WestChesterBuzz.com

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.

Lakota West has 17 seniors sign to play sports in college – In a special National Signing Day ceremony, last Wednesday, Lakota West High School honored 17 seniors who will be continuing their athletic careers in college. The day marked the start of the NCAA signing period for football, field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country and men’s water polo.

Lakota East celebrates 17 future collegiate athletes – In connection with National Signing Day, Lakota East High School last Thursday morning honored 17 seniors who will be continuing their athletic careers in college. Ashley Evans, who was ranked No. 21 in her class nationally by prepvolleyball.com, is the third Lakota volleyball player (Liz McMahon – signed with Illinois in ’11 and Lexi Dannemiller signed with Michigan in ’11) in three years to sign with a Big Ten school.

Ex-cop ready to serve in schools -There has been plenty of talk but little else since Butler County’s sheriff publicly floated the idea of retired cops working as armed substitute teachers, Michael D. Clark of The Cincinnati Enquirer reported last week. Still, the man behind the idea remains optimistic. Scott Miller’s positive attitude is borne from painful adversity.

Police: West Chester man attempts to stab another during bar brawl – A Warren County grand jury has indicted a West Chester man who police say attempted to stab another man in a Mason bar brawl, Rachel Richardson of MasonBuzz.com reported last week. Joshua Donahue, 35, has been charged with two counts of second-degree felonious assault, three counts carrying a concealed weapon and two counts improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, fourth-degree felonies, and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony.

Police: Possible abduction attempt in Liberty Township – Butler County deputies were called to a Liberty Township home last Monday night, after a stranger in his 20s tried to lure a 9-year-old boy into his car with a comic book. According to a release from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, the boy said he was walking to his home on Grey Elk Court from a friend’s house on nearby Long Drive shortly after 6 p.m. when a black car pulled up next to him and a male driver exited the vehicle holding a comic book.

Video: Gurgel, Franklin headline fighting school in West Chester -Last week, WestChesterBuzz.com did a feature on a local business, Jorge Gurgel Mixed Martial Arts Academy. For the story, the Buzz featured a written article, photos and a video about the MMA school.

Lakota West celebrates its brightest star – Amber Gray’s story is as inspirational as they come and, deservingly so, Lakota West bestowed an honor that it has never done before – by retiring her No. 10 jersey just prior to the Lakota East at Lakota West varsity basketball game last Wednesday night. In honor of Gray, Lakota West donned its away red jerseys to match Gray’s replica jersey in Lakota West’s gym and defeated school-district rival Lakota East 49-39. Lakota West’s next potential star, sophomore Lauren Cannatelli, led all scorers with 21 points.

Fricker’s in West Chester officially opened Wednesday – Fricker’s, a Dayton-based wing joint, officially opens its West Chester location last Wednesday. It is located at 7844 Kingland Drive off Tylersville Road. Fricker’s menu features 13 different types of sauces for its chicken wings, chicken chunks and shrimp. The restaurant also features appetizers, salads, ribs, steak, burgers, sandwiches, pizza, quesadillas and wraps, as well as a kids’ menu and desserts.

Police: Possible abduction attempt in Liberty Township – Butler County deputies were called to a Liberty Township home last Monday night, after a stranger in his 20s tried to lure a 9-year-old boy into his car with a comic book. According to a release from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, the boy said he was walking to his home on Grey Elk Court from a friend’s house on nearby Long Drive shortly after 6 p.m. when a black car pulled up next to him and a male driver exited the vehicle holding a comic book.

UK coach John Schlarman talks about OT Kyle Meadows – On National Signing Day, Kyle Meadows made it official – he is going to play football for the University of Kentucky. Per NCAA rules, Division I coaches are not allowed to talk about recruits until they receive a signed letter of intent. Newly hired University of Kentucky offensive line coach John Schlarman received the fax this morning with Meadows’ signature and took the time to speak about his new recruit.

Video (see below): GMC seniors sign on to play college football – A total of 36 high school seniors from the Greater Miami Conference were recognized last Wednesday at the annual conference football Signing Day press conference at the Ronald Reagan Lodge at Voice of America Park in West Chester. Among those honored include Jalin Marshall (Middletown – Ohio State), offensive lineman Dylan Wiesman (Colerain – Tennessee) offensive tackle Kyle Meadows (Lakota West – Kentucky), linebacker Mike Kelly (Lakota West – Navy), offensive tackle Ben Flick (Hamilton – Cincinnati) and linebacker Marcus Oliver (Hamilton – Indiana).

Posted in: Crime, Fall sports, News, Schools, Sports, Spring sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ashley Evans, Ashley Evans Purdue volleyball, Ben Flick, Ben Flick Cincinnati football, Dylan Wiesman, Dylan Wiesman Tennessee football, Jalin Marshall, Jalin Marshall Ohio State, Jalin Marshall Ohio State football, Kentucky football recruiting, Kyle Meadows, Kyle Meadows football recruiting, Kyle Meadows Kentucky, Kyle Meadows Kentucky football, Kyle Meadows Lakota West, Kyle Meadows UK, Kyle Meadows UK football, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Marcus Oliver, Marcus Oliver Indiana football, Mike Kelly, Mike Kelly Navy football, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting

This morning, on National Signing Day, Kyle Meadows made it official – he is going to play football for the University of Kentucky.

Meadows, along with many high school seniors across the country, signed a national letter of intent this morning, on the first day of the NCAA signing period.

His letter was then faxed by Lakota West head coach Larry Cox to Lexington.

In the end Meadows, picked UK over offers from the likes of Louisville, Ohio, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Akron, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Indiana, Florida State, Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina State.

Per NCAA rules, Division I coaches are not allowed to talk about recruits until they receive a signed letter of intent.

Newly hired University of Kentucky offensive line coach John Schlarman received the fax this morning with Meadows’ signature and took the time to speak about his new recruit.

Buzz: What type of player is Meadows?

Schlarman: Kyle is a very athletic player. He has great feet for an offensive lineman, especially for one with a long frame like the one he has. So, obviously, in our offense, with throwing the football, he being able to pass protect and those type of things brings a lot to the table. He can stay with those fast defensive ends that we are going to see in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). That is the first thing that jumps out besides him being a great young man and someone with great character, once we got to know him.

Buzz: Meadows had many offers, why did he pick UK?

Schlarman: Coach (Vince) Marrow did a lot of recruiting on Kyle with having Ohio ties. I think being an hour and a half down the road and the opportunity to play in the Southeastern Conference were two things that really appealed to Kyle. He got a chance to come down here and see the campus, the facilities and I think that the new coaching staff and people around the program – I think that was the thing that put him over the top. But, from the standpoint of being able to play in the Southeastern Conference, to be able to play against the best competition in the country and being a part of something new and exciting here at Kentucky, I think really appealed to Kyle … it seemed, like from our standpoint, those were our selling points.

Buzz: Being your first offensive line recruiting class, how excited are you about this group?

Schlarman: We are very excited. In the six or seven weeks that we have been here, we really have been able to attract some great talent to Kentucky. So, we are very excited about the prospects of all these guys who are coming in today to add along with the guys we already have here. We think we are at the starting point of something very special. It is going to take a lot of hard work and effort to make it all happen, but it is certainly a good start with this signing class that is for sure. So, we are really excited about these guys. A lot of them come in with high ratings and things like that and that is always good from a recruiting standpoint.

Buzz: Where do you see Meadows in his freshman year?

Schlarman: There is no doubt that he has the athletic ability to compete for a position high on the depth chart, but he has some work to do in the realm of the weight room. He has to continue to get stronger, physically has to gain a little bit of weight, which I think he is on his way of doing that. He definitely has the frame where he can put it on, so there is going to be a period where he is going to have to get in that weight room and crank it out – just like all offensive linemen have to. But, with his athletic ability, I wouldn’t put it past him to come in and compete for a spot at tackle high on the depth chart.

Buzz: Are you projecting Meadows to play tackle or at other spots on the offensive line?

Schlarman: We really think he is going to be play tackle for us. In this conference, you have to be able move and change direction to play offensive tackle because you are going to go up against the best defensive ends in the country. That is what we are looking for him to do. He will come in and play tackle for us, whether that is the left side or the right side, we will figure all of that out once we get him down here and start working with him. But, we are thinking he can play out there on the edge and handle what he will have to go against on a regular basis.

Buzz: Any last things you want to say about Meadows?

Schlarman: We are very excited about him being a Wildcat. I think he is going to have a great career down here. He is not far from that area, obviously, so it should be a great experience for him and a great opportunity for his family to get to see him play a lot of football.

According to ESPN.com, UK’s recruiting class is currently ranked No. 40 in the nation. Yahoo! Sports ranks it No. 30.

Interviews with other recruits from the Greater Miami Conference will be posted later this afternoon.

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

Tags: Tags: Kentucky football recruiting, Kyle Meadows, Kyle Meadows football recruiting, Kyle Meadows Kentucky, Kyle Meadows Kentucky football, Kyle Meadows Lakota West, Kyle Meadows UK, Kyle Meadows UK football, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting

In a special National Signing Day ceremony, Lakota West High School honored 17 seniors who will be continuing their athletic careers in college.

Today marks the start of the NCAA signing period for football, field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country and men’s water polo. However, Lakota athletic director Richard Bryant chooses to host an event that also honors other students athletes, who have already signed to play other sports.

Among those who were honored this morning include Ben Pendery (football – Dayton), Marshall Stretch (golf – Ohio Dominican), Kyle Meadows (football – Kentucky), Margaret Hare (soccer – Xavier), Audrey Jennings (lacrosse – Queens University of Charlotte), Andres Martinez (golf – Heidelberg), Elle Nguyen (soccer – Northern Kentucky), Ryan Ostendorf (baseball – Wooster), Bryan McNamara (swimming – Miami of Ohio), Nicole Soutar (tennis – Northern Kentucky), Jeffrey Wray (golf – Cincinnati State), Nick Bengal (football – Gannon), Tori Turner (tennis – Wright State), Drew Garbenis (football – Robert Morris), Annie Bierman (volleyball – Furman), Mike Kelly (football – Navy) and Mandy Stanislovaitis (volleyball – Adelphi).

Below are some quotes from Lakota West coaches on signees:

On senior catcher Ryan Ostendorf (baseball – Wooster):

“Ryan is an extremely driven young man who has a great passion for the game of baseball,” Lakota West head baseball coach Bill Dreisbach said. “He is a solid defensive catcher, and he will be an asset to the nationally-ranked Wooster baseball program.”

On seniors Tori Turner (tennis – Wright State) and Nicole Soutar (tennis – NKU):

“This is a special day for both Tori and Nicole and I could not be more proud as I am sure their families are as well,” Lakota West head tennis coach Bryan Skoog said.

“Both of these girls have spent a lot of time on the court working to achieve their highest potential and it has definitely paid off. They have both been offered to play at the Division I level and that is quite an accomplishment. I think Nicole and Tori have picked excellent universities that fit each of them uniquely, and will give them the chance to continue playing tennis while getting a great education. It is exciting to see them getting the opportunity to do what they have always dreamed of.”

On seniors Annie Bierman (volleyball – Furman) and Mandy Stanislovaitis (volleyball – Adelphi):

“Mandy and Annie have worked very hard both in the classroom and on the court,” Lakota West head volleyball coach Tracey Kornau said. “Both have the work ethic and volleyball skills to make an impact on their college teams. I wish both of them the best.”

On Wednesday at 1 p.m., the Greater Miami Conference will hold its annual football signing press conference at the Ronald Reagan Lodge in Voice of America Park. The event is open to the public. WestChesterBuzz.com will provide video of the event.

Meanwhile, Lakota East will honor its athletes tomorrow morning. Those seniors include Derek Baker (baseball – Ashland), Ethan Bryant (baseball – Sinclair), Chris Elam (baseball – Lincoln Trail), Jarrett Rindfleisch (baseball – Ball State), Lea Buckenmyer (softball – Goshen), Jake Chestnut (football – Notre Dame College), Richie Gould (football California University of Penn.), Keith Brady (football – Columbia), Ashley Evans (volleyball – Purdue), Madeline Garda (volleyball – Bowling Green), Emily Roth (swimming – Findlay), Kyle Lee (Lacrosse – SUNY Herkimer County Community College), Stedman Lowry (basketball – Hillsdale), Matthew Rice (cross country/track – Harding), Kelly Burrows (cross country/track – Northern Kentucky), Andrea Felix (soccer – Slippery Rock) and Will Mahone (football – Notre Dame College).

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

Tags: Tags: Ben Pendery, Kentucky football recruiting, Kyle Meadows, Kyle Meadows football recruiting, Kyle Meadows Kentucky, Kyle Meadows Kentucky football, Kyle Meadows Lakota West, Kyle Meadows UK, Kyle Meadows UK football, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Nick Bengal, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting

Both Lakota West and Lakota East high schools will host special signing ceremonies this week in connection with National Signing Day to honor student athletes that will be playing sports in college. WestChesterBuzz.com will post updates, stories, video and pictures throughout the week.

Today, Feb. 6, marks the start of the NCAA signing period for football, field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country and men’s water polo.

Lakota athletic director Richard Bryant chooses to host an event that also honors other students athletes, who have already signed to play other sports. Lakota West will be up first on Wednesday morning, followed by Lakota East on Thursday.

At Lakota West Wednesday morning, 17 student athletes in sports that include volleyball, lacrosse, baseball, tennis, swimming, football, soccer and golf will be honored.

Meanwhile, at Lakota East on Thursday morning, 16 student athletes in sports that include baseball, softball, football, volleyball, swimming, lacrosse, basketball, cross country/track and soccer will be recognized.

Among those who will be honored at Lakota West include Ben Pendery (football – Dayton), Marshall Stretch (golf – Ohio Dominican), Kyle Meadows (football – Kentucky), Margaret Hare (soccer – Xavier), Audrey Jennings (lacrosse – Queens University of Charlotte), Andres Martinez (golf – Heidelberg), Elle Nguyen (soccer – Northern Kentucky), Ryan Ostendorf (baseball – Wooster), Bryan McNamara (swimming – Miami of Ohio), Nicole Soutar (tennis – Northern Kentucky), Jeffrey Wray (golf – Cincinnati State), Nick Bengal (football – Gannon), Tori Turner (tennis – Wright State), Drew Garbenis (football – Robert Morris), Annie Bierman (volleyball – Furman), Mike Kelly (football – Navy) and Mandy Stanislovaitis (volleyball – Adelphi).

Among those who will be honored at Lakota East include Derek Baker (baseball – Ashland), Ethan Bryant (baseball – Sinclair), Chris Elam (baseball – Lincoln Trail), Jarrett Rindfleisch (baseball – Ball State), Lea Buckenmyer (softball – Goshen), Jake Chestnut (football – Notre Dame College), Richie Gould (football California University of Penn.), Keith Brady (football – Columbia), Ashley Evans (volleyball – Purdue), Madeline Garda (volleyball – Bowling Green), Emily Roth (swimming – Findlay), Kyle Lee (Lacrosse – SUNY Herkimer County Community College), Stedman Lowry (basketball – Hillsdale), Matthew Rice (cross country/track – Harding), Kelly Burrows (cross country/track – Northern Kentucky) and Andrea Felix (soccer – Slippery Rock).

On Wednesday at 1 p.m., the Greater Miami Conference will hold its annual football signing press conference at the Ronald Reagan Lodge in Voice of America Park. The event is open to the public. WestChesterBuzz.com will provide video of the event.

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

Tags: Tags: Ben Pendery, Kentucky football recruiting, Kyle Meadows, Kyle Meadows football recruiting, Kyle Meadows Kentucky, Kyle Meadows Kentucky football, Kyle Meadows Lakota West, Kyle Meadows UK, Kyle Meadows UK football, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Nick Bengal, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting

To let West Chester and Liberty Township residents catch up with the news that they need to know, WestChesterBuzz.com will list and link to all of last week’s top local stories every Monday.

Hamilton lottery winner: It’s time to give back – Regina Jackson just won a lottery. Now she wants to buy a truckload of toilet paper. Not for herself, mind you, but for a charitable group that she grew dependent on over a seven-month period in 2008 after she was temporarily laid off from her customer service job at Cinmar in West Chester. Recently, Jackson’s fortunes turned considerably after she won $1 million in the Ohio Lottery’s New Year’s Raffle.

Marlin & Ray’s Seafood Bar & Gill closes in West Chester – Marlin and Ray’s in Voice of America Center in West Chester has closed, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Polly Campbell. It opened in early December of 2011, after Ruby Tuesday Inc. converted its old West Chester Ruby Tuesday location, by the intersection of Cox and Tylersville roads, into a new seafood restaurant. According to an Associated Press story, Ruby Tuesday, Inc. has posted a second-quarter loss and is selling the entire chain, along with 24 Ruby Tuesday locations.

Lakota West senior Kyle Meadows commits to UK- Lakota West senior offensive tackle Kyle Meadows verbally committed to the University of Kentucky on Saturday morning, according to Lakota West coach Larry Cox. Meadows, who is 6 feet 6 and 270 pounds, was one of the state’s top uncommitted players remaining in the 2013 class. Meadows is on an official visit to UK this weekend – his third visit to the campus, Cox said.

Lakota West bowls over Lakota East – Lakota West defeated Lakota East in both boys’ and girls’ basketball last week. The boys’ won 60-53 on Tuesday. The following night, the girls’ won 52-35. WestChesterBuzz.com featured game stories and photos from both rivalry games. In the articles, the Buzz featured Lakota West junior Malik Grove and senior Rachel Tomasic.

Reviving the Hall of Fame- The Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Kiesewetter reported last week that Mike Martini, Media Heritage archives president, wants to revive the Greater Cincinnati Broadcast Hall of Fame. Martini needs $10,000 to resume the program and preserve the past. He wants to make modest 8-by-10 plaques to be displayed in the Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting on Tylersville Road, West Chester Township.

Attorney: No charges against suspended Jordan Hicks – An attorney for Texas linebacker and former Lakota West standout Jordan Hicks says police will not file charges against his client after investigating a sexual assault allegation on the eve of the Alamo Bowl, The Associated Press reported last week. Austin attorney Perry Minton said Wednesday in a statement that San Antonio police informed him that no charges will be brought against Hicks “or anyone else in this matter.”

Salvation Army opens West Chester thrift store- The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center opened a fourth Family Thrift Store in West Chester this past Saturday. It is located at 7900 Tylersville Square Road, just off the exit at I-75 and Tylersville Road, adjacent to Lowe’s. The 18,000-square-foot store will stock clothing, household items, electronics, books, toys, furniture and collectibles.

2013 Shamrock Shuffle t-shirt design contest extended – For the first time in the history of the Shamrock Shuffle, the Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty is hosting a t-shirt design contest for annual event that attracts approximately 4,000 runners every March. Originally, the contest was scheduled to end Dec. 17. However, due to lower than expected turnout, the contest has been extended until Jan. 30.

West Chester Board of Trustees name Wong president – The West Chester Township Board of Trustees met for the first time in 2013 last Tuesday. At the meeting, the board elected Lee Wong as its president and determined its 2013 meeting schedule. Wong (photo) became a trustee in 2005. The 2012 president of the board of trustees, Catherine Stoker, was elected as the 2013 vice president. Stoker has been a township trustee since 1994.

Posted in: Business, Fall sports, News, Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Kentucky football recruiting, Kyle Meadows, Kyle Meadows football recruiting, Kyle Meadows Kentucky, Kyle Meadows Kentucky football, Kyle Meadows Lakota West, Kyle Meadows UK, Kyle Meadows UK football, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Marlin & Ray’s, Marlin & Ray’s Cincinnati, Marlin & Ray’s Ohio, Marlin & Ray’s Seafood Bar & Gill, Marlin & Ray’s Seafood Bar & Gill Cincinnati, Marlin & Ray’s Seafood Bar & Gill Ohio, Marlin & Ray’s Seafood Bar & Gill West Chester, Marlin & Ray’s West Chester, Mike Martini, National VOA Museum of Broadcasting, National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio lottery, Ohio Lottery Regina Jackson, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, Regina Jackson, Regina Jackson Lottery, Salvation Army, Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, Salvation Army Family Store, VOA Museum, VOA Museum of Broadcasting, Voice of America Museum

Mike Dyer reports:

Lakota West senior offensive tackle Kyle Meadows verbally committed to the University of Kentucky on Saturday morning, according to Lakota West coach Larry Cox.

Meadows, who is 6 feet 6 and 270 pounds, was one of the state’s top uncommitted players remaining in the 2013 class. Meadows is on an official visit to UK this weekend – his third visit to the campus, Cox said. Meadows planned to remain in Lexington until Sunday morning.

Meadows was one of the area’s most recruited players in the 2013 class. He had scholarship offers from the likes of Louisville, Ohio, Toledo, Pittsburgh, Akron, West Virginia, Indiana, Florida State, Purdue, Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina State during the recruiting process. UC offered him today, Cox said.

Cox said he sat down with Meadows and discussed the decision and said the standout offensive lineman liked the new coaching staff at UK led by head coach Mark Stoops and the opportunity to play in the Southeastern Conference.

“I think Kentucky got a great get,” Cox said. “They got an extremely athletic young man.”

Cox said Meadows recently ran a 6:42 for a mile during physical education class. Cox said Meadows has “great feet, great hips (and) long arms.” Cox said Meadows could go up to 285 pounds at the next level and he feels confident he will continue to develop.

Meadows is ranked the state’s No. 30 player in the 2013 class, according to the latest Rivals.com Ohio Postseason Top 75 2013 rankings posted Dec. 21.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Kentucky football recruiting, Kyle Meadows, Kyle Meadows football recruiting, Kyle Meadows Kentucky, Kyle Meadows Kentucky football, Kyle Meadows Lakota West, Kyle Meadows UK, Kyle Meadows UK football, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting