Athletes from Beachwood, Berkshire, Brooklyn, Chagrin Falls, Fairport Harding, Grand Valley, Harvey, Hawken, Independence, Lutheran West, Orange, Perry, Trinity, West Geauga and Wickliffe have been named the Chagrin Valley Conference Players of the Week.
Each player was nominated by his or her coach.
All statistics incurred during the week beginning Sept. 16 and ending Sept. 22.
Here’s a look at each Player of the Week by sport:
CROSS COUNTRY
Name: J.T. Basco
School: Harvey
Grade: 11
Stats: Placed third at the Cardinal Invitational with a time of 16:41
Coach’s Quote: “To add to his historic year, J.T. Basco cruises through another 5k with a sub-17 time,” Harvey coach Torrez Edwards said. “J.T. has more room for improvement for his following races ahead of him.”
Name: Patrick Garrett
School: West Geauga
Grade: 11
Stats: Won the Cardinal Invitational with a time of 16:39
Coach’s Quote: “This is Patrick’s first year running cross country and every week he continues to improve,” West Geauga coach John Boylan said. “I look forward to watching him run every week. Patrick is something special.”
Name: John Steimle
School: Grand Valley
Grade: 12
Stats: Placed second at the Cardinal Invitational with a time of 16:40
Coach’s Quote: “John is continuing his strong senior season with another top 5 finish by placing second at the Cardinal Invitational,” Grand Valley coach Kurtis Fisher said. “He is continuing to improve and is looking to carry this momentum into the postseason.”
FOOTBALL
Name: Mason Bala
School: Wickliffe
Grade: 11
Stats: Carried six times for 100 yard and scored three touchdowns; caught one pass for 15 yards; recorded 12 tackles and returned an interception 74 yards for a touchdown
Coach’s Quote: “Mason had a great game in all aspects, offensively, defensively, and on special teams,” Wickliffe coach Marce Porcello said. “He was a playmaker for the Blue Devils all night long.”
Name: Cael Brown
School: Trinity
Grade: 11
Stats: Rushed for 118 yards on 9 carries and scored 3 touchdowns
Coach’s Quote: “Cael played an outstanding game versus Richmond Heights,” Trinity coach Jeff McSweeney said. “He was the spark that got our offense going early and kept it going throughout the game.”
Name: Ryan Pennypacker
School: Berkshire
Grade: 12
Stats: Carried 32 times for 220 yards and four touchdowns in a rivalry game win
Coach’s Quote: “Ryan was a force on the ground all night,” Berkshire coach Josh DeWeese said. “He powered through tackles and got stronger as the night went on. He finished the game with his final touchdown, a 32-yard rush down the home sideline to put the game away.”
BOYS GOLF
Name: Nick Carnovale
School: Perry
Grade: 12
Stats: Shot a 74 to win medalist honors at the CVC postseason tournament and a hole in one during a practice round; shot 39 and season-low 37 in two other matches during the week
Coach’s Quote: “Nick is a hard-working individual who works on his game without ever promoting him to do so,” Perry coach John Grdina said. “He loves the game and the challenge of being one of the best in the area. He is a loving son to a great family and is looking to pursue a degree in professional golf management.”
Name: Drew Covitt
School: Hawken
Grade: 12
Stats: Medalist at CVC Tournament with a 75
Coach’s Quote: “Drew is a four-year varsity player and second-year CVC Chagrin MVP,” Hawken coach Bert Kovarik said.
Name: Jakob Gross
School: Lutheran West
Grade: 11
Stats: Shot an 81 to lead Lutheran west to the Metro Division title at the CVC tournament; named MVP of the division
Coach’s Quote: “I am very proud of the way Jakob handled himself during the CVC postseason tournament,” Lutheran West coach Dale Lehrke said. “Jake has been working on keeping his composure when he would have a bad shot or hole, and he did during the tournament.”
GIRLS GOLF
Name: Alexis Kovesdi
School: Independence
Grade: 12
Stats: Shot career-best score to lead Independence to CVC tournament title
Coach’s Quote: “Alexis shot a career-best 98 at the CVC tournament to help her team win the league title,” Independence coach Karl Schuld said. “She has continued to improve over the past two years and is an integral part of our team.”
Name: Kate Petersen
School: Hawken
Grade: 9
Stats: Shot a 97 at the league tournament to earn second-team All-CVC honors
Coach’s Quote: “Kate is determined and has worked hard this season in her first year playing competitive golf,” Hawken coach Jennifer Creech said. “She is always smiling and setting a positive influence on her teammates.”
BOYS SOCCER
Name: Jimmy Senick
School: Independence
Grade: 12
Stats: Held Beachwood’s and Hawken’s leading scorers scoreless in key CVC matches
Coach’s Quote: “Jimmy is the best shutdown defender in the league and maybe in Greater Cleveland,” Independence coach Ryan MacRaild said. “His man-marking abilities, his speed to the ball and his ability to clear the ball is second to none. He’s been doing it for four years for us and has taken some of the top scorers in the state and held them to zero goals. He takes pride in his defending and has a tireless work ethic and refuses to be beaten.”
Name: Alex Shulman
School: Hawken
Grade: 11
Stats: Scored game-winning goal against state-ranked Independence
Coach’s Quote: “Alex scored the game-winning goal in a hard-fought victory over Division III state-ranked Independence, breaking their four-year regular season undefeated streak,” Hawken coach Vlad Muresan said. “Alex is a very important and versatile midfielder for our team, starting and playing big minutes in our tough week with three games in five days.”
Name: Ian Zitney
School: Chagrin Falls
Grade: 11
Stats: Recorded three assists in a win and played key role in a tie
Coach’s Quote: “Junior Ian Zitney has been the leading scorer for the Tigers this season with four goals and six assists,” Chagrin Falls coach Brian McKenna said. “More importantly, he is helping to direct the offense in his center mid position. This past week the captain scored and had three assists in Chagrin’s 9-1 victory over Painesville Harvey and was instrumental in leading the Tigers to come back and secure a tie with Mayfield.”
GIRLS SOCCER
Name: Liv Domozick
School: Orange
Grade: 12
Stats: Scored five goals in two matches to record the 50th goal of her career
Coach’s Quote: “Liv has a knack for being open and finding the ball,” Orange coach Jeffrey Mann said. “She is a danger to score from anywhere on the field. Liv’s aggressiveness has translated into her being the leading scorer for Orange the last four years.”
Name: Frankee Flesher
School: West Geauga
Grade: 9
Stats: Scored two goals in a key win at Kirtland
Coach’s Quote: “Frankee has stepped onto the high school pitch with such a strong, blue-collar, humble mentality that has earned her respect from all of her teammates as a standout rookie,” West Geauga coach Kori Jesenovec said. “Her speed, athleticism, and high work rate are hard to match and since she is coachable that makes it extremely exciting to see what her growth will be throughout her high school career.”
TENNIS
Name: Rylie Hanford
School: West Geauga
Grade: 10
Stats: Finished 3-0 on the week with two wins over returning state qualifiers and also won first singles at the CVC Tournament
Coach’s Quote: “Rylie had another great week, beating very good competition,” West Geauga coach Joe DiMattia said. “She continues to impress on the court and is primed for another deep run in the state tournament.”
VOLLEYBALL
Name: Hannah Babbitt
School: Fairport Harding
Grade: 12
Stats: Recorded 39 digs, including the 1,000th of her career, 9 assists, 6 kills, 3 aces and averaged 2.2 on serve receive
Coach’s Quote: “Hannah has been a steady force in the back row,” Fairport coach Katelyn Selleny said. “She continuously plays relentless defense. She is a leading voice on and off the court for us. She gives to the team before she takes for herself. Getting to the 1,000 career digs mark is a testament to the type of player and person she is. She continuously works hard in everything that she does.”
Name: Mollee Chapman
School: Berkshire
Grade: 11
Stats: Recorded 35 kills, 26 assists, 18 digs, 13 points, 3 aces and 9 blocks
Coach’s Quote: “Mollee has become one of our go-to hitters,” Berkshire coach Joni Prots said. “She had a great week against three good teams where she was our leader in kills each match. She has also been working very hard on running our offense when she is setting. She has a good grasp on where the ball needs to go to help us score a point. Mollee also hustles like crazy to track down a ball whenever possible to help our team. I have been impressed with Mollee’s efforts on both sides of the ball and her leadership is one of the reasons we have been able to keep improving this season.”
Name: Cassidy Gilliam
School: Beachwood
Grade: 12
Stats: Recorded 75 assists, 15 digs and 6 block assists
Coach’s Quote: “Cassidy is one of the captains on the team,” Beachwood coach Tiffany McFarland said. “She is a leader on and off the floor for Beachwood. She is constantly talking and motivating her teammates. Cassidy knows how to set her teammates for success at the net. She manages to get hands-on most of the passes and execute. She has great hands and is very solid as a blocker as well. She will hustle until the end and as a coach, you can really appreciate that. She loves the game and is willing to put in the work. She reached her milestone with accomplishing her 1,000th set. She also has helped the team have the best start in school history and have the record of 13-1.”
Name: Ameerah Salman
School: Brooklyn
Grade: 9
Stats: Recorded 29 digs, 27 assists, 11 service points, 4 aces and 2 kills
Coach’s Quote: “Ameerah Salman was basically plucked off of the JV team to set for varsity this week,” Brooklyn coach Debbie Hall said. “She did an amazing job and with her assists and defense helped bring our team to two victories. Without her sets, our offense would have truly suffered. For her first time playing varsity and with the heavy responsibility of a setter, Ameerah worked extremely hard and became comfortable in this demanding role and helped us bring home two wins.”
Name: Candace Woodward
School: Perry
Grade: 12
Stats: Recorded 46 digs, 125 serve receptions with just 7 errors, 12 aces, 2 kills, 11 assists with no errors and a 95.8-percent serve percentage
Coach’s Quote: “Candace is the libero, a senior and a captain of the Perry Pirates,” Perry coach Mike Fitzgerald said “Candace is what a dictionary should use to define a workhorse, but the first definition of a workhorse in a google search states, ‘a person or machine that dependably performs hard work over a long period of time.’ This is Candace. She never lets up in a game or practice. She also never stops pushing others to get them to work hard. The Pirates would not be having such a successful season without Candace on the court leading, encouraging, passing, serving and always pushing to get the win. When I am making decisions as a coach, I won’t hesitate to go to Candace for advice. She is smart, knowledgeable and dependable.
