MANSFIELD, Ohio — Here at the Richland Source, we are forward thinkers.
Instead of regurgitating one of those cookie-cutter 2015 Year in Review stories, we’ve dusted off our crystal ball to take a look into the future.
Here are five stories worth keeping an eye on in 2016.
Tyrell Ajian Sweepstakes: Madison’s do-it-all junior has football scholarship offers from 13 Division I colleges, including Notre Dame and Michigan. Ajian hasn’t made any decisions yet, but has begun narrowing his list. Ohio State recruiters have visited Madison on more than one occasion during the past year, but the Buckeyes have yet to offer the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Ajian, who projects as a safety.
Ajian isn’t the only area football player drawing attention from major college programs. Recruiters have been sniffing around at Mansfield Senior and Shelby to find out about sophomores Jornell Manns and Brennan Armstrong. Shelby’s Armstrong already has offers from Toledo and Iowa State.
Conference Shake-ups: If history has taught us anything about these matters, it’s that there is a domino effect and the first domino already has fallen. Orrville is leaving the Ohio Cardinal Conference for the Principal’s Athletic Conference beginning next fall. The OCC offered an invitation to Mount Vernon, which had become discontent with the Ohio Capital Conference. Mount Vernon officials accepted the bid in late March and will join the league next fall.
OCC member Clear Fork has begun investigating other conferences as the Colts will be the smallest remaining OCC school. Athletic director Joe Tresey said in a board meeting in November that Clear Fork has been invited to join the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference Red Division.
Meanwhile, MOAC Blue Division schools Fredericktown, Cardington, Centerburg, East Knox, Highland, Mount Gilead and Northmor announced their intention to form a new conference with Mid-Buckeye Conference member Danville. Loudonville, another MBC member, will join Orrville in the PAC as a football-only member in the fall of 2017.
With the departure of Danville, the Mid-Buckeye will be down to six schools and, with Loudonville joining the PAC for football, only Crestline and Lucas would play football.
Encore: Lexington’s Dominique Clairmonte has one of the greatest distance running seasons in Ohio history last year. She followed an individual cross country title in 2014 with Division II indoor and outdoor state championships in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter runs. She won the outdoor 3,200 in June slightly more than an hour after winning the 1,600.
Clairmonte led Lady Lex to the Division II cross country team title in the fall, a feat matched by Lexington’s boys team. It will be fun to see what Clairmonte, who already has signed to run cross country and track at North Carolina State, will do this spring. Even after Clairmonte’s departure, the Lady Lex cross country program could be in contention for another team title in the fall with the talented Whitney Wendling and Mackenna Curtis-Collins returning.
Green Flag: The half-mile oval on the north side of town formerly known as Mansfield Motorsports Park hosted racing last year for the first time since 2010. Spitzer Motor Speedway will have an even bigger schedule this season with new promotor Full Throttle Racing taking charge. According to the track’s web site, the track will host 20 events between May and September. The track will host a bull riding event and concert on Aug 13 and again on Sept. 3.
March Madness: If the recently-concluded Richland Source NOL-OCC Challenge is any indication, the Division II boys sectional/district tournament should be a knock-down, drag-out fight. Of the 12 teams in the sectional/district field, nine are at .500 or better as the season approaches its midway point. Lexington is undefeated after Wednesday’s dramatic 57-54 win over Ontario. Sandusky is the defending district champ, but could have its hands full with Ontario (7-3), Norwalk (6-3), Shelby (4-4) and Bellevue (4-4) in the Northern Ohio League. Sandusky Perkins is 8-2, Vermilion is 7-4 and nobody in the field would want to see Madison (5-4) in an opening-round game.
