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Zak Farmer led Lakota West at the plate in batting average (.411) and on the mound in wins (7). Photo taken at a game earlier this spring by Adam Kiefaber.

A total of 13 Lakota high school ballplayers were recently selected to the Greater Miami Conference first and second teams. Lakota East had five first-team selections, while Lakota West had two.

Making the first team from Lakota East were junior Drew Baker (led team with 7 wins), junior Brett Colburn (hit .291), senior Michael Conrad (struck out 100 batters in 61.1 innings), senior Alex Corna (led GMC with 7 home runs) and senior Blake Wilder (led team in at-bats, hits, doubles and runs batted in).

• Lakota East baseball team statistics
• Lakota West baseball team statistics

Lakota West honorees included senior Troy Dombart (led team in runs batted in) and senior Zak Farmer (led team in batting average and in wins).

Second-team selections include junior Adam Delaet and freshman Hayden Senger, both of Lakota East; and freshman Austin Allinger, junior Mike Anderson, sophomore Grant Schuermann and senior Jake Wagner, all from Lakota West.

Overall, in the standings, Lakota West (18-12 overall, 13-5 in the GMC) finished second in the GMC and Lakota East (16-14 overall, 10-8 in the GMC) finished fourth in the conference.

Both teams lost to Moeller in the regional playoffs.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Adam Delaet, Alex Corna, Austin Allinger, Blake Wilder, Brett Colburn, Drew Baker, Grant Schuermann, Hayden Senger, Jake Wagner, Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West sports, Michael Conrad, Mike Anderson, Troy Dombart, Zak Farmer

Zak Farmer is one of six Lakota West seniors who will continue their baseball careers in college. Photo taken at a game earlier this spring by Adam Kiefaber.

After taking a 2-0 lead after the first three innings, Lakota West gave up a combined 11 runs during the fourth and fifth innings in what turned out to be a 11-2 loss to Moeller in the district semifinals at Milford High School Thursday.

Leading the Crusaders during that stretch was the trio of junior Spencer Lacovone and seniors Ty Amann and Nick Edwards. Lacovone hit his fourth home run of the season and led the way with three runs batted in, while Amann and Edwards each drove in a pair of runs.

The loss ends the Firebirds season. Overall, the team finishes the 2012 year with an 18-12 record and a 13-5 mark within the Greater Miami Conference. Accomplishments this season include a two-game sweep against rival Lakota East, a runner-up finish in the GMC and its head coach Bill Dreisbach becoming the school district’s all-time leader in wins (currently has 283).

The team, which has 12 seniors on its roster, currently has six members of the class of 2012 who will be playing college baseball – including Malik Zuberi (Shawnee State), Zak Farmer (Walsh University), Davis Schafer (Bellarmine University), Mike Seaman (Trine University), Nick Billman (Mount St. Joseph) and Jake Wagner (Miami-Hamilton).

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Bill Dreisbach, Davis Schafer, Jake Wagner, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West sports, Malik Zuberi, Mike Seaman, Nick Billman, Ohio high school baseball playoffs, ohio high school sectional baseball playoffs, sectional playoffs, Zak Farmer

Lakota West safety Dawson Fletcher officially signed to play football at Indiana University Feb. 1, 2012 on National Signing Day. Photo taken by Adam Kiefaber.

Unlike Lakota East, Lakota West High School hosts numerous signing ceremonies throughout the academic calendar. So far, there have been 32 seniors at Lakota West who have signed on to continue their athletic careers in college.

At Lakota East, there have been a total of 26 seniors recognized at two different signing day events in 2012.

Here is a list of all the Lakota West students who will be playing sports in college:

• Ali Zieverink – Shawnee State (basketball)
• Adrianna McNeal – Southwestern (basketball)
• Rachel Mills – Alderson Broddus Illinois College ((basketball)
• Summer Reeves – Morgan State University (basketball)
• Shabazz Reeves – Morgan State University (basketball)
• Jordan Darland – Olivet Nazarene (football)
• Blake Bell – California (PA.) (football)
• Dawson Fletcher – Indiana University (football)
• Cole Stalker – University of Findlay (football)
• Beau Odom – Georgetown College (football)
• Kayaune Ross – Fort Scott Community College (football)
• Bubba Williams – Lindsey Wilson (football)
• Evan Hodel – Wheeling Jesuit (lacrosse)
• Zach Crabtree – Wheeling Jesuit (lacrosse)
• Ali Green – Ashland (golf)
• Kim Love – Purdue University (soccer)
• Kelly Mack – Wright State (soccer)
• Lauren Pratt – Ohio Dominican (soccer)
• Malik Zuberi – Shawnee State (baseball)
• Zak Farmer – Walsh University (baseball)
• Davis Schafer – Bellarmine University (baseball)
• Mike Seaman – Trine University (baseball)
• Nick Billman – Mount St. Joseph (baseball)
• Jake Wagner – Miami-Hamilton (baseball)
• Amanda Lahti -  Ohio Northern (softball)
• Brooke Rowley – Lake Forest College (swimming)
• Brady Holmer – NKU (cross country)
• Amanda Shelby – Mount St. Joseph (cross country)
• Nathan Haynes – Navy (cross country)
• Mel Stewart – NKU (volleyball)
• Corri Muha – Georgetown College (volleyball)
• Nick Bloch – Lake Erie College (wrestling)

WestFirebirds.com, the school’s official athletic website, posts photos and details after signing ceremonies take place.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports, Spring sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Adrianna McNeal, Ali Green, Ali Zieverink, Amanda Lahti, Amanda Shelby, Beau Odom, Blake Bell, Brady Holmer, Brooke Rowley, Bubba Williams, Cincinnati football recruiting, Cole Stalker, Corri Muha, Davis Schafer, Dawson Fletcher, Evan Hodel, Jake Wagner, Jordan Darland, Kayaune Ross, Kelly Mack, Kim Love, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lauren Pratt, Malik Zuberi, Mel Stewart, Mike Seaman, Nathan Haynes, Nick Billman, Nick Bloch, ohio basketball recruiting, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, Rachel Mills, recruiting, Shabazz Reeves, Summer Reeves, Zach Crabtree, Zak Farmer

For the second time in four days, a Lakota West pitcher shutout the defending Division I baseball state champions.

Behind sophomore pitcher Grant Schuermann, Lakota West blanked the Lakota East Thunderhawks by the score of 3-0 on Friday. Then, on Monday, it was senior Zak Farmer who shutout Lakota East in a 7-0 victory at the Hawks Nest.

Lakota West's Michael Seaman jumps in the air to celebrate a run with a teammate during a 7-0 win against Lakota East Monday. Photo taken by Amanda Davidson.

“We have nothing but respect for Lakota East, obviously, they are the defending state champions,” said head coach Bill Dreisbach, who led Lakota West to a state title in 2007.

“Farmer was outstanding from the first inning on. All his pitches, he was throwing for strikes today. He was getting ahead of hitters. He just had a great effort and he has been pitching like that recently. Hopefully, it continues.”

After freshman Austin Allinger tripled to lead off the game and senior Jake Wagner followed with walk, Farmer drove in the game’s first run on what appeared to be routine double play that was broken up when the ball hit the base umpire.

“I didn’t see the play, but when I hit it I thought it was going to be a double play,” Farmer said. “But a run still would have scored, so I wouldn’t have been too upset.

“It kind of started a rally for us.”

The rally, led to four runs in the top half of the game’s first inning.

The run support was more than enough for Farmer, who allowed only two hits and struck out six batters in a complete-game effort. The win was the senior’s first as a varsity pitcher against the Thunderhawks.

“Since it is East, our rival of course, it feels really good,” said Farmer, who improved to 5-1 on the season. “This is good for the young guys.

“It is a big one for all of us.”

Meanwhile, the loss was the Thunderhawks fifth in a row and second straight without scoring a run. Prior to the losing skid, Lakota East had won seven consecutive games and outscored its opponents 57-to-15 during that stretch.

“Baseball is like that. It is a long season. You just have to find a way to get a hit and manufacture a run,” Lakota East head coach Ray Hamilton said. “I have never been a part of team that had been good offensively and then, all of sudden, changes in the last three games (of the season).”

After the five-run first, the Firebirds had trouble finding a way to hit Lakota East senior pitcher Michael Conrad. The senior struck out 12 batters in six innings of work and only gave up one hit after the first inning.

Relief pitcher, junior Brett Colburn, gave up two runs to Lakota West in the top of the seventh.

“We got some good swings on him (Conrad in the first inning) and we were fortunate enough to get the runs in that inning,” Dreisbach said. “You always feel fortunate to get some runs on a pitcher like him, because he is very good.”

BOX: W–Farmer (5-1, 6 K’s); L–Conrad (4-2, 12 K’s). Leaders: LW-Allinger 3B; Farmer 2-4, 2 RBIs; Dombart 2-4, 2 RBIs; Seaman 3B, 2 RBIs; Kuznof RBI. Records: Lakota West 14-9, 12-4 in GMC; Lakota East 13-11, 9-7 in GMC.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Bill Dreisbach, Brett Colburn, Grant Schuermann, Jake Wagner, Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East Ray Hamilton, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West Bill Dreisbach, Lakota West sports, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad, Ray Hamilton, Zak Farmer

The Greater Miami Conference recently announced its all-conference baseball and softball teams. A total of 23 Lakota baseball and softball players were named to the conference’s first and second teams.

In baseball, Lakota East’s Ray Hamilton was named GMC Coach of the Year and Lakota East junior pitcher Mike Conrad shared the honor of GMC Baseball Athlete of the Year with Middletown’s Kyle Schwarber.

Lakota East, which won the GMC title and a state title this spring, had five players (Conrad, senior J.D. Whetsel, senior Jesse Rait, senior Evan Hills and junior Alex Corna) named to the All-GMC First Team and two (senior Mitch Geers and sophomore Jarrett Rindfleisch) named to the All-GMC Second Team.

Lakota West, which won a district title this season, had two players (senior Ryan Oltorik and junior Jake Wagner) named to the All-GMC First Team and three (senior T.J. Belieu, senior Mack Doherty, junior Zack Farmer) named to the All-GMC Second Team.

In softball, Sara Pearson, who has signed on to play at the University of Memphis, was named as the GMC Softball Athlete of the Year. Pearson struck out 264 batters in 164.2 innings and posted a 0.30 earned run average in 2011.

Lakota East, which won the GMC title and a district title in 2011, had five players (Pearson, sophomore Lea Buckenmyer, junior Ainsley Ellison, junior Alyssa Grevenkamp and senior Kelly Hardison) named to the All-GMC First Team and one (junior Kim Rollins) named to the All-GMC Second Team.

Lakota West, which won a regional title this spring, had two players (senior Alex Caudill and junior Amanda Lahti) named to the All-GMC First Team and three (senior Yasmin Battle, senior Melanie Bryan and junior Jessica Burke) named to the All-GMC Second Team.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Ainsley Ellison, Alex Caudill, Alex Corna, Alyssa Grevenkamp, Amanda Lahti, baseball, Evan Hills, Jake Wagner, Jarrett Rindfleisch, Jesse Rait, Jessica Burke, Kelly Hardison, Kim Rollins, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lea Buckenmyer, Mack Doherty, Melanie Bryan, Mike Conrad, Mitch Geers, Ray Hamilton, Ryan Oltorik, Sara Pearson, softball, T.J. Belieu, Yasmin Battle, Zach Farmer, Zack Farmer

Lakota West swept its doubleheader against Fenwick on Saturday, April 16. The Firebirds won the first game by the score of 15-5 and the second game 10-5.

In game one, junior Jake Wagner earned the win on the mound, homered and drove in four runs at the plate. Teammate junior Cameron Hicks went 3-for-4, had three doubles and drove in three runs.

In game two, sophomore pitcher A.P. Novak improved his record to 2-0 and struck out seven hitters in the win. Novak was also 2-for-3 with a triple at the plate.

After starting the season 2-4 overall and 1-3 within the Greater Miami Conference, the Firebirds have won six straight. Four of those six wins came against conference opponents.

Next up on the schedule for Lakota West (8-4 overall, 5-3 in the GMC) is a road game at Sycamore (5-3 overall, 5-2 in the GMC) on Monday, April 18.

Volleyball – Lakota West at Beavercreek – Lakota West participated in the Beavercreek Quad on Saturday, winning two of its three matches at the event. The Firebirds defeated Northmont 25-20, 24-26, 25-21; defeated Beavercreek 25-23, 22-25, 25-22; and lost to Lakewood St. Edward 25-23, 25-11. After the weekend, Lakota West’s overall record stands at 6-6. In their next match, the Firebirds (6-6 overall, 4-1 in the GMC) will visit Middletown this Thursday, April 21, at 7 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: A.P. Novak, baseball, boys' volleyball, Cameron Hicks, Jake Wagner, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, volleyball

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

Lakota West defeated one of the Greater Miami Conference’s top baseball teams in Middletown by the score of 9-4 yesterday, April 8. Junior Jake Wagner led the Firebirds by going 3-for-4 and driving in three runs at the plate. The win improves Lakota West’s record to 4-4 overall and 3-3 in the GMC. The loss drops the Middies’ record to 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the GMC.

Baseball – Lakota East 7, Colerain 6 – After losing to Colerain 4-3 on Wednesday, the Thunderhawks were able to revenge that loss by defeated the Cardinals by the score of 7-6 on Friday. Sophomore Jarret Rindfleisch (3-for-3, 2 2Bs, 2 RBIs) and junior Alex Corna (2-for-3, 3B, 2 runs) led Lakota East in the win. With the win, Lakota East improves to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the GMC.

Softball – Lakota West 8, Princeton 1 – Lakota West freshman Ashley Sharp improved her record to 3-1 on the season when her team defeated Princeton by the score of 8-1 on Friday. Sharp also struck out 12 batters in the win. Her teammate freshman Alyssa Hedric went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored three runs. The win improves the Firebirds’ record 6-2 overall and 5-1 in the GMC.

Softball – Lakota East 3, Mason 2 – The Thunderhawks received another strong performance from senior Sara Pearson, who improved to 8-1, after defeating Mason by the score of 3-2 on Friday. Pearson had 10 strikeouts. Freshman Kadelyn Astrop and senior Kelly Hardison both homered for Lakota East. The win improves Lakota East’s overall record to 10-1 and 5-1 within the GMC. Mason falls to 7-3 overall and 4-2 in the GMC.

Tennis – Lakota East def. Elder – Lakota East defeated Elder on Friday by the score of 3-2. The Thunderhawks won all three of their singles matches and lost both doubles matches.

Tennis – Lakota West def. LaSalle – After starting the season on Tuesday, the Firebirds have won four straight matches in four straight days after defeating LaSalle by the score of 5-0 on Friday.

Volleyball – Lakota East def. Wayne – Lakota East extended its winning streak to five after a 25-26, 25-4, 25-10 win at Wayne on Friday. The win improves the Thunderhawks’ record to 8-2 overall and 2-0 in the GMC. Lakota East improves to 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the GMC.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Corna, Alyssa Hedric, Ashley Sharp, baseball, boys' tennis, boys' volleyball, Jake Wagner, Jarret Rindfleisch, Kadelyn Astrop, Kelly Hardison, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, softball, tennis, volleyball

Lakota East junior Alex Corna went 3-for-3 at the plate, scored twice, homered and drove in six runs in the Thunderhawks’ 10-0 win against Princeton yesterday, April 1. Junior Mike Conrad earned the victory on the mound.

The win improves Lakota East’s record to 2-1 on the season and 2-1 in the Greater Miami Conference. The Thunderhawks will play back-to-back games this afternoon, currently they are playing against Olentangy before taking on LaSalle at 3:30 p.m.

Baseball – Colerain 3, Lakota West 2 – The Firebirds lost a close game against Colerain yesterday, April 1. Junior Jake Wagner went 2-for-4 with a double and a run, while his teammate senior Ryan Oltorik went 3-for-4 at the plate and scored a run. Lakota West falls to 1-2 on the season and 1-2 in the GMC. Lakota West is playing a doubleheader today, both games are against Kings – the second game begins at 2:30 p.m.

Softball – Lakota East 6, Boone County 0 - Lakota East senior Sara Pearson improved her pitching record and her team’s record to 3-1 this season when she struck out nine batters in a 6-0 win against Boone County (Ky.) in the Tournament of Champions in Hebron. Senior Megan Costa went 2-for-2 and drove in a run for the Thunderhawks.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: baseball, Jake Wagner, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Mike Conrad, Ryan Oltorik, Sara Pearson, softball

Lakota East and Lakota West baseball teams revenged season-opening losses by defeating the same teams they lost to earlier in the week. Yesterday, March 31, Lakota East defeated Mason 3-1 after losing to Mason by the score of 2-1 on Monday, while Lakota West beat Princeton 10-1 Wednesday, March 30, after losing to the Vikings by the score of 9-6 on Monday.

Both teams improved to 1-1 on the season.

Lakota East senior Evan Hills earned the win, while senior Mark McDaniel picked up the save. Senior Jesse Rait drove in two runs. The Thunderhawks will host Princeton today, April 1, at 5 p.m.

Lakota West junior Jake Wagner drove in three runs in the win. The Firebirds will host Colerain today at 4:30 p.m.

Lacrosse – Milford 16, Lakota East 7 – The Thunderhawks fell to 1-3 on the season when it lost to Milford by the score of 16-7 yesterday, March 31. Tori Meyer led Lakota East with four goals. Lakota East’s next game will be a road contest against McAuley on Tuesday, April 5, at 6:15 p.m.

Softball – Lakota East 10, Princeton 0 – The Thunderhawks bounced back from its loss to Lakota West on Tuesday with a five-inning 10-0 win at Princeton Thursday, March 31. Senior Sara Pearson (photo) stuck out 10 batters on the mound and hit a three-run HR in the win. The win improves Lakota East to 2-1. This weekend, the Thunderhawks will compete in the Tournament of Champions at the Rivershore Sports Complex in Hebron, Kentucky.

Tennis – Lakota East def. Colerain – Lakota East defeated Colerain 5-0 yesterday, March 31, to improve to 2-0 on the season. The next tennis match on the schedule is a road contest at Middletown on Tuesday, April 5 at 4 p.m.

Volleyball – Lakota East def. Milford – The Thunderhawks improved to 4-2 on the season when they defeated Milford by the score of 26-24, 26-24, 25-23 yesterday, March 31. Next on the schedule for Lakota East will be a road match against Mason on Tuesday, April 5 at 7 p.m.

Volleyball – Lakota West def. Hamilton – The Firebirds earned their first win of the season when they defeated Hamilton yesterday, March 31, by the score of 25-14, 25-8, 25-13. Junior Alex Vohland (14 assists, seven aces), senior Robert Hasselfeld (seven kills) and senior Mike Brewer (four kills) led Lakota West. Next up on the schedule for Lakota West (1-3) is a road match against Sycamore (0-1) at 7 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Vohland, baseball, boys' tennis, boys' volleyball, Evan Hills, Jake Wagner, Jesse Rait, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Mark McDaniel, Mike Brewer, Robert Hasselfeld, Sara Pearson, softball, tennis, Tori Meyer, volleyball