Avon Lake High School |
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State-ranked Shoregals clinch share of SWC title
The Avon Lake Shoregals clinched a share of the Southwestern Conference fastpitch championship Monday with a 13-0 win over North Olmsted.
Annie Wennerberg tossed a 1-hitter at the Eagles, raising her record to 19-1 for the season. The state-ranked Shoregals were led offensively by Alexis Thomas, who went two-for-three with a triple, a double and three runs batted in.
Avon Lake, 23-1 overall and 13-1 in the SWC, was ranked third in Division I in the latest coaches poll. Brecksville, 21-5 overall and 13-1 in the conference, was ranked ninth. The Shoregals will host Midview Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in a...
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Shoregals top Demons, stay in thick of SWC race
The Avon Lake Shoregals remained tied with Brecksville for the Southwestern Conference lead after a 6-1 win over Westlake Thursday afternoon.
Pitcher Annie Wennerberg moved to 12-1 on the season, allowing just a single run in the top of the first inning. Avon Lake tied the game in the bottom of the frame, then added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. The Shoregals put the game away with a 3-run outburst in the bottom of the sixth.
Offensively, Ali Balthaser led the way for Avon Lake (16-1) with three singles. Westlake fell to 9-9 on the season. On Saturday, Avon Lake will head east and participate...
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Wrestling: Journey to state begins with sectionals
The 2013 high school wrestling postseason gets underway this weekend with the OHSAA sectional wrestling tournaments.
Avon, Avon Lake, Lakewood, North Olmsted and Westlake will be competing in the Division I tournament at Lorain starting Friday at 5 p.m. The action will continue Saturday at 10 a.m.
In Division II, Bay and Rocky River will hit the mats at Medina, with the action starting Friday at 6 p.m. and resuming Saturday at 10 a.m.
Last weekend, the North Ridgeville Rangers rallied to win the West Shore Conference championship. They scored 163.5 points to edge out Avon’s 159.5 and Bay’s 156.5.
Avon had three champions...
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Demons play their game, turn tables on Shoremen
Looking back at their first meeting with Avon Lake, Westlake head coach Shawn Hood said he felt the Shoremen caught his Demons “off guard.”
On a cold, snowy Friday night in late-January, there were no surprises this time around.
The two teams battled on even terms for the better part of three quarters. But Westlake used a 9-0 spurt late in the third quarter and left Avon Lake with a 54-47 win in this Southwestern Conference rematch.
“In the first game, we didn’t respect them like we respected them this time,” Hood said. “Before the first game, I hadn’t seen them play or had an opportunity to have them scouted. Their athleticism and quickness caught us off guard.
“This time it didn’t. We were prepared...
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Shoremen top Eagles, extend SWC winning streak
It might not have been pretty at times, but a win is still a win.
Avon Lake, struggling to find consistency on offense at times, still had more than enough to get past visiting North Olmsted, 58-37, Tuesday night in Southwestern Conference basketball action.
The Shoremen, now 9-4 overall, have won five straight in the SWC to remain tied with Berea for second place behind front-running Brecksville. But Shoremen head coach Eric Smith knew his team would have to shore up their game in a hurry with the Bees coming to town Friday night.
“I was happy in that I thought our defensive pressure was good at times,” said Smith, whose team forced 25 Eagle turnovers and used a solid transition game on its way...
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Shoregals hold on, beat North Olmsted for first win
With the clock winding down, North Olmsted’s Tara Kelley quickly dribbled the ball up court. Speeding past an Avon Lake defender, she reached the 3-point line, pulled up and launched a shot from the right wing.
As the buzzer sounded, the ball bounced off the front of the rim. While the Eagles’ rally fell short, there was a bit more celebrating than normal on the Shoregal bench.
Avon Lake, which had built a 13 point lead in the fourth quarter, held on for dear life down the stretch and came away with a 49-46 win over North Olmsted Wednesday night. It was the Shoregals’ first win of the season after 11 straight losses.
“We haven’t been in that situation for a long time,” quipped head coach Dave Zvara as foul trouble and North Olmsted’s full-court press made the game’s final two minutes a challenge for his Shoregals. “We weren’t sure how to react to it...
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Shoremen start fast, hold off Demons for SWC win
In Avon Lake’s first two Southwestern Conference games, getting off to a good start wasn’t enough as the Shoremen faltered late in losses to Brecksville and Berea.
But Friday night at Westlake, a few more pieces of that fourth-quarter puzzle fell into place for head coach Eric Smith’s crew.
Avon Lake again got off to a fast start, taking an 18-10 lead in the first quarter. This time, the Shoremen held on to that lead the rest of the way in a solid 48-40 win over the Demons in a hard-fought SWC hoops matchup.
With the win, the Shoremen evened their overall record at 2-2 and caimed their first SWC win of the young season. Westlake, the defending league co-champion, dropped its first game of the season in five outings and fell one game behind co-leaders Brecksville and Berea. “We gotten off to fast starts in every game we’ve played...
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Video: The 2012 SWC Cheerleading Competition
You\'ve seen - and heard - them on the sidelines at every high school football game throughout the fall season. They were always there in support of their team and their school, rain or shine, win or lose.
This past Monday night was their night to take center stage.
Avon Lake hosted the 2012 Southwestern Conference Competitive Cheerleading Competition, with all eight of the conference schools being represented...
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Coach Dlugosz: "They outplayed us today. Period'
As members of the media entered the Avon Lake locker room Friday night, they made their way past the Shoremen players on their way to meet with head coach Dave Dlugosz.
Most of them were still in full uniform, having just come off the field after a 28-21 loss to Westlake on their Homecoming Night. And most of them were quiet, going through a full gamut of emotions following a rare Southwestern Conference defeat on their home field. In the coaches conference room, Dlugosz offered...
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Demons rally, end drought in win over Avon Lake
The year was 1984.
That was the last time a Westlake varsity football team had beaten Avon Lake. It was a time when players like John Kolesar roamed the turf at Read Field and longtime head coach Vern Long was leading the Demons to Southwestern Conference championships.
Friday night at Avon Lake, it was almost as if those ghosts of Demons past had returned to suport their 2012 brothers: Axcell, Paul, Massaad and Campo. The drought was over...
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Focused Shoregals sweep Bees out of first place
With a season-opening loss to Brecksville still fresh in their minds, the Avon Lake Shoregals came into Thursday night’s Southwestern Conference rematch focused and ready to go.
That wasn’t good news for the Bees.
Behind a big serving night from Christine Bohan, the Shoregals kept their mistakes to a minimum and swept Brecksville 25-20, 25-18, 25-16 to remain no less than tied for first place in the SWC with six matches to go.
Brecksville, coming off a three-set loss to Amherst on Tuesday night, fell to 6-2 in the SWC and 11-5 overall.
“The first time we played them, we missed 15 serves and had 23 serve receive errors...
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Shoregals sweep Eagles, brace for Bees Thursday
In what seems like eons ago, the Avon Lake volleyball team opened the 2012 season with a loss at Brecksville.
If Tuesday night was any indication, the Shoregals are more than ready for the rematch.
The defending Southwestern Conference champions were a force at the net and served tough all night in a convincing 25-15, 25-21, 25-18 win over visiting North Olmsted. Avon Lake served up a lucky 13 aces on the night and put up a block that stymied Eagle hitters throughout the match.
With the win, Avon Lake moved to 6-1 in the SWC at the halfway point. Shortly after the match, the Shoregals found out that Amherst had thrown the league race into a three-way tie with a 25-22, 25-18, 25-17 thrashing of Brecksville just west up Rt. 2.
The Shoregals, now 7-2 overall, will host the Bees Thursday night...
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Shoregals bounce back with sweep over Braves
When you win a conference championship, in any sport, you always have a bullseye on your back the following season. To have a chance to repeat, a team has to learn how to play with that added pressure.
Following a season-opening loss on Tuesday night to Brecksville, Avon Lake needed to make a statement in its home opener on Thursday against Berea. Falling two games back in the Southwestern Conference would not be a good way for the Shoregals to start their defense of the crown.
Lesson learned. Avon Lake took control...
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Video: Big fourth quarter gets Shoremen by Avon
Through three quarters of play, the battle on the gridiron between rivals Avon and Avon Lake was tied at 28-28 at Memorial Stadium.
By that point, the Eagles had already seen enough of Shoremen receiver Jimmy Hessel.
Hessel, who scored the first two touchdowns of the game, caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback David Winkel to give Avon Lake the lead in the fourth quarter. Collin Lucas capped off the night...
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Shoremen look to continue their SWC dominance
As Avon Lake head football coach Dave Dlugosz makes his way off of the Shoremen practice field and back to the coaches office, you can’t help but notice an extra spring in his step
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No, it’s not because his squad is once again a favorite to win the Southwestern Conference championship – he’s already guided 18 Shoremen teams to that fete in his 20 seasons as the bench boss. And no, it’s probably not because he recently retired as a teacher in Avon Lake, giving himself more time to spend plotting and planning another season.
No, just ask anyone that knows Dave Dlugosz: It’s all because it’s his own Christmas in August...
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DI Fastpitch: Shoregals fall short against Pioneers
The Avon Lake fastpitch softball team came oh so close to knocking off top seed Elyria in the Division I district semifinals Monday afternoon.
Pioneers designated player Alexis Roseboro made sure that didn’t happen.
Roseboro drilled a two run home run to right center in the bottom of the fourth inning as state-ranked Elyria held on for a narrow 2-1 win over the Shoregals at North Ridgeville. The Pioneers, now 22-2, advanced to Tuesday’s district title game against Westlake, a 7-6 winner over Amherst in the day’s second semifinal matchup.
Pioneer ace Caitlyn Minney (17-1) out-dueled...
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Softball: Amherst edges Bees, claims SWC again
With one game left in the Southwestern Conference fastpitch softball season, the race is officially over.
On Thursday, Amherst won its second-straight title with a narrow 2-1 win over second-place Brecksville. At Westlake, the Demons had their championship dreams dashed in a crushing 14-3 defeat at the hands of Midpark.
Avon Lake, which fell out of contention last week, got a four-hitter from pitcher Annie Wennerberg as the Shoregals topped North Olmsted, 8-0. Amherst, now 11-2 in the SWC, scored two runs...
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Demons remain in first, rally late past Shoregals
For five innings, head coach Tom Shiban and his Westlake Demons probably felt like they were at a casting call for a sequel to the movie Ground Hogs Day.
On Monday, the Demons gave up a three-run homer early and dropped a 4-0 decision to Amherst, throwing the Southwestern Conference fastpitch race into a three-way tie. On Wednesday, a three-run homer in the first inning off the bat of Avon Lake’s Alexis Thomas led to another 4-0 deficit.
But when Julia Kosco was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning, the ending of that sequel was edited out and left on the cutting room floor. Westlake scored...
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Wennerberg's one-hitter edges Banchek, Eagles
It became evident early on that Wednesday’s Southwestern Conference fastpitch matchup between Avon Lake and North Olmsted would turn into a pitchers duel.
From the first inning on, Shoregal junior Annie Wennerberg and Eagles senior Katie Banchek matched each other pitch for pitch. But while Banchek was solid, Wennerberg was nearly untouchable.
Wennerberg allowed an infield hit in the first inning and shut down the North Olmsted offense the rest of the way in a 2-0 win at Clifford Grady Field. A pair of unrearned runs proved to be enough support to up her record to 7-2 and keep the Shoregals...
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Errors costly for Shoregals as Westlake prevails
So far this season, Westlake head softball coach Tom Shiban has been searching for more consistency from his team’s offense.
Monday afternoon at Avon Lake, Shiban was still looking. The Shoregals’ defense, however, was more than happy to lend a hand in the meantime.
The Demons evened their record, both overall and in the Southwestern Conference, using five errors to their advantage in a 5-2 win over Avon Lake. Westlake and Avon Lake are now 1-1 in the SWC, tied with Midpark and Olmsted Falls behind unbeaten Amherst and Brecksville.
“The first inning, we hit the ball really well,” said Shiban, whose team jumped out to a 2-0 lead to start the game...
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DI Girls: Magnificat tops Shoregals, Demons await
In their first two games of the Division I tournament, the Avon Lake Shoregals had rallied to pull off narrow wins against Elyria and Avon.
Facing top-seeded Magnificat proved to be another story.
The Blue Streaks jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back on their way to a convincing 64-30 win over the Shoregals Wednesday night in a district semifinal game at Elyria Catholic.
“Magnificat is a good team. We came out and played a little bit better in the second half, but we just didn’t handle the ball well,” said Avon Lake head coach Dave Zvara, as his team turned the ball over 29 times...
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Video: Shoremen shut down Eagles, grab OT win
Avon Lake shut down Avon’s 3-point shooting and used a 12-2 run in overtime to take down the Eagles, 55-45, Tuesday night in the boys Division I sectional basketball tournament at Midview.
Senior Claude Gray of Avon had a monster game, scoring 27 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. But it wasn’t enough to offset the scoring duo of Avon Lake’s Eric Stuczynski and Brandon Murway, who combined for 39 points with 19 and 20, respectively.
Defense was also key for the Shoremen as they shutout Avon’s vaunted 3-point attack. The Eagles did rally to tie the game late in the fourth quarter and force the extra period, but could not sustain the rally from there.
With the win, the Shoremen moved over the .500 mark at 11-10 and advanced...
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DI Girls: LeDuc, Shoregals do it again, stun Eagles
With the score tied at 49 and less than 14 seconds left in regulation, Avon Lake’s Lacy LeDuc took the ball in the backcourt and quickly made her way up the floor.
As the clock ticked down, just about everybody in the Elyria Catholic Coliseum was on the edge of their seats.
Weaving her way through the Avon defense as if it were an obstacle course, LeDuc made her way to the basket. The senior kissed the ball off the glass and got the shot to fall with five ticks left, giving Avon Lake...
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Demons run by Shoremen, take over lead in SWC
Avon Lake head coach Eric Smith was looking for his Shoremen to buck a trend and get off to a good start Tuesday night at Westlake.
Less than four minutes into the game, however, the Demons already had Smith’s team in catchup mode.
Westlake came out of the gates with a 9-2 burst and built its lead from there. Despite a rash of turnovers in the fourth quarter, the Demons came away...
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Demon D sends Shoregals home with SWC defeat
Down just three points at halftime, Avon Lake got a pair of 3-pointers to start the third quarter and looked poised to pull off an upset of twice-beaten Westlake.
That’s when the wheels came off for the Shoregals.
Westlake turned up the defensive pressure and started to convert turnovers into points. An 11-0 run ensued, and the Demons kept pace in the Southwestern Conference race...
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Eagles execute in final minutes to top Shoregals
With 4:28 left in the game, Avon Lake had taken a 32-28 lead over neighborhood rival Avon. With both teams struggling on offense, the narrow 4-point lead seemed larger.
But despite making just eight field goals to that point, the Eagles dug down deep to make a run. They took advantage of key Shoregal turnovers and went on a 13-0 run to close out a come-from-behind 41-32 win Wednesday night in a non-conference girls hoops matchup...
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Video: Buzzer beater leads Avon past Shoremen
Ryan Poyle hit a layup to beat the buzzer and get Avon past visiting Avon Lake, 45-43, in a non-conference boys basketball game Tuesday night.
The Eagles, who were led by Claude Gray\'s 17 points, went on a 13-4 run in the fourth quarter to pull out the last-second win and even their record at 6-6. Eric Stuczynski led all scorers with 20 points for Avon Lake...
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Video: Demons host Avon Lake in SWC meet
Westlake hosted Avon Lake last Thursday in a Southwestern Conference swimming and diving meet at the Westlake Recreation Center. Larry captures the action with these videos...
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Pressure defense helps Demons get by Shoregals
Avon Lake head coach Dave Zvara knew the answer to the question before it was even asked.
“It’s been our one downfall so far this season,” Zvara said.
“Turnovers.”
Westlake, despite some problems of its own, remained undefeated by pressuring the Shoregals into 30 turnovers to come away with a 45-40 win Saturday afternoon at the Avon Lake Fieldhouse...
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Shoregals start fast, eliminate Westlake in three
During the regular season, the Westlake volleyball team had been able to give state-ranked Avon Lake all it could handle during its two Southwestern Conference matches.
Thursday night was a different story.
The Shoregals, after getting pushed to the brink by North Olmsted on Monday, came out determined and took care of the Demons 25-17, 25-17, 25-20 in a Division I sectional championship match...
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Unbeaten Shoregals hold off determined Demons
Despite a 2-0 lead over Westlake, Avon Lake suddenly found itself with a match on its hands.
But when push came to shove, the state-ranked Shoregals responded.
The up-and-coming Demons rallied and took the third set, 25-21, then took a quick 3-1 lead in the fourth. Avon Lake, however, came up with a rally of its own...
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Soccer: No. 6 Pirates take care of Avon Lake, 5-1
After a weekend full of Homecoming activities and college visits, Rocky River head coach Patrick Hopkins said he had some concerns heading into Monday night’s game at Avon Lake.
Turns out there was no need to worry. His state-ranked Pirates quickly put those concerns to rest.
River, the No. 6 Division II team in Ohio, dominated the first half of play and finished with a strong second half as well...
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Bass, Shoremen run over North Olmsted, 45-23
North Olmsted showed signs of improvement Friday night in its first trip to Avon Lake’s renovated Memorial Stadium.
The Eagles just couldn’t stop the Shoremen’s running attack.
And they certainly had no answer for Brett Bass.
Bass scored four touchdowns, three of them on plays of 70-plus yards as Avon Lake defeated North Olmsted, 45-23, in the Southwestern Conference lid lifter for both schools...
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Football: Eagles open SWC slate with Shoremen
With the non-conference schedule out of the way, the Southwestern Conference race begins Friday night.
And as usual, the bid for gridiron supremacy in the league looks like a battle that could go down to the wire. Only two teams, Westlake and Berea, head into conference play with winning records, each at 2-1.
Westlake will host Amherst (1-2) at Lou Duchez Field, while Berea will host Brecksville (1-2). Each of the other four schools are 1-2 as well, with Olmsted Falls hosting Midpark and North Olmsted traveling to Avon Lake.
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Rangers, Pirates finish behind Shoregals at Invite
With just two full time starters back from last year’s squad, the Rocky River volleyball team is learning on the fly as the 2011 season unfolds.
Lakewood, with four sophomores and a freshman on their roster, looked to be a notch ahead of the Pirates Saturday at the Rocky River Invitational. The Rangers, behind the outside hitting of Elizabeth Spellacy and Danielle Witri, nipped the Pirates in the semifinals and advanced to the championship match.
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