Monday, October 17, 2011
Staff report
High school tournaments begin this week in soccer, volleyball and cross country.
In boys soccer, Howland, Cardinal Mooney and Warren JFK are the defending district champions.
Howland makes its debut in Division I with a home match tonight against Kenston.
In Div. II, Cardinal Mooney has a first-round bye and will play the winner of the Niles-LaBrae contest on Thursday at Valley Sports.
Warren JFK begins defense of its Div. III championship on Tuesday with a home match against Lordstown.
In girls soccer, the area is guaranteed at least one new district champion, as the OHSAA added a third division.
Last season, Howland won the Div. I district championship and Cardinal Mooney was the Div. II titlist.
Howland opens tournament play on Tuesday with a home match against Warren Harding.
Cardinal Mooney begins the following night with a match against Struthers at Valley Sports.
Division III tournament play also begins on Wednesday, with second-round matches on Saturday.
Among the area’s volleyball programs, only Wellsville was able to claim a district championship in 2010.
Area Div. I teams again will play at Stow-Munroe Falls while Div. II teams are entered at Boardman.
The smaller schools in the area are split between several sites. Salem and LaBrae are hosting Div. III tournaments while Lisbon and Badger will conduct tournaments in Div. IV.
On Saturday, cross country teams will begin their two-week quest for a state race invitation with district championships at the Trumbull Fairgrounds and Malone College.
The regional championships once again will be held at Boardman High School on Oct. 29.
This year’s state championships have been moved from Scioto Downs Racetrack to National Trail Raceway in Hebron, just east of Columbus.
The state championships in girls tennis will be held Friday and Saturday at the Stickney Tennis Facility at Ohio State.
Canfield’s Allison Pavlansky and Gabrielle Brant won the Div. I district championship. Pavlansky, a junior, advanced to the state tournament last year, with teammate Kaitlin Kaleel.
In golf, the state championships will be conducted in Div. I for both boys and girls, although no area players or teams have qualified.