Tag Archive for: Austintown Fitch

YSN VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT BREAKDOWN

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EAST PALESTINE OH- It’s finally postseason time on the volleyball courts across YSN nation! There are plenty of teams in the YSN family that have legitimate shots at long tournament runs. There are four number 1 seeds across the coverage area.

The tournaments look a little different this season, and yes it can be a bit confusing but don’t worry! We are here to clear things up. This season the regions were split into two, and each side of each region voted on seeding. In years past teams would only vote on their district, but this season they are effectively voting on two districts for seeding. Once seeded each team had the opportunity to choose between two district brackets to go into. 1 seed chose first, 2 seed second, and so on. That is why you will see a lot of these brackets have a 1 seed, and the next highest seed a 5. The brackets are separated and now area teams that would normally have to duel for a district championship might not see each other until regionals. Heres a breakdown of how each division looks about teams in the YSN family.

DIVISION IV:

Mineral Ridge was voted the one seed in their half of the region. The back to back MVAC Scarlet Champions finished the regular season at 19-2. They will play in the Northeast 2 bracket. Other teams joining them include 5 seed Columbiana, who finished the season 17-5. The Clippers are the next highest seed Ridge will have to deal with in their district. Wellsville is the 2 seed in Division IV, and they will play in the Northeast 1 bracket. Wellsville is 17-5 and owners of the EOAC crown. Joining Wellsville is Western Reserve the three seed with a record of 17-5.

Division IV first-round matchups are as follow (High Seed Hosts)

NE Bracket 1:

10/20: (6:00)

Springfield (16) vs Chalker (19)

Heartland (6) vs Valley Christian (26)

Jackson Milton (7) vs Windham (23)

10/22: (6:00)

Wellsville (2) vs Springfield/Chalker

Jackson Milton/Windham vs Heartland/Valley Christian

10/24 (4:00)

Western Reserve (3) vs Lordstown/Brookfield.

NE Bracket 2:

10/20 (6:00)

Lowellville (17) vs Warren JFK (22)

10/21 (6:00)

Columbiana (5) vs Leetonia (24)

10/22 (6:00)

Mineral Ridge (1) vs Lowellville/Warren JFK

10/24 (4:00)

Sebring (12) vs Columbiana/Leetonia

Lisbon (20) vs Newton Falls (8)/ Bloomfield.

DIVISION III

Crestview was voted the 1 seed in their side of the region. They have a record of 19-2. If you’re hoping for a rematch of last seasons district championship between Crestview and South Range, think again. South Range was voted the 5 seed and is on the opposite side of the region bracket. The Raiders and Rebels would not meet until regional finals. United is another team to watch in the tournament. Voted the 6 seed, and a bye in the first round. They come in with a record of 14-8.

Division III first-round matchups (High seed hosts)

NE Bracket 1:

10/20 (6:00)

Liberty (12) vs Conneaut (17)

South Range (5) vs Campbell (22)

10/21 (6:00)

Ursuline (10) vs Waterloo (21)

10/22 (6:00)

United (6) vs South Range/Campbell

NE Bracket 2:

10/20 (6:00)

Crestview (1) vs East Canton (23)

10/21 (6:00)

LaBrae (11) vs Mooney (16)

10/22 (6:00)

Osborne (19) vs Crestview/East Canton

10/24 (4:00)

East Palestine (7) vs LaBrae/Mooney

DIVISION II

Lakeview was voted the one seed in their side of the region in division 2. They have a record of 15-4. They are the only team in YSN coverage that’s in their bracket. Another team to watch in their region is Girard who was voted the 4 seed and is in the second district bracket. They have a record of 16-6. In a superstructure region, Beaver Local was voted the 1 seed with a record of 21-1. They will not have to deal with East Liverpool for a while, as they are on the other side of their region. The Potters were voted the 6 seed. They have a record of 13-6

District II First Round matchups (high seed hosts)

REGION 5

NE Bracket 1:

10/22 (6:00)

Lakeview (1) vs Southeast (14)/ Mogadore Field (18)

NE Bracket 2:

10/20 (6:00)

Salem (13) vs Ravenna (25)

West Branch (7) vs Chaney (26)

10/21 (6:00)

Girard (4) vs Poland (17)

REGION 6

East Bracket 1:

10/21 (6:00)

Beaver Local (1) vs Duncan Falls (14)

East Bracket 2:

10/22 (6:00)

East Liverpool (6) vs Indian Creek (5)

DIVISION I

Austintown Fitch is the highest-seeded team in the YSN family looking in division 1. They were voted as the 4 seed and have a record of 16-4. Keep an eye on Canfield who beat Fitch late in the season voted as the six seed. Their record is 17-4. Boardman is a dangerous team as well as a 15 seed and a record of 14-8.

District I First Round Matchups (High Seed Hosts)

NE Bracket 1:

10/24 (4:00)

Canfield (6) vs Uniontown Lake/Eastlake North

NE Bracket 2:

10/20 (6:00)

Boardman (15) vs Aurora (20)

NE Bracket 3:

10/22 (6:00)

Fitch (4) vs Ellet (29)/Stow (30)

Complete brackets can be found on OHSAA’s website. Stay tuned to YSN, the only place to give you extensive volleyball coverage throughout the season.

 

AUSTINTOWN FITCH COACH’S CORNER (EP 2) WITH TJ PARKER

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AUSTINTOWN OH- Fly Falcons Fly! It is finally playoff time for Fitch, and they see everything they have worked for all season standing in front of them. Their first task is a round 1 matchup with Twinsburg. The Falcons will have to be sure to not carry any rust after a bye week playing a team with a playoff win under their belt. TJ Parker has had them ready for every challenge the season has thrown at them so far, and this is just another opportunity for the Falcons to show off their skill.

TJ took the time to come on Running Point this week to talk to Ron Potesta. They discuss the round 2 matchup, how serious the Falcons are taking COVID 19, and much more. Feed the Nest with Episode 2 of Coach’s Corner with TJ Parker.

Presented By

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO05svfA4TU[/embedyt]

 

CARDINALS FINISH FITCH THIS TIME AROUND

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AUSTINTOWN OH- In the second week of the season, Austintown Fitch went to Canfield and came back from an 0-2 deficit to beat the Cardinals in five sets. It was a turning point in the season for the Falcons, but it also was instant motivation for Canfield. They patiently awaited their second chance  Tuesday night at Fitch. Up 2-0 again this time around the Cardinals finished the job and swept Fitch (25-20 25-20 25-23).

Abbie Householder led the Cardinals recording a double double with 14 kills and 10 digs. Grace Rosko was also in double figures with 12 kills, and she played fantastic defense at the net with 3 blocks. Ally Quirk also collected a double double with 17 assists, and 13 digs.

Fitch was led by sophomore Jocelyn Jourdan with 14 kills. Ella Sahli and Alyssa Leskovac both led the defense with 15 digs. Emma Bartlett set up 19 assists.

Canfield now sets their sights on the tournament. They’ll host the winner of Uniontown Lake vs Eastlake North. Fitch closes their regular season on Thursday as they travel to Louisville.

PLAY THAT MOLODY ONE MORE TIME

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AUSTINTOWN OH- Seven seniors lead the newly crowned AAC Champion Austintown Fitch Falcons. Some of tm. he seniors hit, some of them set, Elyssa Molody specializes in defense.

One of the keys to Fitch’s success is their defense. The outside world might not talk about digs and passing, but inside Fitch’s gym it is emphasized. Elyssa takes great pride in being able to pass well, and get her team in system. It was one of her goals coming in to the season to step into this role as a defensive specialist and own it. She has certainty done that. Molody’s passes are almost always on target. She is an asset to the Falcons back row.

Elyssa has 97 digs on the season so far, and with a week to go in the regular season it is very likely that she will surpass 100 digs. Her most impressive stat is her 91% serve receive percentage on 96 receptions on the season. That is the definition of reliable. Molody also tallies 13 assists, and 19 aces on the year. Elyssa took the time out of her day to sit down with YSN’s Anthony Hartwig to discuss her senior season. They discuss what it feels like being AAC champions, her pre game routines, and much more. Feed the nest with the latest Falcon volleyball player profile “Play That Molody One More Time.”

Presented By

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2ac6VgAdWg[/embedyt]

AUSTINTOWN FITCH VOLLEYBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 1) WITH JODY BARTLETT

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AUSTINTOWN OH- Fitch volleyball has experienced tremendous success this season. They are tough not just physically and mentally. They have been able to come back from some tough situations mainly due to their leadership The Falcons also have some young talent to fall back on. They are well rounded in every part of the game of volleyball. The Falcons also play an extremely tough schedule to sharpen themselves for the postseason.

Head coach Jody Bartlett has been a part of the program for a while, and has raised the bar in terms of expectations of the program. She gets the best out of her players. She has been blessed with a great mixture of young talent and experienced seniors, and it all starts with the defense they play. Their front row is led by seniors Cate McGuire, and Alex Fisher, and then supplemented by sophomore Jocelyn Jourdan. They control the blocking at the net, while the group of defensive specialists in the back handle keeping the ball in the air.

Coach Bartlett called in to Running Point to talk to YSN’s Anthony Hartwig. They discuss what she has seen from her team this season, her senior leaders, and much more. Feed the nest and check out Episode 1 of Fitch Volleyball Coach’s Corner with Jody Bartlett.

Presented By

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDugC1Pr8Rk[/embedyt]

FITCH STANDS TALL WHEN IT MATTERS MOST

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AUSTINTOWN OH- Fitch had a chance at an undefeated season staring them in the face Friday. The Steubenville Big Red were looking to put a stop to that hope. In what ended up being the most exciting game on the Friday skate, it was the Falcons defense that came up big. The Falcons offense did answer every punch the Big Red threw and but defense made a huge play in overtime to stop a Steubenville  two point conversion that would have given the Big Red the game. Instead the big stop gave the Falcons the victory 42-41.

Devin Sherwood had a super efficient day throwing the back in high pressure situations. He went 13-17 with 239 and 4 TDs. Jamell James led the Falcons run game with 115 yards on 13 carries averaging 8.8 yards a carry. Nate Leskovac led the talented receiving core with 92 yards on 4 catches.

Fitch finishes the regular season at 6-0 and has earned a bye in the OHSAA playoffs. They’ll await the winner of Brush vs Twinsburg as they take the week to get healthy and prepare.

FALCONS MAKE A STATEMENT

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EUCLID OH- Looking to avenge their 27-42 loss almost a year ago, the Austintown Fitch Falcons headed north to face off against the Cleveland Benedictine Bengals at Euclid High School.

After receiving the opening kick, the Falcons immediately went to work. Almost 8 minutes and 14 plays into the game, quarterback Devin Sherwood got his boys on the board first, curtesy a 14-yard touchdown scamper.

While the Falcons first scoring drive was perfectly sustained, they have the ability to strike quickly as well. On their very first offensive play of the second quarter, Sherwood connected with senior Nate Leskovac for a 66-yard touchdown, boosting the Falcon lead to 14-0.

Already ahead by two scores, Fitch could smell blood in the water. Thanks to the alignment of the Bengals on the ensuing kickoff, Head coach T.J. Parker gave the green light for an onside kick, and his special teams unit produced.

Taking over on the Benedictine 46, Sherwood’s offense looked to strike again. The Falcons needed just 7 plays from plus territory to get into the endzone and make it a three-score game off Sherwood’s 29-yard pass to a wide-open Todd Simons in the front of the endzone.

With the score standing at 20-0, after a failed fake field goal by Fitch on the extra point, quarterback Ronnie Schultz and the Benedictine Bengals would start their drive at their own 25. With the first sign of life seen by the Bengals all night long, a mix of air and ground attack pushed the Bengals down to the Fitch 1 yard line before running back, Duane Jackson, was able to power it in for the score.

Back to a two-score game, the Falcons needed a little under 3 minutes to respond. In just 8 plays, T.J. Parker’s high powered offense was back into the endzone with Nate Leskovac now doing it himself with a 4-yard touchdown run from a wildcat formation, pushing the score to 28-7 after Fitch went for and converted their 2 point conversion.

Coming out of the half and trailing by 3 scores, Benedictine needed to strike quickly, and they did. Just 1 minute and 35 seconds into the half, Duane Jackson had his second rushing touchdown of the game from 4 yards out.

Unfortunately for the Bengals, their scoring would end, there while the Falcons were just getting started. Another Nate Leskovac touchdown run from a wildcat set, this time from 1 yard out pushed the lead back out to 3 scores with just 3 minutes and 43 second remaining in the third quarter. Then Sherwood’s final touchdown pass of the evening to Tyler Evans from 15 yards out would put a cap on the scoring for the night, moving the score to 42-14.

BIG PERFORMERS

Austintown-Fitch:

Devin Sherwood: 16 completions on 27 attemptsfor 262 yards, 16 carries 81 yards, 3 total TDs

Todd Simons: 6 catches 111 yards 1 TD

Nate Leskovac: 2 catches 72 yards, 5 carries 13 yards 3 total TDs

Cleveland Benedictine:

Duane Jackson: 14 carries 94 yards 2 TDs

Andre Rodgers: 7 carries 50 yards

 

UP NEXT

Fitch: T.J. Parker and his men will head home to take on Coach Reno and his Steubenville Big Red (3-1).

Benedictine:  It’s been a tough schedule for the Bengals and it doesn’t get any easier in week 6, the Bengals will plays host to Saint Ed’s (3-1) on Friday night.

*Contributed By YSN’s Jamie Thomson

AUSTINTOWN FITCH FOOTBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 1) WITH TJ PARKER

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AUSTINTOWN OH- The Falcons are having a tremendous season through four weeks of football. They’ve squared up against every challenge that has come across them. Their latest test was against Warren G Harding, and this was a game that some people doubted the Falcons could win. There was zero doubt inside the Falcons camp however, and even when the were down they managed to pull out the game against the Raiders. A new week brings a new test for Fitch as they head to Euclid to face Cleveland Benedictine. As the opponents get tougher, Fitch gets stronger.

Fitch head coach TJ Parker took time to hop on Running Point this week to talk to YSN’s Ron Potesta. They discuss the big win over Harding, what the game plan might be on Saturday in Euclid, and much more. It’s time to feed the nest Falcon fans, check out Episode 1 of Coach’s Corner with TJ Parker.

Presented By

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEx6fRTJ2P4[/embedyt]

FITCH SENDS LEOPARDS HOME EMPTY HANDED

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AUSTINTOWN OH- It was a highly anticipated matchup on Thursday night between Fitch and Louisville, and it did not disappoint. The Falcons responded from being down 2-1 to win the match 3-2 (20-25 26-24 14-25 25-15 15-10).

The Falcons struggled at first to get a handle on Louisville standout Paige Cole. She had a big chunk of her match- high 28 kills in the first set. The Falcons couldn’t get their blockers to get in time. Cole, and the Leopards navigated their way to a 25-20 set one victory.

Set two was the most competitive set of the night. The two teams went back and forth as the set went on. Fitch jumped out to a 4-0 lead early, and that was enough to keep them close. The Leopards still showed great power in the front row and took a couple leads. But Chelsie Wheeler got a strong kill from the left side to end the set.

The two teams traded dominating sets, helped out by opponent errors. Serve receive got shaky for Fitch in set three and the Leopards pounced all over them. Then, in set four it was attack errors that became the bugaboo for Louisville letting Fitch run away with the set and force a set five.

Trailing 11-10 lead in set five, Louisville made a mistake that would turn the set around. For the first time in the match they were called for a double touch on the set, and it would give the Falcons a 12-10 lead. They would go on a 3-1 run to end the set and the match.

Alyssa Leskovac earned a double double with 10 kills, and 24 digs. Chelsie Wheeler led the Falcons offense with 16 kills. Jocelyn Jourdan player tremendous net defense on the strong attackers of Louisville. She finished with 6 blocks, and 8 kills. Emma Bartlett fought through a cut on her right thumb to still finish with 40 assists.

For the Leopards, Paige Cole has another terrific night with 28 kills, and 15 digs. Lauren Siegfried set up 27 assists. Kendall Loy served up 2 aces.

The Falcons are now 11-1 and will travel to East on Monday. The Leopards fall to 6-5 and they’ll host Jackson on Wednesday.

FITCH GETS TIGERS BY THE TAIL

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AUSTINTOWN OH- Austintown Fitch is still full steam ahead as the season continues. The latest victim of their hot streak was Howland, who the Falcons swept Tuesday 25-20 25-15 25-14).

Chelsie Wheeler led the Falcon offense with 10 kills. Jocelyn Jourdan was strong on both sides of the net finishing with 5 kills, and 4 blocks. Ella Sahli patrolled the back row and led the Falcons with 16 digs. She also served up 5 aces. Emma Bartlett set up 25 assists.

The Falcons are now 10-1 on the season and have a big test on Thursday as they host Louisville.