The thought drives athletes of the past and present up a wall. It’s ingrained into psyche and also frowned upon by others. Losing simply doesn’t feel good.

What people tend to overlook is how losing doesn’t have to be all negative. The lessons learned from losing are often more numerous than what is gained from winning. Athletes learn to improve upon their deficiencies and are better off going forward.

Take Keystone defending Division III 157-pound state champion and two-time state qualifier Tristin Greene as an example.

Entering the 2022 Division II state wrestling tournament with a 46-3 record as a sophomore at 138 pounds, Greene scored a tech fall and a decision on his way to the championship semifinals the night of March 12. A win would put him in the title match.

When an exhausted Greene fell to Columbian’s Bret Minnick by decision, 7-2, he was visibly upset. While he’d win another match, he’d lose out on third place via a 3-1 decision. That left him even more frustrated coming off the mat during the third day’s morning session.

Once he got over those sophomore year shortcomings, all Greene has done is win and learn from those experiences. He became a Fargo National Champion in 16-Under Greco Roman that same summer before taking home the state crown last year, going 47-2.

On Jan. 13, Greene kept rolling and at Northwestern’s Husky Invitational, he reached a significant milestone – 150 career wins.

I spoke to @klsd_wrestling state champ Tristin Greene the other day. He just picked up his 150th win Jan. 13 at a tournament out in Northwestern. He's now at 153.

He needed 20 wins coming into the year to reach the marker. He knew it was coming for a while. @MJournalSports pic.twitter.com/yPlJeIG6iN

— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) January 18, 2024

“I knew this was coming for a while now,” Greene said. “Last year, I ended the season with about 130 – maybe a little more – wins. But I knew it was coming, knew it was going to be any day now. It happened last weekend, and it was kind of cool.”

Following two conference quad dual wins Jan. 18, Greene sits at 155 career wins to 12 career losses. He has lost only four total OHSAA matches since his junior year began – two losses each in 2022 and 2023 at the Walsh Iron Man, considered to be one of – if not the – toughest tournaments in the nation.

While those losses have built Greene up, they don’t define him. The past is the past, and he’s looking forward to bigger and better things.

“I try not to look back on losses in a negative light,” he said. “Like I said before, I look at them for guidance and how to get better.”

Greene has a pathway to take over the top spot on the Wildcats’ career wins leaderboard by the end of the year. William Spangler (173-23 record) and Brian Spangler (157-22) stand in Greene’s way – with the current senior having an outside shot at 175 career victories. What would Greene say to himself back two years ago after all he’s accomplished since then?

“Just keep working hard,” Greene answered.

“Push yourself, go with the best guys you can. Don’t think about trying to win state anymore – try thinking about winning nationals. Try to prepare yourself to beat the best guy in the nation instead of the best guy in the state because the best guy in the state will come naturally if you can beat the best guy in the nation. Always look for that next step.”

Greene has done exactly that. He keeps his focus on the moment and never looks too far ahead in a bracket trying to gameplan a path to the finals. That’s where many wrestlers will trip themselves up mentally by ignoring the opponent in front of them.

“That’s always been… kind of pushed in my skull,” Greene noted. “Just don’t look at the brackets too much, don’t really worry about who you’re going to face. Just wrestle your next match.”

Greene seeks out the best competition and continually works on addressing his flaws, many of which are hard to find nowadays.

“You can ask my coach (Chris Vondruska), I always ask for film,” he said. “I always look for what my guy does – I love planning against my guys.”

Greene cracked a smile, as a memory bubbled to the surface.

“Coach (Vondruska) once made a joke that if I could know what (my opponents) had for breakfast that day, I’d want to know.” The defending state champ chuckled before wrapping up his point.

“I’m just a very competitive person. I love to win. And if I can do almost anything to get a better chance at that, I would.”

Elyria>>Girls wrestling

Sophomore>>135 pounds

On the mat: Went 5-0 with four pins and won the individual championship at the Freddie Invitational in Fredericktown.

Off the mat: Nicknamed ‘Em.’ Conley’s favorite sports memories often involve spending free time with her teammates before and after tournaments. Her favorite hobby is drawing and favorite school subject is chemistry. Conley’s favorite song is “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Austin Dye

Midview>>Boys wrestling

Senior>>285 pounds

On the mat: The two-time state qualifier and one-time state placer took home the individual title at the Maumee Bay Classic, recording his 100th career win in the process.

Off the mat: Dye is undecided on what college he wants to go to, but he plans to wrestle if he attends. One of his favorite sports memories was at last year’s state wrestling tournament when he won his match to place after losing to the same wrestler by a point in the district championship semifinals. A few hobbies of his are swimming, playing basketball with friends, and working on old cars.

Evan Alexy

Bay>>Boys basketball

Senior>>Center

On the court: Against Elyria Catholic on Jan. 9, Alexy posted a double-double with 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and a block.

Off the court: Nicknamed “King,” Alexy’s top choices for college are Dayton and Miami University, and he’s undecided about playing basketball in college. In his own words, “I’ve lived in Bay Village my whole life. My favorite hobbies have to be going fishing or golfing. And finally, my favorite basketball memory is getting an alley-oop dunk in our first playoff game last year, and then winning that game.”

Emma Molenaar

Avon>>Girls swimming

Freshman

In the pool: Molenaar did not lose over the previous week, going 7-for-7 in winning events at dual meets. She also qualified for all four of her events’ finals at the 87-team classic, among other feats.

Out of the pool: In Molenaar’s own words, “I have been swimming competitively since the age of 7 and my favorite memory throughout the course of my athletic career would have to be the time I broke a minute in my 100 free for the first time. My hobbies include writing, journaling and reading! Biology is my favorite school subject, my favorite food is sushi, and my favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks.”

Ian Rottari

North Ridgeville>>Boys wrestling

Junior>>106 pounds

On the mat: Rottari went 6-0 last week with five pins and a decision, going on to win the 106-pound championship at the John Matteucci Memorial Classic. In his finals match, Rottari was down 10-0 and came back with a pin to win the championship

Off the mat: In Rottari’s own words, “My favorite sports memory was qualifying for districts my freshman year. My hobbies are playing video games and training jiu-jitsu with my dad and my brother. Some things I like are my dogs, watching UFC and going out to eat. My favorite food is shrimp, and my favorite show is “Attack on Titan.”

Isabelle Niederst

Elyria Catholic>>Girls basketball

Senior>>Point guard

On the court: Going up against Rocky River on Jan. 13, Niederst stuffed the stats sheet with 29 points, seven rebounds, three assists and five steals.

Off the court: Nicknamed “Iz,” the Avon native will be attending Tiffin University, where she will play basketball. Her favorite sport is basketball and she also loves volleyball and softball. Niederst’s favorite school subject is math and her favorite food is steak. She likes watching college basketball and football. For music genres, she likes country and rap.

Ben Montgomery

Brookside>>Boys basketball

Senior>>Guard

On the court: Montgomery had 21 points on 8-for-9 shooting – going 5-for-6 from the free-throw line, with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in the Cardinal’s 95-76 win over Black River on Jan. 9. He had only scored 23 points on the season going into that game.

Off the court: Nicknamed “Showtime,” Montgomery is undecided on college. His favorite sports memories are being named a two-time All-Ohio selection in football and “Going to B-Dubs with the team.” His favorite school subject is Advanced Video Production; Movie: “Wolf of Wall Street;” TV Show: “Jujutsu Kaisen;” Musician: J Cole and sports team: Cavaliers.

Edgardo Cordero

North Olmsted>>Boys basketball

Senior>> Shooting guard

On the court: In two huge wins over Westlake and Bay, Cordero has averaged 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Against Bay, the game was tied 58-58 with 10 seconds left and Cordero drove to the rim and got an and-one free-throw to go through to win the game.

Off the court: Nicknamed “Eggie,” Cordero said that he plans on going to college and play basketball, but is undecided. In his own words, “My favorite memory playing basketball at North Olmsted was my junior year when we would go out with the team to eat. Those were always the best. I miss my teammates from last year. My hobbies are helping my mom around the house and spending time with family, which I think is very important. I have hitchhiker’s thumb. I was told it is very rare and a secret talent I have is playing the guitar. I love all Cleveland sports but my Browns take the cake. I love watching them play on Sundays, whether I’m at the game or watching on the TV.” His family is spread from the Dominican Republic to California, New York and Florida.

A district qualifier in 2022 as a freshman, Rottari improved in his second high school season but narrowly missed on a return trip to the district round in 2023.

Earning 43-second pinfall victory against Berea-Midpark in a Jan. 18 dual match — which went in the Titans favor by a 60-21 final score — the junior was one of four Rangers winning in the five wrestled matches.

Rottari went out on the mat as the aggressor and came away with his 20th victory of the season to only six losses.

Got two videos from tonight's @NR_Wrestle and @BMHSTitanWR match. I'll post the second later/tomorrow.

Ian Rotarri (106) won his match by 0:43 fall. It's the junior's third season at 106 pounds. He's really made a big jump from when I saw him as a freshman. pic.twitter.com/75cBQgIkcJ

— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) January 19, 2024

The weekend prior, Rottari trailed by as much as 10-0 in the second period of Eastlake North’s John Matteucci Memorial Classic against Western Reserve freshman Lucas Summerfield.

Using experience and skills built upon several more high-level matches, Rottari turned the tables and scored a pinfall with 25 seconds remaining in that second period to take the tournament title away from Summerfield.

“This year, I feel like I’m going out (on the mat) with a lot more confidence,” Rottari noted. “I know what my moves are going to be. I’ve been really honing in on that bar — I’m really getting that move down. I’m just going out there with a lot more confidence, a lot more energy.”

PHOTOS: North Ridgeville vs. Berea-Midpark wrestling, Jan. 18, 2024

Rottari managed to keep his composure in that title match, not initially realizing he’d beaten Summerfield.

“It was unbelievable!” Rottari exclaimed. “When I won, it didn’t sink in until a couple of seconds after.

“I kept my composure — I felt that he was going a little to high (with positioning). He was getting a little cocky, in a sense. So I took advantage — took my shot, hit my quarter, and it was there. It was a pin.”

“Ian’s had his ups and downs, but he’s seemed to develop a pretty good mindset right now. We’re watching him become more aggressive,” North Ridgeville coach Joel Melvin said, who was coaching the girls team last week and at another site but was following along.

“To see him down and come back to get the pin, that’s the grit that we need out of him,” Melvin continued. “We need him. He’s 106 pounds, he’s a junior and he should be able to be very successful. He’s got the skill set – Now it’s just a matter of digging down deep and just getting after it.”

With most wrestlers who start at 106 pounds typically being first or second-year high school wrestlers, Rottari’s third season at the lightest weight class isn’t typical. Compared to other high schoolers, he has an edge in the experience department as an elder statesman of sorts.

With each weight class there’s a different style to it, with the style of someone wrestling at 138 pounds vastly different from Rottari’s 106 class. He’s seen the moves in nearly 100 total high school matches and how to stay in the moment against kids who may have done a lot of work in youth, but not on the high school stage before.

Rottari’s made those mistakes the younger wrestlers have made and he knows from experience what to look for from his opponents.

“Back in those (first two) years, I’d always get hit with those bars and get snapped down,” he said. “Now I’m doing the moves on them. I can definitely recognize the patterns of my mistakes and put them onto the mat.”

106 pounds

113 pound

120 pounds

126 pounds

132 pounds

138 pounds

144 pounds

150 pounds

157 pounds

165 pounds

175 pounds

190 pounds

215 pounds

285 pounds

Bellevue 49, Elyria Catholic 44

Cuyahoga Heights 50, Bay 47

Cuy. Hts * 8 * 13 * 15 * 14 * – * 50

Bay * 10 * 14 * 11 * 12 * – * 47

Avon 70, Amherst 49

Avon: Ziegler 17, Good 14, Leftrict 4, Fitch 3, Austin 10, Atkins 3, Jaber 8, Falasco 7, Toniolo 4

Amherst (5-6, 1-5): Yoder 6, Dudziak 11, Draga 2, Bray 7, Young 8, Solak 15

Avon * 19 * 10 * 15 * 26 * – * 70

Amherst * 8 * 15 * 14 * 12 * – * 49

Girls basketball

North Ridgeville 52, Avon Lake 49

Avon Lake (11-3): Tobin 11, Summerfield 9, Polinko 3, O. Miller 12, Jones 3, Springer 11

North Ridgeville (12-3): Eldridge 8, Schulz 2, Lime 5, Balderas 3, M. Miller 5, Kingery 27, Bouman 5

Avon Lake * 10 * 16 * 13 * 10 * – * 49

N. Ridgeville * 14 * 17 * 12 * 9 * – * 52

Free throws: Avon Lake 7 of 10, North Ridgeville 10 of 10; 3-pointers: Avon Lake 7 (Tobin 3, Summerfield, Polinko, Jones, Springer), North Ridgeville 8 (Kingery 3, Eldridge 2, Lime, Balderas, Miller)

Avon 51, Amherst 47

Amherst: Ferancy 17, Kelley 14, Silvasy 6, Darmos 5, Pleban 5

Avon: Drenik 16, E. Owens 9, Ptacek 8, A. Owens 7, O’Leary 6, G. Mangan 5

Amherst * 5 * 11 * 18 * 13 * – * 47

Avon * 16 * 8 * 16 * 11 * – * 51

Free throws: Amherst 6 of 10, Avon 4 of 13; 3-pointers: Amherst 7 (Ferancy 3, Silvasy 2, Kelley, Pleban), Avon 7 (E. Owens 2, O’Leary 2, A. Owens 2, G. Mangan)

Bay 46, Vermilion 39

Rocky River 54, North Olmsted 17

Olmsted Falls 62, Berea-Midpark 39

Firelands 60, Clearview 38

Keystone 68, Brookside 25

Keystone: Houston 14, K. Crabeels 1, Barber 10, Cassell 15, Graham 2, Forthofer 4, Stefan 3, Sokolowski 17, C. Crabeels 2

Brookside: A. Davis 3, Gonzalez 3, Slaughter 9, Schmidt 4, Banjoff 1, Alipp 3, D. Davis 2

Keystone * 25 * 20 * 17 * 6 * – * 68

Brookside * 10 * 5 * 0 * 10 * – * 25

Free throws: Keystone 7 of 17, Brookside 7 of 18; 3-pointers: Keystone 9 (Sokolowski 3, Houston 2, Barber 2, Stefan, Cassell), Brookside 4 (Slaughter 2, Gonzalez, A. Davis)

Wellington 50, Oberlin 35

Midview 50, Elyria 43

Columbia 71, Black River 30

Black River: R. Kubitz 8, M. Kubitz 4, Kaiser 2, Kattenbaugh 4, Bungard 12

Columbia: Champagne 13, Herhuth 6, Miller 13, Menge 19, Schulke 9, Heidecker 11

Black River * 10 * 7 * 8 * 5 * – * 30

Columbia * 17 * 18 * 24 * 12 * – * 71

Free throws: Black River 2 of 4, Columbia 6 of 10; 3-pointers: Black River 2 (Bungard 2), Columbia 9 (Menge 5, Miller 3, Champagne)

Boys bowling

North Olmsted 2,328, Elyria 2,200

Olmsted Falls 2,495, Westlake 2,061

Boys swimming and diving

Berea-Midpark 129, North Ridgeville 46

Girls swimming and diving

Berea-Midpark 111, North Ridgeville 68

Callie, the elder sister to sophomore state placer Cailyn, had a 13-7 record entering a Jan. 9 tri-match against Brunswick and Avon Lake. While she had a rough go at it with Avon Lake’s returning state runner-up in Rejan Al-Hashash, she dominated her Brunswick opponent in her first dual match.

Avon Lake bested Brunswick, 42-6, in the first dual.

Columbia has the match in their favor with another match or two to go vs BRUNS.

140: Callie Demagall, who last wrestled as a youth wrestler, has been having a great season. Pinned her opponent in 0:58

AL-COL next pic.twitter.com/HTuANZtNkE

— Sean Fitzgerald (@fitzonsportsbsr) January 10, 2024

Her opponent took a shot and Callie sprawled perfectly, spinning around for two points and eventually scoring the pinfall in 58 seconds. Demagall’s opponent never came close to earning an escape, as they were utterly helpless in the former’s grip.

Prior to the senior’s return to the mat, she’d been out of wrestling for six years. Senses dull and it takes time to get back into a groove, but the elder of the Raiders’ Demagall sisters has done excellent work in her return to the mat.

“I was shocked at how fluid she was right away coming back after six years off, but she’s an athlete,” Columbia girls coach Marti Belfi praised Demagall. “That’s what athletes do — she came in, started working, knocking the rust off (and) she looked good right away. We still have a lot to work on. A lot work on as far as confidence goes and having the confidence to pull the trigger on some of her moves.”

Having done well in other sports at Columbia, what made her decide to return to wrestling after so many years?

“I’ve always been involved in the sport since Cailyn was younger since we both started off in youth. Seeing her and all her teammates wrestle just made me miss the sport,” Callie said. “Just sitting on the sidelines wasn’t enough for me.

“I wanted to get back out on the mat and show what I’m made of against all of the other girls, seeing how far I can compete. Especially being off for so long and being a senior — I’ve wanted to come back since last year or sophomore year. I love the sport and I just want to come back and compete for myself.”

Beyond Coach Belfi, other coaches in the program have praised Callie for her work ethic and how she’s been able to pick up the moves and technique after last donning a singlet and headgear at the youth level. She says that it’s been easy to work with her top game, “breaking them down and getting them in pin combinations and getting the half in.”

“Youth stuff that I’ve remembered – the easy stuff like the hald and the bar, all of that,” Callie said. “The hard stuff is trying to work in my shot, setting up my girl and getting back in the rhythm of a good shot and a good takedown to get them on their stomachs so I don’t have to work as much.”

With Cailyn placing seventh as a freshman last year and being back in the wrestling room with her sister and the other girls, Callie says it’s been a good experience having that kind of comradery around her.

“Cailyn and Youstina (Hanna) and all of the other girls in the room really help me work on my moves. They take me step-by-step through new moves and what works for them and what can work for me, just help me break down my girl. After every match and every meet, they help me break down the stuff I saw – what was wrong with me (in the match) – and make a better move out of it next time.”

100 pounds

105 pounds

110 pounds

115 pounds

120 pounds

125 pounds

130 pounds

N/A

135 pounds

140 pounds

145 pounds

155 pounds

170 pounds

190 pounds

235 pounds

The young Demons went 3-0 in their dual pool matches, beating Bay, Strongsville and Lorain to match up with Hudson in the title dual round Jan. 13 on their home mats. While the Explorers secured the tournament title with a few matches remaining, both the young wrestlers and the veterans took strides forward on the day.

“We were happy to get a lot of good matches in today,” Carpenter said. “(From) Lorain, Bay, and then Strongsville and Hudson, we got a lot of great competition in. Some outcomes weren’t great – a lot of things to work on for both our new guys and our veterans.

PHOTOS: Westlake Coach Ant Classic wrestling, Jan. 13, 2024

“But we saw a lot of good things, too, where they’re wrestling hard, competing hard and the young guys are coming around.”

At the GLC Duals Tournament a little less than a month before, Westlake ran up against conference dynamo Buckeye, with only returning state qualifier Brad Cerankosky (113) and junior Tanner Moore (132) winning matches that Dec. 22 afternoon.

Several matches in the title round with Hudson went full time or deep into second and third periods, especially among the younger middle and heavyweight wrestlers. One example was junior Sammy Salem (215) gutting out a narrow 2-1 decision. Against Buckeye, he was taken down quickly.

Following that slow start, those newer and less experienced wrestlers like Sosa have started to come into their own. It’s perfect timing, too, with the GLC Conference tournament at Westlake just under a month away.

“Sammy has done a nice job. He struggled a little bit earlier on in the season but he’s come around and been confident,” said Carpenter. “He’s won a lot of matches for us recently. Hopefully, we keep improving him and the whole rest of the team – and get a lot of guys hopefully placing and winning conference, get as many guys as we can at districts and see where we can go from there.”

In the third-fourth place dual, Rocky River and Bay were neck-and-neck, with the lead yo-yo-ing from one side to the other. The two sides tied at the GLC Duals, with Bay prevailing on tiebreaker back in December.

With Rocky River up, 36-34, heading into the final match, Bay had their ace in the hole to close things out at 120 pounds – 2023 state placer Anthony Rocco.

The senior Rocket kept getting takedowns and racking up points initially. While he looked set to go for a tech fall, Rocco quickly finished his opponent off via fall to cap off Bay’s day with a 3-1 team performance with a 40-36 win.

“It was good. It was a lot of fun,” Rocco said of the two duals versus the Pirates. “I know a lot of the people, they’re great wrestlers all-around. It was a lot of fun and I wanted to get a high-crotch in… that’s something I need to work on and work on my shots.

“Then I looked up and my coach was like ‘OK, what are you doing?’ and I’m like ‘all right’, that’s basically it. It was a lot of fun though.”

Strongsville came out ahead of North Olmsted for fifth place, with Lorain and Warrensville Heights rounding out the final two spots in the field.

At Warrensville Heights on Jan. 12, Lorain being able to steal a conference road win would have been a huge boost and put the team back within a game of .500 ball.

While the Tigers had a three-point lead at the half, Chris Brownlee Jr. and Warrensville began to pull away with an 11-4 run to close out the third quarter, eventually downing Lorain, 62-41.

The game was as close as 34-28 with 4:40 remaining in the third quarter when Warrensville Heights went on its run, with the Titans barely mustering any offense to counter the Tigers’ attack.

“We just couldn’t hit shots,” Lorain coach Matthew Kielian stated. “They just weren’t falling. We went down and played defense and (Warrensville) hit a couple of shots and and-ones. An eight-point deficit became a 12-point deficit and we just couldn’t recover.”

Lorain’s Jai’den Guerra-Howard had no problem finding the basket, with 17 points through three quarters of action. But with a 53-35 Tigers lead with a little more than four-and-a-half minutes left to play, the Titans couldn’t quite climb back into the contest.

“Jai’den’s been playing really well for us,” Kielian praised his senior guard. “It’s just tough – I mean, he had 17 (points), tried to carry us. The problem is we needed to figure out a way (to score) and we couldn’t find a way.

The two teams both went back-and-forth in the first quarter, with Lorain winding up with a one-point edge after eight minutes of action at 14-13.

While the Tigers went on a quick 6-0 run to open the second quarter, Guerra-Howard kept the Titans afloat as the lead kept flipping back-and-forth throughout the second quarter, leading Lorain with 11 first-half points.

Brownlee Jr. was able to knock through a few key shots to counter Guerra-Howard, putting the host Tigers up three going into halftime.

Lorain (4-7, 2-3) will return to action Jan. 16 at home against Westlake.

THE SCORE

Warrensville Heights 62, Lorain 41

Amherst>>Boys Wrestling

Senior>>215 pounds

On the mat: Auvil came up with a pin against Avon Lake and took second place at the Perry Pin City Tournament.

Off the mat: Undecided on college, one of Auvil’s favorite hobbies is lifting weights. His favorite school subject is history. He loves chowing down on wings as well. His favorite Movie is “Grown Ups” and favorite TV show “Breaking Bad.” Auvil’s favorite music genre is rap and his favorite sports team is the Browns.

Maximus LaBianca

Avon>>Boys Bowling

Senior

On the lanes: The bowler nicknamed “Labomba” rolled games of 200 and 236 for a 436 series against Lorain for his senior night Jan. 3, which is 160 pins over average when he bowled for Avon’s JV last year.

Off the lanes: LaBianca will be attending the University of Toldeo and plans on playing club lacrosse and bowling.  His favorite sports memory is winning his summer baseball tournament while playing with his best friend. His hobbies are playing sports, hanging out with friends, working on cars, and being a part of the Eagle News Network. His favorite sports team is the Guardians, he loves to eat steak, and typically listens to rap music.

Grace Kingery

North Ridgeville>>Girls basketball

Senior>>Guard

On the court: The Ball State signee went supernova against conference rival Elyria on Jan. 5. Kingery had 45 points on 19-of-25 shooting from the field, going 14-for-14 on two-point attempts and 5-for-11 beyond the arc. Kingery also contributed six steals, six rebounds, and six assists.

Off the court: Among Kingery’s favorite memories is beating Magnificat her freshman year. Her hobbies include playing Fortnite and watching women’s college basketball, perhaps while snacking on some tacos. Kingery’s favorite TV show is “Friends,” favorite musical artist Morgan Wallen, and favorite sports team is the Browns.

Madyson Sokolowski

Keystone>>Girls basketball

Freshman>>Point guard

On the court: The 12-0 Wildcats have the freshman point guard to thank as a key cog in two recent victories. Against Columbia Jan. 3, Sokolowski had 14 points, including a game-tying triple to tie the game and a blocked shot to send the contest to overtime. She hit a 3-pointer in the beginning of the overtime period on her way to being the team-high scorer. She also chipped in 10 points, three rebounds and three assists against Firelands on Jan. 6.

Off the court: The girl nicknamed “Maddog” said her favorite sports memory was winning the Run for the Roses championship over the summer. Her favorite food is fettuccine alfredo, favorite TV show “All American” and favorite sports team the Cavaliers. Sokolowski lists her brother, Ethan, and father, Dave, as her role models.

Lia Leimbach

Vermilion>>Girls bowling

Senior

On the lanes: At the Padua Bruin Classic at Yorktown Lanes in Parma Heights, Leimbach made the all-tournament team with games of 160, 145, 184 for a 489 series finishing in sixth-place overall.

Off the lanes: Also involved in tennis and softball, Leimbach says, “This year has been a lot of fun so far and I can not wait to add even more ‘pizazz’ to strikes and spares with the team. I enjoy singing with our acapella group at school, ‘Soundsation’ and my favorite subjects are history and chemistry. My favorite bowling memory is when other teams tried to copy a cheer and they said it so wrong it is now a joke among my team members and me. I can’t wait to see how the rest of my high school career goes with bowling and good luck to all other athletes during the rest of their seasons!”

Nadia Milovich

Westlake>>Girls swimming and diving

Senior

In the pool: Nadia took first place in diving in her senior night when Westlake went up against Bay on Jan. 5 and collected another first-place finish in diving at Westlake’s meet the next day.

Out of the pool: While undecided on college, the senior hopes to dive in Division III. In Milovich’s words, “I am on four varsity sports and have been since sophomore year. I am the captain of three (tennis, gymnastics, swim and dive, not captain of track and field). My favorite diving memory is the first time I ever attempted a back two-and-a-half twisting somersault. I enjoy going out to eat with my teams and spending time with my family. My favorite book is ‘A Prayer for Owen Meany’ by John Irving and my favorite food is pasta.”

Abi Rhoades

Vermilion>>Girls basketball

Senior>>Guard

On the court: Rhoades led the team with 19 points in a win at Huron on Jan. 5. She went 7-of-13 from the field with five made three-pointers. Rhoades also contributed five steals, two blocks and a single assist.

Off the court: Rhoades says she’s choosing between Ohio University and Bowling Green for college, but does not plan on playing in athletics. Among her favorite memories are locker room moments before the games and after wins with my teammates. Rhoades’ hobbies include spending time with friends, family, and teammates, playing sports, and watching movies.