Jane Justine (Baker) Feron, 64, passed away Saturday, August 29, 2015. She was born October 28, 1950 in Clyde, Ohio, to Roland and Tedca (Arnold) Baker. Jane graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1973 and married Timothy Feron shortly after.
Jane was a Medina Schools music teacher for many years and a Cantor at her church, St. Francis Xavier Parish. She was an active member of the Medina County Historical Society, St. Vincent DePaul Society at St Francis, Knights of Columbus Auxiliary, the Red Hat Society and the Medina County Chorus.
Jane will be missed by all her former students, friends and parishioners at St Francis. In the 1970s, her Citizen Band Radio name was “Songbird” – that name reflected her musical talents as well as her gentle personality.
Jane is survived by her father, Roland Baker; daughter, Sarah (Michael) Ambrose; grandchildren, Cade, Payton and Coy Ambrose; “brothers and sisters”, Rita (Bill) Smith, Sheila (John) Benson, Brian (Carole) Feron, Michael (Sherri) Feron and Patrick (Karen) Feron; nieces and nephews, Amy (Brad) Nieman, Janna (Matthew) Elkevizth, Kara (Justin) Wolff, Courtney Benson, Cody Feron and great-nephews, Noah, Henry, and Ivan.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Tedca Baker; husband, Timothy Feron and grandson, Michael Jerry Ambrose.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11 A.M., Friday, September 4, 2015, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 606 E. Washington St., Medina. Interment will follow at St. Francis Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends Thursday, September 3, from 4 until 8 P.M., at Waite & Son Funeral Home, 765 N. Court St., Medina.
In lieu of flowers, the family request donations to the St. Vincent DePaul Society, c/o St Francis Xavier Church, 606 E. Washington St. Medina, OH 44256.
Online condolences at www.waitefuneralhome.com

Janet Bartholmai Rowland passed away Saturday, August 29, 2015, at Westminster Canterbury in Virginia Beach. She was born in Lodi, April 29, 1925 and attended Ohio Wesleyan until she married Robert Richard (Dick) Rowland on April 28, 1946.
They moved to Virginia Beach in 1968, after having travelled the world together with the U.S. Air Force. Janet became an active member of All Saints’ Episcopal Church, singing in the choir for many years and participating in the Altar Guild. Additionally, Janet was a member of the King’s Daughters and the local Garden Club. In addition to being a loving wife and mother, one of her passions, which she shared with many people, was cooking. She was also a great lover of dogs!
She is survived by her son, Rick and wife, Susan; daughter, Kris and husband, Michael; three granddaughters, Michaela, Callie and Kristina; two grandsons, Douglas and Christopher; a sister, Mary Jane and many nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Service will be held at 11 A.M., Friday, September 4, 2015, at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 1968 Woodside Lane, Virginia Beach, Virginia. The service will be conducted by The Reverend Dr. J. Segar Gravatt.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to a charity of one’s choice.
H.D. Oliver Funeral Apartments, 2002 Laskin Road, is handling arrangements and online condolences may be made to the family at hdoliver.com

BEREA — The clock is ticking down to the start of the regular season. And the beat gets louder by the day.

With the regular season less than two weeks away — Sept. 13 at the New York Jets —– outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo led a number of injured Browns back onto the practice field Monday. It was only a walkthrough in shorts and no pads, but it was a step closer to having a fuller complement for Week 1.

Barkevious Mingo

“It felt really good to be back out there, moving around with the team,” Mingo said less than a month after knee surgery. “Just feel happy to get out of the training room.”

Cornerback Justin Gilbert (hip), nickelback K’Waun Williams (abdomen), safety Jordan Poyer (concussion), nose tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen (groin) and cornerback Robert Nelson (hamstring) joined Mingo in returning for the short session.

Gilbert, the No. 8 pick in 2014, is trying to recover from a string of poor performances, a crisis of confidence and a strained hip flexor. He’s dropped down the depth chart and could be inactive for Week 1 even if he’s healthy.

“Gilbert went today just because of the tempo of practice,” coach Mike Pettine said.

Williams and Poyer look like locks to make the 53-man regular-season roster, while Kitchen and Nelson are fighting for spots at crowded positions.

Not all the injury news was good.

Quarterback Johnny Manziel’s streak of not throwing stretched into a second week. He stopped practicing Aug. 23 with a recurrence of elbow soreness and remained a bystander Monday.

“I don’t know when he will throw again, but he is doing his rehab exercises,” Pettine said. “He is on the training room protocol with it. There is not any real update with Johnny.”

Rookie running back Duke Johnson was out after sustaining a concussion Saturday in the 31-7 win over Tampa Bay, and Pettine said he didn’t know the severity of the injury. Rookie outside linebacker Nate Orchard (back) was also absent after sitting Saturday night.

“It was not portrayed as anything serious,” Pettine said of Orchard. “We are confident just a little bit of time and treatment and rehab will take care of it. I don’t see it as anything at this point that will cause him to miss games.”

Cornerback Pierre Desir (concussion) also wasn’t on the field, and rookie cornerback Charles Gaines (hamstring) worked with trainers.

Manziel, Johnson, Orchard and Desir won’t play Thursday in the preseason finale against Chicago, but the Browns hope receiver Terrelle Pryor can make his preseason debut. He returned to practice last week after battling a hamstring injury for much of camp but was held out of the Buccaneers game.

“We will know a little bit more tomorrow because tomorrow will be full-speed tempo in pads,” Pettine said. “Today was just a jog-through. He looked good out there today. I think tomorrow will truly tell.

“If he does go against Chicago, he will be limited as far as the number of plays he is going to play. We are not just going to put him out there and say, ‘Play the whole game.’ We will have a clear plan for him on Thursday and we are hopeful that he can go.”

Mingo had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Aug. 6. He ran last week and participated in individual drills Monday during the half-hour open to reporters.

“That was encouraging to see that he truly is on pace to be back potentially for Week 1,” Pettine said.

Mingo hopes he’s cleared to play in the opener.

“If I had my choice, I’d be out there,” he said. “But we’ll see how everything progresses.”

Mingo said the knee was injured on a particular play in practice and he kept up in the meeting room during the time away from the field.

“We caught it fast and fixed it fast and recovered fast, hopefully,” he said.

Unfortunately, Mingo knows about returning from injuries. The No. 6 pick in the 2013 draft has been hurt in all three seasons.

As a rookie, he suffered a bruised lung covering a kick in the second preseason game. He missed the final two exhibition games and the regular-season opener. He finished with five sacks.

Last year, he injured his shoulder on the second defensive play of the season. He missed only one game, played the rest of the season with a harness and had surgery in January. He slipped to two sacks.

Mingo would like his injury for the season to be out of the way early. And he believes this season will be his best.

“I feel comfortable in this defense,” he said of the second year in Pettine’s system. “Knowing the defense and getting comfortable with the playbook and everything, knowing my role, I think this year could be a good one.”

The string of injuries hasn’t soured Mingo’s outlook.

“Injuries happen,” he said. “It’s just up to the player on how they handle it. You can sit in the back of the classroom and sulk and not pay attention to coaching points and do all that stuff and not try to get better as fast as you can. Or you can go out there and make sure you get those coaching points and you’re pushing in the training room and you’re getting that limb or whatever stronger and getting ready to play and preparing mentally as if you’re going to play from week to week.

“So I feel like I’ve done that, and I’ll be ready whenever.”

Contact Scott Petrak at (440) 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @scottpetrak on Twitter.

WESTFIELD TWP. — Some goals mean just a bit more than others.

On Monday, Rachel Huttner’s meant everything to the Highland girls soccer team in a 1-0 non-conference win over Cloverleaf.

Highland goalie Madison Less, right, makes a play on a corner kick as Cloverleaf’s Alli Gray tries to make a play on the ball in the first half. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

The Hornets had been shut out in two straight games and had gone 84:24 without scoring. So when the junior midfielder beat Cloverleaf keeper Katelyn Young to the back of the net, it was a score Highland (2-2) desperately needed.

“It was more of a want,” Huttner said. “We wanted it, but we also needed it. It was a necessity to motivate us to go forward. We wanted to make it to .500 on our season heading into Revere (on Wednesday). We wanted to push it tonight so we could see something that we improved on.”

The goal was more than relief for a team that has pushed the envelope on the offensive end, but has scored just three goals on the season.

It came off a corner kick where Kaitlyn LaFayette found Huttner for a one-timer off her right foot with 13:40 remaining.

“It was a big sigh of relief,” Huttner said. “Playing out here, if you’re really pushing it, you want that effort that shows you’ve been working hard. For us, it was like, ‘That’s what we do the hard work for. That’s why we come out here and play.’”

Hornets coach Bill Zufall saw just a little bit more than that in a spirited effort against the Colts (3-2). An old face around Highland soccer but a first-year coach for the girls, Highland started to take the next step in his eyes.

“We’ve been looking for confidence,” he said. “When you get one off of a set play, you can build from that and carry it into the next couple of weeks, especially with our (Suburban) league opener on Wednesday. It’s enormous that we got the win and got the goal.

“The first game we played a lot looser and more aggressively up top. The last couple of games, we played tight. It was really nice to see the girls open the game and keep possession.”

That was the key to the win, as Elayna Yuschak, Sarah Pleasant, Jenna Heini, Mari Ley and Colleen Flannery held a potent Cloverleaf offense at bay.

The Colts came into the contest with four of the top six scorers in Medina County, including Alli Gray, who leads the area with seven goals and two assists.

“It’s still early in the season for us, and it’s still a bit of a new system,” Zufall said. “One of our goals is to (get) multiple shutouts this season. We’ve put the last couple of games behind us and were really focusing on getting the shutout here. We talked at halftime about seeing a zero there. It takes a team focus and discipline. I couldn’t be more proud of the girls than I was tonight.”

For Cloverleaf, which has scored one goal in the last two games, there’s no need to panic, according to coach Guillermo Porras.

The Colts had their chances — especially in the first half when they had five shots on goal — but came up just a bit short against Cincinnati commit Madison Less in net.

“Defensively, they were doing exactly what we wanted to do,” Porras said. “They were creating a cushion and not pressuring the ball to win the ball.

“It wasn’t necessarily that we made the mistake,” he added. “We just didn’t pick our shots correctly. We had our shots on goal, but we were a little too anxious and we couldn’t put one in the back of the net.”

Note

The Highland junior varsity walked away with a 2-0 win. Scoring for the Hornets were Megan Hennessey and Haley Gereny.

Contact Brad Bournival at sports@medina-gazette.com.

Highland 1, Cloverleaf 0
HIGHLAND 0 1 — 1
CLOVERLEAF 0 0 — 0
Second
H — Rachel Huttner (Kaitlyn Lafayette), 13:40.
Shots — Highland 9, Cloverleaf 5. Corner kicks — Highland 7, Cloverleaf 2. Saves — Madison Less (H) 5, Katelyn Young (C) 8. Records — Highland (2-2), Cloverleaf (3-2). Junior varsity — Highland 2, Cloverleaf 0.

Cleveland Indians general manager Mark Shapiro, right, speaks at a news conference as Indians owner Paul Dolan listens. Shapiro, who has had several prominent roles in nearly 24 years with Cleveland, will become the Toronto Blue Jays’ president and CEO following this season. (AP PHOTO)

CLEVELAND — Mark Shapiro made it official Monday in a news conference at Progressive Field: He’s leaving the Indians organization after 24 years.

Ending weeks of speculation, Shapiro, Cleveland’s president the past five years, announced he was accepting the same position with the Toronto Blue Jays at the end of the of the season. He will replace current Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston, who is retiring.

“The opportunity to steward this organization and go forward, doing that was not one that was unattractive to me. It was one that I enjoyed every single day that I was here,” Shapiro said of his tenure in Cleveland, which began in 1992 as an assistant to baseball operations. “The decision really came down to two things: One, just how compelling and unique the opportunity in Toronto is. I feel like through all professional sports, this is one that fits my skill set and fits what provides fulfillment to me on a daily basis.

“This opportunity for me would be the right challenge at the right time of our lives and of my life. It’s with mixed emotions because of that history here and how I feel about Cleveland, but I am also excited to take on this challenge and this opportunity.”

Team owner Paul Dolan said the team would not immediately look to replace Shapiro, with other front-office members assuming Shapiro’s duties, including Shapiro’s longtime confidante, general manager Chris Antonetti.

“I don’t think we’ll have a replacement per se. Mark’s direct reports will report directly to me; that’s a more traditional baseball alignment anyway,” Dolan said. “There aren’t many teams that have presidents that functioned as Mark did. Internally, we’ll look at it to see if there’s a gap we need to fill, but right now our plan is to move forward as is.

“We are able to do this in part because Mark leaves us with an organization that is widely regarded throughout major league baseball as one of its strongest, which is probably why Toronto wanted Mark. Any strong organization is more than just the person at the top. Mark has assembled and built a very strong leadership team that is very capable of taking this organization forward, which is why I will look to this team to lead the organization going forward.”

Shapiro, 47, served as assistant general manager under John Hart for three years before taking over for Hart following the 2001 season. During Shapiro’s 14-year tenure as GM and then president, the Indians qualified for the postseason twice — 2007 and ’13 — but were unable to bring the franchise its first world championship since 1948.

“As I depart Cleveland, regrets are not a big part of my life,” Shapiro said. “They are not a big part of my vocabulary. That being said, there are plenty of times that I wake up and think about 2007 and how close we were. I think Chris (Antonetti) and I just talked about it the other day. Then you let it go, because you have to move on and move forward. Dwelling on that, unless there is something to learn from that the next time you are there, dwelling on that is completely inefficient and not productive.”

Shapiro admitted Cleveland’s budget constraints presented an obstacle to postseason success, but not one that can’t be overcome.

“The biggest challenge is probably the major league baseball system and how that relates to a market of Cleveland’s size,” he said. “So, it’s no one’s fault, but I think the challenge is not that dynamic. The challenge is to never let that be an excuse. The challenge is to create both a structure, a process for solving those challenges and a group of people who don’t readily fall back and rely on that as a reason why we can’t win championships and be successful.”

Still, the perception is that Shapiro is leaving town for a better-funded opportunity in Toronto.

“While I can understand why that might be the impression from the outside, I can assure you that played very little, if at all, into my decision-making process,” he said. “Every situation has its own challenges.

“(The Blue Jays) play in a division with the Yankees and Red Sox. You can’t look at pure payroll as a driver for the change. It’s an incredibly different place that will allow me to grow and develop. There’s no contrast between Cleveland and Toronto. I love and celebrate Cleveland, and there are things I’m excited to learn and celebrate in Toronto.”

Manager Terry Francona, a longtime friend of Shapiro and Antonetti, confirmed Friday there is an opt-out clause in his contract should Shapiro leave the organization. But Francona also said he would not use it as leverage for a job elsewhere,

“I think Terry has actually spoken directly to that, but I’m very confident that he is happy here and that he looks forward to being the Cleveland Indians manager for a long time,” Dolan said.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @CAwesomeheimer on Twitter.

Visitors and residents enjoyed the 15th Taste of Wadsworth Wednesday night. About 22 food vendors set up tents in the parking lot behind Valley Cafe at High and Broad streets.

Residents eat at tables on Broad Street in downtown Wadsworth Wednesday night, during the 15th annual Taste of Wadsworth. (KATIE ANDERSON / GAZETTE)

Christine Walker, of Wadsworth, feeds a snow cone to her 2-year-old son, Dominic, Wednesday night during the Taste of Wadsworth on Broad Street. (LAWRENCE PANTAGES / GAZETTE)

Diane Morrison, of Norton, cooks up hot dogs and Italian sausage on a grill at the Sassy Dogs’ booth at the Taste of Wadsworth Wednesday night on Broad Street. (KATIE ANDERSON / GAZETTE)

The Medina County OVI Task Force will hold a sobriety checkpoint in Brunswick starting at 10 p.m. in the 1100 block of W. 130th St.

The checkpoint, which is funded by federal grants, is designed to deter and intercept drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs and to raise awareness about the dangers of impaired driving.

“Citizens of our county continue to be injured and killed as a result of impaired drivers on our streets and highways,” said Brunswick police Lt. Brian Ohlin, who serves as the commander of the task force. “OVI checkpoints are designed to not only deter impaired driving, but to proactively remove these dangerous drivers from our roadways.”

Police are required by federal law to announce the time, date and location of checkpoints prior to blocking roads, and checkpoints must be held in places with a history of impaired driving incidents. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled police must warn motorists about sobriety checkpoints in order to avoid violating Fourth Amendment laws forbidding unlawful search and seizure.

ASHLAND, Ky. — A defiant county clerk was sent to jail for contempt Thursday after insisting that her “conscience will not allow” her to follow a federal judge’s orders to issue marriage licenses to gay couples.

“God’s moral law conflicts with my job duties,” Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis told U.S. District Judge David Bunning. “You can’t be separated from something that’s in your heart and in your soul.”

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis listens to a customer following her office’s refusal to issue marriage licenses at the Rowan County Courthouse in Morehead, Ky., Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015. Although her appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied, Davis still refuses to issue marriage licenses. (AP PHOTO)

The judge said she left him with no alternative but to jail her, since fines alone would not change her mind. A federal marshal escorted her, without handcuffs, out of the courtroom.

“Her good faith belief is simply not a viable defense,” Bunning said, noting that allowing an individual’s beliefs to supersede the court’s authority would set a dangerous precedent.

“I myself have genuinely held religious beliefs,” the judge said, but “I took an oath.”

“Mrs. Davis took an oath,” he added. “Oaths mean things.”

Hundreds of people chanted and screamed, “Love won! Love won!” as word reached the dueling crowds outside.

The judge also told all five of the clerk’s deputies, including her son, Nathan Davis, that they are free to issue licenses to all applicants while Davis is held in contempt, but would also face fines or jail if they refuse to comply. He told them to meet with lawyers and consider their fates before returning to his courtroom later Thursday to reveal their decisions.

Davis is being represented by the Liberty Counsel, an organization that advocates in court for religious freedoms. Her lawyer argued that the deputy clerks cannot issue licenses against Davis’ authority, but the judge overruled this objection.

Before she was led away, Davis explained that the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June that legalized gay marriage nationwide conflicts with the vows she made when she became a born-again Christian.

“I promised to love Him with all my heart, mind and soul because I wanted to make heaven my home,” Davis said during about 20 minutes of emotional testimony. She described how she became a Christian and said she is unable to believe anything else.

April Miller, who has been denied a marriage license four times since the high court’s ruling, testified that she voted for Kim Davis last year and has no desire to change the clerk’s personal beliefs. She simply wants to be treated equally in the community where she lives, she said. One of Davis’ deputies told her to apply in a different county, but “that’s kind of like saying we don’t want gays or lesbians here. We don’t think you are valuable,” she said.

Outside, demonstrators shouted, sang and waved signs. A small plane flew overhead, displaying a “Stand Firm Kim” banner.

Davis, an Apostolic Christian whose critics mock her for being on her fourth marriage, stopped issuing licenses to all couples after the Supreme Court ruling, and the courts have consistently ruled against her since then. But many supporters have rallied around her, including Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who called her personally the day before.

“People are calling the office all the time asking to send money,” she testified. “I myself have not solicited any money.”

Davis said she hopes the Legislature will change Kentucky laws to find some way for her to keep her job while following her conscience. But unless the governor convenes a costly special session, they won’t meet until next year. “Hopefully our legislature will get something taken care of,” Davis told the judge.

Until then, the judge said, he has no alternative but to keep her behind bars as long as she refuses to follow the law.

“The legislative and executive branches do have the ability to make changes,” Bunning said. “It’s not this court’s job to make changes. I don’t write law.”

Davis served as her mother’s deputy in the clerk’s office for 27 years before she was elected as a Democrat to succeed her mother in November. As an elected official, she can be removed only if the Legislature impeaches her, which is unlikely in a deeply conservative state.

Judge Bunning is the son of Jim Bunning, the Hall of Fame pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies who served two terms as Kentucky’s junior U.S. Senator. Former Republican President George W. Bush nominated David Bunning for a lifetime position as a federal judge in 2001 when he was just 35 years old, halfway through his dad’s first term in the Senate.

But Bunning has been anything but a sure thing for conservative causes, ruling in 2007 to overturn a partial-birth abortion ban, and in 2003 to allow a Gay-Straight Alliance to meet on their high school campus.

ELYRIA — Mosquitoes have come back positive for West Nile virus, the city’s director of environmental health.

From mid-July to mid-August, mosquito samples were taken from both the north and south sides of the city and sent to Columbus for testing for the disease. Results were positive on multiple samples, said Dave Oakes, Elyria’s director of environmental health.

“Positives results are inevitable each season,” he said. “It’s been that ways since at least 2002. The virus is basically endemic meaning we will have it in some form or degree every year. We just want people to be aware, be cautious and do what they can to protect themselves.”

There have been no reported cases of human West Nile virus in Elyria.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, there have been eight reported cases of human West Nile virus in Ohio this year in six counties, including a reported case in Lorain County.

Other cases are in Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas and Williams counties.

In recent years, Ohio reported 11 human cases in 2014, 24 in 2013 and 122 in 2012, according to state statistics. So far, the only reported death is that of a 91-year-old Williams County man who died last month after being hospitalized with encephalitis, an acute infection and inflammation of the brain.

West Nile is spread by mosquitoes and usually is not serious. About 80 percent of people infected don’t show symptoms — which include fever, nausea and vomiting — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This time of the year, the risk of West Nile virus infection increases, and individuals should take reasonable precautions to avoid mosquito bites and eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites, said Dr. Mary DiOrio, the state’s medial director.

Tips to avoid mosquito bites include:

• Wear EPA registered repellants and follow label instructions
• Wear long, loose, light colored clothing
• Install or repair screens on windows and doors

Reduce mosquito breeding around your home by:

• Eliminating standing water areas
• Cleaning gutters, emptying buckets, birdfeeders, kiddie pools, pool covers and other items that hold water when not in use

SOURCE: Elyria Health District

A driver lost control of her 2006 Honda Civic on Tuesday morning and crashed through the front window of a Medina business, according to police reports.

The woman, 75, was attempting to park outside Vicarious Vapors, an electronic cigarette store in a plaza at 435 W. Liberty St., at about 11:15 a.m. when she pressed on the brakes. She reportedly said she didn’t feel the brakes working and panicked, pressing on the accelerator instead.

The storefront of Vicarious Vapors at
435 W. Liberty St. in Medina was damaged Tuesday when a Honda Civic crashed into it. (NIKKI RHOADES / GAZETTE)

Her vehicle sped through the front glass window of the store and crashed into a couch inside, where an employee was seated. No one was injured.

On Thursday, store owner Ron Davis told The Gazette he saw the crash.

“I was sitting here talking to one of my employees,” he said. “Suddenly, I heard the loud screech and bark of tires against cement, and by the time I looked outside, a car came crashing through our window.”

Though the storefront was extensively damaged, Vicarious Vapors remains open.

“We’re still here, and we’re still open,” Davis said. “People see that we are boarded up and assume we’re closed, but the accident did not damage anything in the store.”

Davis said he’s uncertain how long it could take to complete repairs to the storefront. Contractors are searching for a new window and for matching bricks and foundation.

No charges have been filed in the crash.

Reporter Nick Glunt contributed to this report.

Renovations are underway at the Medina County Home on Wedgewood Road in Lafayette Township and should be complete for this year’s Fall Foliage Tour in October. (LOREN GENSON / GAZETTE)

Renovations are under way at the Medina County Home to improve the building for the 46 residents and to get it groomed for this year’s Fall Foliage Tour next month.

The $22,240 in renovations, included in this year’s annual budget, include the porches, steps, dining room and some resident rooms

The county home, at 6144 Wedgewood Road in Lafayette Township, is supported by a 0.2-mill levy and its annual budget is approved by county commissioners. The first levy was approved in 2002 and the most recent levy was approved in 2011.

Other renovations are being completed thanks to a donation from Home Depot: a paint job, window treatments and lighting in the dining room.

Amy Perrine, a social worker at the home, said Home Depot selected the county home, in part, because veterans live there.

“We have a number of residents who are veterans and that’s part of the reason we were selected,” Perrine said.

Other work includes removing old wallpaper in common sitting areas, improving the steps and replacing a beam in a historic barn on the property.

The renovations include an outdoor rock garden and enclosure for peafowl that was constructed by Boy Scouts. Residents hope fall foliage visitors stop by to catch a view of Peacock Jake and Peahen Cokie, pets who are cared for by residents year-around.

Perrine said the work on the home was a necessary and the county works to make sure the rooms are well-maintained while preserving a home-like environment.

“We want it to be nice, and we want it to feel like home because it is a home,” she said.

The Medina County Home was founded in 1854 but the original building was destroyed by a fire. It was rebuilt in 1861. At the time it was founded, each of Ohio’s 88 counties was required to maintain county infirmaries to house the poor, the sick and mentally ill who had nowhere else to live. The Medina County Home is still bears the name “Infirmary” over its main entrance.

Today, there are only 22 county homes in existence and half have been converted to nursing facilities supported by Medicare and Medicaid.

The Medina County Home is one of only 11 county homes in Ohio that continues to operate as an independent facility offering custodial care with payment options based on income. The home does not offer nursing home-type care, and all residents must be mobile and able to live with minimal assistance. There is a nursing staff on site 24 hours a day to dispense medication and assist with any health problems.

Work on the home should be completed in time for the foliage tour Oct. 10 and 11.

“We really want people to stop by and visit the home and see how your tax dollars are being spent,” said Joyce Giles, director of the county home. “We’re proud of how we treat our residents and we’re always open to share our story with the public.”

The Wadsworth City Council is considering eliminating a law that bans firearms in city parks because of a possible contradiction with a state law allowing guns in public parks.

Wadsworth Law Director Norman Brague raised the issue at Council’s Committee-of-the-Whole meeting Tuesday.

“I think we’re stuck with this decision,” Council President Tom Palecek told The Gazette on Tuesday. “I don’t know how we’re going to fight it.

“How would we take on the cost of litigation? Because if someone gets arrested, we could get sued,” he said.

The city law, initially passed in 1977, banned firearms with the exception of concealed-carry weapons belonging to people with a CCW license. It also bans the possession of air guns, bows and arrows and slingshots in public parks.

The local gun prohibitions, Brague said, are in contradiction with section 9.68 of the Ohio Revised Code, established in March 2007, that allows guns in public parks.

Although the city’s ordinance banning firearms has been in contradiction to the state law, Brague said the city hasn’t had any problems come up so far because “police have not been enforcing it.”

“The police know not to do that, but it would be a problem if they did make arrests,” he said.

It was a problem for the city of Cleveland back in 2010, Brague said, when the city “tried to argue that under their ‘Home Rule’ they should be able to abide by their own ordinance, which was in violation of the state law.”

“The Supreme Court of Ohio ruled against Cleveland in December of 2010,” Brague said.

The city of Oberlin in Lorain County dealt with a similar issue in 2013. The city revised a law banning guns in parks after Ohioans for Concealed Carry, a grassroots group that celebrates the right to openly carry weapons, challenged the local ordinance.

The Wadsworth Council put a new ordinance, which would allow firearms in city parks, on a second reading Tuesday night.

“At the next meeting, they could either suspend a third reading and vote or move it to a third reading,” Brague said.

If the Council chooses to move forward with the new ordinance, part of the former one would remain, because it also prohibits bows and arrows, slingshots and air guns in city parks, which is not in violation of state law, Brague said.

Tom James, director of the Medina County Park District, said that prior to the 2007 state law, “firearms were not permitted on park properties,” but now, they are permitted.

“All agencies have to abide by state law,” he said.

A crowd of more than 60 people from across Ohio gathered Wednesday outside the Athletic Club in Columbus, where Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted gave a keynote address during the Metropolitan Club Luncheon. (PHOTO PROVIDED)

Dozens of people from across Ohio protested for hours Wednesday outside the Athletic Club, Columbus, where Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted gave a keynote address during the Metropolitan Club Luncheon.

A group called the Ohio Community Rights Network, OHCRN, sponsored the protest, which was directed at Husted’s recent decision to remove multiple county charters from the Nov. 4 ballot.

“If he’s saying we’re never allowed to propose an initiative that violates state law, that could pose all kinds of problems for our future,” Tish O’Dell, OHCRN state coordinator, told The Gazette on Wednesday. “Especially, if it’s corporations and big money getting laws passed that we can’t ever challenge.”

The OHCRN helped the group called Sustainable Medina County put a county charter issue on the ballot. The charter would put restrictions on oil and gas projects within county lines.

However, Husted threw out the Medina ballot issue along with two others, saying they were “in violation of the Ohio Constitution,” in a ruling two weeks ago. The other counties that had proposals slated for voters to decide were in Fulton and Athens counties.

“The issue of whether local communities can get around state laws on fracking has already been litigated,” Husted said in a statement at the time of the ruling. “Allowing these proposals to proceed will only serve a false promise that wastes taxpayer’s time and money and will eventually end in sending the charters to certain death in the courts.”

O’Dell said the protest, which began at 11 a.m. at 136 E. Broad Street, drew residents from Fulton, Williams, Athens, Franklin, Portage and Medina counties. People brought signs and banners criticizing Husted’s decision.

Protester Kathie Jones, founder of Sustainable Medina County, was inside the building during Husted’s speech.

“You could hear their chanting from inside the building,” Jones, of Sharon Township, told The Gazette on Thursday.

She said Husted was taking people’s questions by card and only answered one question in relation to the county charters, which was why he took them off the ballot.

“He claimed that the content of the initiatives are illegal, and therefore cannot be on the ballot” Jones said in a news release that was issued Thursday by the OHCRN. “Yet, he does not hesitate to place Issues 2 and 3 on the ballot — initiatives to legalize marijuana, which violate federal law. This is nothing less than hypocrisy.”

Husted responded to questions about the protest Wednesday, saying his decision was “fully rooted in Ohio law.”

Husted spokesman Josh Eck relayed by email a statement from Husted: “Having carefully reviewed the law, court decisions and the materials submitted in connection with the protests, it is clear that the charter petitions violate provisions of both constitutional and Ohio law.”

Eck told The Gazette on Thursday that “Husted will stand by his decision.”

Asked to elaborate on Husted’s comments about the protesters, Eck said Husted had nothing to add, and referred The Gazette to a statement he made to the Associated Press on Wednesday.

“There were a handful of people standing outside,” Eck said. “His speech was in no way about the county charters. It was about the statewide Issues 1, 2 and 3 that will be on the November ballot.”

Later in the day, the protesters moved to outside the Ohio Supreme Court, a venue where Sustainable Medina County and residents from other counties in Ohio are suing Husted. They filed the lawsuit two weeks ago in an attempt to get the county charters back on the ballot.

“We want the justices to be aware that the people care and are paying attention and they should follow the Constitution,” O’Dell said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

WESTFIELD TWP. — There’s a very good chance Cloverleaf’s Brad Lepin has locked away the memory of his first goal on the varsity squad.

The freshman’s score Thursday wasn’t just the game-winner in a 2-0 Portage Trail Conference Metro Division victory over Norton, it was the highlight of the Colts’ first PTC triumph.

Cloverleaf’s Donny Daniels goes up for a header against Norton’s John Herman during the first half. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

“I’ll probably remember that goal my whole life,” Lepin said. “It was my first varsity goal and it was a game-winner. It pushed the team because we knew we had the advantage. It meant a lot to me.”

The goal didn’t just snap a scoreless tie, it opened a game that had been nip-and-tuck. It came when Lepin took the ball off the wall and beat Devin Weisbarth to the lower left corner with 34:34 left in the second half.

It was the goal that gave Cloverleaf (2-2, 1-1) its first multiple-win season since 2012 as the Colts stymied a Panthers squad that had recorded three shutouts.

Cam Markeson scored the other goal for Cloverleaf on an assist from Owen Stankiewicz.

“We started off a little flat,” Colts coach Zach Scisciani said. “We were trying something new. It was on a whim. But then we switched it up and everything smoothed out.

“It means a lot to these boys to not only get a win, but a league win. That’s key. We can build a lot from this. It’ll only build their confidence more. They can learn a lot from it.”

The whim Scisciani was referring to had Ryan Gall playing midfielder to start the game. While the senior forced the action, it left Norton’s Andrew Crowder and Ryan Knight with some breakaway chances.

Knight came up empty twice on one-on-one chances against keeper Brennan McCular, but it looked like Norton (3-2, 1-1) was going to eventually figure out the Cloverleaf defense.

Gall moved to the center back position with 22 minutes left in the first half and the Panthers offense all but disappeared.

If not for a shot by Crowder with 2:29 remaining, Norton would have been held without a shot on frame for the final 62 minutes, as Tristan Tierney, Eric Van Meter, Kenny Jenkins and Sam Hastings joined Gall as a virtual brick wall.

“I love playing defense because I love getting shutouts,” Gall said. “It’s my favorite. I think our defense did really well. We had a few sloppy moments, but we recovered. Our team was there for us. We have trust in our back four.”

With two shutouts and a team that looks like it knows how to win, the Colts aren’t just satisfied with playing well anymore.

“I think we have tons of momentum,” Gall said. “We got our first win in years (when the Colts beat Keystone 5-0 to open the season). Two games later, we grabbed another win. We have the ability to win. We know how to work together to get that ‘W.’”

Note

The girls varsity game was supposed to take place before the boys game, but lightning caused a postponement. It’s tentatively slated to be made up Oct. 15 at Norton.

Contact Brad Bournival at sports@medina-gazette.com.

Cloverleaf 2, Norton 0
NORTON 0 0 — 0
CLOVERLEAF 0 2 — 2
Second
C — Brad Lepin, 34:34.
C — Cam Markeson (Owen Stankiewic), 23:36.
Shots — Cloverleaf 5, Norton 4. Corner kicks — Norton 2, Cloverleaf 3. Saves — Devin Weisbarth (N) 3, Brennan McCular (C) 4. Records — Cloverleaf (2-2, 1-1), Norton (3-2, 1-1).

Jimmy Daw’s going to be Jimmy Daw whether he’s Jimmy Daw the standout running back or Jimmy Daw the regular ol’ high school student.

Medina football coach Dan Sutherland wouldn’t want his junior captain any other way.

(RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Standing 6-foot-4 and checking in at 200 pounds with a frame to carry more, Daw is the lone returning skill position player for a Bees team that, by most accounts, is on the rise.

Bump into him on the street, however, and the average Joe wouldn’t guess that from Daw’s demeanor, although his athletic physique offers a hint.

“I always make a joke that if Jimmy Daw runs for 300 yards, he’s the exact same if he rushes for 0 yards,” Sutherland said. “I’ve seen Jimmy Daw come off the field after a 90-yard touchdown run and I’d say, ‘Great job, Jimmy,’ and he’d say, ‘Thanks, Coach.’ He’s even-keeled all the time, and that helps him. He never gets too high, he never gets too low. He just works hard.”

Daw fits the mold of an old-school soul with a new-school build, as running backs traditionally aren’t tall and long-legged. He looks more like a college tight end prospect — that’s what happened to 6-3, 230 Highland all-time leading rusher Chris Snook when he went to West Virginia six years ago — but Bowling Green State University offered Daw a scholarship, which remains on the table, to play running back.

Daw rushing for 805 yards and 12 touchdowns in nine starts as a sophomore didn’t look like much to the average fan, but Division I coaches took notice because the Bees played five playoff teams and two other opponents with winning records.

A 205-yard effort with a pair of breakaway touchdowns last week in a 56-13 win against Lakewood certainly didn’t hurt.

“It was an awesome experience for me,” Daw said of starting as a sophomore and seeing some part-time duty as a freshman. “To be in the program for three years has taught me a lot of things — to be tough and to be a leader on this team.

“Now I’m the big gun, so everyone’s smaller than me. I’m turning into what the other guys were when I was a freshman, basically.”

Daw is the most hyped member of a hyped junior class that has given Medina hope for its first winning season since the magical playoff run of 2010. Claggett Middle School never lost a game with Daw in the backfield, and A.I. Root went 14-2. It’s not hard to figure out which team Root lost to each season.

Daw is far from the only class of 2017 standout, as Ryan Seabrook (DL), Nick Pankow (LB), Chris Fryer (OL) and Garrett Grandis (OL) also started last season. One of the varsity newcomers, quarterback John Curtis, threw three TDs in his first start last week and another, Jonathan Lally, recovered a fumble.

Opposing defensive coordinators, though, zero in on Daw first, which is one of the reasons the Bees switched to a spread offense with four receivers. With no more than eight players in the box these days, Daw can set up defenders more easily before cutting downhill and using his 4.5-second speed in the 40-yard dash.

Vision is what impresses Sutherland most, as Daw uses intelligence to offset his natural inability to hide behind offensive linemen like smaller backs. He’ll carry defenders for extra yardage and catch passes, too — he had 26 grabs and three TDs last season — making him a true every-down back.

Jimmy Daw

“One thing he does better than most backs at the high school level is his vision is fantastic,” Sutherland said. “I don’t know if it’s just an innate ability or he’s been playing running back so long he’s learned how to play the position. It’s a natural feel for him.”

Daw already is inching his way up Medina’s record books. With 1,126 career rushing yards, he needs to average 115.7 over the next 19 games to break the school record of 3,322 set by Medina County Sports Hall of Famer Dean “Mighty Mite” Brubaker in the late 1940s. This, of course, is assuming the Bees don’t make the playoffs and Daw remains healthy.

Statistics really aren’t much of a concern to Daw. Putting the Bees on the map within Northeast Ohio circles — something that hasn’t happened in consecutive years since the late 1990s — is far more important.

“We’re just trying to stay confident and not get too cocky,” Daw said. “We’re coming into this week with the mentality that we’re going to win. We’ve just got to stay focused, follow techniques and we’ll be good.”

Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.

Wadsworth’s Aaron Wolf, left, strips the ball from Wooster’s Trey-Quan Mathis as Luke Clinton closes in from the right and recovers the fumble during the first quarter. (RON SCHWANE / GAZETTE)

Brad Bournival

The Gazette

WADSWORTH — Playing without first-team All-Ohio running back Daniel Weinerman, the Wadsworth football team came out and played Looser in the first half.

Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, they needed a whole lot more than Zach Looser in a 35-14 non-conference loss to Wooster on Friday.

The Generals (2-0) trailed by seven points at halftime, but scored 28 unanswered during a second half Wadsworth (0-2) would rather forget.

The third quarter in particular was a demonstration of disappointment, as the Grizzlies lost two fumbles in a 12-minute stretch where they only gained 9 yards on five plays.

By the time the quarter was over, the defense was gassed and Wooster was up 21-14 and rolling.

“We just made mistakes,” Wadsworth coach Greg Dennison said. “You can’t do that. We’re not at the point where we can make any mistakes. They just got more physical up front.”

The Grizzlies left their defense on the field for more than nine minutes in the third quarter. Those in attendance at Art Wright Memorial Stadium could see the writing on the wall as an exhausted Wadsworth line couldn’t find enough oxygen to keep up with the Generals.

“It’s rough when we have to stay out there, but we have to fight through it mentally,” Grizzlies two-way lineman Chris Byers said. “We work on that in practice all week. The coaches help us fight, but we have to work through it.

“The third quarter definitely hurt us. Some guys started getting down on themselves, but you have to make up for it on the next couple of plays. You can’t just stand there. You can’t just stay down in the dumps.”

For the better part of 2½ quarters, Wooster quarterback Peyton Bennington (8-for-16, 115 yards, 3 TDs) kept the Generals in the game with his arm.

When Wadsworth went back on its heels in the second half, running back Trey-Quan Mathis took over. Limited to 51 yards on 13 carries in the first half, the sophomore finished with 193 yards on 32 carries and two touchdowns.

The highlight came on a second-and-7 play in the fourth quarter where it looked like the 5-foot-10, 210-pounder was stuffed by a sea of Grizzlies behind the line of scrimmage. He spun to the outside, and suddenly it was 28-14 Wooster with 7:40 remaining after a 49-yard touchdown jaunt.

There were some answers for Wadsworth in the first half, as Looser tallied 109 of his 130 yards and scored a touchdown in place of Weinerman.

Alex Jones (6 carries, 29 yards) also had a touchdown that had momentum going toward Wadsworth, but the Grizzlies picked up just one first down and gained 55 yards after intermission.

“We have to get a little more conditioned in the second half,” Looser said. “We looked a little dead. We have to be able run the ball. If we don’t, we just don’t work like that.”

As for Weinerman, Dennison said the team will see how he improves from a concussion and reevaluate him Monday.

“He’s an All-Ohio player, so I’m sure it impacted us some,” Dennison said. “(Looser) played well, but we need to do a lot of things better.

“Offensively, we couldn’t do anything in the second half. We have to go to work on that and get a lot better at it. When we put our defense out there that long, good things aren’t going to happen.”

Contact Brad Bournival at sports@medina-gazette.com.

Wooster 35, Wadsworth 14

WOOSTER                                0 7 14 14 — 35

WADSWORTH                         7 7  0    0  — 14

First

Wa — Zach Looser 26 run (Cameron Mendel kick), 4:36.

Second

Wo — Colt Morgan 52 pass from Peyton Bennington (William Snyder kick), 8:48.

Wa — Alex Jones 5 run (Mendel kick), 5:45.

Third

Wo — Eddie Rooney 18 pass from Bennington (Snyder kick), 6:28.

Wo — Calvin Blair 10 pass from Bennington (Snyder), 4:06.

Fourth

Wo — Trey-Quan Mathis 49 run (Snyder kick), 7:40.

Wo — Mathis 3 run (Snyder kick), 0:12.

Brunswick quarterback Nick Horton looks to throw during the first half of the Blue Devils game against Austintown Fitch. Photo by Aaron Josefczyk

Rick Noland

The Gazette

BRUNSWICK — Right now, the flexbone is fractured.

The Brunswick football team’s revamped offense repeatedly shot itself in the foot Friday night, resulting in a 20-9 non-league loss to Austintown Fitch, which did its best to try to turn a certain win into a defeat.

As a result, the Blue Devils find themselves 0-2 for the first time since 2004, while the Falcons evened their mark at 1-1.

“It’s the same battle we fought last week (in a 17-7 loss to Highland),” Brunswick coach Luke Beal said. “We’re just not finishing drives. There were just really sloppy execution errors. There were things that were there and we found ways to self-destruct. We can’t continue to beat ourselves.”

The Blue Devils fumbled five times, losing three, and threw an interception. They also had fourth-quarter drives that started on the Fitch 20- and 15-yard lines and got as far as the 14 on another, but came away with zero points on those possessions.

“In this offense, you’re going to have miscues, but we put the ball on the ground in really bad ways,” Beal said. “We just dropped the ball too many times.”

For all its struggles, Brunswick could have stolen a victory, and the Falcons helped make that possible.

After a 13-yard touchdown pass from Ben Nishimura to Earl Scott, a 7-yard TD run by Nishimura and two short field goals by Dylan Correia, Fitch was up 20-0 with 8:01 to play in the third period and in total control.

Brunswick, which had just 68 yards total offense and no drives that featured more than one first down in the first half, then put together its best march of the game, going 70 yards in 15 plays to make it 20-7 on quarterback Nick Horton’s 1-yard plunge with 2:10 left in the third.

Then things got really interesting.

The Falcons, who used three quarterbacks, took over on their own 25 and went 20 yards backward on three plays. Brunswick’s Seth Clark returned a short punt 17 yards to the Fitch 20, but Horton was sacked on fourth-and-8 from the 18.

Defensive end Sam Sottosanti recovered a fumble to give the ball back to Brunswick at the Fitch 15 and the Blue Devils eventually had first-and-goal from the 5, but they lost 2 yards on four plays.

A snap over the head of Wildcat quarterback Jaylon Sanders resulted in a safety that made it 20-9 with 5:23 left in the game, with Brunswick taking over at its own 37 after the ensuing free kick.

A 38-yard pass from Horton (6-for-17, 96 yards, int.) to Jacob Marlin (5 catches, 87 yards) and another first down put the Blue Devils on the Fitch 14, but Horton fumbled away the ball on second down.

“We’re going to keep plugging away,” Beal said. “We’re confident in what we’re doing. We just have to get better at what we’re doing.”

The positive for the Blue Devils, who host Brecksville in Week 3, is that their defense played much better in the second half.

Fitch rolled up 184 yards and 12 first downs in the first half, but didn’t move the chains in the second half until 2:38 remained in the game.

Dean Ramicone deflected a punt and had a tackle for loss for Brunswick, with Jordan Parrish also making a tackle behind the line of scrimmage.

“Our defense settled down in the second half,” Beal said. “We were just too soft in the first half.”

Offensively, Brunswick had nine first downs in the second half to match Fitch with 14 for the game, but the Blue Devils’ only had one rushing attempt go for more than 9 yards while finishing with 70 yards on 48 carries (1.5-yard average).

Horton, who carried the ball 25 times for 33 yards, was the team’s leading rusher as Brunswick finished with 166 yards total offense.

“(The flexbone) has big-play potential,” Beal said. “It’s there. We just haven’t been able to get those plays.”

Notes

Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @RickNoland on Twitter.

Fitch 30, Brunswick 28

FITCH                                           7 10 3 0 — 20

BRUNSWICK                             0 0 7 2 —    9

First

F — Earl Scott 13 pass from Ben Nishimura (Dylan Correia kick), 3:42.

Second

F — Nishimura 7 run (Correia kick), 9:05.

F — Correia 21 field goal, 5:25.

Third

F — Correia 30 field goal, 8:01.

B — Nick Horton 1 run (Nick Demonte kick), 2:10.

Fourth

B — Jaylon Sanders recovers fumble in end zone, 5:23.

Dan Gilles

The Gazette

LAGRANGE — Sophomore kicker Travis Hissom missed Cloverleaf’s season opener with a concussion.

He didn’t take long Friday night to show how much of a difference his leg can make.

Hissom converted 26-yard field goals in the first and fourth quarters. Then, in overtime, facing fourth down, Colts head coach Justin Vorhies didn’t hesitate to call Hissom’s number one more time.

Hissom snuck through a 29-yard field goal, giving the Colts a hard-fought 9-6 non-conference win over Keystone that snapped an 18-game losing streak.

“It feels pretty good to come through like that,” Hissom said. “I’m glad I was able to come through for the seniors this year. They helped me through it. It was fun and awesome.

The game almost didn’t even need overtime.

With the Colts (1-1) clinging to a 6-0 lead with one second remaining, Keystone converted fourth-and-goal from 22 yards. Junior quarterback Trey Minnich lofted a Hail Mary pass to senior Austin Conrad in the left corner of the end zone, and the 6-foot-3 Ohio University recruit jumped over two defenders for a game-tying touchdown.

But, after an offside penalty on the extra point attempt, Keystone (0-2) elected to go for a two-point conversion. Conrad was stuffed for no gain, sending the game into overtime.

“It tested our resolve and tested (Keystone’s) resolve,” Vorhies said. “We could have hung our heads after giving up that touchdown, but to our kids’ credit, they responded.

“It’s nice having Travis Hissom. We didn’t have him last week due to an injury, but having him back was huge. When you can get points on a drive, no matter what kind of points they are, it’s big. Even though it’s not a touchdown, it’s good enough sometimes. Tonight it proved that way.”

The Colts capped a marathon 16-play, 63-yard drive with Hissom’s second field goal with 4:08 remaining.

Nick Soika’s clutch breakup of a pass intended for Conrad on fourth-and-13 from the Colts 36 with 1:54 left seemed to clinch the win for Cloverleaf. But a fumbled exchange from quarterback Russel Gretsinger to Tate Surrarrer was recovered by the Wildcats on the 36 with 1:48 remaining, setting the stage for a wild finish.

Keystone moved the ball to the 10 on two completions and a 7-yard run from Conrad, but the Wildcats started to move backward. Soika sacked Minnich for a loss of 6, Minnich gained 3 on second down and an illegal forward pass set up fourth-and-goal from the 17 with one second remaining.

Keystone false-started on the fourth-down play and Cloverleaf celebrated like it had won the game. However, it was a dead-ball foul, giving the Wildcats possession on the 22 with one second remaining. This time, Minnich dropped back, rolled to his left and lofted a pass into the end zone for Conrad, who caught the ball for the stunning touchdown.

“Austin Conrad is a D-I player who made a D-I play,” Vorhies said. “He’s a heck of a player. When the chips are on the table, you throw it up to your best guy. They did, and give them credit. He made a heck of a play. We had two guys on him, so it’s not like we blew coverage. He just made a tremendous play.”

Keystone got the ball first in overtime and the Colts proceeded to march them backward 16 yards in four plays thanks to two sacks and two incomplete passes. The Colts moved the ball to the 13 before Surrarrer was stopped for no gain on third-and-3, setting the stage for Hissom.

“I wasn’t that nervous thanks to all the reps in practice that I had to do,” Hissom said. “I just approached it like it was practice and it counted.”

Hissom’s first field goal, which capped Cloverleaf’s opening possession following an onside kick recovery by Tyler Placek, was from 26 yards and barely cleared the crossbar. The Colts drove 37 yards on 12 plays to take a 3-0 lead that stood up for three quarters.

Keystone had one scoring chance before Conrad’s touchdown, but Kyle Diederich missed a 21-yard field goal wide right with 7:21 remaining in the first half.

“It was a whale of a ballgame,” Keystone coach Rob Clarico said.

Contact Dan Gilles at sports@medina-gazette.com.

Cloverleaf 9, Keystone 6 (OT)

CLOVERLEAF                            3 0 0 3 3 — 9

KEYSTONE                                0 0 0 6 0 — 6

First

C — Travis Hissom 26 field goal

Fourth

C — Hissom 26 field goal

K — Austin Conrad 22 pass from Trey Minnnich (run failed).

Overtime

C — Hissom 29 field goal.

Chad Grant

The Gazette

CHAGRIN FALLS — The new-look Medina football squad looked to build on a blowout win over Lakewood when it traveled to Kenston on Friday night.

Everything was going the Bees’ way for 3½ quarters, but things fell apart as the Bombers scored 21 unanswered points for a 27-24 win.

When John Curtis (12-for-26 passing, 150 yards, TD, 2 int.; 15 carries, 71 yards) hit Collin Winters for a 76-yard TD early in the third quarter, it appeared the Bees (1-1) had landed the knockout blow.

Kenston (1-1) responded quickly with a three-play, 66-yard drive capped by James Thigpen’s 13-yard run.

“Our team just kept battling,” Kenston coach Jeff Grubich said. “Medina is a good football team, and so are we. We’ve got a lot of young guys on our team and for a lot of them this is their second start and you could see it. They finally got a little comfortable and had some success and gained some confidence.”

The teams traded punts and Medina again was ready to shut the door when safety Nick Hoptry intercepted Parker Gdula (21-for-46, 226 yards; 13 carries, 91 yards) at the Medina 10-yard line.

“He’s a good quarterback,” Medina coach Dan Sutherland said of Gdula. “He’s a three-year starter and he doesn’t get rattled. We got to him early, but it comes down to we didn’t make plays in the fourth quarter and we didn’t execute at the end of the game.”

A 14-play, 74-yard drive that ate 5:26 off the clock came up empty when Tyler Vogrin’s 33-yard field goal went wide left.

The Kenston offense took control from there.

The Bombers reeled off a ridiculous 17-play, 80-yard drive that took just 3:01 and culminated with a 14-yard run from Thigpen (159 yards total offense, 2 TDs). Kenston converted four third downs and a pair of fourth downs on the drive.

“We couldn’t get off on third down,” Sutherland said. “In that fourth quarter, there must have been six or seven third-and-forevers. Credit to Kenston. In the fourth quarter they made plays and we didn’t.”

With Medina clinging to a 24-19 lead and 8:05 to play, a clock-eating drive was all the Bees needed.

Instead, a first-down holding penalty put the ball behind the chains. Curtis’ third-and-14 pass fell incomplete and the Bombers were ready to take the field against a worn-out Medina defense.

Jimmy Daw’s punt rolled dead at the Medina 49 and Kenston set up shop.

“Maybe they were tired,” Sutherland said. “But that’s not an excuse for this program anymore. We don’t use that as an excuse. We didn’t make plays. Kenston made plays, and that’s the bottom line.”

It was all Gdula and Thigpen, as the nine-play drive gave the Bombers their first lead since they were up 6-3 with 10:12 left in the first half.

Branson Stanley somehow got his feet down on a great sideline grab in the end zone to cap the drive on a 10-yard pass from Gdula. Thigpen came up big again when he dove into the corner of the end zone for the two-point conversion.

Medina had one more chance with 4:35 left. The Bees drove to midfield before Curtis’ fourth-down pass sailed above his intended receiver and was picked off by Payton Hulsinger at the Kenston 30-yard line.

Gdula delivered the dagger when he raced for 51 yards on third-and-11 from his own 5-yard line.

Lost in the Medina defeat were a solid effort from Daw (88 yards rushing, TD) and a highlight reel 35-yard button-mashing touchdown run from Dylan Fultz that gave the Bees a 17-6 lead.

Daw also had a 96-yard touchdown called back for holding on a third-and-15 draw.

Contact Chad Grant at sports@medina-gazette.com.

Kenston 27, Medina 24

MEDINA                                     3 14 7 0  — 24

KENSTON                                 3 3  6 15 — 27

First

M — Tyler Vogrin 23 field goal, 6:40.

K — Ryan Toft 21 field goal, 1:05.

Second

K — Toft 25 field goal, 10:12.

M — Jimmy Daw 8 run (Vogrin kick), 5:49.

M — Dylan Fultz 35 run (Vogrin kick), 4:21.

Third

M — Collin Winters 76 pass from John Curtis (Vogrin kick), 11:22.

K — James Thigpen 13 run (run failed), 10:31.

Fourth

K — Thigpen 14 run (Toft kick), 8:05.

K — Brandon Stanley 10 pass from Parker Gdula (Thigpen run), 4:35.

Chris Freeman

The Gazette

ASHLAND — It was a night where big plays ruled.

Ashland’s football team scored on a 79-yard run and 51-yard interception return and forced six Highland turnovers in a 41-7 non-league victory Friday.

As odd as it sounds, the first half was much closer. The Hornets (1-1) controlled the ball for 18 minutes, converted 6-of-10 third downs and put together a 79-yard scoring drive. Still, the Arrows (2-0) took a 21-7 lead into the locker room.

Once Ashland tacked on another score in the third quarter, Highland was forced to come out of its shell and the Arrows’ defense took advantage. Ashland picked off Highland quarterback Tyler Zelinski three times in the half, returning one for a score, and picked up a fumble recovery as the running clock began to tick away.

“It’s one game,” Highland coach Mike Gibbons said. “We did not play well tonight. Too many turnovers offensively, and we gave up too many big plays on defense. We didn’t come out ready to go.”

On the first series of the game, the Hornets looked to have scored on a 60-yard pass-and-run from Zelinski to Jake Mall, but the play was called back on a pass interference call on the Hornets. On the next play, Manny Dela Cerna carried left and fumbled, with Nivlek Lewis recovering at the Highland 20.

Three plays later Grant Denbow hit Bryke Williams in the left flat and Williams raced around end, diving into the end zone for a 12-yard score.

Highland answered right back, going 79 yards in 13 plays and converting four third downs. Zelinski found Joe Wiencek on a curl between two defenders and Wiencek fell into the end zone for a 9-yard TD.

After the kickoff, Lonzo Dampier took the first carry around the right side, got a key seal block from Nick Bernhard and raced down the sideline 79 yards to give the Arrows the lead.

“We weren’t happy, but we were able to move the ball,” Gibbons said. “We had a drive that stalled, missed a field goal, things we can’t have. We have to be able to take advantage of the situations when we can.”

Highland used an interception from Ethan Suran to turn the field position in the second quarter and drove to the Ashland 33 before Zelinski was picked off by Alex Brinkman, who returned it all the way to the Hornets 36.

Three plays later, Denbow lofted a pass to the right corner of the end zone. Manny Langston jumped for the ball with Dela Cerna turned around. Both players appeared to grab the ball but Langston outfought Dela Cerna for the 26-yard score.

The Hornets marched from their own 36 inside the Ashland 10 with 30 seconds left in the first half. The drive got a hand from two Ashland pass interference penalties, but stalled and Charles Howe missed on a 27-yard field goal attempt.

“We’ve been down 14 at halftime, and more, and won, so we told them we’ve got to play all four quarters,” Ashland coach Scott Valentine said. “They’d been doing a great job moving the ball against us.”

Ashland took the second half kickoff and quickly marched down inside Highland’s 10, but Michael Oriti stuffed Dampier short of the end zone on fourth-and-goal.

“I was hoping that didn’t give them the momentum,” Valentine said.

What it did was flip the field position from the start of the half, and three possessions later, Grant Denbow found brother Don Denbow in the end zone from 12 yards out. The PAT never took place after a high snap, but Ashland was up 27-7 and Highland’s offense had to shift gears.

“We were buried down there and that was tough. We couldn’t get out,” Gibbons said. “It’s not the kind of game we really want to play. We want to control the ball, but once they got that lead …”

From that point, Highland’s series ended in three interceptions and a lost fumble.

“They’re very good at what they do, but us being up three scores, it was a different situation,” Valentine said. “That benefitted our defense.”

Gibbons said he was excited to get back to the drawing board Monday.

“We’ve got to get back to work,” he said. “This can be a good learning lessons for everybody.”

Contact Chris Freeman at sports@medina-gazette.com.

Ashland 41, Highland 7

HIGHLAND                                 7   0 0   0   —   7

ASHLAND                                  14 7 6 14 — 41

First

A — Bryke Williams 12 pass from Grant Denbow (Bryce Stormer kick), 8:47.

H — Joe Wiencek 9 pass from Tyler Zelinski (Charles Howe kick), 3:24.

A — Lonzo Dampier 79 run (Stormer kick), 3:04.

Second

A — Manny Langston 26 pass from Denbow (Stormer kick), 3:34.

Third

A — Don Debow 12 pass from Grant Denbow (kick failed), 3:46.

Fourth

A — Dampier 14 run (Stormer kick), 8:20.

A — John Wolfe 51 interception return (Stormer kick), 6:55.