A day with Robert BobroczkyiMaxPreps host Chris Stonebraker headed out to Ohio for the latest on arguably the most intriguing prospect in high school basketball.
You nominate, we decide...who had Ohio's best team performance last week?
MaxPreps and JJHuddle are proud to announce that they will again sponsor a team of the week during the 2017-18 school year.
How does it work? Each week during the season (regular and post), there will be a fan-generated contest to nominate weekly winners. Each winning team (one boys and one girls) will receive awards (bracelets and certificates). Football, girls and boys soccer, boys and girls golf, field hockey, girls tennis, boys and girls cross country and volleyball teams are eligible for the award in the fall.
To nominate a team, email information to Eric Frantz at efrantz@maxpreps.com. Please include the team, gender and why they are worthy. Winners will be selected from the nominations and announced every Thursday.
Week 26 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Beechcroft (Columbus) Basketball
The Cougars tied the program record for wins in a season and improved to 20-1 with a 71-66 win over Eastmoor in the 119th Columbus City League championship game. It was Beechcroft’s first City League title since 1983.
Boys: Lynchburg-Clay (Lynchburg) Bowling
The Mustangs won the program’s first sectional title by edging Unioto by 11 pins in the D-II postseason at Shawnee Lanes. After three regular games and six Baker games, L-C beat Unioto 3,902-3,891 pins.
GIRLS: Upper Arlington (Columbus) Swimming
The Golden Bears won their 19th straight D-I district title with a nail-bitting 274-267 win over New Albany at Ohio University. UA held a one-point lead over the Eagles heading into the meet’s final event – the 400-yard free relay. In that race, UA’s quartet of Caroline Colombo, Dakota Elliott, Erin Reardon and Kendra Sheehan finished first in 3:27.45. They swam .39 of a second faster than runner-up NA.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Week 1 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Fairmont (Kettering) Football
The Firebirds scored a 13-12 win over neighborhood parochial rival Alter for their first win in the season-opening series since 2004. Fairmont scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 8-yard run by Herbert Burroughs with 25 seconds left in the third quarter. Alter just missed a potential game-winning 41-yard field with less than 1:30 remaining. The Firebirds had 55 offensive plays and ran the ball 54 times (for 193 yards). They were 4-of-5 on fourth down attempts. Fairmont had three backs with 50 yards rushing or more –
Braden Miller (51 yards),
Jesse Deglow (56 yards and a touchdown) and
David Stamer (55 yards). Burroughs ended with 31 yards.
GIRLS: Upper Arlington (Columbus, Ohio) Golf
Within a week, the Golden Bears recorded the two best team scores in program history. Both resulted in first place finishes at OCC conference matches. UA shot a program record 299 at Cooks Creek Golf Course and 303 at Westchester Golf Course. Freshman Julia Rabadam and sophomore Maddie Frank earned Medalist honors, respectively.
Week 2 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Shawnee (Lima) Football
The Indians improved to 2-0 and surpassed their win total from the last two years combined with a 56-7 win over Defiance. Shawnee beat Delphos Jefferson 28-6 in Week 1. The Indians finished 1-9 last year and were 0-10 in 2015. Against Defiance, quarterback
Johnny Caprella completed 12-of-17 passes for 375 yards and six touchdowns. Both
Christian Ford and
Grant Wheeler have three touchdown receptions in two games. Defensive back
Peyton Wilson had 17 tackles against Defiance and 13 against Jefferson.
GIRLS: Beavercreek Volleyball
The Beavers are off to their best start (9-0) in over a decade. Creek has won all of its non-tournament matches 3-0, including three straight on the road.
Kelly Goenaga-Lask,
Sarah Laughman and
Lauren Goenaga-Laskk all rank among the top 15 in the Greater Western Ohio Conference in kills.
Hanna Lefevers leads the GWOC in assists.
Week 3 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Thomas Worthington (Worthington) Football
A year after finishing 0-10, the Cardinals improved to 3-0 with a 47-13 win over Groveport-Madison. TW scored on five of its first six possessions and had 405 yards of total offense. Quarterback
Charlie Rhoades completed 14-of-17 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns and ran the ball six times for 60 yards and a touchdown. Receiver
Khalil Jones had six catches for 115 yards, scored three touchdowns and returned a kickoff 94 yards to set up another score.
Cameron Ryan had five catches for 99 yards (and a touchdown) and
Dijahn Davis ran 15 times for 104 yards (and a touchdown).
BOYS: Fairland (Proctorville) Football
The Dragons became the first Lawrence County team in 57 years to beat traditional superpower Ironton (27-21 final). The decisive score was a 28-yard touchdown pass from
Joel Lambiotte to
Reilly Sowards with 3.6 seconds left. It was also the first loss for Ironton in Ohio Valley Conference games. The Tigers were 13-0 since joining in 2015. The last Lawrence County school to beat Ironton in football was South Point in 1961.
GIRLS: Centerville Volleyball
The Elks improved to 12-0 with wins over then-unbeaten Beavercreek, Lakota East, Miamisburg and Northmont.
Scottee Johnson leads the team in kills (89), blocks (49) and assists (182), while
Mackenzie Conner leads the Greater Western Ohio Conference in digs (169).
Week 4 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Greenon (Springfield) FootballThe Knights snapped a 32-game losing streak on a night they celebrated the lives of lost classmates in the home opener. Greenon beat Triad 42-35. Student-athletes David Waag and Connor Williams passed following a car crash in August. The Knights Week 1 game with Marion Pleasant was cancelled. Waag was a senior and three-year varsity soccer player and Williams was a sophomore running back and linebacker who attended Global Impact STEM Academy. According to an article in the Springfield News Sun: "Teammates from both squads participated in the tribute. The families were presented flowers, the coaches lit candles in remembrance and released balloons just past the west goal post. Each athlete presented a single flower to the respective families along with hugs."
GIRLS: Liberty-Benton (Findlay) Volleyball The Eagles are 12-0 with a big win over then-unbeaten Leipsic (at the time No. 4 in the OHSVCA D-IV state poll). L-B, which also won the Kalida Pioneer Tournament earlier this season, has won 33 of 38 sets this season.
Hannah Warrington and
Caitlin Elseser lead the team in kills with 111 and 109, respectively.
Schy Shepherd has 81. Warrington also leads the team in digs with 158.
Alissa Rhodes,
Mackenzie Murphy and
Chloe Miller have 138, 111 and 110 digs, respectively. Rhodes leads the team in assists with 337. The Lady Eagles are currently No. 9 in the D-III OHSVCA state rankings. L-B is No. 7 in the MaxPreps state poll.
Week 5 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: New Bremen FootballThe Cardinals snapped a 38-game conference-losing streak and won their first Midwest Athletic Conference game since 2012 with a 34-20 victory over Parkway. New Bremen was led by sophomore quarterback Nolan Bornhorst who threw for two first half touchdowns and ran for another. Senior running back
Avery Powers had receiving and rushing touchdowns.
BOYS: Grove City FootballLed by running back
Devin Dukes who ran for 216 yards and three touchdowns, the Greyhounds snapped a 16-game losing streak with a 55-23 win over Franklin Heights.
GIRLS: Highland (Sparta) Volleyball The Fighting Scots improved to 16-0 with wins over Northmor, Danville and Centerburg. Overall, Highland has won 45 of 48 sets this season. Sophomore
Raina Terry leads the team with 308 kills (also has 111 digs). Junior
Bridget Oder leads the team in digs (339), while junior
Kelsee Bargnesi leads the team in assists (215). Senior captain
Bailey Santo has 182 digs, 70 kills and 37 aces.
Week 6 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: River View (Warsaw) SoccerThrough 13 games, the Black Bears are undefeated, have 10 shutouts and are ranked No. 3 in D-II by MaxPreps and No. 8 by the OSSCA. River View has outscored its opponents 75-4, including a remarkable 36-0 advantage on the road. The Black Bears increased their shutout streak to seven with a 5-0 win over Coshocton, before beating Marietta 5-2.
GIRLS: New Bremen VolleyballThe Cardinals, ranked No. 1 in Division IV, are flirting with a Top 100 national ranking after a huge week. Started off by beating previously unbeaten and D-III No. 1 ranked Coldwater 3-2 in a match-up of Midwest Athletic Conference heavyweights. Followed that by winning the Van Wert Invitational with 2-0 wins over Kalida, New Knoxville and Versailles (D-III No. 10), respectively. Capped the week by beating Lehman Catholic 3-0. New Bremen, ranked No. 8 in Ohio regardless of division by MaxPreps, is currently ranked No. 106 nationally in the MP overall rankings.
Week 7 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Northview (Sylvania) Football
Wildcats beat Bowling Green 22-15 to improve to 7-0 for the first time in school history.
BOYS: Glenville (Cleveland) Football
The Tarblooders beat Cleveland John F. Kennedy to give head coach Ted Ginn Sr. career win No. 200.
GIRLS: Berkshire (Burton) Girls Soccer The Badgers beat Crestwood 8-0 to complete the first undefeated regular season (16-0) by a girls varsity sport in school history. It also marked the program and school's first Chagrin Valley Conference title in soccer. In addition the Badgers have scored a record 96 goals, have conceded a record 11 and own six shutouts.
Week 8 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Goshen Football
The Warriors improved to 8-0 for the first time in 20-plus years and handed Clinton-Massie its first league loss in 10 years with a 33-31 victory in a meeting of undefeateds. After Massie took a 31-30 lead with just over two minutes left, Goshen drove for the game-winning field goal, which Gerardo Espinosa-Ley hit from 22-yards as time expired. Quarterback Kyle Proffitt was 11-for-19 for 258 yards and four touchdowns, while receiver Payton Leugers had four catches for 104 yards and three touchdowns. Running back/linebacker Jimmy Strunk had 21 carries for 175 yards and eight tackles.
BOYS: Bellbrook Boys Soccer
The Golden Eagles beat Brookville and Eaton to finish a half-game ahead of Monroe and claim the program's 26th straight Southwestern Buckeye League title. Bellbrook has seven shutouts.
GIRLS: Indian Hill (Cincinnati) Girls SoccerThe Braves finished the season undefeated (15-0-1) and ranked No. 1 in the final OSSCA Division II state poll. Indian Hill has outscored opponents 82-14 and owns five shutouts. They've scored four goals or more in 12 of 16 games.
GIRLS: Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati) Volleyball
The Lions (21-1) finished the season ranked No. 1 in the final OHSVCA Division I poll and No. 3 in the MaxPreps National Computer Rankings.
Week 9 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Belmont (Dayton) Football
The Bison remained unbeaten and secured their third straight playoff berth with their seventh shutout of the season – a 47-0 win over Western Hills. Belmont has allowed nine points in nine games. Its defense has not allowed a touchdown.
BOYS: West Jefferson Football
Roughriders improved to 9-0 and earned a share of the Ohio Heritage Conference North Division title in their first year in the league with a 38-13 win over West Liberty-Salem. Are lone team to secure a playoff berth in Division V, Region 20 heading into Week 10.
GIRLS: Lebanon Girls Soccer
The No. 10 seeded Warriors beat two higher seeds – No. 6 Ursuline Academy (1-0) and No. 5 Sycamore (2-1) – to earn a Division I sectional championship.
Week 10 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Southeastern (Chillicothe) Football
The Panthers completed the program's first undefeated season (10-0), won the school's third conference title (Scioto Valley Conference) and earned the school's third postseason berth with a 48-12 win over Westfall. Southeastern finished second in Division VI Region 23 to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2001. That's also the last year the program won the SVC. This year's senior class was part of a varsity team that went 0-10 their freshman year.
BOYS: Barberton Football
The Magics completed the program's first 10-0 season, won their first ever Suburban League title and secured the school's first home playoff game with a 48-14 win over Medina Highland. All 10 of Barberton's wins were by 20-points or more.
GIRLS: Olentangy Liberty (Powell) Girls Soccer
Despite being the No. 8 seed in the Central District, the Patriots advanced to a D-I regional final with a 3-2 win over Hilliard Darby in the regional semifinals. Liberty was 8-5-3 win the tournament started.
GIRLS: New Philadelphia Girls Soccer
The No. 6 seed in the East District, the Quakers advanced to a D-II regional final with a 1-0 win overt John Glenn in the regional semifinals. New Philly, which was 9-7-1 when the tournament started, has beaten the No. 1, 3 and 4 seeds in the district en route to the Elite Eight.
GIRLS: Johnstown-Monroe Volleyball
The sixth seeded Johnnies rallied from a 2-1 deficit to beat No. 1 Utica 3-2 to win a D-III district title. Beat No. 2 seed Fairbanks 3-1 in district semifinals.
GIRLS: Lincoln (Gahanna) Volleyball
The seventh seeded Lions beat No. 2 Olentangy Liberty 3-1 to claim a D-I district title.
Week 11 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Grandview Heights (Columbus) Boys Soccer
The Bobcats outscored their regional foes 13-0 en route to advancing to the D-III state tournament for the second time in program history. Beat Tuscarawas Valley 7-0 in the semis and South Webster 6-0 in the final.
BOYS: East Canton Boys Football
In their sixth trip to the postseason, the Hornets won the programs first playoff game with a 37-7 win over Youngstown Valley Christian in D-VII, Region 25.
BOYS: East (Sciotoville) Boys Football
In their sixth trip to the postseason, the Tartans won the programs first playoff game with a 16-8 win over Waterford in D-VII, Region 27.
GIRLS: Independence Girls Volleyball
The Blue Devils earned the program's first state tournament berth with a pair of 3-0 wins over Berkshire and Canton Central Catholic, respectively, in the D-III regional semifinals and final.
GIRLS: Fairfield Christian Academy (Lancaster) VolleyballThe Knights beat Portsmouth Notre Dame 3-1 in a D-IV regional final to earn the program's first state tournament berth.
GIRLS: Aquinas (Louisville) VolleyballIn a rematch of last year's D-IV regional final, the Knights avenged their loss to Dalton and earned the program's first state tournament berth with a 3-1 win over the Bulldogs.
Week 12 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: St. Francis de Sales (Columbus) SoccerThe Stallions completed their first undefeated season since 1992 with a 4-0 win over Bay in the D-II state final. DeSales now has seven state titles and ranks second behind only St. Ignatius (eight) for most in Ohio history. The Stallions outscored their tournament opponents 38-0.
BOYS: Beavercreek SoccerThe Beavers won their first state title in three trips to the final with a 1-0 double-overtime win over Medina in D-I. Creek also beat Dublin Coffman 1-0 in double-overtime in the state semifinals.
BOYS & GIRLS: Summit Country Day (Cincinnati) SoccerThe Silver Knights wept both the boys and girls D-III state titles with wins over Otawa Hills (1-0) and Kirtland (4-0), respectively. For the boys, it was their third straight state title and fifth in sixth years. For the girls, it was their second title in three years. Combined the program's have nine state titles (boys sox, girls three).
GIRLS: Indian Hill (Cincinnati) SoccerThe Braves capped an undefeated season (22-0-1) and won their first state title in three trips to the state final with a 2-0 win over Mentor Lake Catholic in D-II. Indian Hill outscored its tournament foes 32-4 en route to the championship. Overall, the Braves had 10 shutouts and outscored opponents 114-18 this season.
Girls: Loveland SoccerThe Lady Tigers advanced to their second state final in three years and won their first title with a 1-0 victory over Perrysburg in the D-I final. Loveland allowed four goals all season and had 19 shutouts.
GIRLS: New Bremen VolleyballThe Cardinals won the school's first team state title with a commanding 3-0 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas in the D-IV state final. New Bremen won 25-9, 25-18 and 25-20 to finish the season 28-1.
GIRLS: Versailles VolleyballThe Tigers won the program's second state title and first since 2013 by avenging an early season loss and defeating fellow Midwest Athletic Conference power Coldwater 3-2 in the D-III state final. Versailles won 22-25, 25-20, 25-19, 21-25, 15-9.
GIRLS: Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati) VolleyballThe Lions became just the sixth program in state history to win at least six state volleyball titles with a 3-0 win over Cleveland's St. Joseph Academy in the D-I state final. Ursuline won 25-14, 25-11, 25-22.
GIRLS: Padua Franciscan (Parma) VolleyballThe Bruins swept Big Walnut 3-0 in the D-II state final to capture their second straight championship. It is the program's fifth title overall.
Week 13 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Mentor FootballThe Cardinals beat St. Edward and St. Ignatius back-to-back to earn a D-I Regional title.
BOYS: Madison Senior (Middletown) FootballIn their first trip to playoffs, the Mohawks won the program's first regional title with 42-7 win over West Jefferson in D-V.
BOYS: Winton Woods (Cincinnati) FootballThe Warriors hit a 31-yard field goal with one second left to oust three-time defending D-II state champion LaSalle 16-14 in a regional final. It snapped the Lancers 17-game postseason win streak.
BOYS: Tri-Valley (Dresden) FootballThe Scotties won the program's first regional title with a 13-9 D-III regional final win over two-time defending D-IV state champion Hartley.
Week 14 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Eastwood (Pemberville) FootballThe Eagles earned the program's first state finals berth with a 21-7 win over South Range in the Division V state semifinals. Eastwood is led by first-year head coach Craig Rutherford who took over this season for his father Jerry Rutherford, the Eagles coach for the last 35 years.
BOYS: Minster Football
Despite being 3-4 after Week 7, the Wildcats advanced to their third state final in four years with a convincing 40-7 win over No. 1 ranked and undefeated Norwalk St. Paul in the D-VII state semifinals.
Week 15 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Pickerington Central Football
The Tigers won their first state title in three tries with a 56-28 win over Mentor in the Division I final.
BOYS: Archbishop Hoban (Akron) Football
Despite bumping up a division this season due to competitive balance, the Knights won their third straight state title with a dominating 42-14 win over Winton Woods in the D-II final. Hoban's previous two titles came in D-III.
BOYS: Steubenville Football
Big Red won the program's fourth state title and first since 2006 with a 50-36 win over Clinton-Massie in D-IV. Steubenville was state runner-up the past two years.
BOYS: Marion Local (Maria Stein) Football
The Flyers won their sixth state title in seven years and 10th overall (all since 2000) with a 34-11 win over Kirtland in D-VI. Marion Local trails Cleveland St. Ignatius (11) by one for most titles in state history.
BOYS: Minster Football
The Wildcats bounced back from last year's runner-up finish to win their second state title in four years and third overall with a 32-7 win over Cuyahoga Heights in D-VII.
BOYS: Trotwood-Madison Football
The Rams withstood a challenge from Dresden Tri-Valley and won the program's second state title and first since 2011 with a 27-19 win in the D-III final.
BOYS: Wheelersburg Football
Playing in the postseason for the 29th time, the Pirates claimed the program's second state title with a 21-14 overtime win over Pemberville Eastwood in D-V.
GIRLS: Maumee Basketball
The Panthers snapped a 30-game losing streak to Sylvania Northview and beat the Wildcats (48-34) for the first time since February 11, 2003.
Week 16 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Lebanon Basketball
The Warriors, who didn't win their fourth game last season until Jan. 31, improved to 4-0 this year with wins over Northmont, Turpin, Xenia and Fairborn.
GIRLS: Newark Basketball
Last year's Division I state semifinalist improved to 5-0 with a convincing 53-30 win over Reynoldsburg in an early season meeting of unbeaten and Central Ohio heavyweights. Newark rallied from a 6-0 deficit and held the Raiders to one field goal over the last nine minutes of the game.
Week 17 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Preble Shawnee (Camden) Basketball
A year after losing to Franklin by 23 points, the Division III Arrows remained unbeaten and improved to 6-0 with a 75-72 win over the previously unbeaten and D-I Wildcats.
GIRLS: Parkway (Rockford) Basketball
The Panthers won their first Midwest Athletic Conference game since 2014 with a 54-48 double overtime victory over New Knoxville.
Week 18/19 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Troy Christian Basketball
The Division IV Eagles won their first WPTW Holiday Classic title and beat their first D-I opponent with a 60-58 victory over Piqua in the final.
GIRLS: Minster Basketball
The Wildcats won their second straight Lima Bath McDonald's Tournament title with a 71-49 win over previously unbeaten Bellevue in the final.
Week 20 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Sidney Bowling
The Yellow Jackets rolled 4,398 to earn the No. 1 seed in the 25-team Ohio State Buckeye Classic and then beat three seed Urbana 2-1 in the final to claim the title.
BOYS: Harrison Wrestling
The Wildcats scored 214 points to win the 21-team Ron Masanek Fairfield Invitational Tournament. Harrison had three champs and five finalists.
GIRLS: Lexington Bowling
The Minutemen rolled 3,679 to earn the No. 3 seed in the 19-team Ohio State Buckeye Classic and then beat one seed Gahanna Lincoln 2-0 in the final to claim the title.
Week 21 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Fort Loramie Basketball
The Redskins debuted at No. 1 in the Division IV AP State Poll and remained unbeaten with a 48-46 OT road win at previously unbeaten Versailles and a 58-53 win over Dayton Thurgood Marshall at Flyin to the Hoop. The kicker? Loramie is showing solidarity through mullets. Several teammates have grown one.
GIRLS: Mason Swimming
The Comets scored 515 points to win the 40-team Southwest Ohio High School Swimming and Diving Classic by 214 points.
Week 22 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Graham Local (St. Paris) wrestling
The visiting Falcons edged St. Edward 28-27 in the teams' annual dual featuring two of the country's top programs. Graham, ranked No. 3 nationally, also won its regional semifinals match-up in the Division I, Region 6 OHSAA team state tournament with an 84-0 win over Sidney. The Falcons had 10 pins and four forfeits for the perfect score. Despite being a D-II team, Graham is competing in the D-I state team tournament thanks to a new OHSAA bylaw this season which allows schools to move up a division if they wish. Graham will remain D-II in the individual state tournament.
GIRLS: Whitehall-Yearling (Whitehall) bowling
The Rams qualified for the second seed in bracket play and then beat Butler, Miamisburg and Westerville Central (all in three-game matches) to claim the title at the 20-team West Carrollton Pirate Challenge.
Week 23 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Miami East (Casstown) Wrestling
The Vikings edged Troy Christian 196-188.5 to win the 44-team Lima Central Catholic Thunderbird Invitational. Miami East had three champions, four finalists and nine wrestlers place.
GIRLS: Northwest (Canal Fulton) Basketball
The Indians beat Manchester 39-33 to reach 10 wins this year, which is the most for the program since the 2010-11 season.
Week 24 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Steubenville Wrestling
Big Red won the 20-team Washington Court House Bracket Tournament by 60-plus points over Valley View. Steubenville had nine finalists and eight champions.
GIRLS: Miami East (Casstown) Girls Basketball
The Vikings won the program's 600th game with a 68-22 victory over Mississinawa Valley. Added No. 601 with an 84-42 win over Ansonia.
Week 25 Ohio HS Teams of the Week
BOYS: Genoa Area (Genoa) Wrestling
The
Comets won the school's first state title in a team sport with a win in
the finals of the Division III OHSAA Team Wrestling state tournament.
Genoa beat Bethel-Tate, Versailles and Massillon Tuslaw en route to the
championship.
GIRLS: Vanlue Girls Baksetball
The Wildcats beat Lima Perry 50-32 to reach 10 wins in a season for the first time in 15 years (2003).
Amanda Clymer had 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while,
Emma Biller had nine points and 13 boards.