By Dean Eversole
MaxPreps.com
The field is being weeded out and the road will be a lot rougher from here on out for the remaining teams in the boys and girls OHSAA tournament.
The girls' tournament is now down to 16 in all four divisions. The Regional Semifinals will take place Wednesday and Thursday night with the tickets to the final four handed out Saturday.
Most of the favorites are alive and well making for some interesting matchups.
One of the most anticipated games is in D-III where the 24-0 Anna Lady Rockets will take on the 21-3 Versailles Lady Tigers. The Rockets are led by 6-1 Ohio State-bound Sara Schulte, while Versailles counters with 6-2 Justine Raterman, who is being recruited by a number of Division I schools including Purdue, Florida State, Iowa, and Stanford.
Last year the Tigers ended the Rockets' season in a thrilling 44-40 Regional Semifinal. All indications point to another barnburner.
To be the best you have to beat the best. That is the case for Dublin Scioto as it looks to knock off one of the state's premier girls teams in Dayton Chaminade Julienne. Dublin will look to continue its undefeated season with a win over CJ in the Regional Semifinals.
The Other Roethlisberger
Carlee Roethlisberger, sister of Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, has one more shot at winning the golden trophy. The Oklahoma-bound senior has her team in Regional play, needing just two more wins for a trip to Columbus.
Boys Head into District Play
With their female counterparts down to 16, the boys' tournament heads into District play this week. By this time next week the Regionals will be set and the tickets to Columbus will start being punched.
Of all the districts around the state there might not be a greater collection of talent than what will convene on University of Dayton Arena Saturday. The list reads like a who's who in Ohio's Division I with St. Xavier, Trotwood Madison, Elder, Moeller, LaSalle, and Centerville all slated to play.
The games start at 11 a.m. with Elder (19-2) taking on Wayne Huber Heights (13-7). After that, St. Xavier (17-5) will battle with Hamilton (17-5), Trotwood Madison (20-1) and Centerville (18-3) finish out the day session.
In the nightcap, LaSalle (18-5) will play Withrow (15-6) at 7 p.m. and Moeller (20-2) will take the floor against Kettering Fairmont (16-5) in the final game.
It is no stretch of the imagination to believe at least one of these teams will end their season in Columbus.
If there is a team that can break up the Cincy-Dayton party it is Lakewood St. Edward. The Eagles opened tournament play with a 103-43 win over Cleveland's Marshall High and were No. 4 nationally in the MaxPreps National Rankings at 21-0.
Upsets Coming Fast and Furious
There were a handful of highly-seeded teams that fell victim to Cinderella over the weekend.
Perhaps the biggest surprise came when Houston downed Russia, 38-35. It was the third time this year the two Shelby County League foes had squared off with Russia winning both regular season contests. It also marked the 159th meeting all-time between the two schools.
In Division I, Canton McKinley's run has ended. Massillon Perry sent the Bulldogs home with a game-winning three pointer at the buzzer for a 49-48 upset win.
Wearing the tag of surprise team is Middletown Bishop Fenwick. The Falcons were 3-17 coming into the tournament and are now Sectional Champions. After spending the regular season playing in the Greater Catholic League, Fenwick has found the OHSAA tournament to its liking, winning three games, including a 43-41 contest over the No. 2 seed Dayton Jefferson.
Championship Weekend
Nearly 70,000 people attended the state wrestling tournament this past weekend in Columbus over a three-day span.
The big winners were Lakewood St. Edward, capturing its 11th-consecutive state title in D-I. Graham took its ninth-consecutive title in D-II, and Troy Christian won the D-III title to finish out the weekend.
