Athletes from 17 different schools have been named the Chagrin Valley Conference Athletes of the Week for the week ending October 1.
Each athlete was nominated by his or her coach. All statistics incurred from Monday, September 25 through Sunday, October 1, 2023.
Here’s a look at each Athlete of the Week by sport:
CROSS COUNTRY
Name: Lucy Campbell
School: Orange
Grade: 11
Stats: Placed eighth at the Woodridge Invitational
Coach’s Quote: “Lucy has been working hard all season, and it has paid off thus far, most recently on one of the more challenging courses in the area at Woodridge in Cuyahoga Valley National Park,” said Orange coach Rachel Frutkin. “She came in with grit and determination, finishing in eighth place overall and leading the girls’ team to a second-place finish in the small school division.”
Name: Molly Farrell
School: Perry
Grade: 12
Stats: Placed 50th at the U Wanna Comeback Invitational with a time of 21:00
Coach’s Quote: “Molly Farrell turned in a season’s best time at Madison,” said Perry coach Kristen Thomas. “She garnered top 50 honors and helped the Pirates earn a ninth-place team finish. Farrell showed her fierce racing chops fighting through a fast first mile. She endured a tough mid-race and rallied in the third mile.”
Name: J.R. Hutchison
School: Conneaut
Grade: 12
Stats: Placed 12th at the Ashtabula County meet with a time of 18:43
Coach’s Quote: “This has been a great season for J.R.,” said Conneaut coach Jessica Kennedy. “He has really put the work in at practice and on his own. A long run, hills or intervals on the track, J.R. pushes himself at every practice. It is great to see him dropping his time and having so much success this season.”
Name: Luke McKinney
School: Geneva
Grade: 12
Stats: Finished fourth at the all-county meet (17:35) and 15th at Madison
Coach’s Quote: “Luke put in a lot of hard work this summer,” said Geneva coach Emily Long. “He is starting to see positive dividends as his time continues to drop every meet. We look forward to the next few weeks to see where all the work will take him.”
Name: Alana Nowak
School: Independence
Grade: 12
Stats: Ran a season-best time of 21:47 at the Paul Primeua Invitational
Coach’s Quote: “Alana lowering her season’s best time here in late September has her on track to keep improving right on through the conference and other postseason October meets,” said Independence coach Vern Blaze.
Name: Izaiah Siler
School: Madison
Grade: 11
Stats: Ran a time of 17:10 at the U Wanna Comeback Invitational
Coach’s Quote: “Izaiah ran a season-best to help the Blue Streaks finish top three out of over 35 schools at the Madison U-Wanna Comeback Invitational,” said Madison coach Jeremy Verdi. “He continues to be a frontrunner for Madison pushing his way and setting the pace for our pack.”
Name: Garret Tracy
School: Edgewood
Grade: 10
Stats: Ran a time of 17:36 at the Ashtabula County meet and a 17:14 at the U Wanna Come Back meet
Coach’s Quote: “Garret had a great week of racing,” said Edgewood coach Steve Hill. “He set a personal best on Tuesday and then came back and beat his time on Saturday in Madison. He has been progressing well enough that we are reassessing his goals for this postseason.”
Name: Vance Vojack
School: Perry
Grade: 12
Stats: Ran a time of 17:46 to place 55th at the U Wanne Comeback meet
Coach’s Quote: “Vojack was resilient at Madison coming off a setback,” said Perry coach Kristen Thomas. “He and Sean Strahan led the Pirate contingent through a densely packed field of talent. Vojack, who is a rhythm runner, fought through the brutal first mile and finished strong in a race built for kickers.”
FOOTBALL
Name: DaQuarius Bradley
School: Lutheran West
Grade: 11
Stats: Carried 20 times for 141 yards and scored four touchdowns
Coach’s Quote: “DaQuarius had a great night and showed great burst on all his runs,” said Lutheran West coach John Parrella.
Name: Alex DiSalvatore
School: Lakeside
Grade: 12
Stats: Completed 5-of-7 passes for 80 yards and three touchdowns; carried eight times for 63 yards and a touchdown; recorded eight tackles and broke up a pass
Coach’s Quote: “Alex plays a major role in what we do on both sides of the ball,” said Lakeside coach Buzz Edwards. “He really stepped up big for us this week and got us going especially on offense against Jefferson. Playing QB in our system is a lot of responsibility. He continues to grind out great weeks of practice and it is showing on Friday nights.”
Name: Seth Enos
School: Edgewood
Grade: 12
Stats: Recorded 20 tackles, including three for a loss, and four assists
Coach’s Quote: “Seth played the best game I’ve ever seen from a linebacker,” said Edgewood coach Olajuwon Cooper. “He was flying around the field and making plays. He’s our defensive leader and a captain. He showed Friday why he’s been a menace to opposing offenses the last four years. I’m savoring every moment with him because players like him don’t come along too often. He’s been a joy to coach and is great on the field but even better off the field.”
Name: Matt Wright
School: Geneva
Grade: 12
Stats: Recorded nine tackles including seven solo stops and a tackle for a loss while the team held its opponent under 200 yards of offense
Coach’s Quote: “Matt has done an excellent job for us at defensive end all year long,” said Geneva coach Don Shymske. “He suffered an ACL tear in our playoff game against Gilmour last year. After an offseason of rehabilitation, he worked extraordinarily hard to get back to be able to play his senior year. In order to help the team, he selflessly switched positions and became a defensive end this year. He did an excellent job this week in stopping the run game, which was evident in his total tackles. Matt is a team captain and the ultimate team player.”
GOLF
Name: Cardinal Boys Golf
School: Cardinal
Grade: Multiple
Stats: Qualified for the district tournament with a 329
Coach’s Quote: “The Cardinal Huskies followed up their CVC championship win by qualifying for the district tournament,” said Cardinal coach Mike Topalian. “The Huskies finished third in a very competitive 18-team field with a strong 329. Troy Domen (79), Matt Hissa (80), Austin Jones (84), and Reese Soltis (86) scored for the Huskies. Evan Jones also competed for Cardinal. The Huskies will compete in the Tannenhauf District on Oct. 5. Congratulations on a tremendous season.”
Name: Emily Capitosti
School: Perry
Grade: 12
Stats: Averaged 80 strokes in 18-hole rounds
Coach’s Quote: “Emily is just beginning to peak in time for our CVC tournaments,” said Perry coach Blanche Davidson. “She placed first in the Valley Division of the CVC conference championships, (second overall) with a score of 84 at Punderson. She followed that up with a 76 and second place overall at Erie Shores at the WRC/NEOGGCA tournament this week. Emily has consistently been our team’s scoring leader this season.”
Name: Annie Johnston
School: Edgewood
Grade: 10
Stats: Shot an 85 at the sectional tournament
Coach’s Quote: “Annie’s 85 at the sectional tournament secured the third individual spot to play at the OHSAA Division II district tournament,” said Edgewood coach Christina Fischer. “Annie advanced to the district tournament last year as a freshman and there was a lot of pressure on her during the sectional round to advance again. Annie’s true goal was to have our team advance and knew she had to play well for that to happen. Proud to have Annie represent our team at districts. She worked hard in the offseason to get back there.”
BOYS SOCCER
Name: Kyle Bennett
School: Beachwood
Grade: 11
Stats: Anchored two shutouts and scored a goal
Coach’s Quote: “His presence and leadership at the center back position has shown through in a strong fashion during the Bison’s 13-1 start to the regular season,” said Beachwood coach Brian Greene.
Name: Joey Jirmasek
School: Independence
Grade: 12
Stats: Scored two goals
Coach’s Quote: “Joey Jirmasek played his finest week of soccer this season in our two games against Beachwood and Brush,” said Independence coach Brien McDonald. “On the defensive end, he was instrumental in keeping our game against state-ranked Beachwood 0-0 with 15 minutes left and almost scored a late goal if it wasn’t for a terrific save. Against Brush, Joey worked very hard to preserve the shutout by consistently denying offensive surges–on the ground, and in the air–and scored two nice goals off set pieces to put the game away. I’m happy to see his game elevate as the regular season winds down and playoffs are on the horizon.”
Name: Alexis Orozco
School: Harvey
Grade: 12
Stats: Scored one goal
Coach’s Quote: “Alexis has been elevating his play throughout his senior season,” said Harvey coach Natalie Sisler. “The team appreciates how hard he works every game, pressing and fighting for 50-50 balls. Alexis came through with a legendary game-winning goal against our rival Riverside in the final minute of the game. He was calm and decisive in a critical high-pressure situation and it paid off. Again, Alexis’ never-quit attitude is what we are looking for in our entire team. He is leading by example with his effort and that has propelled us to a CVC championship.”
Name: Noah Touschner
School: Wickliffe
Grade: 11
Stats: Scored four goals with two assists
Coach’s Quote: “Noah has been tasked with leading the attack this year, a challenge he has taken head-on,” said Wickliffe coach Dominic Buttari. “He is great at finding space between the defenders and I have rarely seen high school forwards who are as good as he is with his back to goal and distributing to teammates. He was a big part of all three of our wins for the week.”
Name: Damian Warnock
School: Trinity
Grade: 12
Stats: Scored four goals in a 4-3 win
Coach’s Quote: “It was Senior Day and we needed a win and we won thanks to the four goals by Damian,” said Trinity coach Mario Gerhardt. “Damian is our leading scorer with 11 goals and three assists.”
GIRLS SOCCER
Name: Crestwood Defense
School: Crestwood
Grade: Multiple
Stats: Allowed one goal throughout conference play
Coach’s Quote: “The Crestwood varsity girls’ soccer defensive unit helped the team go undefeated in CVC Valley Division play, and gave up only one goal en route to the Valley Division championship,” said Crestwood coach Eric Sway. “The defense locked down in every game and with a coordinated team effort by Delaney McMahon, Alyssa Hallis, Dakota Rennecker, Aspen Baynes, Lilly Stoots, Chloe Wallace, and Alanna O’Bryant they kept the Valley Division title in Crestwood for the 2023 year.”
Name: Sarah Wendl
School: Berkshire
Grade: 12
Stats: Recorded seven saves, one shutout, and tied a school record with 20 career clean sheets
Coach’s Quote: “Sarah recorded her second shutout of the season Tuesday night at Orange in a 2-0 victory to tie the school record of 20 career shutouts,” said Berkshire coach Ian Patterson. “This nomination is more about Sarah’s entire year and entire career than one individual week or game, but this game was certainly one to remember for her. Sarah has been a key piece of this program taking the next step. Moving from a very experienced backline of seniors a year ago who only allowed 12 goals in the regular season, to now having three freshmen and a sophomore in the back line she has only allowed 14 goals this year. We have shut out two of the last three opponents and only allowed one goal to a very dangerous state-ranked No. 8 Wickliffe. Not only has Sarah secured several school records in goal for us over the last four years, she has been one of the most consistent and confident athletes among any Berkshire sports teams during that time starting in 71 matches with a record of 51-14-6. We look for Sarah to break the school record in upcoming contests and will lean on her postseason experience to try and make another deep tournament run.”
TENNIS
Name: Gabriella Goldberg/Laina Walicki
School: West Geauga
Grade: 11/10
Stats: Won a doubles match 6-4, 6-2
Coach’s Quote: “Gabriella and Laina have been committed to practicing and staying focused all season,” said West Geauga coach Mary Kay Yuhas. “We had such depth on our team, they didn’t get to play often. Laina had no experience when the season started but she was such a natural athlete that she has earned herself a spot at the top of our lineup. She is so fast and mentally strong. I love how both of these girls are so supportive of their teammates. They are constantly laughing on the court and all smiles. This dynamic duo embodies what we want the tennis experience to be, fun and character-building while gaining valuable life experiences on and off the court. Keep going Gabriella and Laina, never quit, your future is so bright.”
VOLLEYBALL
Name: Roxxy Bretz
School: Crestwood
Grade: 12
Stats: Scored 26 points with 14 kills, nine digs, and two blocks
Coach’s Quote: “Roxxy Bretz is a strong, passionate player whose love of the game motivates and pushes her to excel in her position,” said Crestwood coach Wanda Hoffman. “Roxxy is a front-row hitter/blocker and she plays both left and right side. Her left-hand serve has proven to be a challenge for her opponents. Aside from her standout skill, Bretz brings a ton of spirit to the team, and is a unifier out on the court.”
Name: Jada Coffee
School: Harvey
Grade: 12
Stats: Recorded 27 kills, 17 digs, 13 aces, and two assists
Coach’s Quote: “Jada was electric in our matches last week,” said Harvey coach Lila Kalina. “She was our go-to person in terms of attacking, and the success she had at the net led the team to two victories. She has really focused on bettering herself as an all-around player, and her ability to stay on the court for the entire match and have success as both an outside and a defensive specialist has been valuable to the team. I am looking forward to seeing how she performs in our final matches of the season.”
Name: Marissa Rish
School: Berkshire
Grade: 10
Stats: Scored 47 points with 83 assists, 41 digs, 22 kills, and 14 aces in five wins
Coach’s Quote: “It was a great week for Berkshire volleyball. We won two crucial CVC matches and carried that momentum into the weekend, winning the Perry Invitational,” said Berkshire coach Joni Prots. “Marissa’s play on the court was one of the keys to that success. She distributed the ball to her hitters with great consistency, made great decisions in the sets she made, and helped the offense getting 22 kills as well. She had a great week behind the service line with 14 aces as well.”
