WestChesterBuzz.com

The Lakota East baseball team continues to pile up wins, by defeating Fairfield by the scores of 7-0 and 11-5 this week. Those victories improved the Thunderhawks’ winning streak to 10 games.

On Friday, Lakota East (16-3, 12-2 in Greater Miami Conference) will host Oak Hills (12-8, 8-6) at 5 p.m.. On Saturday, East will play Walnut Hills at 11 a.m. and against Indian Hill at 3 p.m. East will wrap up the season next week with a game at Oak Hills Monday, at home against Lakota West (10-11, 6-8) Wednesday and at Lakota West next Friday, May 10; all games begin at 5 p.m.

The Firebirds split its games against Oak Hills this week, losing 5-2 on the road Monday and defeating the Highlanders 6-1 at home Wednesday. Lakota West will play at Sycamore (3-14, 2-12) Friday at 5 p.m. and at Springboro at noon Saturday. Besides the two games against East next week, West will also host Sycamore Monday at 5 p.m. and will play at Kings next Saturday, May 11 at 1 p.m.

SOFTBALL

Lakota West (13-5, 11-2) had an opportunity to takeover first place in the GMC, but lost to Oak Hills (18-3, 13-1) by the score of 1-0 Wednesday. It was the second loss to the Highlanders this season. West will play at Hamilton (3-17, 2-12) Friday at 4:30 p.m., will host Notre Dame at 11 a.m. Saturday and host Ursuline at 3 p.m. Saturday. Next week, West will wrap up the season with four road games, at Princeton (7-15, 1-13) Monday, at Sycamore (8-11, 4-9) Tuesday, at Colerain (14-7, 9-5) Wednesday and at Mason (15-5, 11-3) Friday; all games begin at 4:30 p.m.

Lakota East (15-6, 9-5) won both of its road games this week, defeating Princeton by the score of 6-5 Wednesday and Hamilton 13-1 Thursday. East will host Colerain Friday at 4:30 p.m. and then host Milford in a double header at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday. Next week, East closes out the season with games at Mason Monday, vs. Middletown (4-18, 2-12) Wednesday and at Sycamore Thursday; all games begin at 4:30 p.m.

POSTSEASON

Baseball and softball postseason brackets will be announced Sunday.

The Division I boys’ tennis sectional tournament will be held at Mason High School Tuesday, May 14 through Saturday, May 18. Besides East and West, the sectional tournament will also include Moeller, Hamilton, Harrison, Kings, Loveland, Mason, Milford, Princeton, Ross, Sycamore, Talawanda and Winton Woods. The district tournament will be held at Centerville High School (south of Dayton) Thursday and Saturday, May 23 and May 25.

The Division I track district tournament will be held at Winton Woods High School Wednesday, May 22 and Friday, May 24. Besides East and West, the tournament will also include Colerain, Elder, Fairfield, Hamilton, Harrison, La Salle, Mt. Healthy, Northwest, Oak Hills, Ross, Talawanda, Western Hills, Winton Woods, McAuley, Mother of Merch, Seton and St. Ursula. The first four in each event at districts will qualify for the regional tournament Wednesday, May 29 and Friday, May 31 at Dayton Welcome Stadium.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports

Tom Ramstetter reports:

Junior right-hander Ashley Sharp scattered four hits and three walks while striking out five Monday afternoon at Lakota West and the Firebirds outlasted neighborhood rival Lakota East 2-0 for West’s sixth straight shutout overall and 26th win in the all-time series.

Lakota West (12-4, 10-1 GMC), ranked No. 4 in the latest Enquirer Division I area coaches’ poll, is 26-8 against No. 5 Lakota East (12-6, 6-5) since the schools split in 1997, according to the Lakota West athletic department.

The Firebirds have outscored foes 39-0 during the shutout streak, but needed a perfect throw from sophomore second baseman Ashley Cummins for a game-ending out at the plate to preserve the scoreless stretch Monday.

Cummins ranged to her right to field a two-out ground ball off the bat of Thunderhawks junior third baseman Grace Sprockett, but Cummins bobbled the ball. With no chance to get Sprockett, Cummins fired the ball home to nail sophomore Kylie Dempsey. (more…)

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports

The Thunderhawks are quietly putting together another strong season and after defeating Middletown Friday. They have now won eight straight games and improved their record to 14-3 overall and 10-2 within the Greater Miami Conference.

Normally, that record would put a team in prime position to win a GMC title. However, this season, Lakota East still trails Mason (16-0, 11-0). Earlier this month, Mason handed East two of its three losses, by the scores of 5-2 April 8 and 8-1 April 10.

This week, East will play at Fairfield (9-8, 6-6) Monday, will host Fairfield Wednesday and host Oak Hills (9-6, 6-5) Friday. All games begin at 5 p.m.

Meanwhile, Lakota West (9-10, 5-7) split a doubleheader against Lebanon Saturday. This week, the Firebirds will visit Oak Hills Monday, will host Oak Hills Wednesday and will play at Sycamore (1-13, 0-11) Friday. Again, all games begin at 5 p.m.

SOFTBALL

Lakota West (11-4, 9-1) will have a chance to take over first place in the GMC this week. It won’t be easy, however, as the Firebirds have to host their school district rival Lakota East (12-5, 6-4) Monday before hosting Mason (12-4, 9-2) Tuesday and then hosting Oak Hills (15-3, 10-1) Wednesday.

If the Firebirds can win out, they will be in prime position to repeat as GMC regular season champions with seven games remaining.

Lakota East lost to Oak Hills, by the score of 1-0 Friday. It was the second time this spring that East lost to the Highlanders in a 1-0 game. After Monday’s game at West, East will play at Middletown (3-15, 1-9) Tuesday, at Princeton (7-12, 1-10) Wednesday, at Hamilton (3-14, 2-9) Thursday and will host Colerain (11-6, 7-5) Friday. All games, including West’s games this week, begin at 4:30 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports

West junior and Wright State commit Ashley Sharp leads her team with a .550 batting average and also has 77 strikeouts in 61.2 innings with a 1.02 earned run average. Photo by Amanda Davidson.

The Lakota West softball team (9-4, 8-1 in the Greater Miami Conference) is only a half game out of first place in the GMC behind Oak Hills (12-3, 9-1).

Lakota West’s only conference loss is at Oak Hills, 4-1, April 10. The Firebirds will get another crack at the Highlanders when they will host them at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Lakota East (12-4, 6-3) will host Oak Hills Friday at 4:30 p.m. WestChesterBuzz.com will provide a recap following the game.

On Monday, East will play at West. The Firebirds won this season’s earlier matchup by the score of 5-0 April 8.

The Cincinnati Enquirer D-I girls’ softball coaches’ poll

1t. Lebanon (12) 130
1t. Mason (3) 130
3. Oak Hills 119
4. Lakota West 109
5. Lakota East (1) 100
6. McAuley 49
7. Ursuline 40
8. Loveland 39
9. Glen Este 33
10. Fairfield 25

BASEBALL

If it weren’t for Mason (15-0, 11-0), Lakota East would be the top team in the GMC. The Thunderhawks (13-3, 9-2) have only lost two games since its season opener at Wheelersburgh, with both losses coming against the Comets.

Since its two losses to Mason, Lakota East has won seven straight. The team is scheduled to play at Middletown (9-7, 7-4), which is in third place in the GMC, at 5 p.m. Friday.

Meanwhile, after a bad start (3-7, 1-5) Lakota West has improved its record to 8-8 and 5-6 within the conference. This Friday, West will play at Fairfield (8-7. 5-6) at 5 p.m.

The Cincinnati Enquirer D-I boys’ baseball coaches’ poll

1. Mason (19) 190
2. Moeller 164
3. Lakota East 146
4. Milford 128
5. Loveland 79
6. Middletown 58
7t. Elder 46
7t. La Salle 46
9. Lebanon 43
10. Kings 40

VOLLEYBALL

After starting the season 8-0, Lakota West (10-3, 5-2) has lost three of its last five matches. The latest lost came Thursday night to Lakota East, 25-18, 25-21, 23-25, 29-31, 15-13. Lakota East (9-3, 5-2) is tied with West for third place in the GMC with two weeks left in the season.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports

West Chester native inspired 2013 MAC Champs

West Chester’s Ellen Barhorst (front row, left) became only the second winner of women swimming’s Robin Chico Award. Photo provided by Miami Athletics.

Provided by Miami University Athletic Communications

Lakota West graduate Ellen Barhorst was awarded the Robin Chico Award this year, an honor given to a senior student athlete who has shown strength and motivation during times of challenge and adversity.

The award was established in 2010 by Miami University alumni to recognize varsity swimmer Robin Chico (’75-’78) who overcame hardships during the early stages of Title IX, which became law in 1972. The award was presented to its first recipient, Jenna Long in May 2010. Long was a four-year letter winner for Miami’s varsity women’s swimming and diving team, specializing as a sprint freestyle and butterfly competitor.

With no recipients in 2011 or 2012, Barhorst is only the second RedHawk to receive the award as a result of her perseverance and positivity both in the pool and the classroom, earning four varsity letters while maintaining a 3.80 cumulative grade point average.

“The reason we decided to give it to Ellen is because she has really been an incredible part of our program in terms of what she’s been able to do and give to the program,” head coach Dave Jennings said.

This year, in particular, Barhorst showed incredible courage and strength while facing devastating personal challenges. Barhorst remained resilient throughout the season, keeping a positive attitude and acting as a role model for her teammates. She continued to work hard on her childhood education degree, and holds one of the highest grade point averages on her team.

After watching Long receive the award four years ago, Barhorst says she was surprised, but also very proud to have been named Miami University’s second recipient of the Robin Chico Award.

“Thinking back on it, it just reminds me how I was able to get through everything with the support of my team and my coaches,” Barhorst said. “It meant everything to me that I could trust them and know that they would support me through everything.”

Barhorst will graduate December 2013 after completing her student teaching in Cincinnati. She says her goal is to be a math and science teacher for fifth and sixth graders, while also staying involved with swimming by coaching.

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Tags: Tags: Ellen Barhorst, Ellen Barhorst Miami, Ellen Barhorst Miami swimming, Ellen Barhorst Miami University, Ellen Barhorst Miami University swimming, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West swimming

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.

Will Lakota East High School be featured on the Ellen DeGeneres Show? Producers of the show contacted the school last Friday and told them that they support their cause and “are anxiously waiting the release” of its lip dub video that the school is making to raise awareness and funds for the Center for Spina Bifida Care at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Photo provided.

WestChesterBuzz.com also recently added a new video page last week. To view West Chester and Liberty Township related videos, visit westchesterbuzz.com/videos.

Lakota East makes lip dub – Lakota East High School is one step closer to having the attention of Ellen DeGeneres. On Thursday, the school and all of its 2,700 students made a “lip dub” video to raise awareness and funds for the Center for Spina Bifida Care at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. In the video, students performed as lip singers to five popular songs from artists, including Black Eyed Peas, One Direction and Smash Mouth. Once edited they hope to get the attention of Ellen DeGeneres, who they hope can bring their efforts to raise awareness for Spina Bifida to the national stage.

West Chester woman steals $23K from employer – Marcie “Allison” Denney, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of theft, a fourth-degree felony, and four fifth-degree felony counts of forgery, Rachel Richardson of MasonBuzz.com reported last week. She originally faced one count of theft and nine counts of forgery. Between August and November last year, Denney forged 25 company checks from her employer, JKrete, a Mason company specializing in traditional and decorative concrete installation, totaling more than $23,000.

Lakota West RB Mikel Horton commits to Kentucky – Lakota West junior running back Mikel Horton verbally committed to the University of Kentucky Saturday during the Rivals.com Under Armour Elite Camp at Lakota West High School. He picked UK over his other top choices Florida State, Vanderbilt, Cincinnati and Louisville. According to Rivals.com, Horton is a four-star recruit and is ranked No. 22 among running back prospects in the class of 2014. He is also ranked No. 209 nationally among all recruits in that class.

Medical workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15. Photo taken by Charles Krupa for the AP.

West Chester runners safe from Boston Marathon blasts – On Monday afternoon, Tony Delnoce of West Chester said that his wife, Robin and three West Chester residents – Paul and Maureen Heintz and J. Jill Cummins – were all safe. Paul Heintz is the owner of Mojo Running in Olde West Chester. The first bomb went off within 20 minutes of Robin Delnoce crossing the finish line. She was walking back to her hotel room at the Marriott Copley when she heard the explosion.

Local runner shares what happened at Boston Marathon – Just before the first explosion went off, Maureen Heintz of West Chester was only a few hundreds away from the finish line, having her picture taken and enjoying her first Boston Marathon. “She was probably just 200 yards from the blast when the first one went off. She said could feel the concussion of it and the buses were shaking where she was standing,” her husband, Paul Heintz said. After returning to their West Chester home at 2 a.m. Tuesday, Paul Heintz spoke about what it was like to be in Boston on Monday. See below for first part of audio interview. For the second and third parts of the interview, click on the link above.

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Tags: Tags: boston bombings, Boston Marathon, Boston Marathon bombing, Boston Marathon bombs, Boston Marathon Cincinnati runners, Boston Marathon local runners, Ellen, Ellen DeGeneres, Ellen DeGeneres Lakota East, Ellen DeGeneres Lakota East lib dub, Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen DeGeneres Show Lakota East, Ellen DeGeneres Show Lakota East lip dub, Ellen Lakota East, Ellen Lakota East lip dub, Kentucky football recruiting, Lakota East, Lakota East lip dub, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Mikel Horton, Mikel Horton football recruiting, Mikel Horton Kentucky, Mikel Horton Kentucky football, Mikel Horton Lakota West, Mojo Running, Mojo Running Olde West Chester, Mojo Running West Chester, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, University of Kentucky

The Lakota East baseball team gathers around its coach Ray Hamilton after he won his 400th game. Photo provided by eastthunderhawks.com.

Lakota East head baseball coach Ray Hamilton won his 400th game when the Thunderhawks defeated Princeton by the score of 9-2 on Wednesday.

Lakota East (10-3, 6-2 in Greater Miami Conference*) is ranked No. 3 in The Cincinnati Enquirer Division I coaches’ poll behind Moeller and Mason. The Thunderhawks are scheduled to host Colerain Monday, Middletown Wednesday and play at Middletown Friday; all games will begin at 5 p.m.

Meanwhile, Lakota West (7-7, 4-5) has won four straight. This week, the Firebirds will host Middletown Monday, Fairfield Wednesday and will play at Fairfield Friday; again, all games are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

SOFTBALL

In softball, Lakota West (8-4, 7-1) has won six of its last seven games including a 20-0 win against Princeton and a 3-0 win against Colerain last week. This week, West will host Middletown Monday, will play at Sycamore Wednesday and at Fairfield Friday; all games are at 4:30 p.m.

Lakota East (11-3, 5-2), winners of its last eight, will host Fairfield Monday, will play at Hamilton Wednesday, at Colerain Thursday and will host Oak Hills Friday; all games begin at 4:30 p.m. Friday’s game against Oak Hills will be covered by WestChesterBuzz.com.

TENNIS

Lakota East (4-3, 3-1) defeated Fairfield, 5-0, on Saturday. The Thunderhawks will host Elder Monday, Lakota West Tuesday and will play at Madeira Wednesday; all matches begin at 4 p.m. East will also be involved in the Coaches Classic Thursday and Saturday.

Lakota West senior Nick Lang was selected as one of two recipients of the 2013 Hooked on Tennis USTA/Midwest Section Scholarship last week. The $1,000 scholarship is presented to one male and one female junior tennis player from the USTA/Midwest Section. Lakota West (2-2, 1-1*) will play at Fairfield Monday, at Lakota East Tuesday and will host Loveland Wednesday; all matches begin at 4 p.m. The Firebirds will also participate in the Coaches Classic.

VOLLEYBALL

Lakota West (9-2, 4-1) and Lakota East (8-2, 4-1) will face off for the first time this season at Lakota West at 7 p.m. Thursday. Both teams trail Oak Hills (8-0, 5-0) in the GMC standings. West has already lost to Oak Hills, while East will host the Highlanders Tuesday at 7 p.m. East will also play at Beavercreek at 7 p.m. Monday, while West is scheduled to play at Middletown at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

* – weekend scores not reported

Posted in: Sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports

Lakota West junior running back Mikel Horton verbally committed to play football at the University of Kentucky Saturday April 20. Photo by Adam Kiefaber of WestChesterBuzz.com.

Lakota West junior running back Mikel Horton verbally committed to the University of Kentucky Saturday during the Rivals.com Under Armour Elite Camp at Lakota West High School.

Lakota West junior running back Mikel Horton surprised his coach by making his college choice so soon. He picked UK over his other top choices Florida State, Vanderbilt, Cincinnati and Louisville. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II.

The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Horton has received interest from Penn State, Michigan State, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi State, as well as offers from Florida State, Boston College, Louisville, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Miami (Ohio), Indiana, Minnesota, Kent State, Toledo, Bowling Green and Western Michigan.

• Cincinnati Enquirer’s recruiting blog
• Lakota West Signing Day
• Lakota East Signing Day
• VIDEO: GMC Signing Day
• UK coach talks about Kyle Meadows

Lakota West head coach Larry Cox admitted he was surprised that Horton made his commitment so soon.

“I will be honest, I advised him to wait,” Cox said. “He talked about Florida State, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, UC and Louisville. Those were sort of his top five, but he has done his homework. I can’t tell you how many visits he has done. It is not like he made this decision blind.”

Cox said Horton visited Louisville twice, Kentucky three times, Cincinnati, Miami, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Alabama and Florida State.

According to Rivals.com, Horton is a four-star recruit and is ranked No. 22 among running back prospects in the class of 2014. He is also ranked No. 209 nationally among all recruits in that class.

In 2012, Horton rushed for 1,003 yards and 13 touchdowns.

On Feb. 6, his teammate offensive tackle Kyle Meadows (class of 2013) signed on to play football at UK. 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.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Kentucky football recruiting, Lakota West, Lakota West football, Lakota West sports, Mikel Horton, Mikel Horton football recruiting, Mikel Horton Kentucky, Mikel Horton Kentucky football, Mikel Horton Lakota West, Ohio football recruiting, Ohio High School sports recruiting, Ohio preps recruiting, Ohio sports recruiting, University of Kentucky

Lakota West (6-4) improved to 5-1 within the Greater Miami Conference with a 5-2 win against Hamilton Friday. The Firebirds only loss within conference play was at Oak Hills – 4-1 last Wednesday.

Autumn Heath wins the girls 100-meter dash at the Coaches Classic at Winton Woods, Friday, April 12, 2013. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.

Junior pitcher Ashley Sharp is off to a strong start with a 3-3 record, and 51 strikeouts in 41.2 innings. She also has two shutouts, one save and a 1.51 earned run average. The Wright State commit also has a .500 batting average (13 hits in 26 at-bats), according to gmcsports.com.

This week, Lakota West will host Princeton Monday, will play at Colerain Wednesday and will host Mason Friday (all games at 4:30 p.m.).

Meanwhile, Lakota East (5-3, 2-2) won back-to-back games in its doubleheader Saturday. This week, the Thunderhawks will host Mason Monday, will play at Middletown Wednesday, host Hamilton Thursday and host Sycamore Friday.

BASEBALL

Lakota East (6-3, 4-2) has lost back-to-back games to Mason last week. This week, the Thunderhawks will host Princeton Monday, play at Princeton Wednesday and at Colerain on Friday (all games are at 5 p.m.).

Lakota West (4-7, 1-5) split a doubleheader on Saturday, losing against Pickerington North, 7-6, and defeating Gahanna Lincoln, 12-2. This week, the Firebirds will host Colerain Monday, will play at Colerain Wednesday and at Middletown Friday (5 p.m.).

TRACK

Lakota East junior Autumn Heath won the 100 and 200 meters at the Coaches Classic at Winton Woods Friday. She posted a 12.55 in the 100 and 26.11 in the 200.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports

Mason senior starting pitcher Andrew McDonald is verbally committed to play ball at Virginia Teach. He is one of the many reasons why Mason is one of the top teams in Greater Cincinnati. Photo taken by Tony Tribble during a game against Lakota East in 2012.

After losing to Mason by the score of 5-2 on Wednesday, Lakota East will have another chance to defeat one of the region’s top baseball teams when they face off in the Reds Futures High School Showcase at 7 p.m. Friday at Prasco Park, 6125 Commerce Court in Mason.

Mason (8-0, 5-0 in the Greater Miami Conference) is No. 2 in The Cincinnati Enquirer preseason poll, while East (6-2, 4-1) is ranked No. 6.

No. 5 Lakota West (3-5, 1-4), meanwhile, got off to a disappointing start – losing five of its first seven games. The Firebirds did rebound with a 22-1 win at Princeton on Wednesday. Lakota West will also play Princeton Friday at 5 p.m. at Prasco Park, just before the Mason/East game.

In softball this week, No. 3 Lakota West defeated No. 2 Lakota East, 5-0, on Monday. West (5-4, 4-1) went on to defeat Fairfield by the score of 4-2 on Tuesday and then lost at Oak Hills by the score of 4-1 on Wednesday. East (2-2, 2-2), on the other, defeated Princeton 10-0 on Wednesday.

Boys’ volleyball is also underway, Lakota West (7-0, 3-0) defeated Wayne, Fairfield, Sycamore and Princeton this week. Lakota East (4-1, 2-1) defeated Hamilton and Fairfield and hasn’t lost since its opener April 4 against Mason.

Weekend sports schedule according to gmcsports.com:

Friday

Lakota East – softball – vs. Wellston at 3 p.m. at Symmes Valley
Lakota East – softball – vs. Wheelerburg at 4:30 p.m. at Symmes Valley
Lakota West – softball – vs. Hamilton at 4:30 p.m.
East and West – track – Coaches Classic Finals at 4:30 p.m. at Winton Woods
Lakota West -baseball – vs. Princeton at 5 p.m. at Prasco Park
Lakota East – baseball – vs. Mason at 7 p.m. at Prasco Park
Lakota East – boys’ volleyball – vs. Centerville at 7 p.m.

Saturday

Lakota West – baseball – at Pickerington North at 12 p.m.
Lakota East – softball – vs. Brunswick at 12 p.m. at Symmes Valley
Lakota West – baseball – at Gahanna Lincoln at 3 p.m.
Lakota East – softball – vs. Alexander at 4 p.m. at Symmes Valley

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West sports