ohio state football nfl draft: cleveland browns … · 2020. 4. 12. · submitted photo longtime...

The Canton Repository | CantonRep.com | Sunday, April 12, 2020 C1

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SPORTS Inside this sectionn HIGH SCHOOL: Final boys, girls basketball stats, Page C3n OLLER: Football can’t return until fans can, too, Page C4

High school football is always on at FridayNightOhio.com

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Longtime Hoover coach Gordon Knisely played in baseball’s minor leagues after graduating from Marlboro High School. KNISELY-NOW

SPORTS INTERRUPTED: Hoover icon Gordon Knisely recalls another time athletics took a back seatBy Josh WeirThe Canton Repository

NORTH CANTON

R ight now, there are hundreds of teenagers in Stark County trying to stay ready for sports seasons

that may not happen because of the coronavirus.

Someone who can relate is 92-year-old Gordon Knisely.

Long before his 33-year career as a science teacher, coach and athletic director — 28 of them in North Canton — Knisely was a 14-year-old freshman at Marlboro High School watching the United States get pulled into World War II with Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Knisely had his sophomore, junior and senior seasons of football canceled.

Americans were charged with

conserving, and one of the main points of conservation was gas. Knisely said Marlboro and Stark County’s other small Class B schools dropped football during the war because it simply was too expensive for the football teams to travel to games. (Class A teams such as McKinley, Massillon and Alliance con-tinued to play.)

KNISELY-THEN

SEE KNISELY, C2

By Paul Hoynescleveland.com

CLEVELAND Desperate times require desperate measures, but somehow the familiar confines of the AL Central would prob-ably feel much more inviting to the Indians than the proposed

West Division of the Cactus League.

The coronavirus has put lives and enterprises on hold, including Major League Base-ball, but one proposal to try and play the 2020 season involves radical realignment for one year. Teams would stay in

their spring training homes in Arizona (Cactus League) and Florida (Grapefruit League) and be placed in six five-team divi-sions based on local geography.

In one of the possible align-ments, the Indians would find themselves in Cactus League West with the Dodgers, White

Sox, Reds and Angels. Last year those four teams were a combined 325-322 (.502). The Dodgers finished second in the big leagues with 106 wins.

Meanwhile in the AL Central, the Indians’ four divisional foes — the Twins, White Sox, Royals and Tigers — were a combined

259-364 (.416). The Twins won the division with 101 wins, while the Indians were second with 93, but the Royals lost 103 games and the Tigers 114. The White Sox were in that bad mix as well with 89 losses.

The AL Central was the only

Indians would face tougher foes in realignment

SEE INDIANS, C2

OHIO STATE FOOTBALL

By Joey KaufmanThe Columbus Dispatch

COLUMBUS In a time of a global pan-demic that has shut down college sports, Big Ten athletic directors hold daily conference calls to hash over pressing matters confronting the industry.

The topics stretch from compli-ance issues with coaches and players in isolation to the extended eligibility of spring sports athletes after their seasons were canceled because of the spread of COVID-19.

But nothing looms larger than the status of the next football season.

Over the past week, discussions have focused on how many weeks teams might need to ramp up to play games this fall.

Speaking with reporters on a tele-conference Friday morning, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith refer-enced a time frame that ranged from four weeks to eight weeks of preseason workouts.

“They just can’t come back and play,” Smith said.

“Those days are gone.”Ohio State coach Ryan Day identified

six weeks as the necessary time to pre-pare for a season during an appearance on the ESPN morning show “Get Up.”

Day said additional details, including weeks set aside for conditioning versus practices in pads, could be determined over time.

His team was already left to cope with losing a majority of its spring practices, which were canceled amid the pandemic, costing players valuable offseason reps.

But Smith also framed a ramp-up period as a necessary step for preserving the “health and safety of our players.”

Bucks make plans to get team up to speed safelyCoach Day think six weeks is needed to prepare for season

SEE BUCKS, C4

NFL DRAFT: CLEVELAND BROWNS

‘Slimmons’ can star in four spots on field

AP FILE

n Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons celebrates a stop against South Carolina during a Nov. 30 game in Columbia, S.C. Simmons was selected to The Associated Press All-America team and led his team to the championship game of the College Football Playoffs, where the Tigers lost to LSU.

By Steve DoerschukThe Canton Repository

One might reduce the expansion-era history of Cleveland Browns drafts to “slim pickings.”

Might “Slimmons” fatten up the roster?

It has been a while, actually, since Isaiah Simmons was such a tooth-pick that “Slimmons” was his alias.

He became quite the big cat for the Clemson Tigers. His athletic life has been a smorgasbord of Ws.

Simmons’ brother Victor quar-terbacked Olathe North to a Kansas state high school championship. Isaiah didn’t get quite that far when he played for North several years later, but he was a 24-foot long jumper who won two state jump titles and another in the 200-meter

dash.Isaiah red-shirted his freshman

year at Clemson while watching the Tigers beat Ohio State 31-0 in the national semifinals en route to win-ning the big one. Two years later he was a key man on a team that again won the national title. He made another stride last season, when the

Clemson LB brings wealth of versatility

SEE ‘SLIMMONS’, C4

Delivery or billing question: Call 330-580-8500 / email [email protected] Newsroom tips: Call 330-580-8582 / email [email protected]

C2 Sunday, April 12, 2020 | The Canton Repository | CantonRep.com

“We did everything we possibly could to help the war effort,” Knisely said by phone from his North Canton home. “We just didn’t have the transportation to get around.”

Hoover High School Athletic Direc-tor Tim Walker knew Knisely’s story and reached out to him to share it with current Vikings student-athletes. With help from his daughter, Debra, Knisely recorded a six-minute video that was posted to North Canton City Schools’ YouTube channel on Wednesday. It had almost 1,000 views as of late Friday night.

“With tennis courts, tracks, fields and ballparks silent and no fans in the stands, it reminded me of another time in my life when sports took a back seat to another world event,” Knisely says early in the video.

Knisely said his heart goes out to the young athletes whose seasons were ended prematurely or put on hold. Winter sports tournaments were can-celed last month while spring sports remain postponed.

“It’s got to be tough on them,” said Knisely, a man who has lived and breathed sports his entire life and who still regularly attends Hoover athletic events. “Heck, I’m going crazy not being able to watch a ballgame on TV.”

Knisely grew up on a farm east of Hartville. During World War II, he remembers rounding up a tractor and other farm equipment with his dad, Forrest, to be collected by local manu-facturers. The tools of farming were melted down to be made into tools of war.

Basketball and baseball season went on as planned for Knisely’s Marlboro teams since it was easier and cheaper to transport those smaller squads with less equipment. Many of the farmers in the community who got additional gas rations would help the teams get from place to place. School buses were not available during the war, Knisely said.

“Players would pile into trucks or cars and ride to gyms and baseball fields to play ball,” Knisely said.

Marlboro superintendent Charles Pfouts called Knisely into his office shortly before the start of his senior season of basketball. Marlboro’s coach has been drafted into the military.

“We couldn’t field a team unless we had a coach,” said Knisely, whose graduating class totaled 27 kids. “So he asked me if I’d be willing to coach and play at the same time. I didn’t hesitate and jumped at the opportunity.”

It’s with a good bit of pride that Knisely points out that the Marlboro varsity went 8-8 with its 17-year-old player-coach. The JV team went undefeated.

It was the first step in a coaching career that included glorious moments such as serving as future NBA player Dick Snyder’s varsity basketball coach at Hoover and never experiencing a losing football season in 21 years as Don Hertler Sr.’s assistant with the Vikings. Knisely led Hoover to 230 wins in 14 years as head baseball coach.

There also were not-so-glorious moments, such as when he returned to his alma mater in 1951 to serve as the only coach at Marlboro (which later became part of Marlington Local Schools). He coached football, basket-ball, baseball and track, receiving $100 for each sport and $2,400 in salary to teach.

“I’m telling you, it was tough,” Knisely said. “But I Ioved every minute of it.”

The 5-foot-7 Knisely was a standout athlete. He signed with the Chicago Cubs shortly after graduating high school and spent four seasons in their farm system. He played one season of basketball at Kent State before getting drafted into the military.

His life is worthy of a book, and one actually exists about him. “Gordy: Living the Dream” was published in 2018.

These days are closer to a nightmare, with people trapped in their homes, hiding from an invisible enemy while unemployment skyrockets.

In the YouTube video, Knisely speaks of the spring of 2020 being a life expe-rience these kids will never forget, perhaps for what was taken away.

“To end on a positive note, though,” he says, “keep up with your studies, practice safe distancing when outside and stay in shape in case you do get on the field again to the sound of ‘play ball.’ ”

Reach Josh at [email protected] Twitter: @jweirREP

KNISELYFrom Page C1

division with two teams that finished with 100 or more losses.

Geography can be a blessing or a curse. When Columbus set sail in 1492, he was in search of a new route to China, India and the exotic spices of Asia. Along the way he bumped into the New World. Who would have guessed?

The Indians, who have had a good thing going since they jumped into the newly-formed AL Central in 1994, just so happen to train in Goodyear, Ariz.

They share the com-plex with the Reds and are a 20-minute drive from Glendale, Ariz. where the Dodgers and White Sox share a complex. Their longest trip would be a 50-minute drive to Tempe, Ariz. to play the Angels.

Depending on how many games teams would play in their own division -- Bob Nightengale of Sports Illus-trated speculated it could be as many as 12 -- the Indians would be facing a power-house in the Dodgers, two teams ready to pounce in the Reds and White Sox and Mike Trout and the Angels.

The Dodgers have won seven straight NL West titles. In the last three years, they’ve won 302 regular

season games. What they haven’t won is a World Series since 1988. This winter they acquired former AL MVP Mookie Betts from Boston to try and solve that problem. If there is no season, Betts can walk away as a free agent without ever playing a game for the Dodgers.

It should be noted, that over the last three years the Indians have won 286 regular season games. It’s not like they’d be out of their weight class when they saw Dodger blue, with the exception of their World Series drought going back to 1948. But there’s an element of intrigue involving the two teams.

All offseason the Indians fielded offers for All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor. The Dodgers, before they traded for Betts, were reportedly interested, but would not part with key prospects. If there is a season this year, suppose the Indi-ans fall out of the race, and decide to deal Lindor, who is not a free agent until after the 2021 season?

Would they trade Lindor to the Dodgers? Normally, teams don’t trade talented players within their divi-sion because they don’t want them coming back and beat-ing their old team year after year. But the Cactus League West would only exist for one year, right?

The rest of the division would be a challenge to the Indians as well.

The Reds spent the winter trying to forget their last six consecutive seasons of losing baseball. They added free-agent hitters Nick Castellanos, Mike Mousta-kas and Japanese center fielder-leadoff hitter Shogo Akiyama. They signed lefty Wade Miley for the rotation and they’ll have Trevor Bauer for the course of the year. The Indians traded Bauer to the Reds in July.

The White Sox, another team coming out the other side of a long rebuild, spent the winter showing everyone they felt they were ready to contend. They signed catcher Yasmani Grandal, DH-1B Edwin Encarnacion, re-signed AL RBI leader Jose Abreu and traded for out-fielder Nomar Mazara. On the pitching side they added lefties Gio Gonzalez and Dallas Keuchel for the rota-tion and Steve Chisek for the bullpen.

All that talent will be added to emerging position players Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez and Tim Anderson. They signed prospect Luis Robert to a six-year, $50 million deal and he hasn’t played a game in the big leagues yet. If there is a season, he’s expected to start in center.

From a pure talent stand-point, Indians fans would probably enjoy getting a long look at Trout, the Angels three-time MVP and the best player in baseball. The Indians and Angels play each

other only six to seven times a year under normal cir-cumstances so that could be a treat. Shane Bieber, Mike Clevinger and the right of the Tribe’s pitching staff may think differently.

The Angels lost 90 games last year, but they have Trout and added World Series hero Anthony Rendon. Justin Upton, Albert Pujols and two-way player Shohei Ohtani could give the Angels a staggering offense. Their problem will be pitching.

According to Nightengale, here is one proposal for the realigned leagues for 2020:

CACTUS LEAGUEn West: INDIANS, Dodg-

ers, White Sox, Reds and Angels.

n Northeast: Cubs, Giants, Diamondbacks, Rockies and A’s.

n Northwest: Brewers, Padres, Mariners, Rangers and Royals.

GRAPEFRUIT LEAGUEn North: Yankees, Phillies,

Blue Jays, Tigers and Pirates.n South: Red Sox, Twins,

Braves, Rays, Orioles.n East: Nationals, Astros,

Mets, Cards, Marlins.In the Cactus League, at

least, it certainly seems like the Tribe’s geography caused it to draw the shortest straw among contenders.

Then again the Mets, in the Grapefruit League East, probably aren’t feeling all gung-ho about being thrown together with the Astros and Cards.

INDIANSFrom Page C1

AP FILE

n The Cincinnati Reds play the Cleveland Indians in a spring training baseball game at Goodyear Ball Park in Goodyear, Ariz. Putting all 30 teams in the Phoenix area this season and playing in empty ballparks was among the ideas discussed last Monday during a call among five top officials from MLB and the players’ association that was led by Commissioner Rob Manfred, people familiar with the discussion told The Associated Press.

CLEVELAND INDIANS

By Ryan LewisAkron Beacon Journal

Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado, like every other player in the league, has unexpectedly had a lot of time on his hands.

Spending most of his days putting together furniture isn’t normally the daily routine for a major leaguer in early April, but the shutdown forced by the coronavirus outbreak has thrown off any sense of normalcy.

Mercado recently moved into a house he purchased with his brother, Juan, in Tampa, Fla. The two have been doing what they can to furnish the house and put everything together. Set-ting up couches and putting together bar stools has replaced the daily grind that would have accompanied the beginning of the 2020 regular season.

“Each day I try to find something to keep my busy, whether it’s fixing stuff around the house or what-ever it may be,” Mercado said via audio provided by

the Indians. “Other days it involves baseball, other days it doesn’t. At this point, it’s just a matter of trying to spend the hours doing pro-ductive things.”

As MLB players wait to hear when or if the season might return — which would include at least a few weeks of a revised “spring train-ing” period to get back into a rhythm and build workloads

before an Opening Day — all many can do is try to stay in shape. Indians major league strength and conditioning coach Joe Kessler has been sending out different work-outs players can do at home, which has helped.

“I’ve been doing the best I can,” Mercado said. “I’ve got some stuff at the house that lets me do exercises. The workouts the guys have been sending have helped me out. Other than that, I’ve hit two or three times, maybe, and that’s about it. I feel for the circumstances I’ve done the best I could, but it’s still tough.”

Aside from his brother living with him in their new house, Mercado has tried to follow social distancing guidelines. Infielder Chris-tian Arroyo, for example, is also in Tampa, but Mercado says the two haven’t spent any time together.

Mercado’s family has, of course, been affected by it all. His mother, Martha, is an endoscopy nurse who has been switched over to coronavirus screening at the

hospital, meaning she’s on the front lines of the defense against the outbreak.

“She has to go into work, obviously, so that kind of sucks,” Mercado said. “I haven’t been able to see my mom in like a week now. Especially with her working at the hospital, I’m trying to teach her how to stay away from us. ... She thankfully doesn’t have to work every day. And I’ve seen pictures of what they have her wearing. It looks like they’re being really careful.”

And in terms of the absence of any live sports, Mercado is dealing with it like just about everyone else — not well.

“It sucks. This morning I woke up and I watched reruns of old NBA Finals,” Mercado said. “I’ve been trying to watch reruns but other than that, there’s really not much I’ve been able to do. I’m a big sports junkie so I try to get my fix in, whether it’s going to YouTube or whatever, but it’s really tough.”

Mercado working out and putting together furniture during coronavirus shutdown

AP TONY DEJAK

n The Indians’ Oscar Mercado celebrates after hitting a game-winning RBI-single against Cincinnati on June 11 in Cleveland. Mike Freeman scored on the play. The Indians won 2-1 in 10 innings.

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BOYS

Scoring (must play at least half of team’s games)Player, School G Pts AvgKade Ruegsegger, Dover 24 575 24.0Andrew Pucci, Marlington 23 465 20.2Kobe Johnson, McKinley 26 489 18.8Christian Parker, GlenOak 25 464 18.6Adam Chaney, Carrollton 24 422 17.6Johnny Browning, Malvern 26 439 16.9Jonah McCartney, Hoover 24 404 16.8Evan Shertzer, Tuslaw 23 371 16.1Derk Hutchison, Malvern 19 304 16.0Jaden Stock, Massillon 24 365 15.2Angelo Milini, Central Catholic 24 363 15.1Quentin Toles, Perry 23 347 15.1JJ Vaughan, Lake 23 346 15.0Keegan Offenberger, Sandy Valley 23 318 13.8Trey Miletich, Northwest 23 317 13.8Adam Nowak, Lake Center 23 315 13.7Jayden Ballard, Massillon 24 327 13.6Connor Evanich, Marlington 23 312 13.6Cameron Bennett, Marlington 23 299 13.0Lucas Ruegg, Fairless 22 286 13.0Collin Chambers, Louisville 25 319 12.8Kyle Luhring, Northwest 20 255 12.8Michael Skeriotis, Jackson 22 280 12.7Justus Seran, Central Catholic 24 298 12.4Garrison Keeslar, Green 15 175 11.7Demetrius Evans, Sandy Valley 23 267 11.6Brent Walker McKinley 25 290 11.6Kevin James, Jackson 23 266 11.6Nick Leeders, Northwest 24 276 11.5Brock Henne, Hoover 24 272 11.3Jagger Haynes, Perry 23 259 11.3Scott Gronow, Louisville 23 252 11.0Michael Minor, Malvern 26 282 10.8Blake Sommers, Lake Center 24 252 10.5Luke Sabo, Massillon 21 220 10.5Zack Oddo, Green 25 258 10.3CJ Hall, McKinley 26 268 10.3Jimmy Birong, Carrollton 24 242 10.1Matt Starcher, Lake Center 24 242 10.1Ty Pratt, Tuslaw 24 242 10.1Donovan O’Neil, Green 25 251 10.0Sam Oliver, GlenOak 25 250 10.0Dawson Fortner, Fairless 22 220 10.0

Rebounding (must play at least half of team’s games)Player, School G Reb Avg.Christian Parker, GlenOak 25 255 10.2Brent Walker, McKinley 25 247 9.9Adam Chaney, Carrollton 24 216 9.0Jaden Stock, Massillon 24 202 8.4Johnny Browning, Malvern 26 198 7.6Jagger Haynes, Perry 23 172 7.5Kade Ruegsegger, Dover 24 175 7.3Cameron Bennett, Marlington 23 164 7.1Andrew Pucci, Marlington 23 161 7.0Adam Nowak, Lake Center 23 155 6.7Michael Minor, Malvern 26 173 6.7Nick Leeders, Northwest 24 157 6.5Jimmy Birong, Carrollton 24 154 6.4Kyle Hunter, Fairless 21 128 6.1Tyson Blosser, Lake 23 139 6.0Zack Oddo, Green 25 143 5.7Brock Henne, Hoover 24 133 5.5Quentin Toles, Perry 23 123 5.3Collin Chambers, Louisville 25 133 5.3Zach Ebbott, Lake Center 24 127 5.3Connor Evanich, Marlington 23 120 5.2Angelo Milini, Central Catholic 24 125 5.2Brady Benner, Carrollton 24 123 5.1

Assists (Must play at least half of team’s games)Player, School G Ast AvgKenneth Martin, Malvern 26 148 5.7Ryan Smith, Green 25 137 5.5Ryan Cooley, Marlington 23 124 5.4Lucas Ruegg, Fairless 22 117 5.3Kindel Richardson, GlenOak 23 112 4.9Nik Tortola, Marlington 23 103 4.5Kyle Luhring, Northwest 20 80 4.0Nathan Ravine, Dover 24 94 3.9Brady Benner, Carrollton 24 89 3.7Keegan Offenberger, Sandy Valley 23 85 3.7Adam Chaney, Carrollton 24 86 3.6Landen Rose, Hoover 24 84 3.5Shea Simmer, Green 25 87 3.5Adam Nowak, Lake Center 23 80 3.5Andrew Pucci, Marlington 23 78 3.4Nick Leeders, Northwest 24 80 3.3Justus Seran, Central Catholic 24 79 3.3Collin Chambers, Louisville 25 82 3.3Jack Earvin, Hoover 23 75 3.3Ty Pratt, Tuslaw 24 75 3.1Kobe Johnson, McKinley 26 80 3.1Jagger Haynes, Perry 23 70 3.0Darien Williams, Massillon 24 72 3.0Ayden Hall, Dover 24 71 3.0

Field goal percentage (minimum 80 attempts)Player, School FGM FGA PctNick Smith, Northwest 79 126 0.627Brock Henne, Hoover 116 186 0.624Cory Noble, Louisville 53 86 0.616Tyson Blosser, Lake 89 147 0.605Jimmy Birong, Carrollton 85 144 0.590Adam Chaney, Carrollton 125 219 0.571Jagger Haynes, Perry 108 190 0.568Jaden Stock, Massillon 128 232 0.552Cameron Bennett, Marlington 124 226 0.549Christian Parker, GlenOak 200 368 0.543Austin Nupp, Central Catholic 95 176 0.540Brent Walker, McKinley 123 230 0.535Zach Ebbott, Lake Center 73 138 0.529Johnny Browning, Malvern 156 297 0.525Avery Scott, GlenOak 53 101 0.525Matt Starcher Lake Center 96 183 0.525Adam Nowak Lake Center 129 252 0.512Kyle Hunter, Fairless 77 151 0.510Donovan O’Neil, Green 96 190 0.505Kade Ruegsegger, Dover 193 383 0.504Kobe Johnson, McKinley 176 359 0.490Dan Underation Lake Center 47 96 0.490Trey Martin, Green 66 135 0.489Elijah Eyster, Sandy Valley 56 115 0.487Nathan Ravine, Dover 93 191 0.487Luke Sabo, Massillon 82 171 0.480Justus Seran, Central Catholic 105 220 0.477Kyle Luhring, Northwest 94 197 0.477Lucas Ruegg, Fairless 103 216 0.477

Nick Leeders, Northwest 94 200 0.470Andrew Pucci, Marlington 167 358 0.466Garrison Keeslar, Green 69 148 0.466Zack Oddo, Green 92 199 0.462Ethan Stuart, Dover 40 87 0.460Jude Boron, Central Catholic 48 105 0.457CJ Hall, McKinley 96 211 0.455Kenneth Martin, Malvern 65 143 0.455Landen Rose, Hoover 68 150 0.453Reise Lanier, Fairless 52 115 0.452Joe Miller, GlenOak 64 142 0.451Collin Chambers, Louisville 125 278 0.450

3-point percentage (minimum 40 attempts)Player, School 3ptFGM 3ptFGA PctKade Ruegsegger, Dover 91 203 0.448Zack Oddo, Green 45 106 0.425Evan Shertzer, Tuslaw 51 122 0.418Jude Boron, Central Catholic 24 58 0.414Jake Aleman, Jackson 29 71 0.408Camden Horning, Lake 22 54 0.407Mehki Smith, McKinley 32 80 0.400Shea Simmer, Green 34 85 0.400Reise Lanier, Fairless 34 85 0.400Jake Onul, Malvern 16 40 0.400Jack Wagner, Perry 26 66 0.394Antwan Williams, McKinley 52 132 0.394JJ Vaughan, Lake 75 192 0.391Andrew Pucci, Marlington 36 93 0.387Justus Seran, Central Catholic 37 96 0.385Blake Sommers, Lake Center 38 99 0.384Jonah McCartney, Hoover 71 187 0.380Ty Pratt, Tuslaw 47 124 0.379Jaden Stock, Massillon 32 85 0.376Lucas Tindell, Hoover 15 40 0.375Alex Casper, Green 27 72 0.375Johnny Browning, Malvern 15 40 0.375Demetrius Evans, Sandy Valley 32 86 0.372Kobe Johnson, McKinley 56 154 0.364Michael Minor, Malvern 26 72 0.361James McCollough, McKinley 28 78 0.359Dawson Fortner, Fairless 39 109 0.358Derk Hutchison, Malvern 44 123 0.358Sam Oliver, GlenOak 45 126 0.357Christian Parker, GlenOak 38 107 0.355Jarred Pettay, Perry 26 74 0.351Kevin James, Jackson 21 60 0.350

Free throw shooting (minimum 40 attempts)Player, School FTM FTA PctLucas Ruegg, Fairless 65 73 0.890Trey Miletich, Northwest 44 51 0.863Jonah McCartney, Hoover 83 101 0.822Kevin James, Jackson 59 72 0.819Ryan Smith, Green 32 40 0.800Kade Ruegsegger, Dover 98 123 0.797Kobe Johnson, McKinley 81 102 0.794Jimmy Birong, Carrollton 43 55 0.782Dakota Hoffman, Louisville 45 58 0.776Kindel Richardson, GlenOak 38 50 0.760Adam Chaney, Carrollton 128 169 0.757Shea Simmer, Green 33 44 0.750

GIRLS

Scoring (must play at least half of team’s games)Player, School G Pts AvgHannah Mang, Lake Center 23 444 19.3Jazmariah Morris-Moore, Malvern 22 369 16.8Peyton Davis, Hoover 25 412 16.5Nakyah Terrell, McKinley 22 361 16.4Karlee Altimore, Sandy Valley 24 392 16.3Emma Dretke, Jackson 23 344 15.0Paige Cole, Louisville 22 328 14.9Mackenzie Duplain, Massillon 23 324 14.1Sherilyn Mullett, Louisville 22 303 13.8Mekeyah Duley, Massillon 23 299 13.0Abby Stephens, Lake 23 286 12.4Kiley Dyrlund, Lake 24 274 11.4Kyla Foster, McKinley 22 243 11.0Jordan Marecek, Northwest 22 233 10.6Abbey Parker, Sandy Valley 24 245 10.2

Rebounding (must play at least half of team’s games)Player, School G Reb Avg.Kate Haubert, Hoover 25 286 11.4Natasha Lyogky, Lake Center 23 217 9.4Abbey Parker, Sandy Valley 24 195 8.1Hannah Mang, Lake Center 23 178 7.7Abby Stephens, Lake 23 176 7.7Emma Dretke, Jackson 23 172 7.5Mekeyah Duley, Massillon 23 167 7.3Kiley Dyrlund, Lake 24 174 7.3Sherilyn Mullett, Louisville 22 149 6.8Meri Karmie, Lake Center 23 155 6.7Mackenzie Duplain, Massillon 23 154 6.7Angela Roshak, Hoover 25 163 6.5Lily Bottomley, Northwest 21 135 6.4Payton Stewart, Tuslaw 26 162 6.2Coletta Miller, Minerva 24 147 6.1Josie Wise, Perry 24 142 5.9Paige Cole, Louisville 22 130 5.9Kendal Loy, Louisville 22 124 5.6Maddie Powers, Malvern 22 122 5.5Emma Koons, Tuslaw 26 142 5.5Brook Stookey, Tuslaw 24 129 5.4Carly Spradling, Northwest 22 118 5.4Kailee Wilson, Perry 24 128 5.3Karlee Altimore, Sandy Valley 24 125 5.2Jazmariah Morris-Moore, Malvern 22 109 5.0

Assists (must play at least half of team’s games)Player, School G Ast AvgKayla Gibson, Louisville 22 107 4.9Kerianne Diese, Jackson 24 100 4.2Anna Berry, Massillon 23 83 3.6Carrie Wyman, Northwest 22 75 3.4Meredith Randulic, Perry 23 77 3.3Emily Walker, Hoover 25 79 3.2Nakyah Terrell, McKinley 22 67 3.0Tori Sickafoose, Sandy Valley 24 73 3.0

Field goal percentage (minimum 80 attempts)Player, School FGM FGA PctRiley Cudnik, Northwest 64 101 0.634

Brook Stookey, Tuslaw 86 157 0.548Kiley Dyrlund, Lake 118 221 0.534Abbey Parker, Sandy Valley 98 187 0.524Lily Bottomley, Northwest 52 100 0.520Kirston Moriconi, Sandy Valley 82 160 0.513Kelsey Adelman, Louisville 44 89 0.494Payton Stewart, Tuslaw 78 163 0.479Jordan Miller, Hoover 72 155 0.465Paige Cole, Louisville 123 266 0.462Hannah Mang, Lake Center 106 231 0.459Kyla Foster, McKinley 92 204 0.451Abby Hoiles, Tuslaw 54 122 0.443Emma Dretke, Jackson 127 288 0.441Alayna McMullen, Jackson 49 113 0.434Kerianne Diese, Jackson 57 135 0.422Nakyah Terrell, McKinley 150 356 0.421Sherilynn Mullett, Louisville 110 263 0.418Karlee Altimore, Sandy Valley 130 311 0.418Faith West, Lake Center 37 89 0.416Angela Roshak, Hoover 52 128 0.406Jordan Marecek, Northwest 92 230 0.400

3-point percentage (minimum 40 attempts)Player, School 3ptFGM 3ptFGA PctEmma Dretke, Jackson 47 116 0.405Lauren Pallotta, Jackson 31 77 0.403Karlee Altimore, Sandy Valley 54 136 0.397Sherilynn Mullett, Louisville 19 48 0.396Paige Cole, Louisville 40 102 0.392Kerianne Diese, Jackson 33 85 0.388Jazmariah Morris-Moore, Malvern 27 74 0.365Tori Sickafoose, Sandy Valley 31 85 0.365Alayna McMullen, Jackson 21 59 0.356Coletta Miller, Minerva 17 48 0.354Ellie Begue, Lake 32 91 0.352Payton Stewart, Tuslaw 13 40 0.325Abby Hoiles, Tuslaw 19 59 0.322Kailee Wilson, Perry 17 53 0.321Selah Yost, Tuslaw 27 85 0.318Elyssa Imler, Minerva 21 68 0.309Ava Scroggs, Jackson 50 162 0.309

Free throw shooting (minimum 40 attempts)Player, School FTM FTA PctEmma Koons, Tuslaw 37 42 0.881Kerianne Diese, Jackson 34 42 0.810Kiley Wolf, Perry 32 40 0.800Angela Roshak, Hoover 56 71 0.789Carrie Wyman, Northwest 23 30 0.767Karlee Altimore, Sandy Valley 78 103 0.757Emma Dretke, Jackson 43 57 0.754Jazmariah Morris-Moore, Malvern 106 144 0.736Hannah Mang, Lake Center 94 128 0.734Jordan Marecek, Northwest 27 37 0.730Peyton Davis, Hoover 104 145 0.717Kayla Gibson, Louisville 53 74 0.716Meredith Randulic, Perry 79 111 0.712Kate Haubert, Hoover 53 75 0.707Maddie Foutz, Minerva 49 70 0.700Paige Cole, Louisville 42 60 0.700*Stats submitted by coaches and team statisticians.

FINAL BOYS AND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL STAT LEADERS FOR 2019-20 SEASON

REPOSITORY FILE

n McKinley’s Kobe Johnson looks for an open teammate while being guarded by Jackson’s Jake Byers on Feb. 4.

n Jackson’s Emma Dretke (center) works against Hoover defenders Angela Roshak (left) and Peyton Davis during a game Jan. 8.REPOSITORY

FILE


C4 Sunday, April 12, 2020 | The Canton Repository | CantonRep.com

“For them to reac-climate into a grueling, physical, competitive environment,” Smith said, “to make sure we avoid muscle tissue issues, sprains and strains and tendons and ligaments and all the contusions, all those types of things that occur because you haven’t been working out at the same level of intensity that we have historically prepared them.”

The Buckeyes last practiced during the first week of March when they opened spring practice. Football facilities at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center have also since been closed.

Smith credited Day for consulting with Ohio State’s strength and conditioning staff and team doctors, as well as Todd Berry, the executive director of the American Football Coaches Asso-ciation, as they look to establish a preseason

plan.Last week, Penn State

athletic director Sandy Barbour told reporters teams needed about two months to prepare.

Week 1 is scheduled for Labor Day weekend, including Ohio State’s Sept. 5 opener against Bowling Green.

Smith said the Big Ten is looking in the coming weeks to establish “return-to-play” proto-cols for teams.

Organized team activi-ties in all Big Ten sports are halted through May 4, when the suspension is to be reevaluated.

Other organizations that oversee college sports will have input on when practices and workouts might resume.

Later Friday, the NCAA announced it had formed a COVID-19 playing and practice seasons working group that will focus on football and communicate with the football oversight committee.

But governments and public health officials are expected to have the

biggest say in permitting teams to resume play.

“Many of these deci-sions will be based on where the states are,” Smith said. “If you look across the country, there’s different dates for when gatherings can return.”

Ohio’s “stay-at-home” order, which limits gath-erings of more than 10 people, runs through May 1. Measures in some other states carry into June.

Amid uncertainty about the football season and the preparation required for it to be held, Smith said he was still optimis-tic that the fall schedule might ultimately proceed.

“I’m hopeful that we have a football season in the fall in some form or fashion,” he said. “So I’m entering this return-to-play thought process with the hopes that some model will work for the fall. That might be naive on my part, but I have to believe that something’s going to happen. What its going to look like, I don’t know.”

BUCKSFrom Page C1

THE PLAIN DEALER VIA AP MARVIN FONG

n Ohio State’s Ryan Day coaches the Buckeyes from the sideline, which he is hoping to do come Sept. 5 against Bowling Green at Ohio Stadium. But with the coronavirus pandemic, nothing is certain at this point as Day and the Buckeyes and the rest of college football wait it out.

Tigers were 14-0 before falling in the national finals.

In Simmons’ four years in the program, Clem-son went 55-4, a figure that does not compute to Browns fans who have endured insane losing (14-50 record) in that span.

As a high school senior, Simmons made all-state at safety and averaged a cool 30 yards a catch as an ad libbing receiver. At Clemson, he played safety, line-backer and whatever else got dreamed up in Dabo World.

“Isaiah literally could make All-American in four different spots,“ head coach Dabo Swin-ney said before Clemson beat Ohio State in the national semis. ”There’s not a box you can’t check. In fact, he adds boxes that aren’t even a necessity. He’s a beauti-ful football player.”

Simmons saw sub-stantial action at five different positions in 2019, including corner-back and nickel back.

He was pegged “best linebacker in the land in winning the Butkus Award, whose fairly recent recipients include Luke Kuechly, Von Miller, James Laurinaitis, Patrick Willis and LaVar Arrington.

The Browns are draft-ing at No. 10 overall, a vicinity in which their record is sickly, mostly. Their closest picks to 10 in the expansion era have been Barkevious Mingo at No. 6 in 2013, Kellen Winslow Jr. at No. 6 in 2004, Joe Haden at No. 7 in 2010, Justin Gilbert at No. 8 in 2014, Danny Shelton at No. 12 in 2015 and Kamerion Wimbley at No. 13 in 2006.

Plenty of 2020 mock drafts project Simmons off the board earlier, but two NFL.com analysts see him right in that range (it’s No. 9 to the Jaguars for Charley Cas-serly, No. 11 to the Jets for Chad Reuter). Former Browns scout Daniel Jeremiah, now the lead scout for NFL Network, has the Browns taking Simmons at No. 10 in his updated mock.

The Browns could go offensive tackle at 10, but with Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert gone to

the Packers and Jaguars, their linebacker situation seems precarious.

Here’s some of what NFL.com scout Lance Zierlein sees in Simmons:

“Ascending hybrid talent with rare length, speed and versatility ... Can give his coordina-tor a chance to disguise blitz packages and exotic post-snap looks ... He’ll miss run fits due to a lack of instincts, but his play-making range outweighs those concerns ... Unique potential to spy against dual-threat QBs.”

Simmons offers the speed (sub-4.4 40 at the Combine), size and traits to cover tight ends, which the Browns could not do in their home opener and home finale when Tennes-see’s Delanie Walker and Baltimore’s Mark Andrews each caught two touchdown passes in two lospsided losses.

Whether Simmons would be available at No. 10 or in a reason-ably priced trade up is unknown. He certainly is worth conference-call attention as the Browns feel their way through the coronavirus ordeal en route to the first day of the 2020 draft, on April 23.

It has been a long time since Simmons’ track coach/father drove him through quarter mile races that sometimes left him in tears. Those were the “Slimmons” days.

Ohio State’s Chase Young didn’t mind view-ing himself and Simmons as the top two defenders in the country when their teams were about to col-lide in the 2019 national semis.

“I actually know ‘Zay,’ ” Young said. “He’s an animal, man. He can wreck a game.

“If you talk to me, I’ll say I’m the best. If you talk to ‘Zay,’ he’s going to say he’s the best. But Isaiah ... he’s freaky.”

In 2019, eight of the first 10 draft picks were defensive players. In 2018 and 2017, seven of the first 10 were offensive players.

Trading up from 10, if new Browns GM Andrew Berry opts for that route, should surprise no one. The magic number seems to be four trades, the number arranged by assorted NFL teams (including Cleveland) within the top 10 picks of the 2016, ’17 and ’18

drafts.Last year, Pittsburgh

traded up from No. 20 to No. 10 to take versa-tile Michigan linebacker Devin Bush, who wor-ried scouts because he is stands just 5-foot-11. Simmons’ Combine measurements were 6-foot-4, 238 pounds.

In high school, Sim-mons played about 25 miles from the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. He loved the water. He fished with his grandpa in a pond near his back yard and zipped across lakes doing tricks on a water board.

Olathe, the city, grew like crazy (popula-tion 37,000 in the 1980 census, about 140,000 now).

Simmons’ reputation likewise grew quickly as he added linebacker and other jobs to his initial role of safety.

Clemson coaches called him “Twinkletoes” when he was new at linebacker. He hated the nickname and laughed about it when he won the Butkus.

His college career ended with a loss in the national title game, but he impressed LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, who said, “He’s built for all parts of the field, long, fast and disruptive. You never know where he might be.”

Simmons sacked Joe Burrow and deflected three passes in the game.

Interesting characters from Clemson are sprin-kled across Cleveland’s fairly recent history.

Kevin Mack combined for 52 rushing-receiving touches in the Browns’ AFC championship games against Denver in the 1986, 1987 and 1989 seasons.

Michael Dean Perry anchored the defensive front seven the last time the Browns won a playoff game (1994).

Dwight Clark arrived as general manager the year they came back as an expansion team, 1999.

Deshaun Watson got traded in 2017 for first-round draft picks that turned into Jabrill Pep-pers and Denzel Ward.

Chances of Cleveland landing Simmons might be on the “Slimmer” side, but until he lands else-where, some Browns fans understandably feast their eyes on him.

Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or [email protected] Twitter: @sdoerschukREP

‘SLIMMONS’From Page C1

COMMENTARY

R est easy, Big Nut and Buck-I-Guy. Ohio State foot-

ball season will not begin without you.

Whether that makes Buck-

eye Nation mad or glad depends on your view of adult fans

wearing face paint and a cape.

Regardless, when OSU finally takes the field — whether on Sept. 5 against Bowling Green or later in the fall or ... gulp ... who knows when? — those two Horseshoe celebrities will be surrounded by thou-sands wearing scarlet and gray.

All the talk about foot-ball being played in empty stadiums? Just that. Talk. Speculation. Click-bait. When the government and medical profes-sionals finally give the all-clear for games to be played ― mayors, gover-nors and epidemiologists will have more say in the matter than Mike “Virus-Schmirus” Gundy ― fans will have factored into the decision. Not just because fans matter, but because football players do, too.

In that way, fans in the stands are 100,000 canar-ies in a coal mine telling schools it is OK for their athletes to go forward.

As Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith explained it Friday, “If we don’t have fans in the stands, then we deter-mined it’s not safe for them. So why would it be safe for the players?”

Smith also addressed

player safety by includ-ing regular students in his wide-ranging comments on how COVID-19 will continue to impact college football.

“If students aren’t on campus that means the institution has made a decision that it’s not safe for students to be on campus. So why would it be safe for student-ath-letes?— he said, referring to the possibility of stu-dents taking online classes from home in the fall.

“When you have 100 football players, it’s hard to social distance in a locker room or training room. We have to not get into a place where we’re lax on our social distanc-ing. I have to rely on the experts on that, because we cannot put our kids at risk.”

Smith is not alone in thinking games cannot go on unless fans and athletes are assured of being safe. Toledo athletic director Mike O’Brien shared similar sentiments.

“We all want football, that’s a given,” O’Brien said. “If we can have foot-ball, no matter when it is, then there’s more sense of normalcy, if there is such a thing. But I don’t foresee football without fans. At the end of the day, this is all about safety.”

Well, not all. Without fans shelling out to watch, eat and drink, the OSU athletic department loses the equivalent of Ryan Day’s annual salary each Saturday in the Horse-shoe. Between ticket sales, concessions and merchandise sales, each home game brings in $5 million to $7 million in

revenue, Smith said.“Football season is vital

to the budget health of our overall department. It is the driver of our budget,” Smith said. “While bas-ketball contributes in a significant way, football is the elephant in the room.”

Millions in TV money means football could survive without fans in attendance, at least for a while. How would empty stadiums impact games? Players say performance would not deteriorate as much as many expect, but the fun of playing in front of a large crowd would suffer.

It’s a moot point, because games will go on only when fans can go in. As it should be. When will that be?

“I’m hopeful we’ll have a football season in the fall in some form or fashion. ... That might be naive on my part, but I have to believe something will happen,” Smith said. “I’m entering this return-to-play thought process with the hopes that some model will work for the fall.”

Specific models have not been discussed, mostly because the Big Ten athletic directors have been busy working through other logistical issues, such as how to pay for the extra year of eligi-bility granted to athletes who are losing their spring seasons.

“We’re not going to rush this,” Smith said. “It’s a major societal issue. Football is impor-tant, but we’ve got people dying.”

Dying to watch football does not compare.

Football won’t return until fans can, too

RobOLLER

roller@ dispatch.com

SPORTS IN BRIEFNHL

‘Undrafted but undaunted’: Oilers’ Cave dies at 25

Colby Cave, an excellent teammate whose lone goal for the Edmonton Oilers this season came on an “awesome” rush down the ice, died Saturday after a brain bleed this week. He was 25.

The NHL club did not say what caused the bleed. Cave’s agent, Jason Davidson, has said the condition did not appear linked to the coronavirus.

“Our Colby was loved dearly by us, his family and friends, the entire hockey com-munity, and many more,” his family said in a statement.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Cave’s “life and hockey career, though too short, were inspiringly emblematic of the best of our game.”

“Undrafted but undaunted, Colby was relentless in the pursuit of his hockey dream,” he added.

Cave was placed in a medically induced coma Tuesday at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. He was airlifted to Toronto after being admitted to a hospital in Barrie, Ontario, on Monday. Cave underwent emergency surgery Tuesday to remove a colloid cyst causing pressure on the brain.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Ohio State lands Utah State graduate transfer Porter

Ohio State has landed a commitment from Utah State graduate transfer Abel Porter.

In four years at Utah State, Porter averaged 4.3 points, 2.4 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 94 career games including 55 starts.

As a fourth-year junior last season, Porter started all 34 games for an Aggies team that went 26-8 and won the Mountain West conference tournament, averaging a career-high 5.6 points per game and shoot-ing 38.2% from the floor.

Porter comes to Ohio State to add depth to a thin backcourt that otherwise only features fifth-year senior CJ Walker and

junior Duane Washington Jr. He projects as a backup point guard and helps fill a void left by last Sunday’s transfer of two-year starter Luther Muhammad.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Porter gives Ohio State a full roster for next season with Kaleb Wesson exploring his NBA draft stock.

He is not expected to return for a senior year, although he has kept the option open in part to the uncertainty around the league’s pre-draft process this year.

Porter will have just one season of eligi-bility with the Buckeyes. He took a medical redshirt as a walk-on freshman at Utah State after playing in three games before suffering a foot injury.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Okla. State’s Gundy apologizes for COVID-19 comments

Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy apologized Saturday for comments this week about the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I have been made aware that comments from my press conference have offended some,” Gundy said in a statement. “It was never my intention to offend anyone and I apologize. My first priority is and will always be the student-athletes and doing what is best for the program and the university.”

Gundy spoke with the media during a teleconference call Tuesday and said he hoped to have the team return to its facili-ties May 1, a proposed timetable that would defy federal social-distancing guidelines and was quickly disputed by the university.

Following Gundy’s comments, Okla-homa State issued a statement saying, essentially, that the decision about when to bring the football team back together wouldn’t be up to the coach.

“We will adhere to the advice of public health experts who are making informed decisions in the best interest of the citizens of our nation and state based on sound scientific data,” the university statement said.

FROM WIRE REPORTS



june 18, 2020the BEST OF STARK PREPS showcases the top talent in high school athletics. This year, instead of a live event, athletes will be celebrated in a special on-demand broadcast hosted by sports anchors Jesse Palmer and Sage Steele. Join us as we honor area athletes, name the players of the year in each sport and present several special awards. The broadcast premieres at 6 pm, June 18 at no charge thanks to our event sponsors.

the star-studded event of the yearthe star-studded

Learn More | Sign up for Updates | Register for Honoree Gift Packages c a n t o n r e p . c o m / p r e p s

Celebrating the best in High School Sports with awards presented by: Drew Brees, gabby douglas,Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Rose Lavelle, Misty May-Treanor,Venus Williams and many more!

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