Paying another visit to the variety store...
Keeping tabs
Remember Tom Bruney? Like a ship passing in the night, he was the head football coach at Lakeside for one season — 2006.
That fall, he led the Dragons to a 5-5 finish.
Well, Bruney has another head job now, as he is the varsity football coach at Brooke High School, located in Wellsburg, W.Va.
Bruney’s Bruins are 9-0 headed into their season finale tonight and are the top-ranked Class AAA squad in West Virginia headed into tonight’s contest.
On that subject...
While we’re at it, let’s check in on how the five other former area head coaches fared at their current positions during the 2009 season:
n Brian Cross — The former Pymatuning Valley head coach was the architect of Olentangy Orange High School’s program when it debuted last year. To say the Pioneers have come a very long way in a very short time would be an understatement.
Cross’ crew finished the regular season with an 8-2 record after a 17-14 triumph at Delaware Hayes on Friday night, standing fourth in the Division II, Region 7 computer ratings and will host fifth-seeded Dresden Tri-Valley (9-1) in a first-round playoff game tonight.
n Mike Elder — The former Perry head coach led the Avon Eagles to a 6-4 finish after a 14-7 victory at Bay last Friday night.
Elder’s eleven finished 11th in the Division II, Region 6 computer ratings.
n Steve Nolan — The former Conneaut main man and his Troy Trojans dropped a hard-fought 15-14 overtime verdict at Sidney last Friday night to end the 2009 season at 5-5.
Nolan’s Trojans finished as the 12th-rated team in the Division I, Region 3 playoff chase.
n Jeff Whittaker — Another former Conneaut head coach, Whittaker’s Liberty Leopards had a rare losing season this fall, finishing at 4-6 after a tough 19-12 loss to visiting Girard last Friday night.
n Art Bortnick — The former Madison head coach and his Benedictine Bengals wound up 3-7 this season after a 45-24 defeat at Columbus St. Francis DeSales last Friday night.
Bortnick & Co. wound up as the 18th-rated team in the Division III, Region 9 playoff chase this fall.
And still more...
What seems like a lifetime ago — 1985 and 1986, to be exact — Tom Hannan was the head football coach at Ledgemont High School.
His Redskins posted records of 1-8 and 1-9 in those two seasons before he moved on and eventually became the head coach at Crestwood High School.
Hannan had great success with the Red Devils, compiling a 96-63 record in 15 seasons at the helm headed into this season.
However, after Crestwood got off to a 1-5 start this fall, Hannan resigned near the first of October, being replaced by longtime assistant coach Darrell Carson.
The Plain Dealer reported Hannan was given a 10-day suspension as a teacher and coach following a disagreement with one of his players. During that time, Hannan was banned from school property.
His resignation came just before that suspension was slated to come to an end.
And finally...
The wife and daughter of a certain legendary varsity girls basketball coach was kind enough to return my copy of the 2000 movie, “Pay It Forward,” by hand delivery yesterday, one day after we asked for its return home after a slight (OK, two-year) absence.
McCormack is the sports editor of the Star Beacon. Reach him at donmac@suite224.net.
Sports
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TOM BRUNEY, former head coach at Lakeside, is having a banner season at Wellsburg (W.Va.) High School. BILL WEST
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DON McCORMACK
Discussion
A Don McCormack column: Former Lakeside grid coach rolling
- Sports
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Battle of Mustangs to GV
Consistency and execution are things all coaches look for in their teams. The Mathews Mustangs have done both to a great degree this season in rolling to the top of the Northeastern Athletic Conference race, while the Grand Valley Mustangs have had too many moments where they didn’t achieve those traits.
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Scholastic Schedule:
SATURDAY, FEB. 4
Boys Basketball
n Conneaut at NDCL
n Lincoln-West at Grand River Academy (5) -
Lakers make it four in a row
Amid a sea of pink and a blaze of red all over the court defensively, the Pymatuning Valley Lakers accomplished something many thought they couldn’t at the beginning of the season: Win the Northeastern Athletic Conference championship.
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Scholastic Schedule:
FRIDAY, FEB. 3
Boys Basketball
n Jefferson at Lakeview
n US at Geneva
n Lakeside at Riverside
n PV at Badger
n Mathews at Grand Valley
n Madison at North
n Andrews at Edgewood
n Perry at Chagrin Falls
n Lake Ridge Academy at Grand River Academy -
An appreciation for the past
In 1958, a mere 54 years ago, the Grand Valley High School and Ashtabula County boys basketball career scoring record belonged to Jim Dodd. The ACBF hall of famer scored 1,377 points in his career as a leading post player for the Mustangs.
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ALL-TIME ASHTABULA COUNTY BOYS BASKETBALL SCORING LEADERS:
- RK. PLAYER SCHOOL YEARS POINTS
- 1. A.J. HENSON GRAND VALLEY ’09-'12 1,531
- 2. Matt Zappitelli Conneaut ’85-’88 1,454
- 3. Steve Savel Pymatuning Valley ’05-’08 1,440
- 4. Jim Dodd Grand Valley ’55-’58 1,377
- 5. Adam Schumann Edgewood ’99-’02 1,341
- 6. Frank Zeman Deming ’52-’54 1,338
- 7. Sean Freeman Pymatuning Valley ’87-’90 1,301
- 8. Corey Shontz Pymatuning Valley ’05-’08 1,292
- 9. Fred Scruggs Harbor ’86-’89 1,248
- 10. Randy Linsted Pymatuning Valley ’73-’76 1,223
- 11. Emilio Parks Lakeside ’08-’10 1,221
- 12. Jemal Harris Harbor ’90-’93 1,214
- 13. Chuck Naso Jefferson ’54-’56 1,210
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Geneva doesn’t miss a beat
A team that knocks down half of its shots and takes care of the basketball is awfully difficult to beat. For a half, that’s exactly the kind of team Geneva was in downing Premier Athletic Conference rival Lakeside, 50-32, Wednesday night at Lakeside Gymnasium.
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Abbie answers call
When the game is on the line — no pun intended — it’s nice to have the ball in the hands of the area’s leading free-throw shooter.
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Maplewood too much for GV
The Maplewood girls basketball team has been a traditional power in northern Trumbull County while Grand Valley has struggled in recent seasons.
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Scholastic Statistics:
GIRLS BASKETBALL
PREMIER
Geneva 50, Lakeside 32
at Lakeside Gymnasium - More Sports Headlines
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