Kirtland’s Clayton Davidson won the 2014 Rebel Invitational and Chardon’s Steph Hunter and Cuyahoga Heights’ Jenna Stegmaier both had big time performances for their respective teams last week.
For their performances, the trio earned Ward’s Lawn Care & Landscape Co. Player of the Week honors.
After suffering an injury during Kirtland’s run to the Division VI state championship football game Davidson, a senior and a returning state qualifier, finally returned to the mat last weekend at the Willoughby South Rebel Invitational.
He opened the tournament with a pair of decisions then pinned his next two opponents to finish 4-0 during pool wrestling.
He then pinned Shaker Heights’ Dontrell Person in 1 minute, 46 seconds to win the 160 pound tournament championship with a perfect 5-0 record.
“He wrestled really well,” said Kirtland coach Scott Francis. “He was a little rusty his first couple matches but that’s what’s nice about pool tournaments. You can get away with that. He really came on in his last couple matches with 160 being a pretty good weight class there. There were some good kids and he wrestled some really nice matches.”
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| Stephanie Hunter |
Chardon’s Hunter led the Hilltoppers to a pair of wins over Eastlake North and Lakeside. She finished 8-of-9 from behind the 3-point line and averaged 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3.5 steals per game.
Hunter, a senior, has been one of the Hilltoppers’ best players this season.
“Steph has continually been the most consistent player on a 5-1 basketball team,” said Chardon coach Cullen Harris. “Steph is a talented athlete who contributes in all facets of the game.”
Off the court, Hunter participates in a freshman mentoring program to assist new high schools students in the transition from middle school and she also is the starting pitcher on the Chardon softball team and the soccer team’s goalkeeper.
Stegmaier, one of Northeast Ohio’s top high school basketball players, had another big week for the Cuyahoga Heights Redskins.
In a 46-28 win over rival Independence Stegmaier scored 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting and was 5-of-6 from behind the 3-point arc. She also had 8 rebounds, 3 steals, a block and 3 assists.
“Jenna was the difference in this defensive battle,” said Cuyahoga Heights coach Al Martin. “She scored 28 points on just 14 shots from the field. She was all over the floor rebounding, defending and getting to the basket.”
A starter in three varsity sports, Stegmaier carries a 4.0 grade point average and helped lead the Redskins to the 2014 Division IV state championship last spring.
Coaches, click here to nominate your athletes for Ward’s Lawn Care & Landscape Co. Players of the Week. Athletes from all Northeast Ohio schools are eligible for the award and nominations are due by 10:00 p.m. every Monday.
