City League notebook: Arrows hitting state 3rd time in row

10/17/2005

Led by junior standout Jordan Fesh and her season-low 18-hole round of 72 in Tuesday's district tournament at Sycamore Springs in Arlington, St. Ursula Academy qualified for the girls state golf tournament for the third straight year and for the eighth time in nine seasons.

The Arrows carded a four-player score of 333, the fifth-lowest team total among the 12 teams which qualified from around Ohio. Fesh's score was the third-lowest in the state among all qualifying teams and individual qualifiers at last week's district level.

The Arrows begin first-round play in the two-day, 36-hole state tournament at 8:30 a.m. Friday at Foxfire Golf Course in Lockbourne, just south of Columbus. Second-round play on Saturday also begins at 8:30.

"Jordan has really elevated her game in the last five weeks," said SUA coach Jim McGowan. "She went from playing another kind of golf to a level where she's trying to birdie every hole. She hits a lot of fairways and a lot of greens."

SUA sophomores Julia Hanson (84), Nicole Momsen (87) and Ashley Garrison (90) also figured into the district team score, while sophomore Lisa Kitzler carded a 95.

Fesh - who was named the Toledo District Golf Association's girls junior player of the year for the 2005 spring/summer amateur season - has won medal honors in six of the 16 events the Arrows have participated in this season.

Fesh carries a nine-hole scoring average of 39.8, followed by Hanson, the regular No. 2 player, at 43.9.

Fesh (78) and Hanson (84) placed first and third, respectively, on Thursday in helping SUA to a team title in the first City League girls golf tournament. The Arrows topped runner-up Notre Dame academy 338-355. Whitmer, led by individual runner-up Beth Slusher (81), was third at 359.

CRISP IN: The Division I state boys golf tournament also begins Friday at 8:30 a.m. in Lockbourne, with this competition being held on The Players Club course at Foxfire.

Included in that field is Bowsher senior Adam Crisp, the City League's player of the year the past two seasons. Although Bowsher did not qualify as a team out of the district tournament on Thursday at Red Hawk Run in Findlay, Crisp fired a 72 to earn a state berth as an individual. He is the only CL player in the state field.

Bowling Green won the district team title and Findlay placed second, winning the two state berths.

MILES OUT: Libbey basketball standout Nate Miles, a member of the All-City League and All-Blade boys teams last season, will miss at least the first half of the Cowboys' 2005-06 season because of a 15-day, disciplinary-related suspension from school.

City League commissioner Ed Scrutchins, who declined to comment on the nature of Miles' infraction, did confirm Miles' suspension. Scrutchins also confirmed that absence from school for 10 or more days within an academic quarter prevents Toledo Public Schools high school students from passing their classes, thus making them ineligible to participate in sports.

If Miles were able to pass the required portion of his second-quarter academic schedule, and be permitted to rejoin the basketball team, he may be able to resume play in early January.

The sharpshooting 6-6 junior made a verbal commitment to Xavier University last spring, the same time he announced he would be transferring to prestigious national prep basketball power Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. Miles did attend summer school at Oak Hill, but ultimately transferred back to Libbey to begin the fall quarter there.

CONTOS MOVES: Rogers' loss is Start's gain as veteran wrestling coach Mark Contos resigned his Rams' varsity post on Oct. 7 to accept the varsity opening with the Spartans. Former Start head coach Chad Henderly resigned recently in order to accept an administrative position within Toledo Public Schools.

Contos, who has coached for more than 25 years, was previously the head coach at the former DeVilbiss High School in the City League. He also served as an assistant at Waite, St. John's Jesuit, Maumee and the former Macomber High School.

Contos' move forces Rogers athletic director Randy Bartz to scramble for a replacement, a process delayed by TPS job posting and hiring procedures.

STREAK UPDATE: Top-ranked, defending Division I state champion St. Ursula Academy, which won its sixth straight CL volleyball championship Thursday night in a thrilling five-game victory over Central Catholic, extended its overall winning streak to 50 consecutive matches Saturday, taking a hard-fought 27-25, 18-25, 28-26, 25-17 victory at Huron, Ohio's third-ranked Division III team.

The Arrows (21-0) close regular-season play Wednesday night at home against Perrysburg (16-4), and begin state tournament play with a 6:15 p.m. sectional final match on Oct. 25 at Perrysburg against Saturday's Waite-Start winner.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Rogers junior quarterback Ronney Hester is The Blade's pick for the City League's Week 8 player of the week. Hester was 13-of-19 passing for 182 yards and a touchdown, plus ran 19 times for 60 yards and three TDs in the 6-2 Rams' 28-18 win over Waite on Friday.

And, a tardy congratulations to Central Catholic's Chris Willis, The Blade's choice for Week 7 CL player of the week for his role in a 24-13 victory over St. Francis de Sales in the Battle of the Irish Knight.

Contact Steve Junga at: sjunga@theblade.com or 419-724-6461.