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.

Bengals help Lakota school with aging playground - Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Domata Peko, along with six of his teammates, visited Woodland Elementary in Liberty Township last Tuesday to promote being active and good health, as well as to present a check for $10,000 to go towards the school’s mission to build a new playground.

Butler County Sports Hall of Fame announces its 2012 class - A former Lakota West wrestler and the Firebirds’ current volleyball coach are among the 11-person induction class for the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame. Matthew McIntire, who graduated Lakota West in 2002, won two state wrestling championships. Meanwhile, Lakota West head volleyball coach Tracey Kornau has coached the Firebirds since the district split into two high schools.

Jag’s named a top restaurant in Cincinnati by Zagat - Zagat launched its 2013 America’s Top Restaurants guide last Wednesday, which included a top ten list for the Greater Cincinnati area. Locally, West Chester’s Jag’s Steak & Seafood, 5980 West Chester Road, was one of only two Cincinnati restaurants to make the list despite not being located downtown.

Millikin Road in Liberty Township is now open - The Butler County Engineer’s Office reports that Millikin Road in Liberty Township is now open, after being closed between Liberty-Fairfield Road and Ohio 747 since Oct. 1 for a widening project.

Lakota East senior Ashley Evans signs with Purdue - Lakota East senior Ashley Evans signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at Purdue last Wednesday. Evans’ high school coach Casie Garland called her “one of the best players in the nation.”

Marion’s Piazza opens just beyond West Chester border – Marion’s Pizza, a Dayton-based pizzeria, opened in Mason at the corner of Tylersville and Snider roads last Tuesday. The restaurant, which is near Voice of America Park, was busy right away.

Posted in: Board of Education, Levy news, News, Schools, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Andrew Whitworth, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Butler County Sports Hall of Fame, Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Bengals give back, Domata Peko, Jag's, Jag's Steak & Seafood, Jag's Steak & Seafood West Chester, Jag's West Chester, Lakota elementary cuts, Leon Hall, marion's piazza, Matt McIntire, Matthew McIntire, Michael Johnson, Millikin Road, Nate Clements, playground, Terrence Newman, Tracey Kornau, Tracey Kornau Lakota West, Woodland Elementary, Woodland Elementary playground, Woodland Elementary School, Woodland playground

Lakota West head coach Tracey Kornau is one of 11 people who will be inducted in the Butler County Sports Hall Fame this month. File photo.

A former Lakota West wrestler and the Firebirds’ current volleyball coach are among the 11-person induction class for the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame.

Matthew McIntire, who graduated Lakota West in 2002, won two state wrestling championships. He also concluded his high school wrestling career by winning the National 140-pound Championship.

En route to the U.S. Championship, McIntire beat four other wrestlers who had won a cumulative ten state championships. His semifinal win came over the four-time Michigan state champion. His loss to McIntire was his first and only defeat in 220 bouts, according to lakotaonline.com.

Furthermore, McIntire won four Greater Miami Conference championships.

Overall, in his high school career, he won 163 matches and lost only six.

Meanwhile, Lakota West head volleyball coach Tracey Kornau has coached the Firebirds since the district split into two high schools. From 1997 to 2012, Kornau has helped guide Lakota West to 263 wins and 136 losses. Also, during that time, Lakota West has won six GMC titles.

Prior to coaching at West, Kornau coached at Lakota High School from 1991 to 1996 – compiling a 102-41 record during that time. In 1994, Koranu’s Thunderbirds won the state championship and finished the year with a 26-1 record.

Overall, in her career, Kornau has won 387 matches and lost 182 in 23 seasons of being a head coach.

The 2012 Butler County Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet and ceremony will take place Sunday, Nov. 25, at the Courtyard by Marriott in Hamilton.

A social hour will kick off the festivities at 5 p.m. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m., which will be followed by Hall of Fame introductions at 7 p.m. Retired Miami University head men’s basketball coach Charlie Coles will serve as the evening’s keynote speaker.

Other members of the 2012 induction class include Frank Chew, Jeff Cothran, Lois Hall Gleason, Robby Huffman, Terry Merz, Bernie Reid, Jeff See, Laura Rullman Weinberger and Rich White.

Posted in: News, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Bernie Reid, Butler County Sports Hall of Fame, Frank Chew, Hall of Fame, Jeff Cothran, Jeff See, Laura Rullman Weinberger, Lois Hall Gleason, Matt McIntire, Matthew McIntire, Robby Huffman, Terry Merz, Tracey Kornau, Tracey Kornau Lakota West

Mark Schmetzer reports:

Almost as if they couldn’t wait, the Lakota East Thunderhawks were on the floor with a minute left before the fourth game of their Division I regional semifinal match against Mount Notre Dame.

That normally wouldn’t be unusual, except most teams aren’t that anxious to take on the undefeated defending state champions – but then, most teams weren’t Lakota East Thursday night at Lebanon High School.

“We didn’t want a delay,” senior outside hitter-setter Ashley Evans said. “We wanted to keep the momentum, because volleyball is such a game of momentum.”

The approach paid off as the Thunderhawks went on to win the fourth game and complete an historic 25-19, 21-25, 25-22, 25-20 win that sent them to the regional finals for the first time in the 16-year history of the program.

“I’m speechless,” said Evans, who led Lakota East with 26 kills. “I’m going to have to slap myself to make sure I’m awake. We’re coming together as a team. We tried to play them like they were any other team. We were the last team to beat them last year and the first team to beat them this year.”

Lakota East advanced to the regional final for the first time in school history after beating Mount Notre Dame, who was 25-0 and ranked No. 6 nationally by MaxPreps, by the score of 25-19, 21-25, 25-22, 25-20 Nov. 1, 2012. Photo by Joseph Fuqua II.

Senior Madeline Garda had 40 digs and classmate Anna Starr finished with 45 assists for Lakota East (24-2), which is scheduled to face Ursuline (20-6) in the regional finals on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Lebanon.

The Lions advanced with a taut 15-25, 25-12, 21-25, 25-22, 15-11 win over Lakota West (20-6) in Thursday’s second match.

The state semifinals are scheduled to be played on Nov. 8 with the finals on Nov. 10, all at Wright State University’s Nutter Center.

Lakota East, the No. 3 team in the Enquirer’s Division I coaches poll and fourth-ranked team in the Division I state coaches association poll, had several motivational cards to play, including a season loss to Mount Notre Dame (25-1), the top-ranked team in both the Enquirer and statewide polls, late in the regular season.

“They served and passed a lot better,” Cougars coach Joe Burke said about the difference in the two matches. “We didn’t have our ‘A’ game. We worked and played hard, but when you don’t give your best effort and the other team is on, it’s hard.”

“We weren’t clicking then,” Garland said. “I’d rather lose in the regular season than in the tournament. We’re jelling and clicking at the right time.’

“It came down to who played defense – and Evans was a game-changer.”

Evans and her teammates also made sure to remember that no Lakota East team had gotten past the regional semifinals.

“We found some old jerseys and wore them around school today,” Evans said. “We called it ‘Throwback Thursday.’”

Ursuline, ranked second in the Enquirer and sixth in the state, lost to Lakota East in the third match of the regular season.

The Firebirds (20-6), ranked third third in the Enquirer and ninth in the state, fell short of their second trip in three year to the regional championship match.

“We played them twice earlier in the season and beat them both times, but I knew it’d be close,” Lions coach Jeni Case said. “It looked like they wanted it more in the beginning, but we picked it up.”

Volleyball – Regional semifinals at Lebanon High School

Lakota East (24-2) def. Mount Notre Dame (25-1) 25-19, 21-25, 25-22, 25-20

Ursuline (20-6) def. Lakota West (20-6) 15-25, 25-12, 21-25, 25-22, 15-11.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Anna Starr, Anna Starr Lakota East, Ashley Evans, Ashley Evans Lakota East, Ashley Evans Purdue volleyball, Casie Garland, Casie Garland Lakota East, Casie Garland volleyball coach, Lakota East, Lakota East High School, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East volleyball, Lakota West, Lakota West High School, Lakota West sports, Lakota West volleyball, Madeline Garda, Madeline Garda Bowling Green volleyball, Madeline Garda Lakota East, Tracey Kornau, Tracey Kornau Lakota West

Lakota sports fans have the unique opportunity tonight to watch both the Lakota East and Lakota West varsity volleyball programs play in back-to-back regional semifinal games at Lebanon High School. If both Lakota schools win then they will face off in the regional final.

Senior Ashley Evans, who is committed to Purdue, is one of the leaders at Lakota East who has helped the team advance to regional semifinal. If the Thunderhawks win on Thursday, it will be the first time in school history that it will play in the regional final. Photo taken earlier this postseason by Amanda Davidson.

Lakota East (22-2) will have the tough task of trying to defeat unbeaten Mount Notre Dame (25-0) in its regional semifinal match at 6:30 p.m.

Currently, the Cougars are ranked No. 6 nationally by MaxPreps and haven’t lost since Oct. 13, 2011. Ironically, that loss came against Lakota East.

“We know that our game on Thursday against Mount Notre Dame is going to be a battle,” Lakota East head coach Casie Garland said. “They are the strongest team in the state thus far at 25-0 and defending state champions, so it’s definitely not going to be easy.

“However, I do feel our team is fully capable of battling with the best of them.”

Both teams feature a future Big Ten volleyball player. East is led by Purdue commit Ashley Evans, who had 23 kills and 23 digs in the 30-28, 18-25, 25-22, 25-18 win against McAuley in the district final last Saturday. On the other side of the net, MND is led by senior Michelle Strizak, who is committed to Illinois. Strizak led the Girls Greater Cincinnati League with 381 kills.

In the late game Thursday, scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Lakota West (20-5) will take on Ursuline (19-6). It will be the third meeting this fall between the two teams – with the Lions winning the first two: 25-20, 25-17, 25-27, 25-18 and 25-23, 25-21, 25-23.

“Ursuline is a great team,” Lakota West head coach Tracey Kornau said. “They are very well coached, always solid fundamentally and always play great defense.

“It will be a great game.”

Like in the earlier matchup, each team is led by one of the region’s best players. Junior Sam Fry, who had 362 kills this season and has already verbally committed to Notre Dame, leads Ursuline. While, Furman commit Annie Bierman, who led the Greater Miami Conference in kills this fall with 297, leads Lakota West.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Annie Bierman, Annie Bierman Furman, Annie Bierman Lakota West, Ashley Evans, Ashley Evans Lakota East, Ashley Evans Purdue volleyball, Casie Garland, Casie Garland Lakota East, Casie Garland volleyball coach, Lakota East, Lakota East High School, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East volleyball, Lakota West, Lakota West High School, Lakota West sports, Lakota West volleyball, Tracey Kornau, Tracey Kornau Lakota West

Lakota West players celebrate after scoring the match-winning point against Lakota East Sept. 26, 2012. Both Lakota teams are considered among the best in the state and won district titles last Saturday. Photo taken by Joseph Fuqua II

Shannon Russell reports:

Lakota East and Lakota West clinched Division I district girls’ volleyball championships Saturday at Lebanon and punched their tickets to respective regional semifinals.

The Thunderhawks ended McAuley’s first winning season in five years in a 30-28, 18-25, 25-22, 25-18 thriller and clinched a place in Thursday’s 6 p.m. regional semifinal at Lebanon.

By ousting Troy 25-12, 25-14, 25-15 – and snapping the Trojans’ 11-match winning streak – Lakota West secured its place in Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. regional semifinal, also at Lebanon.

McAuley (17-8) didn’t make it easy for Lakota East (23-2) to clinch its second district title in three years, but the Thunderhawks proved resilient after dropping their first game of the postseason.

“We remember how it felt after we lost last year and we didn’t want to that to happen again, so we just pushed through,” said Lakota East senior Ashley Evans, who had 23 kills, 23 digs, two blocks and an ace.

Coach Casie Garland said Lakota East’s solid passing set the tone for a good offensive showing, and McAuley coach Gene Toms agreed.

Toms said the Mohawks had “antsy feet” and struggled to make good, aggressive moves on defense. But rather than emphasize the outcome, he praised McAuley’s nine seniors, including Taylor Bove (12 kills) and Jordyn Thiery (7 kills).

“We’re going to try to celebrate the season instead of focusing on how it ended for us,” Toms said.

Lakota East setter Anna Starr finished with 54 assists, while libero Madeline Garda had 20 digs and Spenser Parks amassed 15 kills.

Then it was Lakota West’s turn. The Firebirds (20-5) won a third straight district title by controlling the tempo and making big plays at key moments.

“We knew we had to come out strong so we just had tons of energy,” outside hitter Annie Bierman said.

Coach Tracey Kornau called the win a complete team effort.

“We spread the ball out pretty evenly,” Kornau said.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Anna Starr, Anna Starr Lakota East, Ashley Evans, Ashley Evans Lakota East, Ashley Evans Purdue volleyball, Casie Garland, Casie Garland Lakota East, Casie Garland volleyball coach, Lakota East, Lakota East High School, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East volleyball, Lakota West, Lakota West High School, Lakota West sports, Lakota West volleyball, Madeline Garda, Madeline Garda Bowling Green volleyball, Madeline Garda Lakota East, Spenser Parks, Tracey Kornau, Tracey Kornau Lakota West

Lakota West players celebrate after scoring the match-winning point Wednesday. Enquirer/joseph fuqua II / The Cincinnati Enquirer

Kevin Goheen reports:

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Anna Starr, Annie Bierman, Ashley Evans, Carlie Haddad, Casie Garland, danielle fleming, Donna Street, Firebirds, Gabby Blados, GMC, Lakota East, Lakota West, madline garda, Mandy Stanislovaitis, Rachel Cogan, sports, Thunderhawks, Tracey Kornau, volleyball

Led by junior Michelle Strizak, Mount Notre Dame handled Lakota West in the Division I regional semifinals at Tippecanoe High School Wednesday by the score of 25-15, 25-15, 25-21.

According to the Pulse Journal, Strizak, who is committed to play volleyball at the University of Illinois, had a game-high 16 kills and 28 digs.

“Strizak. She’s one of the best players in the state and she did a great job with them, but it’s also because she has a wonderful cast of players in support,” Lakota West head coach Tracey Kornau told the Pulse Journal.

“They were able to mix things up and free her up. And they don’t have a weak spot in their defense. There’s no chink in their armor that we could try and go after. We tried to frustrate them, but they played very well. We wish them well.”

For Lakota West, the loss ends what has been an impressive run for a team that graduated five standouts last spring in Taylor Anderson, Lexi Dannemiller, Shannon Breen, Liz McMahon and Morgan Jones, who all combined for 18 years of varsity experience.

Two of those players, Dannemiller (University of Michigan) and McMahon (University of Illinois), were actually considered to be among the best in the nation.

This season, Lakota West relied on the development of its younger players and the leadership of its two seniors in Mel Stewart (Northern Kentucky University) and Corri Muha (Georgetown College) to win a district title and finish second in the Greater Miami Conference.

Next season, the Firebirds will have another group of strong seniors led by juniors Annie Bierman (265 kills), Mandy Stanislovaitis (241 kills) and Rachel Cogan (183 kills), who all were ranked in the top 10 in the GMC in kills this season.

Sophomore setter Allie Muha, who was third in the GMC in assists with 630, will also return as well as 6-foot-2 sophomore Gabby Blados, who should continue to develop as a player after participating in the sport for the first time last season.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Allie Muha, Corri Muha, Delany Wilder, Gabby Blados, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West volleyball, Lexi Dannemiller, Liz McMahon, Mandy Stanislovaitis, Mel Stewart, Morgan Jones, Ohio regional volleyball tournament, Ohio state volleyball tournament, Rachel Cogan, Shannon Breen, Taylor Anderson, Tracey Kornau, volleyball

For the second straight day, West surprised Lakota fans by defeating a favored East team. On Friday, the Lakota East football team lost a thrilling 25-20 game that was decided on a last-second touchdown pass. On Saturday, and in a much bigger upset, Lakota West took down the state’s No. 4-ranked volleyball squad by the score 25-23, 25-23, 26-24.

“If we play them ten times, we win once,” Lakota West head coach Tracey Kornau told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Today was that once.”

The upset gave Lakota West the district title and eliminated rival Lakota East from the postseason.

In the regular season matchup, Lakota East handled the Firebirds by the score of 25-20, 25-19, 25-16.

For the Firebirds, it was their only Greater Miami Conference loss of the season.

For Lakota East, it led to its first GMC title and win against Lakota West since 2008.

Last year, Lakota East also lost to the Firebirds in the regular season and in a 25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-8 thriller in the final 16 of the state tournament.

With Saturday’s win, Lakota West will now advance to the final 16 of the state tournament where it will play Mount Notre Dame Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Tippecanoe High School.

The Cincinnati Enquirer was at the district final match Saturday. For the complete recap, visit Cincinnati.com’s post “Lakota West knocks off rival East in volleyball.”

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: district playoffs, Greater Miami Conference, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East volleyball, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West volleyball, Ohio district playoffs, Ohio district volleyball tournament, Ohio High School playoffs, Ohio regional volleyball tournament, Ohio sectional volleyball tournament, Ohio state volleyball tournament, playoffs, sectional playoffs, Tracey Kornau, volleyball

Led by junior Ashley Evans, the Lakota East Thunderhawks, ranked No. 3 in the Cincinnati Enquirer coaches’ poll, were able to snap a three-game losing streak to rival Lakota West, No. 6 in the coaches’ poll, in three straight sets 25-20, 25-19, 25-16 Wednesday. The win marks the first time Lakota East had defeated the Firebirds since 2008.

“This is our first win for me as a junior and we finally won for our seniors,” said Evans of the first time she defeated Lakota West. “This one is for them.”

Last season, under first-year coach Casie Garland, Lakota East had lost to the Firebirds in the regular season and in a 25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 15-8 thriller in the final 16 of the state tournament.

“It feels real good. I think we had a lot to prove from last year, losing to them twice,” Garland said. “We gave them a good run in the tournament, but I think we knew that this year was our year.”

Lakota West head coach Tracey Kornau, who has led the Firebirds to conference titles the past two seasons, also thought the Thunderhawks were going to be the team to beat this fall in the Greater Miami Conference.

“We knew they were going to be the team to beat going into this year,” Kornau said. “I believe that they are ranked in the state so far below where they should be. They are tough. We knew that going in and we didn’t respond to anything that they sent at us. They just come at you with so many weapons.”

>>>PHOTOS OF LAKOTA EAST AT LAKOTA WEST MATCH<<<

One of the biggest weapons is the 6-foot-2 Evans, who hammered 12 kills and had two blocks in the win. Evans, who will likely line up at setter when she attends Purdue University in 2013, did her damage against the Firebirds at outside hitter.

“She is one of the most versatile players around,” Garland said of Evans. “You can pretty much play her anywhere, but tonight it was all team and that is usually how we play. We spread it out, there is not just one person we go to or depend on and I think that is our biggest asset.”

Besides Evans, Garland received strong performances from seniors Lauren Beitel, who had eight kills, and Morgan Weinheimer, who finished with 25 digs.

Evans’ junior classmate Ali Lake contributed with seven kills, three blocks and an ace, while fellow junior Carlie Haddad finished with 11 kills. Like Evans, Lake had never been on a team that defeated Lakota West.

“This is amazing. We know it’s not the end, but it is still a huge step for us – not really physically, but emotionally,” said Lake, who is committed to play volleyball at Ohio University. “It is surreal.”

Both programs entered Wednesday’s match with perfect conference records and long winning streaks. In the end, it was Lakota East who extended their streak to 10 games and the Firebirds who saw their winning steak end at nine.

With the win, Lakota East improved its career record against its in-school district rival to 5-15. On the season, the Thunderhawks are now 12-1 overall and 6-0 against GMC opponents. Meanwhile, Lakota West falls to 10-3 overall and 5-1 in the GMC.

Lakota East was ranked 18th in this week’s Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Lakota West was ranked 11th in the same state poll.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Ali Lake, Ashley Evans, Carlie Haddad, Greater Miami Conference, Lakota East, Lakota East Sports, Lakota East volleyball, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West volleyball, photo gallery, photos, Tracey Kornau, volleyball, West Chester photos

This past school year, Lakota West head coach Tracey Kornau saw five of her most experienced players graduate from her back-to-back Greater Miami Conference championship team. Those standouts, Taylor Anderson, Lexi Dannemiller, Shannon Breen, Liz McMahon and Morgan Jones, combined for 18 years of experience.

Two of those players, Dannemiller (University of Michigan) and McMahon (University of Illinois), were actually considered to be among the best in the nation.

>>>FEATURE STORY ABOUT DANNEMILLER AND MCMAHON<<<

“Losing five, in general, is a huge number and losing the five that we did … definitely hurts,” Kornau said. “That is going to take a bite out, but if there is any lesson into last year’s season was that we learned to play without them (injuries to Dannemiller and McMahon), so that helped a little bit.”

However, this year’s team is lacking varsity experience and will have to rely heavily on the leadership of seniors Mel Stewart and Corri Muha if it intends on winning its third consecutive GMC title this fall.

“I have always been the baby because we have always had those seniors with us. Now that they are not here, you almost feel like someone is missing,” Muha said of the five standouts, who graduated in 2011.

>>>PHOTOS OF LAKOTA WEST VOLLEYBALL PRACTICE<<<

Due to a pair of knee surgeries over the summer, the normally quiet Muha has had to take on the role of “coach.”

“Now that I am not going to be able to be on the court, I am going to have to be more vocal and instructing more,” said Muha, who is expected to miss at least the first week of the season. (more…)

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: Allie Muha, Corri Muha, Delany Wilder, Donna Street, Gabby Blados, Lakota West, Lakota West sports, Lakota West volleyball, Lexi Dannemiller, Lexi Duello, Liz McMahon, Mandy Stanislovaitis, Mel Stewart, Morgan Jones, Rachel Cogan, Sara Rudokas, Shannon Breen, Taylor Anderson, Tracey Kornau, volleyball