By Ed Letsinger
MaxPreps.com
In a key battle of Great Cincinnati Scarlet Division volleyball powers, defending Division I state champion Mother of Mercy defeated top-ranked Mount Notre Dame in a five-game marathon match earlier in the week 25-17, 25-20, 27-29, 23-25, 15-10.
Mount Notre Dame (12-1), state runner-up last season, had entered the contest unbeaten and ranked No. 1 in the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association poll. The Cougars had been dominant winning 32 of 36 games along the way. Mercy (8-1), ranked No. 4 by the OHSVCA, was led by senior Stephanie Vorrher who had a team-high 14 kills.
The pair will meet again Oct. 2 at Mount Notre Dame in a much-anticipated rematch with a league title that could likely be on the line.
Football: Harbin Ratings On Hold
The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is reporting that the football Harbin Ratings that were scheduled to be released on Tuesday have been suspended and will not be published until the OHSAA office re-opens and the ratings can be calculated.
The OHSAA office has been closed all week due to lack of power caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ike that swept through Ohio last weekend.
The Harbin Ratings are used to calculate and ultimately determine what teams will qualify for the football playoffs in six divisions. This week was supposed to be the first of seven weekly releases.
More Football: The Super Seven
Of the 66 football teams competing in Southwest Ohio, only seven remain unbeaten through four games of the regular season.
Several come as no surprise led by top-ranked Colerain, who has survived a tough early season schedule. The Cardinals host Sycamore this week as they try to extend their Greater Miami Conference winning streak to 60 games dating back to 1999.
Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, Division V state finalists in 2005, is off to a hot start behind an offense that is scoring 32.2 points a game. The Eagles are starting to garner attention at the state level and are creeping closer to a spot in the Associated Press top 10 poll.
Western Brown and New Richmond of the Southern Buckeye Conference are both off to impressive starts. New Richmond is outscoring its opponents by a 37.8 to 1.5 margin, their 36.3 average winning margin tops in all of Cincinnati. Based on schedule strength, there is a strong possibility that these two teams could meet in week eight on Oct. 17 with perfect records on the line.
Woodward of the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference knocked off previously unbeaten Milford last week to go to 4-0 on the season. The Bulldogs are scoring 41.5 points a game.
Norwood and Turpin of the Fort Ancient Valley Conference have both been a surprise. The Indians were picked by coaches in the preseason to finish last in the Scarlet Division and they have already matched their win total from last season.
Turpin, a Division II regional finalist a year ago was hit hard by graduation and were supposed to be in a rebuilding mode.
More Football: Top QBs Producing Through Air
The top three returning quarterbacks in Cincinnati in terms of total passing yards are living up to preseason expectations by once again putting up big numbers through the air.
Indian Hill’s Bo Cordell has passed for 1,373 yards and 12 touchdowns, followed by Caleb Watkins of Middletown (1,174/10 TDs) and Zach Toerner of Badin (1,025/6 TDs).
Cordell is on pace to for around 3,400 yards and 30 touchdowns, which would surpass his 2,548 yards and 25 TDs produced last fall.
Watkins’ current pace equates to over 2,900 yards and 25 TDs compared to 2,045 yards and 26 TDs last season.
Toerner is on pace for over 2,500 yard season and 15 TDs, trailing last season’s numbers of 2,619 yards and 31 TDs, but still strong enough to place him third overall in the area through four games.
Ed Letsinger is a freelance writer who covers high school sports in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky. He can be reached at eletsinger@insightbb.com.
