By Dean Eversole
MaxPreps.com
The dominant story in Ohio high school sports for the past few weeks has been the weather. The state has been bottled in by unseasonably cold temperatures and snow.
The end result are spring schedules featuring more X's than W's and L's. With only a few weeks remaining before spring postseasons get underway, baseball, softball and track & field teams are scrambling for make-up dates.
Baseball: Usual Suspects
The usual suspects appeared to be in the running for the state baseball titles again this season.
Cincinnati's Archbishop Moeller might be the cream of the crop in Division I. The program has produced numerous Major Leaguers, including Ken Griffey, Jr. and Barry Larkin. This season the Crusaders are 8-2 and will be looking for their fifth state title. They last took home the big trophy in 2004.
Moeller doesn't have to look far for competition. The Elder Panthers are right on the Crusaders heels with a 7-2 mark on the year. The Panthers have won a state title in every decade since the 1940's and will be in the hunt this season.
The third traditional power, not surprisingly, is St. Ignatius. The Wildcats have a state title (2002) and runner-up (2000) on their resume and will be looking to pad things this year.
New Albany is pacing Division II with a 7-0 record. Serious challengers come in the form of Defiance and Walsh Jesuit, both veterans of the OHSAA tournament. Defiance has 12 district titles, a pair of regional titles and one state title (1992) on its resume.Walsh Jesuit is the division's defending champion.
Franklin's Frenzy
The Franklin Wildcats started scoring Monday night, and didn't stop until they racked up 36 runs against Bellbrook on 34 hits.
The final tally read more like a football score - Franklin 36, Bellbrook 10.
The Wildcats (7-2) got home runs from Jake Braden, Tyler Fenner, and Dustin Hunt, and scored 23 runs in the second inning.
It was a wild turn of events for Bellbrook (7-2), coming off a 30-run game of its own last week.
Softball: Wendy's Classic
The Wendy's Classic, annually one of the state's top softball events, was attempted this past weekend in Ashland. Twenty teams converged, hoping to see how they stacked up against Ohio's best.
What they got was two days at best before the snow machine cranked up, wiping out the evening session Saturday. Greenville was the big winner, compiling a 3-1 record, including a 10-inning, 4-3 win against New Palestine.
Basketball: Poque v. Diebler One More Time
Aaron Poque and Jon Diebler will face off one more time as high school basketball players. Last month, Poque's Dayton Dunbar squad knocked off Diebler's Upper Sandusky team in the state title game. Now they will face off one more time in the Ohio Coaches' Association All-Star game. The game will be played in Columbus at Capital University.
Roe Going Sparty
According to various published reports, St. Edward junior Delvoe Roe is headed to Michigan State. Roe, a first team All-State selection and member of the MaxPreps All-American team, chose the Spartans over North Carolina.
