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Natasha Howard pleased to see supporters in Columbus
Although her Florida State Seminoles lost an overtime thriller to Ohio State in Columbus, Florida State's Natasha Howard (Waite) will never forget the experience.
"It was fun," said Howard, who scored eight points and hauled in 10 rebounds. "I was emotional returning to my home state. I enjoyed every minute of it."
A large contingent of East Toledoans, including Howard's parents, made the trip on a pair of buses to see Natasha play — many for the first time since her days on the hardwood at Waite. Howard was returning to OSU’s Value City Arena — the same locale where her Waite team lost a heartbreaker to Canton McKinley in the Division I state championship a couple years back.
"It was so exciting to see so many of the people that have supported me and been with me the whole way," Howard said. "It was great to see my high school coaches and teammates."
Howard reminisced about her days in an Indian uniform with her fans and caught up with Ohio State guard Maleeka Kynard. Kynard, a freshman from Start, opposed Howard for three years in high school.
"I talked to her after the game," Howard said, laughing. "We were reliving our days playing against one another in the City League."
Following its loss to the Buckeyes, Florida State dropped to 4-4. The Seminoles, who are no longer ranked after beginning the year No. 21 in the preseason Associated Press poll, defeated Charlotte in Tallahassee four days later to improve to 5-4.
Despite her team's struggles, Howard remains confident.
"We're not panicking," said Howard, who is averaging 9.1 points per game while shooting 42 percent from the floor. She leads the team in rebounding, hauling in 8.6 per game.
She said the Seminoles need to start games stronger and play with more discipline if they want to meet their high expectations and advance to an eighth straight NCAA tournament.
"We just need to go out and put teams away in the first half," she said. "If we let them hang around, bad things will happen. We're still learning and getting better. We expect big things in the coming weeks."
Florida State looked to turn its season around on December 10 when Howard returns to her home state. FSU was to battle Akron on the road. Howard said her family and friends will be in attendance for the second time in less than two weeks.
"The same people that came to see me play in Columbus will be there," she said. "I'm really looking forward to it. I hope we can get a win for my supporters this time."
Ohio All-Star wrestler
Twelve-year-old Dylan D’Emilio has been selected as a member of the 2012 Ohio All-Star Wrestling Team. He is the son of Genoa wrestling coach Dominic D’Emilio.
Dylan was runner-up at the 2012 Cliff Keen National Kick-off Classic in Tulsa Oklahoma in November, won a state title at the Ohio Athletic Committee state championships in March, won a state title at the OURWAY State Championships in March, and national champion at the NUWAY Nationals in April, 2011.
The Ohio all-star team will participate in a week long training camp in June 2012 and then embark on a six-week wrestling tour across the Western United States. In order to make the trip a reality, each member must raise $4,500 to cover the expenses of the trip.
Now in its 30th year, the Ohio All-Stars are one of the most respected youth wrestling teams in the country. This year’s team will consist of 26 of the top sixth through ninth grade wrestlers from Ohio and across the country. Team members were selected on the basis of athletic and academic achievement.
Since 1983, more than 600 top young athletes have competed as a member of the team. Trip alumni have gone on to win five NCAA titles, more than 100 state high school championships, and more than 25 USA Cadet and Junior National freestyle titles. Among the prominent alumni are NCAA champions Alan Fried, Rex Holman, Sheldon Thomas, Corey Kline, and Ryan Bertin.
Other Ohio alumni include Colt Sponseller, Shawn Nelson, Drew Pariano, Eddie Jayne, Mark Jayne, Pat McLemore, David Bolyard, Aaron Martin, Jimmy Johnson, Shawn Contos, Kevin Contos, Mason Lenhard, Mike Kulczycki, Keith Cupp, Brad Harris, Matt McIntire, Scott Zapadka, Gus Sako, Cam Tessari, and Pierce Harger.
Flag football champions
The Lake Erie Football League third grade team went to Novi, Michigan to compete in the Michigan state championships and outscored opponents 124-13 to win a title, and then went to Mentor, Ohio, winning a regional championship.
The eight-player team qualified for the national tournament to be in Kissimmee, Florida on Jan. 13. Players are Levi Jacobs, Luke Jacobs, Gannon Duty, Brenen Ish, Jaxon Delventhal, Brady Walleman, Ryan Ridener, Tyler Saffran and coaches are Jake Jacobs, Craig Ish, and Jim Ridener. All of the players are from Oak Harbor, except two, who are from the Lake school district.
On Dec. 12, the team will hold a fundraiser from 5-8 p.m. at the McDonalds restaurant on Route 20 in Perrysburg. Donations can also be sent to LEFFL Travel Team, P.O. Box 102, Oak Harbor, OH 43449. The LEFFL is also seeking teams for next season and is open to any surrounding community. Contact Jake Jacobs at 419-704-5686.
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