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The East baseball team will graduate All-City pitcher-first baseman John Hicks, but coach Scott Armstrong still thinks the Dragons can continue their improvement next season.

The four student-athletes who decided to transfer from Firestone to Buchtel to play football next season -- their senior year-- won't be able to suit up for their new school.

Rhonda Porter, general counsel for Akron Public Schools, said Timonte Anderson, Dierre Smith, Larry Sullivan and  DeDonte Cheatham won't be able to play for Buchtel unless they meet some special exceptions. According to Porter, there is no way under current Ohio High School Athletic Association rules, and current circumstances, that the four can compete next season for the Griffins. They would have to sit out one year before being eligible.

Porter said she's been working with the players, their parents and the players' attorney to try and find a way for them to play football elsewhere.

The four are caught in limbo unless they can enroll in a school that offers a special curriculum they can't get at Buchtel or Firestone. Then Superintendent David James would have to approve the transfer, and get the OHSAA's approval.

Porter said the only chance any of the four would play next season at Buchtel, or elsewhere, is if  there was a divorce case where the student was placed into the custody of a custodial parent who lived in the Buchtel district.

These scenarios seem impossible at this point, but the district and the players' attorney are continuing to try and arrange for them to play somewhere, and be eligible for college scholarships.

Porter said the four players didn't fully realize the dilemma they were getting into when they decided to enroll at Buchtel.

All four recently pleaded their case before the OHSAA, but the state governing body said rules are rules and it won't budge on this one.

 "The board and superintendent wanted to plead with the Association to allow those boys to play football their last year in high school," Porter told me. "And, at that point, we didn't care where they played. We just did not want them deprived of that experience of playing their senior year. That was our position going in.

"We are currently working with the Association in order to hopefully restore their eligibility as long as it fits into one of the exceptions outlined in the bylaws."

In any event, this appears to be a no-win situation for the four players.

EAST BASEBALL TAKES BIG STEP FORWARD:  While Ellet and Firestone were getting almost all the attention in the City Series baseball race, the Dragons of East High were also raising some eyebrows.

It appears some of coach Scott Armstrong's hard work to improve his team started paying off this season. East finished 6-6 in the City Series, its best record in years, and beat Firestone and Kenmore, something that would have been unthinkable in past seasons.

Armstrong said his players started believing this season, and it reflected in their play.

"We added three talented freshmen to this year's team and pitched and played defense while stressing the fundamentals," Armstrong said. "We didn't give up a bunch of extra outs, and we finally got the clutch hits we knew we were capable of.

"It was also the kids' gaining confidence, knowing they could go and play against some of these teams, instead of going out and playing a team like Firestone and thinking we were going to be mercied in five (innings)."

Armstrong pointed out his team also went toe-to toe with powerful Walsh Jesuit in a sectional game, being tied 1-1 going into the fifth inning.

Another key to the Dragons' progress was strong parental involvement this season. Armstrong said the parents helped out with fundraisers to buy updated uniforms and equipment.

Armstrong loses five seniors, including first-team All-City pitcher-first baseman John Hicks, but enough interest has been rekindled in the team to expect more players to try out next season.

He's also been recruiting East students who are currently playing in the Goodyear Heights leagues on the East side of Akron, but haven't tried out for varsity before.

"A lot of my younger kids are staying together this summer, and playing summer ball in a recreational league, which is going to help out tremendously," Armstrong said.

He added that he sees his mission of rebuilding East baseball into a winner as a task he can accomplish.