Tag Archive for: Austintown Fitch

LESSONS LEARNED FROM FITCH HAVE SPALDING READY AT PENN STATE

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STATE COLLEGE PA- Every softball player has dreams of playing in the power 5 conferences. To have a legitimate chance to go out and compete for a championship in Oklahoma City. Only a small chosen few get to see themselves on that type of roster. Fitch grad Lydia Spalding has just that opportunity. All of her lessons that she gathered at Fitch have her ready to compete in the Big10.

Over the weekend, Lydia got her first collegiate strikeout against Buffalo. It is the first of many, we can be confident of that. Spalding has the perfect chance to learn from two tremendous senior pitchers at Penn State in Bailey Parshall, and Kylee Lingenfelter. Parshall already has thrown a perfect game this season. Lydia is going to soak up all she can while she can from her team’s great leaders in the circle.

Spalding has come a long way. She owes so much of where she is now to what she went through while at Fitch. She was coach by a coach in Steven award who does a tremendous job in promoting his athletes and putting them in positions to be seen by college coaches. He also puts together an incredible schedule that forces his players to be at their best every time out. Spalding has seen a plethora of amazing hitters in the circle just in her high school career. That experience can not be put into value. It will make the transition into pitching against a power 5 lineup a little less of a jump.

We had a chance to catch up with Lydia Spalding during her busy in season schedule to talk about her journey, and experience so far as a Nittany Lion. Be sure to check out Lydia and Penn State this weekend as they’ll be streamed on the ACC Network against Georgia Tech. If you want to see her play close to home, Penn State will be at Pittsburgh on March 16th. In the meantime, join us in catching up with Fitch’s own Lydia Spalding in this exclusive interview only on YSN.

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SHERWOOD COMMITS TO VIRGINIA

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AUSTINTOWN OH- For years, Devin Sherwood has dazzled the Austintown Fitch football fans with his play on the gridiron. His ability to think on the fly and improvise on the run has made him one of the more fun players to watch in the area. Now he will officially be able to impress a whole new fan base at the next level. Sherwood made his announcement that he has committed to continue his football career at the University of Virginia.

Virginia finished 6-6 overall last season, and 4-4 inside the ACC. If you were wondering about their quarterback situation, Brennan Armstrong will be returning this season for his senior year. As a Junior, Armstrong threw for 4449 yards, 31 TD, and 10 INT. But after him, the Cavaliers have all underclassmen in their quarterback room.

Sherwood took the time to come on YSN’s Running Point to talk about this fantastic accomplishment. He talks about his journey at Fitch, and how prepared he’ll be for ACC football. Don’t miss this chance to hear from one of the area’s best as he announces his commitment only on YSN.

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FALCONS PROTECT THE NEST ONE LAST TIME

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A postponed conference game inside The AAC had The Austintown Fitch Falcons host The Warren G Harding Raiders for a Thursday night game.

It was the final conference game on the slate for both schools, and per usual, the fans on both sides showed up and were loud!

The first quarter was back and forth, with both teams playing the chess match on offense, looking for an opportunity to go on a run. 

Deshawn Vaughn provided the spark Fitch needed in the first half. As Vaughn had the crowd roaring to the tune of 17 first half points, pair that with holding premier scorer Tyriq Ivory to just 2 points in the first half. 

Fitch took a commanding first half lead into halftime; however, as many others are aware, you cannot hold any team down in The AAC.

The Raiders came back in the third quarter, as Ivory became a man on a mission. Scoring at high volumes, with 21 points in the second half for Warren.

Ivory also had a scoring partner in Duncan Moy, who scored double digits in both halves and finished with 21 points on the night. 

Despite the scoring efforts of Ivory (23) and Moy (21), Fitch was able to respond with a couple of 20+ point scorers themselves. With senior Allen Underwood finishing with 22 points of offense to complement the 23 scored by Deshawn Vaughn.

Austintown made enough plays down the stretch, with everyone contributing big in some way. With seniors Joe Roth hitting two big free throws late and Evan Sahli finding a bucket off an offensive board in the final minute to put a bow on it.

Fitch beat Harding 65-62 to avenge the loss suffered to The Raiders at Warren earlier in the season. 

 

Stats (Fitch):

Deshawn Vaughn – 23 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 4/10 3PT FG (40%). (Player of The Game)

Allen Underwood – 22 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 8/16 FG (50%). 

Gianni Maley – 7 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL. 

 

Harding (11-10) will now refocus with a road game at Canton McKinley (13-6) to round out their season.

Fitch (7-14) will play their final regular season game, as they travel to Alliance (15-4) to take on The Aviators!

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

*Postgame Interview With DeShawn Vaughn

ADAPTIVE SPORTS OHIO CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL STUDENTS

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AUSTINTOWN OH- Everyone deserves a chance to compete at sports. For a long time, for high school students with physical disabilities, playing a sport for their school was out of the question. That was until Adaptive Sports Ohio stepped to the plate. They have opened an avenue for students with disabilities to compete for their school. One of the benefactors of their operations is Austintown Fitch. The Falcons have a fully operational wheelchair basketball team that gets to represent the community just like their girls and boys teams do.

Head coach of the Falcons team Cara Hahn was gracious enough to come on to YSN’s Running Point this week to discuss her team, and the opportunities they make for Fitch students. She was joined by Program Director of Adaptive Sports Ohio, Brian Veverka. He talks about the ways that Adaptive Sports Ohio helps accommodate the needs of teams like Austintown Fitch. Both of them also discuss ways in which they continue to show progress and growth with adaptive sports in the Mahoning Valley. Don’t miss this exclusive interview with some of the people that have paved the way for any student to have the opportunity to compete and represent their school.

For more information about Adaptivd Sports Ohio visit www.adaptivesportsohio

 

 

LADY FALCONS SWEEP BOARDMAN

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BOARDMAN, OH- The Austintown Fitch Girls Hoops Team went into hostile territory on Monday night and thanks to a fast start, rolled out with a 63-53 victory over Boardman.

The win marks the first time in 3 seasons that Fitch has swept the season series against the Lady Spartans, and the first victory in the SpartanDome since 2019.

Leading the way for the Lady Falcons was Zayda Creque with 26 points on the night, and was red-hot to start the game drilling 4 from deep in the first half.  Ayla Ray was a key contributor with 14 points, and Rachel Spalding had a career-high 10 in the contest.

For Boardman, The Spartans did have three players in double figures in the contest as Sophomore Mackenzie Riccitelli scored 18 points, and Juniors Reagan Smith and Cami Goske would score 11 points. Senior Emma Mills in her last home game would score 7 points, while Freshmen Ava Freeborough had 4 points and Sarah Bero had 2 points.

The Spartans will conclude their regular season campaign Thursday against Warren Harding, and then will turn their attention to Kent Roosevelt Saturday for the first round of the tournament.

For the Falcons, they locked in their 13th victory of the season which matches the number of wins over the past two seasons combined, and finish 4-4 in the conference.

BOARDMAN WINS NINTH STRAIGHT OVER FITCH

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AUSTINTOWN OH- Boardman and Austintown, two teams that are synonymous with one another. Rivals in every sport they encounter, The Spartans and The Falcons renewed it on a Tuesday night in Austintown. 

Boardman came in leading their conference, while Fitch was looking to play spoiler to their rivals in conference championship hopes. 

As most games are, both teams came out with a high intensity and energy with the student sections rocking for both teams. 

With the heightened intensity of Austintown’s senior night, the roof was ready to blow off the top of the gymnasium. 

Both teams came out jockeying for position on one another, scoring back and forth, looking to establish their offense.

The Spartans had to get out of the woods early on, as both Allen Underwood and Devin Sherwood were getting it going early for Fitch. Underwood finished with 15 points and Sherwood was Fitch’s leading score with 18.

However, despite the lead changes and the battling down the stretch, it was senior Trey DePietro’s play that stood out in the fourth.

Scoring 23 points on the night, including nailing down some last second free throws and going 8-9 behind the stripe,  DePietro was quite simply clutch. 

Using his height and length, DePietro grabbed 12 boards on the night as well. Leading both teams in total points and rebounds was more than enough to earn him Player of the Game. 

Anthony Hightower pitched in with 12 points of offense for The Spartans to help secure the 60-56 win over The Falcons.

The win marks now nine straight for Spartans Basketball against their rival, as their revenge from football season is complete! 

Fitch (5-12) will look to turn it around against conference opponent Warren Harding (9-5) on Saturday, February 5th. 

For Boardman (10-6) they get to battle Canfield (7-8) for the second time this year in a home matchup with The Cardinals. That game is set to take place Friday, February 4th.

With the impending bad weather, stay tuned to YSN for all local area matchup changes and cancellations!

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

Postgame Interview With Pat Birch:

 

Postgame Interview With Tre DePietro:

UNDERWOOD ANSWERS FALCONS PRAYER TO STUN CANFIELD

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Going into the last Friday night of hoops in January already, The Canfield Cardinals hosted The AAC rival in The Fitch Falcons on senior night. 

The last time these two teams matched up was back on January 4th at Austintown. That night, Fitch was on the right side of a slim 60-59 victory against The Cards. 

Austintown took the momentum for the last victory and rode it into Friday’s game. The Falcons jumped ahead to an early 14-5 lead after the first quarter. 

Canfield struggled in the second quarter as well. With a number of shots, that The Cardinals usually have success with, were not falling. 

The Cardinals posted a second consecutive 5 point quarter, allowing Fitch to take a 23-10 lead going into halftime. 

However, Coach Muckleroy and The Cardinal Seniors were not accepting a lopsided loss on senior night.

Posting a 17-7 third quarter, Canfield made the halftime adjustments to tighten the deficit to just three going into the final eight minutes of the ballgame!

Like two heavyweights, The Cardinals and The Falcons exchanged critical shots in the fourth. With Devin Sherwood knocking down a pair of triples in crunch time, Eddie Russo and Harry Slaven responded to both Falcon threes with ones of their own.

Fitch had a two point lead in the final seconds of the fourth, when The Cards found senior Jake Grdic, who knocked down a turnaround jumper to tie the game up 41-41. 

After a Falcon timeout, a bit over four seconds remained on the clock in a tie ballgame when Joe Roth was able to get it to Allen Underwood at half court. 

The rest was history. 

An icy half-court shot from Underwood both silenced and sent the gym into pure euphoria. The Falcons walked it off winners 44-41 over Canfield. 

Canfield (7-8) will now look to regroup for another home conference matchup against Warren Harding (8-4) on Wednesday, February 2nd. 

For The Falcons (5-10) they will continue their tough road trip with a matchup against The Campbell Red Devils (14-1) on Saturday, January 29th.

*Contributed by YSN’s Ty Bartell

Postgame interview with Brian Beaney:

 

Postgame Interview With Allen Underwood:

FITCH GETS TENTH WIN OF THE SEASON

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AUSTINTOWN OH- The Austintown Fitch Lady Falcons, coming off a postponement of the game a day prior, were looking to go to battle with The Tallmadge Lady Blue Devils on a rare Tuesday matchup for girls basketball. 

Austintown went into the game with 9 victories on the season, looking to double their win total from just a year ago. 

Tallmadge was not looking to be a pushover though. Coming into Tuesday’s matchup with Fitch, having a fantastic game plan defensively by Coach Joe Leonard. 

The Lady Blue Devils brought the pressure, controlled the tempo and dominated the glass in the first quarter! Holding The Lady Falcons to just 5 points, leading the game after a quarter 7-5. 

The Second quarter is when Fitch started finding their offense. Kara Pirone hit a couple big threes down the stretch, helping Fitch take the 19-13 halftime lead, a lead from which they never looked back from. 

Coming out for the second half, Austintown jumped the Lady Blue Devils for a nice run that extended The Fitch lead to 10 just a minute into the third. 

A big adjustment by Fitch was the success they had on the glass, thanks in large part to Ayla Ray, who had 13 boards on the night! 

Tallmadge worked on slowing Zayda Creque down, and to their credit, did an incredible job in the first half. However, “The Key” was able to unlock The Tallmadge defense for 19 points on the night.

The second half adjustments were enough for Fitch (10-7) to win 47-34 over Tallmadge (2-12).

Tallmadge and Fitch are both in action again on Wednesday, January 26th as Tallmadge will play Revere.

The Lady Falcons will battle with rival The Boardman Lady Spartans in a home matchup that will be found live on YSN!

Postgame

Interview With Jeff Wilson:

Postgame Interview With Zayda Creque:

 

Postgame Interview With Julia Senediak:

WARREN’S RAID HALTED BY FITCH

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AUSTINTOWN OH- The Austintown Fitch Lady Falcons (7-5) went into their first matchup of the new year with an in-conference matchup against The Warren Harding Lady Raiders (2-3)!

Fitch brought a 3-game winning streak into Wednesday’s game, looking to carry that success over to AAC play. 

The Lady Falcons, who were 0-7 in the tough AAC last year, were now looking to be the wildcard competitive team.

The first quarter played like most AAC matchups do, hard-nosed on defense, with active hands to create steals that teams hope translates to buckets. 

Both Fitch and Harding brough that energy early one, as they were jockeying for position on one another, ending the first in a 12-12 tie. 

Leaving Coach Jeff Wilson no choice, needing a defensive spark, he called to The Enforcers! The Group of Liz Spalding, Jordan Binion and Lannie Henning all brought a defensive energy and physicality that helped turn the whole game on its head. 

Ayla Ray and Rachel Spalding were a couple of thieves on the night! Generating a boatload of steals that stopped countless Lady Raiders transition opportunities. 

Destanie Mccullough had the hardwood frozen, putting Warren on ice with her driving moves throughout the night. 

Austintown and Coach Jeff Wilson reached deep into his bench, and had contributions from all over the floor. With nine different Lady Falcons putting up numbers in the box score!

However, when the offense is locked up, you need a key. Thankful Fitch has one in Zayda ’The Key’ Creque, who had another masterful performance on the night! Scoring 28 for her team, the same night she was featured as a BIG DOG Candidate for a second time! Averaging 23.5 points per game in her last four, Creque has been on a different level!

The good team effort led Fitch to their fourth straight victory 62-36, pushing Fitch’s record to 8-5.

Both The Lady Falcons and Lady Raiders continue conference play with a couple of Saturday afternoon matchups. 

Canfield and The Lady Cardinals will welcome in Harding January 8th at 2:30 p.m.

Likewise, Fitch also plays at 2:30 p.m. as they hit the road to take on Coach Pounds and The Howland Lady Tigers Saturday!

*Contributed by YSN’s Ty Bartell

Postgame interview With Jeff Wilson:

Postgame Interview With Zayda Creque:

A BALANCED NEST BEATS IRISH

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AUSTINTOWN OH- It’s official! Christmas has passed, and the winter break is in full effect for area schools. As teams get ready for the second half of the season, a number of them are  starting up again after The New Year.

For The Austintown Fitch Lady Falcons, their schedule allowed them to have games during the break. This time, their opponent was The Ursuline Lady Irish. 

Fitch went into Monday’s contest with a 5-5 record, as this young Lady Falcons squad looked to exceed their win total from a year ago. 

Ursuline brought an even younger team yet! Both teams each had only a single senior, with the future looking bright for both squads. 

The Lady Irish had a two-engine motor on offense, with Lily Scott and Alayna Smith providing a bulk of the scoring on the night. 

Smith scored 20 points on the night and Scott shot an efficient 11-13 at the free throw line!

Fitch scored 61 on the night, with Zayday Creque (15) and Ayla Ray (12) leading the way for The Lady Falcons in scoring. 

Austintown was provided with an impactful scorer off the bench in Lannie Henning, who scored 10 points after playing significant JV minutes earlier in the night. While also providing a much needed spark for Austintown numerous times in the game. 

A late run allowed Fitch to win the fourth quarter 18-7 and win the overall game 61-42, improving their record to 6-5 on the season!

The Lady Irish will look to bounce back, with a matchup at The Heartland Christian Lady Lions house on Monday, January 3rd.

Fitch will have a cup of coffee and be right back in action Wednesday, December 29th against Twinsburg.

 

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell

Postgame Interview With Jeff Wilson:

 

Postgame Interview With Lannie Henning: