Columbus-area boys high school sports notebook, Sept. 21
•Zach Burton of the Hilliard Davidson boys golf team earned OCC-Central Division Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive season.
Burton finished with a 70.25 league average.
“I am very proud to see him honored with this achievement,” coach Brett Miller said. “He has put so much time and effort into the game.”
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The Wildcats finished first (306) in the final round of the four-round league tournament Sept. 15 at Apple Valley, ahead of second-place Olentangy Liberty (307). Burton was medalist with a 67.
“It was nice getting our first OCC win this year,” Miller said. “It was a great confidence-boost for our team leading into the following week and preparing for sectional at Denison (Golf Club on Oct. 5).”
Davidson finished fifth (8-12) in the final league standings behind champion Liberty (18-2).
Ben Oakley was honorable mention all-league.
—Frank DiRenna
•The Grove City boys golf team earned its first league title since 2005, tying Pickerington North for first in the OCC-Ohio at 17-3.
The Greyhounds finished first (294) in the final round of the four-round league tournament Sept. 15 at Darby Creek. Trent Ruffing led Grove City with a season-best 70 to share medalist honors with New Albany’s Jackson Fry.
“It is really great to see the players’ hard work pay off,” coach Eric Joreski said. “It was a goal that they had coming into the season and they were really motivated to finish first in the last round to allow us to share the league title. I’m really happy for this group of seniors.”
Ruffing (74.75 average) and Nash Linder (75) were first-team all-league. Brodie Scott (77.5), Steven Jordan (78.25) and Jackson Ware (78.5) were second-team all-league.
—Frank DiRenna
•In addition to finishing second in the OCC-Buckeye for the second consecutive season, the Reynoldsburg boys golf team had the league’s overall medalist for the second year in a row.
Sophomore Grant Raubenolt improved his league average from last season by nearly eight strokes. He finished with a 76.25 average during the four rounds of the league tournament to earn medalist honors as the Raiders (11-5) finished behind Pickerington Central (16-0).
Last season, Reynoldsburg’s Jamison Boykins, a 2021 graduate who is now competing for Rose-Hulman, was the league’s overall medalist.
The Division I postseason begins with sectional competition Oct. 5 and 6 at three sites.
—Jarrod Ulrey
•The Columbus East football team is 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the City League-North, marking its best start since 2012 when it won its first three games and finished 5-5.
The Tigers, who lost 9-6 to Dayton Belmont on Sept. 17, went 1-5 last year – their first season under coach Mike Bell – after going 6-4 in 2019.
Senior wide receiver Ishmael Spann-Bowers has scored 10 touchdowns to lead the offense.
Senior defensive back Tyrese Taylor has eight interceptions, including returning one for a touchdown.
—Jarrod Ulrey
•Goalie A.J. Sawicki has 60 saves this season, helping the Hilliard Darby boys soccer team to a start of 7-0-2 overall and 0-0-1 in the OCC-Cardinal.
The Panthers have shut out three consecutive opponents, defeating Gahanna 2-0 on Sept. 16, playing Marysville to a scoreless tie Sept. 14 in their league opener and beating Lancaster 7-0 on Sept. 9.
Wassim Metatla assisted on both of Darby’s goals against Gahanna – the first to Justin Fleischman and the other to Gio Roberts.
Roberts has seven goals, Metatla has four goals and four assists, Fleischman has two goals and four assists and Jack Thomas has six assists.
—Michael Rich
•The New Albany boys soccer team has picked up where it left off after last season’s Division I state runner-up finish, winning its first seven games and being ranked second in this week’s state poll.
The Eagles were 7-0 overall and 1-0 in the OCC-Ohio before playing Gahanna on Sept. 21. They are ranked only behind defending state champion Cleveland St. Ignatius and are one of two area teams in the top 10, as Upper Arlington is ranked eighth.
—Dave Purpura
•The St. Charles soccer team has won five consecutive games without surrendering a goal and is 7-3-1 overall entering a contest against Thomas Worthington on Sept. 23.
The three losses all were by one goal. The Cardinals fell to Hilliard Darby 1-0 on Aug. 13, New Albany 2-1 on Sept. 2 and Beavercreek 1-0 on Sept. 4. They tied Dublin Jerome at 1 on Aug. 24.
St. Charles has outscored opponents 13-0 in the five-game winning streak. Thomas Hohman had three goals and Evan Gora and Yannick Lambe both had two assists in a 4-0 win over Wellington on Sept. 18.
The Cardinals improved to 2-0 in the CCL by defeating Ready 8-0 on Sept. 14.
—Scott Hennen
•Will DeVere had seven goals and three assists through nine games for the Grandview Heights boys soccer team, which was 4-3-2 overall and 2-1 in the MSL-Ohio after losing to Wellington 1-0 on Sept. 15.
The Bobcats knocked off league rivals Worthington Christian 3-1 on Sept. 1 and Columbus Academy 4-0 on Sept. 11.
Danny Claypool added five goals and three assists for Grandview, and Connor Hayes and Tazio Pintor both had two goals and one assist.
—Scott Hennen
•The Hilliard Darby baseball team inducted all seven members of its 2020 senior class into the Diamond Club Hall of Fame on Sept. 17 before the football team’s home game against Gahanna.
That senior class featured Kristian Amaro, Nick Cecil, Connor Maruniak, Garrett Mudgett, Cole Shrodes, Nick Skelskey and Jack Stultz.
The Panthers reached a state semifinal in 2019, losing 4-3 in 13 innings to Cleveland St. Ignatius. The 2020 season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We thought we had the ingredients to potentially be even better in 2020,” coach Mike Weer said in an email. “Their collective mindset is what set them apart from any other team I’ve been a part of. (They) didn’t care about individual accomplishments – just wanted to play for each other and do whatever it took to get back to the final four.”
—Michael Rich
•Ryan Smith, Steven Miller and Luke Miller placed in the top six to help the Worthington Kilbourne boys cross country team earn a runner-up finish at the Galion Festival on Sept. 18.
Smith (16:06.3) finished second out of 80 runners behind Evan Bork (15:52.8) of Lakewood St. Edward, which won the 12-team event with 35 points.
Steven Miller (fifth, 16:28.1) and Luke Miller (sixth, 16:31.7) helped the Wolves score 81 points to edge Medina (87) for second.
—Michael Rich
•Blake Frisch finished seventh and Luke Todt placed 15th out of 147 runners to lead the Delaware Hayes boys cross country team in the Central Ohio Invitational on Sept. 18 at Three Creeks Metro Park.
Frisch ran 16:36.01 and Todt finished in 16:59.65 to lead the Pacers (230) to a ninth-place finish out of 18 teams behind champion Lancaster (75).
Dublin Jerome’s Sam Ricchiuti (15:49.56) won the meet.
—Michael Rich
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