Redskins roll to district title after close call

[caption id="attachment_658" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Back-to-back district titles for the Lady Redskins."][/caption]

The Camden-Frontier softball team nearly panicked, down a run in the fifth inning of the district semifinals, but ultimately their bats heated up and several unsung heroes came through as the Redskins won their second consecutive district title.

The Redskins eked out a 6-5 eight-inning win over Reading in the semifinals before downing Pittsford 10-2 in the finals to win the program's third district crown since 2000.

What makes this title special for head coach Melissa Warfield and her girls is how they got as much out of the talent they had as they possibly could.

"We've talked about before how Megan (Schwartzengraber) and Morgan (Warfield) are the only two girls who play year round. Most of these girls...the game doesn't come easy to them and it's a sport they take up in March and are done with in June," she said. "I'm so proud of how hard they worked every day in practice and it is rewarding as a coach to see your team progress the way we have."

One of those girls who has been working ever so diligently lately is Kim Bennett and her sweat paid dividends Friday.

After picking up a single in the semifinals, she went 4-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBI in the championship game, much to the delight of her coach.

"She's been an up-and-down player who would have a hit one game and then go hitless for maybe the next three games," Melissa Warfield said. "But she's been working so hard in practice, on her stance and swing, and it was special to seeher have a big day."

Helping her out in the championship game was the ever so consistent trio of Kara Bryner, Warfield and Schwartzengraber.

Bryner had two hits and two RBI, while Warfield had three hits and drove in two runs.
Schwartzengraber pitched a complete game three-hitter and struck out seven and walked four, while driving in two runs at the plate.

C-F had just a 2-0 lead after three innings of the finals, but a four-run fourth gave them a comfortable cushion they never relinquished.

Nicole Culbert pitched well in defeat, striking out seven and walking five in seven innings.

"I don't know what it is, but for some reason it takes three or four innings almost every game for us to get our hitting and timing down," Melissa Warfield said.

Luckily for Warfield and her girls their bats came through just in time in the semis.

Behind a pair of RBI from Kasie Owens, Reading jumped out to a 3-1 lead on the host Redskins before C-F took advantage of a pair of walks and several key hits in the fifth.

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Hillsdale County district diamond preview

District 81-3
Location: Hanover-Horton
Saturday (starting at 10 a.m.)
Teams: Albion, Concord, Jonesville, Hillsdale

BASEBALL
Synopsis: The first-round showdown between Jonesville and Hillsdale is the game local baseball fans have been waiting all year to see. The Hornets are 21-9 overall and co-SMAA champs, while Jonesville is 22-6 and are the outright Big Eight champions. Both teams have strong pitching and the ability to put up a lot of runs, so it should be a contest fans remember for years to come. The winner will play the winner of the Albion-Concord contest. The Hornets beat Albion 17-2 and 13-3 less than a month ago and for being a pretty good sports school, this Wildcat team just doesn't have enough talented baseball players. Concord is an interesting case, as they are 12-14-2 overall, but are 8-2-1 over their last 11 games and scored 60 runs in their final 60 contests. Jonesville beat Concord twice this season, 6-1 and 12-1.
Editor's pick: This is one of two really hard districts to pick because I love what both Hillsdale County teams have brought to the table this season and I would be shocked if either the Comets or Hornets didn't bring home the district trophy. But, when push comes to shove I have to pick one of the two schools and all I keep thinking about is pitching ace Scott Lantis. The Hornet senior is no stranger to big games and more often than not he comes through as expected. He's had a few hiccups this season, but if he has a good first inning and finds his rhythm I don't think Ben Stemen or John Sigler can silence the Hornet bats enough for the Comets to end Hillsdale's season. Ultimately I see Hillsdale beating Concord in a close championship game to finish out a momentous afternoon.

SOFTBALL
Synopsis: The Comets and Hornets also meet on the softball diamond in round one, but the buildup for this contest is not quite as big. Jonesville did win the Addison Tournament recently and finished out the season 12-18, but Hillsdale has struggled to put together an entire consistent week of play all season. Concord and Albion haven't had years to remember either though. Albion has been at the bottom of the SMAA all year and Concord is 4-28 on the season, but surprisingly chalked up one of its wins at the expense of Jonesville.
Editor's pick: The best team on paper in this district was actually Hanover-Horton, but Jonesville upset the 20-13 Komets 3-2 Tuesday and now have a straight path to a trophy if all plays out as I expect. The Hornets have made strides under new coach Lottie LoPresto and Jenna Crawford is a solid top pitcher, but Jonesville has too many bats and senior pitcher Kelsey Aemisegger has thrown well the past few weeks. Unless the Comets shoot themselves in the foot with too many errors, which has happened a few times this season, I see them taking care of business. The Comets should win the championship game over either opposing squad, unless a major upset takes place.

District 118-4
Location: Camden-Frontier
Friday (starting at 1:30 p.m.)
Teams: Camden-Frontier, Reading, Pittsford

BASEBALL
Synopsis: With Will Carleton Academy dropping out Pittsford is a shoe-in for the championship game, but the lone semifinal contest should be a doozie. Under head coach Nate Gust the host Redskins have experienced a resurgence of sorts with an SCAA East title and 16-10 record. Kurtis Tyler is arguably one of the top pitchers in the county and Jake Jividens has some pop, and Brady Nusbaum can be counted on to get on base. The Rangers are one of the area's hottest teams, finishing in a tie for second place in the Big Eight after struggling out of the gate. Senior Ryan "Bulldog" Dillon has the leadership, a solid bat and great glove at the catcher's position and several Ranger pitchers have shown the ability to leave opposing hitters confused whenever they're accuracy is on. Pittsford is a 10-12 team that has beaten the teams they expected to, but seems to lack a dominant pitcher. On the flip side, they've had at least a half-dozen hitters come through in big spots throughout the season.
Editor's pick: This is the other toughy. Rick Bailey is a championship coach who has a red-hot team right now, but Tyler can be a dominant pitcher at times, and he has the home-field advantage. I'm going to say the only thing that holds the Redskins back Friday is the "big-game experience" that almost every Ranger player has. Reading also beat Quincy and Jonesville in the regular season, proof they can beat anyone. The "feel-good" story here would be for Gust's team to win the title, but I think Bailey is going to add another banner to his high school full of them by beating C-F first and then toppling Pittsford, in what could be a closer contest than some people think.

SOFTBALL
Synopsis: As in the baseball bracket, the Wildcats have a free-pass to the title game. That leaves another Reading, Camden-Frontier bout. The Rangers have been a middle-of-the-road Big Eight team that pulled some upsets along the way, and Kasie Owens can be tough to hit when she's on. The Redskins are the SCAA East champs, mainly behind the pitching of Megan Schwartzengraber and Morgan Warfield and leadership of catcher Kara Bryner. They stumbled a bit in the middle of the season, but recovered nicely, albeit against some of the weaker teams in the SCAA. Pittsford is an 8-20 team that struggles with errors at times, but seems to do well in low-scoring pitching duals when their defense is solid.
Editor's pick: I have no doubt in my mind that the Redskins pitching is just too good for the competition it will see. Even though the C-F bats went cold for a few weeks in early May I don't think it will matter. On their home field, with arguably one of the states best 1-2 pitching punches in Division 4 I think it's a no-brainer. Pittsford did actually beat C-F once earlier this year, but I think the Redskins learned from that surprising defeat.

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Wildcats go one and done in districts after perfect regular season

[caption id="attachment_274" align="alignright" width="188" caption="Hudson's Sam Klinger sends back a shot from Pittsford's Garet Lee as the Tigers put an end to the Wildcats perfect season."][/caption]

By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor

As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on March 12, 2009

It took the Hudson Tigers just 32 minutes to tear down what the Pittsford Wildcats spent nearly four months building.

After losing to the Wildcats by 22 points Friday night the district-hosting Tigers (8-13) didn't trail by more than nine points Wednesday and their intense defense was just enough to keep Pittsford uncomfortable and timely shooting eventually helped break the Wildcats 20-0 season, 56-52.

"We just wanted to return the favor for what they did to us last time and we just had great momentum to do that and we wanted to get to the finals," Hudson junior forward Sam Klinger said, after scoring seven points in the win.

For Pittsford it appeared senior forward Corey Gamble might set the table, as he went off for three 3-pointers and 16 points in the first half, and junior forward Garet Lee might serve the Tigers a defeat, as he gathered steam and scored nine points in the third quarter alone. But Gamble didn't score a single point in the second half, Lee made just six of 14 free throws and a 29-22 halftime lead didn't stand the test of time.

An emotional Mike Burger said funny things sometimes happen in single elimination tournaments and he couldn't fault his kids effort, only praise Hudson's.

"They made a lot of shots, they played hard, they wanted it just as bad as we did and they just made a few more plays than we did. Friday was a different night. That's the quirky thing about basketball...March Madness, one and done," Pittsford's head coach said.

He said his players certainly felt the pressure to succeed on the bigger stage and that may have played into the final outcome.

"The pressure was there to be successful, they knew the magnitude of the game, they knew what was at risk and maybe that got to them a little bit. But you've got to give credit to Hudson for making the plays," he said.

Nathan Smith, Luke Milligan and Brandon Hephner all led Hudson with eight points, but it was the same team mind-set on defense that truly made a difference.

Burger said the Tigers are "big and strong" and he thought Klinger affected quite a few Wildcat shots. Klinger had help from Hephner among others down low and he said everything went according to plan.

"We just wanted to be great defenders and we wanted to shut down Lee and basically their 3-point stuff and make them go low," he said.

Lee had only three points at the half ad the Wildcats were piggy-backing onto Gamble's back, much to the delight of Pittsford fans who roared loudly with every long-range attempt from the lanky senior.

He not only buried three triples in the first half, he was also fouled on two 3-point attempts and he was far and away the game's most effective offensive player.

As Klinger said though, Hudson coach Lance Horwath switched his concern from interior defense to perimeter coverage at the half.

"We talked about never leaving your man if you can and making sure you got back on time and we just played tough in-your-shorts man-to-man 'D' and it worked out," he said.

Pittsford led 32-24 early in the second half thanks to several strong drives from Lee and some errant long-range shooting from Hudson.

Nonetheless Luke Milligan finally drilled a 3-pointer with 1:05 left in the third period and a 7-2 run to end the quarter put the Tigers within 40-41.

Josh Shephard made one of the biggest plays of the contest on Hudson's first possession of the fourth quarter when he made a long 3-pointer to give his team their first lead all night.

Pittsford guard Seth Weber hit a triple of his own to get the Wildcats within one with 4:32, but a 51-46 deficit with 2:20 remaining proved too much to overcome. The Wildcats went just 10-for-20 from the charity stripe in the contest and several Clark Pelham 3-pointers rimmed out in the final minutes.

Pelham was held to just three points Wednesday, as was Wes Smith. Zac Vanlerberg tallied four.

Despite an earlier finish to the season than he hoped for, Burger said he will never forget the ride this group of guys took him on and their character would be defined as much by the first-round loss as all their victories.

"You could play 1,000 games like tonight and lose a lot and win a lot and you learn so much about yourself, and that's what sports is about. You know you feel so alive and so wonderful during the game, the fight and just watching the guys play and I couldn't be more proud of them," he said. "They had a ton of fight tonight, they didn't quit and I think you learn a lot your character in adversity and these guys, they'll be alright."

Hudson's gift for taking down the Wildcats is a finals date on Friday with 18-4 Hanover-Horton who beat Manchester 56-40 Wednesday.

"We're going to have to play some real tough 'D' because defense wins games mostly and we have to find out who there best player is and shut them down." Klinger said.

Tip-off for that game is set for 7 p.m.

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Just not on target: Hornet boys shoot 21 percent in first-round loss

[caption id="attachment_265" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="Nick Kelley (40) and Scott Lantis (30) walk off the court for the final time as Hillsdale Hornets basketball players."][/caption]

By RJ Walters / Daily News Sport Editor

As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on March 10, 2009

The one thing coaches say you can't teach is the one thing the Hillsdale Hornets boy's basketball team couldn't do Monday.

In a first-round district showdown with Coldwater the Hornets took care of the ball, played solid defense for four quarters and executed their game-plan almost to a tee according to head coach Brad Felix — but they couldn't shoot worth a lick and their season is now over because of it.

The Hornets shot just 21 percent from the field as a team, senior guard Mitchell Gabriele was held to seven points on a 2-for-22 shooting effort and for the second straight meeting Cardinals' point guard Cameron Holicki was the man of the hour in a 60-32 Coldwater victory.

It was an unfathomable way for the Hornets to end a season in which they finished 14-7 and almost pulled off an SMAA championship.

Hillsdale players were antsy to finally get over the hump and win a district title with this group of guys, but a short-handed Coldwater team, who was without starters Jacob Robison and Bobby White due to team violations, shot 58 percent from the field and ended the game on an astonishing 35-6 run.

Felix said he wasn't angry whatsoever, just disappointed.

"I told them it was a tough way for the seniors to finish their career. Quite frankly we're real disappointed...we picked a horrible time to shoot the ball like that. It's a little embarrassing," he said. "They play good man-to-man defense, but I'll tell you what man, we got good shots. We had a real good game-plan coming in and we were getting the ball where we wanted it and to the people we wanted to be touching it."

Coldwater head coach chalked Brian Stevens chalked the win up to defense and heart.

"That was our best defensive effort all year right there. And you know we had to really step it up because we knew we were going to have some guys out, but it was just a fantastic effort," he said. "I've never been more proud of a group of kids than I was tonight. The telling thing here is we have a good team and we don't have to rely on just two people."

It also didn't hurt that Holicki had one of the best games of his career on the same night Gabriele's had one of his toughest outings.

Holicki scored 13 first-half points, the same number the Hornets had in falling behind by 10 at the break, and he finished the game with 26 points to go with six boards and five assists.

Stevens said Holicki was at his best when Hornets defenders got right up in his face and he was able to drive by them and get to the lane.

"He's a gamer. He knew he was going to have to step up ands play huge tonight with a few guys out," he said. "The guy is a great competitor... they just gave him the opportunities and he took them."

For the Hornets, Gabriele gave it his all and even hit a key 3-pointer early in the second half to begin a run that would give the Hornets a 26-25 advantage, but no one had an answer to why the ball just wouldn't fall through the cylinder.

"It is frustrating... anytime you shoot that bad when you're averaging as many points as I am. When they're not falling and they should be falling, and you're trying to get your team back on top and trying to get the 'W' it's very frustrating and it hurts," he said.

Felix said he doesn't understand what happened, but he has sympathy for his floor general.

"It's tough to fathom. I just feel bad for Mitchell that he's got to finish his career like that. That's his last game and he probably couldn't have shot the ball any worse than he did," he said, "He's a competitor man, and we were going to keep throwing him the ball and getting him looks and we even tried to get him the ball inside. The sets we ran worked, we got him shots on the block and he just couldn't finish."

Backcourt mate Scott Lantis had a little better success, knocking down three 3-pointers en route to 11 points, but he said the sting of losing in such a fashion is pretty strong.

"I just think it would've been nice if we went out playing well. We've got some athletes here, we've got some players and if we would've gone out and shot well and they beat us, I think we'd have a little better taste in our mouths," he said. "We had the looks, the game-plan was there, but you can't coach shooting and like coach said, we weren't trying to miss."

For the Cardinals, who will take on Parma Western in the semifinals Wednesday, Seth Szafranski pitched in nine points and Sam Foster and Spensor Tanner both put in seven.

Nick Kelley had six points and six rebounds in his final game as a Hornet.

Despite the defeat, Felix said he was extremely proud to have coached a team who was led by a senior class who had to overcome the shadows of players like the Laser brothers and Mike Blanchard.

"I think they've overachieved really and it's a credit to them. Another thing I'll remember is they're competitors, they always go the extra mile and they've been loyal parts of our program," he said. "I enjoyed coaching those guys and I thought they had a great year. We didn't finish it how we wanted to, but overall it was a pretty good year."

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For all the marbles: Boys high school hoops postseason starts tonight

[caption id="attachment_255" align="aligncenter" width="510" caption="Hillsdale's Scott Lantis and Pittsford's Chase Weber are just two local kids who will star this week. Photos by RJ Walters."][/caption]

By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor

As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on March 9, 2009

If girl's district play was any indication, these postseason battles will be worth every penny of your $5 ticket in boys district action this week. Here is a breakdown of who is playing where and what to look for:

District No. 36 at Marshall
Hillsdale County teams: Hillsdale
Hillsdale head coach Brad Felix used the word “loaded” several times to describe the Hornets’ district and it’s hard to argue with him.
Two of the teams in the district have handed the Hornets losses this season, one is fresh off a victory over Jackson High and two teams who have hovered around .500 have been deceptively good at times.
To even discuss a possible district championship the Hornets have to get by Coldwater, a team that beat them 73-61 at the Hive in late January. In that contest guard Cameron Holicki put up 18 points to go with nine assists, but he had plenty of help — including from Jacob Robison and Bobby White, a pair of starters who may not even suit up Monday.
They were suspended last week for violating team rules and did not dress for the team’s regular season finale Thursday. Several sources have said they expect the pair to be absent from the lineup for the district opener, but Felix said nothing is set in stone yet and he’s preparing for the game as if they’ll be able to play.
“That’s up in the air. I’ve heard that (Robison) is not playing and there’s another starter in limbo who is appealing the whole thing. I’m sure they’ll pull as many strings as they can to get their guys in there, but from what I’ve heard they’re in trouble,” he said.
“I’ll tell you what though, I watched the film on that game and I think we can beat that team with them or without them. Sometimes guys will come off the bench and play inspired too, so we’re going to treat it as if they’re going to be full-strength in our practices and if (they don’t) play, (they don’t) play.”
Despite what Felix said, Robison and White had a major impact in the outcome the first time the teams met. Robison tallied 19 points and 16 boards and White shadowed Hornet star Mitchell Gabriele all evening, forcing him into a 10-for-25 shooting performance.
Felix said he expects the momentum from Thursday’s game from Lansing Christian to carry over and the fact his boys are seeking a little sweet revenge on the Cardinals doesn’t hurt either.
If they can reverse their fortunes from earlier this season, they will face league foe Parma Western in the semifinals.
The two teams split the season series, with both squads winning at home. Western finished the season 10-10 overall.
A trio of teams loom as a possible district finals opponent: Jackson Lumen Christi, Marshall, and Columbia Central, with the Titans and Redhawks being the most likely challengers.
Lumen Christi finished the season 13-7, including a 71-67 win over Jackson High Thursday. Looking at common opponents, the Titans beat Western 43-40 early on this season and were blown out by Coldwater, 59-32 on Jan. 13.
Marshall started the season 4-0, but has been on a roller-coaster ride ever since and they finished out the year with back-to-back losses to Mattawan and Sturgis. Nonetheless, Felix and his assistants have noted several times this season that Marshall has quite a few athletes and the Redhawks are not a team to take lightly.
As Felix said, he’s not taking anything at less than face value in the postseason.
“We feel like we can win the district and we’ve got to play better than we have the last few weeks,” he said. “Even back against Leslie and Harper (Creek) we hit 12 and 13 threes those nights, but as far as our game goals were concerned, they were a little low, so I was a little red-flagged because we weren’t playing all that well, just shooting well. Sometimes you hit 12 or 13 pointers and it can mask other stats and Albion got us and Stockbridge got us.”
Editor’s pick to make the finals: Jackson Lumen Christi and Hillsdale

District No. 67 at Bronson
Hillsdale County teams: Jonesville, Reading
A trio of area teams will tangle in Bronson this week, with at least one guaranteed a berth in the district finals.
Quincy and Reading both have the luxury of first-round byes, but one of them will be going home after the two teams meet in the semifinals Wednesday.
Jonesville on the other hand will go up against the host Vikings at 7 p.m. Monday, where a victory would earn them a date with Union City two days later.
Records alone would tell you this is Quincy’s district to lose, but both Jonesville and Reading have two variables that could very easily propel them to a district crown — a go-to outside shooter, who can bury 3-pointers in tight situations, and a post presence who can cause a little havoc, especially when they’re playing against guys their own size.
For the Comets, guard Mitch Miller has already hit one game-winner and several other timely shots this season, and down low Logan Jenkins has been putting up double-figure rebounds and 3-7 blocks per outing over the course of the last month as Jonesville surged to a winning regular season.
For Reading, Joe Hubbard is as close to a 3-point specialist as you’ll find around here, and forward Alex Eastwood isn’t afraid to bang bodies in the paint, but he can also step out and routinely hit the 15-footer, making him a tough assignment for any defender.
Bronson has been a model of inconsistency much of the year, finishing 8-12, but they do have a road win at Quincy to their credit.
The Orioles finished near the top of the Big Eight, and seem to fare best when they can control the tempo and keep the score below 60.
Who will come out on top though is anybody’s guess and the head-to-head match-ups between some of these teams shows why.
Quincy drilled Jonesville 63-39 on Jan. 16, but the Comets paid them back with a 7-point victory just last week.
If a team has a few players get hot for a couple of games it could make all the difference.
Editor’s pick to make the finals: Bronson and Quincy

District No. 68 at Hudson
Hillsdale County teams: Pittsford
The Pittsford Wildcats can hang their hats on a 20-0 regular season, a feat that even time will not change, but the clock is now reset for all intensive purposes.
The records of some of the challengers on their side of  the Class C district in Hudson may not look all that impressive, but the fact that it’s Class C period is a challenge in itself.
The Wildcats have the minimum number of students enrolled to qualify as a Class C school, meaning they are essentially a Class D team, who has played mainly Class D competition trying to take a step up the ladder.
Pittsford head coach Mike Burger is not using that as a crux though, and quite frankly he likes the challenge his boys have ahead of them.
They have a bye Monday, before taking the court at 7:30 p.m Wednesday.
“We’ve got a good team, it’s a wide-open district, with some exceptional teams like Hanover-Horton and Clinton and we’re going to play the winner of the Hudson-Addison and they’re going to come out and fight,” he said. “If it’s Hudson, it will be their fans this time, their community and they’ll fight hard if they can get past Addison.”
The Wildcats beat Hudson 65-43 in their final game of the regular season Friday.
Addison finished well below .500 this season, but lost by only four points to a Michigan Center squad that finished 16-4 and only fell by a combined 24 points in a pair of battles with Napoleon who finished the season 20-0.
The marquee matchup in this district — prior to the championship game — is Clinton taking on Hanover-Horton at 6 p.m. Monday.
The Komets went 16-4 this year using their depth and several sharp-shooters to lead the way.
Clinton meanwhile won eight of its last 10 games and 12 of its final 15 to finish the year at 13-7.
The winner of that game will take on Manchester for a spot in the finals.
Pittsford senior guard Clark Pelham said he’s confident he and his teammates have what it takes to win a district, but if that doesn’t happen this season will still be just as meaningful to him.
“Do I want this thing to end? No, I wish it never would. But if it does, then oh well, we have something no one can ever take away from us and it’s still an amazing feeling,” he said.
Editor’s pick to make the finals: Hanover-Horton and Pittsford

District No. 100 at Litchfield
Hillsdale County teams: Camden-Frontier, Hillsdale Academy, Litchfield, North Adams-Jerome, Waldron, Will Carleton Academy
This district may be one of the biggest crapshoots of them all.
Waldron brings the best record to the table, but they have to take on Hillsdale Academy at 5:30 p.m. Monday and all three games between these two teams have been single-digit margins this season.
With a healthy Peter Sullivan in the lineup the Colts are not a team to take lightly, especially when guys like Thomas Lundberg start getting into a rhythm. Mark Long’s team on the other hand has shown plenty of promise and is at its best when playing a physical brand of basketball and attacking the rim.
Two-time Pat Paterson Holiday Tournament MVP John Martin will be one player to keep an eye on, because a loss means his career as a Spartan is over.
In another first-round matchup, Camden-Frontier butts heads with the host Terriers, two teams who have struggled to find consistency this year.
The Redskins have plenty of scoring options all over the floor, but need to rebound well to win, while the Terriers have one of the SCAA’s best post presences in Terry Lawler, to go with Jeremy Cornish on the perimeter.
The other side of the bracket should not be overlooked though.
North Adams-Jerome surprised everyone but themselves last season by winning a district title in Pittsford and Patrick Humphrey has been playing as well as anyone in the area the last month.
They take on Jackson Da Vinci Institute at 7 p.m. Monday, and a win would set them up against Will Carleton Academy Wednesday.
Will Carleton’s Greg Balcom has been putting up monster scoring and rebounding numbers the second half of the season and this is the perfect stage for him to showcase his skills.
Editor’s pick to make the finals: North Adams-Jerome and Waldron

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Hornet wrestlers fall to Onsted in district finals

By RJ Walters / Daily News Sports Editor

As published in the Hillsdale Daily News on Feb. 19, 2009

A successful season on the mats came to a quick halt Wednesday night for the Hillsdale Hornets.

After receiving an automatic berth into the finals with a bye the Onsted Wildcats attacked early and won several close matches down the stretch to pull out a 50-22 victory in the team districts, which were held at Onsted.

Head coach Paul Osentoski said both teams were fighting hard all evening, but Onsted "was a tough team and they just flat out beat us".

The Wildcats advanced to the finals with a win over Columbia Central and then took six of the first eight matches from the Hornets to stake themselves to a big lead.

With the loss the Hornets finish the season at 19-5 overall and the distinction of  being SMAA co-champs with Parma Western.

Osentoski said he will remember several things quite vividly from the 2008-09 campaign.

"Probably one of the best feelings was beating Western in the duel meet with them and just being co-champs. We have done some good things this year," he said.

Four Hornets were victorious on the mats Wednesday. Tim Wisneski won via a void at 103 pounds, Jesse Braxmaier defeated Jesse Adrian 13-3 at 119, Kyle Bastien pinned Luke Pawson in 1:50 at 152 and Mike Curby was victorious at 171 by pinning Connar Wiese in 3:40.

Despite bowing out in the district finals as a team, Osentoski said he has high hopes for some of his wrestlers at the individual district championships which Hillsdale is hosting Saturday.

"I think we have a couple of guys who can make a run at states, so we've got to get them ready to give it their best shot and we're looking forward to that," he said.

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