kindergartners, children in middle childhood), then we’ve got the program for you.

We’ve got bats, balls, gloves and two of the beautiful Gaunt Park baseball diamonds. All you need is the time and inclination — and one of those Hi Energy-Love Beings. Bring her out. Bring him out. We’ll be there, carrying on and having a good time, racing out to right field to do our exercises, racing back to play ball — and to play in the dirt or in the water at the water fountain or to engage in a wide and creative (and unpredictable) variety of other activities not apparently having anything to do with baseball. But regardless of what these amazing kids might be doing, you can be sure we’ll be having a most splendiferous and mugglelicious time every Friday night, all summer long, June 4 through Aug. 6, 6:30–8.

We try to keep it simple. We try to have fun. And we’re serious about keeping it noncompetitive. There are no outs, no runs, no scores and no one ever strikes out in the Perry League: you get a thousand strikes in tee-ball.

Every child gets a chance to field and to bat a couple of times each evening. The first 120 to 130 kids to show up get a free cap and a chance to buy the 2004 edition of the beautiful and most glamourous Perry League t-shirt.

We’re a Yellow Springs Recreation Board program. United Way funds — which come through the good work of the Yellow Springs Community Council — get us started each summer. The sale of t-shirts, donations from generous parents, loving grandparents, awesome aunts, ugly uncles and friends of the program (the Lion’s Club has been wonderfully supportive) and the kids themselves allow us to pay back the Recreation Board and pay for the program ourselves.

We welcome all the community’s children regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, ability or disability. And we work at being tender, patient, kind and loving to them all.

So, what di’ya say? Any whirling dervishes out there? Any wild and wonderful children with energy to burn? Any rambunctious rascals reveling in the undiluted joys of living? Any bodacious barnstorming banshees bursting for a fantastic way to spend a Friday evening? Any delicate darlings not afraid to get a little dirty? Well, Perry League, the Yellow Springs version of tee-ball, may be just what the doctor ordered. So why don’t you give us a try? We’d love to have ya.

For more information call Jimmy Chesire, 767-7300, Chris Murphy, 767-7408, or Adrienne Chesire, 767-7127.