Tag: OHSAA

LockedIn High School Summer League Shines in Breakout Summer for NEO Basketball

Warrensville Heights, OH- This summer has been a monumental one for the sport of basketball at the high school level. Midwest Live, a competition featuring the best basketball teams in Ohio and beyond, held at Cedar Point’s Sports Complex, broke onto the scene. Social media was flooded this past weekend with highlights, interviews, pictures, and graphics from the successful event. While this event captured headlines, other Summer leagues had great games this June. One of the mainstays over the past decade, the LockedIn High School Summer League, concluded its five-week season with North Canton Hoover taking home the crown with a 45-43 victory over Warrensville Heights.

Unpacking pool play, there were a lot of great contenders fighting for the 8 playoff spots. Pool A saw Cleveland Central Catholic go 7-0, taking the #1 seed in the group. Hoover and NDCL battled it out for the #2 seed, but the Vikings were able to get the job done with a 58-47 win over the Lions. In Pool B, Brecksville was able to take first place with a 6-1 record. The battle for second in this pool consisted of Warrensville Heights, Bedford, and Gilmour. The Lancers came in fourth with a 4-3 record. Both the Tigers and Bearcats finished with 5-2 records, but a 53-38 score saw Meechie Johnson’s Warrensville edge out Jermaine Gay’s Bedford.

Pool C was stacked with teams such as Garfield Heights, Glenville, and Hawken, who all made it to regionals. The Bulldogs took the top seed with a 6-1 record. Glenville finished in fourth with a 4-3 record, while Hawken came in fifth with a 3-4 record. Andrews Osborne Academy, with some new stars joining the squad, was able to place third with a 4-3 record. However, it was Solon who stole the show as they were able to achieve second place with a 5-2 record. Pool D saw two-time champion Lutheran West place first with a 6-1 record. Fairview Park and Padua Franciscan battled it out for second place as both squads earned a 5-2 record. However, the Warriors got the nod with a 61-52 victory on June 5th.

With these results in hand, the bracket was set. Cleveland Central Catholic took on Solon, Lutheran West faced Warrensville Heights, Brecksville got drawn up against Fairview, and Garfield Heights got North Canton Hoover. The Ironmen made a statement at the top of the bracket in the quarterfinals, getting a 63-26 victory over Solon. They would see the Tigers in the semifinals as they took care of the Longhorns 38-29. In the bottom bracket, Fairview took care of Brecksville 51-42 while Hoover outlasted a King Young-led Garfield Heights 56-50. This left Cleveland Central Catholic, Warrensville Heights, Fairview, and North Canton Hoover in the final four.

The Vikings would get a big win in the semifinals, 50-37 over Fairview, ending the Warriors’ Summer League. In the first half of the CCC Vs Warrensville game, the Ironmen controlled the game early. Coach Michael Duncan’s squad saw plenty of returners such as Mike Duncan, Donnie Driscal, and Marquis Foster. However, they did have some key figures, such as Deonte James graduated, while King Young transferred to Garfield. However, the Tigers were able to get control down the stretch in the first half. Warrensville, led by a mixture of varsity vets, underclassmen newcomers, and Lutheran East transfer Jayden Nellemsbey, was able to take control in the second half. Despite CJ Williams, Geo Hester, and Jalen Gum sitting out to rest for Midwest Live, the Tigers got the win 40-29. Nellemsbey took home player of the game honors with 10 points.

This set up a must-see championship game between Warrensville Heights and North Canton Hoover. The Tigers had the chance to win their first LockedIN Summer League in program history and on their home court, no less. As for the Vikings, they won the league back in 2021. Last season, their campaign ended in the semifinals with a loss to Bedford. The Federal League still had representation in the winners circle in 2024 with Canton McKinley taking home the crown. Similar to the semifinals of 2024, Hoover got off to a hot start. Rising junior Hunter Hershberger stole the ball and scored a transition and-one. Down 20-9, Warrensville started to get back into the game. At halftime, the Vikings led 28-22.

During the break, Chris Walker, the LockedIn High School Summer League commissioner and organizer, presented a very special award to Steve Newton. Steve, known for his work at 3rdCoastHoops, was given the ‘Industry Pioneer Award.’ The official plaque explains the award as,

“In recognition of over a decade of content innovation and unwavering commitment to growing the grassroots basketball landscape in Northeast Ohio. Your vision built the blueprint, and the industry followed.”

In the second half, Jaylen Billingslea took over as he would sink six threes. Overall, he ended the game with 20 points. Rising Freshman Marlin Jackson also provided some offense and defense for the Tigers. With a few months until preseason gets underway, Jackson has a good shot at earning some varsity minutes. In the final 90 seconds, Hoover and Warrensville were tied at 43. Rising senior Brady McCann made what would be the winning shot with around a minute left on the clock. After a few defensive stops, the Vikings would seal their second LockedIn High School Summer League title 45-43.

McCann won MVP of the championship game with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Billingslea also took home MVP honors for the second-place Tigers with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Additionally, LockedIn made a $1000 donation to the North Canton Hoover basketball program for winning the title. This replaced the old format, which saw a scholarship handed out. The Vikings join Lutheran West and CCC as the winningest squads in competition history with two titles.

In a Summer of change and growth, LockedIn stepped up their game and remained one of the top summer leagues in the area. On top of the varsity competition, a JV group was also introduced for the first time. While LockedIN/FunGamesLive has gone away from high school tournaments during the year, they still have great middle school and underclass competitions in the Winter. One thing still remains a definite, the LockedIn High School Summer League showcases the best up-and-coming talents in NEO basketball while also doing great work giving back to the community.

Link to Warrensville Heights Vs Cleveland Central Catholic Basketball: https://www.youtube.com/live/3JNqZe0btqE?si=U_CoCLvvhJnwz-2F

Link to Warrensville Heights Vs North Canton Hoover Basketball: https://www.youtube.com/live/tL2Q0bAahAA?si=7Bo5LRmZbyF9uNfB

Rising Underclassmen Standouts to Watch for Ohio High School Baseball

Kent, OH- Over the past couple of weeks, SmeeSports has covered numerous travel baseball games through our partnership with the 965 Midwest Challenge. While we have seen a lot of the game’s top stars at the high school level, we’ve also seen some future stars in the making. Below, we take a look at a few of these prospects

Jonny Kievman: Norton High School + Clutch Elite 15U (Class of 2028)

Jonny had a lot of lofty expectations to live up to even before stepping onto the diamond at Norton. His older brother, Jordan Kievman, is committed to play baseball at Wright State for Alex Sogard. While Jordan won MAC Pitcher of the Year honors, Jonny picked up 1st team all-conference honors as a middle-infielder. While the Panthers’ season ended in the District Finals with a 3-0 loss to Hubbard, the only way for Jonny to go was up. This summer, he has more than lived up to expectations. As the starting second baseman for Clutch Elite, Jonny leads a strong infield, which includes another player mentioned in this article. Additionally, his pitching has been strong this Summer with his fastball clocking in between 78 and 83 mph. Finally, his hitting has been tremendous. At the second Kent State Invite, we saw him crush a few baseballs.

Victor Rodriguez: Youngstown East High School + Clutch Elite 15U (Class of 2028)

When thinking of a power-hitting first baseman who also has a solid glove, a player like Victor Rodriguez comes to mind. During an 8-16 season with Youngstown East in their penultimate campaign before the merger, Rodriguez headlined the offensive talent with a .364 batting average in 20 games. That average was good enough to rank second on the team as a freshman. Beyond the average, he drove in 14 runs while hitting one home run. Finally, he had a fielding percentage of 86.4%. Rodriguez has been crushing baseballs so far this Summer for Clutch Elite. In the games we covered, his power stole the show. On top of his base hits, he also had a big triple down the left field line. While there is plenty of uncertainty about the future of the Youngstown High School’s given the merger, Rodriguez should be an easy selection to lead the joined baseball program into the next era while also wrapping up East Baseball’s legacy.

Brock Bourquin: Canton Central Catholic High School + Mashfactory Bourquin 15U (Class of 2028)

The last name Bourquin is synonymous with Stark County radio. Sam Bourquin, Brock’s distant cousin, is the ‘Voice of Stark County’ and Mount Union Football and Basketball. However, Brock is paving his own path at his cousin’s alma mater as a star baseball player. Standing at 6’0 and 180 pounds, the three-sport athlete has turned a lot of heads through one year of high school. He was a key piece of the Crusaders’ Regional Final appearance, where they lost to eventual state champions Waynedale 6-3. Heading into the second Kent State Invite of the Summer, Bourquin headlined the crop of talent. He proved why on numerous occasions en route to a championship over the #1 seed MAF Gators. In the game against Mentor, Brock climbed the ladder to make a great catch on a high throw to end an inning. He followed this up with a big triple, setting himself up as the opening run in a tight victory. He would keep up the great hitting through the championship game while also playing standout defense at first.

Benjamin Ariyajasingam: Archbishop Hoban High School + Mashfactory Bourquin 15U (Class of 2028)

With Hoban’s ace Andrew Karhoff graduated and off to Ashland, a spot in the pitching rotation has opened up. This leaves the door open for rising sophomore Ben Ariyajasingam. The 5’11, 175-pounder lists himself as a RHP and a first baseman. We saw him against the Mentor Cardinals at the second Kent State Invite as a pitcher-only, and he dominated. Through five innings of work, he didn’t allow a run en route to a 2-0 victory. He took the contact pitching approach in this game, striking out three batters. In close quarters, Ariyajasingam rose to the occasion, showcasing his great intangibles. If he can keep this up, look for him to earn a spot in Hoban’s pitching rotation for the 2026 season and beyond.

Dylan Wood: Cochoton High School + Mashfactory Bourquin 15U (Class of 2028)

Not only did Dylan Wood pitch in the second Kent State Invite semifinals and championship-earning two wins while striking out over 10 batters-he hit the game-sealing RBI double. He stepped up in a big way for Mashfactory, proving he can be elite in the clutch. While he wasn’t on the Cochocton varsity baseball roster in 2025, it would be a shock to not see him there in 2026 as a key contributor, assuming he continues to improve this Summer.

Nolan Andrejack: Perry High School + Release Baseball Hejduk 14U (Class of 2029)

Our first rising freshman on the list looked like a seasoned vet in Release Baseball’s 12-4 victory over the H24 Longhorns in the Laurie Mendenhall Memorial Showcase semifinals. Outside of a rocky second inning that saw four runs score, he was lights out. In the first inning, he struck out the side. Out of five innings, four frames were 1-2-3 innings. His high school team-the Perry Pirates-finished the 2025 season with a 22-6 record. Having a guy like Andrejack coming up next year, they have another option to use in their rotation as they look to make 2026 another unforgettable campaign.

Johnathan Kefalos: Barberton High School + H24 Longhorns 14U (Class of 2029)

Rounding out our list is a player who has the potential to transform Barberton baseball from an 11-10 squad to a final-four contender. Johnathan Kefalos started in center field for H24 in their semifinal game against Release Baseball at the Laurie Mendenhall Memorial Showcase. He was beyond impressive in the outfield as his range spanned deep into both left center and right center. He also brought plenty of power with his bat, crushing a baseball deep into the outfield. While the Longhorns didn’t get the win, he showed plenty of talent and intangible traits. If he can continue his development, there’s a good chance that he will have a great high school career for the Magics with college ball potentially following. The future looks bright for Kefalos and for Barberton.

Overall, these seven rising stars have the makings to become the big names of tomorrow. Players like Kievman, Rodriguez, and Bourquin have already broken onto their varsity squads at Norton, East, and Canton Central. Still, they have greater aspirations for the next three years. Ariyajasingam and Wood look poised to become varsity players next season as they take the next step towards stardom. Finally, Andrejack and Kefalos have the tools to enter high school and not miss a beat en route to a varsity roster spot. All in all, the future is bright for these young men and their teammates.

To see full game footage of these players, check out our coverage of Kent State Invite II and the Laurie Mendenhall Memorial Showcase 14U tournament on the SmeeSports YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SmeeSports/streams

53rd Annual Cuyahoga County East-West High School All-Star Scholarship Football Game is Set for June 6

Berea, OH- As the 2024/25 school year comes to a close, it is tradition across Ohio to have one final big game for the state’s best football players. These all-star games not only help prepare players who are going to the next level by providing them some Spring football, but also a way for many to say goodbye to the sport they love.

Tomorrow night, Cuyahoga County is having its All-Star game at George Finnie Stadium on the campus of Baldwin Wallace University. The teams have been practicing for over a week at their respective fields. Tonight is walkthrough and media night for the squads as they get ready for the game tomorrow night.

Looking at Team East, there is a heavy emphasis on Cleveland-area players with schools such as Benedictine, John Hay, Bedford, Lutheran East, Maple Heights, Glenville, Cleveland Heights, and Shaw represented. Additionally, the likes of Garfield Heights, Warrensville Heights, Orange, Chagrin Falls, Brush, Wickliffe, Euclid, Madison, Trinity, Shaker Heights, and Gilmour also have representation on the roster. All in all, a good sample of Cleveland resides on Team East with plenty of college-bound players set to impress.

As for Team West, there’s a bigger emphasis on the suburbs of Cleveland. The Cleveland West Conference has a lot of representation with Lakewood, North Olmsted, Normandy, Valley Forge, Bay Village, and Rocky River having players on the roster. The North Coast Conference is represented by both sides of the Parma Holy War, with three Namers and one Bruin on the squad.

Looking at the colleges, a good amount of Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets are going to be playing along with other OAC schools, such as Heidelberg and Muskingum, having representation. Former Ohio Athletic Conference stars John Carroll also have a few players in this game. Additionally, Ashland leads the D2 charge with plenty of standout players.

Tomorrow night is going to be bittersweet for a lot of these players. It is the last time that they will be representing their high schools, now Alma Maters. Still, while the emotions will be at an all-time high, so will the talents of these players. No pressure of next week, just the pressure of one final Friday Night Lights session under the Berea night sky.

New Beginnings: Johnny Faddoul Hired as Next Holy Name Boys Basketball Head Coach

Parma Heights, OH- When the news broke near the end of April that Ryan Patton would not return as the Holy Name boys basketball head coach, the biggest question being asked was who would replace him? The answer is the former professional basketball player and alumnus of Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, Johnny Faddoul.

Faddoul has worn a ‘number of hats’ throughout his time in basketball. He was a star player for NDCL in the late 2000s. During his 2008/2009 senior season, he was the North Coast League Co-MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and a First-Team All-Conference Member while also being the Lions’ captain. Following his time at NDCL, he took on the role of a walk-on at Cleveland State University.

Following his time at CSU, he played professional basketball for the Hoops Basketball Club in Lebanon. After the 2012/13 season, he jumped right into coaching. From 2015 to 2021, Faddoul was an assistant coach at Lutheran East. During his time with the Falcons, he won seven district titles, five regional championships, and two state titles. He helped lay the foundation for Lutheran East to become a yearly title contender. His most recent role was at Lake Erie College as an assistant coach.

Stepping out of OHSAA and NCAA basketball, Faddoul has coached in the Adidas Guantlet Circuit for the Ohio Basketball Club (2016-2019), the Under Armour Circuit for Ohio C2K (2019-2021). Finally, he has been a trainer and AAU director for HoopTech.

Holy Name athletic director Richard Kozub expressed his excitement about hiring Coach Faddoul as he remarked,

“I am extremely excited about Coach Faddoul being at Holy Name. We had a large number of highly qualified applicants. Coach Faddoul’s experience at both the high school and collegiate levels, both as a player and coach, is exactly what we were looking for as a leader of this program. I am really looking forward to seeing him in action for the Green Wave!”

Holy Name is coming off a 4-17 campaign, which saw a lot of close games go against the Green Wave. Drew Styers, who is committed to playing basketball at John Carroll, headlined a mass exodus of seniors who made up the backbone of the squad in the 2024/25 campaign. Young players such as Chris Hyatt and Pat Kelley are expected to have increased roles in the upcoming season.

While questions such as who will HN play outside of the NCC, will they play in showcases, and will this team be able to make a deep playoff run still remain a mystery. However, the question of who will be leading them into this next chapter has been answered.

SmeeSports is Looking for Sponsors

Strongsville, OH- If you have been a follower of SmeeSports over the past year, you may recall our ‘looking for sponsors’ graphic that is on the screen during breaks in the action. This is not simply for show. Not only does it take time and effort to produce a great broadcast, it also takes some money.

With that being said, we are still seeking additional broadcast, social media, and website sponsors. You might be wondering why you or your company should sponsor SmeeSports — and rightfully so. We are one of the fastest-growing broadcasting companies in Northeast Ohio. Through our partnerships with Spectrum Channel 1022 Alliance, Holy Name Baseball, and others, we have been able to provide easily accessible and high-quality broadcasts featuring some of the best talents Ohio and beyond have to offer. Built on our pillars of Faith, Family, and Sports, we pride ourselves on staying true to these values while providing our athletes with the best possible coverage.

Beyond this, sponsorship packages are very affordable! The packages we have in place are as follows:

– Basic Broadcast Sponsor ($10 Per Game): This gets you a 30-second ad that runs on rotation throughout the broadcast.

-Highlight Package Sponsor ($5 Per Video): This gets your logo placed on a short form (60 seconds or less) highlight reel featuring footage from one of our many games. These highlights could be one player or a group, depending on the game. The video gets posted to Instagram, X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

-Gameday Graphic Sponsor ($5 Per Graphic): This gets your logo placed on a teaser graphic for our broadcasts. Typically, these graphics include a player from each team. The graphic is posted on Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

-Website Sponsor ($100 Per Year): This gets an ad for your business on our website under the sponsors tab. This ad will always be present on the website and is fully customizable. It’s a great way to be advertising 365 days a year!

-Article Sponsor ($15 Per Article): This gets an ad for your business placed at the top of each article you sponsor. You could sponsor a specific team, style of content, etc. Just like the website sponsorship option, it is fully customizable.

-Broadcast Presenter ($5 Per Game): This add-on has your name said throughout the game. For example, “This is WRCL baseball on SmeeSports presented by INSERT COMPANY.”

-Keys to Victory Sponsor ($5 Per Game): This add-on attaches your business’s name to 3 keys to victory that we will track throughout the game. For example, “Your INSERT COMPANY Keys to Victory are”

While these are our main sponsorship opportunities, others can be created based on your desires and needs. If interested, contact me at nsmee00@gmail.com and we can talk more about these sponsorship opportunities.

If you own a business in the Cleveland or Stark County area, the time to contact me about sponsoring broadcasts is NOW! Join the SmeeSports family today!

High Flyers Welcome Scrappy #23 Seed for OHSAA Baseball District Semis

Gates Mills, OH- On May 27, #6 Hawken will welcome #23 Holy Name for an OHSAA Division 4 District Semifinals clash. In years past, this game would have been played at a neutral site. However, the additions of divisions five, six, and seven spread the playoffs out more. Neutral sites now begin in the district finals.

The Hawks enter play posting a 19-5 record along with a CVC championship after an 8-2 league campaign. Additionally, they dominated Akron Springfield 14-0 to begin postseason play. As for the Green Wave, they sit at .500, with a 13-13 record. For the second season in a row, the Namers are playing on ‘borrowed time’ as they upset #14 Cloverleaf 6-1 in the Sectional Finals. This round has been a tough roadblock for HN to overcome. Last season, they fell to STVM 8-1 in this round. Their prior two appearances in the District Semifinals saw them lose to Tallmadge and Elyria Catholic in 2022 and 2019, respectively.

Similar to last year, Holy Name found a rhythm down the stretch after a rough start. With a 2-8 conference record, a lot of expectations were undershot. After losing to Elyria Catholic on May 7, the Green Wave found their wakeup call. Since then, they are 8-3 with big wins over Gilmour and Padua thrown in the mix.

Hawken has been a model of consistency all season. One look at their offense tells the story of their success–runs, runs, and runs. Averaging 9.08 runs per game while having a team batting average of .328, the Hawks have dominated at the sticks. Stars such as Miles Hamilton (.379 average) and Asher Kimball (.362 average) have led by example.

Looking at the ballpark, the Hawks have one of the most unique in the state. If you take a look at the outfield, you’ll find a soccer field and a softball field. Given these dimensions’ obscurities, Hawken has still hit five home runs this season.

Defensively, both squads have stellar pitching staffs. Ethan Gibson started for Hawken against Springfield. In four innings, he allowed 1 hit while striking out 8 batters. Holy Name threw their ace, Dom Marchetta, against Cloverleaf. With his 12 strikeouts, Marchetta now sits second on the career strikeout leaderboard at Holy Name.

Based on the stats and the season so far, Cole Twardokus or Billy Butler will most likely be on the mound for the Hawks. As for Holy Name, it has been confirmed by coach Mike Masetta that Harrison Frank will be starting. Frank pitched in HN’s Sectional Final win over Canton South in 2024. He threw a complete game while allowing 4 hits and 1 earned run while striking out 2 batters.

The game will begin at 5 PM at Hawken, with the winner advancing to the District Championship against the winner of #1 Lake Catholic and #27 Northwest.

You can watch the game on the SmeeSports YouTube channel with Nathan Smee and Cameron Ragazzo on the call starting at 4:50 PM with pregame.

Watch Hawken Vs Holy Name Baseball: https://www.youtube.com/live/pSWZ4zfGPDI?si=Sli4-b-KK6xHOms3

Lakewood Baseball Stuns St Edward’s 4-2 Under the Lights

Lakewood, OH- For the first time in a long while, Lakewood baseball has beaten their cross-town rivals St Edward’s by a final score of 4-2. This win comes after years of close matchups that always favored the Eagles.

St Ed’s had a solid start to the ballgame. After Luca Reyes grounded out, Langston Lucas and Robert Anderson drew walks. With two on and one down, Grant Lashutka flew out to center field. This would be the first of many putouts recorded by Lakewood’s Luke Legato in the outfield. With two down, the Eagles tried getting creative. As the Rangers’ starting pitcher–Leo Soneson– came set, they attempted to take third. However, Lakewood’s defense called it out in time for Soneson to get Lucas trying to take third.

In the bottom of the first, the Rangers would score the first two runs of the game. After a leadoff walk from Cooper Russell, Legato smoked a ball over Karlo Hepp in left field. This resulted in an RBI double. Next, Drew Jones was able to score Legato on a sacrifice fly. The twist on this play was that Jones was a former Eagle. In fact, he transferred to Lakewood after last season. Soneson followed this up with a one-out single. However, Nick Hart would ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning with the Rangers up 2-0.

St Edward’s came out in the second ready to respond. After a long battle, Hepp was able to single up the gut. Soneson regathered himself by striking out the Eagles’ catcher, Jack Laux. Hunter Mayville was able to score Hepp from second on the following at-bat as he singled down the right field line. Brady Page would walk following a Cam Fuehrer groundout, putting two runners on base again for St Ed’s. Just like last inning, the Lakewood defense worked out of the game, forcing Reyes to ground out to Riley Verderber at first. This kept the score at 2-1 in favor of the Rangers.

In the home half of the second, St Edward’s starting pitcher Peyton Beck was able to hold down the fort, retiring Lakewood in order. This set the stage for the Eagles to take control of the game at the top of the third. However, no damage was done outside of a leadoff single from Lucas and a walk from Lashutka. This was helped in large part by Logan Ellis throwing out a runner stealing second. Defensively, Beck got the same result in the home half of the third as he did in the prior frame. Through three innings, Lakewood was hanging on up 2-1.

The top of the fourth inning saw St Edward’s first two batters retired. Still, the Eagles fought to put two runners on as Fuehrer singled and Page walked. Peter Checkett ended the frame with a ranging putout in right center. This would signal the end of Soneson’s day on the mound. After suffering an injury a while back, this was going to be a ‘rehab’ start of sorts for the Mount Union commit. Either way, he proved he still has it after a historic 2024 campaign, which saw him set the Lakewood record for lowest ERA (0.808) in a single season.

The bottom of the fourth inning saw the Rangers ground into their second double play of the night. This time, it was a 4-6-3 double play that retired Jones and Soneson. Hart would single with two down, but Verderber’s groundout to Lucas at first ended the inning. With three innings left to play, Lakewood still led 2-1.

Jones came onto the mound for the fifth inning after starting at third for the Rangers. In turn, Soneson moved to first base while Verderber went from first to third. Lucas opened the inning with a single. Anderson and Lashutka followed the hit up with a flyout and ground out, respectively. Still, St Edward’s didn’t go down without a fight. After Jones walked the next two batters, the bases were loaded for Mayville. He gave the ball a good ride into center field, but Legato was there to save the day for Lakewood.

The Rangers had to find a way to respond in the home half of the fifth. Ellis walked to get the frame going, but he was thrown out attempting to steal second by Laux. With a popout from Long and a strikeout from Checkett, the inning was over.

At long last, St Edward’s would tie the game up in the top of the sixth. Fuehrer walk was followed by a Page strikeout. With one down, Reyes stepped into the batter’s box and roped the ball deep to right center field. This double resulted in Fuehrer scoring. This made the score 2-2, the first tie since the bottom of the first. However, the following two batters were retired.

With the top of their order set to hit, it was now or never for Lakewood. Russell began the frame with a leadoff single. Legato followed this up with a walk. The stage was now set. Jones, the former Eagle, had two runners on with no outs. Then, it happened. Jones found his storybook play, an RBI double. With the score now 3-2, the Rangers wanted more. After Soneson struck out, Nick Hart hit an RBI double of his own, which scored Jones. Verderber would be struck out by Brandon Florjancic–who came on to pitch a few batters prior–thus ending the inning. In his short outing, Florjancic would record two punchouts.

Jones remained on the mound for Lakewood in the top of the seventh. After striking out Lashutka and forcing Hepp to ground out, history was one out away. Laux stood in the way of Jones’ fairytale ending as he put a ball in play. However, Brady Long was able to scoop up the grounder and hit Soneson at first. As this play was made, celebrations from the Lakewood faithful became louder than ever. This play sealed a historic 4-2 victory for the Rangers.

Lakewood now sits at 10-4 on the year with big clashes against Bay and Rocky River on the docket this coming week. As for St Edward’s, they fall to 7-9 with Walsh on deck today at the PBR Ohio High School Classic. This game truly was an instant classic. A tight battle throughout between cross-town rivals. In the end, Jones’ return was something straight out of a movie as he changed the Rangers’ fate. Lakewood, for this season at least, is back to being Purple and Yellow.

CrossFit Strongsville Player of the Game: Drew Jones

Watch the Full Game Here: https://www.youtube.com/live/rjmo7g4QPCA?si=uDuOVBhmubQ51X2g

The Battle for Lakewood Under the Lights

Lakewood, OH- Friday Night Under the Lights has become a beloved tradition for Lakewood baseball over the years. On May 2, this tradition will turn into a battleground as St Edward’s rolls in.

This game has the makings of an instant classic from the start. On one hand, the Rangers have home-field advantage along with a better record. On the other hand, the Eagles’ ability to win is almost unmatched in Northeast Ohio. As for state rankings via MaxPreps, this is as close as physically possible. Lakewood enters the night as the 143rd-ranked team in Ohio while St Ed’s sits at 144th. In regard to form, the Eagles are in control as they’ve won their last four, while the Rangers only have a one-game win streak.

While both sides have plenty of standout players, Cooper Russell (LKWD) and Leo Bartolone (SEHS) are two of the expected impact players in this ball game. Bartolone is committed to play college ball at John Carroll after this season. Speaking of the Blue Streaks’ rivals, Mount Union scooped up Logan Ellis and Leo Soneson from Lakewood. With the NCAC calling JCU, it remains to be seen if these three will face off in another rivalry game after this one.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 PM at Lakewood High School. In the past few years, Lakewood has completed its all-turf field with some renovations. With that being said, the Rangers have one of the best fields in all of NEO. You can watch the game live on the SmeeSports YouTube Channel. Nathan Smee will have the call beginning at 6:50 PM with the SmeeSports Pregame Show. The player of the game announced at the end of this broadcast will be presented by our friends over at CrossFit Strongsville.

Watch Lakewood Vs St Edward Baseball: https://www.youtube.com/live/rjmo7g4QPCA?si=w0kCJySwaEEoM5Mh