A look at spring鈥檚 high school champions throughout Ross County
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — On the diamond this spring, the Scioto Valley Conference enjoyed a two-team race that ended with Zane Trace and Unioto splitting their head-to-head matchups and sharing the league title at 13-1. Individually, Zane Trace鈥檚 Ben Nichols was named the SVC Player of the Year. The senior finished the regular season with 44 hits while posting a batting average of .500. He knocked in 36 runs while scoring 34 times. Nichols was also dominant on the mound. He earned eight total wins while posting an ERA of 1.53. Nichols recorded 67 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched. Nichols was joined on the First Team by teammate Trey Edler. For Unioto, Micah Geise and Landyn Patterson both earned First Team honors.
In softball, the Lady Shermans of Unioto captured the SVC title. Unioto went 12-2 which was one clear of Adena at 11-3. Leading the way for the champions was SVC Player of the Year Alexis Book. The sophomore hit .578 with an incredible on-base percentage of .617. Book collected 48 total hits including 10 doubles, nine triples, and four homeruns. She scored 47 runs and knocked in 41 for the Tanks. Book was joined on the First Team by teammate Avery Miller.
For the SVC track, Unioto enjoyed a sweep of the titles. For the boys, Unioto was 16 points clear of runner-up Zane Trace. Gabe Lynch, Maddox Fox, Cameron Lohnes, Casey Dray, and Corey Schobelock all won multiple events for Unioto.
鈥淚t means a lot,鈥� said Schobelock when asked about what it meant to be a part of a championship squad. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 really know if we could do it or not. With COVID not allowing us to have track two years ago, I think we lost some of the winning culture, and we are really getting that back and getting things done. To have the seniors go out with a league title means everything to us.鈥�
Individually, Paint Valley鈥檚 Cole Miller won the 100, 200, and Long Jump on his way to the Meet Medalist.
鈥淐ole is one of those kids that is easy to root for and makes my job as coach so much easier,鈥� said first-year Paint Valley head coach Ki Pulliam. 鈥淲hen you have an athlete like Cole, who you know is going to put the work in, it is contagious to the rest of the team. I鈥檓 so proud of him for getting the recognition he deserves, and I cannot wait to see how he continues to improve and impact our program moving forward.鈥�
On the girls鈥� side, Unioto rolled to an easy victory led by Paris DeBord who won two individual events and was also on two relay winners. Teammates Karlee Renner, Gracie Heath, Arielle Pelletier, and Addison Mohan all won multiple events as well.
鈥淗ard work beats talent, when talent doesn鈥檛 work hard,鈥� said Renner, as she recalled this advice from her mom throughout the years. 鈥淚鈥檝e always had that in the back of my mind, whether it was during track, basketball, or soccer. I鈥檝e always tried my best to put 110% in everything I do. Winning the SVC my senior year was amazing! To come out on top our last year is extra special and will be a memory none of us will forget. The best part was sharing it with my senior girls. I think each of us grew a lot over the past four years and really improved in our events. My favorite event is the 4X100 relay with Elle Pelletier, Gracie Heath, and Paris DeBord. We qualified for State last year, and I鈥檓 hoping we can do it again this year.鈥� (At the deadline for this article, this relay team was preparing for Regionals.)
Another local sweep came in the Frontier Athletic Conference as Chillicothe鈥檚 boys and girls dominated the competition.
For the boys, the depth in relay talent led the way in the 4X400 (Xzavier Doss, Mamo Willison, Lucas Rinehart, Matthew McCorkle), the 4X100 (Isaac McCory, Xzavier Doss, Miles Lewis, Shawn Smith) and the 4X200 (Xzavier Doss, Mamo Willison, Lucas Rinehart, Tristan Wingo). The 4X200 team set a new conference record. Wingo also won the 300 Hurdles. Other individual winners for the Chillicothe boys included Reid Proctor (3200) and Ryan Blum (1600).
For the girls, Abbey Sims-Clark (High Jump), Jacey Harding (100 Hurdles), and Simone Fleurima (800) all won individual titles. The Lady Cavs also won three relay races, including the 4X200 (Kiera Archer, Addy Mendel, Jacey Harding, Kendra Allen), 4X400 (Kiera Archer, Addy Mendel, Simone Fleurima, Kendra Allen), and the 4X800 (Simone Fleurima, Katherine McCallum, Allison Gozy, Maylee Young).
鈥淔or my teammates and I, winning the league title gave us a level of excitement and joy that we will remember forever,鈥� said Wingo. 鈥淭his group will forever be a family connected to a league title and the outstanding culture our head coach Mr. Rob Strong helps build.鈥�
Another Chillicothe team celebrating a conference championship this spring is the boys鈥� tennis team. The title run was led by FAC Player of the Year Kaiden Koch. Asher Pendell and Colin Halm were both also named to the All-League team.
Congratulations to all the spring champions around Ross County! Great Seal Sports is always excited to follow your success and help highlight your talents.
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