Sidelines: 3 from area to play in Big 33 Football Classic

1/22/2009

Three players from northwest Ohio have been selected to play in the prestigious Big 33 Football Classic.

In its 51st year, the Big 33 all-star game pits the best seniors from Ohio against the top players from Pennsylvania.

Southview wide receiver Shaun Joplin, Patrick Henry defensive lineman Cody Pettit and Fostoria wide receiver Micah Hyde have been selected to represent the Ohio team.

The game will be held on June 20 in Hershey, Pa.

Joplin led the Northern Lakes League in receptions with 42 catches for 912 yards. He also caught 10 touchdowns.

Hyde, who played quarterback at Fostoria, passed for 2,336 passing yards and 23 touchdowns during the regular season and led the team in rushing with 1,253 yards.

Pettit led Patrick Henry in tackles with 100 and had 18 tackles for loss, including five sacks.

Most of the participants in the Big 33 are recruited by Division I colleges. Many have gone on to NFL careers. There has never been a Super Bowl without a Big 33 Alumni.

The game s alumni include: Tony Dorsett, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Dan Marino, Marvin Harrison and Ben Roethlisberger.

Archbold and St. John s Jesuit high schools were ranked among the top 10 in the state by the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association for their success in the classroom.

Archbold was ranked third and St. John s was seventh in total team grade-point average. The Blue Streaks had a 3.76 team GPA, while the Titans had a 3.70 GPA.

Several individuals from northwest Ohio also garnered honors. The winners, who had to be seniors that also were named all-conference and posted a GPA higher than 3.69, were: James Morlock (Eastwood), Grant Sims (Toledo Christian), Alex Gillett (Clyde), David Rupp (Archbold), Andrew Schwab (Liberty Center), Marcus Vicars (Genoa), Hunter Lent (St. John s), Kirk White (Cardinal Stritch), David Dominique (Cardinal Stritch) and Jared Leininger (Archbold).

Only 66 of the more than 35,000 players in the state qualified for the prestigious award.

The other teams that received distinction were Tiffin Calvert (3.67), Clyde (3.56), Tiffin Columbian (3.55), Northwood (3.45), Fairview (3.42), Liberty Center (3.42) and Findlay (3.37).

Dustin Wells, the Start senior hockey player who suffered a spinal cord injury on Nov. 28, will drop the first puck at a fund-raising event for a fellow injured player.

The Whitmer and Start hockey teams will hold a fund-raiser to support Clay freshman Kyle Cannon, who suffered a broken neck when he was hit during a game on Nov. 30.

Cannon, 14, is paralyzed and is currently being treated at Mott Children s Hospital at the University of Michigan.

The game will be held on Saturday at the Team Toledo Ice House, which is on Alexis Road, at 9:30 p.m.

The contest originally was set up to raise money to support both Wells and Cannon. But Dawn Haynes, Dustin Wells mother, asked that all proceeds from the game be donated to the Cannon fund. Wells has recovered and is back on his feet, according to Whitmer assistant coach Mark Boze.

We are happy to report that Dustin will be at the game and dropping the ceremonial first puck, Boze said.

The ice for the game has been donated by the Ice House and the referees also have volunteered their time. For more information contact Boze at 419-467-6564.

Southview plays St. John s Jesuit in a battle Saturday for first place in the Northwest Hockey Conference Red Division.

The Cougars (3-2) take on the Titans (3-1) at Tam O Shanter at 9 p.m.

Southview defeated St. John s 2-1 on Dec. 13.

Waite s Mary E. Kerr Memorial invitational wrestling tournament gets under way tomorrow at the Waite Field House beginning with first-round matches at 4 p.m. Competition resumes Saturday with consolation matches starting at 10 a.m., championship semifinals set for 11 a.m., and finals matches for first, third, fifth and seventh place scheduled simultaneously on four matsbeginning at 5 p.m.

Waite s 33rd annual tournament will feature a 24-team field that includes 45 wrestlers who reached the state tournament last year.

Northwest Ohio area participants will be Anthony Wayne, Bowling Green, Cardinal Stritch, Clay, Findlay, Genoa, Liberty Center, Maumee, Otsego, Rogers, Start, Southview, Wauseon, Sandusky and host Waite. The out-of-area field includes defending champion Lorain Southview, three-time champion Reynoldsburg (2005-07), 2004 champion Hilliard Darby, 2003 champion Galloway Westland, 2001 champion Perry, along with Grove City, Lyndhurst Brush, Massillon Washington and Mt. Vernon.

The last area school to win the Kerr Memorial team title wasDelta in 2002. The highest local team finish last year was fifth-place Waite, which was led by three-time Kerr champion Scott Fuller, who was voted the outstanding wrestler in the 2008 event.

The most prominent local competitor this year will be Sylvania Southview senior Greg Isley, a 2008 Division I state runner-up at 189 who won that weight class in the Kerr tourney last season, when he also collected the award here for most falls in the least time with four pins in a total time of 16:39.

Elmwood will compete in the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association Division III state dual meet tournament Sunday at Evergreen beginning at noon.

The sixth-seeded Royals, under veteran coach Dave Lee, will face No. 3 seed Marion Pleasant in a first-round match in the eight-team field.

Semifinals and consolation matches are scheduled for 2 p.m., and the championship final as well as matches to determine third through eight place are set for 4 p.m. The ticket price is $8 and is good for the entire event.

The 2008-09 basketball season will be the last for Deerfield and Britton-Macon as separate teams.

The two Michigan high schools from the Tri-County Conference will form a cooperative sports program for boys and girls basketball. The two neighboring schools already do this for football.

Beginning with the 2009-10 season, the nickname for the Britton-Deerfield basketball consolidation for boys and girls will be the Patriots. Deerfield s school nickname is the Minutemen and Britton-Macon s is the Tories.

An event to honor the lastseason for the Minutemen and Lady Minutemen, Deerfield is holding a special event the week of winter homecoming during the girls and boys games set for Feb. 5 and 6, respectively. All Deerfield alumni basketball players are invited to attend and can contact the school office at 517-447-3015 to confirm attendance.