To have a few good teams or some elite players during the sports season is exciting for a high school. A good team can rally people and bring the community together. (Just look at the Genoa football program the last four years.)

For the Oak Harbor Rockets, the fall sports program experienced much success this year. The boys and girl soccer teams won the Sandusky Bay Conference, the girls doing so for the third year in a row and the boys doing so for the second consecutive sseason. The Rocket football team, coming off of 4-6 and 2-8 seasons, respectively, experienced a resurgence, going 7-3 and finishing tied for second in the conference. Despite its only losses being three hard-fought, gut-wrenching games to playoff qualifiers, Genoa (15-7), Huron (32-26) and Clyde (26-17), the Rockets just missed advancing to the postseason, missing out on the eighth spot in Division III, Region 10 by just .05 of a point.

In cross country, despite winning the SBC in three of the previous four sesaons, the girls finished second and the boys came in third. While those teams may have been disappointed with the results, it’s safe to say that finishing second or third in an eight-team conference is certainly an accomplishment.

Individually, Phil Weirich finished his soccer career with over 100 goals, was named first-team  SBC, first-team Division II District, first-team All-State in Division II, was the SBC Player of the Year for the second year in a row and was also named District Player of the Year. He was the first player in school history to be named first-team All-Ohio, this after finishing on the second-team last season. To top it off, his head coach,Rob Schimmoeller, was named the Division II Coach of the Year. The boys soccer team had another successful season, finishing 14-2 overall and 7-1 in the SBC before losing to a potent Lake team in districts.

The girls soccer team, behind five member earning first-team SBC status, finished 12-2-2 overall and 10-0-0 in the conference. It is the third consecutive conference championship for the Rockets, who, in three years, having given up just six goals in conference play. This year, they allowed no goals in SBC play, a remarkable feat. Quite an accomplishment for a program that didn’t earn varisty status in the program until 2003.

The football team was led by star running back and area rushing-leader Jake Scott. Behind some great offensive line-play and some stellar running, Scott rushed for 1227 yards on 250 carries (a 4.9 per-carry average) and scored 14 total touchdowns on the season. He was a unanimous selection to the SBC first-team offense, as was teammate Jake Grzymkowski, who earned first-team status as both an offensive and defensive lineman. Also earning first-team status were Joey Mallernee at linebacker and Davey Burkett at defensive back. Burkett contributed in other ways this season as well, scoring two critical touchdowns on kick and punt returns this year, helping Oak Harbor to eek out close wins against Port Clinton and Edison, respectively.

Scott and Grzymkowski were also Division III District first-team selections and Mallernee and Burkett earned second-team status.

Cross country runner Kia Frank accomplished something only two other girls had done in the program’s history: qualify for the state meet. Frank, the SBC champion for the second year in a row, finished 15th at the regional meet in Tiffin in October, good enough to advance to Columbus. At the State Cross Country Meet in Scioto Downs, she finished 48th, running a time of …. It was especially sweet for Frank because she missed out on qualifying for state last year by just one spot, finishing 17th at last year’s regional meet.

For the second year in a row, Ashley LaFountain qualified for the state meet in girls tennis. LaFountain, who is just a sophomore, has won the SBC and sectionals in both years and finished second at districts. LaFountain, the daughter of a tennis coach, has the potential to reach new levels in her two remaining years with Oak Harbor.

The department is overseen by Drew Grahl, now in his second year the school’s athletic director. Despite his school’s success athletically, Grahl believes that sports are about more than competition on the field, they’re about helping teenagers to have enriching experiences.

“I want the kids at Oak Harbor to have a great experience. I think high school and interscolastic athletics are all about experience.”

For that to happen, the kids must be led by intelligent, capable head coaches, of which Oak Harbor has plenty.

“When I have meetings and evaluations with our coaching staff, I talk about two things: Do they treat their players well? Do they provide opportunities for our student-athletes to improve? If they are doing those things, how can it not be (a) positive (experience)?

One of the goals for the school is trying to attaint the SBC All-Sports Trophy, something they’ve yet to do in either girls or boys athletics. With one of the best wrestling programs in the state and a swimming program that usually performs well, they’ve certainly got a chance.

“The last two years we’ve been real close. We were second in both two years ago; last year, we were second in girls and third in boys.”

In short, Grahl wants the student-athletes to understand the importance of competing in interscolastic athletics, the importance of representing one’s school.

“It’s an honor, not a right, to put on that jersey. To represent our school, you need to be a good role model, a good citizen. It’s something we’re serious about.

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