Tag Archive for: Poland

THE FORSYTH TO MAKE SOMETHING GREAT

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The transition between being an eighth grade student athlete, and a high school one is not always easy. The game is faster, it demands more dedication and focus, and school work demands more time. For Poland freshman Sarah Forsyth the transition took a little bit of time to adjust to, but once she did she hit the ground running. Coach Blanch says it’s hard sometimes for players to immediately make the change over to the high school level. He says once Sarah figures it out she quickly grew as a player. Sarah also says that initially she felt the pressure of coming in to a program that had so much success last season. The family bond that this program has built quickly did away with any pressure she had about being on the team. Now she gets to just be herself go out and know that her entire team is behind her. That is a freeing feeling for the freshman. Foresight is defined as the ability to predict future events, and Coach Blanch has the foresight to know something great is on the horizon with Sarah Forsyth. 

Anthony Hartwig sat down with Sarah this week after the team’s big win over Howland. They discuss coming into the program as a freshman, first interactions with Coach Blanch, and much more. The regular season is winding down but the player profiles are heating up. Enjoy the latest one in the Poland series The Forsyth To Make Something Great.

POLAND SEND TIGERS PACKING IN HOME FINALE

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POLAND OH- The Poland Lady Bulldogs Player their final regular season home game Monday night, and they didn’t disappoint their fans. They dominated a good Howland team 59-28.

It was all Poland from the tip as their defense dominated the Tigers. They held Howland to just 8 first half points. A huge part to the Bulldogs success was their gritty rebounding. Howland has the clear height advantage. Five girls on Howland’s roster were taller than Poland’s tallest. None of that mattered though as the Bulldogs put rebounded Howland by a ton. Howland could never get easy buckets off of offensive rebounds.

The third quarter was probably the Bulldogs best on offense. They nearly doubled their halftime total. Kailyn Brown was a big reason as she started to hit a stride out of the gates in the second half. She scored 11 of her 19 in the third.

Jackie Grisdale led the Bulldogs in scoring with 20, Brown finished with 19.

Poland plays their regular season finale Thursday night as they travel to Canfield. The Cardinals best Poland 46-42 in December.

POLAND CLAIMS NE8 TITLE ON SENIOR NIGHT

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POLAND OH- Four seniors wee recognized before the game at Poland on Thursday night. Brooke Bobbey, Kailyn Brown, Sarah Bushaw, and Katie Masucci all took in their moment of honor as the program thanked them for their many years of service. The Bulldogs sent the seniors out with a bang, grabbing a 52-21 win over Niles and securing their second straight NE8 Championship.

All four seniors were in the starting lineup on Thursday, and they definitely started fast. Poland scored 20 points in the first quarter, 17 of which came from their four seniors. Kailyn Brown lead the way with 7.

With that first frame as a standard, the offense slowed down in the middle of the game. Only scoring 16 points in the next two quarters. However, in the fourth quarter when Coach Blanch put all four seniors on the floor again the Bulldogs doubled that and added another 16 to their total. It was truly a night of senior dominance. Each senior was individually subbed out in the final quarter and given a wonderful ovation. In a even more special moment, Katie Masucci was subbed out by her sister Hannah who got to be the first person to hug her coming off the floor.

Poland win completes a two season 28-0 record in the NE8. It’s been all Bulldogs since the leagues birth last season.

Jackie Grisdale led the way offensively with 17 points. Katie Masucci was also in double figures with 10. 30 of the final 52 points for Poland were scored by seniors.

Nae Fryer led Niles with 14 points.

Poland looks ahead to their home finale against Howland on Monday.

NOT TOO SHABBY, ABBY

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The transition between freshman and sophomore year is a crucial time in a player’s development.  They go from being a newcomer welcomed by the group, to being a greeting party for the next incoming freshman. For Poland sophomore Abby Farmer that transition was seamless. She says that seeing how welcoming last years team was to her last season made it easy to return the favor to the new faces this year.She couldn’t say enough about the senior leadership on the team, and how emotional their senior night will be for all of the younger players.  It is something that Coach Blanch stresses as a tentpole of their program. The family mentality, and the idea that no one is more or less important than the person next to them. As far as basketball goes Abby is on the rise. She set personal goals this year to get better on defense, and to get her shot improved. Coach Blanch says she is relentless on defense with an attitude to never get beat. It’s her work ethic that has taken her this far. She buys in to every standard the program sets. Coach Blanch expects amazing things from this sophomore in the years to come, and so do the Poland faithful. You can hear them chattering in the stands when Farber makes a play “that’s not too shabby” 

Anthony Hartwig made the trip to Poland this week to talk to Abby. They discuss her transition from freshman to sophomore, what senior night will be like for her, and much more. Get a nice snack and listen to the latest Poland Lady Bulldog Player Profile Not Too Shabby, Abby. 

POLAND GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP9 WITH NICK BLANCH)

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Another week has come and gone for the Poland Lady Bulldogs. It was another week of wind in the NE8. They took a game over Jefferson, and then followed that up with a win at Hubbard in their last road test in the league. Now they look forward to senior night on Thursday as they welcome in Niles. Nick Blanch says senior nights are very bitter sweet. He can’t wait to recognize four players who have given so much to the program, but knows time with them is counting down. 

Anthony Hartwig went to Poland this week to catch up with Coach Blanch. They discuss the week that was, senior night, and much more. You won’t want to miss this one, get ready for Episode 9 of Coach’s Corner with Nick Blanch. 

*** NOTE: YSN will broadcast senior night live Thursday night. It is set to begin at 6:30.

POLAND EXTENDS WIN STREAK SMOTHERS EAGLES

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HUBBARD OH- Poland kept their eleven game winning streak going on Monday night with a 60-20 win over Hubbard.

It was another balanced night for Poland’s offense as they had eleven different players score. Jackie Grisdale led the Bulldogs with 19 points. Katie McDonald picked up a career high 8 points, Morgan Kluchar also finished with 8.

The win is the Bulldog’s 27th straight inside the NE8. Poland will look to complete their second straight season sweep of the league on Thursday as they host Niles. With no JV game on Thursday, Poland’s senior parent night will start at 6:30, and tip off for the game will be at 7:00.

POLAND CAGES FALCONS

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Poland,OH- The Poland Bulldogs continie their streak with a 64-37 win over a young Jefferson Falcons team. Jackie Grisdale led Poland with 20 points while Megan Jacobs had 10 points for the Falcons.

Poland took a commanding lead in the first quarter and never let up finishing the quarter with a 21-10 lead. Grisdale had 10 points in the first quarter alone. Jefferson’s Ava Contenza had 5 points in the quarter. Morgan Kluchar and Kailyn Brown both paced the Bulldogs in the second quarter to a 38-19 lead going into halftime. Both Kluchar and Brown had 8 points going into the half.

Poland added to their lead in the second half by taking advantage of turnovers and creating points. Grisdale finished the night with 20 points in a 64-37 win to continue their winning streak. Poland will face Hubbard Monday on YSNLIVE.COM.

* Story Contributed by YSN’s Anthony Melone

POLAND GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP8 WITH NICK BLANCH)

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It’s been another dominant week in the NE8 for Poland. They keep taking it one game at a time with wins over Girard and Lakeview. In the Girard game Jackie Grisdale tied the record for threes in a game. In the Lakeview game, a lot of young players got in and had a lot of success. Coach Blanch said that is so important for the future of the program. Now the Bulldogs look ahead to games against Jefferson and Hubbard. 

Anthony Hartwig made the journey to Poland this week to sit down with Coach Blanch. They discuss the young success, record setting performances, and much more. Get your weekly fix of Lady Bulldog basketball in Episode 8 of Coach’s Corner with Nick Blanch.

ARIANA IS GRAND

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To build a good program and not just a good team, you need to continue to build on young players. Poland has a handful of promising young players this season, and one of those players is Ariana Daniels. The freshman Daniels came found a new school in Poland this year. It can be a difficult task to sync in with a brand new group of people. This was not the case for Daniels. She felt the family atmosphere immediately when she stepped into Poland’s gym. That atmosphere is something Coach Blanch has taken time to build and make strong. Daniels said that meeting coach Blanch was intimidating, she knew what the program had done in the last couple years and wanted to live up to that standard. But as soon as that meeting happened Ariana knew it was going to be a good fit. Daniels says she came into this year struggling with confidence, but quickly gained it on this team. Everyone supports everyone at Poland, and that makes an immediate impact. Now Ariana is in a place where she feels completely comfortable out on the court. Daniels is a player that plays on both JV and Varsity. She gets to navigate being a leader on the JV team, and then be lead by the captains on varsity. Coach Blanch says that it’s grooming Daniels into being a great leader in the future. Ariana said the same thing, she gets to take in the lessons from the varsity leaders and then use them to lead the JV squad. She’s got a lot to live up to wearing the number 2, the same as Sarah Bury who was so important to the last four years of the program. Daniels said she just wants to make Bury proud that she’s continuing the legacy. You can make a good bet that Daniels will make an impact on the team for years to come just like Bury. Poland has one less problem with Ariana on the team. They’ve added a sweetener to the group. If you watch you will see that Ariana is grand. 

Anthony Hartwig got the chance to sit down with Ariana this week. They discuss coming to a new school, the family atmosphere of the team, and much more. Get to know another Poland Bulldog in the latest Player Profile Ariana is Grand.

BULLDOGS BOUNCE BACK; TAKE DOWN RANGE

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POLAND, OH- After a tough loss last week, the Poland Bulldogs face the South Range Raiders in conference play. Poland would get back in the win column after a strong defensive performance. Josh Blasko led the Dogs with 14 points. Poland wins 51-38.

The Bulldogs took the lead 9-4 lead in the first quarter. Blakso had 4 points in the first while South Range was only able to get 4 points in the quarter thanks to tough defense by the Bulldogs. Poland kept the lead going into halftime with 19-9 lead. Michael Cougras had 6 points going into the half while Nate Brown of South Range had 3 points.

Blasko and Cougras lead the way for the Bulldogs in the second half on offense and defense. Blasko finished the night with 14 points while Brooks of South Range had 9. Poland beat the Raiders 51-38. Poland will face Girard this Friday live on YSNLIVE.COM/TEAM/POLAND. South Range will face Hubbard this Friday on YSNLIVE.COM/TEAM/SOUTH-RANGE.

*Story contributed by YSN’s Anthony Melone