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The Lakota West athletic department recently announced a few coaching changes. Tara Schafer-Kalkhoff, Lakota West’s first and only head coach for girls soccer, announced her retirement, while current fall coaches added spring coaching gigs.

Tara Schafer-Kalkhoff, Lakota West’s first and only head coach for girls soccer, recently announced her retirement.

Schafer-Kalkhoff recently completed her 17th season as a head coach in the Lakota district after beginning her career at Lakota High School prior to its split following the 1996 season.

Her career highlights include winning the Ohio Division I state championship in 1999 and amassing 203 career wins with a 70.4 winning percentage. Her career win total is the seventh highest among all current and former girls soccer coaches in Ohio high school history, according westfirebirds.com.

Also retiring is her varsity assistant coach and husband, Mark Kalkhoff, who has also spent the last 17 years as a Lakota coach and 22 years total in high school coaching, including a stint as the head coach at Taylor high school from 1991 to 1995.

The Kalkhoff’s are the parents of an energetic little boy, Connor, who will be four next fall, and say that they expect to continue coaching soccer, just at a somewhat lower level of competition.

Meanwhile, varsity football coach Larry Cox and varsity girls’ tennis coach Bryan Skoog will be taking on more coaching duties at Lakota West.

Cox, who has been the Lakota West football coach since its first season in 1997, will be the head coach of the track and field team, while Skoog, who has coached girls’ tennis at Lakota West for eight years, takes over the boys’ tennis program. Both will take over the programs this spring.

Cox replaces Craig Myers, who has coached track and field since West opened in 1997, and Skoog replaces Dale Hutzelman, who coached the boys’ program for the past three seasons.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Bryan Skoog, Lakota West football, Lakota West soccer, Lakota West sports, Lakota West tennis, Lakota West track, Larry Cox, Larry Cox Lakota West, Tara Schafer-Kalkhoff

Lakota East’s Autumn Heath placed in both the 100 and 200 sprints at the 2012 state meet in Columbus, June 2, 2012. In photo, Heath is seen competing at the regional meet at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. Photo taken May 26, 2012 by Tony Tribble.

The Cincinnati Enquirer released its list of spring all stars in Tuesday’s print edition, honoring 25 Lakota student athletes. The Enquirer named seven Lakota athletes as first teamers in their respected sports and selected 18 others as honorable mentions.

The Enquirer also named Lakota East senior Zach Mueck as its Division I Boys’ Tennis Player of the Year. Mueck finished as the state runner-up for the third consecutive year. Mueck also won his third straight district title and had a 21-1 record this season. Mueck will continue his career at Xavier.

Feel free to congratulate the following athletes below in the comment section or acknowledge the many student athletes who also deserving to make this list.

Lakota East’s Zach Mueck plays in the OHSAA state tennis tournament Saturday, May 26, 2012, in Columbus. Photo taken by Jay LaPrete.

Division I First Team selections:

• Zak Farmer (Lakota West, baseball) – The senior pitcher was named second-team all-state and first-team all-GMC in 2012. He led the Firebirds in at-bats (107), hits (44), doubles (9) and in batting average (.411). On the mound, he also led the team in innings pitched (59.1), wins (7) and strikeouts (59).
• Michael Conrad (Lakota East, baseball) – The University of Cincinnati signee struck out 100 batters in 61.1 innings of work in 2012. He also complied a 5-2 win-loss record with a 1.83 earned run average. Conrad was also named second-team all-state and first-team all-GMC.
• Lea Buckenmyer (Lakota East, softball) – The junior pitcher was second-team all-state and first-team all-GMC in 2012. On the mound, she posted a 19-7 win-loss record, struck out 133 hitters in 164 innings, had eight shutouts and had a 1.20 ERA. At the plate, Buckenmyer led her team and the GMC in runs batted in with 43. She also led her team in doubles (14), on-base percentage (.481) and batting average (.432).
• Ashley Sharp (Lakota West, softball) – The sophomore was honorable mention all-state and first-team all-GMC in 2012. Sharp led the GMC in wins with 20 (win-loss record was 20-5). She also struck out 178 batters in 173.1 innings – had 11 shutouts and a 1.09 ERA. At the plate, Sharp led Lakota West in home runs (3) and in runs batted in (21).
• Autumn Heath (Lakota East, track) – The sophomore sprinter placed in two events at the 2012 state meet. Heath finished fifth in the 100-meter dash and eighth in the 200-meter dash. She was selected first-team all-GMC for three different events.
• Zack Mueck (Lakota East, tennis) – The senior finished as the state runner-up for the third consecutive year. Mueck also won his third straight district title and had a 21-1 record this season. Mueck will continue his career at Xavier.
• Nick Lang (Lakota West, tennis) – The junior was named second-team all-GCTCA in singles. According to the GMC website, Lang was 7-2 at No.1 singles and 14-3 overall. Finished in first place in his flight in the Greater Cincinnati Tennis Coaches Association Tournament. (more…)

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Enquirer Players of the Year, Enquirer spring all stars, Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East tennis, Lakota East track, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West tennis, Lakota West track

The Lakota West athletic department is currently seeking head coaches in two sports – track and wrestling.

Both coaches are leaving each program in order to spend more time with their families, according to Lakota West athletic director Gerry Weisgerber.

Craig Myers, who has been the track head coach since Lakota West began its operation in the 1997-1998 school year, will continue to coach the cross country team.

This past winter’s wrestling coach, Tim Kessler, had been the head coach since 2009 and a member of the Lakota West coaching staff since 1997. He and his wife have four children.

The school is accepting applications until Friday, June 15. All interested individuals should electronically send a resume, cover letter and related materials to Richard Bryant at Richard.Bryant@lakotaonline.com.

Lakota East does not currently have any head coach openings.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports, Winter Sports |

Tags: Tags: Craig Myers, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West track, Lakota West wrestling, Tim Kessler

Lakota West senior Jerome Hamilton finished sixth at the regional track meet at Dayton's Welcome Stadium on May, 23, 2012. A four-place or better finish would have qualified Hamilton for the state meet. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.

The Greater Miami Conference recently honored many Lakota student athletes for their success in track and field. Multiple athletes were honored more than once and several relay teams were also honored.

Several of the student athletes will also compete at the state meet Friday and Saturday to be held at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at Ohio State University in Columbus.

On the boys’ side, Lakota West’s senior Nathan Haynes (800-meter run) and junior Will Wilson (high jump) will be competing at state. In those same events, Haynes was also selected to the all-GMC first team, while Wilson was an honorable mention. Both athletes also earned honorable mention honors with senior Will Clevidence and senior Reid Beck as part of the 3200-meter relay team.

Clevidence was also selected to the all-GMC third team in the 800-meter run. Other boy track athletes who were honored by the GMC include Lakota West junior Nick McGill (300-meter hurdles, honorable mention), Lakota West senior Jerome Hamilton (long jump, honorable mention) and Lakota East junior Jordan Combs (pole vault, all-GMC second team).

On the girls’ side, senior Lauren Buck (shot put, discus), sophomore Autumn Heath (100-meter, 200-meter dash) and junior Celeste Bronson (300-meter hurdles) will be competing at this week’s state meet. Both Buck and Heath were selected to the all-GMC first team in those same events. Bronson, on the other hand, was part of the 400-meter team with Heath, junior Kendra Thomas and sophomore Kellsa Mbah that was selected all-GMC second team.

Heath, Thomas, Mbah and senior Ariana Cooper were also part of the 800-meter relay team that was selected to the all-GMC first team. Mbah was also selected all-GMC second team for the long jump and honorable mention for the 200-meter dash. Thomas was given honorable mention recognition for the pole vault.

Meanwhile, the only athlete from the Lakota girls’ team to be honored was senior Amanda Shelby, who was honorable mention in the 3200-meter run.

In addition to the teams, Buck was named GMC co-athlete of the year and Lakota East’s John Lindeman was named GMC coach of the year.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: 2012 Ohio High School Athletic Association State Track Championship, Amanda Shelby, Ariana Cooper, Autumn Heath, Celeste Bronson, Jerome Hamilton, John Lindeman, Kellsa Mbah, Kendra Thomas, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East track, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West track, Lauren Buck, Nathan Haynes, Nick McGill, Reid Beck, Will Clevidence, Will Wilson

The Lakota East girls’ track team captured the Division I Southwest District track title at Winton Woods High School Friday. The Thunderhawks finished with 121 points, edging McAuley, which had 112 points.

The Lakota East girls' track team won a district title May 18, 2012. Photo provided.

“We knew it was going to be close, but that was huge for us at that point,” Lakota East coach John Lindeman told EastThunderhawks.com. “Winning this thing is huge for us – especially beating McAuley, because they’re one of the class teams in the city. Beating them shows we’re solidifying ourselves and giving us the confidence to go on to regionals next week.”

At districts, the Lakota East girls’ team won the 4×200-meter relay, the 4×100-meter relay, the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles, as well as the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes.

The boys’ team finished in 10th place, but had qualified five athletes for this week’s regional meet at Dayton. Senior Tony O’Connor (1600-meter run, 4×800-meter relay), junior Matt Rice (3200-meter run), sophomore Ben Call (3200-meter run, 4X800-meter relay), junior Jordan Combs (pole vault) sophomore Devon Jackson (4×800-meter relay) and sophomore Jack Beggs (4×800-meter relay) all qualified for the regional meet from the Lakota East boys’ team.

The Lakota East girls’ team qualified six athletes for the regional, but also had a handful of district champions in senior Ariana Cooper (4×200-meter relay), junior Kendra Thomas (4×200-meter relay, 4×100-meter relay), junior Kellsa Mbah (4×200-meter relay, 4×100-meter relay), sophomore Autumn Heath (4×200-meter relay, 4×100-meter relay, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash) and Celeste Bronson (4×100-meter relay, 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles).

Cooper (400-meter dash), Mbah (200-meter dash), Thomas (pole vault) and junior Kelly Burrows (3200-meter run) didn’t finish in first place but also qualified to compete in the regional meet in other events.

Seven Firebirds qualify for state meet

The Lakota West track team had seven members of its track team qualify for this week’s regional meet at Dayton. District champions included senior Will Clevidence (4×800-meter relay, 800-meter run), senior Nathan Haynes (4×800-meter relay), senior Reid Becker (4×800-meter relay), junior Will Wilson (4×800-meter relay) and senior Amanda Shelby (3200-meter run). Not finishing first, but qualifying in other events include Haynes (800-meter run), Wilson (high jump), senior Brady Holmer (1600-meter run) and senior Jerome Hamilton (long jump).

Regional meet

The regional meet is scheduled to take place at Welcome Stadium (University of Dayton) Wednesday at 4 p.m. and Friday at 4 p.m.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Amanda Shelby, Ariana Cooper, Autumn Heath, Ben Call, Brady Holmer, Celeste Bronson, Devon Jackson, Jack Beggs, Jerome Hamilton, Kellsa Mbah, Kelly Burrows, Kendra Thomas, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East track, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West track, Matt Rice, Nathan Haynes, Ohio track district meet, Reid Becker, Tony O'Connor, Will Clevidence, Will Wilson

Sydney Hill. Photo provided.

According to the Greater Miami Conference website, Lakota East tennis player Connor Fraley is 2-1 this season at No. 2 singles and 6-1 with partner Colin Sasthav at No. 1 doubles.

Tyler Harsch is currently ninth in the GMC in aces and in digs. The sophomore has helped the Thunderhawks boys’ volleyball team get off to a 7-4 start.

Last week, Lakota West tennis player Nick Lang won three of four matches last week at No. 1 singles. This spring, Lang got off to a 4-1 start at the No. 1 spot.

Last Friday, Sydney Hill turned in the best individual placement and highest cumulative point total of any athlete on the Lakota West girls’ track team at the Mt. Healthy Owls Classic. Hill placed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles and also sixth in the 300-meter hurdles.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: athletes of the week, Connor Fraley, Lakota athletes of the week, Lakota East, Lakota East athletics, Lakota East boys' tennis, Lakota East boys' volleyball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East tennis, Lakota East volleyball, Lakota West, Lakota West athletics, Lakota West boys' tennis, Lakota West tennis, Lakota West track, Nick Lang, Sydney Hill, Tyler Harsch

Michael Conrad currently leads the GMC in strikeouts with 44. Photo taken by Tony Tribble.

The athletic departments at Lakota East and Lakota West high schools recently named their athletes of the week. Junior Lea Buckenmyer and senior Michael Conrad received the honor at Lakota East, while sophomores Grant Schuermann and Ashley Sharp were honored at Lakota West.

While Buckenmyer and Conrad were the first to be acknowledged this spring at Lakota East, Lakota West has also honored seniors Alex Vohland and Amanda Shelby as athletes of the week this April.

Lea Buckenmyer has been the Thunderhawks go-to pitcher this spring, pitching in 11 games and having a 9-2 record. She also has 48 strikeouts, three shutouts and a 1.28 earned run average in 71 total innings. At the plate, she has also been one of Lakota East’s top hitters – leading the team in runs, doubles, triples, runs batted in and on-base percentage. She also has a batting average of .479. Overall, her team is currently 12-2 overall and 7-1 in the Greater Miami Conference.

Like last season, Michael Conrad has been one of the most dominating pitchers in the region. In four starts, Conrad is 2-1 and has an earned run average of 1.75. He also has 44 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. Conrad, who was honored as The Enquirer’s spring baseball athlete of the year last spring, has signed on to play baseball at the University of Cincinnati.

Grant Schuermann has excelled on the mound and at the plate for the Firebirds this season. According to the GMC website, he leads the team with a .405 batting average and is also 2-0 as a starting pitcher this spring. Schuermann received the honor, however, by pitching two complete games in wins against Princeton (12-1) April 2 and against Kings (5-0) April 7. In addition, he doubled in both contests.

Like Buckenmyer, Ashley Sharp has been go-to pitcher this spring, pitching in 13 games and having a record of 10-2. She also has 68 strikeouts, four shutouts and a 1.32 earned run average in 79.1 innings. At the plate, she is second on the team in hits, doubles and in batting average (.350). She leads the team in runs batted in. She has been a big reason why, Lakota West is currently 11-3 overall and 8-0 in the GMC.

On March 29, Alex Vohland led Lakota West with 17 kills in a win against Centerville. Since then, Lakota West has continued to play well on the court and has an overall record of 9-0 and a 3-0 mark within the GMC. Vohland has been key reason for the strong start, leading the GMC with 130 kills.

Meanwhile, Amanda Shelby took first place in both the 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs at the Fairfield Invitational. This past Wednesday, Shelby finished second in both the 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs at the Ralph Bergdoll Invitational in Miamisburg.

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Alex Vohland, Amanda Shelby, Ashley Sharp, Ashley Sharp Lakota West, athletes of the week, Grant Schuermann, Lakota athletes of the week, Lakota East, Lakota East athletics, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota West, Lakota West athletics, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West boys' volleyball, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West track, Lea Buckenmyer, Michael Conrad, Michael Conrad Cincinnati, Michael Conrad Lakota East, Mike Conrad

Lakota West’s Alyssa Hedric is tagged out by Lakota East catcher Kelly Hardison during last spring’s state playoffs. Lakota West won the game by the score of 1-0 on May 28, 2011. The Firebirds were the only softball team to defeat Lakota East in 2011, winning twice in the regular season and again in the state quarterfinals. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II.

Lakota East and Lakota West, which both entered the season tied for first place in The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Division I Preseason Poll, square off at 5 p.m. Friday. The following day, both softball teams, as well as both Lakota high school baseball teams and the Lakota East boys’ volleyball team will be in action.

Last season, Lakota East was ranked No. 1 in the state for most of the spring and was defeated by Lakota West in the state quarterfinals. The Firebirds also defeated Lakota East twice in the regular season. All three losses were the only ones the Thunderhawks had last spring.

On Friday, Lakota West (4-1 overall, 3-0 in the Greater Miami Conference) and the Thunderhawks (4-0 overall, 2-0 in the GMC) will enter the game atop the conference standings.

The game, however, might not be postponed due to weather.

According to the forecast from the National Weather Service, there is a 30 percent chance of showers early Friday morning and a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. The 80 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms could very well put Saturday’s games on hold as well.

No rain is expected Saturday, but the Lakota East baseball team has a doubleheader scheduled at Talawanda High School with the first game starting at 11 a.m. Meanwhile, both the Lakota West baseball and softball teams have doubleheaders starting at noon Saturday. The Lakota East softball team has a game scheduled at noon, as well.

Weekend sports schedule

Friday, March 30

Lakota East at Lakota West – softball – at 5 p.m. (TO BE COVERED BY WESTCHESTERBUZZ.COM)
Lakota West – baseball – vs. Mason at Prasco Park at 4 p.m.

Saturday, March 31

Lakota East – boys’ volleyball – vs. TRI w/Loveland & McNich at 10 a.m.
Lakota East – baseball – at Talawanda at 11 a.m.
Lakota West – baseball – at Glen Este at 12 p.m.
Lakota West – softball – vs. Miami East at 12 p.m.
Lakota East – baseball – at Kings at 1:30 p.m.
Lakota West – baseball – at Glen Este at 3 p.m.
Lakota West – softball – vs. Turpin at 4 p.m.

Thursday sports scores

Princeton 5, Lakota East 0 – boys’ tennis - Nagel d. Souders 6-1, 6-1; Arroyo d. Fraley 4-6, 6-2, 6-3; Hazen d. Galack 6-2, 6-0; Roy-Bent d. Sasthav-Noufer 6-4, 7-5; Briedenbach-Ficke d. Barren-Menninger 7-6, 2-6, 6-3. Records: P 2-2, L 2-2.

Lakota West 4, Colerain 1 – boys’ tennis - Lang (L) d. Sheline 6-0, 6-0; Cross (L) d. Whitehead 6-1, 6-1; Friedhoff (C) d. Lienhardt 3-6, 7-6, 6-2; Wafalrt-Griffiths (L) d. Hill-Wessels 6-2, 6-2; Carlstrand-Blake (L) d. Hensler-McDonough 6-1, 6-1. Records: L 1-0, C 1-3.

Boys’ volleyball scores
Lakota East (2-0, 1-0 GMC) d. Middletown (0-4, 0-2 GMC) 25-17, 25-22, 17-25, 25-22
Lakota West (5-0) d. Centerville (1-2) 25-20, 25-16, 25-21

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota athletic weekly schedule, Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East boys' tennis, Lakota East boys' volleyball, Lakota East lacrosse, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East track, Lakota sports schedule, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West boys' tennis, Lakota West boys' volleyball, Lakota West lacrosse, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West track

Lakota West celebrates after defeating Lakota East in the state tournament last season. The Firebirds were the only softball team to defeat Lakota East in 2011, winning twice in the regular season and again in the state quarterfinals. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II.

A couple of Lakota spring sports teams began their seasons this past weekend. However, this week, there will be a full docket of sports action for both Lakota East and Lakota West high schools.

On Saturday, the Lakota East softball team reeled off two wins (14-4 against Lake Orion and 8-0 against Seton). Meanwhile, the Lakota West softball team split two games, losing 3-2 against Columbus Watterson and defeating Lake Orion by the score of 11-4.

• Division I softball preview
• Division I baseball preview

This week, the two Lakota softball teams, which are tied for first place in The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Division I Preseason Poll will face each other at 5 p.m. Friday. Last season, Lakota East was ranked No. 1 in the state for most of the spring and was defeated by Lakota West in the state quarterfinals.

Lakota East was 24-7 last season and defeated Perrysburg 6-2 in the state final. It was Lakota East's first state team title in school history. Photo by Jonathan Quilter of The Columbus Dispatch.

The Lakota East and Lakota West baseball teams will also be in action this week. Both teams open the season in the inaugural Reds Future High School Showcase at Prasco Park Legacy Field in Mason.

In that event, the defending state champions Lakota East, which is No. 2 in The Enquirer’s Preseason Poll, will face Hamilton. Meanwhile, Lakota West (No. 6 in Enquirer poll) will face Mason (No. 4 in Enquirer poll).

See below for the complete Lakota varsity high school sports weekly schedule:

Monday, March 26

Lakota East – boys’ tennis – at Colerain at 4 p.m.
Lakota West – baseball – vs. Mason at Prasco Park at 4 p.m. (TO BE COVERED BY WESTCHESTERBUZZ.COM)
Lakota East – softball – vs. Hamilton at 5 p.m.
Lakota East – baseball – vs. Hamilton at Prasco Park at 6:30 p.m. (TO BE COVERED BY WESTCHESTERBUZZ.COM)

Tuesday, March 27

Lakota East – boys’ tennis – vs. Turpin at 4 p.m.
Lakota West – track – vs. Kings at 4 p.m.
Lakota East – baseball – vs. Mason at 5 p.m.
Lakota West – softball – vs. Hamilton at 5 p.m.
Lakota West – girls’ lacrosse – vs. Ursuline at 7 p.m. (more…)

Posted in: Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota athletic weekly schedule, Lakota East, Lakota East baseball, Lakota East boys' tennis, Lakota East boys' volleyball, Lakota East lacrosse, Lakota East softball, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East track, Lakota sports schedule, Lakota West, Lakota West baseball, Lakota West boys' tennis, Lakota West boys' volleyball, Lakota West lacrosse, Lakota West softball, Lakota West sports, Lakota West track

Lakota West senior Nathan Haynes has been appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy and will be a member of the track team, according to Lakota West Sports Information Director Todd Hummer.

Haynes finished sixth in the 800-meter run at the 2011 Division I state track meet last spring.

He was also the only runner on either Lakota East or Lakota West boys’ squads to qualify for the 2011 Division I cross country meet this past November. Haynes advanced to state after finishing sixth at the regional competition at Troy Memorial Stadium.

Haynes is the third track/cross country athlete to officially commit to a college program this month. On Feb. 2, the day after National Signing Day, Lakota West seniors Brady Holmer and Amanda Shelby were honored for making their college selections. Holmer will attend Northern Kentucky University, while Shelby will attend the College of Mount St. Joseph.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports, Spring sports |

Tags: Tags: Lakota West, Lakota West cross country, Lakota West sports, Lakota West track, Nathan Haynes, Navy track, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Naval Academy track