Rightnowar named MVP of all-star football game
Oregon resident Nick Rightnowar, a Toledo Christian graduate, was named Most Valuable Player of the Perrysburg Athletic Booster’s annual Northwest Ohio Regional All-Star Football Game.

Friday night, the Gold defeated the Black 17-7 in the contest played at Perrysburg High School’s Steinecker Stadium.

Rightnowar completed 5-of-7 passes for 147 yards and ran four times for 16 yards. Completions were twice to Jordan Lane (Maumee) for 80 and four yards, twice to Zach Brumbaugh (TC) for 15 and 38 yards, and to Nate White (St. John’s Jesuit) for zero yards.

Zach Bermejo (Northwood) looks to throw during the Northwest Ohio Regional All-Star Football Game. (Press photo by Harold Hamilton/HEHphotos.lifepics.com)

Lane scored the game’s first touchdown when he caught a pass from Rightnowar and ran 80 yards for pay dirt with 9:25 remaining in the first half. Rightnowar threw his second touchdown pass, good for 38 yards to Brumbaugh with 9:20 remaining in the third quarter.

For graduated high school football players, playing in the all-star game is not just about winning and losing.

It is about getting on the gridiron one more time as less than half the participants will move on to play at the college level.

It is about scoring one more touchdown, getting one more sack, and making friends with some former opposing players that are now teammate for this occasion.

As both teams huddled after the game, one Gold player taunted a Black player about his team getting the victory, but the Black player retorted that his team “had more fun” and players from both teams laughed.

“It was a great experience,” said Gold linebacker Mike Kiss (Cardinal Stritch). “It’s my last time ever playing football again. I was super happy to be even a part of this. I didn’t even expect to be playing one more game, but to be part of an all-star game was a good experience.”

Kiss, a 5-10, 180 pound linebacker, caused a fumble when Black quarterback Alex Palicki (Whitmer) was trying to execute an option, which was recovered by 6-1, 180 middle linebacker Matt Williams (Maumee).

Local players on the Gold roster were Rightnowar, Kiss, Waite wide receiver Henry Newsom III, Genoa defensive lineman Andrew Hayes, Toledo Christian linebacker Anthony Dodd, Clay safety James Huss, Waite middle linebacker Garry Cummins, Clay defensive lineman Rex Carlo, Oak Harbor offensive lineman Jake Grzymkowski, Gibsonburg wide receiver Vincent Kirsch, and Gibsonburg defensive back Andy Ritter.

Playing for the Black were Lake wide receiver/defensive back Kurt McKee, Northwood running back Zack Bermejo, Woodmore wide receiver Grant Weirich, Northwood running back Mike Prothero, and Northwood defensive end Corey Jones.

Weirich caught an 11-yard pass from Palicki in the first quarter and a 32-yard pass from Palicki in the fourth.

Dodd, a 5-11, 210 pound linebacker from Oregon, made the game’s first tackle for a loss — stopping back Alex Bridges (Antony Wayne) for a five-yard loss.

Five-foot-11, 230 middle linebacker Garry Cummins (Waite), 6-2, 210 linebacker Albert Phillips (Springfield), and Kiss were responsible for stopping Black running back Matt Green (AW) after earning a seven-yard gain near the end of the third quarter.

Two plays later, Phillips, 6-1, Williams, and 5-11, 240 defensive lineman Rex Carlo (Clay) stopped Bridges after a two-yard gain.

Later in the first half, Cummins, assisted by 6-0, 210 linebacker D.J. Recknagel (Rossford) stopped Gold back Taylor Fuerst (Swanton) for a two-yard loss.

Prothero sacked Gold QB Matt Spragg (Findlay) for a seven-yard loss with two minutes remaining in the first half. Huss and Kiss were both in on a tackle after Palicki completed a pass to Konnor Chuba (Sylvania Southview).

Kirsch, Huss, and McKee were all in on several pass defenses, Cummins and McKee were in on several other key tackles, and McKee carried the ball on offense.

Bermejo had three carries for 10 yards, he had two field goal attempts that missed and kicked the conversion point after Black’s lone touchdown — a 25 yard pass from Palicki to Reed Waisner (Holgate), the team’s MVP.

Sports Announcements
Eastwood seventh grade volleyball mandatory tryouts will be Aug. 8-10 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Eighth grade will be Aug. 1-4 from 4-6 p.m. and mandatory tryouts will again be Aug. 8-10 from 4-6 p.m. Seventh and eighth grade football practice begins Aug. 15 from 9 a.m. to noon. Cross country practice begins Aug. 1 from 8:30-10 a.m. under the big Mulberry tree. Physicals must be completed and signed. Call Jodi Zunk at 419-833-6011 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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The Ohio Vengeance softball organization will have tryouts for 12U, 14U, 16U, and 18U 2012 travel teams on Aug. 20, 2011 in Gibsonburg at William Park.  12U will start at noon, 14U at 2 p.m., and 16U and 18U at 4 p.m. contact Ken Bryant at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 419-304-4461.

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The Lake Baseball Association will be having tryouts for players ages 8-12 and ages 13-14 the 2012 baseball season on July 29 at 5 p.m. and July 30 at 9 a.m. at the high school baseball complex for two to three hours per day. Bring bat, glove, helmet, water. Call Marty Pennington at 419-836-8984 or visit www.lakebaseball.net.

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