Athletes from six different schools have been named the Chagrin Valley Conference Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sunday, May 25, 2025.
Each athlete was nominated by his or her coach. All statistics incurred from Monday, May 19, 2025, through Sunday, May 25, 2025.
BASEBALL
Name: Paden Brent
School: Berkshire
Grade: 10
Stats: Allowed one run with seven strikeouts in five innings pitched
Coach’s Quote: “We had a non-conference game with Geneva before our tournament game where we were going to throw all of our pitchers who could pitch in our playoff game for 1-2 innings max just to get some work in,” said Berkshire coach Brian Hiscox. “Well, as it went, we played seven innings and were tied 5-5 at the end of the seventh inning. Paden came on and pitched in the seventh, and ended up pitching the eighth, ninth, 10th, and 11th innings to help us get the win. Out of his five innings pitched, four of them were 1-2-3 innings. He really controlled the pace of the game and pounded the strike zone, giving us a chance to win. It was his first varsity pitching win.”
Name: Kyle Rhineberger
School: Perry
Grade: 12
Stats: Batted .444 (4-for-9) with a double, two runs scored, and a stolen base; posted a 1.000 fielding percentage with one double play
Coach’s Quote: “Kyle has been the anchor of our infield playing a great shortstop position,” said Perry coach Matt Platt. “He has been a spark in the middle of our lineup and has delivered the big hit on several occasions. He has been driving our success over the last few weeks.”
SOFTBALL
Name: Lely Percassi
School: West Geauga
Grade: 11
Stats: Went 3-0 with just three earned runs on 11 hits and 20 strikeouts to just six walks
Coach’s Quote: “Lely has pitched her best in the biggest games this year, and she dominated in three state tournament games,” said West Geauga coach Mark Percassi. “She has really hit her spots and kept batters off balance. She knows her defense will make plays, which allow her to pitch freely, and outcomes have been great for her. She’s been our workhorse in the circle all season.”
Name: Paige Priebe
School: Independence
Grade: 12
Stats: Batted .500 with a double and a triple, three runs scored, two stolen bases, a 1.375 on-base percentage, and a 1.000 fielding percentage
Coach’s Quote: “At the plate, Paige won a lot of pitches, hitting the ball with ferocity and force, making our team formidable at the top of the order,” said Independence assistant coach Zoltan Zoltai. “She had a keen eye for plate discipline, getting on base more often,n displaying awesome baserunning speed and prowess. Defensively, she got good jumps on balls, anticipating where the ball was going to be hit. She got off the ball quickly, taking very efficient routes. Her performance showed why she was an All-County selection.”
TRACK & FIELD
Name: Gabby Byrne
School: Chagrin Falls
Grade: 9
Stats: Won the 1600 (5:06.97) and the 3200 (11:09.35), and ran a leg in the first-place 4×800 (10:00.4) at the Division II district championships
Coach’s Quote: “Gabby is having a breakout freshman year and has had multiple first-place finishes throughout the season,” said Chagrin Falls coach J.J. Laseak. “She is coachable and competes to the best of her abilities every day. She is an excellent teammate and an easy athlete to cheer for during meets.”
Name: Kylie Sayle
School: Kirtland
Grade: 9
Stats: Qualified for the regional meet in three events (4×800, 1600, 800)
Coach’s Quote: “Kylie has had an incredible freshman campaign,” said Kirtland coach JP Moran. “She qualified for regionals in all three events she competed in at the district championships. In her last event of the meet, she was in sixth with about 200 meters to go and laid down an awesome kick to grab the last spot for regionals in the 800.”
