Paying another visit to the variety store...
Raising the bar
If you follow these pages on a regular basis, you probably checked out Tom Harris’ most excellent profile on Geneva’s Courtney Thompson.
Thompson, a senior, is the 2009 Star Beacon Ashtabula County Tennis Player of the Year... again.
As in, not for the first time.
However, what we failed to recognize is that young Miss Thompson — now hard at work preparing for the season as a key member of coach Nancy Barbo’s most excellent girls basketball program at Geneva — made some Star Beacon history this fall.
The daughter of Vern and Rhonda Thompson, Courtney is the first athlete — female or male — to earn Star Beacon Ashtabula County Player of the Year honors in a single sport for four consecutive years.
Previous to her doing so this fall, two of the famous Kapferer sisters — Kelly and Haley — had set the standard by being named Star Beacon Ashtabula County Player of the Year in three consecutive seasons, both doing so for legendary coach Rod Holmes at Jefferson. Kelly did it from 1997-98 through 1999-2000 and Haley matched her older sister, doing so in 2004-05 through 2006-07.
Kelly remains the only county athlete to earn Star Beacon Ashtabula County Player of the Year honors in three straight years — in two sports — having also been named Player of the Year in volleyball in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
With only four years of high school eligibility allowed in Ohio (some states, such as Kentucky, allow an athlete to play at the varsity level starting in the seventh grade, as former Browns quarterback Tim Couch did), Courtney has set a standard that can only be matched and never surpassed.
Courtney’s coach for her career — which encompassed an individual record of 78-18 (.813) at Geneva — was Scott Torok, the Star Beacon Ashtabula County Coach of the Year, who led Geneva to the Premier Athletic Conference championship in its first season in the new loop, becoming the first Geneva team to win a PAC championship.
Terrific trio
While we’re on the subject of Geneva, Barbo and her most excellent staff of her husband, John, and junior-varsity coach Rob DiPofi, will have three, count ’em, three, girls who earned Star Beacon Ashtabula County Player of the Year recognition this fall on the Eagle hardwood this winter.
In addition to Thompson in tennis, Jillian Nazor earned the honor in girls soccer and Taylor Webb did so in volleyball.
This fall marks the first time one school has had three individuals earn Star Beacon Ashtabula County Player of the Year recognition in any single sports season.
Are you kidding?
Two Anchorage men who told investigators they were horsing around with a “redneck flamethrower” set a 5-year-old boy’s head on fire and have been charged with felony assault and reckless endangerment, according to police and court records.
Jonathon Michael Miller, 29, and Stephen Ray Dilley II, 32, were jailed Tuesday after inflicting second-degree burns to the boy's head and singeing his hair with an aerosol sprayer and lighter, according to Alaska State Troopers. The child, who was injured Friday, did not receive medical treatment until arriving at school near his home in Anchor Point on Monday.
In what has to be up for Quote of the Year honors, troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said: “It was described to the troopers as an accident. I mean a child, two guys, can of Quick Start, Bic lighter: How could this not go wrong?”
According to a troopers' affidavit filed in court, Miller told investigators he's been trying to toughen the boy up and the best way to do it is to “scare the (crap) out of them when they don’t see it coming.”
Asked why the child had not gotten treatment, Miller, uttered another Quote of the Year candidate to investigators, “Why go make bills for yourself over little things?” he said in affidavit.
McCormack is the sports editor of the Star Beacon. Reach him at donmac@suite224.net.
Sports
Related Photos
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COURTNEY THOMPSON of Geneva made Ashtabula County history this fall. BILL WEST
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DON McCORMACK
Discussion
A Don McCormack column: Courting history
Geneva great did just that this fall
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Mustangs move on!
The Grand Valley Mustangs used timely hitting, strong pitching and a dazzling play in the field to continue their impressive run through the Division III state playoffs as they knocked off the Orrville Red Raiders, 7-4, in a regional semifinal at Carl “Ducky” Schroeder Field at Massillon Washington High School.
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A Vince Peluso column: GV a long way from satisfied
At this point in the baseball season, there are two types of teams remaining — those that are happy to still be playing, and those that expect to still be playing.
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Scholastic Statistics:
BASEBALL
DIVISION III
REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
Grand Valley 7, Orrville 4
at Carl “Ducky” Schroeder Field, Massillon Washington High School -
Scholastic Schedule:
FRIDAY, MAY 25
Baseball
Division III
at Massillon Washington High School
Regional championship
n Grand Valley vs. Ursuline (5) -
PV’s Ratliff makes jump to state meet
Quintin Ratliff is Pymatuning Valley’s utlility player.
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Wahoos complete sweep
It’s common to fight fire with fire. (Figuratively, that is — we don’t recommend it be done literally.) Many people believe in “an eye for an eye.”
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Charting the Tribe:
n ON DECK — Cleveland Indians at Chicago White Sox.
n WHEN/WHERE — Today, 8:05 p.m., U.S. Cellular Field.
n TV/RADIO — STO; WFUN, WTAM.
n ON THE MOUND — Right-hander Jeanmar Gomez (3-2, 3.19) for Cleveland; left-hander Jose Quintana (0-0, 0.00) for Chicago. -
Indians at White Sox:
WHERE — U.S. Cellular Field.
WHEN — Tonight, 8:10; Saturday, 4:10; Sunday, 2:10.
PROBABLE PITCHERS — Tonight, RHP Jeanmar Gomez (3-2, 3.19) vs. LHP Jose Quintana (0-0, 0.00); Saturday, RHP Derek Lowe (6-2, 2.15) vs. RHP Jake Peavy (5-1, 2.39); Sunday, RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (5-3, 5.02) vs. RHP Gavin Floyd (3-5, 4.66). -
Sweet 16!
In the spring of 1971 Richard Nixon was in his second year as President of the United States. Since then, there have been 11 presidential elections, with one coming up in November.
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’71 Mustangs were quite a hit, too
In the spring of 1971, making it to the regional baseball tournament was nothing new to the Grand Valley Mustangs.
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