Tag Archive for: Featured

MOONEY STARTS SEASON WITH A WIN

Mooney Lacrosse begins their season 1-0, after a 13-7 win against Green on the road. Angelee Blasko and Ella Szalay led the way with 4 goals and 1 assist each. Frankie Cassese had 2 goals and 5 ground balls. Natalie Blasko and Maria Pecchia each added a goal.

Sophia Rotunno was an absolute game changer on defense and getting momentum for the team with 8 caused turnovers, 7 ground balls, and finished it off with 1 goal and 2 assists. Alyssa Ray had 5 saves in goal. Mooney heads to Poland tomorrow for a 6:30 game.

*Contributed by Toni Chahine

2024 YSN BOYS ALL STAR GAME ROSTERS AND EVENTS

BOARDMAN OH- The time has come once again to put a bow on another fantastic basketball season.  Across the YSN family we saw thrilling finishes, career milestones, and record breaking performances all throughout the winter.  Now before these athletes hang up the jerseys and shoes it’s time for them to lace up one last time in the 2024 YSN All Star Game.

We are proud to introduce the rosters of this year’s boys all star game which can be found below.  The teams are broken into a home and away team. Team Stars will be the home team and will be coached by Nick Miller from Beaver Local and Carey Palermo from Cardinal Mooney. Team Stripes will be the away team and they’ll be coached by Josh Scott  from Heartland Christian  and Josh Upshire  from Badger.

The boys game will tip off at approximately 8:00 at Boardman High School on Sunday March 24th.  Player check in will open at 3:30, before the girls game as well as the doors opening to the public. Tickets will be sold at the door.  All proceeds from the gate will be donated to Sleep In Heavenly Peace. YSN is proud to continue its tradition of using the All Star events to help benefit local charities that do fantastic work in the community.  Sleep In Heavenly Peace is an organization that builds and delivers beds to children who would not have them otherwise.

A waiver will need to be signed for each athlete to take part in the All Star event.  If the student athlete is 18 or older, they can sign for themselves. If the student athlete is under 18 they will need to be signed for by a parent or guardian.  A link to a digital waiver can be found at the bottom of this article.  There will also be a link to the waiver provided at player check in

We are tremendously excited to celebrate these fantastic all stars on a night that is sure not to be forgotten.  We hope you can join us at Boardman!

 


BOYS HOME (White Jersey)

COACHES: Nick Miller- Beaver Local & Carey Palermo- Cardinal Mooney

Austintown-Fitch DeShawn Vaughn

Austintown Fitch Marcel Finkley

Beaver Local Austin Cline

Boardman Terrell McDowell

Campbell Memorial Josue Rodriguez

Canfield Sam Castronova

Cardinal Mooney Rocco Turner

Cardinal Mooney Eddie Nieves

Columbiana Maddox Brown

East (Youngstown) Isaiah McCray

East Liverpool Preston Kerr

East Liverpool Preston Dawson

East Palestine Owen Jurjavcic

Edgewood Jacob Ernst

Garrettsville Garfield Preston Gedeon

Girard Dom Phillips

LaBrae Austin Rowe

Leetonia Carson Brock

Lowellville Matt Lucido

McDonald Drew Zajack

Mineral Ridge Chase Moore

Newton Falls Jabriel Rufai

Poland Carmine Tukalo

South Range Landon Moore

Springfield Sean Guerriero

Valley Christian Ra’Shaun Bell

Warren JFK Michael Condoleon

Warren JFK Nick Ryan

Warren JFK Nico Ciminero

West Branch Jaxon Robb

BOYS AWAY (Dark Jersey)

COACHES: Josh Scott- Heartland Christian & Josh Upshire Badger.

Archbishop Hoban Jonas Nichols

Badger Duncan Moy

Brookfield Matteo Fortuna

Canfield Dom Cruz

Canfield Tony Russo

Cardinal Mooney Jibri Carter

Cardinal Mooney Ashton O’Brien

Champion Marky Nolan

Chaney Ja’Shaun Holcomb

Chaney Austin Brown

Conneaut Chance Loomis

Crestview Justin McKee

Grand Valley Jerry Arrington

Heartland Christian Jake Walker

Howland Alex Henry

Hubbard Braydon Songer

Jefferson Joey DeGeorge

Lakeside Dyln Newsome

Liberty Evan Bates

Lisbon Trevor Siefke

Louisville Hayden Nigro

Mohawk (PA) Bobby Fadden

Niles Anthony Budak

Salem Trent Fink

Sebring Dustin Black

Southern Noah Chase

South Range Luke Rohan

United Luke Courtney

Waterloo Jackson Eichler

Warren JFK Jaden Rishel

Wellsville Tyrell Watkins

3 Point Competition

  1. Dyln Newsome- Lakeside
  2. Dom Cruz- Canfield
  3. Luke Rohan- South Range
  4. Rocco Turner- Mooney
  5. Jaxon Robb- West Branch
  6. Carson Brock- Leetonia
  7. Greyson Eicher – Boardman

Dunk Contest

  1. Duncan Moy- Badger
  2. Jacob Ernst- Edgewood
  3. Cam Sly- East
  4. Maddox Brown- Columbiana
  5. Eddie Nieves – Cardinal Mooney
  6. Nick Ryan – JFK

WAIVER: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/w/4ixxdgte5ebeunbwcrulhr/web/

2024 YSN GIRLS ALL STAR GAME ROSTERS AND EVENTS

BOARDMAN OH- The time has come once again to put a bow on another fantastic basketball season.  Across the YSN family we saw thrilling finishes, career milestones, and record breaking performances all throughout the winter.  Now before these athletes hang up the jerseys and shoes it’s time for them to lace up one last time in the 2024 YSN All Star Game.

We are proud to introduce the rosters of this year’s girls all star game which can be found below.  The teams are broken into a home and away team. Team Stars will be the home team and will be coached by Boardman’s Jeff Hammerton and West Branch’s Walt DeShields. Team Stripes will be the away team and they’ll be coached by Amy Harrison from Mineral Ridge and Michael Skrinjar from Southern Local.

The girls game will tip off at 5:00 at Boardman High School on Sunday March 24th.  Player check in will open at 3:30, as well as the doors opening to the public. Tickets will be sold at the door.  All proceeds from the gate will be donated to Sleep In Heavenly Peace. YSN is proud to continue its tradition of using the All Star events to help benefit local charities that do fantastic work in the community.  Sleep In Heavenly Peace is an organization that builds and delivers beds to children who would not have them otherwise.

A waiver will need to be signed for each athlete to take part in the All Star event.  If the student athlete is 18 or older, they can sign for themselves. If the student athlete is under 18 they will need to be signed for by a parent or guardian.  A link to a digital waiver can be found at the bottom of this article.  There will also be a link to the waiver provided at player check in

We are tremendously excited to celebrate these fantastic all stars on a night that is sure not to be forgotten.  We hope you can join us at Boardman!

Girls TEAM STARS  Home (White Jersey)

COACHES: Jeff Hammerton- Boardman & Walt DeShields- West Branch

Archbishop Hoban Niera Stevens

Badger Katie Grexa

Beaver Annsley Baker

Beaver Local Cami Starkey

Boardman Mackenzie Riccitelli

Boardman Sam Duble

Brookfield Cailey Wellman

Campbell Memorial Diamon Sims

Columbiana Ellie Venezia

East Liverpool Reagan Edwards

East Palestine Leila Martin

Edison Rebecka Evans

Garrettsville Garfield Mandy Cardinal (injured)

Grand Valley Kaelyn Hart

Jackson-Milton Amani Yasin

Jefferson Mia Contenza

Lisbon Morgan Lively

Lowellville Serinna Tych

Mineral Ridge Ava Hulett

Mineral Ridge Sullivan Sandy

Mohawk Erynne Capalbo

Salem Lauryn Barton

Sebring Reagan Wynn

Springfield Jameka Brungard

United Grace Knight

Ursuline Kennedy Carpenter

Warren JFK Gianna Pompelia

Warren JFK Didi Ryan

West Branch Sophia Gregory

West Branch Chloe Dennison

Western Reserve Quincy Miller

Girls TEAM STRIPES Away (Dark Jersey)

COACHES: Amy Harrison- Mineral Ridge & Michael Skrinjar- Southern Local

Ashtabula St. John Mickey Zheng

Austintown-Fitch Ayla Ray

Canfield Camie Dill

Canfield Cami Hritz

Canfield Grace McQuiston

Cardinal Mooney Sophia Diorio

Champion Bella Meyer

Chaney Alyssa Brown

Conneaut Kayla Farley

Crestview Addison Rhodes

East (Youngstown) Johniqua Clay

Girard Mia Malito

Heartland Christian Rachel Reynolds

Howland Gia Hoso

Hubbard Rheanna Barr

LaBrae Ella Kuzsmaul

Liberty Mia Parker

Louisville Brooke Haren

McDonald Juliana Krumpak

Newton Falls Dani Drake

Niles Kherington Stanford

Poland Elliana Thompson

Pymatuning Valley Zoey Painter

Salem Rylee Hutton

South Range Gwen Lowry

Southern Ashley Shroades

Springfield Mariana Tuscano

Warren JFK Ava Darney

Wellsville Bella Poppelriter

3 Point Competition

  1. Sam Duble- Boardman
  2. Ella Kuszmaul- LaBrae
  3. Ashley Shroades- Southern
  4. Chloe Dennison- West Branch
  5. Cami Hritz- Canfield
  6. Gwen Lowry- South Range
  7. Ava Darney- JFK

3-2-1 Competition

  1. Addison Rhodes- Crestview
  2. Grace Knight- United
  3. Ava Hulett- Mineral Ridge
  4. Niera Stevens- Hoban
  5. Bella Meyer- Champion
  6. MC Werth- Boardman

ATHLETE WAIVER: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/w/4ixxdgte5ebeunbwcrulhr/web/

 

SOUTH RANGE SOFTBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 1) WITH JEFF DEROSE

CANFIELD OH- After another trip to Firestone Stadium last season for South Range, they are locked in to start another season.  The trip to state was the program’s 3rd since 2016.  The Raiders have never missed a beat in pitching over the seasons, having a college level arm in the circle since 2010.  Now it’s a new generation’s turn to continue that tradition and keep this program in the right direction.  Although last year’s senior class was crucial to their tournament run, they still had plenty of young players step up in the biggest moments.  They’ll lean on that experience to guide the players that are stepping into bigger roles on the team.

Raiders head coach Jeff DeRose has had plenty to celebrate in his career at South Range, and he’s hoping this year just adds more.  He took time out his day to chat with YSN’s Anthony Hartwig about the upcoming season.  They discuss what it’ll take to get back to Firestone Stadium, what fans should expect in the circle, and much more. Check out Episode 1 of Coach’s Corner with Jeff DeRose exclusively on YSN!

Presented By:

CARDINAL MOONEY GIRLS LACROSSE COACH’S CORNER (EP 1) WITH TONI CHAHINE

YOUNGSTOWN OH- Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the area. If you don’t believe that, all you have to do is look at the increase in numbers that Cardinal Mooney’s girls program has experienced in the last two seasons. Last year with a handful of players who were picking up the sport for the first time, Mooney still found success.  Head coach Toni Chahine knows that now her program is ahead of schedule and she can focus on building IQ and fine tuning the details to turn this program even closer to greatness.

Coach Chahine took the time to catch up with YSN’s Anthony Hartwig to talk about what to expect out of the program this season. They also talk about balancing coaching two varsity sports, and much more. Check out Episode 1 of Coach’s Corner with Toni Chahine.

Presented By:

BOARDMAN BASEBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 1) WITH JOE GABRIEL

BOARDMAN OH- It’s just about baseball time in the area, and no one is more excited to get back to action than the Boardman Spartans.  After a season where a young team went through adversity, the Spartans are banking on experience being a fantastic tool to success.  Coach Joe Gabriel and his staff have always put their players in the best position to win, and now with an experienced group of players that job gets easier.  The Spartans play in a tough AAC that will always keep them on their toes.  They’ll try to push through it and make some serious waves in the standings.

Coach Gabriel took the time to catch up with YSN’s Anthony Hartwig to talk about the upcoming season in Boardman. They talk about the lessons learned from last season, being a part of the coaching room inside the conference, and so much more. Check out Episode 1 of Coach’s Corner with Joe Gabriel.

Presented By:

HOWLAND SOFTBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 1) WITH NICOLE WAYT

HOWLAND OH- Start flipping your calendars towards spring, and get yourself ready for softball season. The excitement is building in Howland’s program as they’ve had a very successful preseason so far.  The Tigers may have lost 6 important senior leaders to graduation, but they still have a big group of core players that are geared up for a run.  Howland’s head coach Nicole Wayt knows what it takes to develop talent.  We’ve seen her roster grow in ability in skill over their career, and it might just culminate into something special this year.

Coach Wayt took time out of her busy day to chat with YSN’s Anthony Hartwig to talk about the upcoming season.  They talk about the mix of experienced leaders, and young talent, and so much more. Check out Episode 1 of Coach’s Corner with Nicole Wayt exclusively on YSN!

Presented By:

FINAL OBSERVATIONS FROM COLUMBUS

By Gary Althiser


COLUMBUS OH- To say things went well for the YSN family at the state tournament would be putting it mild
ly. In 2023, 19 wrestlers finished in the top eight, while this season the number increased to 22. Like last season, two wrestlers were crowned champions, but unlike last season one of them – East Liverpool’s Makyah Newlun – become YSN’s first female to win a gold medal. A lot of other interesting and exciting things happened over the weekend, here are a few.

Cardiac Kids

In what might have been the most exciting match of the tournament for YSN, East Liverpool freshman Paige Cowan pulled off an improbable win over Harrison’s Caiden Baird in the opening round. Down 4-2 with 12 seconds remaining, Baird was penalized with her second stalling call, giving Cowan a point, and cutting the lead to just one. With the clock ticking, Cowan took a shot near the edge of the circle, popping her head out to the side with control as time expired. The official raisedhis hand with two fingers pointing up, signaling Cowan was awarded a takedown, giving her a 5-4 win. The win proved to be an important one for Cowan as she finished 8th for the potters.

Following suit in his finals match, Cowan’s teammate on the boys side, Tristan Eckles, also pulled off a win with time expiring. Down 3-1 with 14 seconds remaining in the third period, Eckles worked from the bottom position to not only secure a reversal but also two near-fall points in the process. Those final four points gave Eckles a 5-3 win and a 7th place finish.

Heart

Louisville’s 126-pound wrestler Kolten Barker might have wrestled more minutes per match than anyone else in the tournament. Barker finished 3rd, and in his five matches, not only were there no pins, but three of the matches went to overtime, with the other two being decided by just two points each. In two of Barkers three overtime wins, the matches went to a tie breaker which means a full minute overtime period, followed by two 30 second periods after the full 6-minute match. The other overtime match went to an ultimate tie breaker, which means three 30 second periods were wrestled after the first full minute overtime. That is 36 minutes and 30 seconds of wrestling in just five matches. To put that into perspective, that’s 31 minutes and 10 seconds more than Newlun spent on the mat the entire tournament. Barker’s only defeat was a 5-3 semi-finals loss to Saint Mary’s Memorial’s Tate Hisey, the eventual state champion.

Heartbreaker

Four YSN wrestlers made it to the semi-finals, but only two came away with wins, Newlun and Garrettsville Garfield’s Keegan Sell. The other two wrestlers, United’s Dallas McCracken and Southern’s Gabriel Blissenbach, suffered defeats in overtime. Both McCracken and Blissenbach scored just before time expired in the third period to force overtime. McCracken secured a takedown that saw the 285-pounder leap over his opponent to score, while Blissenbach was awarded a stalling point with about five seconds left in the match. Unfortunately, both gave up takedowns in overtime to seal their fate. McCracken finished 5th to become a three-time state placer, while Blissenbach finished 3rd to become Southern’s first all-state wrestler.

Teammates

While they may not technically wrestle and score points for the same team, I do not think anyone will argue against using the word teammates when discussing boys and girls wrestlers from the same school. Most practice at the same time in the same wrestling room, and you can see success from one bleeding into the other. For United, McCracken was joined on the podium with two female wrestlers: Auston Brown who finished 3rd, and his sister, Dakota, who finished 7th. For Hubbard, Nick Bowser placed 4th, and Emily Flynn 6th. Howland had two wrestlers in the top eight: Adam Heckman 2nd, and Madison Burns 5th. Salem had multiple boys and girls wrestlers qualify for the state tournament, with one placer – Annika Murray who finished 6th.

68 Years

East Liverpool ended two long droughts while in Columbus, both of which have stood since the 1950’s. Newlun became the first wrestling state champion for the school since brothers Darryl and Jim Hoppel brought home titles in 1955. A year after that in 1956 was the last time three Potters placed at the state tournament in the same season until Cowan, Eckles, and Newlun accomplished the feat last weekend. The Potters girls finished 11th overall out of over 100 teams represented.

HOWLAND BASEBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 1) WITH BRITTON TAYLOR

HOWKAND OH- The changing from winter to spring doesn’t just bring about warmer temperatures, it brings about new opportunities for every high school athlete who graces the baseball diamond.  It has also brought a fresh start to the Howland baseball program as they bring aboard first year head coach Britton Taylor.  Britton is a Howland guy through and through and calls this job nothing less than a dream come true.  He inherits a good mix of core leadership, along with young and hungry talent.  There are plenty of reasons to be excited for what the Tigers will bring to the dish this year.

Coach Taylor was kind enough to stop by YSN’s Running Point live to talk to Anthony Hartwig about what he expects from his club. They talk about instilling a culture, building relationships, and much more! Check out Episode 1 of Coach’s Corner with Britton Taylor exclusively on YSN!

Presented By:

 

IRISH PARTY LIKE ITS 1994!

By Ty Bartell

CANTON OH- Hop in the delorean and send that baby back 30 years because The Ursuline Fighting-Irish boys basketball team is in the state final four for the first time since 1994! Following a convincing, 60-35 regional final win in a regular season rematch against The Canfield Cardinals! The Irish will now head to Dayton for the first time under 21-year head coach Keith Gunther.

The first quarter started off with Ursuline’s freshman Jaylen Gunther blowing the roof off The Canton-Memorial Fieldhouse with his 3-point shooting in the first quarter, knocking down four shots from distance, Gunther helped lead Ursuline to a 20-10 lead after the first quarter. Ursuline kept momentum into the second, as the tempo of the game changed, different players stepped up for The Fighting Irish and in the second quarter it was Jayden Payne! Grabbing a total of four offensive rebounds in the quarter, Payne also managed eight second chance points in the second quarter alone, enabling Ursuline to hold a 32-16 edge over Canfield at the halftime buzzer.

Out of the half, Ursuline continued to pile it on, increasing the lead to as much as 24 points in the third! Off the bench, The Irish got big contributions from Myles Miller who locked things down defensively and found his shot more than once offensively. Senior Jayden Payne brought the pain in the fourth quarter, opening up with the first seven points scored in the frame, Payne helped push Ursuline past the markers and book The Irish’s ticket to the state final four for the first time in 30 Years!

Jaylen Gunther and Jayden Payne earned Players of the Game honors with Gunther scoring 16 points and Payne scoring 15 points in the win. Beyond that, Ursuline had a key 12 points off the bench from Myles Miller while Geno Lucente did all the little things right to helpt the Ursuline machine run! Through adversity in the last two decades, Ursuline Head Coach Keith Gunther finally realizes a dream of a lifetime, getting his Ursuline Irish team to the state final four! Although some tough times in the past with plenty of heartbreaks and questioning of oneself in the last 21 years, Coach Gunther can finally say what he and The Fighting Irish basketball community have longed for. The Ursuline Fighting Irish are going to Dayton!

Ursuline (24-3) has now won 12 consecutive ball games this season as they will match up with The Kettering Archbishop Alter Knights (21-7) on Saturday, March 23rd with a 10:45 a.m. tip-off at The University of Dayton. Meanwhile, Canfield ends the season 23-5 as their 14 game win streak was snapped; however, a memorable and successful season nonetheless for The Cards! With legendary Cardinals Head Coach John Cullen electing to hang up the boots after this season, a decision made in the regular season, Coach Cullen coached The Cardinals from 1982-2010 and this latest stint from 2022-2024, capturing six district championships in his time with Canfield and 11 as a head coach, overall.
Thank you for keeping up with Canfield and Ursuline basketball all season long and stay tuned for continued high school athletics with live games, scores, stats, stories and more on YSN!