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Mogadore senior catcher Presley Destro, seen here at last year's regional semifinal against Colonel Crawford, had a day for the ages on Saturday with three home runs, five runs and eight RBIs in two district games. The Wildcats will face the Eagles once again in the regional semifinals.

The baseball and softball tournaments have been narrowed down to the Sweet 16, and the only squad still fighting on from the Portage Trail Conference is the Mogadore softball team.

The Wildcats advanced last Saturday by capturing the Ashland Division IV District title for the second year in a row. It was a wild day, with the Wildcats winning both of their district games in a matter of hours. First they rolled past Cuyahoga Heights 9-0 in the semifinals and then they came from behind to edge Dalton 5-4 in the championship game.

In both cases, senior catcher Presley Destro powered the Mogadore attack. On the day, she scored five times, drove in eight runs and smashed three home runs. The Wildcats rallied from 3-0 and 4-3 deficits against Dalton before finally pushing the winning run across in the seventh inning.

Now onto Thursday’s Kent Regional semifinals contest with North Robinson Colonel Crawford at Kent State’s Diamond at Dix.

Mogadore met the Eagles last year in the regional semifinals, walking away with a 9-4 victory. It was the most runs the Wildcats scored during their six-game tournament run, and also the most they allowed an opponent to score. But this is a new year with new players involved, and both teams can be very dangerous. 

Along with Destro, Mogadore sports dangerous hitters in Calee Ruppel and Rylee Popio.

Junior pitcher Kelsey Craig (11-3) also gives the Wildcats a formidable force in the circle, picking up three straight wins.

Colonel Crawford has its own set of playmakers in 2011. Gone is sparkplug Alexa Crase, who had two doubles and scored two of the four runs in last spring’s regional semifinal.

In place of Crase are the likes of Mikayla Rader (.494), Krista Horning (.472) and Nickyla Garverick (.435).  Garverick (29 RBIs) and Rader (22) are also strong run-producing threats. Horning has scored 22 runs this season, which places her second on the team behind Rader’s 32.

In the circle, Rader has 78 strikeouts and 10 wins while splitting time with Gaverick. Both pitchers also boast earned run averages under 2 and have combined for three no-hitters.

One thing that would be different for the Wildcats' regional run is their opponent should they make the championship game. East Canton, which they met last year, lost 8-1 to Columbiana in the district title game. Columbiana will meet Vienna Mathews on Wednesday in the first semifinal game at Kent.

Boys track: Streetsboro in pursuit of another title

The Streetsboro Rockets last weekend won their first-ever district boys track title. Now this weekend they go to the Ravenna Division II Regional at Gilcrest Field at Ravenna Stadium with hopes of winning another championship.

The Rockets are led by four-event qualifier Steve Magic. The senior qualified with both the 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams and in the 200 and 400. Joining Magic and the two relay teams will be Alex Todd in both the discus and shot put and Anthony Wheeler in the 110 hurdles.

Of the three other PTC County Division teams joining Streetsboro in Ravenna, Waterloo poses the biggest threat. The Vikings will go head-to-head with the Rockets in the 4x400 relay, as well as taking the distance relay team with them.  Taylor Gregory (800), Alex Saffles (400) and Ethan Whitaker (3,200) have all qualified in individual running events. Nathan Franks will be competing in both hurdle events, along with the 4x400 relay.

Finally, Garrettsville Garfield and Rootstown both advanced a pair of boys to the regional.  Mike Conley and Mitchell Begue will represent the Rovers in the 800 and 1,600, respectively. Meanwhile, Alex Radwanski will vie in the 300 hurdles, while Adam Nash will compete in the long jump.

The only other Division II boys team from the PTC, Woodridge, will travel to the Lexington Regional. The Bulldogs advanced senior Jimmy Charles (1,600 and 3,200), Drake Sulzer (1,600,) Kyle Cochrun (3,200), Ceon Kelly (100 and 200), Nick Karam (100 and 300 hurdles and senior Vibushan Sivakumaran (800), along with three relay teams.

Finally, East Canton and Mogadore will be at the Navarre Division III Regional.  The Hornets qualified seven competitors for this weekend.  In addition to the two distance relay teams, Chase Shrum (800), Kyle Thompson (300 hurdles), Josh Schleappi (1,600) and Kyle Jensen (110 hurdles) will all be running at Navarre High School.  In the field events, Duke Taylor qualified twice and Austin Tekip made it in the pole vault.

The Wildcats showed their quality sprinters at the district level and will look for the same success this weekend.  Kodey Chance will compete in both the 4x100 and 4x200, along with the 100-meter dash.  Zach Heigelmann (High Jump) and Nick DelPuppo (400) round out Mogadore’s competitors with the two relay teams.

Girls track: Relaying the message

On the girls side of the Ravenna Division II Regional, Waterloo and Streetsboro will do battle again, but this time teamwork is the name of the game. The Vikings qualified all four of their relay teams from the district round, while the Rockets are sending their 4x100 and 4x200 teams.

Waterloo has two four-event qualifiers in Emily Luli (4x400, 4x800, 400, long jump) and Annie Wise (4x400, 4x800, 800, 1,600) and two three-event qualifiers in Miranda Bennett (4x100, 4x200, high jump) and Jamie Willis (4x100, 4x200 and 4x400).

Streetsboro has two triple-event qualifiers themselves in freshmen Destiny King (4x100, 4x200, 100 hurdles) and Marra Woods (4x200, 200, high jump). The youth of Streetsboro matched with the success shows great things for the future of the program if they continue to build this way.

The Woodridge girls in Lexington have a trio of leaders taking the team into the regionals.  Morgan Willis and Maria Moore will be competing in the maximum four events, and Miranda Stockton has three races. All three will make up most of the 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams.  Willis will also vie in the 1,600 and 3,200, while Moore runs in the 800 and 1,600. Finally, Stockton will compete in the long hurdles.

Rootstown has qualified all four of its relay teams for the Tiffin Division III Regional, and throwers Dawn Freeland and Amber Heitzenreiter will both be tossing the shot put and discus. In total, 11 athletes will be competing for the Rovers.  Ashleigh Pickens and Becca Wise are bothl four-event qualifiers.

Finally, Mogadore's Taylor Coppenger and Kayla Brannon will both be competing in the shot put at the Navarre Division III Regional. East Canton's Mackenzie Vincent will do the 3,200.