PHOTO BY CODY ERBACHER
Noah Kainrad, right, fights for the ball against Woodridge's Nelson Perry. Kainrad's tenacious style has helped make him a leader on the Southeast boys basketball team.
The strong senior leadership that has helped the Southeast boys basketball team gain sole possession of first place in the Portage Trail Conference County Division, may help the Pirates maintain their position throughout the final games of the season.
Senior Noah Kainrad has been at the helm of the first-place squad. His 16 points-per-game is leading the team, which has won six-straight games.
“Noah’s a leader,” said Southeast head coach Matt Dillon. “He’s a tough, hard-nosed kid.”
In the fall, Kainrad led the Southeast football team to a division championship as the starting quarterback.
“We’re really fortunate to have him in the program,” Dillon said. “It’s a lot of fun for the coaching staff to coach him.”
All five of the Pirates’ remaining games are against conference opponents, including a trip to Mogadore on Friday.
In the last meeting on Dec. 23, Southeast defeated Mogadore 59-48.
The Pirates (11-4, 8-2) have faced each team remaining on their schedule (Mogadore, Garrettsville Garfield, Windham and Rootstown) except Crestwood.
Southeast fell to Garfield 49-39 on Jan. 6 but defeated the other three in their first meetings.
Woodridge remains the top contender for a chance at catching the Pirates following a clutch 59-55 victory over Mogadore on Tuesday.
After a loss to Southeast, Woodridge remains in the hunt for first place in the County Division by defeating division opponent Mogadore. Woodridge trails Southeast with a 7-3 conference record, while Mogadore falls two games back at 6-4.
Windham is also two games behind the Pirates.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Led by Morgan Thompson’s game-high 17 points, the Woodridge girls basketball team clinched the PTC County Division championship Monday with a 54-23 win over Garrettsville Garfield.
The Bulldogs continued their perfect 16-0, 11-0 PTC record, with a convincing 79-43 victory over Rootstown on Wednesday.
Woodridge has been a defensive force, holding opponents to under 50 points in all but one game. The Bulldogs allow an average of 38 points per game.
Offensively, Woodridge averages 57 points a game.
Woodridge has just two conference games remaining this season (East Canton and Waterloo).
Woodridge looks to continue its perfect season Saturday at Akron North.
BOWLING
Both of the Garrettsville Garfield bowling teams were on the verge of entering Saturday’s PTC Tournament with flawless records.
The boys team entered this week with an 11-0 record, while the girls team has been flawless through 13 games this season.
On Thursday though, the boys fell to Stow, 2,729-2,531. Brent Jones led the G-Men, who defeated Kent Roosevelt and Rootstown on the night, with a 412 series.
Although the result was a bit closer for the girls team, the G-Men still fell to Stow 2,279-2,161. Backed by Emily Johnson’s 411 series, Garfield defeated Kent Roosevelt and Rootstown, but fell to Stow.
Saturday’s PTC Tournament will be held at Bill White’s Akron Lanes.