Crestwood wrestling captures D-III sectional championship
The Crestwood Red Devils’ wrestling team reached the top of the mountain when they earned first place at the Rootstown sectional tournament by scoring 180.0 points, crowning four sectional champions, and advancing eight district qualifiers last Saturday at Rootstown High School. “It was nice,” said Coach Dave Wrobell. “We had a couple of up-and-down moments throughout the year, so we...
Doug Velasquez prepared to reignite Cardinal football
Doug Velasquez is no stranger to working with small-town high school football programs and is ready to once again work his magic, having been formally announced as Cardinal’s new head football coach on Feb. 15. “The football program has been struggling and I have a passion for rebuilding things and fixing some things that have been struggling and I have...
DISTRICT RUNNERS-UP: Rocket girls’ basketball ends district title reign in loss against Warriors
The third time was not the charm for the Streetsboro Rockets girls’ basketball team as their bid for a third consecutive Ohio High School Athletic Association district title fell short in a 50-40 loss against West Branch in the OHSAA Division IV Northeast 2 district championship last Saturday at Lordstown High School. “Both teams were really physical,” said Coach Carl...
Badgers’ wrestling earns third place at sectional tournament
The Berkshire Badgers’ wrestling team defended their home mats in style, finishing in third place with a team score of 148.0 points, crowning one sectional champion, advancing seven district qualifiers along with two district alternates last Saturday at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III Berkshire sectional in Burton. “It was great,” said Coach Dave Malkus. “Matches here and...
Garfield G-Men boys’ basketball shows fortitude but fall to Southeast
A piece of the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier title will go to Palymra Township this year after the Garfield G-Men boys’ basketball team was upended by league and Portage County rival Southeast 79-61, who earned a share of the league banner, in their regular season finale last Friday evening at the JAG Fieldhouse in Garrettsville. “I think we...
Garfield G-Men wrestling earns third place at MVAC tournament
The Garfield G-Men may once again have been short-handed for the annual Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference wrestling tournament last Saturday at Western Reserve High School but still placed third as a team, crowning two champions and scoring 111.0 points. “With a smaller and leaner line-up, I think we fared fairly well,” said Coach Dan Andel. “We had two champions and...
Hiram women’s lacrosse enters revival season young but determined
For the first time since the 2020 spring season, the Hiram Terriers will field a women’s lacrosse team. The Terriers will begin their return with a large underclassmen group as they seek to lay the foundation of success for the next several years. “I think that the squad is excited, and my assistant coach and I are excited. It has...
Rockets’ wrestling takes second place at MAC tournament
Streetsboro Rockets’ wrestling Coach Mark Skonieczny said that he believes his squad’s time to win the Metro Athletic Conference tournament is coming sooner than later. Streetsboro inched closer to the top of the pack by netting second place with a team score of 170.0 points and crowning four champions last Saturday at Woodridge High School in Peninsula. “I had some...
Berkshire girls’ basketball fueled by strong first half, downs Pymatuning Valley
Although the Berkshire Badgers girls’ basketball team had not played in a competitive basketball game in two weeks, they rode a dominant first half to sink Pymatuning Valley 53-35 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division V Northeast 1 sectional championship last Saturday evening in Burton. “The girls came out strong,” noted Coach Dave Albert. “We were a little...
Cardinal softball turns to Kevin Johnson to take the helm
As the Cardinal Huskies’ softball team enters a pivotal season brimming with young talent and starting anew in the Northeastern Athletic Conference, they will do so with a new leader. Former Berkshire bowling and junior varsity softball Coach Kevin Johnson has been selected as the program’s newest softball coach after being formally approved by the Cardinal Board of Education...
Red Devil boys’ basketball sets tone, fends off Patriots for sixth straight victory
The Crestwood Red Devils boys’ basketball team appeared as if they were still finding their way on the basketball court at the beginning of the season but now look the part, having survived a furious rally from Cornerstone Christian Academy and beat the Patriots 46-44 for their sixth consecutive victory last Saturday evening in Mantua. “They have come a long...
Garfield G-Men boys’ basketball secures victory against Windham
For the third straight year, the Garfield G-Men boys’ basketball team reigned supreme in their annual rivalry game against Windham, as the G-Men used a second half push to defeat their neighborhood foes 59-50 last Friday evening at Windham High School’s Marty Hill Court. “I think it was a fun game for both of us,” said Garfield Coach Matt Hill....
Garfield G-Men girls’ bowling defends MVAC Grey Tier championship, boys take fourth
The Garfield G-Men girls’ bowling team followed up on a dominant showing in the 2024-25 season with another perfect season in the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier, once again winning the league title by knocking down 3371 pins last Saturday at the Skylane Bowling Alley in Garrettsville. “You always want to be on top,” said girls’ Coach Joe Brigham....
Berkshire boys’ basketball lets late lead slip away in loss against Geneva
After three quarters of playing stout defense, the Berkshire Badgers’ 11-point lead in the fourth quarter was quickly erased as Chagrin Valley Conference rival Geneva stormed back with a 26-point quarter, overtaking the Badgers to hand them a 61-55 loss in a league crossover game last Friday evening in Burton. “We took way more shots than them,” noted Coach Joe...
Hiram men’s lacrosse seeks stability as newcomers in PAC
Hiram Terriers men’s lacrosse Coach Jason Griffith acknowledged that he knew turning around the program would be a multi-year undertaking but believes that the Terriers are bound for better things as they prepare for competition in their first year in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. “It is a much better place for those guys, and I know a couple of them...
Berkshire girls’ basketball storms past Garfield G-Men in second half
The Berkshire Badgers girls’ basketball team has stayed busy over the final days of their regular season, but finished on a high note, celebrating senior day by triumphing against Garfield 49-40 in the regular season finale last Saturday afternoon in Burton. “We know it is one possession at a time and know a lot of teams go on runs,” Badgers’...
Ravens’ basketball fueled by defense to defeat Comets in re-match
The Ravenna Ravens boys’ basketball team is trying to right the ship in the wake of a four-game losing streak. Their efforts appear to be trending in the right direction after the Ravens shut down Metro Athletic Conference foe Akron Coventry 53-37 last Friday evening in Akron. “I thought we were sounder defensively,” said Coach Justin Rahim. “I believe it...
Cardinal boys’ basketball falls flat against Grand Valley
In the Cardinal Huskies boys’ basketball team’s first season of play in the Northeastern Athletic Conference, they are finding out that there is some stiff competition. The Huskies lost their rematch against league rival Grand Valley 56-29, extending their losing streak to seven games last Friday evening in Middlefield. Over the course of Cardinal’s (5-15, 4-11) losing streak, it has...
Rocket girls’ basketball soars past Ravens in home finale
The Streetsboro Rockets girls’ basketball team closed out their home schedule in grand fashion, winning 62-21 against Metro Athletic Conference and Portage County rival Ravenna in the Battle of Lake Rockwell to celebrate senior day last Saturday afternoon in Streetsboro. “That was one of the things we talked to them about,” said Coach Carl Singer. “This could be the last...
Crestwood wrestling finishes as runners-up at CVC Chagrin Division tournament
The Crestwood Red Devils’ wrestling team continued its ascent in the Chagrin Valley Conference, taking second place in the CVC Chagrin Division and fourth place overall by crowning one champion and having six other wrestlers place to score 167.0 points last weekend at Hawken School in Chesterland. “I felt going in that we could finish between three and five if...
Badgers’ wrestling nets CVC Valley Division championship
The Berkshire Badgers’ wrestling team demonstrated not just the quality of talent but also depth at the Chagrin Valley Conference tournament last weekend at Hawken School in Chesterland, earning the CVC Valley Division title with a team score of 168.0 points, as two wrestlers won championships. “We are definitely very proud,” said Coach Dave Malkus. “There are obviously matches you...
Berkshire boys’ basketball routs Rootstown, sweeps season series
The Berkshire Badgers boys’ basketball team has found themselves in plenty of high-pressure games this season but enjoyed a welcome change of pace as they defeated Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division foe Rootstown 69-44 to sweep the season series last Friday evening in Burton. “I always talk about practice,” said Coach Joe Montanero. “You can tell that they practice hard....
Berkshire girls’ basketball trounces Geneva, eyes the stretch run
Although winning the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division title outright is no longer in the cards for the Berkshire Badgers girls’ basketball team, finishing the season strong is still their biggest goal as they pulled away in the second half from CVC rival Geneva 48-29 last Saturday afternoon in Burton. “It was good to comeback, we knew that we needed...
Hiram men’s volleyball enters season blending experience and youth
The Hiram Terriers men’s volleyball squad started their season 0-1, but Coach Kyle Martini is confident that Hiram’s best is still yet to come as the team enters a new chapter with a new coach at the helm. As The Villager previously reported, the Terriers (0-1, 0-0) will be on their third coach in three years but will have a...
Red Devil boys’ basketball come undone in fourth quarter in loss against Vikings
The Crestwood Red Devils boys’ basketball team had matched LaBrae point for point after three quarters but could not sustain their momentum in the fourth quarter and were outscored by 20 points to lose 82-60 against the Vikings last Saturday afternoon in Mantua. “The game last night against LaBrae was really a very good game,” said Coach Andrew Mertz. “It...
Garfield state champion thrower Edie Svonavec inducted in Hall of Fame
Garfield alum Edie Svonavec has never been one to brag about her multiple athletic accomplishments, such as being the first female state champion in school history. But her accomplishments still have been recognized by many, resulting in her being one of four new inductees into the Garfield Hall of Fame on Jan. 20. “It is an honor,” the 2015 Garfield...
Crestwood wrestling posts 3-2 record at Twinsburg Duals, takes third place
According to Crestwood Red Devils’ wrestling Coach Dave Wrobel, competing at the Twinsburg Duals was a good measuring stick to where the team really stood, and the Red Devils went 3-2 to take third place last Friday at Twinsburg High School. “It was nice to come out ahead and go 3-2,” the 26-year coach said. “I think that we had...
Garfield G-Men boys’ basketball edges Leopards, ends losing streak
Over the course of the Garfield G-Men boys’ basketball team’s five-game losing streak, Coach Matt Hill said that the team had shown flashes but needed to put together a complete game. They finally did so when they triumphed 60-58 against Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier foe Liberty last Friday evening in Youngstown. “We needed a win any way we...
Garfield High School to honor 2025 Hall of Fame Inductees
The James A. Garfield High School Hall of Fame committee has announced its Hall of Fame induction class for 2025, recognizing four individuals for athletic achievement, coaching excellence, and post-graduate accomplishment. The 2025 induction class includes Edie Svonavec (Class of 2015), Vinny Sisson (Class of 2006), Aaron Gilbert, and Mike Moser. Edie Svonavec, a 2015 graduate, is being inducted in recognition...
Garfield, Crestwood and Ravenna set to new Portage County-based league
Less than a year after the official disbandment of the Portage Trail Conference (2024-2025 school year), a new conference is on the rise with an official announcement on Jan. 16 that the local Portage County schools are reuniting to form the eight-team Portage County league and will begin in the 2027-28 school year. The new league will consist of seven...
