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The Lakota East baseball program won its first state championship Saturday, June 4, when it defeated Perrysburg by the score of 6-2 in the Division I state title game at Huntington Park in Columbus. Tonight, June 6, the team will be honored during a special celebration at the high school in Liberty Township.

The celebration will begin at 7 p.m. During the event, the 12 seniors, who include J.D. Whetsel, Craig Thomson, Nick Norris, Brian Evans, Jesse Rait, David Kovac, Damon Lander, Evan Hills, Zak Kloenne, Mark McDaniel, Nick Kloenne and Mitch Geers will celebrate their graduation. The group missed the Lakota East’s graduation ceremony at Miami University’s Millet Hall, which started the same time as the state title game.

>>>LAKOTA EAST STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTOS<<<

Besides winning the state title, the East baseball team’s accomplishments this season include the program’s best-ever overall record (24-7), their third Greater Miami Conference title, along with sectional, district and regional titles. East’s state championship is the second Lakota team to win an OHSAA Division 1 State Baseball title (Lakota West 2007). East joins five other GMC schools, Hamilton (1983,1997), Fairfield (1985,1991) and Lakota West (2007) who have state baseball titles. Head Coach Ray Hamilton earned his 374th career victory with East’s title victory.

Cincinnati.com reporter Tom Ramstetter attended the title game. For his game story, visit Cincinnati.com’s post “Lakota East baseball wins school’s first state championship.”

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: baseball, Brian Evans, Craig Thomson, Damon Lander, David Kovac, Evan Hills, J.D. Whetsel, Jesse Rait, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Mark McDaniel, Mitch Geers, Nick Kloenne, Nick Norris, Ray Hamilton, state championship, Zak Kloenne

Lakota East advanced to the regional semifinal by defeating Centerville by the score of 10-0 in five innings in a district title match at Miamisburg High School on Saturday, May 21.

Senior Jesse Rait (3-for-5, HR, 2 RBIs, 3 runs), junior Alex Corna (3-for-3, 2 2Bs, 2 runs, 3 RBIs), senior Mitch Geers (2 runs), senior Craig Thomson (3-for-4, 2 2Bs, 4 RBIs) and senior Brain Evans (2-for-3) all performed well at the plate for the Thunderhawks.

Lakota East (20-7) will face Northmont (22-6) this Thursday, May 26, at 5 p.m. at the University of Cincinnati.

Baseball – Lakota West 5, Glen Este 1 – The Firebirds continue to advance in the postseason. Their latest win, a 5-1 decision against Glen Este on Saturday at Western Hills High School, captured a district championship. Lakota West junior Zack Farmer earned the win on the mound and was 2-for-2 with a double. The Firebirds (17-11) will face Grove City in a regional semifinal on Thursday, May 26, at 5 p.m. at Dublin Coffman High School.

Softball – Lakota West 3, Ursuline 2 – Lakota West received another good outing from senior pitcher Alex Caudill, who struck out 16 batters in a 3-2 win against Ursuline in a district title game at Lakota East High School on Saturday. The Firebirds (19-4) will face Glen Este (24-4) in a regional semifinal matchup on Wednesday, May 25, at Mason High School at 5 p.m.

Softball – Lakota East 2, Northmont 0 – The Thunderhawks won its district title matchup against Northmont by the score of 2-0 in eight innings on Saturday. Senior pitcher Sara Pearson improved her record to 21-2 and stuck out 14 batters in the victory. The win advances Lakota East (26-2) to the regional semifinal where it will face Wayne (16-10) at Mason High School on Thursday, May 26, at 5 p.m.

Tennis – district tournament – Lakota East junior Zack Mueck and senior Freddy Abunku face each other in the finals of the district tournament at Centerville on Saturday. Mueck advanced to the final by defeating Sycamore senior Adam Reinhart by the score of 6-3, 6-2, while Abunku won his district semifinal match against Princeton junior Conner Nagel by the score of 6-4, 6-2. In the final, Mueck defeated Abunku 6-4, 6-1. Both players are headed to the state tournament, May 27-28 at Hilliard Davidson High School (near Columbus).

(Photo: From earlier game against Lakota West)

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Caudill, Alex Corna, baseball, Brian Evans, Craig Thomson, Freddy Abunku, Jesse Rait, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Mitch Geers, Sara Pearson, softball, tennis, Zach Mueck, Zack Farmer

The Lakota East and Lakota West softball teams advanced to district title games with wins on Monday, May 16. Lakota East defeated Fairborn by the score of 10-0 in five innings, while Lakota West edged Springfield by the score of 3-1.

Lakota East (24-2 overall, 15-2 in the Greater Miami Conference) received another strong performance from its senior pitcher Sara Pearson, who improved her record to 19-2 and struck out eight batters in the postseason victory. Pearson (2-for-4), junior Alyssa Grevenkamp (3-for-4, 3B), senior Kelly Hardison (2-for-2), freshman Gracie Sprockett (2B, 2 RBIs) and junior Kim Rollins (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) led the Thunderhawks at the plate.

Meanwhile, Lakota West (18-4 overall, 15-3 in the GMC) senior pitcher Alex Caudill improved her record to 12-2 on the year.

In the postseason the Thunderhawks will face Clayton Northmont in its district final game, which will be played at 1 p.m. at Fairmont High School this Saturday, May 21. This Wednesday, however, Lakota East will host Fairfield (17-3 overall, 15-2 in the GMC) in a late regular season game that will decide the 2011 GMC championship.

Lakota West is scheduled to play its district championship game against Ursuline Academy (13-6 overall, 6-3 in the Girls Greater Cincinnati League) this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Lakota East High School.

Baseball – Lakota East 7, Kings 4 – The Thunderhawks defeated Kings by the score of 7-4 on Monday in what was a late regular season matchup between the two schools. Senior J.D. Whetsel (2-for-3, 2B), sophomore Jarret Rindfleisch (2-for-4), Rait (2B, 2 RBI), junior Blake Wilder (2 runs), senior Brian Evans (2B, 2 RBIs) and senior Zak Kloenne (2 RBIs) led Lakota East at the plate. Lakota East is scheduled to face Clermont Northeastern at 5 p.m. today. On Thursday, May 19, the Thunderhawks will face GMC foe Sycamore in the district semifinals (postseason) at 5 p.m. at Harrison High School. Lakota East (18-7 overall, 13-5 in the GMC) has already played Sycamore (11-7 overall, 10-7 in the GMC) twice this month (May 6-7) and won both games (5-4 in extra innings and 10-7).

Baseball – Lakota West 4, Springboro 3 – In a late regular season matchup, the Firebirds defeated Springboro by the score of 4-3 on Monday. Junior Zack Farmer (2-for-3, 2B), senior Ryan Oltporik (2-for-3, 3B) and junior Troy Dombart (2-for-3, 3B) led Lakota West at the plate. Lakota West will face GMC rival Mason in the district semifinals this Thursday, May 19, at 5 p.m. at Oak Hills High School. Lakota West (15-10 overall, 9-9 in the GMC) has already lost to Mason (15-9 overall, 9-9 in the GMC) twice this month – by the score of 12-3 May 4 and by the score of 7-1 on May 7.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Caudill, Alyssa Grevenkamp, Blake Wilder, Brian Evans, daily sports roundup, Gracie Sprockett, J.D. Whetsel, Jarrett Rindfleisch, Kelly Hardison, Kim Rollins, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Ryan Oltporik, Sara Pearson, Troy Dombart, Zack Farmer, Zak Kloenne

Lakota West scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning Wednesday, April 13, when junior Jake Wagner singled in junior Nick Billman to make the score 2-1. The Firebirds would hold on to the lead thanks in part to senior starting pitcher T.J. Belieu, who threw a complete game. Belieu improves his record to 3-0. He also has 19 strikeouts in 20 innings and an ERA of 1.40 this season.

The win improves Lakota West’s overall record to 5-4 and its record within the Greater Miami Conference to 4-3. The Firebirds will visit Oak Hills (5-3 overall, 4-3 in the GMC) this afternoon at 5 p.m.

Baseball – Lakota East 2, Middletown 0 – Earlier this week, Lakota East had two games against Middletown postponed before finally beating the Middies by the score of 2-0 on Wednesday. Senior pitcher Evan Hills earned the win, improving his record to 3-1 on the season. Senior Brian Evans went 2-for-4 at the plate and drove in both runs. The win moves Lakota East into a two-way tie with Mason (7-2 overall, 5-2 in the GMC) atop the GMC standings. The Thunderhawks (6-3 overall, 5-2 in the GMC) will visit Fairfield (6-4 overall, 3-4 in the GMC) this afternoon at 5 p.m.

Softball – Lakota East 10, Sycamore 1 – The Thunderhawks won its 11th straight game on Wednesday when it defeated Sycamore by the score of 10-1. Sophomore pitcher Lea Buckenmyer improved to 3-0 this season. She also has 24 strikeouts and a 1.05 ERA in 20 innings this season. Senior Kelly Hardison homered for the fifth time this season and drove in four runs. Lakota East (12-1 overall, 7-1 in the GMC) will visit Fairfield (8-0 overall, 8-0 in the GMC) this afternoon in a battle between two of the area’s top teams.

Tennis – Centerville def. Lakota West – After winning five straight matches last week, the Lakota West boys’ tennis team has lost all three of its matches this week. The latest loss was against Centerville, which defeated the Firebirds by the score of 4-1. No. 3 singles player sophomore Nick Lang won his match for Lakota West. The Firebirds will visit rival Lakota East (7-1 overall, 6-1 in the GMC) this afternoon at 4 p.m.

Volleyball – Centerville def. Lakota West – The Elks defeated Lakota West by the score of 25-19, 25-19, 25-16 on Wednesday. Junior Alex Baker led the Firebirds with nine digs. Senior Rio Onuki had four kills and sophomore Curtis Johnson added two kills in the loss for Lakota West. The Firebirds (4-4 overall, 4-0 in the GMC) will visit Oak Hills (8-1 overall, 3-1 in the GMC) tonight at 7 p.m.

Volleyball – Lakota East def. Fairmont – Lakota East defeated Fairmont by the score of 25-16, 26-24, 25-18 on Wednesday. The win improves Lakota East’s overall record to 10-3 this season. The team is also 3-0 within the GMC. East will host Princeton tonight at 7 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Baker, baseball, boys' tennis, boys' volleyball, Brian Evans, Curtis Johnson, Evan Hills, Jake Wagner, Kelly Hardison, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lea Buckenmyer, Nick Billman, Nick Lang, Rio Onuki, softball, T.J. Belieu, tennis, volleyball

The record-setting season for the boys’ basketball team at Lakota East High School ended last Thursday, March 17, when it lost to No. 1 seed Westerville South by the score of 64-58 in the Division I regional semifinal at the Columbus Fairgrounds Coliseum.

The Thunderhawks actually lead at halftime 30-23, but were outscored 41-28 in the second half.

Leading the comeback was Westerville South senior Traevon Jackson, who scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the second half. Jackson, who has signed on to play basketball at Wisconsin, also added six assists and converted 15 of his 19 free-throw attempts.

“He’s really good,” Lakota East coach Wally Vickers told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “He (Jackson) was able to get away with a lot. But there’s no sour grapes – he’s a heck of a player.”

After defeating Lakota East, Westerville went on to beat Columbus Northland by the score of 80-62 in the regional final Saturday, March 19.

The season was special for the Thunderhawks, who won their first-ever outright Greater Miami Conference title and their first district championship this winter. Furthermore, Lakota East’s appearance in the regional semifinal marks the furthest the program has advanced in the state tournament in school history.

The loss also marks the end of the high school careers of six seniors: Jalen Goodwin, R.J. Leppert, Brian Evans, Jeff Cargill, Cameron Lee and Michael Boyd.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, boys' basketball, Brian Evans, Cameron Lee, Jalen Goodwin, Jeff Cargill, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Michael Boyd, playoffs, R.J. Leppert, regional semifinal, regional semifinals, Wally Vickers, Walter Vickers

Lakota East improved its perfect record to 19-0 overall and 13-0 in the Greater Miami Conference with a convincing 65-46 win against Colerain Feb. 11 on Senior Night. The Thunderhawks’ set of six seniors, who all have played a big role in the program’s record-setting season, were honored prior to the game.

Lakota East was able to shake the distractions of Senior Night and jumped out to an impressive lead; and was up 56-25 at the end of the third quarter. The Cardinals were able to outscore the Thunderhawks in the final frame, 21-9, to make the final score a bit closer.

The convincing win should help Lakota East’s chances of landing a No. 1 seed in the sectional playoff tournament draw, which is set to take place Sunday, Feb. 13, afternoon at Princeton. Moeller (18-0 overall, 9-0 in Greater Catholic League), which is No. 1 in the Associated Press state poll, is also hoping for the No. 1 seed.

Senior Cameron Lee led Lakota East with 13 points. Senior teammates Jalen Goodwin (six points), R.J. Leppert (five points, six rebounds), Michael Boyd (eight points, five assists), Jeff Cargill (nine points, three blocks) and Brian Evans (four points) all contributed to the win.

Colerain junior Elisha Campbell led all scorers with a career-high 30 points.

Lakota East will wrap up the regular season on Friday, Feb. 18 with a road game at Middletown (14-4 overall, 10-3 in GMC) at 7:30 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, boys' basketball, Brian Evans, Elisha Campbell, Jalen Goodwin, Jeff Cargill, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Michael Boyd, Moeller, R.J. Leppert

The Lakota East boys’ basketball program clinched its first outright Greater Miami Conference title when it defeated the defending GMC champs Princeton last night, Feb. 8, by the score of 57-49.

With the win, the Thunderhawks (18-0 overall, 12-0 in GMC) equaled their school record for wins in a season with 18. Lakota East’s current 18-game winning streak is also a school record.

>>>PHOTOS: LAKOTA EAST AT PRINCETON<<<

Meanwhile, the loss, moved Princeton (14-4 overall, 9-3 in GMC), who has been either the outright GMC champs or shared the title for the past three seasons, into a three-way tie for second place in the conference standings.

In last night’s game, Lakota East fell behind early, trailing 11-5 after the first quarter. However, the Thunderhawks went on a 9-0 run to end the first half and led 22-16 at halftime.

Princeton was able to cut Lakota East’s lead to 43-42 with 4:37 left to play, but were then outscored 14-7 the rest of the way.

After the game, Lakota East head coach Wally Vickers (photo) told Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Mark Schimetzer that he credited his six seniors for accomplishing the GMC championship.

“I know how much they’ve committed and what they’ve put into this,” Vickers told the Enquirer. “They’re special.”

That senior group, who all contributed in the win, includes Cameron Lee (four points, three rebounds), Jalen Goodwin (15 points, five rebounds), R.J. Leppert (11 points, seven rebounds), Jeff Cargill (one block), Michael Boyd (11 points, seven assists, six rebounds) and Brian Evans (nine points).

Senior guard Ulysses Thomas led Princeton with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.

Before last night’s game, the Thunderhawks moved up two spots to No. 4 in the Associated Press state basketball poll. They also fell two spots to No. 3 in the Cincinnati Enquirer coaches’ poll.

Lakota East has two games left in the regular season, against Colerain this Friday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. and at Middletown next Friday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m. The sectional playoff draw is scheduled to take place this Sunday, Feb. 13, at Princeton at 2 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: basketball, boys' basketball, Brian Evans, Cameron Lee, Jalen Goodwin, Jeff Cargill, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Michael Boyd, Princeton, R.J. Leppert, Wally Vickers, Walter Vickers

For the second straight game, Lakota East scored more than 70 points while holding its opponent to under 40. The latest blowout win for the Thunderhawks took place last night, Jan. 28, against Sycamore. The final score was 71-36.

Lakota East jumped out to a 24-7 lead in the first quarter before cruising to its school-record 15th consecutive victory. Currently, the Thunderhawks are now 15-0 overall and 9-0 in the Greater Miami Conference.

Lakota East is No. 1 in the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Coaches’ Poll, No. 35 nationally (No. 1 in the state) by MaxPreps.com and No. 7 in the Associated Press state poll.

Four different players scored in double figures for Lakota East in last night’s win including senior R.J. Leppert (12 points), senior Michael Boyd (16 points), junior Allante Foster (12 points) and junior Mark Minch (10 points). Seniors Jalen Goodwin (nine points), Jeff Cargill (seven points) Brian Evans (five points) also contributed.

Sycamore junior A.J. Williams, who has offers to play football at Bowling Green, Ohio and Toledo, according to Yahoo! Sports, scored 18 points.

With the loss, Sycamore falls to 7-8 overall and 3-6 in the GMC.

The Thunderhawks next game will be a home contest against Mason (12-3, 7-2 in GMC) on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Lakota East defeated Mason Jan. 18 69-65 in overtime.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: A.J. Williams, Allante Foster, basketball, boys' basketball, Brian Evans, Jalen Goodwin, Jeff Cargill, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Mark Minch, Michael Boyd, R.J. Leppert, Sycamore

While many Lakota East students will be sleeping in during their holiday break, the players on the boys’ basketball team will be teaching elementary students the fundamentals of the game at the 2010 Hawk Holiday Basketball Camp.

The basketball camp consists of two sessions, the first session will be from Dec. 20-22 at 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and the second session will be from Dec. 28-30 at 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Both sessions will take place at Lakota East High School.

Each session is open to any girl or boy in grades second through sixth.

The cost is $60 per session or $100 for both sessions.

Lakota East coaches Wally Vickers, Clint Adkins, Ryan Lucas and Daniel Lyons and senior players Michael Boyd, Jalen Goodwin, R.J. Leppert, John Brady, Brian Evans, Jeff Cargill and Cameron Lee will direct the camp.

“We promise our holiday camp will be a fun experience where the fundamentals of basketball will be emphasized,” Lakota East head coach Wally Vickers said.

The camp will focus on the fundamentals of shooting, dribbling, passing and offensive team play.

Camp goers should bring basketball shoes, basketball clothes and a water bottle. It is also recommended to arrive 15 minutes early the first day.

For more information, e-mail coach Vickers at walter.vickers@lakotaonline.com.

Posted in: Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Brian Evans, Cameron Lee, Clint Adkins, Daniel Lyons, Hawk Holiday Basketball Camp, Jalen Goodwin, Jeff Cargill, John Brady, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Michael Boyd, R.J. Leppert, Ryan Lucas, Wally Vickers, Walter Vickers