NEWTON FALLS, OHIO – A good old fashioned pitchers duel was what propelled LaBrae to a 2-0 win over Newton Falls on Tuesday night.
Both teams brought it on the mound with strong performances, but LaBrae did a little bit more than the Tigers offensively to snatch the win. Dylan Simpson was shined on the hill for LaBrae as he surrendered zero runs on five hits with three strikeouts over his complete game shutout.
Despite Newton Falls out hitting LaBrae, the Vikings found ways to push runs across with Nate Golder and Dylan Swaton coming home to score the two runs.
LaBrae will look to extend its winning streak to seven games on Wednesday as they will be the road team in Lordstown against the Red Devils at 5:00 p.m.
LEAVITTSBURG, OHIO – One of the more difficult things to do in baseball is to sweep a double header. LaBrae accomplished this Saturday as they beat Chalker 15-4 in game one and 17-3 in game two.
In game one, Chalker made a push in the top of the third inning scoring three runs which cut the LaBrae lead to 9-4. But then LaBrae had an answer in the bottom half of the inning, breaking out for six runs to put the game away. The big inning was due to singles by Dylan Swaton, Owen Boone, Dylan Simpson, and Austin Rowe and a double by Brogan Collins.
Swaton was tagged the winner on the mound in game one, pitching three innings allowing four runs on five hits while striking out one and walking one.
In game two, it was the same story. Big offensive explosions for LaBrae and no real answers by the Chalker offense to respond. LaBrae opened up the scoring in the first inning going for six runs right away. The inning was started by a Rowe single which scored two runs. Six more runs came in the top of the second inning coming off of RBI’s by Swatton, Boone, Simpson, Aiden Doll, and Landon Brunstetter. Simpson went 2-for-2 at the plate, leading Labrae in hits.
Rowe was the winning pitcher in game two, going three innings allowing just two hits, one run, five strikeouts, and zero walks.
LaBrae will look to keep the offensive firepower rolling on Monday as they host Newton Falls at 5:00 p.m.
https://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/8583806C-4BDC-4AA0-A968-662229C7E921.jpeg7031198Anthony Hartwighttps://ysnlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Default-Email-Signature-2673571-300x70.pngAnthony Hartwig2023-04-09 14:35:382023-04-09 14:35:38VIKINGS TEACH CHALKER A LESSON
LEAVITTSBURG OH- LaBrae defeated Lordstown 20-0 on Thursday as three pitchers combined to throw a shutout. Dylan Swaton got a strike out to finish off the game.
Dylan Simpson led LaBrae to victory by driving in six runs. Simpson went 2-for-3 at the plate. Simpson drove in runs on a groundout in the first, a walk in the third, a double in the third, and a double in the fourth.
In the first inning, LaBrae got their offense started. Simpson grounded out, scoring one run.
The Vikings notched 12 runs in the third inning. Landon Brunstetter, Simpson, Austin Rowe, Ethan Magoulick, Aiden Doll, and Brunstetter each had RBIs in the frame.
Owen Boone was the winning pitcher for LaBrae. The ace went two innings, allowing zero runs on zero hits, striking out two and walking one. Swaton and Rowe entered the game out of the bullpen and helped to close out the game in relief. Swaton recorded the last six outs to earn the save.
LaBrae collected 11 hits. Brogan Collins and Simpson each had multiple hits. Collins went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead LaBrae in hits. The Vikings stole seven bases during the game as two players stole more than one. Boone led the way with three.
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LEAVITTSBURG OH- LaBrae bounced back from losing game one to Champion, and was able to take a victory on Tuesday to the tune of 8-3.
In the bottom of the first inning, LaBrae tied things up at one. Brogan Collins singled on a 1-0 count, scoring one run.
After Champion scored two runs in the top of the sixth, the Vikings answered with two of their own. Champion scored when Zack Morris singled on a 0-2 count, scoring one run and Micah Nolan grounded out, scoring one run. LaBrae then answered when Nate Goldner singled on a 1-0 count, scoring one run and Aiden Doll singled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring one run.
The Vikings pulled away for good with two runs in the third inning. Austin Rowe singled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring two runs.
LaBrae tallied three runs in the fourth inning. The offensive firepower was led by Landon Brunstetter and Dylan Simpson, all sending runners across the plate with RBIs in the inning.
Simpson pitched LaBrae to victory. The pitcher surrendered three runs on four hits over six and a third innings, striking out six. Owen Boone threw two-thirds of an inning in relief out of the bullpen. Boone recorded the last two outs to earn the save.
Collins led the Vikings offense with three hits in three at bats.
Morris went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Champion in hits.
LaBrae will look to keep their momentum Thursday as they host Lordstown. Champion will square up at Canfield on Thursday. Both matchups will start at 5:00.
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ATWATER, OHIO- Waterloo got the best of Mineral Ridge as they took the win 15-5. Waterloo’s big innings were when they scored 5 runs in the second inning and six runs in the fourth inning.
The Vikings were led by Jewel Lilley, who had a grand slam and also had a walk off 2 run home run. She finished with 8 RBI. Lilley also was the winning pitcher on the day allowing 8 hits, 5 runs, and had 8 strikeouts.
Lily Merolillo and Maddy Ylonen led the Rams in hitting as they both went 2 for 3. Merolillo was also the losing pitcher on the day allowing 7 hits, 9 runs, and had 3 strikeouts.
Waterloo will travel to Mineral Ridge on Tuesday to take on the Rams once again.
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ATWATER OH- Officially, high school tournament basketball is now in full-swing for the state of Ohio with various sectional semifinals occurring all over the state, in what hopes to be the first step of many for a large number of talented squads. Head over to Atwater on Tuesday night and you would have seen the intriguing matchup between two members of The Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference (MVAC); however, not in the same conference division. With The Waterloo Vikings (Scarlet) hosting The Crestview Rebels (Gray). Throughout the regular season, Cresview sported an 11-11 record, good enough to get them #17 in The Division 3 Northeast 1 (Canton District), while The #13 Vikings had a resurgent year with a solid 14-8 record and an opportunity to host a playoff game.
The Rebels, as their team name would indicate, cared very little who had home court, as they came out of the opening tip red hot from behind the arc. At one point, Crestview captured a double digit lead 16-6 in the opening quarter! Waterloo was able to cut into the deficit following a timeout from Coach Wise, but it was Coach Gates and company that held a 16-10 lead after eight minutes of play. It is typically said by many coaches that you lean on your seniors during this time of the year and boy did the senior leaders show up in Fred Brookover Gymnasium. Navarre Alhassan was a deadeye from distance in the second, nailing down three shots from the perimeter while also getting other players involved as four Vikings scored a three pointer in the second to push Waterloo back in front. On the other side, it felt like Kirkland Miller had a response ready for The Vikes, no matter the shot. Hitting buckets from the perimeter, the post, at the line or on the drive it did not matter, Kirkland Miller was the real deal! After both teams found their offensive rhythm, Waterloo held a slim 30-29 lead at halftime.
Out of the half, the third quarter kept the same script as the eight minutes previous. This time, it was Vikings senior Anthony Podojil who got the hot hand, hitting three of his five triples in the third quarter alone! But the ability to curb momentum was there for Kirkland Miller, as he nailed down a pair of threes to his own credit in the third. Both teams scored 11 points in the frame and The Vikings still remained in front by just a single point heading to the fourth. Crestview was tired of being on the comeback trail and managed to get over the hump down the stretch, reclaiming a lead in the final quarter. However, the lead was short lived, as Navarre Alhassan put on his Captain Clutch hat and absolutely nailed down a distance three to retake the lead for Waterloo! Working to get themselves in the bonus down the stretch, The Rebels sent Alhassan to the free throw stripe eight times in the fourth, he hit six of those shots to stretch the lead and keep The Vikings in front for good!
The loss for Crestview (11-12) will end The Rebels season, but nothing to be ashamed about from that performance. Leaving it all out on the floor, like Coach Gates teams always tend to do, The Rebels look to get back to work in the offseason and come back stronger in the 2023-24 campaign. As we here at YSN bid a farewell to the seniors and wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors! For #13 Waterloo (15-8) they will now hit the road in a matchup with #7 Newton Falls (17-5) in a Sectional Final on Friday, February 24th set for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. Interviews with Co-Players of The Game Anthony Podjil and Navarre Alhassan as well as winning Head Coach Jason Wise can be found below!
Scoring (Waterloo)
Navarre Alhassan: 24 PTS.
Anthony Podojil: 17 PTS.
Drew Flarida: 4 PTS.
Ryan Wise: 4 PTS.
Jackson Eichler: 3 PTS.
Aidan Hall: 3 PTS.
Scoring (Crestview)
Kirkland Miller: 25 PTS.
Jonathan Best: 13 PTS.
Matt Lindsay: 5 PTS.
Jameson English: 5 PTS.
James Best: 2 PTS.
Scoring by Quarter
Q1: Waterloo 10 – 16 Crestview
Q2: Waterloo 20 – 13 Crestview
Q3: Waterloo 11 – 11 Crestview
Q4: Waterloo 14 – 10 Crestview
Final: Waterloo 55 – 50 Crestview
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
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SPRINGFIELD OHIO – The Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference champion LaBrae Vikings took down the Springfield Tigers 57-49 Friday night during the Tigers senior night game. Austin Rowe set the tone for the Vikings offense scoring 19 points in the contest, followed by teammates Jay McGarry with 12 points and Blake Kahnell with nine points.
Although it came in defeat, the Tigers had two big scorers. Seandelle Gardner had a nice night with 17 points as well as his running mate Nico Servedio with 13 points.
Up next for the victorious and now 15-6 Vikings will be a home game Saturday night against the Maplewood Rockets, coming into the matchup with a record of 9-12. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
*Contributed By YSN’s Michael Wolfgang
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ATWATER OH- As February meets its midway point and March is around the corner, that can only mean one thing. Playoff basketball! On the girls side of high school basketball, a handful of teams already tipped-off their first tournament game, with some already setting dates for their next round matchup. However, Wednesday night was a full-blown kickoff of tournament time in Ohio! Over in Atwater, YSNs own, #2 seeded Waterloo Vikings hosted a very tough, time-tested, #4 seeded Canton Central Catholic Crusaders came to town.
Defense tends to take precedence in the playoffs and this matchup was no different! As both squads struggled to find offense, prompting a carefully calculated chess match to ensue on the hardwood amongst the two programs. Rose Couts opened the scoring for Waterloo, but The Crusaders Makayla Johnson responded promptly, creating a theme for the evening. The first eight minutes saw The Vikings take a small lead 12-9 after a quarter of play. If you thought the defense was good in the first quarter, well kick up the intensity because these amps go to 11 during playoffs! The Crusaders kept trucking along and found the counter offensive run they were looking for in the second. Subsequently, The Vikes went ice cold from the field, being held without a field goal in the second quarter, leaving Waterloo to make up their points at the free throw line. Despite the offense falling out of rhythm, it did not waiver The Vikings spirit on defense, keeping it close but The Crusaders held the slim halftime lead 17-15 heading to the locker room.
Out of the half the great game adjuster, Coach Kevin Longanecker, made a few tweaks in coaching with players like Bayley English and Rose Couts facing foul trouble and Kaylee Webb out with injury. Hoping the law of averages would finally fall their way in the second half, after a cold second quarter and going the entirety of the first half without a made three point shot. Enough offense was found for Waterloo as Bayley English connected from deep to help propel The Vikings back in front 23-22 with the final quarter still to play. Rolling with momentum into the final quarter, both Makayla Johnson and Kaira English were having block parties against one another in a battle of anything you can do I can do better, effectively limiting each other’s game with great defense. Jewel Lilley played some crucial minutes down the stretch that helped ease some of the worries of players fouling out before the end of the game. Abby Mazur hit “The Mazur’s Edge” three pointer from the wing that boosted The Viking lead to seven in the waning moments of the fourth! A team performance through and through, but it was the smallest girl with the biggest heart on the court, Lilly Foster who earned Player of The Game nods for her outstanding defense through four quarters of play, creating turnovers, winning 50/50 balls and helping turn the tides in Waterloo’s favor. Rose Couts sealed it with some made free throws, winning the sectional semi-final matchup 33-26!
With nothing short of heart, hustle and determination shown by a team of just six girls, The Waterloo Lady Vikings are moving on! The win will earn #2 Waterloo (15-7) another home playoff matchup, this time against #7 East Canton (5-16) in a meeting with The Wizards on Saturday, February 18th for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off! Interviews with winning Head Coach Kevin Longanecker and Player of The Game Lilly Foster can be found below!
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
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With the end of the regular season rapidly approaching, many teams are getting their final regular season games played, while also celebrating their current seniors. That was the case in Atwater, Ohio Thursday evening when The Waterloo Lady Vikings hosted their senior night. Celebrating three key players for the program the last few years with Rose Couts, Jewel Lilley and Abby Mazur all playing in their final regular season game. With emotions running high, there was still a job to be done as The Vikings welcomed a crossover matchup in The Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference (MVAC) with Gray Division representative, The Champion Flashes. Represented by two fantastic coaches in Kevin Longanecker (Waterloo) and Michael Cole (Champion), the game served as a perfect test for the two programs prior to the start of the tournament.
Playing off a distracted Viking team, Champion wasted little time scoring, capitalizing on an early three-point make and taking a 10-2 lead in a flash! Bella Meyer and Addie Warzala made up all the offense in the first for Champion, including Warzala nailing down a pair of distance shots. Rose Couts found The Vikings first field goal of the game prior to the end of the first; however, through eight minutes of play, The Flashes remained in the driver’s seat 10-4. Needing an answer and desperately looking for points, The Vikings quickly learned that English translates to offense! When junior Kaira English put Waterloo on her back and had an impressive second quarter scoring the rock, converting six shots from the field while shooting 4 of 5 from the free throw line, English scored 15 points in the second quarter alone! Couts added another bucket in the quarter, enough for The Vikings to battle all the way back and take a 22-20 lead into halftime over Champion!
Talks in the locker room went well on the defensive side of the ball in regards to halftime, as subsequently both teams went cold from the field and put up the lowest combined scoring quarter of the night. Leaving Champion with just 5 points in the third and 8 points for Waterloo, with 5 of those points being scored from Kaira English. Slightly winning the quarter, The Vikes were able to extend their lead a bit, 30-25 with the final eight minutes of play to follow. So often it is said that “basketball is a game of runs.” and that was once again the case in the final frame at Fred Brookover Gymnasium on Thursday night. With Waterloo going on a game clinching run, capped off by Portage County three-point Queen, Abby Mazur (58) hitting back-to-back triples in the fourth to push The Viking lead to double digits for the first time! Kaira English also added 9 more points of offense as she finished with 31 on the night to help Waterloo get the win 50-38!
With the loss, #19 Champion (6-17) will now look ahead to The Division3, Northeast 2 tournament bracket where they will face the winner of #2 Garrettsville Garfield (19-2) vs. #23 Campbell-Memorial (1-19). Champion is not slated to be in-action again until Saturday, February 18th for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off. The Viking victory now sets #2 Waterloo (13-6) up in The Division 4, Northeast 3 bracket, where they will host #4 Canton Central Catholic (12-9) on Wednesday, February 15th for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off! Interview with winning Head Coach, Kevin Longanecker, can be found below!
Scoring (Waterloo)
Kaira English: 31 PTS (Player of The Game)
Rose Couts: 10 PTS.
Abby Mazur: 9 PTS.
Scoring (Champion)
Isabella Meyer: 19 PTS.
Kayla Haynie: 11 PTS.
Addie Warzala: 6 PTS.
Dalaney Sclesinger: 2 PTS.
Scoring by Quarter
Q1: Waterloo 4 – 10 Champion
Q2: Waterloo 18 – 10 Champion
Q3: Waterloo 8 – 5 Champion
Q4: Waterloo 20 – 13 Champion
Final: Waterloo 50 – 38 Champion
*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell
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SPRINGFIELD OHIO – On Thursday evening, the Springfield Lady Tigers defeated the LaBrae Lady Vikings by way of a 67-40 final score. In the 27 point win, the Tigers knocked down 10 three point field goals.
Leading the way in the scoring category for the Tigers was Jacey Mullen who had a 19 point performance. Jameka Brungard and Madison Lesnak both contributed with 11 points apiece. On the flip side,
LaBrae only saw one player reach double figures which was freshman Ella Kuszmaul who had 11 points.
With this convincing win, the Tigers improved their regular season record to 19-3 as they now shift their focus towards tournament play whereas LaBrae falls to 5-16 on the season.
*Contributed By YSN’s Michael Wolfgang
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