Bowman Park field gets Arbinger name

10/12/2006

The baseball diamond at Bowman Park will be renamed in honor of longtime Start baseball coach Rich Arbinger.

The City Council of Toledo voted Sept. 5 to rename the field.

Arbinger also was honored by the school, as well as a number of former players, before the Spartans Sept. 29 homecoming football contest against Rogers.

Arbinger has led the Start baseball program for 31 seasons and compiled a 708-192 record, only the fourth coach in Ohio history to surpass 700 wins. His teams have won 12 City League titles as well as 20 sectional, 13 district, seven regional and two state titles.

League championships in cross country will be decided Saturday around the area.

The City League cross country championships will take place at Ottawa Park, with the girls running at 10 a.m. and the boys starting about 45 minutes later.

St. John s Jesuit, which claimed a one-point victory over St. Francis last year, enters the boys race as the favorite. Titan senior Chris Lemon returns after setting the meet record with a 15:35.12 mark last year.

On the girls side, Notre Dame, led by defending champ Monica Guisfredi and her younger sister Ellen, is viewed as the favorite.

The Northern Lakes League meet will be held at Secor Park (girls at 1:30 and boys at 2:15).

The Suburban Lakes League meet will be run at Fremont s Walsh Park, with the boys race starting at 10 a.m. and the girls race beginning at 11:15 a.m.

While Lakota is the defending champ on the boys side, Eastwood and Gibsonburg are expected to battle for this year s title. Defending champ Gibsonburg and Lakota are the favorites to win the girls crown.

The Northwest Ohio Athletic League races will be held at Montpelier s Hillcrest Golf Club, with the girls race starting at 10 a.m. and the boys race beginning at 10:45 a.m.

The Wauseon girls team, one of the top-ranked squads in Division II, is the favorite to claim its third straight team title, while the defending champs on the boys side, Delta, will be challenged by Bryan.

The Toledo Area Athletic Conference race will be run at Maumee Bay State Park, with the girls beginning at 1 p.m. and the boys expected to start at 1:45 p.m.

Toledo Christian, which finished third in the state in Division III last season, is the favorite in the boys race, while Danbury will look to defend its girls title.

Bryan and Patrick Henry combined to set a two-team NWOAL scoring record at Golden Bear Stadium last Friday.

The Patriots claimed a 62-33 victory over Bryan, and the two team s combined 95 points broke the previous league record of 93 points set six years earlier.

The Golden Bears also were involved in the previous record contest, having beaten Williams County rival Montpelier 63-30 on Sept. 22, 2000.

The site for Central Catholic s home football game against Whitmer on Friday, Oct. 20 has been changed.

The contest between the pair of City League title challengers originally was scheduled to be played at Bowsher, but will move to Waite s Mollenkopf Stadium.

The 1996 state champion swim team and a two athletes will be inducted in the St. Francis Hall of Fame.

Ron Soviar, a 1972 graduate who holds the City League shot put record, and Mike Nicholson, a 1986 grad who earned nine letters and played on the 1984 state champion football squad, also will be honored at ceremonies to be held at Gladieux Meadows on Thursday, Oct. 26.

The school also will honor alums Patrick McGrady, a 1960 grad who is CEO of the Toledo Area Community Credit Union; Cormac Delaney, a 67 grad who is managing partner of a local law firm, and A.T. (Terry) Conlisk, a 68 grad who is a professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio State.

Chet Sullwold, who has served as announcer at the school s home football games since 1962, also will be recognized.