Sports

Attention all current 6th, 7th and 8th grade Lakewood City Schools students that want to participate in football next school year. You are invited to participate in the first annual series of fun "Football and Food" events. These will be held every Friday from 6:30pm-8:00pm at Garfield stadium from now through July 28th. There will be touch football, trivia games, raffles, prizes and music. After the games end at 7:45pm, pizza will be served. Don't be shy, come out and join the fun.   
 


 
 

On Saturday, June 10, 2017, the Lakewood High School Boys Soccer Program is pleased to host a unique fundraising event. Our goal is to sell over 100 mattresses, with proceeds going to benefit the program and team-building events this summer.

We hope to provide a reminder that if you, or anyone you know might be in need of a mattress, please save the date and visit our mobile showroom at the Garfield Middle School Gymnasium.

This is the time to buy and save up to 50% off retail, all while supporting our program. There will be 20+ sets on display and a team of experts on hand to answer any questions you may have.

Register now for the LHS Boys Soccer Team 2017 Junior Rangers Soccer Camp!

LHS Varisty Soccer Coach Andy Toth and the LHS Boys Soccer Team host boys and girls ages 8-13 for the week of June 19-23 at Lakewood High School!

Players ages 8-10 will practice from 9-11 a.m. and players 11-13 will be 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

You can register through the Lakewood Rec Dept or at www.lakewoodrecreation.com.

The cost is $75 per player and includes a t-shirt. 

Players should bring a soccer ball, water bottle, and lots of energy!

Lakewood's OHSAA softball tournament run ended on Tuesday afternoon in Parma, as Brecksville-Broadview Heights defeated the Rangers 5-0. The Bees, #1 seed in the district, held off a stubborn challenge from the young Rangers. Freshman Payton Rossen pitched well in a complete game game performance for Lakewood. However, Bees starter Addison Cave was dominant in the circle, keeping Lakewood off the scoreboard only allowing one runner to reach third base.

A couple weekends ago the Lakewood Fire Department had to rescue a paddleboarder in distress off the shores of Lake Erie. Thankfully, this rescue had a happy ending. I’m a huge advocate of water safety. As owner of Nalu Standup Paddle & Surf, part of my job is to stress the importance of being respectful of the water, especially Lake Erie, which can grow treacherous in the blink of an eye.  Springtime paddling is one of the most dangerous paddling seasons. People are escaping from winter cabin fever and are eager to hit the water when the air turns balmy, but the water is still dangerously cold. Here are some tips to keep you safe. After all, we want to see you on the water this summer.

The Bowling Green State University Rugby team owned the ball for nine and a half minutes of the first ten minutes of the National Collegiate Championship match. But it was those other 30 seconds that left the Falcons on the losing end of the scoreboard to Notre Dame College. The Falcons had worked their way to the Notre Dame ten yard line only to see a pass interception returned for 90 yards and a Notre Dame try. Stealing the kickoff to Notre Dame, the Falcons again marched to within the shadow of the goalposts. But a dropped pass was booted ahead and a timely bounce into the streaking arms of Notre Dame made the score 10 – 0. The two mistakes put the Falcons in a hole they couldn’t quite pull out of and the score crawled to 34-17 by its conclusion.

The St. Edward baseball team struggled at many points this season, entering Thursday's game with an 8-14 record. Head coach Matt Rosinski and his staff hoped that a very challenging schedule would build the team's mental toughness in preparation for the OHSAA state tournament.  The plan worked on Thursday afternoon in Kent, where the Eagles defeated Parma 10-0 in six innings to advance to next week's district semifinals. Senior left hand pitcher Quinn Lavelle was dominant, striking out 11 and allowing only two hits in a complete game performance.

St. Ignatius rugby hosted St. Edward Saturday afternoon in a highly anticipated matchup of top 5 teams. The Wildcats entered the game ranked #1 in the country. St. Edward, which beat Ignatius last year in the state title game, entered as the #5 team in the US.  The game was played under cool, damp conditions at Wasmer Field in Ohio City. Intermittant rain fell throughout the match, but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the large crowd in attendance. St. Ignatius won the game 26-17, completing a "Holy War Sweep" of the weekend (The Wildcats defeated the Eagles in baseball on Friday).

St. Edward and St. Ignatius took their "Holy War" rivalry to the diamond on this rainy Friday afternoon.  They met at historic League Park in Cleveland,  home to the Cleveland Indians from 1901 until 1946. Both teams entered the game with losing records, hoping for a rivalry win to help turn their season around.

The Lakewood High School Athletic Department had a ceremony Monday afternoon to recognize five seniors that will going on to play Division I or II sports in college. The group consists of five athletes that are also Honor Roll students, with GPAs ranging from 3.8 to 4.3.  Each of the five will attend a different university. Among the group, four of the five are girls; four of the five are staying in state; and four out of five are going Division I.  

Spring high school sports season is in full swing, so here are updates on many of our local teams:  

St. Edward scored four runs in the final inning to defeat Lakewood 6-2 Saturday afternoon in the Rangers baseball home opener at Lakewood High School. A large crowd of Ranger and Eagle fans was treated to a close game on this chilly early April afternoon. The teams were locked in an epic pitchers’ duel for most of the day, and the Rangers scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game at two. Ranger junior Jared Naida pitched six strong innings, keeping the potent Eagle lineup in check.            

St. Edward defeated Garfield Heights 69-65 in overtime Saturday night at the CSU Wolstein Center to advance to the OHSAA Basketball Final Four.  It was also the 400th win of Eagle head coach Eric Flannery’s career, and it earned the program’s tenth trip to the Final Four.  The Eagles overcame a tremendous 27 point effort by the Bulldogs’ Marreon Jackson, a University of Toledo recruit.

St. Edward overcame a 14 point first half deficit to defeat Mentor 62-43 in the regional semifinal of the OHSAA tournament on Wednesday night. The Eagles will meet Garfield Heights on Saturday night at 7pm at the CSU Wolstein Center, with the winner advancing to the Final Four in Columbus.

The St. Edward basketball team released a year’s worth of frustration Saturday night at Strongsville High School. They defeated arch-rival St. Ignatius 69-50 in the OHSAA District Championship game, advancing to the state’s Sweet Sixteen. The Eagle win avenges a district championship loss to the Wildcats last March, as well as two regular season defeats this season.  The two regular season games were both nail-biting overtime thrillers; Saturdays game followed a different script. Unlike the earlier two contests, St. Edward held its second half lead and finally put the stubborn Wildcats away in the closing minutes.

When the St. Edward basketball team left the court after their February 10 loss to St. Ignatius, they had a single goal in mind: to face the Wildcats one more time in the OHSAA tournament. Thanks to their 85-46 win over Normandy on Thursday night, their wish will now be granted. St. Edward and St. Ignatius will meet for the district championship Saturday at 7pm at Strongsville High School. St. Ignatius swept the two regular season games, each a thrilling comeback win in overtime. The Eagles wish to avenge those losses in the sweetest way possible: by ending the Wildcats season.  

The LHS girls basketball team fell  59-34 to Berea-Midpark on Tuesday night in an OHSAA Regional semifinal game. Lakewood played without junior center Olivia Nagy, who was hospitalized last weekend with a kidney infection. The game was played evenly throughout the first half, but the Titans pulled away in the third quarter to advance to the Final 8 in Ohio. The loss ends a wonderful Lakewood season in which the Rangers reached the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1995. The game was attended by a huge Lakewood crowd, which included many former LHS girls hoops players and lots of current students and staff.

Ranger winter sports teams and athletes closed the season out on some fantastic high notes and and the postseason competition is not finished yet. Major accomplishments include competing in state championships, setting records and winning a District championship in girls' basketball!

Swimmer and senior Kelley Reis closed out her LHS swimming career with a 11th place finish in the 100-yard backstroke and 21st place finish in the 100-yard butterfly in the Division 1 State Championship Meet. Reis broke her own school backstroke record twice over the course of the meet and finished with a time of 56.96 seconds. Reis will continue her swimming career on the collegiate level at the University of Cincinnati.

The LHS girls basketball team defeated Medina 49-41 on Thursday night in the district championship game at Valley Forge High School. A huge contingent of Ranger fans made the trip, and they were treated with the program’s biggest win since 1995. Junior center Olivia Nagy led the scoring with 23 points. Medina staged a furious third quarter rally to narrow a 12 point halftime deficit, but Lakewood’s tenacious defense carried the Rangers to victory.

The roller-coaster season for LHS boys basketball came to an end on Wednesday night, as the Rangers fell to North Royalton 62-51. Junior Jacob Sala led the Lakewod scoring with 16 points; fellow junior Liam Doup had ten; in his final game, senior Chris Golden had twelve points. North Royalton advances to the second round of the OHSAA tournament, where they will face Normandy on Saturday night.

The LHS girls basketball team scored perhaps the biggest win of the academic year for Lakewood Athletics, defeating Magnificat 47-36 Monday night in a OHSAA tournament game at Valley Forge High School.  Junior Saher Hamdan led all scorers with 16 points,  but the win was a total team effort. Ryann Greenfield ran the point all night, scoring seven and avoiding turnovers. Olivia Nagy had ten points, multiple block shots, and was a major defensive presence in the paint. The Ribar sisters (Courtney and Emma) played pesky defense all night, creating turnovers and disrupting the Blue Streak offense.

The LHS boys basketball team ended their regular season in style, defeating Amherst Steele 64-56 in front of a packed house at Harding Gym. The win completes a season sweep by the Rangers over the Comets, and lifts Lakewood's final regular season record to 8-14. The Rangers travel to North Royalton on Wednesday to face the Bears in a first round OHSAA tournament game.

The LHS girls basketball team used an agressive defense and a balanced scoring effort to defeat Normandy 65-43 in an OHSAA tournament game Thursday night. Junior Sahar Hamden led the Rangers with 12 points, helping Lakewood to win its final game ever played at Harding Gym.  The victory sets up a Monday evening showdown with Magnificat, which defeated Garfield Heights on Thursday.

The Lakewood Athletic Boosters are holding a Car Raffle – a 2017 Buick Encore from Steve Barry Buick Lakewood or $10,000 cash option. Only 2000 tickets will be sold. The drawing will be held at the Winter Sports Awards Ceremony on March 14 at 6:00 pm in the Civic Auditorium. (Need not be present to win) You can go to our website to purchase tickets through PayPal. The last day to purchase tickets is March 10, 2017 Go to LakewoodAthleticBoosters.org

The Lakewood boys basketball team had a sweet surprise for their fans on Valentines Day. They came back from a 14 point second half deficit to defeat Midview at Harding Gym. Junior Raekwon Whitfield sank a pair of crucial free throws with 1.6 seconds left on the clock to provide the margin of victory. Junior center Jacob Sala led the Rangers with 13 points.

               Olivia Nagy, center on the Lakewood girls basketball team, had quite an emotional day on Saturday. She and her teammates met conference rival Westlake at 2:15pm for the final regular season game of the year. Then at 5pm she had a funeral to attend for her beloved grandmother Helene Nagy, who the family called “oma”.   The Rangers won one for ‘Oma’, defeating Westlake 46-42 and pushing their winning streak to five games.

St. Edward and St. Ignatius faced each other on Friday Night at the Eagles Nest in a rematch of last month’s thrilling Wildcat win at Sullivan Gym. It was another intense contest in front of a raucus capacity crowd. As in the January game, Wildcat senior Matt Davet led all scorers, this time with 31 points. Senior Austen Yarian contributed 19 for St. Ignatius, including many key buckets in the closing minutes. The Eagles were led by Senior Thomas Schmock, who had 23 points.

LHS Girls Hoops -- Senior Night and Tournament Info

A trio of Lakewood High swimmers can now call themselves Southwest Conference champions! Congratulations to seniors Evan Gainous, Preston Polen and Kelley Reis. Reis set a pool and meet record en route to a win in the 100 backstroke and she also topped the field in 100 butterfly at the conference championship meet held Jan. 28 as Westlake Recreation Center. Polen defended his title in the 100 butterfly and Gainous won the 100 backstroke. The 400 free relay of Polen, Gainous junior Colman McGuan and senior Nick Ferrone were also champs.

Tom Hannan is looking forward to being head football coach at Lakewood High School. He takes over the program from Mike Ribar, who is remaining at LHS to coach the baseball program. Hannan recognizes that he faces significant challenges – the Rangers have had only one winning season since their last playoff appearance in 2003.

LHS Girls Hoops Gears Up for State Tournament

State tournament time is quickly approaching for the LHS girls basketball team, which carried a 13-7 record late in the season. They defeated a pair of teams last week at Harding Middle School. First they beat Avon Lake 30-23 on February 1 in a tough defensive battle. Junior center Olivia Nagy led the Rangers with 11 points in the game. On Saturday they beat North Olmsted 38-28 in an all-around strong team effort. Nagy again led the scoring with 12 points, while senior Trinity Nall had ten points.

The Rangers close out the regular season with a pair of home games at Harding Middle School. They face Avon on Wednesday, February 8 at 7:15 p.m.; then they face Westlake at on Saturday, February 11 at 2:15 p.m.. Wednesday will be Senior Night, where the senior members of the team will be recognized in a pregame ceremony.

St. Edward Hoops Back on Track

The St. Ed basketball team encountered a little turbulence in recent weeks. They dropped a heartbreaking overtime to St. Ignatius in mid-January. The following weekend they took a rare home loss, falling to Toledo 57-43. They bounced back to defeat Cleveland power Villa Angela-St. Joseph, but then Mother Nature caused the postponement of a home game against East Village Prep of Detroit. 

LAKEWOOD SOCCER ASSOCIATION: Saturday Soccer Registration!!The registration deadline is coming up soon for the spring season of Lakewood Soccer Association's Saturday Soccer program.

The deadline is Sunday, Feb. 28. Registration cost is $50 for the spring season. LSA still will take registrations after the Feb. 28 deadline, but they are subject to a $20 late fee.

There are a few ways to sign up. Visit the "Saturday" page of LSA's website, www.lakewood-soccer.com, and you can sign up with a credit card online. You also can print a registration form from the website and mail it to us, or you can stop at the Madison branch of the Lakewood Public Library from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11 and 25 to register in person. (Payments at the in-person registration must be made by check or cash.)

February 1 was "National Signing Day" for high school senior football players around the county. St. Edward High School hosted a Signing Ceremony in its gym to honor not just its college-bound football players, but student-athletes from nine different sports. Parents, coaches, and fellow students attended the event on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. The only smiles larger than those on the athletes were those on the faces of their parents. All those years of washing uniforms, driving kids to practice, and nursing to their sons' injuries were rewarded with a college education.

RANGER HOCKEY CONTINUES AMAZING TURNAROUND

The LHS hockey team has been one of the most improved teams in the state this season. Second-year head coach Mark Ferfolia, who has 35 years experience in local high school hockey, has led an impressive turnaround in the program. Last year they struggled to a 2-25 record. This year they are 11-11, with a very strong 7-1 record in their division.

Last season the team was very shorthanded on players. In fact, they were almost unable to field a team. However, a late infusion of players allowed the team to play...although not at a very high level. The roster had a lot of inexperienced players, and did not include an experienced goalie. Defenseman Jonah Treible bravely stepped into the goalie position, one of the most difficult in all of sports.

An infusion of experienced players during this offseason has sparked the turnaround. Twin brothers Rob and Will Holden are among the new freshmen on the team. Will, a forward, is one of the leading scorers on the team. Rob has taken over in goal, allowing Treible to return to his natural position of defensemen. These changes has tightened up the team's defense, which struggled mightily last year. Tracy Holden, the twins' mother, has enjoyed seeing her kids contribute so well. They have been playing since they were seven years old. "It's in their blood," she says with a smile. 

Registrations for our Youth Summer Baseball & Softball leagues are currently underway. From ages 4 to 15 in baseball and  ages 9 to 12 in softball, we offer many opportunities to learn and play the game. Register by February 28th and receive $10 off your youth baseball or softball registration. These are fun and social leaguesemphasizing fundamentals and sportsmanship.

Lakewood defeated North Ridgeville 81-71 in a boys basketball "Battle of the Rangers" on Tuesday night at Harding Middle School. The "Purple Rangers" led most of the game, but needed some last second overtime heroics from junior Raekwon Whitfield to notch their second consecutive win. This win comes on the heels of another last-second victory last Friday at Midview.

The Lakewood girls basketball team held off a furious second half rally to defeat Rocky River 46-44 on Monday at Harding Middle School. Ranger guard Ryann Greenfield scored 20 points to lead the Rangers; center Olivia Nagy had 14 points and five blocked shots; River senior Mary Bebie led all scorers with 21 points in the game.

The Lakewood Rangers girls basketball team defeated Midview 57-24 on Saturday afternoon at Harding Middle School. Guard Courtney Ribar had 12 points to lead all scorers, and center Olivia Nagy had 10 points. The game was a nice bounce back from a 46-43 loss to Westlake earlier in the week. The Rangers have now won seven of their last eight games, and are 9-4 on the season.

St. Edward and St. Ignatius renewed their basketball rivalry at Sullivan Gym on Friday night, and the overflow crowd was treated to an instant classic. The WilSenior Wildcat Matt Davet sank a three pointer at the buzzer to force an overtime period, which Ignatius dominated to win the game 90-80. The clutch three pointer was part of a career night for Davet, who finished the game with 36 points. The game featured all the intensity and passion that you expect from any "Holy War" game.....players dived to the floor for loose balls, bodies banged under the basket for every rebound, and both student sections brought a wide variety of colorful costumes and loud chants. The Wildcats came away with a thrilling come-from-behind win; the Eagles were disappointed with a heartbreaking last-second loss.

Team registrations for our Adult Spring/Summer Softball leagues are open beginning on February 1st. From COED and men's Sunday double header leagues to various weekday leagues, there are many opportunities to play. Players of all skill levels are welcome. New this season is a Women's Classic 45+ Monday League.

After a ten year hiatus, Lakewood and St. Edward renewed their basketball rivalry Friday night at  the Eagles’ Nest. They played their first regular season game since 2006, and the opening night event attracted a packed house. The Rangers and Eagles split the freshman and Junior Varsity games, but the Eagles dominated the varsity contest 106-51.

As Lakewood High School varsity sports transition from fall to winter season, it’s time to salute those from the fall season who earned conference honors. The group is led by Southwestern Conference boys’ cross country Coach of the Year Stephanie Toole, who helped guide her team to the SWC championship. For the athletes, five Rangers led the way as 1st Team honorees.

High school basketball season is right around the corner. Second year head coach Alex Cammock is preparing the Lakewood boys team for their upcoming season, which will begin with a road game at St. Edward on December 2nd. The Rangers will again play their home games this season at Harding Middle School due to construction at Lakewood High School. The new high school gym will be ready for the opening of the 2017-18 basketball season.

St. Edward and St. Ignatius added another chapter to their epic football rivalry Friday night, as the Wildcats defeated the Eagles 38-31 in an overtime playoff thriller.  The loss ended St. Edward’s bid to win a third consecutive Division 1 state championship. The Eagles season ends with a final record of 9-3, two of the losses coming to their west side rivals. St. Ignatius advanced to play Olentangy Liberty in the state semifinal on Friday night.

St. Edward eliminated Euclid High School from the OHSAA football playoffs Friday night at First Federal Stadium. A 48 yard touchdown pass from Eagle quarterback Kevin Kramer to wide receiver Damerisse Freeman broke open a close 14-7 game in the final minute of the first half.  St. Edward went on to win 42-7, and advances to play Stow-Munroe Falls next Friday.

Lakewood’s successful boys cross country season ended October 29 at the OHSAA Div. 1 Regional Meet at Boardman HS. The meet, deemed “The Mini State Meet” by many coaches, included most of the best cross country teams in the state of Ohio. The Lakewood boys, who won the Southwest Conference Championship this year, finished 22nd amongst the field of 25 teams.

Amherst Steele defeated Lakewood 37-14 Friday night to close out the football season for both teams.  The Ranger offense, which this week included the addition of linebacker Kevin Musai, moved the ball on multiple occasions. However, turnovers doomed their effort by ending drives and setting up Comet scores. The Rangers finished the season at 0-10, going winless for the first time since 1977.  

The City of Lakewood will be well represented in this weekend's OHSAA cross country regional meet in Boardman, Ohio. Both the St. Edward and Lakewood boys teams advanced out Saturday's district meet at Lorain County Community College. Leonie Klein of the Lakewood girls team also advanced to compete individually.

St. Edward lost 1-0 to North Royalton Saturday night in a hard-fought Sectional Championship game.  The Bears (11-3-3) advance to face Valley Forge, which eliminated Lakewood earlier in the week.  The loss ends the Eagles season at 4-10-2. Six of those losses, including this game, were to top ten teams by only one goal.

Lakewood lost the final home game of its season to North Ridgeville Friday night. North Ridgeville won “the Battle of the Rangers” 31-0 on a chilly, windy night at First Federal Stadium. Senior running back Quentin Palmer had over 150 yards of offense, and senior linebacker Kevin Musai made some big plays, but it wasn’t enough for the home team. The game was preceded by ceremonies to honor seniors from: the marching band; cheerleaders; football team; girls tennis team; boys golf team; and boys and girls cross country teams.

For the first time in history, St. Edward and St. Ignatius will play the annual "Holy War" football game at First Energy Stadium in downtown Cleveland. St. Ignatius will try to be the first Cleveland team to win a game at the facility this year. St. Edward will try to beat the Wildcats for the third consecutive season. Both teams will try to win the big pile of OHSAA tournament computer points and "bragging rights" that go to the victors.

Most of the Lakewood High School fall sports wrapped up their seasons over the past week. Here is a rundown:

The St. Edward soccer team defeated Max Hayes 7-0 Wednesday evening In a first round OHSAA tournament game. The Eagles (4-10-1) now advance to play North Royalton High School Saturday in North Royalton.

The Lakewood volleyball team won its first round OHSAA tournament game 3-0 Tuesday afternoon at Strongsville High School. The Rangers rallied from a deep deficit in the first game, coming back to snatch victory from the Lady Redmen. They won the next two games comfortably, and advance to play again on Thursday afternoon.

The Lakewood boys cross country team won the Southwest Conference Championship Saturday morning at Lorain County Community College (LCCC). This championship achieves one of the team's major preseason goals, and sets them up to compete in next week's district championships.

             The Lakewood boys soccer team capped off its regular season by winning the Riverwood Cup Saturday night over Rocky River.  The trophy is presented to the victor of the Lakewood/Rocky River game, a rivalry that matches the neighboring soccer-loving towns each year.  The game officially ended in a 2-2 tie, but the teams agreed to a penalty kick shootout to determine ownership of the cup.  The Rangers won the shootout 2-1 to spark a wild celebration at First Federal Lakewood Stadium.

The Toronto Blue Jays aren’t the only Canadian sports team that came south this weekend.  St. Edward hosted Canada Prep High School of Ontario Saturday afternoon at First Federal Lakewood Stadium. The Eagles defeated the Raiders 35-7 on sunny and bright Senior Day. Canada Prep, which is a program that plays exclusively against US teams under US rules, entered the game with a 2-2 record. Earlier this year they defeated St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron. St. Edward entered 5-1, coming off a bye week and looking to close in on a playoff spot.

Lakewood traveled to Grafton on Friday to take on Midview High School. The Middies entered the game with a 6-1 record and chance to clinch a playoff spot. They accomplished their mission, defeating the Rangers 56-7 on a chilly  autumn evening.

Through the first six games of the season, Lakewood’s football team never had the lead at any point. In the first half of Friday’s home game with Westlake, the Rangers never trailed. However, Lakewood couldn’t sustain its success in the second half, eventually falling to the Demons 50-22. Despite competition from an Indians playoff game, a large crowd attended the game. This was the annual “Pink Out Night”  to raise cancer awareness. The LHS Student Council raised $1,000 to benefit the American Cancer Society. It was also “youth night”, as hundreds of elementary and middle school students were recognized for their participation in football, cheerleading, and marching band.    

St. Edward defeated Lakewood 2-0 Monday night in the annual “Community Cup” boys soccer game at First Federal Lakewood Stadium.  The win avenges last year’s Ranger victory over the Eagles in the OHSAA tournament.  St. Edward now leads the all-time series between the schools with 19 wins, 12 losses, and seven ties. The series dates back to 1978, and includes three postseason games.