Random moments of the year
By Keno Sultan
Stark County Prep Press writer
www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com
CANTON--As another high school basketball season has concluded, there was multiple firsts in what was a riveting season.
The OHSAA state basketball semifinals were held at different venues, with the iconic Canton Memorial Field House hosting four of them with two of them being sellouts in the 4,000-seat colossal coliseum. Also, there were seven state champions that were crowned. Stark County had a boys state champion for the first time in seven years not to mention two finalists from the county.
For the girls, the county was represented by four district champions with two of the three appearing in regional finals and one capturing a district title for the first time in 31 years.
That said, let's traverse down the road as to what was a moment of a renaissance for Stark County basketball.
LEOPARDS LEAP TO GLORY, PANTHERS PROWL TO FINAL
For the Louisville Leopards boys basketball team, their road to Dayton commenced the previous season as they departed Alliance High School on the other end of a 61-58 upset loss to GlenOak in a thrilling Division I district championship. They were expected to return to the district title game, however with three new divisions being installed, the Leopards were now placed in Division III and installed as an immediate contender for a title.
They survived shades of adversity against Columbus Bishop Hartley in a regional final and then needed a strong defensive fourth quarter to subdue Garfield Heights and their Mr. Basketball winner, Marcus Johnson (the son of 1998 Mr. Basketball winner and Bulldogs head coach Sonny Johnson) to advance to the state title game against #1 Cincinnati Aiken, who many prognosticators said they had almost no weaknesses. However, the Leopards survived an avalanche in the form of a Falcons 15-0 run and recovered in time and captured the school's first state basketball title with a 63-61 win in a battle of the division's #1 and #2 ranked teams.
For head coach Tom Siegfried, it was 18 years ago he assumed the post from Matt Miglich and has turned the Leopards into a feared contender and it all came to fruition in the form of a state title for a team that Siegfried titles as "The Program." The Leopards are the first state champion since Jackson captured the 2017 Division I title with an upset of undefeated Cincinnati Moeller and you can believe the Leopards will be leaping for years to come under Siegfried's vista.
For the Perry Panthers, a 9-13 end to a regular season might be a form of consternation. However, what ensued became a huge thrill ride under second-year general Matt Voll as the Panthers seized a district title by defeating Solon, stopping highly favored Warren G. Harding on a buzzer-beating three-pointer, eliminating Shaker Heights and topping a one-loss North Royalton team before their season concluded in the state final with a 78-32 loss to #1 ranked Westerville North, who won their first title in 31 years when Dave Hoover piloted them to the title before departing for the Canton McKinley position where he added consecutive titles to the Bulldogs program before retiring. Although the Panthers lost, the pride to Perry basketball has returned in an enormous way and it is only fitting that Voll was the man at the controls. The Panthers finished 14-14 but that is a respectable 14-14. The Perry community has a lot to be proud of in that achievement in it's own right.
Look for the Leopards and Panthers to ascend off their accomplishments and inspire young men who want to compete for them in the years to come. They both represented Stark County greatly and the nascent attendance for the state semifinals at the Field House were a testament of that.
SHARE THE ACCOLADES
Canton McKinley took a vast step in the right direction under second-year head coach and 2005 alumnus Sean Weatherspoon as they seized a district championship for the first time in five years and came within a game of the state semifinals before Cleveland St. Ignatius put a stop sign in front of the Bulldogs season with a 73-47 victory in a Division I regional final. It was also the Wildcats second victory over the Bulldogs in the same season, a 96-69 victory earlier that year.
It wasn't the ending the Bulldogs wanted but Weatherspoon lucidly has his hands on the program that he came to rescue after one season as Alliance head coach. With a 20-6 record and a strong nucleus returning along with depth at the lower levels, this is a legitimate team that has the makings of advancing a round further when the road starts again in eight months.
Weatherspoon, who was a part of the 2005 McKinley team that won the first of two straight titles knows. After his junior year, the Bulldogs were installed as the preseason #1 ranked team in Ohio and held that ranking all the way to a 26-1 record and the eventual title. This team isn't far away from where they want to be and that is horrifying news for the rest of the opposition.
For Central Catholic, the success of the Crusaders continues under head coach Matt Creamer as the Crusaders captured their sixth district title in 12 seasons with another battle-tested schedule. It is safe to say that Creamer found his calling after 15 seasons at Massillon and the evidence of his success is clearly palpable.
Not to be ostracized in all of this is the Massillon boys basketball team. Under the direction of seventh-year general and 1998 graduate Josh Hose, the Tigers have ascended up the ladder the last three seasons as they have matriculated from a sectional-district second round team, to district semifinalists, and recently to district finalists where their season finished 19-5 with a loss to eventual Akron regional runner-up Shaker Heights by a score of 72-67 in the Wooster district championship.
I saw this Tigers team up front as a color commentator for ESPN 990 with the voice of the Tigers, Ray Jeske and this team was truly Hose's best squad as they were paced by the rapid scoring of senior sharpshooter Chris Knight, who is one of three seniors that will depart the program along with Terrelle Keyes and Jalen Slaughter. Their season turned around back in January as they overcame a six-point chasm with two minutes remaining in regulation to force overtime and clawed out a 71-68 victory over Dover, which is a very arduous gym to win in. It ignited a 13-game winning streak that included a 74-73 win over McKinley at the Field House. Massillon isn't far away from a district title and with ample depth coming up, the Tigers just finally may hoist a title next season for the first time since 2003 and for Hose, it would be a personal achievement for him as he lost a district title game as a player back in 1997. Danny Young, the 17th-year Red Raiders coach graciously paid Massillon a huge compliment when he mentioned that no team went out with class and dignity more than Hose's charges. Have faith Massillon, your title is coming soon.
Shifting to the girls side, it was Jackson, Central Catholic, Canton South and Massillon all winning district titles. Jackson and Canton South came within a game of the state tournament while the Crusaders and Tigers left their mark in the regionals.
However, you have to tip your hat to the Massillon program and it's head coach, Joe Pierce, a 1990 graduate of Massillon. When Pierce inherited the program, the program had fallen on hard times. But rising from those ashes came a winning formula and it all came together in the form of a district title for the first time since the 1994 season when they advanced to the regional finals. The girls also eliminated a 21-year losing streak to Canton McKinley with a running clock victory, a victory that showed the scratch and bite along with the feral roar was now felt within the Tigers regime. This will be a team to be reckoned with in the next several years to come and they will be a fun batch to watch.
A LITTLE TOO EARLY FOR FOOTBALL BUT......
Several months ago, there were some changes in the football hierarchy an they have all taken effect. Perry, Canton McKinley and Minerva all have new football coaches piloting their programs.
The Panthers recently hired Massillon graduate and former defensive coordinator Spencer Leno to be their head coach as he replaced Zach Slates (who replaced Tim Speakman at Minerva) as their new football coach. From all accounts, the reception to Leno has been well received by the Panthers community and you can still believe they will be as hard-nosed as they have always been. Leno, a former Tiger standout and a 2009 graduate was the architect of the 2023 Massillon defense that only yielded an average of seven points as they seized the Division II state title with a 16-0 record. Look for the Panthers to contend for a Federal League title come August.
And speaking of defense, the Bulldogs have turned to former Akron Hoban defensive coordinator Renzy Parnell to be their next head coach as he succeeds Antonio Hall, who stepped down for an administrative position after four years at his alma mater. Parnell knows much about winning championships as he was part of the Knights run that resulted in five state titles in six years, two of those title wins coming over very deep and strong Massillon teams in 2018 and 2020. Not counting Thom McDaniels return to McKinley in 2014, Parnell will be the program's ninth general since 1997 and hopefully he is there to stay and be received with open arms. One asset that will be integral to Parnell's longevity at McKinley will be if the Bulldogs can finally in the 10th week get out of the orange and black quicksand known as Massillon. Parnell will be the fourth straight first-year head coach to have the 10th week at home with Dan Reardon being the only one to win and that was nearly 10 years ago. Marcus Wattley and Hall dropped their respective home contests to the Tigers by scores of 24-14 and 35-13 respectively.
Aside from the Stark County scene and taking a trip down to Tuscarawas County, for the first time in 30 years, the Dover High School football program will have a new head coach. For three decades, Dan Ifft was the face of Dover Tornadoes football as his legion of Tornadoes were hard-working, hard-hat, lunch pail carrying players who embodied what Tornadoes football was about and were successful in the process.
With Ifft retiring, there were many applicants who applied for the coveted Tornadoes post. Dover City Schools turned the program over to defensive coordinator and assistant head coach Matt Rees, a 2004 graduate of Dover and a 2008 Mount Union graduate to be the program's head coach. Rees, 39, knows a thing about success, being part of a 10-0 Dover team and then seizing two national championships as a linebacker for the Purple Raiders. There won't be a drop off with the talent that is surrounding him especially from the middle school levels as well. He will be a keeper for sure, not to mention that not just him but his wife is also a Dover graduate and are the parents of three outstanding children who all reside in Dover and are a part of the Dover City Schools system. I personally am excited to once again witness the Crater Stadium atmosphere with Rees at the post as a Mount Union alum myself, pleased to extend my full support to him.
On April 26th, the Ohio North-South football game will once again descend on the confines of Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon. The coaches and rosters will be released at a later time. If you have nothing to do, purchase a ticket and enjoy eight quarters and two games of outstanding football as seniors will represent their schools one last time before embarking on their collegiate careers.
THANKFUL FOR EDUCATORS
There is no way this can end without me acknowledging multiple educators that my paths crossed with multiple times. You never forget the people who paved the way for you not to mention others that my paths have crossed to learn life lessons from, especially this year.
That said, here are the people I personally want to thank for being a part of the person I am today. There are so many I can name. But here are some of them:
Butch Hose. For 40 years, Butch Hose was the face of Massillon administration. His tagline, "be the best student you can always be" still holds the test of time even 20 years after his retirement. I would always read about him in the newspaper regarding Massillon administration and he epitomized what it means to be a Tiger. Even though I was not a Massillon City Schools student, you can feel the impact he has on others in his regime. His son, Josh, the current Massillon boys basketball coach is the only Tigers coach in the program history to defeat two undefeated teams on consecutive nights late in the same season.
