Athletes from 12 different schools have been named the Chagrin Valley Conference Athletes of the Week for the week ending Sunday, October 5, 2025.
Each athlete was nominated by his or her coach. All statistics incurred from Monday, September 29, 2025, through Sunday, October 5, 2025.
CROSS COUNTRY
Name: Reece Kovach
School: Edgewood
Grade: 11
Stats: Placed fifth at the Ashtabula County Invitational, leading the team to a first-place finish
Coach’s Quote: “Reece is a junior who has really come into his own this year,” said Edgewood coach Steve Hill. “Reece has already broken his personal best four times this year. Reece has a great attitude and has shared that with his teammates and hopes to carry that attitude into the postseason.”
Name: Luke Tirabassi
School: West Geauga
Grade: 12
Stats: Won the open race at the George Gross Invitational
Coach’s Quote: “Luke has been fighting injuries for almost a year; George Gross was Luke’s second race of the season,” said West Geauga coach John Boylan. “His dedication and determination are admirable. That race was a big step for Luke.”
FOOTBALL
Name: Sam Bernhardt
School: Independence
Grade: 12
Stats: Recorded 170 rushing yards and 22 receiving yards with 2 touchdowns; recorded seven tackles on defense with 2 pass breakups
Coach’s Quote: “Sam was unstoppable on both sides of the ball,” said Independence coach Matthew Burns. “A complete performance that defined toughness, versatility, and leadership. Sam attributes his success on the ground to his offensive line and fullbacks.”
Name: LaMarcus Clark
School: Fairview
Grade: 11
Stats: Carried 14 times for 148 yards and 2 TDs, caught one pass for 19 yards
Coach’s Quote: “LaMarcus had a great game and helped us get a big win at Cuyahoga Heights,” said Fairview coach Sean Ranc. “He had a dominating performance rushing the ball and two touchdowns to lead us to victory this past week.”
Name: Max McEwuen
School: Rootstown
Grade: 11
Stats: Recorded three fourth-quarter interceptions, caused a fumble, and made two tackles in Rootstown’s first-ever CVC win
Coach’s Quote: “Max did a great job covering Crestwood’s tall, lanky receivers when they had to throw in the fourth quarter and came up with three big interceptions to help seal our win,” said Rootstown coach Tom Hannan.
BOYS SOCCER
Name: Nathan Benson
School: Berkshire
Grade: 10
Stats: Broke two school records with 11 goals and 6 assists
Coach’s Quote: “Nathan is a true leader on and off the field,” said Berkshire coach Russ Buckley. “A player that is very coachable, who always works hard to get better and to help his teammates.”
Name: Jonathan Rosa
School: Trinity
Grade: 12
Stats: Scored four goals in two games
Coach’s Quote: “After five straight losses, Trinity needed a win against Euclid on Senior Day, and Jonathan’s three goals in the 3-3 game helped us achieve that, at least partially,” said Trinity coach Mario Gerhardt. “My instructions to Jonathan against the Panthers were to play where the ball was, and he was all over the field. He took our goal kicks, kick-offs, throw-ins, free kicks, and corner kicks, in addition to scoring a hat trick. It was Jonathan’s best game in my three years at Trinity, and we will miss him next year.”
Name: Noah Shumay
School: Independence
Grade: 10
Stats: Strong defensive effort led to two 1-0 wins
Coach’s Quote: “Noah continues to be the anchor of our defense, is self-critical, humble, and consistently plays above his grade level,” said Independence coach Brien McDonald. “All those intangibles came into play as he helped the Blue Devils pick up two important wins against Division IV teams Villa Angela-St. Joseph and Perry and ensured our first winning season since 2023.”
Name: Noah Zager
School: Rootstown
Grade: 11
Stats: Recorded a pair of shutouts
Coach’s Quote: “Noah Zager had a big week for us in goal,” said Rootstown assistant coach Michael Farkash. “After keeping a shutout against Garfield, he followed it up with a huge performance against a highly ranked Smithville. Zager made seven key saves—including a point-blank stop late in the game—to cap off his best performance of the year.”
GIRLS SOCCER
Name: Evelyn Stein
School: Lakeside
Grade: 12
Stats: Recorded 2 goals in soccer; 3-for-3 on PAT attempts in football
Coach’s Quote: “Evelyn had the game-winning goal for the soccer team on Thursday night, then was perfect on extra point attempts to help Lakeside’s football team achieve their first win of the season on Friday,” said Lakeside coach Aaron Chamberlain. “She is a great defender with a long-range shot ability that gives Lakeside a good chance to score whenever she is able to counterattack. This is her second year handling placekicking duties for the football team.”
VOLLEYBALL
Name: Abby Hayes
School: Crestwood
Grade: 11
Stats: Recorded 20 kills, 15 digs, 14 service points, 5 aces, 2 assists, and hit .400
Coach’s Quote: “Abby’s performance against Wickliffe on Thursday led the Red Devils to a five-set victory at home,” said Crestwood assistant coach Oliver Wuensch. “Her combination of strong offense, defense, and her service game played an important role in earning Crestwood (its) second conference win on the season.”
Name: Kate Miller
School: Berkshire
Grade: 12
Stats: Recorded 43 digs, 37 kills, 11 service points, and 2 aces, in addition to notching her 1,000th career dig
Coach’s Quote: “Kate had a solid week in helping the team go 5-0 and winning the championship at the Perry tournament,” said Berkshire coach Joni Prots. “Important fact this week, Kate accomplished one of her personal goals by recording her 1,000th career dig on Saturday.”
Name: Sophia Newman
School: Orange
Grade: 11
Stats: Recorded 30 kills, 30 points, and 7 aces
Coach’s Quote: “Sophia is our strongest offensive player we have on the team,” said Orange coach Jen Gold. “She consistently scores points for our team when she gets the set and does a great job on defense as well. She has recently been nominated to the AVCA watch list and desires to further her volleyball career in college.”
Name: Kendra Pal
School: Jefferson
Grade: 11
Stats: Recorded 49 service points, 43 digs, 19 kills, 15 aces, 2 block kills, and 1 assist
Coach’s Quote: “Kendra has been a consistently strong outside hitter for us this whole season,” said Jefferson coach Don Palm. “She plays all six rotations and always finds ways to contribute to our team’s success. I’m probably the most proud of Kendra for her improvement in her serve receive, and back row defense this season.”
Name: Ellie Spencer
School: Kirtland
Grade: 11
Stats: Recorded 29 kills, 24 digs, 46 serve/receive attempts, and 11 aces
Coach’s Quote: “Ellie Spencer has performed tremendously well throughout the past week,” said Kirtland coach Ricky Sanders. “With injuries to three starters, she’s put the team on her shoulders to try to stay competitive.”
