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The Lakota West football team got off to a “fresh start” to the season when it opened its summer practice program on a hot evening on the high school’s football field Monday evening.

“What is neat about our sport is that every year is a new year, a fresh start, fresh beginnings and as I tell our kids – we are undefeated right now,” Lakota West head coach Larry Cox said. “Somebody else is going to have to prove that otherwise.”

With the departure of quarterback Jordan Darling, who moved to Texas after leading the Firebirds and the Greater Miami Conference in passing in 2010, there are currently four players trying to prove to Cox that they deserve the starting quarterback gig.

>>>PHOTOS OF LAKOTA WEST SUMMER FOOTBALL PRACTICE<<<

Cox will learn a lot more about his four candidates during the two weeks of his summer practice program. Battling for the starting position, which figures to be a close race, is junior Dustin Parker, sophomores Justin Martin, Malik Grove (photo) and Tyler Jones.

“We have four kids who are really, really working hard for that position,” Cox said. “They are also all good kids who all want a shot at it, but they are helping each other. That is the neat part about it.”

Three returning starters on the offensive line and the return of senior wide receiver Tyler Williams (21 rec. 257 yards in 2010) and senior running back Marcus Davis (542 rushing yards in 2010) should help the new starting quarterback.

>>>LAKOTA WEST 2011 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE<<<

Meanwhile, opposing quarterbacks could have a difficult time passing against West with what Cox dubs as his best secondary in his 15 years as the Firebirds’ head coach. The foursome includes seniors Dawson Fletcher (Indiana commit), Peair Foster, Amarie’ Bryant and Antonio Darden.

Also on defense, senior Blake Bell leads the defensive line and junior Mike Kelly (Ryan Kelly’s brother – Ryan is a now a freshman on the University of Alabama football team) is expected to make an impact at linebacker.

“I really like this team,” Cox said. “I think we have a lot of depth.

“Even though it is July 18th, I get a little jacked up because I know what the pay off is going to be. I know how close things are down the line and I am excited about that. Every year is a good year, some are just better than others.”

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Amarie' Bryant, Antonio Darden, Blake Bell, Darwin Fletcher, Dawson Fletcher, Dustin Parker, football, Jordan Darling, Justin Martin, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Larry Cox, Malik Grove, Marcus Davis, Mike Kelly, Peair Foster, photo gallery, photos, Ryan Kelly, Tyler Jones, Tyler Williams

Lakota West head football coach Larry Cox appeared to have a future star quarterback in Jordan Darling this fall. However, the sophomore has moved and has transferred to Midway High School in Texas.

Darling’s mother had to re-enlist in the army and has been stationed out of Fort Hood, Texas, according to Cox.

Prior to the 2010 season, according to one report on The Gainesville Sun website, Darling impressed University of Florida coaches.

Other college recruiters interested in Darling had contacted Cox during the 2010 season.

>>>2010 PHOTOS OF DARLING<<<

Darling ended 2010 as the Greater Miami Conference leader in passing yards despite not starting the first two games of the season.

The 6-foot-4 230-pound sophomore had an impressive arm, but struggled with his accuracy throughout the fall. He was, however, accurate in the season finale 27-7 win against rival Lakota East. During that game, Darling completed 13-of-20 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown and was named as Lakota West’s Player of the Game in the Lakota Cup.

On the year, Darling completed 81-of-193 passing attempts (42 percent) for 1,083 yards and had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 7-to-6. He also ran for two touchdowns in 2010.

Cox says there will be a “wide open” race for the Firebirds’ 2011 starting quarterback spot.

The candidates appear to be junior-to-be Dustin Parker and sophomores-to-be Justin Martin, Malik Grove and Tyler Jones.

“You never know, it might not be one of those four either. It could be somebody out of nowhere who wants a shot at the job and does a good job with it,” Cox said. “There is more than one horse that pulls the stagecoach, it takes a lot of horses, so just because we lost one doesn’t mean doesn’t mean the stagecoach is going to stop.”

Lakota West finished the 2010 season with a 3-7 overall record and a 2-5 mark within the GMC. In 2011, Cox hopes a big senior class (expected to be around 40) will help turn around the record.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: football, Jordan Darling, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Larry Cox, Midway High School, photo gallery, photos, Texas

The fall sports season officially ended for the Lakota school district high school athletic programs this Saturday, Nov. 6, after the state cross country meet took place and after Lakota West was eliminated in the regional final of the state volleyball playoffs.

A few quick highlights of the fall season include Greater Miami Conference (GMC) titles in boys’ golf (Lakota East), girls’ tennis (Lakota East) and girls’ volleyball (Lakota West).

Here is a brief recap of how each school performed in each sport this fall season:

FOOTBALL – Lakota West and Lakota East each finished with a 3-7 overall record and a 2-5 mark within the GMC. West won the Lakota Cup by beating East this season and featured quarterback Jordan Darling, who as a sophomore, led the GMC in passing this season. East showed promise under first-year coach Rick Haynes, who appears to have the program headed in the right direction.

VOLLEYBALL – Lakota West and Lakota East each excelled this fall and eventually squared off in the regional semifinal of the state volleyball tournament. West won that match and finished with a 22-5 overall record and was 9-0 in the GMC. The perfect conference record led the Firebirds to their second straight GMC title. West will graduate two seniors (five total) this year, who will play in the Big Ten next fall, in Liz McMahon (University of Illinois) and Lexi Dannemiller (University of Michigan). Lakota East will only graduate two seniors from its first-ever district championship team. The Thunderhawks finished the year with an 18-7 overall record and a 7-2 mark in the GMC.

BOYS’ SOCCER – Lakota West and Lakota East finished in the top half of the GMC standings. Lakota West finished the year with a 9-6-2 overall record and a 6-2-1 mark within the GMC. Lakota East advanced far in the postseason in 2010, despite never being entirely healthy. The Thunderhawks’ season ended with a 1-0 loss to Moeller in the district final. On the year, Lakota East had a 12-3-5 overall record and a 5-1-3 record within the GMC. (more…)

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Azeez, Amanda Shelby, boys soccer, boys' golf, Brooke Broda, Carolyn Pitman, cross country, fall sports, football, girls' golf, girls' soccer, GMC, golf, Greater Miami Conference, J.J. Webber, Jordan Darling, Jordan Day, Kelly Burrows, Korey Ward, Lakota East, Lakota West, Lexi Dannemiller, Liz McMahon, Rick Haynes, Soccer, sports, Taylor Holden, tennis, volleyball

FINAL SCORE – LAKOTA WEST 27, LAKOTA EAST 7 – – Lakota West wins the Lakota Cup, by the final score of 27-7. Darling gets player of the game for West – he completed 13-of-20 passes for 153 and 2 TDs and no INTs. Senior J.D. Whetsel gets the honor for Lakota East. He caught a pass for 22 yards and had 13 rushing yards on 3 carries.

UPDATE 4TH QUARTER – SCORE 27-7 – LW – It appears that Jordan Darling is going to win the player of the game of the Lakota Cup, but Marcus Davis had the better 2nd half. In the first half, Davis had 5 yards on 8 carries. In the 2nd half, Davis has 132 yards on 16 carries. 1:20 left in the game. Lakota West leads Lakota East 27-7.

UPDATE 4TH QUARTER – SCORE 27-7 – LW – Lakota West running back Marcus Davis reeled off a 50-yard run on the first play. Then Darling scored on a 1-yard TD run. Lakota West leads 27-7. 1:54 left in the game.

UPDATE 4TH QUARTER – SCORE 21-7 – LW – Lakota East had to punt after quarterback Trevor Huizenga was sacked on 3rd-and-10. West takes over at the 39-yard line. Lakota West leads Lakota East 21-7. 3:45 left in the game.

UPDATE 4TH QUARTER – SCORE 21-7 – LW – Lakota West drove down to the 19-yard line and took four minutes off the clock. The Firebirds went for it on 4th instead of trying freshman kicker Justin Martin. 5:09 left in the game. Lakota East has the ball – down 21-0 to Lakota West.

UPDATE 4TH QUARTER – SCORE 21-7 – LW – Lakota East sophomore running back Will Mahone scored on a 5-yard touchdown run. There is 9:06 left in the game. Lakota West leads Lakota East 21-7. (more…)

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: football, Jordan Darling, Lakota East, Lakota West, Lakota West vs. Lakota East, live blog

Lakota East (3-6 overall, 2-4 in Greater Miami Conference) visits its rival tonight Lakota West (2-7 overall, 1-5 in GMC) at 7:30 p.m.

Lakota East: The Thunderhawks have lost five straight to Lakota West and haven’t won the rivalry game since 2004. With a win tonight, the Thunderhawks will best last season’s win total – a loss would give them the same 3-7 record of 2009. Last week, Lakota East battled one of the toughest teams in the region in Middletown (9-0 overall, 6-0 in GMC) and lost by the score of 49-35. The Thunderhawks compiled 445 yards of total offense in the loss and actually tied the game, 35-35, early in the fourth quarter. Middletown, led by sophomore QB Jalin Marshall’s performance (308 rushing yards on 20 carries and 4 total TDs), gained 521 yards of total offense. Statistically, senior WR Stephen Sensel has an opportunity to end the season as the GMC leader in receiving yards. Currently, Sensel has 430 receiving yards on 14 receptions (the current leader, Zach Edwards of Middletown, has 451 receiving yards). The Thunderhawks are averaging 263 yards on offense per game and are allowing 352 yards on defense per game.

Lakota West: The Firebirds finally earned their first conference win of the season last week by defeating Fairfield by the score of 26-10. In 2009, Lakota West didn’t lose a single conference game and finished the regular season with a 9-1 overall record (7-0 in GMC). Lakota West, however, lost two conference games this season by one point (14-13 loss at Hamilton and 7-6 loss vs. Sycamore). In last week’s win, senior WR Ben Gooch caught five passes for 112 yards and had two total TDs (1 rushing and 1 receiving). Gooch began the season as Lakota West’s starting QB, but gave way to sophomore Jordan Darling, who currently leads the GMC in passing yards with 930. Another sophomore emerged this season for West in RB Alfred Ramsby (photo), who has 382 rushing yards on 106 carries and 3 TDs this season. Ramsby and junior RB Marcus Davis (405 rushing yards on 133 carries and 4 TDs this season) provide the offense with two rushing threats. Defensively, junior DL Blake Bell has 4.5 sacks this season and junior DB Peair Foster has 3 INTs (2 went for TDs). Offensively, Lakota West is averaging 224 yards per game and defensively it is averaging 279 yards per game.

WestChesterBuzz.com will cover the game live from Lakota West

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Alfred Ramsby, football, game preview, Jordan Darling, Lakota East, Lakota West, Marcus Davis, rival, Stephen Sensel

The Lakota West football program won its first conference game of the season Friday, Oct. 22, when it defeated Fairfield by the score of 26-10.

With the win, Lakota West improves to 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the Greater Miami Conference. Last season, the Firebirds finished the year with an 8-2 record and a 7-0 mark within conference play.

In the win, the Lakota West defense limited Fairfield to only 118 yards of total offense. Lakota West junior Blake Bell also had four sacks and junior Peair Foster returned an interception 22 yards for the game’s final score.

Offensively, senior wide receiver Ben Gooch caught five passes for 112 yards and had a touchdown. Gooch began the season as the Firebirds starting quarterback, but was replaced by sophomore Jordan Darling (photo), who completed 8-of-15 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown in the win against Fairfield.

BOX SCORE

1st Q – LW – Gooch 1-yard run, 6:19, 6-0
1st Q – FA – Josh Pfaff 32-yard FG, 3:59, 6-3
2nd Q – FA – Tyler White 24-yard run, 4:35, 10-6
3rd Q – LW – Gooch 68-yard pass from Darling, 3:28, 13-10
4th Q – LW – Deionte Carlock 9-yard run, 9:55, 20-10
4th Q – LW – Foster 22-yard INT return, 8:56, 26-10

FINAL STATS

LAKOTA WEST
Darling – 8-of-15 for 152 yards and 1 TD
Marcus Davis – 14 carries for 20 yards
Alfred Ramsby – 8 carries for 31 yards
Gooch – 5 catches for 112 yards and 1 TD
Bell – 4 sacks
Connor Cross – 1 INT
Foster – 1 INT for 22 yards and 1 TD

FAIRFIELD
Jordan Ammon – 13-of-25 for 105 yards and 2 INTs
White – 14 carries for 37 yards and 1 TD, 4 catches for 36 yards
Donald Crew – 4 catches for 38 yards

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ben Gooch, Blake Bell, football, GMC, Greater Miami Conference, Jordan Darling, Lakota West, Peair Foster

Lakota West (1-7 overall, 0-5 in Greater Miami Conference) will try to win its first conference game of the season when Fairfield (2-6 overall, 1-4 in GMC) visits the Firebirds, tonight, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m.

Fairfield: After finishing 6-4 last season, the Indians had high expectations in 2010. However, Fairfield has played poorly this fall. The Indians are coming off a 38-2 loss to Middletown (8-0 overall, 5-0 in GMC) where they were limited to only 11 yards of total offense. The previous week, Fairfield defeated Oak Hills (3-5 overall, 1-4 in GMC) on the road by the score of 27-13. In the win, senior quarterback Jordan Ammon completed 15-of-20 passes for 130 yards and two TDs with no INTs. Ammon also rushed for 99 yards on 28 carries against Oak Hills. On defense, Fairfield features two of the area’s best players in defensive end Robert Mincey and linebacker Marquise Vann. Both Mincey and Vann (photo) have numerous Division I collegiate offers. Mincey has battled injuries this season and Vann recently uncommitted from the University of Minnesota after it fired its head coach. As a team, Fairfield is averaging 195 yards of total offense per game and allowing 308 on defense per game.

Lakota West: The Firebirds continue to lose close football games. This past week, Lakota West led early in the fourth quarter before losing by the score of 19-12 at Mason (5-3 overall, 4-1 in GMC). The week prior, Lakota West lost 7-6 to Sycamore (5-3 overall, 3-2 in GMC) and the week before that it lost 14-13 to Hamilton (5-3 overall, 3-2 in GMC). All three of those teams are currently fighting for a playoff spot, while Lakota West is still winless in the conference. Offensively, Lakota West has a few young weapons in sophomore quarterback Jordan Darling (778 passing yards), junior running back Marcus Davis (405 yards and four TDs on 133 carries) and sophomore running back Alfred Ramsby (351 yards and three TDs on 98 carries). As a team, Lakota West is averaging 226 yards per game on offense and allowing 299 yards per game on defense.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Alfred Ramsby, Fairfield, football, game preview, Jordan Darling, Lakota West, Marcus Davis, Marquise Vann

Lakota West (1-6 overall, 0-4 in Greater Miami Conference) will be searching for its first conference victory when it visits Mason (4-3 overall, 3-1 in GMC) tonight, Oct. 15, at 7:30 p.m.

Lakota West: The Firebirds have lost back-to-back games by one point, at Hamilton (4-3 overall, 2-2 in GMC) by a score of 14-13 and against Sycamore (5-2 overall, 3-1 in GMC) by the score of 7-6. Both games were against conference opponents. During the past three weeks, sophomore running back Alfred Ramsby (photo) has been getting the bulk of the carries in the ground game. In those contests, Ramsby has 69 carries for 213 yards. In the first four weeks of the season, Ramsby had 16 carries for 125 yards. Fellow sophomore Jordan Darling leads the conference in passing yards with 753. Darling has also thrown for four TDs and rushed for another. However, the quarterback has struggled with his accuracy, completing only 39 percent of his passes and throwing six interceptions. As a team, Lakota West is averaging 245 yards of offense per game and is allowing 302 yards per game on defense.

Mason: The Comets were riding a four-game winning streak before losing last week to Middletown (7-0 overall, 4-0 in GMC) by the score of 69-44. Lakota West had lost to Middletown earlier in the season, by the score 24-13. In last week’s loss, Mason was led by senior running back David Fulcher Jr., who rushed for 206 yards and five TDs on 31 carries. Fulcher Jr. missed most of last season with an injury, but is gaining attention from numerous Division I college programs. He already has an offer from Ohio University. This season, Fulcher Jr. has rushed for 957 yards and 16 TDs on 175 carries. Junior linebacker Josh Dooley leads the defense. Dooley already has 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries this season. As a team, Mason is averaging 284 yards offense per game and is allowing 282 yards per game.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Alfred Ramsby, David Fulcher Jr., football, game preview, Jordan Darling, Josh Dooley, Lakota West, Mason

For the second straight week, Lakota West lost a conference game by one point. This Friday, Oct. 8, the Firebirds lost by the score of 7-6 to Sycamore.

The Aviators took an early lead when they scored on a 15-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Will Bundy from junior quarterback Kyle Sess with 6:49 left in the first quarter.

Lakota West answered back with a 7-yard touchdown pass to junior Josh Kinney from sophomore quarterback Jordan Darling with 6:03 left in the second quarter. The score was 7-6 after junior kicker Lucas Gobell’s extra point failed.

As a team, the Lakota West defense only allowed 133 yards of total offense. However, the Firebirds turned the ball over four times on offense, while Sycamore didn’t commit a single turnover.

A bright spot for Lakota West was the play of sophomore running back Alfred Ramsby, who finished the game with 87 rushing yards on 21 carries.

Another bright spot was the play of Lakota West senior Deionte Carlock, who had 49 rushing yards on seven carries and 44 receiving yards on four receptions in the loss.

Last week, Lakota West lost at Hamilton 14-13 when Gobell’s potentially game-tying extra point was blocked in the fourth quarter.

With the loss, Lakota West falls to 1-6 overall and 0-4 in the Greater Miami Conference. With the win, Sycamore improves to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the GMC.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Alfred Ramsby, Deionte Carlock, football, GMC, Greater Miami Conference, Jordan Darling, Kyle Sess, Lakota West, Lucas Gobell, Sycamore, Sycamore 7 Lakota West 6, Sycamore at Lakota West, Will Bundy

Lakota West (1-5 overall, 0-3 in Greater Miami Conference) hosts Sycamore (4-2 overall, 2-1 in GMC) tonight, Friday, Oct. 8, at 7:30 p.m. in its homecoming game. West is still searching for its first GMC win after losing 14-13 to Hamilton (4-2 overall, 2-1 in GMC) on the road last week.

Sycamore: The Aviators trailed Middletown 17-12 late in the third quarter last week, but allowed three more touchdowns in a 38-12 loss to the Middies (6-0 overall, 3-0 in GMC). Prior to the game, Sycamore had won two straight in conference play – 31-28 vs. Princeton (3-3 overall, 1-2 in GMC) and 28-14 at Oak Hills (2-4 overall, 0-3 in GMC). In the win against Princeton, junior quarterback Kyle Sess led the Aviators with 135 yards on 24 carries. On the season, Sess has 323 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 111 carries. The junior has also completed 13-of-31 passes for 300 yards and 4 TDs and 2 INTs this fall. Sycamore’s other top rusher is sophomore running back Markus James, who has rushed for 295 yards and 2 TDs on 59 carries this season. The Aviators also have three other capable rushing threats in Darius Hillary (221 yards and 3 TDs on 36 carries), Bo Weber (159 yards on 22 carries) and Cody Sadler (96 yards and 2 TDs on 22 carries). Senior defensive back Danny Berghoff (leads GMC with 5 INTs) and junior lineman Ben Mather (3 sacks) lead the Sycamore defense, which is allowing 314 yards per game. Offensively, the Aviators are averaging 243 yards per game.

Lakota West: The Firebirds’ only common opponent with Sycamore is Middletown, which it lost to 24-13. West’s other two GMC losses were at Colerain (56-14) and at Hamilton (14-13). Lakota West sophomore quarterback Jordan Darling (photo) still leads the GMC in passing yards. Darling has only completed 38.8 percent of his passes, but is averaging 5.4 yards per passing attempt. The 6-foot-4 sophomore is still learning the offense. His top targets are wide receiver Tyler Williams (199 yards and 2 TDs on 15 receptions), tight end Cody Bowling (169 yards on 10 receptions), WR/QB Ben Gooch (166 yards on 10 receptions) and WR/RB Deionte Carlock (99 yards and 1 TD on 9 receptions). Lakota West also has a pair of dependable running backs in junior Marcus Davis (334 yards and 4 TDs on 114 carries) and sophomore Alfred Ramsby (251 yards and 1 TD on 64 carries). Defensively, Lakota West has forced 9 turnovers and is allowing 330 yards per game. Offensively, the Firebirds are averaging 245 yards per game.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Alfred Ramsby, Ben Gooch, Cody Bowling, Danny Berghoff, Darius Hillary, football, homecoming game, Jordan Darling, Kyle Sess, Lakota West, Marcus Davis, Markus James, Sycamore, Sycamore at Laktoa West, Tyler Williams