Medina soccer teams chase GCC titles as girls capture cross-country crown

Both of Medina’s soccer teams headed into the week facing winner-take-all matches with archrival Strongsville in the past few days, as both squads looked to exit the Greater Cleveland Conference as champions.

There was the potential for the girls team to win an outright title with a tie, with Strongsville having tied Mentor earlier in the year. A tie would leave the boys squad as co-champs. A win by any team from Strongsville or Medina would earn it an outright GCC crown.

Medina’s boys were set to host the Mustangs on Tuesday. The girls were to head to Strongsville on Wednesday.

A 1-0 win over Wadsworth on Saturday raised the Bees’ record to 10-2-3 overall. Their GCC mark stood at a flawless 6-0, which matched Strongsville’s mark. Medina got an early second-half goal from Jackson Harvey on an assist from Cooper Korduba in the win over Wadsworth. Opportunities were fleeting, as the teams combined for just nine shots on goal. The teams’ next meeting will be next fall as Suburban League rivals.

Medina’s girls finished their nonleague schedule with a 1-0 win over Massillon Jackson. Emma Carlson converted an Ella Wilgor assist into the only goal, about 13 minutes in. The Bees outshot the Polar Bears 8-2 in improving to 13-0-2. They took a 6-0 GCC record into their Oct. 15 match at Strongsville.

Cross Country

Speaking of championships, Medina’s girls won one in their final GCC season, scoring 35 points at the conference meet to easily outduel runner-up Strongsville (64) and third-place Shaker Heights (67). Senior Alexis Warnement was conference runner-up, finishing in 18:37.83, about 46 seconds behind champion Hannah Jicha of Strongsville. Freshman Addison Joffre was Medina’s next finisher, placing fifth in 19:21.24. She was followed by junior Alanya Yanmaz (seventh, 19:40.53), sophomore Julia Black (10th, 19:54.74), senior Julia Dietrich (11th, 19:54.86), sophomore Ari Schwemley (15th, 20:25.29) and junior Leah Bugner (16th, 20:37.40).

Medina girls also grabbed a title at the middle school level, with Claggett edging Brunswick 61-62 for the title. Seventh graders Brynn Young and Leah Hawkins finished third and fourth, respectively, to lead the victory. A.I. Root seventh grader Sydney Damicone won the individual championship.

Medina’s boys finished third with 82 points, trailing Mentor (18) and Brunswick (63). Senior Riley Dworznik was Medina’s top finisher. He placed seventh in 16:35, about 37 seconds off the pace of individual conference champ Matthew Penkowski of Mentor. Senior Joey D’Aurelio finished 13th in 16:46. Senior Peyton Davis checked in 20th in 16:50.45. The rest of the Bees were packed in positions 22-26. In order, they were junior Trent Schirmer (16:39.53), senior Liam Meade (17:03.01), sophomore Ethan Antill (17:12.17), senior Nate Fischer (17:15.41) and junior Logan Butsko (17:15.59).

Golf

Playing in a loaded field at the Pine Hills District tourney, Medina’s boys shot a solid 321, but that was only good enough for 12th place in a 20-team field. State berths went to the top four teams and top four individuals not on qualifying teams. Medina’s Trent Ridel missed qualifying by one stroke. His 74 tied him for 13th overall. The Bees got an 80 from Cameron Stafford, an 83 from Colin King, an 84 from Elliot Morgan and an 86 from Declan West. Green’s Silas Kirkpatrick won with a stellar 68, and St. Ignatius won the team championship at 293. Other team berths went to Green, Hoban and University School.

Volleyball

The Bees continued their torrid second half, winning 10 of 11 matches before falling to state-ranked Mentor on Oct. 8. In the process, Medina turned a 1-7 start into an 11-9 record. In their most recent win, a 25-17, 25-6, 25-12 trouncing of Cleveland Heights, the Bees got strong matches from senior Olivia Fedor (eight kills, four aces), senior Elaina Sabol (five aces, five digs), senior Kiera Szuter (eight digs), junior Laura Sherman (18 assists, eight digs) and senior Madelyn Petrulis (six digs).

It wasn’t enough to get Medina a Greater Cleveland Conference championship in its final year. The Bees headed into the week at 5-4 in the conference. Mentor, ranked No. 7 in Division I in the state coaches poll, had the title wrapped up at 9-0, with Strongsville second at 7-2. The Bees were to wrap up their regular season with a match at Brunswick on Oct. 14.