POSTED 7/15/09
Local AAU Program has Success
By Donnie Johnson
Following up from the AAU State tournament held in Cincinnati, one local program had all three of its teams qualify for Nationals in July. The program is made up of three teams 9Th, 10Th, and 11Th grade AAU teams. The director of the program is Ozzie Davis who founded the Queen City Prophets in 1997. The program emphasizes the strength of becoming young men and staying committed. The program goals are to aim high and send all of its athletes to college on scholarships.
The team members practice vigorously, and mostly dedicate themselves to the classroom. Mr. Davis wants to make sure that his players are students first. He prepares them for testing such as ACT and SAT.
The three teams are composed of different high schools in the Southwest Ohio and have not only made Nationals this year, but placed in last year’s nationals. The team has several young potential players that can possibly go on and play Division I basketball, but they must stay focused in school and on the court to get the job done.
Next for the Queen City Prophets are several tourneys that will get them exposed to coaches and better competition.
POSTED 7/15/09
Withrow High School Shows Promise at Passing Camp
By Donnie Johnson
Withrow High School Varsity football team looks forward to a new season with Coach Doc back and a few new coaches at the helm. The team started the season with a passing camp scrimmage against Princeton High School and Goshen High School. The passing camp consists of seven vs. seven players and there is no score keeping, while each team gets the opportunity to play offense and defense. The Tigers showed effort and possible potential for this upcoming season as they played hard in the two-hour scrimmage.
POSTED 7/13/09
Lakota Sports Organization
By Breanna Avant
Looking to get your child involved in sports during the school year? The Lakota Sports Organization (LSO) in the Lakota School District hosts sports programs during the spring, fall and winter seasons. This organization features four different types of recreational sports for youth ages 4-17 years old including soccer, baseball, softball and flag football.
Executive director Bruce Rhodes says, “Each child is given the opportunity to participate in their chosen sport in a fun recreational setting. We strive to ensure that each child is provided a safe positive experience that will increase their skill and knowledge of the sport they are participating in.”
Mr. Rhodes thinks the program has a bright future. “The leadership of the organization believes that we will continue to have a large population of youth to whom we can offer youth sports opportunities.”
A little more information about the program is that kids are able to participate in more than one sport at different days and time periods of a day to allow multi-sport participation when the family or children choose to do so.
LSO offers a Family Rebate for families that have more than 3 children participating in program during one season and there is also a sponsorship fund that supports families that cannot afford to pay part or all of the registration fees. The Lakota Sports Organization sponsorships are managed through “Reach Out Lakota”, a non-profit, community-sponsored organization for families in West Chester and Liberty Township. For more information about LSO and Reach Out Lakota, go to www.lakotasports.org and www.reachoutlakota.org .
POSTED 7/13/09
Lance Stephenson Commits to UC
By Donnie Johnson
University of Cincinnati Men’s Basketball team is developing their program and has signed a National basketball star. Lance Stephenson is set to play his college career at UC. Lance a 6-6 Forward from Brooklyn New York; Lincoln High School is a McDonald’s High School All-American and is the ranked number 4 shooting guard in the nation. Lance Stephenson is ready to begin the 2009-2010 seasons as a Cincinnati
POSTED 7/13/09
Donnie Johnson, a Careers In Media intern, recently had the opportunity to speak with Allen Payne, basketball star for the Queen City Prophets and Winton Woods High School. Allen continued his family legacy at Winton Woods High School. Allen, who has been playing varsity basketball since his freshman year, has received numerous awards such as First Team All-Conference, All-District, All-city, and Honorable Mention. Allen is ranked top 5 in the state. He looks forward to playing Division One basketball at one of the colleges that has offered him a scholarship.Q: When and where did you begin playing basketball?A: At age 7, I played for a youth recreational team called Mt. Healthy Owls. I played around in Colerain.
Q: What were your first impressions of the game?A: I always loved the game of basketball. I knew how to play it, but followed after my uncles and dad.
Q: What is your favorite class or subject in school? What are your grades like? A: Math is my favorite because it is my toughest subject, but I enjoy it. I have a 3.0 GPA and I look forward to finishing strong and retaking the ACT
Q: Do you think involvement in sports helps or hinders your academic pursuits?A: I think it helps because it keeps you focused and determined to do well in school. You should keep your grades up so that you can play.
Q: Who has been your life role model?A: Two people have been life role models. They are my parents. My father has been influential in my life and in sports all throughout my athletic life. My mom is the main one on me about my grades and daily chores around the house.
Q: Which school is your greatest rival? Why?A: Loveland High School and Bobby Cappobinco who graduated this year has been my greatest rival. I played Bobby about 8 times throughout my High school career and he is a really good player. He is tough to defend sometimes. There have been many close games between us and Loveland High School.
Q: How has the weight room helped you on the court?A: It has helped my game improve, I train with my school three times a week, taking contact and being physical. But as I got older, it has been harder to score because everyone is getting stronger.
Q: What are the most fun moments you've had in your basketball experience?A: Freshman year when I played against Withrow High School at the Cintas Center for the Martin Luther King Classic; It was over a thousand people in attendance. I remember I had 16 points in the first half and finished with 24 points.
Q:What are your goals for your senior year of basketball? A: My senior goal is to win a State Championship. My team has not advanced further than the first round of the tournament since I’ve been here. So advancing further would be an accomplishment; just winning, leading and setting examples to my teammates.
POSTED 6/26/09
Local Track Stars Compete In Nike Outdoor Nationals
By Donnie Johnson
Last weekend athletes from Mason, Walnut Hills, LaSalle and Withrow competed in the Nike Outdoor Nationals. This was the best competition the athletes participated in all year.
On Friday Mason High School’s Zachary Wills finished second in the boys 2 mile run. Withrow’s girls 4x200 meter relay team finished second at 1:37. They qualified for the finals in the 4x100 meter relay where they finished second with a season best of 45.58. The Withrow girls became the national champions in the 800-meter sprint medley with a time of 1:41.77 and finished fourth in the 4x400 meter relay. The Walnut Hills girls team placed fourth in the 800-meter sprint medley. POSTED 6/19/09
Cincinnati to Host 2009 Civil Rights Game and Events
By Breanna Avant
This weekend in Downtown Cincinnati, the Reds will be hosting the Civil Rights game and festivities. This will be a weekend of honoring the men who played their way for freedom in professional baseball. The events are scheduled from Friday the 19
th to Sunday the 21
st, with Saturday being the Reds Civil Rights game against the Chicago White Sox.
Starting on Friday the 19
th, there will be a Roundtable Discussion on Baseball and the Civil Rights Movement held at the Freedom Center from 4-5:30 pm. The panelists include former Red Tony Perez, basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, former Major League all-star Harold Reynolds, and others. On Saturday, there will be the invitation only Major League Baseball Beacon Awards Luncheon honoring baseball great, Hank Aaron, comedian and activist Bill Cosby, and boxing legend Muhammad Ali. On that same day, former and current Reds will be hosting a Youth Summit from 2-7pm. Harold Reynolds, Brandon Phillips, Jerry Hairston Jr., and former Red Eric Davis will hold demonstrations and interactive activities with youth. There will also be a Q&A session from 4-5pm with “Corey in the House” star Kyle Massey and Christopher Massey, country singer Rissi Palmer, actor Josh Hutcherson and Eric Davis. And finally, on Father’s Day there will be another game against the White Sox at 1:10pm.
Overall, if you are not planning on going to the baseball game, you can always look forward to the activities going on all around the downtown area. This will be a celeb-filled weekend that Cincinnati will not forget. This Civil Rights weekend is important to learn about historical figures that played this game and worked hard to earn their rights. For more information go to
http://www.reds.com/ POSTED 6/18/09
A Chance to Redeem
By Breanna Avant
In the 2008-09 varsity football season of Shroder High School, the team had a record of 4-6. The leading rusher, Winston Wilks finished the season with 1,080 yards and 9 touchdowns. Wilks also led the team in receiving with 442 yards. But the key to most of the offensive yards was quarterback Alex Springs, who finished the season with 1,374 passing yards.
The Jaguar defense finished the season with 13 interceptions, 36 sacks, 16 forced fumbles, and 7 fumble recoveries. The three main seniors who led the defense were Chris Pinnock with 88 tackles, Kenneth Johnson with 12 sacks, and Tremayne Smith with 2 interceptions. With all of the great stats, the defense did well, but not enough to finish powerfully.
The 2009-10 season will be a major challenge for the Shroder varsity football team without those powerhouse seniors. It will be the ultimate test to see if the Jaguars can build a strong offense and defense that will lead them to a state championship. Anything is possible…right?
POSTED 6/17/09
Lady Tigers Take 2nd at State
By Donnie Johnson
The Ladies of the Withrow High School track team knew they had to live up to their standards in accomplishing their state goals. After getting disqualified in the 4x200 meter relay, which cost them a shot at the gold medal, the Tigers fought back by setting a relay record and winning at the state level in Columbus.
The girls 4x100 relay placed first in this year’s state championship. They finished the season setting a new state record with a time of 46.53. Junior Genesis Calhoun, and seniors, Brittany Smith, Jonnique Lawrence, and Jade Clingman were key components to their success.
The 4x400 meter relay composed of Clingman, Lawrence, Jade Loveless, and Skyler Willis ran a time of 3:50.30, placing second to Reynoldsburg High School. The Lady Tigers were also supported by teammates that competed in individual events. Among them were Senior Jalesha Jarmon who finished 2
nd place in long jump at 18-5.5, and Freshman D’Monami Gardner who placed 3
rd in shot put at 41-3. These additional individual events helped the Tigers secure an overall second place spot.
The team has been practicing vigorously for at least four hours everyday. The Lady Tigers will compete in the national competition held in Greensboro, North Carolina, June 20, in hopes of becoming All-American high school athletes.
