Captain Brinn's Pre-Pre-Season Rankings: D1

Last but not least, here is my look at Division One, where the Cincinnati Catholic Schools have dominated! The state tourney usually ends up being the GGCL Invite!!
Here we go:
1. Cincinnati Mother of Mercy (These GGCL teams just seem to reload despite losses to their rosters. While I doubt Mother of Mercy will be number one all season long, they are the defending state champions so we will give them the benefit of the doubt.)
2. Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame (Same reasoning. These teams beat up on each other and are so well-coached and talented. Last year's runner-up will start my early rankings in the same position.)
3. Cincinnati Ursuline (Came on strong at the end of last season and really it should be the GGCL and everyone else. Ursuline is right up there.)
4. Rocky River Magnificat (Return enough to return to state, though won't be strong enough to challenge the Cincy teams. Well-coached and enough talent to keep the tradition going.)
5. Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy (Julie Thoman-Perry has now gone without a state title for five seasons. Her schedule is always brutal and her team made a run to regionals last season. I have to believe they are going to get their groove back soon.)
6. Cincinnati McAuley (Same reasoning as the rest of this GGCL-dominated top 10. Can be good enough to beat anyone, but their record will be blemished because of its level of difficulty.)
7. Dublin Coffman (Looking good during the summer according to my sources and a lot of talent returning. Could be on of the sleeper teams of the season in D1 and propel Columbus into the D1 hunt.)
8. Mentor (This team came out of nowhere last season, though the tradition has always been here. They didn't just roll over and play dead in the state final four last season either and made a strong showing in four games. Losses to the roster, but last year's finish gets them in the top ten.)
9. Cincinnati Seton (Can you say GGCL team? Good enough for me!)
10. Toledo St. Ursula Academy (Last season didn't live up to the standards for TSUA, who has been a staple in the state tournament most of the decade. Can they return to their perch this season? May be a little tougher for them.)
The rest:
11. Dayton Chaminade-Julienne
12. Toledo Notre Dame Academy
13. Solon
14. Amherst Steele
15. Hilliard Davidson
16. Pickerington North
17. Cincinnati Oak Hills
18. Vandalia Butler
19. Olentangy
20. Bowling Green
21. Olmsted Falls
22. Dublin Scioto
23. Lebanon
24. Youngstown Boardman
25. Stow Monroe-Falls
26. Wooster
27. Elyria
28. Westerville South
29. Centerville
30. Lakota West

The Class of D1: Any GGCL team and Rocky River Magnificat
Sleepers: Dublin Coffman, TSUA, Mentor, Dayton C-J
Don't Be Surprised If: Duh. A GGCL team is crowned state champion once again!

Last Five State Champions:
2007: Cincinnati Mother of Mercy
2006: Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame
2005: Cincinnati Seton
2004: Toledo St. Ursula Academy
2003: Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy

Captain Brinn's Pre-Pre-Season Rankings: D2

Here are my early thoughts on D2:
1. Tipp City Tippecanoe (D2 will be wide open, but Tippecanoe was impressive at state last season and return enough to be a title contender so I am giving them the pre-pre-season target, though we will see how they perform over the summer. They lost a heartbreaker (16-14) to Bishop Hartley in the state semi last year and that bitter taste could propel them.)
2. Salem (Another team with a bitter taste in their mouth after they lost a close and tight battle to the eventual state champion, Toledo Central Catholic, 15-13 in five games in the state semi-final. Revenge will be my motivation for the top two in my early rankings!)
3. Columbus Bishop Hartley (Impressive team that finished as runners-up last year. Even more impressive coaching. This team should be even better this coming season.)
4. Bexley (They burst onto the radar last season and lost in three close games to Bishop Hartley in regional finals. They were young and they will threaten this season, but will have to get through Hartley once again probably.)
5. Kettering Alter (A tough schedule will prepare them once again for tourney and they should be better than last season. You can never count out this traditional powerhouse.)
6. Toledo Central Catholic (Probably way too high, but the title of defending state champions will get them the #6 spot. They lose an incredible array of talent from last years team and will have to rely on new players to keep the momentum going. Probably will be good, just nowhere near what they were last season.)
7. Mansfield Madison Comprehensive (This program is always on the radar and they showcased some momentum in last season's tourney, almost upending TCC in regional finals when they pushed the eventual champions to five games. May threaten again this season.)
8. Parma Padua Franciscan (Padua was a sleeper all season and almost awoke when they pushed Salem in the regional finals.)
9. Cincinnati McNicholas (A GGCL team which means they will be tested in the regular season. Last season they proved worthy and almost knocked Tippecanoe out in regional semi-finals. Could they finally breakthrough this season?)
10. Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (Had an up-and-down season last year after their 2006 season dominance. They recovered for a strong tourney run, where they lost 17-15 to Salem in regional semi's. I have to believe they will be stronger this season.)
The rest:
11. Hubbard
12. Cincinnati Wyoming
13. Bellbrook
14. Tallmadge
15. Beaumont School for Girls
16. Unioto
17. John Glenn
18. Celina
19. Mentor Lake Catholic
20. Warsaw River View
21. Ottawa-Glandorf
22. Kenston
23. LaGrange Keystone
24. Lakeview
25. Sunbury Big Walnut
26. Urbana
27. Wooster Triway
28. Canal Winchester
29. Millersburg West Holmes
30. Akron SVSM

The Class of D2: Tippecanoe, Salem, Bishop Hartley, Bexley, Alter
Sleepers: Madison Comp., McNicholas, Toledo Central Catholic, Parma Padua, Walsh Jesuit
Don't be Suprised If: The top five teams stay steady all season and the final four includes at least three returnees from last season.

Last Five State Champions:
2007: Toledo Central Catholic
2006: Kettering Alter
2005: Roger Bacon
2004: Roger Bacon
2003: Kettering Alter

Captain Brinn's Pre-Pre Season Rankings: D3

Here are my Division 3 pre, pre-season rankings:

1. Lima Central Catholic (The defending champions came out of nowhere last season and now will begin this season with the target on their back. They return quite a bit from last year's team, but will face a tough road back to state. Can they handle the pressure?)
2. Cincinnati Roger Bacon (A final four team last season, it definitely wasn't what a Roger Bacon squad usually is. Still, they have a great coach and a great tradition and will once again be battle-tested in the GGCL.)
3. Albany Alexander (This team is very well-coached and was runners-up last season. They return many players from that team and could be a contender in this division once again.)
4. Versailles (The top team in the MAC conference last season should once again be good enough to be in contention for anything.)
5. Anna (Kind of a disappointing end to the Rockets' season, as they could not defend their 2006 state title. They will have plenty of talent back and without the injury bug biting might find their way back to state, though their regional will likely include two teams ranked before them in Roger Bacon and Versailles.)
6. Milan Edison (Young last season, but highly talented. They could finally steal the spotlight in their league from Huron if the inexperience is under control from their talented athletes. They are playing a tough schedule this season and that will help come tourney time.)
7. Huron (The post-Sarah Sage era begins with Huron, a team that failed to live up to expectations last season after their final four run in 2006. Of course with Don Wood, who continues to coach the program to lofty expectations, Huron is still going to be in the mix.)
8. Gates Gilmour Academy (They were so close to being in the state title game last season, but lost in a heartbreaker to Albany Alexander in the semi-final. Will they be able to repeat the magic this season?)
9. Frankfort Adena (Of course the top 10 would not be complete without Adena, a team that seems to churn out more consistency than any other small school program, though the big prize as eluded them in the modern era. This team is solidly coached and could contend out of the Central District for a state bid.)
10. St. Henry (Who knows how this formerly great program will do in the regular season since they play such a tough schedule, but we do know that it doesn't matter as they will always threaten in the postseason much like last year after a non-characteristic regular season yielded a regional tourney appearance.)
The rest:
11. Heath
12. Tuscarawas Valley
13. West Salem Northwestern
14. Centerburg
15. Archbold
16. Cleveland VASJ
17. Hamilton Badin
18. Girard
19. Marion Pleasant
20. Buckeye Trail
21. Orrville
22. Monroe Central
23. Columbiana Crestview
24. Berkshire
25. Hebron Lakewood
26. Williamsport Westfall
27. Wheelersburg
28. Norwayne
29. Chagrin Falls
30. Kansas Lakota

The Class of D3: L.C.C., Roger Bacon, Albany Alexander, Anna, Versailles
Sleepers: Milan Edison, Huron, Frankfort Adena, Gilmour Academy
Don't Be Surprised If: The final four features four entirely new teams

Last Five State Champions:
2007: Lima Central Catholic
2006: Anna
2005: Cleveland VASJ
2004: Newark Catholic
2003: Orrville

Jeromesville Hillsdale softball coach resigns

Just had this article sent to me about Hillsdale's coach resigning as softball coach after nine seasons and two state appearances at the tradition-rich program. He makes some pretty bold statements about the Board of Education in this article, which makes it sound like it is not something he necessarily wanted to do.
Here's the link:
http://www.times-gazette.com/news/article/3970341

Milan Edison to face-off against defending D3 champs L.C.C.

I just got this email from some Milan Edison fans regarding the kick-off to a highly-anticipated season for Edison. The Lady Chargers were very, very young last year and made an impression. An even bigger impression is expected from this squad this season and next, as most of the players will be just juniors from my understanding.
Here's the email:
"Hey Captain, Some info for you....The Lady Chargers of Milan Edison are looking forward to opening the season on Saturday, August 23rd at Edison with State Champion Lima Central Catholic. This match up could potentially be a Regional Final preview. Just a couple years ago, teams of this caliber would not have even considered Edison as an opponent. Lot of talent on the team with one starting senior and three strong hitting juniors to be. We'll see how things progress throughout the season. Keep the ladies on the radar! Thanks for all you do for this great sport of high school volleyball."
We love to see when teams toughen their schedules in order to get better! I also thought I read on JJHuddle at one time that Milan Edison would be joining the always-touch Convoy Crestview Invitational this season, which in the past has always featured Marion Local and Norwalk St. Paul and last year added Celina. If true, it seems Edison might be making a statement about the fact that they want to challenge Huron for supremecy in their league!
Stay tuned, D3 Pre-Pre-Season Rankings will be posted in the next few days!

Captain Brinn's Pre-Pre Season Volleyball Rankings: D4

I couldn't wait anylonger. I had to start the conversation about vollyeball's upcoming season. What a better way to do that than to rank, which seems to ruffle feathers and start debate instantaneously! The first round starts with Division 4. Keep in mind these are the rankings before the preseason rankings which are before the start of my annual REAL rankings. These are just food for thought. Feel free to comment on them in the comments section!

DIVISION 4
1. Marion Local (Seems to make sense to start off with the best team in D4 last season and the defending state champion. They had some stars graduate, but the tradition and plenty of talent remain.)
2. Jackson Center (They weren't impressive in the final four last season, but they were a pretty impressive team overall during the regular season. They should be right there again.)
3. Norwalk St. Paul (An established program in D4 volleyball that seems to keep churning out talent since bursting onto the scene with their first state title. )
4. Sidney Lehman Catholic (Another established program that was easily handled by Jackson Center in regional finals last season. Always a guarantee to make regionals, but can they make their way back to state?)
5. New Bremen (Last season they surprised everyone with their strong showing. Started to fade towards seasons end, but were young. Should be in contention for the MAC title and should challenge Marion Local. Can they finally break out of the tough MAC sectional and make it to regionals and perhaps state?)
6. Newark Catholic (Tradition rich and underappreciated last season. Made it to state, but were easily handled. Still a strong team and should be towards the top.)
7. Minster (Another MAC team and another surprising team last season. Can they continue to improve and get back to the glory days?)
8. Delphos St. John's (I may be stepping out on a limb here as they are traditionally one of the worst teams in the tough MAC conference, but they just had a strong showing in Lehman's summer tourney and they had a run to the district finals last season and took ML to four games. Could be their season to make a statement and finish in the top 3 or 4 of the MAC.)
9. Hopewell-Loudon (Not the H-L teams of the past, but made a good run last season. Won't contend for a state appearance or anything, but good enough to win their league and make another run to regional finals perhaps.)
10. Twin Valley South (Did well last season. Can they continue?)
The rest:
11. Leipsic
12. Kidron Central Christian
13. New Knoxville
14. Sycamore Mohawk
15. Lancaster Fisher Catholic
16. New Riegel
17. South Charleston Southeastern
18. Lordstown
19. Reedsville Eastern
20. Convoy Crestview
21. Kalida
22. Ashtabula St. John & Paul
23. Berlin Hiland
24. Tuscarawas Central Catholic
25. Portsmouth Clay
26. Edon
27. Ayersville
28. Fort Recovery
29. Monroeville
30. Old Fort

The Class of DIV: Marion Local, Jackson Center, NSP, New Bremen, Lehman Catholic
Sleepers: Delphos St. John's, Minster, Hopewell-Loudon, Newark Catholic
Don't be surprised if: We see Marion Local and NSP play again for the state title

Last Five State Champs:
2007: Marion Local
2006: Norwalk St. Paul
2005:Sidney Lehman Catholic
2004: St. Henry
2003: Centerburg
2002: Norwalk St. Paul

Ohio loses Big 33 game to Pennsylvania

Ohio's future college football players were active this past weekend in the Big 33 game. They were on the losing end of things, however.
Here's the story:
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080615/SPT030101/806150422/

Summer Volleyball Tourneys give preview of season to come

So the summer volleyball season is underway with teams competing in the early going in preparation of what I think is one of the most exciting seasons in Ohio H.S. sports! I wanted to give a summary of what has happened so far at the recent Lehman Summer Tourney. In a few weeks I will post my Pre-Pre-Season Rankings!

Sidney Lehman Tourney:
Not necessarily a strong pool beyond Lehman, but it is too early anyway and players were missing because of the ACT test. Lehman's Gold Team won the whole thing defeating Delphos St. John's, a surprising team here. They defeated Lehman's Blue Team and Huber Heights Wayne and split with Dublin Coffman to advance into the Gold bracket, where they defeated Little Miami and lost to Lehman Gold. Lehman's Gold Team defeated Fairbanks, Centerburg, Little Miami and Dublin Coffman before defeated Delphos St. John's.

New Coach Alert: Solon Volleyball

Solon's volleyball program has experienced quite a bit of success, including their 2006 State Final Four appearance and lofty ranking all through the 2007 season until a tough 5-game loss (16-14 in the fifth) to Mentor. Now, they are getting some new leadership. A Solon Volleyball fan sent us this email today:
"The JJ Huddle posters are looking for new coach names. Solon's is Liz Guard"
Here's the story:
Liz Guard named to lead Solon High School volleyball program
SOLON – A successful player in her own right in high school and college, Liz Guard today was named as the new head coach of the Solon High School volleyball program. Coach Guard served as assistant volleyball coach at Beaumont in 2007 and at the University of Tulsa in 2006. She currently is a Junior Olympic jump/serve volleyball coach.
We believe Liz possesses the knowledge, passion for the sport and enthusiasm to not only maintain our current program, but to also take us consistently to the next level,” said Erin Short, associate principal of Solon High School. “Her personal playing and coaching experience at very high levels will be invaluable in leading our female athletes.
While playing at Eastern Kentucky University, Coach Guard’s competitive accomplishments included a 2006 All-American Honorable Mention, and spots on the 2006 First Team All-Midwest Region as well as the First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference from 2004-06. Her Eastern Kentucky team earned a birth in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament in 2004. At the high school level, she played on the 2001 Division III state championship team at Villa Angela-St. Joseph.
Having played at high competitive levels, including in the NCAA tournament, Coach Guard said she is confident she will be able to help the players on and off the court.
“I am honored and excited as the new head coach at Solon High School,” Coach Guard said after meeting her team for the first time today. “I am looking forward to taking a program that has already been so successful and setting even higher expectations.”
Link:
http://www.solonschools.org/athletics/features/displayarticle.asp?articleid=324200810735

Tell the story of your school's athletic tradition!

If you are proud supporter of your school and want people to know about its athletic tradition, then write a blog feature for Captain Brinn's Ohio Varsity. No length requirements or anything specific like that. We want to learn about as many high school sports programs as possible. Tell us about state appearances, greatest teams, greatest athletes, athletes who made it big in the pros or at college, title runs, cinderella runs, etc. Simply put, tell about your high school program!
Email you blog feature to captainbrinn@gmail.com
We hope to feature them on here as we get them! And, you don't have to put who you are. Anonymous is fine. Looking forward to it!

Pre-Pre-Season Softball Predictions

The dust has just been cleared from home plate in Akron and already I can't wait to predict what the landscape will look like for next season. There will be some new teams that pop-up out of nowhere, but the typical powers will be back vying for another shot at the title. So without further ado, here are my 2009 softball pre-pre-season rankings!
The Captain's Preseason 2009 State Rankings
D1
1.)Grove City 2.)Elyria 3.)Mason 4.)Brunswick 5.)Lebanon 6.)North Royalton 7.)Hilliard Darby 8.)Holland Springfield 9.)Greenville 10.)Clayton Northmont
Others to watch:Lakota East, Hudson, Ashville Teays Valley, Marysville.
D2
1.)Clyde 2.)LaGrange Keystone 3.)Akron Hoban 4.)Granville 5.)Canfield (loses 8 to graduation)6.)Springfield Kenton Ridge 7.)Tallmadge 8.)Poland Seminary 9.)Chardon Notre Dame Cathedral Latin 10.)Celina
Others to watch:Lima Bath, Thonrnville Sheridan, Dover, New Concord John Glenn
D3
1.)Hebron Lakewood 2.)Wellington 3.)Jeromesville Hillsdale 4.)Akron Manchester 5.)Columbia Station Columbia 6.)Richwood North Union 7.)North Robinson Colonel Crawford 8.)West Liberty Salem 9.)Bloomdale Elmwood 10.)Archbold
Others to watch:Carroll Bloom Carroll, Wheelersburg, Blanchester, Brookville
D4
1.)Danville 2.)Convoy Crestview 3.)Warren JFK 4.)North Lewisburg Triad 5.)Rockford Parkway 6.)Ansonia 7.)Willow Wood Symmes Valley 8.)New Riegel 9.)Strasburg Franklin 10.)Pleasant Hill Newton
Others to watch:South Charleston Southeastern, East Canton, Dalton, Crestline

What's to come?

Keep checking Captain Brinn's Ohio Varsity this week and all summer. The state championships are over, but the Captain is just getting warmed up! We just want this blog and the Captain Brinn network to grow and grow and we want you to be a part of it. You can submit story ideas or write blog postings of your own and submit them to captainbrinn@gmail.com!

In the meantime, here's what's next:
*The Captain will post pre-pre season softball rankings late this week
*The Captain will start looking ahead to volleyball season and football season
*The Captain will feature rankings all summer of the top Ohio programs in various sports and overall
*The Captain will launch the Ohio Varsity Social Community

Keep reading! Nearly 1700 unique visits in less than 3 weeks! Wow!

Captain's Roundup

Here's a roundup of the stories from the state softball and baseball championships!Triad's 3rd straight trip to the title game in D4 was not the charm; Danville gets the gold!
Here's the story:http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/high-schools/2008/06/07/sns060808sptriadsbnotes.html
Walsh Jesuit's baseball team wrapped up their 2nd title in 3 years with easy win over Canal Winchester
Here's the story:http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1212913832215320.xml&coll=2As I predicted, Patrick Henry was just too much. They won the D4 baseball title big over Berlin Hiland.
Here's the story:http://highschoolsports.cleveland.com/game/recap/127844/
The D1 Softball Championship will go down in history as a classic battle where either team could win. North Canton Hoover was the lucky team, though, over Elyria.
Here's the story:http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1212913894215320.xml&coll=2
It wasn't Celina's day in the D2 Softball Championship, as Canfield rolled to a 6-0 win.
Here's the story:http://www.limaohio.com/sports/celina_24015___article.html/falls_game.html
Controversy in the D1 state baseball title game, where Lakewood St. Edward stole the show and the title from Cleveland St. Ignatius
Here's the story:http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1212913984215320.xml&coll=2Hebron Lakewood won the D3 softball title as expected, but not without a scare from Wellington
Here's the story:http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/06/08/hs_softball_lakewood08.ART_ART_06-08-08_C6_85AEDUC.html?sid=101

TAKING HOME THE TITLE

Here is a list of all the baseball and softball champions:
DIVISION ONE:
Lakewood St. Edward (Baseball)
North Canton Hoover (Softball)
DIVISION TWO:
Cuyahoga Walsh Jesuit (Baseball)
Canfield (Softball)
DIVISION THREE:
Canton Central Catholic (Baseball)
Hebron Lakewood (Softball)
DIVISION FOUR:
Patrick Henry (Baseball)
Danville (Softball)

The last champions

The Elyria and North Canton Hoover softball D1 final was a classic! 10 innings, good defense, and star pitchers. Hoover was the lucky one, though, winning the title 1-0.
Here's a recap:
http://www.ohiohssports.com/game/recap/127822/
Patrick Henry was way too much for Berlin Hiland as they rolled to a big 10-0 victory and the D4 state baseball title.
Here's the recap:
http://www.ohiohssports.com/game/recap/127819/