2011: The Year in Review

1 Middies roll on with high-profile hires
Middletown High School’s two biggest sports, football and boys basketball, faced some uncertainty with the departure of their head coaches, Jason Krause (football) and Bob Ronai (basketball).
Krause bolted for Fairfield in January, while Ronai resigned in March after being told the school wanted to go in a different direction. Not since 1984 had the school replaced head coaches in its two highest-profile sports in the same year.
The replacements turned out to be two of the biggest names in Greater Cincinnati coaching circles.
Troy Everhart, who won a Division II state title at Winton Woods in 2009 and worked in the University of Cincinnati football program in ’10, was named head coach in February. He directed Middletown to a 10-2 record and the second round of the Division I playoffs, where the Middies lost to Moeller 42-30.
In basketball, Josh Andrews was the April choice to follow Ronai. Andrews came from Princeton, where his winning percentage was 81.6. He took the Vikings to the Division I state championship game in 2008-09.
So far this season, Andrews & Co. are 4-1.
Middletown Athletic Director Gary Lebo: “Most of the time when you lose a coach, it’s because of not being successful. It was just the opposite here. I think both coaches will bring an extreme amount of excitement into Barnitz Stadium and Wade E. Miller Gym. Middie spirit and pride will be flowing.”
2 Madison star Malott named All-American
Ally Malott’s storied prep basketball career at Madison came to a close in March with a 43-37 loss to Georgetown in the Division III district finals at Springfield.
Malott’s honors, however, wouldn’t stop. The 6-foot-3 guard/forward was named Associated Press Ohio Co-Player of the Year (along with Raven Ferguson of Columbus Africentric) and Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year.
Malott also earned a spot in the prestigious McDonald’s All-American game and got to play before a sold-out crowd at the United Center in Chicago. She scored three points and helped the East squad record a 78-66 victory.
Malott moved on to the University of Dayton. Through 10 games, she is the Flyers’ third-leading scorer (7.8).
Ally Malott: “When I look back on my playing days 20 years from now, I won’t be remembering the awards half as much as I will the many players, coaches and teammates I was with throughout my career. The awards were just something I achieved along the way.”
3 Wildcats roar, host FIRSt football playoff
Franklin High School enjoyed a stellar comeback season on the gridiron, going 9-2 and earning a share of the Southwestern Buckeye League Southwestern Division title, the Wildcats’ first league crown since 1995.
Franklin was just 3-7 in 2010, but soared under veteran coach Rodney Roberts in ’11. The Wildcats finished fourth in the Division II, Region 8 Harbin ratings and started preparing for their first-ever home playoff game against Wapakoneta.
There was some controversy involved for Wapak. The program was investigated by the Ohio High School Athletic Association for possibly using an ineligible player, but was cleared during playoff week.
The Redskins then came to Franklin and won 24-13, ending the Wildcats’ seventh playoff appearance.
Franklin coach Rodney Roberts: “That whole playoff experience, you couldn’t walk out of that stadium and not be proud to be from Franklin. I know I was. We want to get back to that exact same point next year, and we want to win that game. That’s our mission.”
4Surprising dismissal for EHS coach Channell
Steve Channell turned Edgewood High School’s football program into a force to be reckoned with, posting a 152-78 record and taking the Cougars to the playoffs 10 times during his 21-year tenure.
In March, the school abruptly dismissed him. Edgewood went 5-5 in his final season at the helm, placing second in the Fort Ancient Valley Conference Scarlet Division.
During that same time frame, the school also fired head boys basketball coach Scott Mueller after one 4-17 campaign.
Channell landed on his feet at Middletown, where he was the offensive coordinator for Troy Everhart’s playoff-bound Middies.
Phil Mauro took over as head coach at Edgewood and went 3-7.
Edgewood Athletic Director John Thomas: “The leadership of the district decided a change was needed. This was not a snap decision.”
5 KAYLA Harrison surging toward London GAMES
Former Middletown resident Kayla Harrison continued to excel on the world judo stage this year, winning the USA World Cup in Florida in July and finishing third at the World Championships in August in Paris.
Harrison, who competes in the 78-kilogram division, also took the gold medal at the Grand Prix Qingdao in China earlier this month.
The 2010 world champion represents the United States’ best hope for a judo gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Harrison recently made headlines by detailing a 2007 sexual abuse case that involved her and her former coach, Daniel Doyle. He’s currently serving a federal prison sentence, and Harrison is hoping that her story will help other victims of abuse come forward.
“There should be no taboo with this kind of thing,” said Harrison, who trains in Wakefield, Mass. “If there’s a victim out there and they’re afraid, I just wanted to do my part to help.”

Team USA coach Jimmy Pedro Jr.: “Kayla now knows she can beat everybody in the 78 kg division, so now it is just a matter of having a solid game plan for each opponent in London. She’s right where she needs to be to win it all.”
6 Carlisle’s jarbo DECLARED ineligible
This was supposed to be a big senior year on the football field for Austin Jarbo. The 2010 Southwestern Buckeye League Buckeye Division Co-Offensive Back of the Year as a junior quarterback at Preble Shawnee, Jarbo moved on to Carlisle and worked with the Indians football team throughout the summer.
In August, the Ohio High School Athletic Association ruled that Jarbo would be ineligible because “his request for a transfer based on change of custody was deemed by the OHSAA to be merely for the purpose of playing (football) at Carlisle.”
Recruiting allegations flew. Carlisle officials and Jarbo denied those claims, but they couldn’t stop the rumor mill from churning. The Jarbos went to court and filed a complaint against the OHSAA, a matter that was ultimately dropped when the organization ruled that Jarbo would be eligible to play at Preble Shawnee if he chose to return there.
Jarbo did not end up playing for the Arrows football team, but he is currently a member of the school’s boys basketball squad.
Carlisle assistant football coach Chris Hawkins: “Obviously we all sit here and know it’s unfair, but I think people should know how mature he’s been about it. He’s acted more like an adult than some of the people in this situation.”
7 Fenwick shows depth of quality in fall
If you are a Fenwick High School sports fan, the fall of 2011 was a great, active time.
Observers point to Fenwick as a growing athletic power among small schools in the state of Ohio, and nobody could argue with that notion this fall.
• The girls soccer team advanced to the Division III state semifinals and had its second straight All-American, junior forward Meghan Blank.
• The boys soccer team got hot at the right time, making it to the Division II regional title game.
• The defending Division III state champion volleyball team lost in the regional championship match.
• The football team failed to make the Division IV playoffs, but went 8-2 and exorcised some demons with late-season victories over Badin and Dayton Carroll.
• Two golfers, Nick Haven and Sarah Newsad, advanced to their respective Division II district tournaments.
Boys soccer coach Scott Walker: “We’re ready to step up to the challenge. It’s moments like these that you look forward to.”
8 Cougars end Ross’ streak in softball
Edgewood put an end to one of Southwest Ohio’s longest championship streaks in the spring, winning the outright Fort Ancient Valley Conference West Division softball title.
The Cougars blanked Winton Woods 11-0 in a five-inning perfect game by Bree Williams to finish 13-1 in league play, halting Ross’ string of 24 consecutive FAVC crowns.
Edgewood shared the FAVC Scarlet championship with the Rams in 2009.
Edgewood coach Wayne Asher: “The main thing is to win it outright. To go 13-1 in the league, I think that’s an impressive statement. Winning it two out of three years, I feel like we’re the team to beat now.”
9MUM men roll to third straight state title
The Miami University Middletown men’s basketball team captured its third straight Ohio Regional Campus Conference tournament championship in February, drilling Ohio State Lima 110-80 in the title game at Ohio Eastern.
Shawn Robinson and Don Houser both scored 23 points for the ThunderHawks. Robinson was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
MUM, under the direction of Bob Nocton, finished with a 22-5 record. It was the program’s 11th straight season with at least 20 victories.
MUM coach Bob Nocton: “We’ve got a lot of guys who can score, and I think that’s helped us the most. We’ve got a lot of players who have similar talent.”
10 Roberts WINS first city golf TITLE
Youth was served at the Middletown City Championship golf tournament in June as 20-year-old Michael Roberts, a Middletown High School graduate, was crowned champion for the first time.
Roberts bested defending champion and three-time winner Tim Sorrows by 11 strokes in the four-day event, which was played at Brown’s Run Country Club, Wildwood Golf Club, Shaker Run Golf Club and Weatherwax Golf Course.
Michael Roberts: “It means a lot to win this. I’ve been playing in this tournament for some time, 5-6 years, I think. I love it playing at Weatherwax, and it’s a great feeling to finally win here.”

http://www.middletownjournal.com/middletown-sports/2011-the-year-in-review-1304367.html