Tag Archive for: Player Profile

DANTE’S INFERNO

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YOUNGSTOWN-OH; When people talk about Ursuline, their first thought has to be the dynamic duo on the offensive side with Brady Shannon and Matthew Reardon.  However, there’s a senior that most have to look for in having a big season on both sides of the ball.  That senior is named Dante Walker, who plays both linebacker and running back.  

 

In the past few seasons, Walker has played mostly defense while playing a bit of running back, rotating a little bit with Davion Jones and junior Trenton Hill.  This year, Walker has improved his running back skills on the offensive side while continuing to be a threat on the defensive side of the ball.  In 2019, Walker had 87 tackles with 11 of them being for losses and had four and a half sacks on quarterbacks.  He had his biggest run of his career last week against Boardman, taking it 84-yards to the house and waiting to also play his other sport again in baseball. 

 

On this episode of the YSN Ursuline player profile edition, Dante talks to us about what changed from week two to three, the leadership, what he did during quarantine back in March and April, the leadership change, what he wants to do for college, and the his recent jobs on cars, plus what has changed with the Youngstown East team from last year to this year.  The Irish will take on the Golden Bears this Friday at 7pm at Stambaugh Stadium or you can stream it on YSN for $9.99. 

Contributed By YSN’s Ian O’Brien

Presented By

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XWk66MHq60[/embedyt]

 

STAMP OF APPROVAL

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BOARDMAN OH- The Boardman Spartans bring one of the more experienced teams in the area into the 2020 season. There are seven seniors on the squad. One of the premiere seniors on the team is Katie Stamp. Katie has been a staple to the Spartans attack for quite some time. She brings power and versatility to the middle of the Spartans rotation. Stamp is a player that has to land near the top of every opponent’s scouting report. She is a technically sound blocker that also moves particularly well as a hitter.

Stamp comes into her senior year knowing that all the younger players will be looking to her and the other seniors for leadership and examples. She doesn’t take that position lightly, she says that knowing that players look up to her keeps her motivated to work hard and do things the right way. Her confidence as a hitter as grown so much since her freshman season. Now, her confidence oozes through every minute she spends on the court.

Katie has tallied 483 kills so far in her career. Those kills are in 225 sets played. She has been very efficient in her career as a hitter, sitting with a hitting percentage of .306. She averages 2.1 kills per set, and has also recorded 60 blocks in her career.

Katie was kind enough to take the time to talk to YSN’s Anthony Hartwig. They discuss going through the uncertainty of summer, Katie’s role as a leader, and much more. Spartan fans wont want to miss this inside look into the volleyball program with the latest player profile, Stamp of Approval.

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

HUGHES OF GREATNESS

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STRUTHERS OH- 2020 has been an uncertain time for athletes. The teams that stuck together and used their leaders to stay close are the ones that came out ready to play. Jessica Hughes is one the senior leaders for the Struthers Wildcats volleyball program. She brings ultimate positive energy to the team. She’s got a fair share of talent as well. Hughes brings many different hews of greatness to the Wildcats.

Jessica came in to this season hopeful for success of not just herself, but her program. The Wildcats have some much needed continuity at head coach which is the first step to get the program to a competitive level. Jessica’s personal goals were just to bring positive energy to her teammates. Although her energy has to look a little bit different in 2020 with COVID 19 regulations keeping everyone separate. Hughes and her teammates have come up with creative ways to feed energy to each other without breaking the six foot barrier. It’s not easy, but Struthers will always be one of the more energetic teams on the court. They can attribute a lot of that energy to senior Jessica Hughes.

Jessica took the time to talk to YSN’s Anthony Hartwig. They discuss what makes her proud to be a Wildcat, her future goals, and much more. Dig your claws into Struthers volleyball with this player profile, Hughes Of Greatness.

Presented By

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

KC KILLS THE COMPETITION

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LOWELLVILLE OH- Lowellville volleyball comes in to the 2020 season with more leadership than most teams. With six seniors in their class of 2021 the Rockets are a team that wont be easily rattled through adversity. They’ve proven that this season bouncing back from a couple of tough losses to secure big wins. One of the keys to their team is their converted middle blocker Kennedy Kelly, better known as KC.

Kelly is driven to help her team succeed in any way she can, even if that means learning a new position. Because of team needs, this season KC has rotated to middle blocker instead of her normal position as am outside hitter It is not an easy transition, sets to the middle are different, responsibilities are not the same either. Kelly has handled the transition in stride though and pushed herself to become a pretty impressive middle blocker. Having her dad as the head coach, and her sister as a setter has definitely helped smooth the change.

KC sat down with YSN;s Anthony Hartwig to talk about her career at Lowellville. They discuss the family atmosphere of the team, her personal goals for the season, and much more. Get cleared for take off with this Rocket Volleyball player profile KC Kills The Competition.

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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zju8VcFD1c[/embedyt]

WHEELS KEEP TURNING

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AUSTINTOWN OH- Austintown Fitch volleyball is loaded with seniors. Seven of them to be exact, and that includes possibly one of the best outside hitters in the area. Chelsie Wheeler has been a staple in the Falcon’s offense for some time. She has tremendous instincts as a hitter, and reads the defense extremely well. She is looking to go out with a bang in her senior season, and it couldnt have gotten off to a better start. She helped her team beat Canfield for the first time in a long time. That victory was big for the team morale in Austintown, but Chelsie knows there is still work to be done as the season stretches on.

As of now, Chelsie sits at 410 kills in 163 sets played. She also has collected over 100 digs in her career. Her career hitting percentage is .208. Cheslie averages 2.5 kills per set in her career. That number may sky rocket this season as the Falcons have already started to use her a lot on the outside.

Chelsie graciously gave her time to talk with YSN’s Anthony Hartwig. They discuss being a part of such a big senior class, personal and team goals for the season, and so much more. Hear from one of the premiere hitters in the area in the latest Fitch Volleyball player profile, Wheels Keep Turning.

Presented By

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb5tZoLWBBA[/embedyt]

MATT’S WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT

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YOUNGSTOWN OH- Key players can make the difference in a team, and that is exactly what senior Matthew Reardon is doing after him and his family left Canton McKinley to move back to help Ursuline win again.  With him at Ursuline, there seems to be much greater leadership, something that the Irish were struggling with for a few years.  In 2019, Reardon caught 28 passes for 448 yards and seven touchdowns.  He also threw for 642 yards passing and five touchdowns on the season.  That same year, he broke Paul Kempe’s record against Bishop Watterson in week seven throwing for 351 yards and three touchdowns.  At season’s end, Matthew would be named third team All-Ohio and All NEO-Inland District. 

 

In March after taking time to decide on where he wanted to play college football.  He announced that he would commit to the Miami (OH) RedHawks, because of how it fits him as a receiver.  He chose Miami over schools like Toledo, Princeton, Bowling Green, Army, Air Force and the hometown Youngstown State Penguins.  

 

On this episode of the player profile, Matthew talks about what the team has to do better in week three against Boardman that they struggled with against Austintown Fitch, what his major wants to be when he gets to Miami along with why he wanted to play for them, the meaning behind his jersey number being eight, and how much it means to him to play under his dad and three-time state champion coach Dan Reardon, plus more. 

 

Ursuline (1-1) heads to Boardman stadium on Friday to face off against the Boardman Spartans (1-1) this Friday at 7pm.  It can be streamed on YSN Live.  

*Contributed By YSN’s Ian O’Brien.

Presented By,

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2e-voSTGrk[/embedyt]

 

RAISING THE BAR

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AUSTINTOWN OH- Fitch senior setter Emma Bartlett brings a lot of experience into her senior year. As a setter, it is her job to run the offense and move the ball around. Much like a point guard in basketball, a setter needs to be a leader on the court. Who better to lead the team than a senior who has had a tremendous career? It helps Bartlett’s cause that she has so many offensive options to choose from. She just has to recognize which one of them is hot at any time in a match. Emma says more important to her than the strong offense however, is the fact that she has such a strong defense. Fitch’s back row puts the Falcons in system more than not which makes life as a setter much easier.

 

In 147 varsity sets played in her career, Bartlett averages 6.5 assists per set. She is closing in on 1000 assists with 958 as of now. She also has 332 career digs, and 103 career kills. Her career hitting percentage is .164.

 

Emma took time to catch up with Anthony Hartwig this week for the first of many Fitch Volleyball player profiles. Falcon fans can get insight into their senior setter in the latest profile, Raising the Bar. Emma discusses her career as a Falcon, their big win over Canfield on Thursday, and much more.

Presented By

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA1ihsvUXpU[/embedyt]

BRADY AND HIS BUNCH

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YOUNGSTOWN OH- The last two years may have been tough for the Ursuline Fighting Irish, but it seems that a turn around is on its way.  Quarterback Brady Shannon joins this Fighting Irish edition of the YSN Player Profile.  Brady Shannon has been the quarterback now at Ursuline for the last two seasons since taking over in 2018 for an injured Glenn Griswold and has gotten the attention of not only the Valley, but now even the Akron Zips as they gave him an offer on Tuesday.

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​While last season may have been a disappointment for Shannon and the Irish, he still managed to complete nearly 51 percent of his passes, threw for 968 yards and had ten touchdowns in his sophomore campaign.  Last week against the Chaney Cowboys, he had three touchdowns and made one of the biggest plays that made the highlight reel, scrambling out of the pocket under pressure and finding his receiver Matthew Reardon for a big gain.  The Irish went on to win by the final of 29-6 in week one, their first season opener win since 2016.  Not only does Shannon play football, but he to plays basketball and baseball.  Due to the pandemic, the basketball season was cut short, along with the baseball season that he was waiting for.

​During this edition of the Player Profile, Brady talks about week one and how they can get better, his past few seasons as an Irish, the positive leadership that happens with all of his teammates, the six game season mentality and if it changes anything and much more.  Brady Shannon and the Irish look to move to 2-0 as they face the Austintown Fitch Falcons at Stambaugh Stadium this Friday at 7pm.

*Contributed By YSN’s Ian O’Brien

Presented By:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPz6E8yhR1Y[/embedyt]

THE BROOKE’S NOT FINISHED

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POLAND OH- Last season, the Poland Lady Bulldogs came within a step of the state championship game. With 7 of the 9 starters returning this season, including four seniors Poland was poised to make another trip to Firestone Stadium. Senior Brooke Bobbey was especially hungry to get her program back to the state tournament. Unfortunately COVID-19 has canceled spring sports in 2020.

Bobbey’s story in softball is not finished yet even with the canceled season. Brooke is signed to play at St Bonaventure in New York next season. So even with the cancellation of spring sports, Bobbey has had to find ways to continue to stay in playing shape so she’s ready to step on campus in the fall. Her college coaches have sent over workout packets, and Brooke has plans to get on the field in summer and see live pitching any way she can.

As a three sport athlete, Bobbey has been a familiar face for Bulldog fans. She’s been spoiled with team success, as she was part of the basketball, and softball duo that only lost 2 games in the span of six months in 2019. Individually she shined on the field, as she had a batting average of .444, and an OBP of .511. In her career as a Bulldog, she has hit .446 and an OBP of .520.

Brooke also success in the classroom as she ranks 1 in her class with a 4.0 GPA. Although shifting to online admits this pandemic has been challenging, Brooke has hit it with stride to finish her senior season strong.

Anthony Hartwig has the chance to catch up with Brooke. They discussed her future plans, her favorite off field memories with the softball team, and much more. Keep up with Poland Softball in the latest Player Profile “The Brooke’s Not Finished”

Presented By

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcF8rwRTD6M[/embedyt]

THE MOONEY FIREWORK

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YOUNGSTOWN OH- Katy Perry the singer has a song called Firework that’s all about finding your inner spark, and lighting up the world. Mooney softball senior Caitie Perry’s hitting can be described as a spark. A spark for the rest of her team to keep on working hard.

For three years Perry has not only shined on the softball field, but also the volleyball and basketball court. The three sport athlete is always on the move and says she never feels overwhelmed or over scheduled. She is always in a state of motion.

COVID-19 as brought the sports world to a standstill, including the 2020 softball season. Perry will never get to suit up in her Mooney uniform again. But the memories shared with her teammates won’t go away. The memories with her coaches, and supporters will stick with her forever. Yet, that still leaves something to be desired. Perry was poised to have a tremendous senior season. Mooney returned 6 seniors on the roster this year, making them one of the more experienced teams in the area. Caitie had plenty of experience getting on base, as she was dubbed the “On Base Machine” by YSN’s Nate Keiper. Every time she stepped to the plate, Cardinal faithful was ready for the fireworks.

Anthony Hartwig got a chance to talk to Caitie through video chat. They discuss being part of a large senior class, Mooney softball off the field, and much more. Get a better glimpse into Mooney Softball with the latest Player Profile “The Mooney Firework”

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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMnBLLQ4ym0[/embedyt]