EDON HILLTOP STRYKER MONTPELIER PETTISVILLE NORTH CENTRAL FAYETTE WAUSEON

THE HOMETOWN

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 24TH, 2014

A WEEKLY SPORTS PUBLICATION COURTESY OF "THE VILLAGE REPORTER"

STRYKER'S RUFFER
TH
SCORES 1000 POINT !

FULTON

WILLIAMS

EDON BOMBERS MONTPELIER LOCOS NORTH CENTRAL EAGLES

HILLTOP CADETS STRYKER PANTHERS FAYETTE EAGLES
PETTISVILLE BLACKBIRDS WAUSEON INDIANS

PHOTO BY LUCINDA HELD-FAULHABER

UP AND IN ... Stryker's Parker Ruffer (24) bypasses a pair of Edon defenders
on his way to the rim as he collects 2 of his 20 points as the Panthers route
the Bombers.

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Varsity Boys Basketball Action

THE HOMETOWN HUDDLE

Ruffer Reaches Scoring Milestone Wauseon On Wrong End Of

In Stryker Win Against Edon
Comeback Against Swanton

(December 18th, 2014) EDON: Stryker's Parker Ruffer scored exactly 20 points
in the Panthers' road win against the
Bombers of Edon on Thursday.
That put him at precisely 1,000 points
in his varsity career.
The Panther senior was humble after
his team's 65-21 victory against the hosting Edon team, preferring to reference the
game itself rather than boast on his own
accomplishments. And there were a lot of
good things his team did in the contest.
Stryker hit on 26 of their field goals
against the Edon defense. Of those shots,
6 of them came from behind the arc. While
that is a good number, that leaves 20 field
goals made from within the arc. The Panthers were able to exploit their size to score
points closer to the basket. Ruffer, at 6'5
tall, made 5 of his own field goals from
two-point range, though he nailed 2 threes
in the game as well.
Two other Stryker boys had double
digit scoring nights. Austin Grisier offered
11 points to the Panther cause, with all of
his points, save a free throw, coming from
close range as well. Tanner Clingaman was
a bit more balanced with his 10 points,
making 2 three-pointers and 2 shots from
the inside of the line.
Edon was led in scoring by Jim Peckham. The Bomber junior managed 8 points
off of 2 makes from long range and a shot
from the interior. Fellow junior Landon
Bloir served as Edon's post presence, contributing 6 points to the Bomber cause. Senior leader Alex Kirkingburg had a rough
evening, putting up just 4 points.
This scoring differential helps to explain
how Stryker was able to put up four consecutive double digit quarters as a team,

while Edon failed to do so even once. Combining for 17 points in the first quarter, the
Panther boys followed up with 11 more in
the second. Coming out of the half, they
scored 21 points, as many as the Bombers put up all game. In the final period of
play, Styrker added another 16 points to
their total.
The win is Stryker's first of the season.
It's also the initial victory of the Kevin Beck
era. So, between that and Ruffer earning
his 1,000 point, this contest was a fairly
historic one for the Panther program.
It feels great; it feels great for the seniors, said Coach Beck. Obviously, Parker got his 1,000th point, but these seniors
have worked tremendously hard. Theyve
had a lot of inconsistency at Stryker, but
theyre really playing hard for me, and I appreciate all their hard work... not just the
seniors, but everybody. It was a great team
win.
Its a great win, with Coach Beck getting his first win as Stryker Head Coach,
said Ruffer. Everybody was involved;
thats the great thing about this. Austin
Grisier had a great game. Tanner Clingaman stepped up. Chad Ruffer made some
threes... This is something that weve been
looking for all year. We let one get away at
Edgerton, and we didnt play well at Fayette, so this was a huge win for us. We got
off the oh-for, and had a great team win.
Edon is still searching for their first
win on the year. Coach Arkwright's squad
is young, mostly inexperienced, and lacks
both size and depth. The challenges are
numerous for the Bombers, but they keep
playing hard regardless. Such an admirable trait is sure to pay off at some point
this season.

(December 18th, 2014) WAUSEON:

For three quarters, Wauseon controlled
the game against North Western Ohio
Athletic League foe Swanton.
Then the fourth quarter happened.
After opening the game on a 15-5 run
which took up the first quarter, the Indians held steady in the second and third
periods with 12 points each. Entering
the fourth quarter enjoying a 39-34 advantage, the Wauseon boys had to like
their chances of winning the contest. Yet
they were outscored 10-2 down the homestretch, suffering from an agonizing 44-41
defeat.
Both sides were remarkably efficient
with the basketball. Wauseon turned the
ball over just 7 times against the Bulldog defense. Swanton, in turn, only gave
the ball up 5 times. This made for one of
the cleanest high school games in recent
memory.

By not turning the ball over, the

Wauseon offense was allowed to run unimpeded. Zach Johnson was a huge beneficiary from this, scoring 16 points to go
along with his 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1
steal, and 1 block. Noah Castle contributed 7 points to the Indian cause, also
bringing in 5 rebounds while making 4
assists and 2 blocks. Unfortunately, he
also fouled out of the game. Jacob Newlov
also totaled 7 points.
Both sides shot the ball well. Wauseon
managed to maintain a 47% average from
the floor, while Swanton kept a 46% average. The Indians took 7 shots less than
the Bulldogs.
Overall, these two teams were evenly
matched, at least statistically. Wauseon
built a lead early, and Swanton slowly
leveled the playing field before dominating
the fourth quarter. This one could have
gone either way.

PHOTOS BY JAKE WEBER, STAFF

SLIPPING THE BALL INSIDE ... Wauseon senior Noah Castle (22) stretches his body as
he places a pass craftily around Swantons number 25.

PHOTO BY TIMOTHY KAYS, STAFF

GREAT CONCENTRATION ... Panther shooter Brannan Woolace (12) completely ignores
Edon defender Braden Miller (10) as he prepares to release his shot.

WELCOME BACK, ZACH ... Zach Robinson (5), another senior for Wauseon, sees his
first action of the year since suffering an injury back during football season. As the year
progresses, and Robinson gets used to athletic activity, he will become an even more
valued edition to the Indians Basketball team.

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PHOTO BY LUCINDA HELD-FAULHABER, STAFF

ABOVE THE DEFENSE ... Landon Bloir (20), an Edon junior, rises as he approaches the
basket with great velocity, paying no mind to the den of Panthers below him.

2 - The Hometown Huddle - Edon, Montpelier, North Central, Hilltop, Stryker, Fayette, Pettisville & Wauseon Sports Action

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Wednesday, December 24th, 2014

CONTINUATION OF VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL ACTION

North Central Nearly Pulls Off

Massive Upset, Loses At Fayette
(December 18th, 2014) FAYETTE: The
North Central Boys Basketball team has
yet to win a game this season. That is very
misleading. The Eagles are a quality basketball team, with depth being their biggest issue. Still, on any given night, they
can take most teams in the area to the
brink.
Just ask Fayette.
The Eagles nested in Fulton county
are considered to be among the best of
the Buckeye Border Conference (BBC) for
2014-15 season. They have size, depth,
shooting, and athleticism in spades on
their roster. Yet, on Thursday, North Central closed the third quarter at Fayette with
a 1 point lead, 37-36.
Fayette
answered
the
challenge,
though, racking up 20 points in the final
quarter of play to North Central's 10, giving the hometown Eagles a 56-47 victory.
Jared Seiler had a lot to do with that. Of
his 7 field goals in the contest, 4 of them
came in the fourth period as the Fayette
player totaled 17 points in the win. Teammate Koby Biddix put up 13 points of his
own, while senior Skylar Lantz contributed

9 points to the victory as well.

North Central's own run in the game
was led by the senior duo of Jordan Bailey and Jordan Reeves. Bailey hit 5 threes
on his way to 18 points, making him the
highest scoring player in the game. Reeves
himself connected on 3 shots from long
range, as he made 16 points against the
Fayette boys.
The downside to the high amount of
three-point attempts is that it led to very
few opportunities from the free throw line.
North Central went 4 for 7 from the line,
good for a 57% success rate. Compared to
Fayette, who made 12 of their 20 attempts,
and it's easy to how the more eastern
based Eagles were able to win this game.
Turnovers weren't much of a factor in
the contest. Both sides gave the ball up
just 11 times. As both squads have a solid
nucleus of veteran players, that's to be expected.
The Eagles of North Central played well
enough to win against a team some might
consider the class of the BBC. Don't be
deceived by their 0-4 record, that team in
Pioneer is pretty good.

JV Boys Basketball Action

THE HOMETOWN HUDDLE

Stryker JV Wins Tight

Game Against Edon
(December 18th, 2014) EDON: Traveling to Edon, The Panthers of Stryker, in
their Junior Varsity incarnation, met up
with the Bombers in what turned out to be
an intense affair. Stryker won the matchup by the narrowest of margins, 24-21.
That's a lot closer than it appeared the
contest would be from the start, though.
Scoring but a single point in the first
quarter, the Edon boys found themselves
down by 8 in the early goings of the game.
They battled back, however, trailing just

16-10 at the half. Stryker pulled further

ahead in the third quarter, however, leading 21-12 at the conclusion of the third
period. The Bomber defense stepped up
tremendously in the fourth quarter, holding the Panther boys to just 3 points. Their
offense fell just short, as the hometown
Bombers fell by 3 points.
Edon's Travis Siebenaler led all scorers with 13 points. Hayden Clingaman and
Alex Bost each offered 8 points toward the
Stryker victory.

PHOTO BY TIMOTHY KAYS, STAFF

HEY, GIVE THAT BACK ... Edon freshman Travis Siebenaler (12) desperately attempts
to retrieve the ball after it was stolen from him in mid-layup by Colin Anders (2)

PHOTOS BY ANGI WALKUP, STAFF

YOU CANT STOP ME! ... Koby Biddix (24) attempts to hold up North Central senior
Jordan Reeves (10) as the latter tries to get around the Fayette defender on his way to
the rim.

PHOTO BY LUCINDA HELD-FAULHABER, STAFF

GETTING THE SHOT OFF ... Hunter Lilleholm (10) lets his shot fly before Bomber Dru
Walkowski (14) can get in front of him and block the shot.

Wauseon JV Win Defensive

Showdown With Swanton

(December 18th, 2014) WAUSEON:

Yet to lose a game this season, the
Wauseon Junior Varsity boys are used to
putting a lot of points on the scoreboard.
But a stingy Swanton defense gave them
their first real test of the year.
They passed with an 18-11 score.
By the end of the first quarter, both
teams were deadlocked at 3 points apiece.
The Indians gave themselves a cushion in
the second quarter, taking a 9-5 lead into

the half. In the third period, Wauseon

gained a slightly larger advantage with a
5-2 quarter in their favor. The two North
Western Ohio Athletic League teams
then added the same amount to each of
their scores in the fourth quarter, giving
Wauseon a hard fought 7 point win.
Will Dorsey scored 6 points to lead
the Indians to victory. Chase Brock and
Derek Anderson both totaled 3 points as
well.

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Wednesday, December 24th, 2014

The Hometown Huddle - Edon, Montpelier, North Central, Hilltop, Stryker, Fayette, Pettisville & Wauseon Sports Action - 3

Varsity Girls Basketball Action

THE HOMETOWN HUDDLE

Wauseon Indians Pummel Stryker Hilltop Invasion Fended Off By Delta

(December 15th, 2014) STRYKER: It
was the inexperience of the Lady Panthers
that left them so vulnerable to a veteran
Wauseon team. The Lady Indians traveled
to Stryker to take on the young team on
their own court, and the result was a 7332 loss for the Panther girls.
Stryker committed 32 turnovers in the
contest. In contarst, Wauseon turned the
ball over just 8 times. The Indians took
several scoring opportunities away from
the Lady Panthers, and relinquished few
themselves.
Making the most out of their team's
possessions were Panther girls Haley
Doehrmann and Taylor Haines. Each girl
scored 9 points in the loss, combining to
total over half of their squad's offensive
output. They earned their points in different ways. Doehrmann, a freshman, connected on 4 two-point field goals in the
game, making her only free throw attempt.
Haines, a sophomore, hit Stryker's only
two successful three-point shots against
the stingy Wauseon defense, going 3 of 4
for her extra points.
Natalie Koenig, a senior, had yet an-

other strong performance for the Wauseon

girls, putting up 20 points. Routinely scoring off of Stryker turnovers, 7 of her 8 field
goals were for two-points. Teammate Maddie Richer, after getting off to a bit of a slow
start to the season, had a great night as
well. The senior offered 14 points to the Indian victory. A third Wauseon senior, Sariah Yackee, added 11 points as well.
The disparity from the free throw line
also makes apparent the levels of experience each team possesses. Stryker made 8
of their 14 shots from the line, a 57% average. The Lady Indians went 14 for 29 from
the charity stripe, making less than 50% of
their shots. Yet getting to the line so much
more still allowed for Wauseon to make as
many free throws as the Lady Panthers attempted, and gave the former a distinct
advantage in this aspect of the contest.
This loss will be a tough one for the
Stryker girls to swallow. Losing by 41 is
always hard to deal with, no matter how
much the cards are stacked against you.
The best thing they can do at this point is
get back on the court and wipe this game
from their minds.

(December 16th, 2014) DELTA: Shipping off deep into North Western Ohio
Athletic League territory, the Lady Cadets launched an assault on Delta's home
court.
The Panthers were ready for them,
though.
Hilltop struggled to mount an offensive,
thanks in large part to their 23 turnovers
on the evening. Of course, the fact that
they were unable to work as a unit when
in possession of the ball was an issue as
well, with the Cadets amounting to just 6
assists against the Panther defense. Overall, their handling of the ball was poor.
This was a major factor in the invading
Cadets falling back after a 57-40 defeat in
the battle of Delta.
The Lady Panthers, on the other hand,
were able to navigate through a tough Hilltop defense quite well. With only 9 turnovers, Delta handled the ball with exceptional care. They also managed to make
11 assists, working together as a cohesive
unit. The Lady Cadet defense had a lot
of difficulty slowing down the hometown
Panthers offensively.
Shooting percentages also display the
Cadet woes on both sides of the court. Allowing Delta to shoot 41% from the floor,
despite the hometown Panthers going 2
for 11 from the three-point line, the girls
from Hilltop couldn't find a way to makye
shooters uncomfortable. Their own shooters had a hard time finding a rhythm,

however, making only 27% of their own

field goals.
Most of those shots were made by Ariana Brown. The sophomore Cadet made 5
shots on her way to 11 points. She also
used her 5'8 frame to pull down 5 rebounds. Felicity Jackson put up 10 points
for Hilltop as well. A lot of those points
came from 2 three-pointers made by the
other sophomore. The rest of her points
came from her 4 for 8 performance from
the free throw line.
That about sums up her team's night
at the line as well. Shooting 56% from the
charity stripe, the Cadet girls connected
on 14 of their 25 shots. Getting to the line
that much shows an aggressive mentality
on offense, something people should have
started expecting from Hilltop. Yet they
usually shoot better from the free throw
line. They did an excellent job of limiting
Delta's attempts from the line, though.
The Panthers took just 11 shots, missing
4 of them for a 64% success rate.
Hilltop also out-rebounded Delta in the
contest. Bringing in 19 boards, they bested the Lady Panthers' 15 rebounds.
It was an uncharacteristic night for
the Lady Cadets. They shot 15% lower
from the free throw line than is typically
expected of them, nor did they take care
of the basketball the way they have been
so far this season. Hilltop will need to get
back to their winning formula in order to
reproduce their earlier success.

PHOTOS BY ANGI WALKUP, STAFF

LOOK OUT! ... Taylor Haines (15) protects the ball for the Lady Panthers as Wauseon
senior Maddie Richer (3) sneaks in to take a shot at the steal.

PHOTOS BY JAKE WEBER, STAFF

KICKING THE BALL OUTSIDE ... Felicity Jackson (24), a sophomore for the Cadets,
looks to pass the ball back to the outside after getting a rebound.

BEATING HER TO THE BASKET ... Brianna Coblentz (25) scores 2 points for Wauseon
as she gets her shot from close range up before Lady Panther Brittany Breier (12) can
disrupt the attempt.

BACKING DOWN A PANTHER ... Facing opposite of her defender, Lady Cadet junior Bailey Funkhouser (20) begins to back down her defender, positioning herself
closer to the rim.

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4 - The Hometown Huddle - Edon, Montpelier, North Central, Hilltop, Stryker, Fayette, Pettisville & Wauseon Sports Action

Wednesday, December 24th, 2014

CONTINUATION OF GIRLS BASKETBALL ACTION

North Central Soars Above

Antwerp In Home Win
(December 16th, 2014) PIONEER: In
a match-up with Green Meadows Conference opponent Antwerp, the Lady Eagles of
North Central showed the stuff from which
the Buckeye Border Conference (BBC) is
made.
And, after suffering a 51-28 defeat, the
Lady Archers found out that the BBC is
made of superior basketball skill.
It was senior Sabrina Pickford who led
the North Central attack, producing 18
points against the Lady Archers. Rachel
Oxender, another senior, put up 12 points,
all of which came from two-point field
goals. Junior Cady VanDeVoorde scored
10 points in the victory, making 6 of her 9
free throw attempts along the way.
Free throw shooting in general was solid for the North Central girls. Taking 19
attempts in the game, they managed to
make 14 of them. This put the Eagles at
74% shooting from the line. They also did
a great job of limiting Antwerp's extra point
attempts. The Archers took just 10 shots

from the charity stripe, only making 6 of

them for a 60% average.
North Central also won the turnover
battle. With just 11 errors to their name,
the Lady Eagles were efficient with the ball
all night long. That's not to say that the
Archers were careless. Antwerp's produced
a low number of turnovers as well at 14.
This is not why they lost so definitively.
That honor belonged to the Lady Eagle
defense. Holding all of the Antwerp girls to
single digit scoring nights, no Archer was
able to consistently hit their mark in the
contest. In fact, outside of a 15 point third
quarter, the visiting girls failed to crack
into double digit scoring per quarter as
a team. Putting up 51 points was a good
night for North Central, but it was pinning
Antwerp down to under 30 points that was
the real impressive feat.
The victory puts the North Central girls
at a 4-2 record on the season. If they continue to play at this level, they'll soon be
adding a lot more wins to that total.

Edon Comeback Falls Short In

Overtime Game Against Montpelier
(December 16th, 2014) EDON: Falling behind at halftime, the Lady Bombers
werent able to battle back into the game
until the fourth quarter. It was there that
they were able to force overtime against
the Locomotives that pulled into the
Edon station.
The visiting girls from Montpelier were
able to slip past the hometown Bombers
in that extra period, however, 42-40.
The duo of Hannah Blake and Baylee
Hageman willed the Lady Locos to victory
over a determined Edon squad. Blake, a
junior for Montpelier, connected on 2 of
her 7 three-point attempts, elevating her
to a 14 point performance. She also had
9 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and an
assist in the game. Hageman offered 17
points to the Montpelier cause. She also
produced 7 rebounds and a steal.
Stepping up as well for Montpelier
was Audrey Pirtle, who scored 8 points
for the Locos. Managing 7 rebounds and
a steal as well, the junior has, at times,
been the third scorer Montpelier so desperately needs to evolve as a unit.
For the Bombers, Alex Kiess bounced
back from a lackluster performance
against Pettisville in a big way. Putting
up 20 points, the Edon senior accounted for exactly half of her teams points.
Kiess also made a steal and an assist,
while also pulling down 6 rebounds.
Kaitlin Sonneberger also reigned in 6
boards in the contest. The junior totaled

10 points, while adding a steal and assist to her efforts as well. Senior Kaitlin
Chrisman added 9 points and 3 rebounds
to the Edon cause.
Montpelier was able to control the
boards in this game, bringing in 34 rebounds to Edons 22. In particular, the
Bombers 2 offensive rebounds, despite
missing 17 shots, really hindered their
ability to score. The numbers of shots
attempted was another issue for Edon.
Montpelier took 30 more shots the the
Lady Bombers, with Edon getting 29 attempts up to the Locomotives 59. With
15 offensive rebounds in the game, it
was much easier for Montpelier to earn
attempts at the basket.
The Lady Locomotives were also extremely efficient with the ball. They
turned it over just 4 times against the
Edon defense. The Bombers themselves
committed just 12 turnovers, which is
typically considered a low number. Still,
its hard to win when the opponent is
playing a near perfect game in terms of
possessions.
Despite Montpelier dominating the
boards and not turning the ball over,
Edon was still able to stay in this game.
This is a testament to the will to win possessed by a Lady Bomber team that has
had a rough season thus far. The fact
that they are still fighting so hard bodes
well for how this team will develop as the
season progresses.

PHOTO BY T.J. HUG, STAFF

PHOTO BY LUCINDA HELD-FAULHABER

FLOATER ... Junior Cady VanDeVoorde (3) uses a light touch to give the ball just MID-RANGE GAME ... Hannah Blake (3) lets loose a mid-range jump shot, releasing the
the right trajectory to avoid being blocked and still end up going through the bot- attempt before Lady Bomber Alex Kiess (22) can block the Montpelier girl.
tom of the net.

Winter 2014-2015 Sports Schedules

December 26 - JANUARY 1
Basketball Boys
(Dec 26) North Central/Wauseon @ Buffalo Wild
Wings Tournament
(Dec 27) Pettisville @ Archbold
(Dec 27) Delta @ Stryker
(Dec 27) North Central/Wauseon @ Buffalo Wild
Wings Tournament
(Dec 29) Edon @ Rt 49 Classic (Edgerton)
(Dec 29) Hilltop @ Fairview Holiday Tournament

(Dec 30) Edon @ Rt 49 Classic (Edgerton)

(Dec 30) Hilltop @ Fairview Holiday Tournament
(Dec 30) Pettisville @ Ottawa Hills
(Dec 30) Wauseon @ Maumee

Classic (Napoleon)
(Dec 30) Hilltop @ Ayersville Holiday Tournament
(Dec 30) Wauseon @ Northwest Signal Holiday
Classic (Napoleon)

Basketball Girls
(Dec 26) Stryker @ Bryan Holiday Classic
(Dec 27) Stryker @ Bryan Holiday Classic
(Dec 29) Hilltop @ Ayersville Holiday Tournament
(Dec 29) Wauseon @ Northwest Signal Holiday

Wrestling
(Dec 29) Wauseon @ Brecksville Holiday Tournament
(Brecksville-Broadview HS)
(Dec 30) Wauseon @ Brecksville Holiday Tournament
(Brecksville-Broadview HS)

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The Hometown Huddle - Edon, Montpelier, North Central, Hilltop, Stryker, Fayette, Pettisville & Wauseon Sports Action - 5

JV Girls Basketball Action

THE HOMETOWN HUDDLE

North Central JV Falls To Antwerp Montpelier JV Team Earns

(December 16th, 2014) PIONEER:

In a tough non-conference match-up,
the Junior Varsity Lady Lady Eagles of
North Central lost to the traveling Antwerp Lady Archers.
The Green Meadows Conference team
was able to best the North Central girls
on their home court, more than doubling
the Lady Eagle point production for the

Road Win Against Edon

game. The final score read 32-15 in Antwerp's favor.

North Cenral never gave up, continuing to fight the Archers throughout
(December 16th, 2014) The Lady Lothe contest. Leading the charge for the
hometown Eagles was Alex Richmond. comotives pulled into Edon looking to pick
The 5'8 sophomore put up 7 points, up a victory against the neighboring Junearly half of her team's total, in the nior Varsity Lady Bombers on Tuesday.
They pulled out with a 36-22 win
loss.
against their counterparts from Edon.
Three players propelled the Montpelier

girls to victory against the Bombers. Meili

Leung had a spectacular evening for the
Locos with 12 points and 9 rebounds in the
contest. Teammate Rebekah Carr earned 9
points and 8 rebounds in the game. Meanwhile, Kaylea Peffley offered 8 points to the
Montpelier victory.

PHOTOS BY T.J. HUG, STAFF

A TOUGH SHOT ... North Centrals leading scorer, Alex Richmond (5), prepares to
fire a difficult shot with a defenders hand in her face.

PHOTOS BY LUCINDA HELD-FAULHABER, STAFF

FOCUS ... Edons Samantha Wiedmer (24) zeros in on her target as she goes through
her free throw routine in the Lady Bombers game against Montpelier.

MY REBOUND ... Erin Ryan (24) uses her athleticism to claim a rebound in North
Centrals junior varsity game against Antwerp.

ORDER THESE PHOTOS & VIEW UNPUBLISHED PHOTOS FOR

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GETTING THERE FIRST ... Shalyn Mason (14) beats Lady Loco Rebekah Carr (3) to
the ball, maintaining possession for the Bombers.

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6 - The Hometown Huddle - Edon, Montpelier, North Central, Hilltop, Stryker, Fayette, Pettisville & Wauseon Sports Action

Wednesday, December 24th, 2014

CONTINUATION OF JV GIRLS BASKETBALL ACTION

Hilltop JV Narrowly Loses

On The Road To Delta

(December 16th, 2014) DELTA: After a disastrous first quarter against the
hometown Panthers of Delta, the visiting
Junior Varsity Lady Cadets battled their
way back into the game.
Unfortunately, their efforts weren't
quite enough, as they lost to a talented
Delta team 29-26.
The opening period of the contest was
not kind to Hilltop. The Lady Panthers
went on a run, leaving the Cadets in their
dust. When the quarter ended, the Hill-

Wauseon Versus Swanton

NO STATS RECEIVED BY TIME OF PRESS

top girls were down 11-3. Resiliently, they

bounced back in the second stanza, trailing just 14-12 going into the half.
Defense ruled the third quarter for
both teams. Heading into the final period
of play, Hilltop was down 19-16. In that
fourth quarter, both teams scored 10
points, leading to the final score of 29-26.
Aubrey Wyse paved the way for the Cadet offense, scoring 7 points in the game.
Junior Julia Dunson put up 6 points in
the loss as well.

PHOTOS BY JAKE WEBER, STAFF

COMIN THROUGH! ... Wauseon freshman Karli Penrod (21) dribble drives to the basket, undeterred by the Swanton defender awaiting her.

PHOTOS BY JAKE WEBER, STAFF

FROM BEYOND THE ARC ... Layni Allport (3) shows off her range with a three point
shot attempt against the Lady Panthers of Delta.

SHIELDING THE SHOT ... Halen Mealer (3) goes up for a layup on Wauseons behalf,
using her left hand to prevent the Lady Bulldog would-be shot blocker from knocking
the ball out of her other hand.

"THE HOMETOWN HUDDLE" ~ HAMMER ATHLETICS ~ MAIN STOP

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

FREE FOR ALL ... With no one having a definitive claim on the ball, everyone goes
after it. Here, two Hilltop girls fight a Delta player for possession, while another girl
from each team lies on the ground after failing to get the ball themselves.

Surely Daisies LLC.

PARKER RUFFER
STRYKER HIGH SCHOOL

SABRINA PICKFORD
NORTH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

Scoring 20 points against Edon on Tuesday, Ruffer helped to secured his teams
first win of the season and Stryker
Coach Kevin Becks first win at the helm.
Of course, theres also the fact that those
20 points put him at exactly 1,000 points
in his varsity career.

Pickford had a strong performance

against the Lady Archers of Antwerp.
Her 18 points was an instrumental
part of the Lady Eagles overwhelming
their Green Meadows Conference
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The Hometown Huddle - Edon, Montpelier, North Central, Hilltop, Stryker, Fayette, Pettisville & Wauseon Sports Action - 7

P A R K E R

R U F F E R

cHARGING

T H E

R E C O R D

B O O K S

Parker Ruffer Of The Stryker Panthers Is The Definition Of Multi-Dimensional

By: Timothy Kays
THE VILLAGE REPORTER

Weve all heard the phrase,

Jack of all trades and the
master of none. When it
comes to Stryker High School
senior Parker Ruffer, the same
can be said with one small
exception. Take out that of
none part, and youve got
a pretty good description of
the guy.
In search of blue chip high
school prospects, the University of Toledo Rockets wasted
little time in knocking on the
Ruffers door. He has signed a
letter of intent to take his immense baseball talent to UT.
He is a flame thrower on the
hill, with excellent separation
of speed with his off-speed
stuff and he has plus control
of both. Watch the coaches in
the opposing dugout when he
steps into the batters box.
Theyre signaling their outfielders as to how to shift
and to play deep. Parker is an
RBI machine with a proven
history of hitting for average,
and he also has a track record
of swinging with game-changing power.
Rocket Man Ruffer has
another arena of mastery that,
for four years in a Stryker
uniform, has been a major
thorn in the side of any team
that has taken on the Panther
Pack. The 6 5 power pivot
is a prodigious defender on
the Varsity hoops squad. You
cant call him a true center
on the offense, though. Sure,
Parker can take the ball and

drive down the paint for a

score, but he can also hit
the fade jumper from outside the key.
What truly separates him
from other big men on the floor
is his ability to effectively play
all five positions. He can bring
the ball down and call plays
like a point guard, and he can
also rush down on a break,
have the defense collapse into
the paint in anticipation of his
arrival, only to see him stop
and pop threes from long distance like a shooting guard.
From his freshman year, he
has grown into, and effectively become a player-coach
type of a team leader, and his
offensive acumen has put
him at the threshold of the
ultimate measure of high
school hoops success a
1,000-point career.
Looking back on his three
years in the Varsity ranks,
Parker sees clearly the path
that brought him to his senior
campaign, and all that will be
going into the journey ahead.
Where did it all come from? Its
all of my coaches and teammates being there for me, and
pushing me to a different level
that Ive ever been pushed in
coming in and working hard,
he said. Thats the thingthe
coaches and the team push
me to be the best that I can.
Thats how Ive gotten here today. What does 1,000 career
points mean to the Rocket
Man? Does it pale in significance now that he has chosen

to advance in baseball? Hardly, as he explains, Its something that you think about
as a little kid that youd like
to do. Youre out there shooting baskets and thinking that
you want to do it. When I look
back at it now, I think that its
a team thing. My teammates
have helped me get there. My
coaches have helped me get
there. Its a special thing that
not a lot of people get to do,
and I feel honored to be able to
be in that discussion of people
whove gotten to do it.
A kid named Ruffer, being
pushed hard, then excelling
to levels far above and beyond
the peers who are pushing. It
sort of has a familiar ring to it.
Put it all together, and
you begin to see a tradition.
A Ruffer, playing for a Varsity
Stryker basketball team, going
over 1,000 points Sound familiar? Does the name Brooke
Ruffer ring any bells? Stryker
is a school of family tradition.
You think excellence in golf in
Stryker, you think the Clingaman family, and for good
reason. Brooke Ruffer, who is
currently a standout at Bluffton College, holds the all-time
basketball scoring record at
Stryker High School. She is
also the slightly elder cousin
of Parker, who has set his
sights on his cousins mark.
Shes got the scoring record here, and sometimes I
give her crap about, Im coming to get you, Parker said
with a smile. Its good. Were

competitive like that, and

thats another area that Ive
gotten it from. My whole family is competitive. Shes competitive Im competitive. Its
nice to have my last name on
the Stryker record books with
her. By the way, its hard to
call it merely a coincidence
that Parker has been dating
Conner Varner for a while.
Who is she, you ask? Just the
most recent member of the
Stryker Lady Panthers who
has eclipsed the 1,000-point
mark - and is now a volunteer assistant coach for Steve
Browns
tradition-steeped
Stryker girls program. Great
minds do indeed think alike!
Coming up through the
ranks, everyone has a hero.
Everyone has someone that
they idolize. Everyone has
someone who they recognize
as the one who sustained
them through the tough
times. Parker is not exempt
from the crowd, but instead
of just one hero, he has three.
When I was in grade school,
he said, Taylor Brown was
a freshman, and he was playing Varsity. I also wanted to
be a freshman playing Varsity,
so when I was in the seventh
and eighth grades, I worked so
that when I was a freshman,
I could be at the level of the
Varsity team. Taylor Brown
was a great leader, and when I
grew up, I wanted to be exactly
how he was on the basketball
court. He was a good kid; he
led by example. He was hard

working, and I really looked

up to him as a sixth grader.
His two other heroes are no
surprise to anyone, his parents, Ned and Connie Ruffer.
My mom and dad, he said.
Theyve been there for me
through everything. Through
ups and downs, through when
I didnt want to play, when I
was strugglingtheyve always been there. My dad is in
here every Saturday morning
after the shoot-around. My
mom watches game film with
me constantly. Its just a family thing; I wouldnt be where I
am without them.
He credits his five elder
brothers with instilling an element to his psyche that is
a commonality amongst the
successful in virtually every
profession. I learned how to
hate to lose, he said. I hate
losing more than anything
in the world. Its something
I cant stand. I lost enough
when I was a little kid, and I
cant stand it anymore. It gets
to a level where it burns inside when you lose, and I cant
stand it at all.
Somewhere, sitting in the
stands of The Cage, there
lurks more than a few elementary school boys who have
been watching big #24 flying
up and down the court. These
are the same kids who mount
their bicycles and bring their
mitts out to the diamond to
watch as the Rocket Man
mows down the opposition
then dream of donning a

Congratulations

Congratulations
Parker Ruffer!

Parker!

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F/Sat: 11 am - 11 pm; Sun: 11 am - 10 pm

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304 Ellis St. Stryker, Ohio 43557

PH: 419-682-1816

Stryker uniform and doing the

same thing. To these youthful
Panthers in waiting, Parker
says, Work hard! It starts
when youre in second or third
grade. When I was in second
and third grade, I was at the
point where I didnt want to
play basketball anymore, but
people pushed me. I got better,
and it got to the point where I
loved the game. If you put in
the hard work when youre a
little kid, its going to pay off
when you get to be a freshman. You can tell the kids
who worked at it when they
were young, and the kids who
didnt, especially when youre
facing Varsity talent every
night. In baseball, Ive been
throwing a baseball ever since
I could throw. I had five older
brothers that pushed me to do
everything in my power that I
could do maybe even beat
up on me a couple of times,
he said with a huge grin.
That was then this is
now. On the evening of December 18, Parker and the Panthers took to the floor in The
Hangar to tangle with their
BBC rivals, the Edon Bombers. Stryker was up big in
the fourth period as the clock
ticked below the seven minute
mark. At 8:34 in the evening,
a perfectly executed inbound
play found Parker behind the
arc. He fired off a three ball
that went in, giving him 20
points on the game, and an
even 1,000 for his career. He
could have probably gone over
the 1,000-point mark earlier,
but he passed up great looks
and shooting opportunities in
order to pass the ball off to his
teammates.
The game was stopped after his landmark shot, and in
a display of exceptional sportsmanship, the Edon Bombers
presented Parker with the
game ball that he had just put
through the hoop. He took it
into the stands and gave it to
his parents, along with a hug
for each of his heroes.
Judging by the amount
of points that he has put up,
those who have been tasked
with the job of beating up on
Parker have very little upon
which to hang their collective
hats, and that trend shows
no signs of changing anytime
soon. Look out Brooke your
cousins a-catchin up with you!
Timothy Kays can be reached at
tim@thevillagereporter.com

CONGRATULATIONS

ON YOUR
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
PARKER!
FROM YOUR
FRIENDS AT...

Congratulations
Parker Ruffer
on reaching 1000
points scored!
Stryker Athletic boosterS

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8 - The Hometown Huddle - Edon, Montpelier, North Central, Hilltop, Stryker, Fayette, Pettisville & Wauseon Sports Action

Wednesday, December 24th, 2014