April 13, 2006

sports

Bulldog Sports Roundup

Compiled by Lauren Heaton

Tennis sweeps three matches
The Yellow Springs high school tennis team had a busy week last week with three 5–0 sweeps against Xenia Christian on April 4, Southeastern on April 6 and Greenon on April 10. The Bulldogs also lost a close 3–2 match against Cedarville on April 5. The team is 4–1 at this early but promising stage in the season.

Against Xenia, Olivia Chen, Jesse Rothman and Zeke Hardman had definitive wins in singles play. The doubles teams of Alex Turner and Laura Garcia, and Erin Silvert-Noftle and Pete Lovering in a windy match blew their respective opponents off the courts.

Wednesday the Bulldogs faced Cedarville, who leads their league play. Freshman Olivia Chen defeated the Indians’ number one singles player Zach Rost, a senior, 6–3, 6–1. Carey Dixon also managed to win his second singles court in a three-set battle against Kenny Parker. Jesse Rothman at singles and the two doubles teams of Garcia/Turner and Silvert-Noftle/Lovering were defeated. The teams will face each other again later in the month.

The next day the ’Dogs shut out Southeastern, giving up only seven of 67 games. Olivia Chen again at first singles served up a double bagel. Mori Rothman (6–2, 6–0) and Emile Fleming (6–2, 6–1) both had definitive wins at second and third singles. The doubles teams of Jesse Rothman/Silvert-Noftle and Zeke Hardman/Max Buchwalder brought in strong wins of 6–0, 6–1 for each court.

Against Greenon, the whole Bulldog team gave up just three games with a clean sweep for singles players Chen, Mori Rothman and Dixon and easy wins for doubles teams Jesse Rothman/Max Buchwalder and Alex Turner/Zeke Hardman.

A number of team members, including Zac Katz-Stein and John Hempfling, represented the Bulldogs in two well-played reserve matches last week.

Coaches Alphonso Smith, Chuck Taylor, Mei Chiang and Donna Silvert were proud of the strong effort their players brought to the court. The co-ed team, with a young and undefeated first singles player, is deep in numbers and talent that will only grow in the coming years, they said.

Boys track takes second at KTC
The boys high school track team finished second out of seven teams at the Old Kenton Trace Conference meet on Tuesday, April 4. The Bulldogs racked up 93 points, behind Clinton Massie’s 139 points, and ahead of Cedarville with 92, Greeneview with 91, East Clinton with 45, Southeastern and Waynesville. Minus their seniors, the boys came in sixth out of 13 teams at the Cedarville Impson Invitational on Saturday, April 8.

The Lady Bulldogs finished 11th out of 13 teams at the Cedarville meet and sixth out of seven teams at the KTC meet.

For the boys at the KTC, senior Sam Borchers dominated the field of distance runners and won both the 800 meters, in 2:06, and the mile run, in 4:51. The two-mile relay team of Andy Peters, Andy Sontag, Mori Rothman and Evan Firestone finished in 9:12.5 for a second Bulldog win. And Yellow Springs also brought home first place finishes with Andy Peters in the two-mile run (10:55.2) and Clayton Wolfe with a shot put heft of 38'5".

Carey Dixon took second in the mile run, and the relay team of Brad Benning-Clark, Issa Walker, Jerrico Stubblefield and Anthony Carter took second place in the 800 and fourth in the 400. Carter also took fourth in the long jump and sixth in the high jump, while Firestone finished fourth in the 800, and John Pamplin took fourth in the discus.

Just three Yellow Springs girls competed at the KTC meet. Tina Peters placed second in both the mile and the two-mile, and Alicia Walker took third in the 100 and fourth in the shot put.

At Cedarville, Borchers again cleaned up in the middle and long distance field, winning the 800 meters in 2:09 and the mile in 4:56. He led off the two-mile relay team with Firestone, Sontag and Andy Peters for a second place finish. Andy Peters also took fifth in the two-mile, while Borchers, Asa Casenhiser, Firestone and Sontag finished fifth in the mile relay.

For the girls, Walker finished fourth in the 100 meters and seventh in the shot. Kristen Foster took sixth in both the 200 meters and the long jump.

Baseball falls to Xenia
The YSHS baseball team lost 12–3 to Xenia Christian on Thursday, April 6. The highlight of the game was Eamon Papania and Anthony Pettiford starting their high school careers with base hits. The team is now 0–4 for the season.

Contact: lheaton@ysnews.com

Major League sign-ups/try-outs

Youth Baseball Yellow Springs will have Major League sign-ups/tryouts at Gaunt Park this Saturday, April 15, from 3 to 5 p.m. Children in fifth through eighth grades are eligible, ages 11-14. Children must sign up to play, and new players are especially encouraged.

Major League is a kid-pitch instructional league with experienced coaches whose goal is to teach fundamentals, build confidence and have fun. For more details call Bob Morrison at 767-1703 or e-mail at drbobmorrison@sbcglobal.net.

Minor League Youth Baseball signup, tryouts

Signup and tryouts for the Yellow Springs Minor League Youth Baseball Program will take place Saturday, April 15, and Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m.–noon, at Gaunt Park. Boys and girls 7–11 are eligible. This is a coach pitch league and no experience is necessary.

New players should bring a glove and will be assigned to a team. Fees are $20 per child, and $10 for each additional player in the family. The season will begin June 3, and run through late July.

For more information or to volunteer, call Tim or Jennifer Sherwood at 767-8702 or e-mail sherwt@woh.rr.com.