Sports

After chalking up a tense 2-1 victory over the Schaumburg (Ill.) Seminoles in their final round-robin game of the Continental Amateur Baseball Assn. (CABA) High School World Series, the players on the Euclid squad were charged up. They were bubbling in anticipation of becoming the first local team to qualify for the championship round in more than five years.

            “I’m pumped!” declared Vinnie Klun, shortly after the game ended. The versatile outfielder, who also pitches and can play the infield, has been one of the stalwarts on the Euclid High Panther team for the last several years.

            “It was exciting,” said pitcher-centerfielder Johnny Law, also one of the Panthers’ top performers, who had pulled off one of the defensive gems of the Sunday night contest at Euclid’s Paul Serra Field. Law thrilled the home crowd when he made a sensational throw from deep in the outfield to shortstop Austin Jackson to trigger a double play.

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With the opening game of the 2011 football campaign just a few weeks away, at least some of the seniors on the Villa Angela-St. Joseph High football squad are expecting significant success this season

The Euclid Recreation Department is finishing up another successful summer sports season as the youth leagues draw to a close. After a rain-filled spring, the beating sun cast down on the participants for an enjoyable 2011 summer season.

The girls slow pitch softball teams, who participated in the Willowick Softball League, finished the regular season with a bang in an extra inning, walk-off victory as Stimburys Accounting came out ahead of Dick's Sporting Goods. Stimburys Accounting fell just shy of a playoff birth, with Dick's Sporting Goods fighting for a league championship July 27. After a season away from Euclid, softball coordinator Ben Perpar is excited to bring the girls back to Euclid for the 2012 season in an effort to bring Euclid back to its softball rich tradition.

The girls fast pitch teams proudly represented the city of Euclid in the Hillcrest Softball League as both teams finished at the top of the league. The Euclid Rockettes, mostly 10 and 11-year olds, finished fourth in the 12-year old division, and were knocked out of the playoffs by inner city rivals, the Euclid Panthers. The Panthers finished the season with an undefeated record and won the 2011 Hillcrest League Championship.

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Rachel Muniza, an assistant last season, will be taking over the head coaching duties for the Euclid Panther girls’ volleyball squad this fall. She replaces Tameka Drake.

Yes, Mentor is no longer a member of the Lake Erie League. But, no, that doesn’t mean that the long-running Euclid-Mentor gridiron rivalry is a thing of the past. At least, not yet.

The final results may have fallen short of their hopes, but the Euclid Panther girls’ track team didn’t return home empty-handed.

At the state track finals at The Ohio State University’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in early June, the Lady Panthers made it to the medalists’ platform in two events, and just missed winning a medal in a third event.

Artia Gunn, the junior speedster who has another year left in her high school career, earned two medals—one for finishing seventh in the 100 meter hurdles and another for anchoring the eighth-place 4x100 relay quartet. The top eight in each state finals event are called to the stand where they receive their keepsake medallions.

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Jessica Beard, who was a four-time state 400-meter champion while competing for the Euclid Panther track team from 2004 to 2007, continues to wow track audiences while

Last month, at the NCAA national championship meet in Des Moines, Iowa, she ran a blistering anchor leg in the 4x400 relay to win the meet-ending event and give the Aggies a come-from-behind victory in the team title chase. Earlier in the meet, she won gold in the individual 400 meter race.

“She helped Texas A&M win its third consecutive NCAA title,” notes Ted Theodore, a former Euclid High coach and still-active track official who has followed Beard’s career closely.

“Jessica is just a Euclid treasure,” says Theodore, who still officiates at many Panther track meets. “She has fulfilled all of our dreams for her—and then some. And she’s done it all with class.”

The split time that Beard posted in the recent NCAA relay event would have won a gold medal in the individual 400 meters at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Theodore points out. And, last year, she did win a gold medal in the 4x400 relay at the World Championships in Europe.

“I think Jessica will qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London next year,” Theodore says. “I believe that she is now about the third or fourth-fastest 400-meter runner in the world.”

running for Texas A&M.

After observing—and carefully considering—the metamorphosis that has taken place at Briardale Greens Golf Course, it occurs to me that the city now can boast of having a “poor man’s country club.” On second thought, make that “an affordable country club for the average Joe.”

Sure, some might argue that Briardale can’t be considered a country club for a variety of reasons. For starters, it’s too flat. And it lacks a swimming pool and tennis courts—elements that traditionally have distinguished country clubs from mere golf courses.

Well, in case you haven’t noticed, there is a swimming pool right next door at the YMCA and another across the street in Memorial Park; and, rather than tennis courts, Briardale now has two bocce ball courts and a sand volleyball court—attractions that make it an appealing location for golf outings.

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Area golfers whose clubs have worn or slippery grips often look to Art Dell at Airport Greens Golf Course in Willoughby Hills to remedy the problem. You could call him a "golf club doctor."

Art, a Euclid resident and 1970 graduate of Euclid High, has been replacing old golf grips for about 20 years. He handles a variety of other club repairs as well, including re-shafting and “loft and lie” adjustments.

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With many spring games washed out by Mother Nature, the Euclid Church Softball League has found it difficult to get untracked this season. But, as of late May, three teams were able to claim “unbeaten” status.

St. John Lutheran, a church in South Euclid, was leading the standings with a 5-0 record, followed closely by the Christian Assembly Blue team at 4-0. Christian Assembly, located in Richmond Heights, is the defending league champion and this year is also fielding a Green team. In the early going, St. Gregory of South Euclid was in third place with a 3-0 mark.

Next in line were: New Song of Cleveland Heights at 2-1, Church of the Savior (Cleveland Heights) at 2-2, and New Promise (Kirtland) at 2-2. Other league members are Lyndhurst Presbyterian and Church of the Western Reserve (Pepper Pike).

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Euclid YMCA swim team members, who have been practicing twice a week, are looking forward to a series of Saturday afternoon summer swim meets beginning in June. Unfortunately, none of the meets will be held at the Euclid Y pool because it is only 20 yards in length. Most of the meets will involve competition against teams from other Greater Cleveland YMCA branches.

As they did during the winter, the Euclid youngsters will combine with swimmers from the Hillcrest Y to form a team. “On meet days, we may also get a few swimmers from the Geauga County Y,” notes Head Coach John Graves, who is aquatics director for both the Euclid and Hillcrest YMCAs.

At last report, the Euclid-Hillcrest Hurricanes squad had about 17 swimmers, including 10 new recruits who weren’t involved in the winter program. Team members representing the Euclid Y include: Salvion Neal, Gabby Cicerini, Carmen Cicerini, Jordan Logan, Krishawn McKinney, Taylor Lamar and Jamillah Sena

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Sports shorts: Rough inning ends, post-season hopes

In the months ahead, when the Euclid Panther baseball players look back on their 2011 season, chances are they will recall one inning in particular—an inning in the sectional tournament game against Willoughby South. Their hopes for a major upset, along with their post-season dreams, unraveled in the bottom of the fourth when South’s Rebels broke open a scoreless game with four runs to hand the Panthers a 4-0 setback and knock them out of the tournament.

What made that inning, and the loss, even tougher to swallow was that Euclid pitcher Johnny Law had a no-hitter in the works heading into the fourth. However, a hit in the gap to center field ruined his no-hit bid. Things only went downhill from there as South grabbed a 3-0 lead on just two hits, compounded by a wild pitch and an outfield error on what should have been the final out of the inning.

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also includes:

VASJ’s Burse captures District 100-meter crown

The VASJ baseball team

Roberts sets pace for Panther softball squad

Looking for a summer program for your child that will motivate and strengthen your child while helping him or her to become a strong, confident swimmer? It's not too late to join the Euclid Panther summer swim team -- it's a fun, family-friendly team that is currently welcoming new swimmers.

The winning Euclid Panther summer swim team consists of around 100 children from age five to 14. Swimmers practice on weekdays at Memorial Pool and then compete in meets on Saturdays from the middle of June through the first week of August. Meets are held at Memorial Pool as well as at neighboring community pools such as Wickliffe, Willowick, Willoughby, Mentor and Highland Heights.

Cost to participate in the program is $60 for residents and $85 for non-residents. There is also a $50 parent association fee due by July 30. The team holds a swim-a-thon each summer to help families off-set the $50 parent association fee. In addition to receiving a swim team t-shirt, each swimmer will learn proper stroke technique from dedicated and enthusiastic coaches.

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The Euclid Pony League has extended open signups for its upcoming 60th season in 2011. Youth players 13, 14 and 15 years old can register by contacting the league commissioner Dan Pado. Parents will need to complete registration paperwork with fee payments before the season begins. Fees are $125 for Euclid residents and $150 for non-residents. Additionally, the league has openings for teams looking for membership in a league. Managers may call Pado for more information. The contact number is (216) 486-4720. Our email address is euclidpony@gmail.com. The league website is euclidpony.org.

When it comes to the running events, few area track performers can keep up with the Euclid Panther girls in the sprints, hurdles and sprint relays. And girls’ track coach Larry Nosse was obviously hoping they’d keep up their sizzling pace at the regional meet at Austintown Fitch.

In recent weeks, the Lady Panthers have delighted their coach with one surprising effort after another—setting new personal records (PRs) and improving relay times with regularity. Take the 4x400 relay team, for example. In early May, the quartet of Erin Rambo, Taylor Rambo, Artia Gunn, and Tchanavia Spencer won that event at the Euclid Relays in 4:06.1, a time that would bring a smile to most any coach’s face. Then, about a week later, they covered the 4x400 distance in 3:57 flat in the Lake Erie League championship meet at Cleveland Heights.

“That was probably the biggest surprise of the LEL meet,” Coach Nosse says. “They ran a great race and their time was just seven seconds off the school record.”

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Golf question of the month: What do you do with 3,600 tons of sod? You know, the stuff they lay down to create new lawns.

Well, if you’re the management team at Briardale Greens Golf Course, you plant most of that sod on top of the clay base that for years has frustrated attempts to spruce up a rather unsightly driving range.

The range, which was closed last September to allow the new sod to take hold, reopened in May of this year, much to the delight of area golfers.

In all, Billy Casper Golf, the management firm that contracted with the city of Euclid to operate the course, invested approximately $50,000 to bring the Briardale practice range up to snuff. In addition to all that new sod, the range also has new synthetic mats in the hitting area. Coupled with a layer of cushioning beneath the mats, the net effect is to reduce wear and tear on golfers’ wrists and forearms, explains Briardale golf professional Adam Westendorf.

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In high school baseball, the arms often are the deciding factor. Winning teams tend to rely on a talented pitching corps.

Larry Nosse, head coach of the Euclid High girls track team, has had a lot to smile about this season, especially the performances of the four girls who are the nucleus of his “running game.”

           As most local track aficionados know, that quartet includes hurdler/sprinter Artia Gunn, the Rambo sisters—Erin and Taylor, and distance specialist Emily Sweet.

            The Panthers will be counting heavily on that foursome to make a strong showing at the biggest home meet of the season, the “Euclid Relays,” on Friday May 6 at Sparky DiBiasio Stadium.

            But Nosse is a realist. He doesn’t expect his girls to win the team championship this year. He sees Medina and Solon as the favorites in the girls’ division.

            “I see us finishing somewhere in the middle of the pack,” the coach said the week before the event. “I think we’ll do well in the track events, but our field event performers haven’t been coming along as fast as I hoped they would.”

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In high school baseball, the arms often are the deciding factor. Winning teams tend to rely on a talented pitching corps.

            Through the first half of this weather-plagued season, Euclid High baseball coach Brian Leroy was encouraged by his team’s performance, as the Panthers won six of their first seven games. Much of that success was due to the efforts of a quartet of Panther pitching aces--several of whom played for Euclid’s CABA World Series team last summer.

            “We’ve been getting a strong performance from our starting pitchers,” Leroy said, not long after the Panthers had notched win number six—a 7-1 victory against Shaker Heights. Members of the Euclid mound crew include a pair of juniors—John Law and Vinnie Klun—who were credited with five of the team’s first six wins. Law, who tossed a complete game three-hitter against Shaker, owned a 3-0 record, while Klun was 2-0 and also had a save.

            Also off to a solid start, although you might not guess it from his 0-2 won-loss record, was senior Josh Roberts, who sported a very respectable 2.00 earned run average. “Josh has kept us in every game that he’s pitched,” the coach said. “And we ask him to pitch in our biggest games.”

            In mid-April, for example, Roberts started and pitched four shutout innings as the Panthers improved their record to 5-1 with a 7-4 victory over Cleveland Heights. After taking an early lead, Euclid fell behind, 4-3, as the Tigers scored four times in the sixth inning. But the Panthers came roaring back with four runs of their own in the top of the seventh to chalk up their fifth win of the season.

            The fourth member of the Panther mound brigade is junior Connor Fuller, who was 1-0 with two saves. “Connor has been doing a great job for us in relief,” said Coach Leroy, now in his second year as head coach.

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 This one was a no-brainer. This past season, the four Euclid Panther girls pictured here with Coach John Elliott broke the school record and the Lake Erie League record in the 400-yard freestyle relay and qualified for the state meet in that event.

The Observer’s “Wrestlers of the Year” include three matmen from the Euclid High Panthers’ team and two from Villa Angela-St. Joseph. They are:

In this report, The Euclid Observer staff salutes athletes in three winter sports—basketball, wrestling, and swimming—who deserve special recognition for their achievements, their hard work, and the dedication they’ve exhibited in striving to reach higher levels of performance.

  Five Panther Wrestlers Earn District Berths

Panther Girls Qualify

Euclid Y Swimmer Advances to League Meet at Cleveland State

Salvion Neal, one of the top swimmers on the newly resurrected Euclid YMCA swim team, will be competing in the Northeast Ohio YMCA League swim meet March 5 at Cleveland State University.

             Salvion, age 9, qualified for the meet by anchoring a 200-yard medley relay team that also included three swimmers from the Hillcrest Y.  For competitive meets, the Euclid and Hillcrest squads are combined since neither has enough swimmers to make up a full team. The youngsters compete under the banner of the “Hillcrest Hurricanes.”

Euclid Panthers

Fri. Dec. 10 ……… Mentor (H)

Fri. Dec. 17 ……… at Shaker Hts.

Dec. 28-29 ……… Brush Tournament

Fri. Jan. 7 ……….. Cleveland Height (H)

Tues. Jan. 11 ……. at Lake Catholic

Sat. Jan. 15 ……... East Tech (H)

Tues. Jan. 18 ……. Willoughby South (H)

Fri. Jan. 21 …...... at Warren Harding

Tues. Jan. 25 …… Madison (H)

Fri. Feb. 4 ……… at Mentor

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While most Northeast Ohio sports fans—and sportswriters—were focused on the big high school state football championship game down in Canton in early December, two area basketball teams staged an “instant classic” that went practically unnoticed.

In front of a large crowd in the Euclid High gym on Dec. 4, the host Panthers survived a see-saw battle against neighborhood rival Villa Angela-St. Joseph, eking out a 55-54 victory in a game with a story book finish.

As the seasons have changed, weather-wise, so have the sports seasons for our local schools. And the Euclid High School girls’ swimming team started off the season with a bang, breaking four school records in its opening meet with Magnificat High.

For the last 23 years, Dr. Steve Szabo has been competing each year with the top golf pros in the PGA’s season-ending Disney tournament in Orlando, FL. The former Euclid resident, who starred on the St. Joseph High golf team in the late 1950s, is now a psychiatrist with a Tampa Bay area practice.

He was planning to tee it up with the big boys again this year in the Disney pro-am, in which the amateur competitors play alongside the pros for the first two days of the event, scheduled for Nov. 11-14. It is one of the few PGA events in which the amateurs are permitted to play with their professional “partners” during the actual tournament—rather than in a Wednesday “warm-up” pro-am that doesn’t affect the final results.

Although it has been a while since the Euclid Panthers and the VASJ Vikings have faced each other in football, the neighborhood rivalry is alive and well on the basketball court. In fact, Euclid will be hosting the Vikings in its home opener Dec. 4. This year, both squads will feature players who were standouts on their school’s respective football teams—Euclid’s Chuck Bradford and the Vikings’ Clinton James.

Editor’s Note: The excerpts included in this report are published in the Observer with the permission of Dan Coughlin, who has been making many appearances—including a recent stop at Muldoon’s Saloon on East 185th Street, to promote his book, “Crazy, With the Papers to Prove It.” He has also scheduled a book-signing event at Jack Murphy’s Tradewinds Lounge on East 200th Street for Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Accompanying Dan will be Plain Dealer writer Michael Heaton who also has a new book out.

The staff of the Euclid Observer is pleased to introduce its local football Players of the Year for 2010 — one outstanding athlete from the Euclid Panther squad and one from the Villa Angela-St. Joseph Vikings’ team. The selections were made in consultation with the schools’ head coaches, Tom Gibbons at Euclid and John Storey at VASJ.

In addition, we are honoring the top offensive and defensive standouts on each team, as well as other local players deserving of All-Star recognition. Finally, our 2010 list includes a special salute to Jim Grinstead, who has been tracking football statistics for the Panthers for the past 48 years. Now, that’s real dedication!

Our Euclid Panther Player of the Year is Chuck Bradford, who handled quarterback and running back duties, as well as playing wide receiver in some formations.

“Chuck did a lot of things for us,” says third-year Euclid Coach Tom Gibbons. “He is a very versatile athlete who did just about everything but drive the bus. And he met almost every challenge that he faced.”

Young ladies out there – pay attention. Of the 75 players registered in the Euclid Youth Hockey program, 12 are girls. That's one player out of seven. How do all those girls impact the program? You be the judge; Euclid teams had the best win-loss record in the Cleveland Suburban Hockey League for the 2009-2010 regular season.

Sports fans and sports icons alike filled the Manor Party Center in Euclid on the evening of Sept. 30 to celebrate the latest additions to the Euclid High Schools’ Sports Hall of Fame.

The gathering at the 24th annual Hall of Fame dinner included such celebrities and sports figures as Bob Addis, who coached the Euclid Panthers to a state baseball title in the early 1960s; former head basketball Coach Hal “Doc” Daugherty, for whom the high school gym is now named; former track coaches Bob Ramlow and Ted Theodore; Hall of Fame chairman Chuck Hill, one of the most loyal supporters of Euclid sports teams; and Euclid Alumni Director Joe Mayer, who was an assistant to the late legendary wrestling coach Clarence Eckert during the golden years of the 1950s when the Panther matmen brought home two state championships.

No, that’s not a misspelling in the headline. We’re not talking about the internationally acclaimed Ryder Cup matches here, but rather the Rider Cup challenge, which has become an annual three-day golf showdown between teams from Northeast Ohio and Pennsylvania. A number of the Ohio linksmen are low-handicap players with ties to the Euclid area—including Steve Blackburn Sr., a former grounds superintendent at Briardale Greens Golf Course, and his son, Steve.

After making headlines in late September for their stunning victory over Mentor, the Euclid Panther girls’ volleyball team kept its winning momentum going with a lopsided 25-16, 25-13, 25-11 triumph over Garfield Heights last weekend.

This fall, Emily Sweet has clearly been the brightest star on the Euclid Panther cross-country team. She’s hit the finish line in first place in four major invitational meets--and she’s placed second in two other prestigious events, including the recent “Legends Meet” in Trumbull County.

The Euclid Youth Soccer Organization’s co-ed mini-travel team won the U-14 division at the West Geauga Soccer Tournament Oct. 2. The West Geauga Recreational Council hosted the tournament at the West Geauga Commons in Novelty, Ohio. The Euclid team, which had to play without some of its older players, swept all three of their games to reach the championship match. In their first match Euclid beat the Twinsburg 2 team with a score of 4 to 0. In their second game they outscored Middlefield 6 to 1, and in their third game they beat the Twinsburg 4 team by a score of 6 to 1.