Thursday, February 13, 2003
Newton Falls is the top Div. III seed at the Hubbard tournament.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
It wasn't too difficult to figure out which teams would garner the seeds at the Division II district tournament draw at Boardman High School Sunday. Only four of the 13 teams have winning records.
Unbeaten and state-ranked Poland (16-0), the defending district champion, earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament, which begins Feb. 24.
Cardinal Mooney (13-3), Liberty (10-6) and Canfield (9-8) picked up the remaining seeds. Liberty is the only seeded team that gets a bye in the first round.
Poland will play the winner of the Struthers-Ursuline game Feb. 28 in the second game of a doubleheader. Canfield will play in the opener that night, against the winner of Salem and Girard.
Mooney plays on March 1 against either Rayen School or Niles.
Liberty opens with Chaney (7-10) Feb. 25. That winner will face either Wilson or Hubbard in the final sectional championship game March 1.
The district semifinals are March 5-6 and the championship game is March 8 at 7 p.m. The winner advances to the regional at the Canton Civic Center.
Division III
The Hubbard draw faced a similar predicament. Only four of the 12 teams entered have winning records. Newton Falls (15-2) picked up the No. 1 seed, followed by Warren John F. Kennedy (11-5), Maplewood (13-5) and Champion (9-7).
Champion was the only seeded team not to take a first-round bye. The Golden Flashes will play Brookfield Feb. 25 in the first game of a doubleheader.
The district semifinals are March 4 and the championship game is March 7 at 7:30 p.m.
At Salem, Springfield, St. Thomas Aquinas, Crestview and Lisbon picked up the top four seeds.
Springfield will open Feb. 28 against either South Range or Waterloo. Crestview opens the tournament Feb. 24 against United. That winner will take on East Palestine for a sectional title. Lisbon plays Western Reserve Feb. 25; that winner advances directly to the district semifinals, which take place March 3-4, with the championship game March 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Division IV
At Middlefield Cardinal, Southington picked up the No. 2 seed and Bristol is the fourth seed. Windham and Kirtland earned the other seeds.
Southington took a bye in the first round and will play March 1 against the winner of Ledgemont and Fuchs Mizrachi School.
Bristol will play Feb. 28 against the winner of the Ashtabula Sts. John & amp; Paul and Mogadore contest.
The other area school, Bloomfield, plays Fairport Harbor Feb. 25.