The Daily Standard
Story Archive
By GARY R. RASBERRY and TOM HAINES
The Daily Standard
As 2023 draws to a close, the time to reminisce about the highlights and stories from the past season comes around.
We've been fortunate over the last several decades to have had a number of significant events in our coverage area for sports, allowing us a chance to put aside the seriousness of the world today.
The Grand Lake area was again replete with success in our local schools. It's difficult to pin down the area's best local sports stories to just 10 selections, but the ones that made the list certainly are worthy.
Celina knocked off undefeated Hamilton Badin in football playoffs to capture the first regional championship since 1998.
Two years ago, Celina went 1-9 in football, losing the final six games of the season with none of their losses any closer than nine points.
But after going 6-5 and making the playoffs in 2022, the Bulldogs went on a tear. After losing a tough opening game to a Versailles squad that eventually went to the Division VI title game, the Bulldogs won eight straight games to ensure the program's first Western Buckeye League title since 1995. Then in the postseason, Celina rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to beat Trotwood-Madison in the second round and then knocked off undefeated Hamilton Badin to capture the first regional championship since 1998. The Bulldogs were a win away from going to state for the first time in 40 years, but ended with a loss to Columbus Watterson.
Brennen Bader's squad had great chemistry and gave Celina fans the most memorable year in a long time.
Marion Local coach Tim Goodwin become just the 18th coach in Ohio history to reach 300 wins.
Having won two straight state titles coming into the season, Marion Local remained the most dominant football team in the state of Ohio, extending their own state record with the 14th state title in school history.
For coach Tim Goodwin, who was celebrating his 25th season as coach - and having coached the team to all 13 previous titles - a personal milestone came about when a 49-0 win over Fort Recovery allowed Goodwin to become just the 18th coach in Ohio history to reach 300 wins.
Goodwin's run was not over, as the Flyers finished 16-0 for the third straight season - extending the nation's longest current winning streak to 48 straight - in shutting out Dalton 38-0 in the Division VII final in Canton.
The Marion Local boys track team came away with the first state title for track in school history in winning the Division III title in Columbus in June.
The Marion Local boys track team, featuring a number of talented athletes - including pole vault champion Nate Buschur - in all events, came away with the first state title for track in school history in winning the Division III title in Columbus in June.
Needing to finish eighth to gain the one point needed to break a tie for first going into the final race of the meet - the 4x400-meter relay - the Flyers did more than enough, finishing second to secure the title.
In addition to Buschur's win, Minster's Taylor Roth defended her Division III 800 run title one day after teaming with Margaret Hemmelgarn, Annie Hemmelgarn and Maria Niekamp to win the 4x800 relay. Coldwater's Izzy Zahn added a state title in the 200 dash.
New Bremen earned the volleyball program its fourth title in school history.
New Bremen earned the volleyball program its fourth title in school history after completing a 25-4 season with a victory over Tiffin Calvert at the Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University.
Diana Kramer's squad won 10 straight matches to end the season and lost just three sets in the postseason. In the regional final, the Cardinals avenged one of their four losses by beating Fort Loramie, and in the state semifinals, they ousted 26-0 Shenandoah in four sets.
In the state final, they beat Tiffin Calvert, which thwarted their previous two efforts to go back-to-back in the 2018 and 2020 state title games.
The Wildcats won their third straight Division III girls state cross country title.
Minster continued its dominance in cross country, as the Wildcats won their third straight Division III girls state title and extended their state record with the 16th championship.
Led by All-Ohio finishers Margaret Hemmelgarn and Chaney Cedarleaf, the Wildcats finished 61 points ahead of Rittman in the team scoring 62-123 with all five scoring runners finishing in the top 50.
Celina sophomore Kenzie Miracle became the first area wrestler to earn All-Ohio honors at the inaugural OHSAA girls state wrestling tournament.
Celina sophomore Kenzie Miracle became the first area wrestler to earn All-Ohio honors at the inaugural OHSAA girls state wrestling tournament in March at Ohio State University. Miracle, the daughter of Celina head wrestling coach James Miracle, finished seventh in the 105-pound weight class after defeating Tinora's Ava Steffel.
Miracle also represented Celina in 2022 in the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association girls tournament before the OHSAA added girls wrestling last season.
St. Marys sophomore Tate Hisey earned his second consecutive All-Ohio finish in the boys' state wrestling tournament, finishing fourth in the 113-pound weight class.
Parkway Softball earned the Division IV regional title.
The 2022-23 school sports season concluded with final four finishes for the Parkway softball and St. Henry baseball teams.
Parkway came through a tough field with wins over St. Henry, Minster and Russia, then erased a 2-1 deficit to earn the Division IV regional title with a 10-3 win over Covington at Northmont High School to earn its fourth trip to state, the first since 2013. The Panthers ended their season in the state semifinal in Akron with a 9-1 loss to Hopewell-Loudon.
The St. Henry baseball team advanced to state for the first time since 2003.
The St. Henry baseball team advanced to state for the first time since winning the third of their three state titles in 2003 by defeating Delphos St. John's 8-5 in the Division IV regional final at Elida's Ed Sandy Stadium. In the state semifinals, despite seven shutout innings from Devin Delzeith, the Redskins (24-7) took a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Russia in eight innings.
Carter Bertke earned All-Ohio honors with a fifth-place individual finish in boys bowling.
The Coldwater boys bowling team finished as the Division II state runner-up for the second straight season and third time in program history at the state tournament in Columbus.
Carter Bertke earned All-Ohio honors with a fifth-place individual finish, but Coldwater lost to Riverside in four games in the best-of-five championship match.
Fort Recovery graduate Nick Thwaits retired from professional baseball after 4 ½ seasons in the San Diego Minor League systems. Photo courtesy of Fort Wayne TinCaps
Fort Recovery graduate Nick Thwaits retired from professional baseball after 4 1/2 seasons in the San Diego Minor League systems. Thwaits retired after his last appearance on Aug. 12 for the Lake Elsinore Storm.
In 109 career appearances, Thwaits, who was drafted in the 15th round by the Padres in the 2018 Draft, was 12-20 with a 4.74 ERA.
Thwaits reached Double-A at the end of the 2022 season and started 2023 in Fort Wayne (Advanced-A) before going back to Class A Lake Elsinore before his retirement.
Minster graduate Ethan Wolf played in the XFL Championship Game in May for the D.C. Defenders. Photo courtesy of XFL
Minster graduate Ethan Wolf played in the XFL Championship Game in May for the D.C. Defenders.
Wolf, who played college football at Tenneseee and was on several NFL practice squad teams before a brief stint with the New Orleans Saints in 2021, had not played in 2022 before signing with the Defenders in 2023.
Wolf recorded 13 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown as a tight end for the Defenders and started the XFL title game, which D.C. lost to Arlington 35-26.
