Lakewood Rangers Varsity Football begins its 2010-2011 season on Friday, Aug. 27 at LHS Stadium with a 7 p.m. kickoff versus Lincoln West. All home games this year will begin at 7 p.m. rather than the usual 7:30 p.m. of past seasons. Each game will feature a special theme or activity that aims to recognize various groups in the community. The home opener will recognize all the new freshmen, who will be admitted free as part of their Fresh Start orientation program.

Lakewood has always been known as a community of great sports fans. Lakewood residents have enthusiastically supported the local professional teams since the days of Otto Graham, Tris Speaker and Austin Carr. However, it has become increasingly difficult in recent years to cheer for big name athletes. Many have grown weary of the ongoing antics in professional sports -- large contracts, massive egos, off-the-field crimes and misdemenors. Team owners often aggravate the situation with high ticket and concession prices.

Tackle Football

Grades 5th & 6th - Lakewood Recreation Department is taking registrations for children in grades 5th and 6th to participate in the Little Southwest Tackle Football Conference. This is an instructional league where fundamentals and participation are stressed. Players will participate in a 7 game season against teams from Avon, Avon Lake, Bay Village, Fairview Park, North Olmsted, Rocky River and Sheffield. Cost is $85 per Lakewood resident/$100 per non-resident. Practice starts early August. All participants must have a current physical on file at the Recreation Department at the time of registration.

Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, the Lakewood City Schools athletic teams will move from the Northeast Ohio Conference to compete in the West Shore Conference, which is a better geographic match for Lakewood. The move will allow Lakewood to better develop school rivalries with other western suburbs that are in closer proximity to Lakewood Schools than most NOC teams.

The Lakewood High girl's soccer team has decided to support breast cancer awareness this summer. A portion of our fundraising money will be donated to a breast cancer foundation. Also, our uniforms during the summer season will be pink. We are following in the footsteps of other sports and are using them as somewhat of a model to help accomplish our goal. We are trying to collect and then donate as much money as possible this season as well as spread awareness in Lakewood. We are hoping to start a trend in soccer that has already begun in other sports like volleyball and softball.

We are taking on this endeavor to do our part in improving cancer research for future generations. We hope to be able to say that we’ve done as much as we could to prevent breast cancer and to help make our city more aware of this horrible disease. By doing all of this, we are encouraging future teams at Lakewood High School and other teams across Northeast Ohio to get involved in the fight against breast cancer. We are hopeful that in doing this we can leave a lasting legacy that stretches way beyond the soccer field.

Saint Ignatius Wildcat Crew Freshman 8+ boat placed second in the nation, winning a Silver medal at the SRAA (Sholastic Rowing Association of America) National Championships Memorial day weekend, at Saratoga Springs, NY. The freshman boat qualified for the National Championships by earning second place at the Midwest Regionals at Cincinnati in mid-May.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is estimated that half of the 4 million children injured during sports events or practices suffer repeat injuries. These figures are likely underestimated because other professionals like chiropractors and physical therapists, who also treat young injured players, are not included. There is mounting attention nationally on the growing problem of injuries incurred by our youth because of over-use problems.

An awareness group called STOP Sports Injuries is building national attention to address this problem. An April 1, 2010 online Wall Street Journal article mentions STOP:

The Spring Training Baseball League, STBL, is a great opportunity for players to gain valuable experience on the field at multiple positions.  This league is designed to help players transition into competitive baseball. The ACE staff will coach the teams and run the pre-game skill development sessions. Parents, if you are looking expose your young players to proper skill development and game strategies-this is the program for you!

On February third my oldest daughter Mattie Liston signed an NCAA National Letter of Intent to accept an Ohio University athletic scholarship. She will be competing to become Ohio's starting women's soccer goalkeeper next fall, as Ohio has two graduating seniors this year.

Cleveland Kickers Lakewood Academy will be the new force in soccer in Spring 2010.  A true to form academy aimed at developing student athletes from youth.  Unlike current Premier and “Academy” organizations, CKLA is geared towards training youth players in every aspect of the game, physical, mental, tactical and technical, then feeding them into the highest caliber level of play with the Cleveland Kickers. 

Burning River’s Elite travel team, with players from Lakewood, Medina, North Canton, Brunswick, Solon, Avon Lake, Rocky River, and Cleveland Heights, finished 2nd in the National Tournament of Champions in the Rising Star Division, losing in the Championship game 6-4 to the Copperheads Black (GA) after outscoring their opponents 59-12 in the five previous Tournament games. The Tampa-based Tournament of Champions is sponsored by Dick’s Sporting Goods and is the only National tournament for High School Lacrosse, drawing teams from 20 different states and Canadian provinces. 

2008 Lakewood High School graduate Makorobondo (Dee) Salukombo earned an individual spot at the 2009 NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championship held at the Highland Park Golf Club in Cleveland, Ohio on November 21. Dee, competing on the Denison University Cross Country team, earned this spot by placing second at the 2009 NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championship held at the LaVerne Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana on November 14, 2009. In addition, Dee placed first in five out of seven cross country meets this season for Denison.

Lakewood High Senior, Tracy McCann is signing a National Letter of Intent to play Division One Hockey with Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minnesota. The Mavericks play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) with Ohio State, University of Minnesota, North Dakota, Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State, Bemidji State and 2008-09 National Champion Wisconsin.

Lakewood’s final home football game of the 2009 season was Senior Night, a chance to honor the seniors and their families that have sacrificed so much in the name of Ranger athletics.

For the second year in a row, both Lakewood Shamrocks teams were playoff tournament champions in the Four Corners League.  The Novice Girls team (ages 7-9) capped an undefeated season with a championship game victory on July 30.  The Senior Girls team (pictured, ages 12-14) followed up on July 31 by winning a thrilling 6-5 championship victory over previously undefeated Engine 39.  Both teams are sponsored and coached by Lakewood City Councilman Brian Powers. 

What do the words baseball, fun, and business have in common? The Lake Erie Crushers of course. Join the team on Wednesday August 12th and see them face-off against the Southern Illinois Miners while supporting Lakewood Community Day.

Lakewood resident Dr. Mark Hamm has been named the Ohio Parks and Recreation Department Youth Sports Committee’s Volunteer Coach of the Year. Hamm currently coaches 5/6th grade boys basketball and football programs.

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The Cleveland Warriors are the birth-year based program of the Winterhurst Hockey Association located in Lakewood, Ohio. The "Warrior" program was initiated with the intent of creating teams based on single birth years, with the goal of placing competitive teams into the USA Hockey State and District Championships. This program has been part of the Winterhurst Hockey Association for three seasons and in early March they achieved success when not only one, but both of their Peewee teams, (players born in 1996) qualified for the Ohio State Championship game. The Cleveland Warrior "Gold" team, coached by Jeff Tyhulski, won the game over the Cleveland Warrior "Black" team, coached by Jason Hicar, by a score of 4-1. Both teams reached the finals after winning preliminary spots in the final knock-downs where the Gold’s defeated Rocky River's PWAA team, and the Blacks defeated the Toledo Cherokees.

The Lakewood Rangers boys’ basketball team faced two of the top high school basketball programs in the Cleveland area mid December, losing a pair of games to Garfield Heights, 77-59 and St. Edward 54-45.

Lakewood mother of three, Liz Donnelly Guscott, recently competed in the National Physique Competition, a feat which typically requires several months of training. According to Guscott, “during a figure competition, the athlete is judged by a panel of experts on her overall physique, presentation, [and] muscular development, to name a few criteria.”

Wrestling matches are often won or lost before the teams even take the mat. The blood, sweat and weight shed in summer workouts, early morning conditioning sessions and grueling practices separate the winners from the also-rans more than six minutes on the mat ever could.

That’s why the Lakewood Rangers wrestling team has been working hard since summer, in preparation for the 2008-2009 season, the first under the tutelage of new head coach Russell Germaine.

Westside Yoga Studio located at 17100 Detroit Ave in Cleveland offers Kids Yoga Workshops Beginning Dec 6th with Erin Esposito Peron Certified Yoga Instructor. Saturday Dec 6th from 2:30-3:30 PM $15.00 per child pre-registerd, $20.00 at the door.

Yoga for Kidsy School Ages 5-12. This energetic class explores yoga poses, breathing exercises and relaxation techniques while conveying lessons in self-expression, body image, social skills and positive thinking. Partner poses and cooperative yoga games inspire positive peer interactions and loads of fun!

First year Lakewood volleyball coach Bojan Miocinovic set a pre-season goal of winning one tournament game in 2008.

By winning two thrilling five-game matches in the Division I sectional tournament at Strongsville High School, the Rangers exceeded their own expectation and brought home a sectional championship. The Rangers entered post-season play with a record of 8-14, and a 0-10 make in the Valley Division of the Northeast Ohio Conference...

The Lakewood Rangers boys soccer team ended the 2008 season by bringing home a sectional championship in the most unusual of ways.

After finishing the regular season with a record a 3-11-2, the Rangers drew Lorain Admiral King as their opening round tournament opponent. The Admirals entered tournament play with a 0-16 record, giving up an average of over seven goals a game...

Have you always wanted to try yoga but feel intimidated? In this class you will learn that yoga is for everyone; young and old, stiff and inflexible, those stressed by everyday life. Do something good for your body and mind. This will be a laid back non-intimidating way to learn the basics of yoga, and have fun too! Bring your friends, a towel, water and wear something comfortable. Dawn will take you through the basics of yoga practice, the importance of breath, yoga postures and the benefits that are endless!!

It’s that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, the leaves are changing colors and its tournament time for many high school sports. Both the Lakewood Rangers and the St. Edward Eagles will have cross country, volleyball and soccer teams in sectional and district action this week...

The Lakewood Rangers girls’ soccer team hopes that a season that has seen its share of ups and downs can conclude with the schools first tournament history in recent history.

Lakewood entered Monday’s sectional match against Normandy riding high after ending the regular season with a 3-2 victory at Elyria. The win improved the Rangers record to 5-11. However, that record may prove quite deceiving. The 11 teams that defeated Lakewood entered the final weekend of the season with a combined record of 81-41-12...

The last time the St. Edward Eagles lost to Benedictine, Bill Clinton was in the White House and gas was just $1.00 a gallon.

St. Edward (5-1) combined an overpowering defense, with just enough offense to defeat the Bengals 31-7 in a non-league game last Saturday night at Lakewood Stadium. The win gives the Eagles 11 consecutive wins in the series that dates back to 1957.Benedictine's last win against St. Edward was a 28-13 victory in 1997...

Soccer is about great rivalries, Argentina vs. England, Manchester United vs. Liverpool, and St. Edward vs. St. Ignatius.

Whenever these Westside all boys’ parochial school powers meet in any sport it promises to be memorable and last Tuesday was no exception. St. Ignatius forward Denio Leone received an Alec King throw-in at the top of the penalty box and found the back of the net for the games’ only goal with 10:09 remaining as the Wildcats defeated St. Edward 1-0 in front of a standing room only crowd at St. Edward’s Coughlin Field...

Lakewood High School Cross Country teams competed Saturday September 20, 2008 at the Strongsville Cross Country Invitational. The Strongsville course is a flat course considered fast by most competitors...

On Saturday September 13, 2008, the Lakewood High School Cross Country teams competed at the McDonough Invitational. This event, held at Forest Hill Park in Cleveland Heights, is known as a fairly flat course with one very steep hill. This year, day long rain created an extremely muddy and treacherous course...

The rain! The wind! The puddles forming in unusual places!

This wasn’t a scene from somewhere in path of Hurricane Ike. It was Lakewood Stadium on Saturday afternoon as the Lakewood Rangers took the field against the Medina Bees in a Northeast Ohio Conference Valley Division boys soccer game....

Lakewood High School Cross Country competed Saturday September 6, 2008 at the Walsh Jesuit Tomahawk Run held at Walsh Jesuit High School...

Last Saturday was a great day to be a Lakewood Shamrock! In the Senior Girls fast-pitch softball division of the Four Corners League, the Shamrock team beat the previously undefeated Public House in the championship game...

Last season the St. Edward Eagles traveled to Euclid and came within an extra-point of coming home victorious. The 2008 Eagles made sure this year’s game would not be that close. St. Edward combined an overpowering offensive attack with a stifling defense and rolled to a 37-7 victory over the Panthers in a non-league game last Saturday night at Lakewood Stadium...

When the highlight of the night is the singing of the national anthem, you know its going to be one of those nights.

After being introduced with the starters for last Monday’s Northern Ohio Conference inter-divisional girls soccer game against the Mayfield Wildcats, Lakewood freshman Abby Boland raced up the steps on the home side of Lakewood Stadium, ran into the press box and belted out The Star-Spangled Banner on the stadium public address system. Unfortunately for Lakewood soccer fans the only sounds the rest of the night were Wildcat fans cheering as Mayfield cruised to an easy 6-0 victory...

The Boys Varsity LHS Ranger Cross Country teams began their season Saturday August 23, 2008. The team competed at the Glenoak Golden Eagle XC Invitational. This 5k race, held in Canton Ohio, is a course comprised of open fields and rolling terrain...

Cox Communications today announced the return of the Cox High School Football Game of the Week. Cox Communications is committed to the communities we serve and strives to provide our customers with unique and valuable local programming options. The Game of the Week televises local high school football games, providing a unique way for both fans and players to relive the excitement of their Friday night high school football game...