Tag Archive for: Emily Irons

RAIDER DEFENSE HUGE IN WIN OVER SPARTANS

CANFIELD OH- South Range forced 33 Spartan turnovers on route to a 38-27 victory over Boardman.

On a night where defense ran supreme both teams struggled to find any kind of offensive flow. After a pretty exciting first quarter where the Spartans held a 13-11 lead, only eight points combined were squared in the second frame. The Raiders took a two point lead into the locker room 17-15.

In a game where scoring was scarce, it turned out to be the timing of scores that came up big. With the Raiders having a 22-19 lead in the third quarter, senior Emily Irons knocked down two three pointers in a span of one minute to put the Raiders up 9.

That was all the separation the Raider defense needed as they only allowed 12 points in the second half. Not a game that will go on anyone’s offensive highlight reel, but a gritty win for the Raiders 38-27.

Gabby Lamparty led the offense for South Range with 9 points.

Katie Stamp led the Spartans with 9 points.

The Raiders get right back at it Thursday night as they host Niles.

THE LONE SENIOR

Emily Irons is no stranger to being a leader of a team. She spent all of volleyball season as not only a senior leader, but as a setter which is the leader of the offense. Now as she transitions into basketball season she will stand as the lone senior. 

By no means is Emily the only player asked to display leadership on the team. However, there is something different about senior leadership and that’s where she stands alone. There could not be someone more prepared to take the role of the lone senior. Emily has spent years being an emotional leader of every team she’s been on. Now she says she’s coming into this season with a new mindset and is ready to get her team where they need to go. Irons treasures the opportunity to help start off a new coaching regime to a positive start and jump start the program for years to come. She thinks the fact that coach Fishel is a born and raised Raider makes him the perfect person for the job, and she’s going to give him everything she’s got in her last go around as the lone senior. 

Anthony Hartwig got the opportunity to talk with Emily after a scrimmage vs Champion. They talk about being the only senior on the team, a new mindset for the new season, and much more. Learn even more about Emily Irons with the First Lady Raider Player Profile The Lone Senior.

WEEK 8 BIG DOGS OF THE VALLEY ANNOUNCED

EAST PALESTINE, OH- With only 2 weeks to go, our contenders for our weekly prize of Baird Brothers Big Dogs of the Valley continue to sizzle and impress with their statistics, and their votes.  This week two VERY deserving candidates were crowned and will now be in the running for the Baird Brothers Big Dog of the Year in their respective sports.

Without further ado, here are the King and Queen of Week 8:

 

VOLLEYBALL

PHOTO CREDIT: JOSH WORKMAN

Emily Irons – South Range

(vs. Columbiana) 31 assists, 16 digs

 

FOOTBALL

PHOTO CREDIT: JOSH WORKMAN

Derek Carter – East Liverpool

(vs. Buckeye Local) 17 Rush/217 Yards/6 TD (Broke EL rushing record, and Scores in a Game)

 

Congratulations to this week’s winners, you have made your family, friends, fans, school, and communities proud!  Best of luck this week!

REBELS CLAIM THE CROWN ADVANCE TO REGIONALS

The stage was set Saturday afternoon for a matchup between two powerhouse volleyball programs. Since 2012 South Range and Crestview have accounted for 4 of the 7 district champions. That being said, neither team had won since 2016, and both teams were excited to be back.

The first set was a wild one. Exactly what you’d expect from these two programs. Crestview opened up with a big 6-1 lead, the Raiders fought back and tied the set at9. The Raiders then took a 16-13 lead and looked like they had control of the set. The Rebels would not be denied though and went on a 5-0 rally to go ahead 18-16. After the Raiders tied it again at 18-18 both teams traded points up to 20-20. An Anna Primavera ace gave the Raiders a 21-20 lead. The Rebels then rattled off 4 points in a row to grab set point at 24-20. The Raiders still fought grabbing two in a row to make 24-22 but the Rebels managed to grab the set 25-22.

Winning such a dramatic back and forth set one propelled the Rebels to a dominate set two. Everything was working for the Rebels offense. Even though the Raiders actually hit a higher attack percentage in set two, they never could get close to Crestview who rolled 25- 13.

When the Rebels came out in set three it looked certain that they were going to cruise to a third set win. The Rebels jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead. The Raiders however never let the lead get bigger than 6 in the set. They chipped away at the lead constantly staying in striking distance. But unlike set one, the Raiders couldn’t push ahead of the Rebels. The closest they got to the Rebels was three. Crestview closed out the set on a Raiders service error to take the set, the match, and the championship. The set scores were (25-22 25-13 25-21).

For the Raiders leading the way were Anna Primavera and Abby George who each had 6 kills.  Primavera added an ace and 5 digs, George added 2 blocks. Emily Irons finished with 19 assists, 6 digs, and 3 aces. Reagan Irons had 11 digs.

Crestview was led by Tess Neville who had a monstrous 18 kills. She also added 2 aces and 7 digs. Sidney Rambo was also in double figures with 10 kills adding a block, 3 digs, and 4 assists. Lucy Montgomery finished with a double-double having 35 assists and 12 digs. Amelia Montgomery had 17 digs.

Crestview advances to the regional semifinals on Thursday, October 31st at 7:30 vs the winner of Independence vs Brookside. That match will be at Barberton High School.

RAIDERS SWEEP THEIR WAY INTO THE FINALS

SALEM, OH- The South Range Volleyball program hasn’t been to the district rounds in four seasons, but Wednesday night in the semifinals they felt right at home. They swept their way to the championship match with over Lake Center Christian (25-11 25-20 25-18).

The Raiders made a statement in the first set. The story of the set was Emily Irons’ serve and the Primavera sisters. Irons completely neutralized the Tiger offense by causing trouble at the service line. Maria and Anna Primavera combined for 9 of the teams 12 kills. The Raiders rolled in set one 25-11.

In the rest of the match, the Raiders had to navigate a few moments of inconsistency. Against a team that knew how to comeback from large deficits, the shakiness of the Raiders could have easily caused concern. But the team fought through their struggles and never let the Tigers take a lead greater than one. South Range did a great job of managing mistakes and not letting them get out of hand. Even in two when they had 7 attack errors in the first chunk of points they still managed to hit .163. This was largely due to the number of kills coming out of the Raider offense. As a team they finished with 35 kills on the night, averaging just under 12 kills per set. It was simply too much for the scrappy Lake Center team to handle.

Izzy Lamparty led the offense with 11 kills, .3 blocks, and a dig. Anna Primavera also put up a strong night with 10 kills, 7 digs, and 2 aces. Emily Irons finished with 31 assists, 5 aces, and 4 digs. Reagan Irons tallied 18 digs.

South Range advances to play Crestview in the district championship match. That will be played at Salem High School at 2:30.

 

**EDIT** We previously had the game listed for 1pm, however the correct time is 2:30

SISTER ACT: IRONS SHARPENS IRONS

There aren’t too many greater bonds in life than sisterhood, and that you make with your teammates. When you combine those two, you get something special. Emily and Reagan Irons treasure their time together on the court this season. They are able to find ways to help each other navigate the ups and down of a volleyball season. Both of them play in a leadership position. Emily is a senior setter, who is basically the quarterback of the court. Reagan puts on the different colored jersey as the libero who runs the back row. 

Anthony Hartwig got the sisters together to chat about being on the court together, favorite memories, and much more. Get ready for a special edition of Raider Volleyball Player Profile Sister Act: Irons Sharpens Irons.

RAIDERS SAIL TO DISTRICT SEMIS

The South Range Volleyball program got their ticket to the district semifinals with a four set win over Columbiana on Saturday night. (21-25 25-21 25-14 25-20)

The Clippers were the team to start with more energy. Coming off a tournament win on Thursday the Clippers were ready to go. The Raiders in the other hand hadn’t played since Thursday October 10th. The Raiders also had to deal with getting used to the lower ceiling at Salem. The Raiders don’t have a ton of experience in that gym, getting bounced in their first tournament game last season. At least three balls got lost in the rafters for the Raiders in set one. Not to take anything away from the energetic Clipper offense who was putting pressure on the Raiders back row. The Clippers couldn’t have started any better with a 25-21 set one victory.

The Raiders took time to calm down before set two. However, Columbiana still had tons of momentum. They got out to a 9-5 lead and looked poised to keep making noise. The Raiders turned the tide and knotted the set up at 11. Their run didn’t end there as the Raiders continued to plug away and wound up with a 16-1 lead. It was all Raiders from this point on. They kept a late rally from the Clippers in check and took set two 25-21.

The Raiders stormed out of the gates in the next set. The big difference was their net defense. Whether it was Izzy Lamparty or Abby George, the Raider block started to wear down the Columbiana attack. The Raiders rolled through set three 25-14.

The Clippers showed great resiliency to fight back in set number four. The two teams traded points back and forth all the way up until the Raiders led 14-13. Then the Raiders rattled off a couple points in a row to create separation. Clippers still not going away, they tied it back up at 18-18. But the block of Lamparty struck again. The Raiders would get three points in a row two from the block and lead 22-19. They’d go on to win set four 25-20 and the match 3-1.

Izzy Lamparty led the way with 12 kills, 4 blocks, and an ace. The Primavera sisters were both in double figures. Anna finished with 11 kills, 5 digs, and 3 aces. Maria had 10 kills, and 3 digs. Emily Irons tallied a double double with 28 assists, and 10 digs. Reagan Irons had an impressive 31 digs.

The Raiders move on to play Lake Central Catholic on Wednesday at 7:30. That match will be at Salem High School.

Columbiana finishes the season with a record of 11-13.

SENIORS SHINE IN RAIDERS HOME FINALE

The energy inside the South Range gymnasium was simply different on Thursday night. The three seniors on the team were honored before the match started. Each of them wanted to end their careers in their home gym with a positive note. They did just that with a three set win over Niles (25-18 25-23 25-16).

The Raiders came out swinging right away. They were able to hit an outstanding .408 hitting percentage in the opening set. Led by Anna Primavera with 7 kills in that set alone. The Raiders were also a force on the block from the beginning, whether it was Izzy Lamparty or Abby George, the Dragons struggled to get through the Raiders front row. Niles has very scrappy defense that kept things close. However, a late Raider rally gave them a 25-18 win in the first stanza.

The second set was by far the most exciting. Neither team had a lead that was greater than 3. Both teams were finding holes in the other’s defense. Truly a back and forth affair. With the score tied 23-23 the Raiders went to Anna Primavera to get set point, and then Izzy Lamparty put down a block to seal the set 25-23.

After winning such a closely contested set two it was clear that the Raiders had momentum. Niles however fought off the Raiders in the beginning stages of the set, in fact it was tied 12-12. Then it just got to be too much for the Dragons. The flood gates opened and the Raiders went on a 12-1 run to gain match point at 24-13 and eventually the match clinching set 25-16.

Anna Primavera had a double double with 16 kills, and 13 digs. She also tallied 3 aces. Abby George also had a strong night with 8 kills and a block. Maria Primavera had a career night with 12 kills and 7 digs, and an ace. Emily Irons had 40 assists, a season high. Also Irons had 7 digs and an ace. Reagan Irons finished with 20 digs, 4 kills, and 2 assists.

The Raiders now look forward to tournament play. The Raiders first game is Saturday Oct 19 at Salem High School. They await the winner of Columbiana vs Campbell.

Niles opens their tournament Tuesday Oct 15th vs Jefferson at Jefferson.

 

 

RAIDERS TAME WILDCATS

CANFIELD, OH- South Range has a tough end to last week with a three set loss to Jefferson. They bounced back with an impressive sweep of Struthers on Tuesday night (25-21 25-12 25-13)

The Raiders were shaky to begin the match, both teams were trading errors back in forth in set one. With the set tied at 12-12, the Raiders got in sync and grabbed control of the set with a 7-0 run. They took set one 25-21.

After that 7-0 rally in set one the Raiders had complete control of the match. Led by Izzy Lamparty the Raider offense was masterful in sets two and three. They were extremely efficient hitting above .200 in each, and .480 in set three. Another big key to their win was their effort on the service line. The Raiders had 7 aces on the night and plenty more serves that got the Wildcats out of system. Emily Irons led the team in aces with 3.

Izzy Lamparty had a big night with 10 kills and an ace. Anna Primavera had 7 kills and 7 digs. Emily Irons finished with 24 assists, 4 digs, 3 aces, and 3 kills. Reagan Irons led in digs with 9.

The Raiders close out their regular season by hosting Niles on Thursday night.

RAIDERS MAKE QUICK WORK OF IRISH

The South Range Volleyball team dominated Ursuline on Wednesday night with a three set sweep. (25-18 25-15 25-14)

The Raiders used consistent offensive efficiency to cruise their way to victory.  In each set they hit above .150. It all started with passing, the Raiders were in system a majority of the night, making it easy to get the ball to all their hitters. This is reflected in the balance of the Raiders attack. They had 4 players with 5 or more kills. Serving also helped the Raiders. The Irish struggled all night to get strong attacks over, being out of system off the serve receive. The Raiders had 10 aces as a team. This is a welcomed hitting performance for the Raiders after struggling to get into rhythm Tuesday night at Hubbard.

Leading the Raiders in kills was Anna Primavera with 15 kills, 4 digs, and an ace.  Abby George and Maria Primavera both had 8 kills. Primavera added 3 digs, and 2 aces. Emily Irons had 31 assists, 3 digs, and 2 kills. Reagan Irons finished with 11 digs.

The Raiders return to action Thursday as they travel to Jefferson.